Tuesday, June 25, 2013

The State of our State

To say I'm angered over the current legislation being "discussed" by the representatives of Texas would be an understatement. Shocked, outraged, hurt, bursting at the seams with my disbelief that the people who represent me think I'm incapable of making decisions regarding the safety and well-being of my own body, of my own  mind... all of these would be more accurate and still, yet, do not begin to cover the magnitude of what is coursing through my mind and my body.

If you are not aware of Senate Bill 5 then I encourage you to click here and here.  The first link lets you know who is sponsoring said bill, just how quickly it has been pushed through in order to try and evade the Texas public, and lets you sort through what little discussion pertaining to the bill has been had. The second link lets you read the bill. I encourage you to read it at minimum 3 times as it is written in political code (read: designed to be misleading so that readers will fill in gaps with assumptions). I am not an uneducated woman. I'm not a genius either.

I live in Frisco, Texas. Suburbia at its finest. One of the largest growing populations in this state and in this country. A whopping 27% of Frisco women are stay at home mothers.  I'm not naive about the political climate in which I live. I'm a registered voter and I vote. I also know that most of those whom I voted for are not currently in office. If you are not aware of who represents you on either the State level or the Federal level I encourage you to go here

Senate Bill 5 will effectively take the right to choose out of women's hands and place it in the hands of mostly men, but some women, who feel that they have been placed on this Earth to hand out their moral, ethical and theological belief systems as if they are divinely appointed to be the saving hands of our morally, ethically and theologically reprehensible state. If this bill continues and passes, there will be 6 clinics in all of Texas that will be able to perform abortions. Only located in urban areas and under such strict regulations that a possible 1/4 of all women who attempt to pass through these clinics will be served.

I am not exactly sure when the Constitution of America became about imposing the belief system of those elected to represent onto those they are representing but it is definitely the case with this bill. We have voted you in to office to represent US, not yourself! I don't care what side of the line you stand on. I do not care what your belief system is. What I do care about is that the women in our state are being placed on a bus back to 1945, then placed on train back to 1865 and then a boat back to 1776.

The women of our state are being told that we do not understand what we are doing when and if we walk into an abortion clinic. The women of our state are being told that we are not capable of making choices regarding our own bodies. We are being told that we are not intelligent enough to understand the ramifications of an abortion and therefore instead of allowing us our rights, they are being stripped from us.

As a mother, a Christian, a feminist, a sister, a daughter, a wife and as an actress, let me tell you I understand.

I encourage you to read I'm Naive, Not Stupid on The Oeditrix. Not only is it a moving article it explains the current climate in the State Capitol Building. The way in which these "men" are behaving and acting. I use the term "men" loosely. The measure of a man is in his ability to recognize his limitations. And obviously these "men" have not realized that their limitations include the ability to make choices regarding a body that is not their own.

I beg you to contact your representative. I beg you to educate yourself and to understand what is being pushed forward without your consent. I beg you, for your children and for the children who do not have a voice, to make your voice heard. In a state where we have stripped away easy access to mammograms, obstetric medicine, birth control and sex education for those who do not have the money to buy it for themselves, please, make your voice heard.

If you do not fight to be heard, you will forever be silenced.

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