Did the pro-choice movement make it clear for 40 years that restricting abortion could have devastating consequences on women's healthcare, and we cats just missed it? Because that seems like a compelling argument to preserve reproductive rights.
And did anyone on the pro-choice side use the excellent term "forced birth" when forecasting the consequences of losing Roe? Again, if someone did, we didn't get the memo.
But now, as they say, here we are.
The Supreme Court's Dobbs decision may have handed Democrats elections on a plate, but women are in danger. Either they can't get the procedures they desperately need for pregnancies gone awry, or providers are leaving their red states in droves because they don't have the freedom to practice. It's easy to gloat about Republicans screwing themselves in those states, but goodness gracious — at what a price.
The latest case in point is the horrific story from Texas about Kate Cox, who was forced to ask for a court-approved abortion after her 20-week fetus was diagnosed with Trisomuy 18, a fatal condition. Had the judge not ruled in her favor, Cox would have been forced to carry the dangerous pregnancy to term — and then watch the fetus die. Can you imagine not being able to get the care you need because a bunch of right-wing white men in Austin have decided you don't deserve it?
(And yes, you guessed it: Right on cue, corrupt state attorney general Ken Paxton issued a threat on social media to Cox's doctors and the hospitals where they practice. No word on whether he'll file a writ of mandamus petition to contest the judge's ruling, but expect the worst.)
We will temper our outrage by circling back to our original questions: Did the pro-choice folks ever talk about how losing abortion rights would damage physicians' careers? Did they ever try to corral the AMA or other providers' organizations in support of women's reproductive freedom? It's possible they did, but we sure don't remember it. We cats HISS.
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