Darkness approaches. I wish I could write about something positive today, but the truth is that there are some really depressing news stories dominating the headlines lately. On September 2, 2021, Texas legislators were granted permission by the Supreme Court of the United States to uphold their new law (Senate Bill 8) that prohibits abortions in the state. While the Court has not officially ruled on the case, it instead offered an opinion that the law may proceed in the meantime while it is challenged in lower courts, which could eventually make its way to SCOTUS. This process could take years, and in the meantime, women have lost their freedoms.

Make no mistake, this law was passed by male legislators and signed by a male governor who in no way could ever be affected by it. These men believe their right to police women’s bodies is greater than a women’s right to choose what is right for her body. The new law basically states that a private citizen can file a lawsuit against any woman who attempts or undergoes an abortion beyond the six-week mark of pregnancy onset, which is ridiculous because most women do not even know if they’re pregnant at that stage. Statistically, nearly 85% of abortions occur after six-weeks for various reasons, so this effectively bans abortions in the state. In addition, those private citizen ‘snitches’ can also file suit against businesses, doctors, or average citizens who help a woman get an abortion. This includes the Uber driver that drove her to the clinic! This is beyond unethical and unconstitutional, it is slavery. The government now owns women’s bodies in the state of Texas by empowering a private ‘abortion police force’. Remind you of anything? Perhaps the Gestapo in Nazi Germany?

The underlying cause of this disgusting legislation is the notion that the majority of citizens’ religion dictates the laws for everyone else. The US Constitution actually wrote in a clause that specifically calls for the continued separation of church and state. In other words, no single religion is allowed to dictate the laws of the land and every person is free to choose their own religion or none. In fact, approximately 22% of Texans do not have a religion or are non-Christian. So, it is unconstitutional to force almost a quarter of the population to live by Christian laws! Various polls have shown that most US citizens (ranging from two thirds to three quarters of people) believe that abortions should be accessible to the women who choose that procedure. Furthermore, Forbes reported that recent polling by PerryUndem indicates that 73% of women and 66% of college-educated adults would not even apply to work in a state with anti-abortion laws. This law is not only unconstitutional, but it also flies in the face of the population’s ideals and values.

This is just the beginning too. If this law continues to go unchecked, it opens the door wide for other right-controlled states to mimic the legislation for their own population. Women in the United States have come too far in the past 60 years in their fight for equality and rights to be pushed back even further. So, I implore you to fight for the women in your life. Call your legislators and let them know this is unjust and immoral. Vote out the oppressive Christian Evangelicals that have a stranglehold on democracy. A woman holds domain over her own body, and no government office or religious zealot should have any power to deny her that right. THAT is true freedom. Freedom from oppression and freedom to choose.