YOUNG WOMAN Alert!

Let me say right off the bat:  This is NOT about abortion.  Each of us has a view on that emotional topic and I respect each view even though it might not agree with my own.  However, when I look at the political scene right now, abortion was the starting place for Republican lawmakers in Washington and in state legislatures around the country.  


In order to circumvent Roe v. Wade (which made abortion legal in this country), lawmakers have come up with a wide variety of laws and proposed laws.  Some are already in effect; others are on the fast track for passage due to GOP-controlled legislatures.


These laws will affect YOU - in ways you may not even know.  I was griping on Facebook the other day about how it appears young women simply don't care about what's happening around them.  But one of my young female friends said:  "It's not that they (we) don't care, it's that they don't know to care. They don't think the gov't can do the things they have proposed."


I know young women are busy ... going to school, starting careers, getting married, taking care of children.  But the laws made right now are going to affect you because government most certainly can do the things lawmakers have proposed.  Let me repeat that:  The laws made right now are going to affect you!


Here are some examples - and they come from laws already passed and those near passage:


1) "Personhood" laws ... birth control will be illegal and YOU will have no control over if or when you have children.



2) If your employer has a religious or moral "objection" to contraception, he/she will be able to keep the company insurance from covering that (even if you must take birth control pills to deal with other medical problems such as ovarian cysts, acne, endometriosis, painful menstrual cramps, etc.)  YOU will be paying for birth control out of your own pocket even if you are paying part of your insurance premium costs.


3) YOU will have to prove that you're not taking birth control pills for contraceptive purposes if your employer has a religious/moral objection to contraception and demands that proof.  If you can't provide it, you can be fired from your job.




4) Your doctor can lie to you about YOUR pregnancy (and any complications he/she sees) if he/she has an objection to abortion and thinks that's what you may choose.  And you can't sue for medical malpractice, either.


5) Some abortion bans do not make exceptions even if the life of the mother is at risk.  In other words, should an abortion be medically necessary, YOU will not receive the treatment - and YOU may well die.


6) If you want an abortion for whatever reason (medical problem included), YOU will have a intravaginal probe shoved in your body as mandated by the state.  And YOU will have to pay for this invasive, uncomfortable, unnecessary procedure.


7) Government funding for groups like Planned Parenthood is being dropped.  For millions of women, Planned Parenthood is the only place they can get medical care including cancer screenings, mammograms, STD testing and treatment, and contraception services.  If YOU need Planned Parenthood (or similar groups), YOU will be out of luck.


8) If your doctor finds you are carrying a dead fetus, YOU will have to wait until "natural delivery" to release it from your body and YOU will just have to hope antibiotics can save you from systemic infection.


I can go on ... there are more.  Lots more. The only way to prevent more laws like the ones above is to use your power at the ballot box and vote out the people responsible for this insanity.  Every single one of the above laws/proposed laws is being supported by the Republicans.  There are a few Democrats who jumped on that bandwagon, but not many. The issue centers on YOU and YOUR choices.  YOU, along with your doctor, should make medical decisions ... not a group of lawmakers who don't even understand what they're talking about.


YOU can stop this, but first YOU have to register to vote and then make YOUR voice heard loud and clear.  Young women comprise a huge voting block in this country, but that power goes to waste because voting statistics show that this same group does not vote!


Remember ... this isn't about abortion.  It's about YOU and YOUR choices.  And this coming November is critical.  Make no mistake about it:  this November IS critical.  I've already fought the battle and I'll fight it again - but you have to do your part, too, because YOU are the ones who will be affected the most.