I am sharing how Women’s Rights and reproductive rights are viewed by some in a local rural community in Virginia. I received one comment in a past article highlighted below(not sharing the posters id):
Dear godsOK,
I am sorry, but without context, this Diary is utterly incomprehensible. Perhaps you could post a link to an article that explains what you are talking about, rather than just your reaction?
The comment seems to indicate I, as a writer, made too many leaps in assuming what others know about these issues. This is to add some context. I would have liked to quote the entire article, since it’s behind a paywall, but rules are rules.
This article is an opinion piece from the Culpeper Star-Exponent by
The article was about how women's rights were being harmed. It seems we in Virginia have a clue, even in the rural areas.
This is a couple of excerpts from the article. It is behind a paywall.
COMMENTARY: Women's access to health care is threatened- by David Reuther
The fiercest battle of the culture wars is raging over a woman’s right to make her own medical decisions in consultation with her medical professionals.
Ever since the Supreme Court overturned the protections of Roe v. Wade, each state has become a battle ground. Attacks on women by Republican-dominated state legislatures are escalating.
Fifteen states now ban abortion at conception: Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia. No exception is made for rape. Other states have installed arbitrary cut-off dates of six weeks (Florida, South Carolina, Georgia); 12 weeks (Nebraska, North Carolina) and 15 weeks (Arizona). None of these dates are medically related to a woman’s health or the potential medical problems of pregnancy.
Although these bans are significant milestones, punishments in the various laws speak to a darker scenario. Texas offers a “bounty” for anyone who accuses a woman of ending a pregnancy. Other states penalize doctors for performing their medical duties. In Ohio, the state attorney general sought to penalize the doctor who sent a 10-year-old rape victim to another state for an abortion.
Further in the piece
In the 62nd House District, Sara Ratcliffe has made clear that, as a woman and a mother, she considers fertility and reproduction a high-priority issue. She has written that “decisions around when, how, whether and with whom we have children are some of the most important and most personal decisions we make in our lives. People must have the right to make those decisions safely and privately, without political interference or judgment from those with a political agenda. Each of us should be able to make decisions about our own health and future with dignity and respect.”
We all need to become more aware of these issues, advocate for these issues.
Any thoughts and links in the comments are welcomed that add to our knowledge of how women's rights and reproductive rights are being threatened.
In Virginia if we don’t succeed at the polls and keep Virginia blue, we are also at risk to follow other state in seeing women’s rights removed by state laws.