Monday, October 10, 2011
"My Mississippi" and Proposition 26
3:04 PM
DISCLAIMER: This is long!
There is a scene in the movie Anapolis where the main character is apologizing to his roommate for not performing very well at the Academy. He's afraid that since he's getting all sorts of attention for being terrible, that attention will fall onto his roommate as well, and he just can't understand why this guy would want to still be his roommate. The roommate stops him and this exchange takes place:
Twins: You want to know why I stay in this room?
Jake: Yeah
Twins: Cause Jake, you're my Mississippi.
Jake: I'm your what?
Twins: People who live in Arkansas, you know what their favorite state is?
Jake: No.
Twins: Mississippi. Cause Mississippi's the only thing that keeps Arkansas from being the worst state in the whole country.
Jake: I'm Mississippi.
Since Jason and I first got together, he's had a lot of fun calling me his Mississippi. He's so witty, that boy.
But it's true - Mississippi has some pretty awful statistics.
In 2010, Mississippi was the country's fattest state for the 6th straight year and Mississippi was #6 for the highest rate of teen pregnancy. Mississippi has consistently ranked among the worst for literacy as well. This is very sad, but very true.
However, to say that I'm proud of Mississippi is a huge understatement. It's rare that someone doesn't know that I'm from Mississippi after they meet me once or twice. I brag all the time. I love my home state, and I love the people that she has produced.
This bill, Proposition 26, however, is upsetting me.
Before I go any further, and before you read any further, I feel like I should disclaim that Proposition 26 is an anti-abortion bill, and I do not want my blog to become a place to argue. AT ALL!! Not even comments on Facebook.. this isn't the place. I'm also going to state that I am firmly pro-life, in any situation (except when the mother's life is in danger) and no argument would ever change that.
Now here's why I'm upset about an anti-abortion bill when I'm so adamantly pro-life:
Proposition 26 seeks to define personhood. It seeks to make Mississippi's constitution read that a person is a person, and has legal rights, from the time of fertilization. Read that again - fertilization, not just implantation. That means that the moment sperm enters the egg, a person with legal rights has come into being. Regardless of the fact that 40% of the time, that egg is never even reaches the fetus stage. Proposition 26 states that since a person has then been created, that person has rights. Such as the right to not be aborted.
Now I'll stop and explain why this is a bad thing in my opinion.
- It isn't just about abortion, folks. If this law was only about abortion, and had no unintended consequences, I'd be all for it. In fact, if there was a bill up for vote that strictly said "Abortion should be banned in all cases except those where the mother's life is in danger." I'd vote yes in a heartbeat. Banning abortion, however, is not the only thing Proposition 26 could do.
- Proposition 26 could make it illegal to purchase the Day After Pill, which is not an abortion pill. The Day After Pill prevents implantation. While I don't agree with people using it as a form of birth control, I could see where it could come in handy, such as in cases of rape.
- Proposition 26 could make women who smoke and drink during their pregnancies, and then happen to have a miscarriage, criminals.
- Proposition 26 could outlaw some other forms of contraception, such as IUD's. HELLO?! Mississippi has an incredibly high teenage pregnancy rate. We definitely don't need to outlaw any forms of contraception.
- Proposition 26 could outlaw certain types of genetic research and manipulation.
And here's the big one for me:
- Proposition 26 could make a doctor a criminal if he were to end a pregnancy or deliver a baby when the mother's life is in danger. There are situations where the baby's life may be at risk if he/she is delivered at that time, but the mother's life is most definitely at risk. For instance, pre-eclampsia, toxemia and you got it: HELLP Syndrome.
We were so blessed that KB was at a stage of development that she was perfectly healthy at 32 weeks, not just viable. But what if, God forbid, she had not been? Would my doctor have been a criminal for delivering her, even though it literally saved my life? Would I have been forced to endure a court trial after losing my precious baby?
While these scenarios are not specifically listed in Proposition 26, and are in fact, being argued against now, they could happen. These are the types of things that could take place further down the road as a result of Proposition 26 being passed.
So to my Mississippi readers I say, this is not JUST an anti-abortion bill. Please read up on it, and do your research before you hit the polls next month. Think about your future children and grandchildren, and what you may be causing them to suffer if you vote "yes". This bill is just one more thing that could make Mississippi suffer in polls with unfavorable statistics.
Credit:
I found a great site that lists out most of the arguments for and against Proposition 26, in case anyone would like to read it. It's also where I got most of what I wrote.
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Thank you for bringing light to this topic! While I live in Arizona and have no voting rights in Mississippi, I think that if one state were to pass this bill in to law, other states may follow. That is a frightening thought! I truly hope it does not pass...
ReplyDeleteI think it's great that you are bringing this up! Some people never bother to research these kinds of issues, and I think it's awesome that you are informing people! Like the above poster, I'm not able to vote in Mississippi... but this bill is a little scary and I hope it does not pass.
ReplyDeletewatch... www.180movie.com ...no further comment needed.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for creating this blog. I live in Mississippi, right outside of Jackson. I have asked SO many people if they knew about Proposition 26 and all I get is "oh the anti-abortion bill?" NO! This has so many subparts to it that it is mind boggling.
ReplyDeleteI know you said that you did not want this to be a thread of controversy, however, I feel this needs to be said... @Anonymous your suggestion to watch www.180movie.com is ignorant. It does not apply to Proposition 26 at all. Educate yourself first before you make yourself look like a fool.
Again, thank you for your detailed insight to this bill and how detrimental it can be if passed.
I agree with anonymous. 180movie totally applies.
ReplyDeleteHuman life is human life... no matter how it is created/made.
That is what the bill is about. Since when did women get to decide to kill just because a baby is growing inside them.
There is nothing mind boggling about the bill. Read it and think about why they have stated what they have stated in the way they have stated it.
I'm glad you are trying to educate yourself on the matter. suggestion...Watch the 180movie again.
I ran across this blog when I was trying to get more background info on Proposition 26- really appreciated your info and found the website http://library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1103816735043-275/JOINER+FINAL+-+PERSONHOOD++LETTER+TO+M-SHIP+(2).pdf
ReplyDeletea good resource stating both sides. THanks!