A number of countries, like Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan, successfully control their women — their bodies, their relationships, their education, their clothing, their communications, their careers, their health services and their movement. History tells us that states can only control their citizens through fear. If we look around the U.S., the use of fear tactics becomes clear — threaten to arrest women who travel to have abortions or use anti-abortion medications, arrest anyone who assists this traveling, supplies the medications or even provides anti-abortion information. Doctors and nurses, off to jail.
The U.S. is finally ramping up efforts to put 50 percent of our population back where they belong. As our fathers used to joke back in the 1950s when I was a young white teen, “keep the women at home, barefoot and pregnant.” Now may be the time to make contraceptives illegal again — more pregnancies, more babies — and decriminalize spousal abuse. Ah, the good old days.
Now we can change the name of our country to reflect these changes. How about “Taliban Are Us”?
If you need accurate information or help with your abortion, contact plannedparenthood.org.
