[Insert Clever Title About TX Forced Birth Law Here]
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It’s been far too long since I’ve written anything, mostly I’m overwhelmed with the endless chaos of current politics, the never ending stream of far right extremists pushing horse paste & anti public safety measures while claiming to value the lives of the unborn with their draconian laws that punish the poor by incentivizing their acquaintances to snitch on the people having an abortion by dangling 10 grand in front of the snitch’s greedy little hands…
But I digress, that’s the state of Texas, now globally known for its effort to force unwanted pregnancies to term. To add to the cruelty of these measures, there’s no support system in place for these forced births. The point is clear- keep those in poverty trapped in that cycle to keep the Texas slave labor population- I mean the prison population- at full capacity. Research has indicated that Roe vs Wade reduced crime in the 1990’s, not the racist clown policies in NYC. Research has continued to back it up. Limiting the cheap labor of immigrants into the USA has really impacted the profits of the capitalists, who need a steady supply of trapped workers to exploit but the political gains made by white supremacists’ anti-immigration strategies was too good for them to pass up. So what can they do? Rely on prison labor- recall that the 13th Amendment restricted slavery to criminal punishment.
Hence, all the propaganda about CV19 & immigration (racist lies, to be clear) and “crime waves” (also racist lies).
And the poorly written cartoon villain behind the current dystopian present? The Texas state government, featuring Governor Greg Abbott, who some speculate is eying a presidential run for the dumbest political party in current existence.
What can be done to fight the direction that Texas has been pushed?
First of all, vote in all elections. I agree that electoral strategies is not nearly enough to get the country where it should to improve the lives of all inhabitants in the USA, but it sure can prevent the worst scum that dark money can buy from taking office.
Second, get involved in your community. I joined the Houston DSA in order to make my intentions for a better future count towards something instead of wringing my hands in desperation. There are so many groups that are already in existence; connecting is hard though when you’re not involved, especially when social media platforms have been playing “both sides” by suppressing left-leaning groups while publicizing their efforts to stop the fascists.
Even if you are privileged enough to believe that local politics are not interesting for your life, connect with your neighbors. We need to build community at all levels. Get to know their names, greet others who share the parks with a friendly smile & wave, and find ways to help out around the neighborhood. Pick up trash (see guide in previous post), plant a guerrilla garden in your neighborhood, volunteer on community projects, share books in local “free libraries,” amongst so many other potential activities.
Third, educate yourself. Look into the activists already doing this vital work across social media as well as on medium itself. There are so many networks already in place that can provide basic education if you just look for it.
There’s so much more that other people have said so much better than I did in this piece, but I’ll leave it here for now.
References:
https://journalistsresource.org/economics/abortion-crime-research-donohue-levitt/
Copy pasta from reddit:
Resources for Texans seeking access to healthcare:
https://wrrap.org/about-wrrap/
If you need help getting an abortion go to these sites:
These sites offer access to abortion pills, even in Texas. Please be safe and be aware of clinics (e.g. Crisis Pregnancy Centers) that give out dangerous misinformation on abortions and pregnancy.
Also check out r/auntienetwork for support
If you want to give money to some pro-choice charities, try here:
https://www.theafiyacenter.org/
https://thebridgecollective.org/
https://www.yellowhammerfund.org/ (Focuses on the Deep South)
https://thesatanictemple.com/pages/rrr-fundraiser
https://www.westfund.org (focuses on Latine and low-income communities)
I did not put this list together, just spreading it. Please feel free to copy and share this to other posts/subreddits and to add your own links
