Speaking of borders, it’s not just a state border issue. A few states who’d likely directly be affected by the reversal border Canada. Who’s to say that someone from Michigan wouldn’t go to Windsor to have the procedure done? And there are only so many providers with so many appointments. If there’s an influx, wouldn’t that take appointment times away from people who live in the Windsor area? Or in Ontario, for that matter? This goes for those done domestically within the US, as well. People are also going to go to other states. It’s interesting that I have yet to hear that part being fully addressed – they’ve only talked about it being possible that people in need of the procedure could be charged anyway, even though it’s legal in the state or country where they had it done. Of course, stopping the Supreme Court from actually overturning the law is of utmost importance.

There’s also the medicated issue. I just heard a podcast where one of the speakers talked about pills and how easily they could be purchased online, perhaps illegally without a prescription (though they’re more likely going to try to get it done via telehealth, and under VPN, if needed). Is that even safe? How would one even know that it’s legit? I mean, I’ve purchased supplements such as Vitamin D online, but they’re supplements and from legit health food stores. Dark web? Sounds scary to me.

Some will say that it’s about state’s rights and a state’s right to decide what’s right for its people. But what if ISN’T the right thing? What if people THERE actually want something to be available? And then there’s corporate money. If businesses move away due to these issues, then these states’ economies will tank. And people living there who were already not doing too well will fare even WORSE. Do they REALLY want that? Fewer people living there means fewer people paying taxes. Fewer people paying taxes means fewer services. It’s a downward spiral. I suppose people don’t use their heads very much. And that’s all over the world, not just in the US.

I’m not usually the person who accuses others of being out-of-touch. In fact, I’m often the accusee, believe it or not. But in this case, I’m echoing just about the entire world. Or at least, my world. And really, what does life begins at conception mean? If the law was reversed, what happens to all those embryos in labs? Many more embryos are created than transferred, which means many are left unused if families don’t decide to donate them to other intended parents or to labs for scientific research. Are those not lives? Does that mean that embryos can either be donated to intended parents or left in the deep freeze, so to speak? And they can’t be sent for scientific research because it means a life is being killed? When does life begin? Of course, people, regardless of which side of the debate they sit, don’t think about these embryos unless they’ve experienced IVF, either as an observer or someone who went through the procedure.

Anyway, I’m not an expert in this area, but I DO know that we need to mind our own business and let people decide for themselves as to what they want to do – in this situation (and others, such as equal marriage…of course, in the case of marriage, the two parties must be of age), especially. So it’s important to make sure that this doesn’t happen in the US, here, or anywhere in the world. Other parts of the world are liberalizing, not going backwards.

Image credit: zimmytws/Shutterstock

The post Thoughts on Leaked Roe v Wade Reversal Document appeared first on Cynthia C. Mintz.

As someone who has never been pregnant, I can’t begin to understand what it’s like. But I’m also a woman and a mom. And I think it’s important for mom, no EVERYONE, to not have the burden to be forced to carry a child to term. You won’t want to be forced to stay inside a burning building, would you? You’d want someone to get you out if you aren’t able to yourself.

We talk A GREAT DEAL about mental health these days. If abortion were to be limited/banned, wouldn’t the stress of carrying an unwanted or sick child be detrimental to a woman’s mental health? It would be worse if she were underage. Why don’t we talk about that aspect? Why is it all about the fetus? And if it’s “for the baby,” would you be adopting these kids after they’re born? And then there are the babies who would never make it to birth. Some terminations are for very much wanted babies. However, the fetus has a fatal genetic condition where they’d either be stillborn or survive only a few hours after birth…if they even make it to viability. Many people choose to end the pregnancy. Should women in such a situation have to go through 20+ more weeks of pregnancy knowing that their babies aren’t going to make it? Let’s put it this way: Your sibling was in a motorcycle accident and was severely injured. This sibling will unlikely EVER regain consciousness and if he or she does, will need care 24/7. Wouldn’t you and your family members choose to take this sibling off life support, given that option?

We also hear about people talking about not having intercourse if one doesn’t want babies. People who read this blog and have been reading this site for ages know that my son was carried by a surrogate. This pregnancy was the result of IVF. No intercourse is involved in IVF. Embryos are created in a lab and are then transferred to the uterus. And if life begins the the moment the sperm meets the egg, then wait, should these embryos have rights too? Usually, one or two are transferred, and the rest are frozen. If they have rights, is it okay to force, like eight embryos to sit in the deep freeze for what could be years? And what should a clinic do with these embryos if there were no clear instructions? While some jurisdictions allow discarding after a set numbers, others do not. IVF is more common now that people are waiting to have kids (with women freezing their eggs or couples freezing embryos, but waiting a few years to start families) or for same sex couples hoping to have genetic children. And sometimes, embryos do not survive the thaw (my son was supposed to be part of a double transfer, but the embryo that was supposed to be his twin did not survive the thawing process). Hmmmm, wouldn’t that fall into the “murder” category? Or do have these guys (and it’s mostly guys) not even considered that?

Or maybe we just need to ask young, male, anti-abortionists this question: Would you be okay if your parents or spouse had your sperm retrieved prior to taking you off life support if you were in a tragic accident resulting you to suffer injuries so severe that you wouldn’t survive without machines helping you? That is, of course, if you’re a registered organ donor. They’re doing this so they could have a grandchild (if it’s your parents) or a(nother) child if it’s your spouse. Creepy, right? Can’t happen, right? WRONG.

Image by Benjamin Clapp/Shutterstock. The image was taken at a Women’s March in NJ in 2017

The post Dear Government: Choice is Choice and THAT’S FINAL! appeared first on Cynthia C. Mintz.