So last month Buzzfeed wrote this interesting article about how hard it is to poll people about abortion. If you make it about “choice” you get a different result than if you make it about “protecting the unborn”… and on and on. Basically, people have a lot of FEELINGS about words.
You know how in college you’re like “How does anyone even know what anyone’s saying, man? Just like, how can you even know people are understanding what you’re saying? Do you think this weed was laced with something?” That’s kinda what we’re getting at here, only smarter.
This is all to say FUCK THE WEST VIRGINIA AND ALABAMA ABORTION BALLOT MEASURES FOREVER.
Let’s start with West Virginia, which was actually pretty close. In fact it was 52% to 48% which… call me old-fashioned here, but maybe you should have to get like, MORE THAN FUCKING 50% of the state agreeing to something for it to become an amendment. Like, 52% shouldn’t be able to change the WHOLE CONSTITUTION. At least make it like 65%. ANY WAY, this amendment has the most fucking backwards confusing language we can imagine. “Nothing in this constitution secures or protects a right to abortion or requires the funding of abortion.” Word? What the eff does that even mean? Also there are NO exceptions. IMAGINE thinking this kinda thing belongs in the Constitution. It’d be like writing “Also, if there are any further scientific developments in stem-cell research … we don’t want them.” “Also nothing in this state prevents you from disowning your son if he goes to LSU.”
We hate it and it’s bad news.
SPEAKING of bad news, let’s go on to Alabama. Alabama went ALL IN. With 59% of people voting yes. DAMMIT! We’ve got a LOT of hearts and minds to change. And if you read this illuminating article from 2014 from the New Republic, we’ve got a LOT to undo.
Here’s the language they used in the amendment (thanks Huffington Post for providing this):
“Declare and otherwise affirm that it is the public policy of this state to recognize and support the sanctity of unborn life and the rights of unborn children, most importantly the right to life in all manners and measures appropriate and lawful; and to provide that the constitution of this state does not protect the right to abortion or require the funding of abortion.””
Honestly, maybe it’s just me… but to ME that feels like too many things. Like, that’s a lot of things. Also if you USE THE EFFING WORD “unborn” you KNOW you can trick people. Also again, why have a constitutional amendment that says what your state DOESN’T OFFER. Like, this is straight-up an anti-travel brochure.
We could go negative, but we want to shout out all the amazing people who fight in Alabama and West Virginia (and Tennessee where an amendment like these passed in 2014). We’re gonna fight with you to make sure EVERYONE who needs an abortion gets one in your state. And if you wanna help out too, today consider donating to reproductive justice coalition P.O.W.E.R. House in Montgomery.
And to the haters out there: game on, assholes!
