SCOTUS Turns America Into Real-Life Gilead

 By Mildred Robertson

We all knew it was coming from the day Mitch McConnell stole the first Supreme Court seat from Barack Obama. He and his cohorts relentlessly worked to pack as many ultra-conservative justices on the court as passive Democrats would allow. These well-groomed sycophants said just the right things to make the likes of Susan Collins and Joe Manchin publicly confirm that these nominees would honor prior Supreme Court decisions such as Roe v. Wade.

We all knew better. But, that didn’t make it any easier when it actually happened.

So as I approach the close of June 24, 2022, I do so with fewer rights than I had when I went to bed last night. Because today, the Supreme Court of the United States struck down a ruling that had governed most of my life. They ended a ruling that said I had autonomy over my own body. It dragged me back to a time when my life could be regulated based on a menstrual cycle or the lack thereof. That is the reality of young women all over America today. The Court has stepped into their bedrooms; their doctor’s offices, their minister’s study, their mother’s kitchen, and removed their ability to make life-changing choices based upon decisions they arrive upon with the counsel of one, all, or none of those mentioned.

You see, pro-choice advocates seem to think young women take lightly the decision to end a pregnancy. But it is, in fact, an agonizing decision for most. There are factors too numerous to mention here that can complicate bringing an unplanned pregnancy to fruition. Obvious factors include rape and incest, the youth or health of the mother, marriage or partner complications, finances…and a myriad of other factors. The timing of an unplanned pregnancy can halt a woman’s climb up the corporate ladder. It can happen at a time when a budding entrepreneur just got her feet under her or just when a woman has lost her job. It can be a decision that changes the entire trajectory of her life, and therefore, it should be no one’s decision but her own.

I know the agony of the choice. You see, my second child was conceived while I was on the pill. I had a bad case of the flu and could keep nothing on my stomach, including my birth control pills. When I found out I was pregnant, we weren’t particularly thrilled, since we already had a child in diapers. But after the initial shock, we were both okay with it…until the ultrasound. It turns out that I had been carrying twins, but one sack was empty. The doctors said that meant that there was a defect that could possibly be present in the remaining embryo as well. He said that we could do an amino synthesis, but that could cause injury to the embryo; carry to term, and take our chances or we could abort. My husband and I cried, prayed, and finally made the decision to take our chances. It was a horrible six months. But we were lucky. God granted us a healthy baby boy. I share that story with you to show how private and intimate the decisions related to abortion are. It almost feels like you are spying on my private life, right? This is a space that should be shared only by those on the “invited” list. There is no time when the government is invited.

You do not know what challenges a couple or a single mother must face when making the decision to terminate a pregnancy. You do not know her circumstances, resources, or her mental health, all factors which will impact her ability to love and care for a child.

The final outcome of government interference in this private decision is an increase in children forced upon a system that already cannot handle the load. Having women serve as human incubators to “increase the domestic supply” of babies is among the most absurd reasons I have heard to date. It sounds like a line from Margaret Atwood’s “A Handmaid’s Tale.” Unfortunately, that is the position of at least one seated Supreme Court Justice.

In my situation, I made the choice that worked for me. I am glad that it was MY decision and my consequences. If someone else in the same position made a decision that was different than mine it would be just as valid as my own.

I think that is the point. Whether another person should abort or carry to term is a decision that I have neither the right to make nor the wisdom to judge. That’s a lesson that the SCOTUS and legislators around the nation should learn. We should help them learn that lesson on November 8^th by creating a “Blue Wave” that will wash away any hint of Gilead and return us to an America where women are free.

True American Patriots Should “Stand Back and Stand By”

 By Mildred Robertson

“Stand Back and Stand By” are the infamous words of the 45^th President of the United States that launched the most hideous attack on this nation since the Civil War. His clarion call to the far-right extremist group the Proud Boys was issued during the September 29, 2020, presidential debate. His command resonated throughout our politics over the past two years, and on January 6, 2021, culminated in an insurrection death, and destruction.  

His inappropriate use of the presidential bully pulpit resulted in an uprising that left as many as seven people dead, and numerous injured, including approximately 150 Capitol and Metropolitan police officers and other responders. In addition, hundreds of government workers, including the vice president of the United States were traumatized by the mob as they hunted them in the halls of the U.S. Capitol building. The mob threatened to hang Vice President Mike Pence and assassinate House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, among others.  All this was based on the words of a twice impeached, morally corrupt, failed president who desperately sought to hold on to power in the waning hours of his presidency.

As we examine these infamous words, at first glance, they disgust and repel most loyal Americans. But in my view, these words can take on a life of their own, much as the derogatory “n-word” has done in the Black community. That contemptuous, evil word meant to offend has been co-opted by Blacks who have decided to own this insult, stripping it of its power and violence and designing it to be used by Blacks alone.  

I posit that this is the path Democrats and liberals should take with the phrase “Stand back and Stand By.” I suggest that we strip this phrase of its venom, hatred, and its call to negative action. We should, I believe replace it in the American psyche as a call to all Americans who love democracy to take up the true arms given to us by the Founding Fathers. I do not speak of Second Amendment armaments, but the one most powerful weapon we hold as Americans…our voice at the polls…our VOTE.

There is a historical understanding of the power of the vote that hearkens back to our Founding. Our country was conceived on the concept that American citizens had the right to a say in how they would be governed. The fledgling nation took up arms to make that point. Throughout our history, the struggle remains as to who is an American…and how each citizen that dwells on our soil can be so defined.

While many have fought and died to gain or hold on to that privilege—that right; many have become disillusioned and disengaged believing that it is too difficult or too pointless to participate in American politics. Many have fallen prey to the propaganda offered by opponents of freedom. Many have become discouraged at the constant political bickering; the constant polarization and unrest in our nation. And frankly, many are consumed by the challenges of daily living such as the high cost of living, healthcare challenges, and instability in the world caused by war and other worldwide challenges.

Some question how the simple act of casting a vote can have a meaningful impact on their day-to-day lives. But it is that simple act that has the power to exponentially change our current situation. Everyone who checks out on their responsibility to vote checks out on their ability to change their own circumstance.

We do not need flagpoles whittled into a spear. We do not need men and women dressed in armor or carrying hand ties to capture and kill our opponents. We do not need gallows to hang our adversaries. We do not even need to march in the streets. We just need to vote!

That is how we conquer the horde. Those who love democracy…those who believe in the promise of America for all who come to our shores…those who desire “A more perfect union,” should Stand Back and Stand By to cast their vote on Tuesday, November 8, 2022.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/05/us/politics/jan-6-capitol-deaths.html

http://www.blackbottomarchives.com/blackpapersocialjustice/on-non-black-people-saying-nigga

https://80000hours.org/articles/is-voting-important/