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ReproAction just released a great webinar about Operation Save America, the anti-abortion group that many of our fundies have ties to. Recap: if you know of them from reading here, it's probably because their current national director, Rusty Thomas, used his teenage son Jeremiah's terminal cancer diagnosis as a PR opportunity, or because familiar faces like the Activist Mommy, the Mortons, and the Metzgers like to attend their protests and conferences. If you know of them from elsewhere, it's probably because their former director, Flip Benham, is the father of twin brother HGTV hosts whose TV show was canceled after their ties to right-wing extremism gained attention. I highly recommend watching the ReproAction deep dive. They're an abortion rights organization that does good work countering these kinds of groups and they speak with people who have been watching OSA activity from the front lines. The main takeaways: In addition to viewing abortion as homicide and advocating that it be punished by death, OSA also officially holds extreme anti-gay and anti-Muslim views and they are fanatical about guns. Clinic escorts are seeing more "open carry" at their appearances, which is obviously concerning. Thomas is about to hand off his leadership role to Jason Storms, who may be an even more dangerous extremist. Storms participated in the attack on the US Capitol and his social media presence openly endorses violence against abortion providers and the government. His father-in-law, Matt Trewhella, has long been involved with both violent attacks on clinics and with anti-government militia groups. Rhetoric coming from OSA national and state leaders is rapidly heating up. Their language is that of violent uprising and separatism and they no longer try to maintain plausible deniability when speaking about attacking clinics and providers. They have been mingling with other extremist groups like border militias, Oathkeepers, Three percenters, and Proud Boys at right-wing events and online. I probably don't need to remind most of you, but I think it's important to remember when we snark that this is what's really at the heart of Christian fundamentalist nationalism. Sometimes we get caught up watching people like JRod who are essentially just bumbling idiots with Insta accounts, but there are a lot of people out there who are less amusing and more scary. Just about every one of the OSA folks has a gaggle of homeschooled kids and a part-time preaching gig, and they're actively and effectively organizing for domestic terrorism in these spaces. They are already threatening the lives of people who work in reproductive health, and it's very possible that we will see large-scale violence coming from this branch of fundamentalism unless they are stopped soon.

I'm dropping this here instead of the Politics forum because the evisceration of Roe v. Wade and draconian anti-abortion laws are the direct result of extreme fundamentalist Christian beliefs infiltrating our entire legal system. A 26-year-old woman in Starr County, TX (on the border with Mexico) has been charged with murder for supposedly self-inducing an abortion. Sadly, this story is being carried widely on Texas and national news outlets with the woman's name and booking photo featured prominently. Her life has turned to shit. I've deleted her name in quoted text below. These are the charges: According to a sheriff’s office spokesperson, [the woman] was arrested after it was learned she "intentionally and knowingly cause[d] the death of an individual by self-induced abortion." Her bond is set at $500,000. This Newsweek article is somewhat more detailed: Texas Woman Charged With Murder for 'Self-Induced' Abortion According to a Newsweek article, Gonzalez [founder of La Frontera Fund, a Rio Grande Valley-based abortion assistance fund] said that while her group did not know all the details, [the woman] had been allegedly in the hospital, had a miscarriage and then "divulged some information to hospital staff, who then reported her to the police."

Proposed bill in Ohio says that doctors have to try to save an ectopic pregnancy "reimplanting" the embryo (a non existent medical procedure) or they would face murder charges. This is madness. Ohioans need to vote the craziness out. If that bill becomes law (I doubt it will ever happen, but still this fucked thing has 19 sponsors, 19 crazy obsessed bigots) it would have all sorts of fucked up effects. This procedure doesn't even exist! It would mean that women would risk their lives going through an absurd untested impossible procedure or after a while to find an ob/gyn women will have to go to jail or out of state. Oh, children of 13 years could be prosecuted for "abortion murder". And "aggravated abortion murder" carries a death sentence. They don't give a fuck about a woman's life don't they?

I came across this video while catching up with our old friend "Catholic Traditional Looking for a Wife." It's unspeakably messed up and I straight up don't think this child was developmentally ready to hear about abortion, given that the questions he asks indicate that he's not solid on his basic sexual and reproductive education yet. (There's a nice comparison between surgical abortion and Minecraft, for crying out loud). I'm not proposing that children not learn about abortion, just that this isn't the way to do it. In any case, it's an eye-opening look at how young people are taught about abortion in the pro-life movement.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/27/us/alabama-pregnant-woman-shot-in-stomach-manslaughter-indictment-trnd/index.html This is horrifying. And I'm seriously afraid that it's only the beginning. My take is that she may have instigated the fight or prolonged it, but I don't think that she wanted to lose her child. I see this as the beginning of our rights being stripped away. I think that it was only a matter of time until a woman was charged, it would not matter what the circumstances were. I think the powers that be have been waiting and this situation is what they will use.

Ugh If I was a legislator I'd tell the good Bishop he can suck it. I am so goddamn glad I gave the Roman church the ol heave ho back in 2012.

Shocked to see a Duggar friend come out publicly as pro choice and oppose the anti-choice bills in Alabama and Georgia. Krista shows that you can personally think abortion is wrong and still see it as a personal choice. Hopefully she sways some other people in her circles.

I'm not sure what's in the state governments drinking water at the moment but: They currently have their "heartbeat bill" that recently passed but isn't in effect yet: https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/legislation-summary?id=GA132-HB-258 Abortions happening after the ~6 week mark are illegal, seeking an abortion outside the state are prosecutable, and if a miscarriage is found to be "the fault" of the woman...she can be prosecuted for that too. Now this monstrosity is coming up: https://local12.com/news/local/ohio-bill-would-prevent-insurance-for-paying-for-abortions-limit-birth-control-coverage It's a law preventing private and public insurance companies from covering certain types of birth control and abortion procedures. There is an 11 year old girl in their news right now who was impregnated by a 26 year old man, supposedly "not forcible". Under the new law she would not have been able to seek an abortion in her own state and would have been prosecuted for seeking one outside the state. Sick irony: she could marry him. https://statelaws.findlaw.com/ohio-law/ohio-marriage-age-requirements-laws.html State law allows minors to get married with consent of juvenile court in the event of a pregnancy. All of these politicians, Ga, Ky, Oh,...they are all bold enough to admit these measures are being put in place in preparation for RvW being overturned.

Although I’ve moved out of both the fundy sphere, and the conservative sphere, it seems like the only people making noise about NY’s abortion ruling are those who see it as “worse than Hitler,” and “killing 5-9 pound babies.” I briefly read a link someone uber-conservative shared; and it subtly acknowledged that this meant women whose lives were threatened or whose baby’s life was unviable now had the right to terminate. But beyond that, I just don’t know what it’s about? Who can explain? And also, id love links on it from non-right-to-life sites?

It's that time again in which many of our favorite fundies, fundie organizations, and others headed to DC and other areas for March for Life events. Please feel free to search social media for snarky worthy pictures, posts, and also blog entries.

Gabrielle Blair, mother of six and a blogger, recently tweeted a remarkable thread that went viral. In it, she makes the case that men, as opposed to women, are at fault for unplanned pregnancies because of their irresponsible ejaculations and failure to use condoms, which are more readily accessible than birth control for women. This has obviously caused a lot of consternation with many men on Twitter. I mostly created this thread because it's amazing and everyone should see it. https://www.designmom.com/twitter-thread-abortion/

Mainumby was forced to give birth at the age of 11 after becoming pregnant via rape.  Paraguay would not allow her to have an abortion. This is what that orange fuck and his reich to life groupies would love to see happen in the United State

Looks like Ireland will have a referendum next year to repeal the 8th amendment to our constitution, which was introduced in 1982 and gives equal value to the life of a fetus and it's mother. We have a new Taoiseach (prime minister) who I had great hopes for. He's openly gay and young but he appears to be firmly on the fence. https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/09/09/opinion/sunday/leo-varadkar-ireland-dowd.html The committee to develop the wording meet today for the first time and the process is expected to take three months. Hopefully they will bear in mind the recommendations of the citizens assembly which took place earlier this year. Their recommendations were abortion available on request up to 12 weeks and up to 22 for sociology economic reasons. We, the women of Ireland (well most of us) feel like we are on the cusp of real change and our daughters will have real choice regarding pregnancy and childbirth. The annual march for choice takes place on Saturday the 30th of September. My friends and I will be out in force, little people in tow and the menfolk of course! FJers support us in any small way you can. Give a like or a share on FB if you see media coverage of the march, or if there's are solidarity events happening near you, tell your friends and family. Keep us in the global eye and make a holy show of our ridiculous laws. No better crowd to ask than you lot! https://www.abortionrightscampaign.ie/about-arc/

Ugh I suppose the reich to life fucks will soon be out parroting this horseshit. This is exactly why I'll never return to the Catholic church for any reason. Francis might be a little bit to the left of Benny or JPII but this shows there's not much daylight between him and either man.

A judge has temporarily blocked Iowa's fancy new fetal heartbeat law from taking effect next month;

John Oliver did a piece last night on crisis pregnancy centers. I'm sure most of us here are aware how awful they are, but it's still definitely worth a watch.

Sexual Abuse Trigger Warning I had seen this the other day and didn't have time to dig into it, but now some of the national media has picked it up. A man staying with a family in Ohio, raped and impregnated three sisters and was just sentence to prison this week for 27 years.. That is so heartbreaking, but the part of the story that broke my heart was while one of the three young girls was able to receive an abortion, her two sisters were not because their pregnancies were discovered too late. They have since given birth. One of the victims was 12 years old. So essentially, their rapist got 27 years and they got a life sentence. This led me to research the current abortion laws in the state of Ohio and they are relatively strict, no abortions past 20 weeks except life endangerment circumstances, mandatory ultrasounds, counseling, waiting periods and required parental consent. A previous law restricting access to abortion was discussed here in 2016 when it was signed. Things are very active in Ohio on the abortion scene, Gov Kasich recently signed a new law to ban ALL abortions for Downs and other genetic disorders. Last week, the Ohio Supreme Court dealt a huge blow that put two clinics in serious jeopardy of losing their business license. Feminist Gloria Steinham (originally from Ohio) and other protestors spent today pleading with area hospitals to sign the necessary transfer care agreements required under state law to keep them open. They were signed just one hour ago. I am so glad people are at the forefront of this fight while I am busy with life, I am so grateful to the activists who devote their lives to these causes. This is about human rights. I absolutely and wholly believe we must maintain this legal freedom and access in EVERY state and certainly not so restrictive that a 12 year old rape victim isn't able obtain them for her quality of life. These are heartbreaking and difficult choices women are making for multiple reasons. I set aside my personal beliefs on abortion and take the hands of others and surround ALL women in protecting this freedom and the privacy of it. We absolutely must. Excuse me while I cancel my evening plans to go write some damn letters to protect sexual assault victims that I don't know why I am writing in 2018. http://time.com/4608454/john-kasich-ohio-abortion-ban/ https://www.cnn.com/2017/12/22/health/ohio-governor-signs-down-syndrome-abortion-ban/index.html http://www.toledoblade.com/local/2018/02/12/Protesters-urge-ProMedica-St-Luke-s-to-sign-agreement-with-Toledo-s-last-abortion-clinic.html http://people.com/crime/ohio-man-sentenced-raping-impregnating-teen-sisters/

I love this! Thanks to @Buzzard for the link. http://deadstate.org/satanic-temple-argues-that-missouris-extreme-abortion-laws-violate-their-religious-freedomfbrefreshforce/ I may consider converting.

Well, technically a Jew who converted to Christianity, but still. This guy could have been killed in Holocaust as a baby; probably has relatives who were killed. He is waiting for another Holocaust that will be worse than one we already had, and compares that to abortion: The Bible teaches that only a remnant of Jews will remain when the Messiah comes – for the first time, according to Orthodox Judaism; for the second time, according to orthodox Christianity. So, Jews who are presently preparing to go to Israel are oblivious that they are leaping into the heart of the flames. It reminds me of the abortion clinic. The womb used to be the safest place for a baby; today it is the most treacherous. There is coming a time when Jews, like the unborn baby, will be screaming again to escape the fire and the smoke: “Never Again?” The Bible says, yes, again, and much worse. https://onedaringjew.wordpress.com/2009/09/15/holocaust/ That article is rather old, but he has guest post from 2015 about "Auschwitz of New Jersey". (I have no idea, why ISIS is even mentioned there.) https://onedaringjew.wordpress.com/2015/03/04/isis-has-nothing-on-the-abortion-mills-of-america/ He has other amazingly terrible posts as well. This one, for example: https://onedaringjew.wordpress.com/2015/05/06/brit-lesbian-to-yankee-christian-ill-pray-for-you/ Or this one: https://onedaringjew.wordpress.com/2010/10/05/the-suffering-atheist-in-a-meaningless-universe/ Ok, folks, I'm falling down the rabbit hole. Send ferrets.

I stumbled upon this family on social media. They have 9 (soon 10) children, they blog and (of course!!!), they sing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWzycOUrIYo. Their blog is full of crazy: http://www.johnstonfamilyministry.com A few favourites: http://www.johnstonfamilyministry.com/blog/ten-most-common-gun-control-soundbites-refuted (Let's shoot each other!) http://www.johnstonfamilyministry.com/article/ten-commandments-training-children (Let's hit our kids!) http://www.johnstonfamilyministry.com/blog/check-out-our-new-t-shirt-designs (Let's hang people who are pro-choice! ... or something ...) Have any of you ever heard of the Johnston Family?

Another Republican says what they're thinking https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/02/14/oklahoma-bill-would-require-father-of-fetus-to-approve-abortion Hey, Humphrey, fuck you! What's next you piece of shit? Women having to get permission to leave the house? To drive?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/oklahoma-lawmaker-wants-men-to-approve-abortion-calls-women-hosts_us_58a1eaf5e4b094a129ed7fac . We get it, you just want to control women only, cause you know we can't make decisions for our self

Why does my state have to be filled with so many politicians who are total assholes: http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/lawmaker-to-propose-total-abortion-ban-in-indiana/article_bf971c44-ddda-5af3-b5b3-0aa633c8a705.html That asshole even wants to ban abortion in cases of rape and when the mother's life is in danger, and he wants to prosecute women if they have an abortion to save their own lives. I'm so angry I can't even see straight right now. This fucker thinks he gets to force women to die for his beliefs and if we're not willing to die like good little incubators then we get sent to jail. FUCK YOU Curt Nisly. It's only been a week since the election and the right-wingers are already emboldened to ramp up their war on women. FUCK YOU, Curt Nisly.

http://www.lifenews.com/2016/04/26/watch-satanists-mock-killing-of-unborn-children-in-bizarre-and-grotesque-protest/?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link

Wasn't sure where to put this.... http://nbc4i.com/2016/12/06/ohio-senate-passes-heartbeat-bill/ Ohio lawmakers have attached an anti-abortion law onto a child abuse law that is making its rounds. It basically prevents an abortion in Ohio if there is a fetal heartbeat (can be as early as 6 weeks, which can sometimes be before a woman even knows she is pregnant). The keys here are that RAPE AND INCEST-induced pregnancies are also BANNED. The only exception is if the mother's life is actually in danger. Let me also draw your attention to this article ( http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/kris-jordan-domestic-violence_us_584820ece4b0b9feb0da6031?section=women& ), in which the man who is pushing this bill forward was investigated for domestic violence against his wife, and proceeded to tell the officers that: