Let's Ban the Governors Who Ban the Right to Choose

As we all know, South Dakota governor Mike Rounds (Republican) has banned abortion in the Sioux State. This means that a woman is raped, or a young woman is a victim of incest, it won't mean a goddamned thing, because, as of July 1, 2006- unless challenges from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and of course NARAL put it on hold- women will no longer be able to terminate their pregnancy.

Look, not many people like the idea of aborting a child. I know that I don't. But I don't like the idea of having a woman be forced to carry a child due to being sexually assualted.

I know that it's one thing to terminate a pregnancy out of convienence, but when a woman is sexually assaulted- be from stranger rape, acquaintance rape, or incest- that's an entirely different matter. The right to choose MUST BY ALL MEANS be protected.

Eleven other states, according to NARAL, are considering bans as well. Those states are: Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio (my home state- I really have a bone to pick with my birth state...), Rhode Island, South carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia.

Ohio is considering a ban that would make it a crime for anyone to accompany a woman to another state to receive abortion care.

This means that if a woman is any of the above I've mentioned, you take her to Michigan or Pennsylvania, it'll be a crime- that is if Governor Bob Taft signs it into law before his term (and his eight-year reign of terror) ends next January. Only one way to stop him: VOTE FOR TED STRICKLAND- DEMOCRAT FOR OHIO GOVERNOR! It's very urgent! If the Republican Ken Blackwell- which...and I'm sorry that I have to use the infamous racial epithet to describe this man, considering that this author is, like Mr. Blackwell (Ohio's current Secretary of State), African-American...is an Uncle Tom nigger- becomes governor, Lord help Ohio.

Of course, if Mr. Blackwell does win four years in the Statehouse in Columbus (this author's hometown and birthplace), then it'll be another four years or more before I even consider returning home to Ohio. That means that family reunion will be another four years or so off- I'm supposed to go in October 2007, which means that by the time I do return home, I'll be 44- 14 years after I left Ohio. But that's an entirely different animal here.

But to all the states I've mentioned, go to your governors, your state and federal senators, representatives, and other elected leaders. Tell them to reconsider banning abortion outright. Women's lives are at stake.

And we here in Oregon must not remain complacent. After all, it is an election year, and if Kevin Mannix; Jason Atkinson; or Ron Saxton- three fo the four Republican candidates for Oregon govenor- becomes governor, we must fight to keep the woman's right to choose legal. Oregon is known to be a progressive state when it comes to many matters, the right to choose being one of them. Let's keep it that way. Vote for Pete Sorenson, Democrat for Oregon Governor.

I have provided a link to NARAL. Just click on the title to go directly to the site.