I’ve only been getting into some of the political stuff recently by posting on my facebook page and having conversations with friends and family about what really is the right thing to do right now. How do we keep people safe? How do we ensure economic prosperity? How do we support the population without simply handing them free stuff all the time? How do we make sure our government has enough money to function without raising the forbidden t-word (taxes)?
I’ve done a good amount of reading on some government-funded things like elective surgeries, but I was utterly disgusted by a case that still stands today called Buck v. Bell. This case makes it legal for forced sterilization of women in prisons given a ‘reasonable’ argument to a judge. This ruling is predominantly exercised on black women.
Now, I don’t agree with the Black Lives Matter organization, but I do agree that black lives, like any others, matter. I believe that women are not nearly as oppressed as we used to be, but we still are. This is one of those forms of oppression. While people are out there fighting against voluntary abortions, fighting to repeal Roe v. Wade, I don’t hear or see people at all fighting against the government essentially ordering sexual assault on these women because on paper it seems that they are in no way worthy or capable of being mothers. If those children you’re fighting for have hope, so do these women and the children they could have.
Think about it: these are government-ordered sexual assaults, and therefore paid for by the tax dollars we all provide.
Here’s more on this case that I wrote a few weeks ago when I first read about it. I’ll be doing more research into this and writing more about it.
For too long, women have been subject to mandates created by people who do not understand their pain, let alone their bodies and what they were built for. I personally may not believe that abortion is right, but I do believe there are some circumstances where it’s necessary. Women should be allowed that choice for themselves because their body does not belong to the government. I believe that a woman should not be ashamed to not vaccinate her children based on an informed decision, and let her child decide for his/herself when they get older. I believe that each woman, no matter how wrong abortion may be even in my eyes, should be able to make that decision for themselves because God did give us all free will for a reason.
Most importantly, women should never EVER be subject to forced sterilization. And the fact that California’s senator Kamala Harris is a black woman allowing this to happen predominantly to other black women in prisons… REPEAL BUCK V. BELL.
Hilary Clinton said “I’m with Her,” but she was never with Tara Reade because Sleepy Joe “unequivocally” denied her story without evidence to prove innocence. Granted, Reade had no evidence to offer either that I saw (correct me if I’m wrong) but if her claims indeed are true, then she lived every victim’s biggest fear of not being believed in such a large scale, and she bravely opened herself up to re-traumatization in front of the world. She deserves a little more respect than she got at the very least because her claims could very well be true– more often than not, even if a SART test is performed, samples can get lost or stuck in forensic examination backlog, leaving little to no real evidence.
I could keep going and going about the issues and sort of oppression (for lack of a better word) that women face. As a white woman, I know many of these issues all too well. For black women, these issues are statistically much worse. The types of abuse they face are generally more violent, they are less likely to be believed when they claim they’ve been sexually abused or harassed, and when it comes to mental health they aren’t heard as much as their white or Hispanic counterparts.
For those of y’all wondering why victims of rape take so long to come forward if they do at all, it’s because when we step forward, our characters are subject to ridiculous amounts of slander and defacation. Every little thing you do or have done and do or don’t remember is over analyzed. You’re labeled as hysterical and not of sound mind when you act or speak on emotions.
So for those of you against Roe v. Wade, please keep in mind that at least ensures that a woman’s free will is still in fact free. Buck v. Bell eliminates that free will as it allows forced sterilization of women in prisons. Buck v. Bell eliminates the natural ability to have children if one so wishes. It’s wrong and inhumane and (especially for women that want children) is almost as bad as a miscarriage, except then there’s no hope at all to bring that life into the world. It’s a form of sexual abuse. It’s forcibly destroying a woman’s sexual organs. It is forcibly taking her parts and destroying one of the main things that makes her a woman. If rape is not ok, then how in the hell is this ok? Seriously, someone please answer that for me because I’m genuinely curious.
Being able to choose whether or not to have children, to have sex or not, to get married or not, that’s all a natural part of human life. It’s wrong to take any of that away from a person simply because they are in prison (or really at all). It’s wrong to invade someone’s body and personal space. It’s wrong to take away such an integral part of someone’s humanity. REPEAL BUCK V. BELL. Now, I’ve only begun research into this case because I saw it online and took immediate offense to it as a woman. But the fact that it’s an act mostly done on black women in this time… I may not agree with many of the ideas and methods that have come up recently in the name of Black Lives Matter, but I will say that their live matter. The lives that they can and do bring into this world matter just as much as anyone else’s. Women’s lives matter too. Men’s. White’s. Hispanic’s. Asian’s. WE ALL MATTER so let’s stop treating one another as inferiors regardless of our economics or professions or whatever. Let’s stand up for what we believe is right and not just speak up with the crowd. I’m sick of watching this country fall apart because hardly anyone in power wants to do the right thing. I know for a fact I’m not the only one.
Comments