CONGRESS VOTES ON LEGISLATION REMINISCENT OF THE 60’S AND 70’S !!!
Regardless of your personal/political/faith based beliefs, congress — and mostly white males — are working to legislate control over a woman’s right to make her own choices/decisions regarding her health — whether a right to an abortion, contraception, or health care decisions in general, are there really that many people in our country who still believe that decision can be or should be made by individuals OTHER than the woman herself? If so, and if you happen to be one of those individuals or know one, please sound off with a measured and thoughtful idea about your beliefs. I will listen carefully about the position or argument with a genuine effort to understand. http://www.newsroomamerica.com/story/371153/last_night.html
Meanwhile, I feel as if I have been thrown backwards into the 60’s and 70’s when women flew to Puerto Rico for abortions; when young women were terrified to ask for birth control pills; when the entire responsibility for protection was on the woman…. well that last one has not changed much EVER…..But I’m concerned that young women today take their legal rights for granted. I’m worried that over 30 states want “on board” with regressive legislation. I’m worried about the intense anger and hostility, and the belief that small groups have the right to make decisions that impact the larger whole. And I’m struggling to understand the thinking. For example, if the current farm bill does not pass, thousands and thousands of people will go with out food stamps — that means young children and their growing bodies and brains will suffer with insufficient nutrition. A prominent female legislator said she believes if a man is not willing to work he should not be allowed to eat. Really? I have to dig deep to understand that statement.
So maybe I must fall back on a psychological interpretation…. I think that sometimes people become so anxious, so frightened, so misdirected in thinking that the only way to feel better is to take action that creates a feeling of control…..that if you can control another person, a group of people, there is a feeling of safety…at least momentarily. It does not really happen — you can only feel safe through mindful awareness of SELF and then clear decisions about right action, right behavior. And when it does NOT happen — when that control remains illusive (which it always will) — the individuals move on to the next issue where pressure can be applied — sweeping up women, poor people, immigrants, and gays and lesbians…..
The way to be safe and relatively anxiety free is to belong — to participate — to be inclusive — to work together. And I truly want to understand the conservative position. I can’t — yet — find a person who has these strong, intense, angry beliefs who is willing to dialogue. Argue, for sure. Dialogue — not yet.
I have to add one additional scary thought/question. Is it even remotely possible that individuals in congress are willing to make outlandish statements and support regressive legislation simply in order to win re-election?