You Believe Me Now?

Happy Independence Day, and I hate to say I told you so.  But I told you so. 

As of this writing, eight states have banned abortion outright, though three of them have had their laws blocked by court decisions.  22 states are likely to ban all or most abortions by the end of the summer.  That's about half the country, in case you can't count.  

You believe me now?  

Ohio, United States:  A ten year old girl had to be evacuated to Indiana for an abortion. A TEN YEAR OLD.  Most ten year olds are riding in booster seats and weigh 55 pounds and she had to TRAVEL TO ANOTHER STATE FOR MEDICAL CARE.  

You believe me now?

Apparently everywhere, United States:  The Arthritis Foundation is reporting that female patients are having trouble getting their methotrexate prescriptions (one of the most commonly prescribed drugs for rheumatoid arthritis along with conditions such as lupus and certain cancers) because methotrexate is also an "abortifacient."  Now, methotrexate is never prescribed for routine abortions.  Ever.  It never happens.  Sometimes it is used in ectopic pregnancies, which are medical emergencies in which the embryo is not viable and will kill the mother if it is not removed.  Nonetheless, some doctors are refusing to prescribe methotrexate to women who "might" get pregnant.  I might add that if they're not similarly refusing to prescribe methotrexate for male patients, they're violating the ADA, but that's neither here nor there.  The point is, this wasn't an issue before June 24 and now it is.     

You believe me now?

Austin, Texas:  Legislators in several states are crafting model legislation to prevent pregnant women from traveling outside the state to get abortions elsewhere.  How they're going to enforce that has not been decided (though the notion of suing anyone who helps them is gaining prominence).  "Just because you jump across a state line doesn't mean your home state doesn't have jurisdiction, said Peter Breen, vice president and senior counsel for the Thomas More Society.  "It's not a free abortion card whey you drive across the state line."  Of course, this would violate the Interstate Commerce Clause and the human rights of half the species,  And, by the way, you can drive from Texas to Colorado, smoke all the pot you want, drive back and and not get arrested in Wichita Falls.  But, sure, your home state has jurisdiction.  Whatever. 

You believe me now?

There is also chatter about pulling pregnancy tests from drugstores, thereby forcing pregnant women to see a doctor to find out if she's pregnant and thereby creating a record so someone can follow up with her in nine months and make sure she produces a nice healthy cute white infant. 

You believe me now? 

For those of you who saw this coming, what the fuck were you doing?  For those of you who didn't, why the fuck didn't you listen? And for those of you who smugly thought the Supreme Court would never overturn Roe v Wade because, well, those new justices said they wouldn't, and they would never lie under oath, where the fuck have you been since 2016? 

Oh, and hey, Democratic leadership:  Are you planning to take any action any time soon?  Because there's a ten-year-old in Ohio who could use a few words with you.

Happy Independence Day.  Please understand if some of us don't feel like celebrating.