After the inability to pass a federal bill protecting women’s healthcare choices through the Senate this week we heard all sorts of suggestions, some helpful, most not. One of the ones I saw was to do each issue of protection, issue by issue.
What do I mean?
What are your concerns? Rape? Child rape? Incest? Ectopic pregnancy? Whatever it may be write a separate bill for each concern. Get every member on the record over every single one. Show the GOP for the monsters they are. Don’t let them hide behind one inclusive bill.
Start with child rape. Make Susan Collins vote in favor of a child rapist having parental rights. Make Lisa Murkowski vote in favor or forcing a 13 year old girl to carry her rapist fetus to full term and possibly putting her life at risk. We’ve already seen some states show us that they are perfectly fine with a 30 year old man marrying a 12 year old girl. Do Susan and Lisa want to get on board with that too?
Incest. Make Joe Manchin show us whether or not he’s on board with forcing a 14 year old girl to carry her father’s or uncle’s fetus to full term. Does a Senator from West Virginia really want to perpetuate that image of West Virginia?
Ectopic pregnancy. Let the medical professionals help you use the appropriate language to describe why choosing the fetus over the mother is more likely to end in the death of both. Show why the poor and women of color are more likely to have a bad outcome with an ectopic pregnancy. No religious exception. Hospitals unwilling to transfer patients may be held liable for bad outcomes if they refuse to transfer patients to a hospital for appropriate care.
I think you get the idea. Who knows, you might get one or more of them through? And that’s a good thing. Besides, by nailing them on each issue, they can’t wiggle out. Do they really want to hide behind the Hyde Amendment to protect a rapist? Or condemn a mother because of an ectopic pregnancy?
These are just a few examples, there are others. If you’re Chuck Schumer or Nancy Pelosi and you want to have a win/win? Then force the GOP to vote issue by issue. If they vote in favor of a bill, that’s a win for women. If they vote against a bill, then it becomes a campaign issue they’ll have to defend to their constituents.
Try it. You have nothing to lose based upon where we are today. Stop state legislatures codifying rapist rights. Stop state legislatures from codifying an ectopic pregnancy into essentially a death sentence for a mother.