The
latest case in which women were attacked was Indiana. In this case, as reported
by Mother Jones, the state was trying to deny women on Medicaid the ability to
use their government program to get medical treatment at Planned Parenthood
offices. Indiana was unsuccessful in its two year battle. This is a win for the
good guys. Those white government men were denied the right to decide when and
where women can be treated.
On the
other hand, in Texas, Mississippi and other repressive, mostly southern states,
these same white men have been successful in defunding Planned Parenthood
through more clever tactics. What all this means is that women of means can get
preventative care and abortions because they can pay for it out of pocket.
Abortions are still being performed in all of these states, but only for the
haves and not the have nots. Therefore,
if you a person struggling financially, you are out of luck when it comes to
family planning, cancer screenings or other preventative measures relating to
women’s health, and you use Planned Parenthood or other offices that were set
up for these types of medical visits.
Remember
there is no war on women. These republicans care deeply about unborn fetuses,
but once you are born, you better find a way to get healthcare that they deem
as acceptable. If you are dependent on any government assistance, the state of
Texas will tell you when and if you can get medical attention. This is big
government at its finest. The republicans have set up their own death panels
and in their crosshair are women living at or below the poverty line.
In
Indiana these same republicans were unable to deny healthcare to Medicaid
patients. This is something that needs to be replicated around the country.
Every American needs, no deserves, quality healthcare with no government
intrusion including but not limited to abortions.
According
to Mother Jones, Texas was able to cut government family planning funds. The
repercussions to this is that 53 women’s clinics were shut down. Fourteen of
these clinics were Planned Parenthood and the other thirty-eight were not
affiliated with Planned Parenthood. None of these clinics performed abortions
(Texas Policy Evaluation Project, Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas). This is all about denying services to the
working poor. It is a way of punishing those that are struggling to make ends
meet in today’s economy.
All I
can see from these actions is that women at or below the poverty line that need
and use government assistance must ask the government’s permission to be able
to get healthcare. Rick Perry is playing Big
Brother and bringing along likeminded brethren to follow his lead. I can’t
wait to see what they have in store for Medicare recipients.
What
else are Americans going to have to ask permission from Republican controlled
states? In many of these red states, you cannot ask for a pay raise or better benefits if
you are a public employee. You get to bend over and take it. Why go into public
service if you are going to be treated like chattel?
All of
these policy choices demonstrate a lack of respect for Americans. It shows an
obsessive inflexibility to differing opinions. These inflexibilities say that
we know what is good for you, and we are going to tell you how you need to
live.
What makes all this so insidious is that these republicans pretend that
they own the higher moral ground, and that Americans are too childlike to
understand these positions, therefore, don’t worry we’ll take care of you because we know best. Their
arrogance is galling to say the least.
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