Arkansas abortion laws are making news. Pro-choice women and feminists are getting pretty hot and bothered about this unconstitutional mandate. The implications of these laws for women are horrific.

 My friend, Laurie is weighing in on Arkansas legislators and what she perceives their intentions are. 

Arkansas passes abortion ban

You may have read in the news lately that some geniuses in the Arkansas legislature are working hard on becoming the Favored Sons to the big Christian right lobbies and the anti-abortion political groups that have big dollars to spend on the campaigns of candidates who can quote the Bible on the floor of their respective State Capitols. Oh, wait… I’m sorry… they’re really working hard to save babies. That’s it… they’re simply making sure that every little soul created in heaven gets to be sent to earth to live out their pre-determined life and – hey, who knows!? – maybe become a famous-for-a-few-months quarterback! That would be awesome, right?? And don’t forget all those sweet, Christian (straight) couples who would love to have a baby to love… can’t deny them that joy, right??

 Who does this really impact?

Let’s be real… anti-abortion legislation has not so much to do with the sanctity of life or the lack of available adoptable babies as it does with the desire for certain men (and women) to make sure that women who are living sinful lives are forced to live with the consequences of that sin. This is not about the lives of unborn children – it is a holier-than-thou law created by men who believe it is their right and place to make sure that women can’t have sex whenever they wish and run off to the doctor to have the results of that sex eradicated along with their hangover. It is legislating with the Bible, which is clearly prohibited by the separation of church and state.

 ”Just say no” to sex… just doesn’t work!

These individuals ignore national statistics that clearly show contraception and sex education prevents unwanted babies, NOT the state of abortion law one way or another. They ignore the fact that incidences of abortions are fewer and less deadly now than they were before Roe v. Wade… because they simply don’t care. It’s about the BABY’S right to live, remember… the mom is just the blessed giver of life. And a drain on the welfare system.
They smile and remind us that there’s always adoption! The Adoption Option! Nevermind that there are not enough adoptive or foster parents available for the CURRENT foster children in our state. They don’t care that most women who carry a child to term don’t have the access to resources that will help them make a decision to put it up for adoption, thereby guaranteeing that it will be kept in a home where it is unwanted, most likely living in poverty and very possibly neglected and abused.

Just because it is YOUR religion, doesn’t mean it should be MINE!

They are preaching from the House and Senate and they believe that they are somehow charged by God not to care for those less fortunate and infirm in their state (as Jesus actually commanded his followers to do in the New Testament) but instead, to judge, pass laws and legislate their own beliefs upon the people of our state. They operate with complete disregard to the law currently in place, let alone the laws that were written (and the REASON those laws were written) when our country was founded. They holler about the “founding fathers”, but completely ignore the reason those same men were on the North American continent in the first place… to escape STATE-MANDATED RELIGION.
Church attendance has been in a decline for a couple of decades and the message of Jesus Christ has been losing its sheen. And these men (and a few women) and their self-serving, arrogant understanding of God’s word are the reason. They will thump their chests and congratulate each other on the passage of this ridiculous bill, and desperate women will continue to line up for abortions… but hey, if the big fat checks come in from those anti-abortion groups for their next run for Congress, it’s all worth it, right?

Laurie is closer to 50 than 30, but sometimes pretends she’s in her 20s. When she’s not working as a writer and social media maven for a local non-profit organization, she’s busting out some creative mojo for her side-gig, Junque Rethunque (vintage and reclaimed home accessories and decor) and building her free-lance portfolio. She’s a mom to three and “Nonnie” to one, has three cats and loves two, raises chickens in the backyard, can’t wait to dig in the dirt this spring, and is kind of thrilled to be an early adopter of the Vine app. Read more of her words on her blogs here, and here.