The news that came out this week about a draft that was being written to overturn Roe v Wade, is highly disturbing. I listened to an interview on PBS conducted by journalist Amna Nawaz. She posed some very pointed questions to the Attorney General of Arkansas, Leslie Rutlege, who is on a personal mission to become the next Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas. She appeared to be flustered by the questions, answering in the very typical rote of an evangelical christian. Arkansas is one of thirteen states that would invoke a “trigger law” – an immediate and total ban on abortion should Roe v Wade be overturned. Ms. Rutlege affirmed more than once that banning abortions would be “saving lives of unborn, innocent children.” She answered with a decided, “No” when asked if abortions by medication would be acceptable. The only situation in which she would give even a little, was in the case where continuing the pregnancy would jeopardize the mother’s life.
Amna pointed out that one in five children in Arkansas live in poverty and that there has been a 14% increase in foster care; but the attorney general glossed over those facts, saying that Arkansas could provide “great educational opportunities for children.” She completely evaded the question concerning same sex marriage, emphasizing that each state should be governed by their individual laws. You can listen to the interview here: https://www.pbs.org/video/arkansas-law-to-ban-abortions-if-roe-v-wade-is-overturned-1651620269/
On the other side of the coin, we have states that stand strong in their commitment to protect women’s rights and their right to privacy. They are also committed to helping those doctors who perform abortions and who provide a wonderful service to women with unwanted pregnancies. The governor of Connecticut is one of those seeking to expand women’s reproductive rights. He referred to the trigger law as a kind of vigilante justice.
It is almost unbelievable that we seem to be going backwards in our attitudes about abortion, about racism, and about peace. Fifty years ago we made some giant strides towards a collective higher consciousness. Pro-life people tend to push my buttons because our planet is seriously over populated. These people are completely blind to the fact that they are eliminating and causing thousands of other species to become extinct; ignorantly believing that only human beings matter and that this planet belongs only to us. We need to be saving the lives of innocent birds, animals, fish, amphibians, and insects – not to mention our forests. Pro-life is NOT pro-life when you are murdering every other non-human living thing!
