Tony Smith
Jefferson City
Dear Editor:
I witnessed a sickening and disgusting performance by Missouri House GOP members Friday (5/17/2019) as they moved Missouri toward a state religion over abortion.
Medical science does not support the religious position that a fetus is a baby. It’s not a new issue. Over the last 2,500 years the predominant view has been that “ensoulment”/personhood does not occur until the middle of the second trimester. This was the position of the Catholic Church for two-thirds of its existence. It has always been the view of Judaism. This was the view of Aristotle and other Greek thinkers. At a minimum this would be my view. A fetus is not a baby unless you accept current religious fundamentalism. History and most world citizens do not accept this view.
I have no problem with personal beliefs, if you choose to think a fetus is a baby, which Republicans constantly stated Friday. I found only two Republican women legislators’ comments of interest. Both told complex personal stories about choosing to bear a fetus at personal sacrifice. Like most conservative stories, the moral of the story was “I did this and so should you.” They described a personal choice while then voting to approve legislation that would deny all other women a personal choice — a different choice. In fact, they voted to make criminal any choice but their choice.
The Missouri and Alabama bills are extreme because there are no exceptions. You are 10. Your father rapes you. Your body and your psyche can not handle a pregnancy! Too bad! So, women, even little girls, become mandated incubators, second-class citizens. Former GOP Missouri candidate Todd Aiken blundered his way into a fiasco over this seven years ago. Today’s extreme anti-abortion views, negating a woman’s right to control her body, are considered proof of religious purity.
GOP male perpetrators simply showed their ignorance. An interesting Guardian article points out many ridiculous quotes related to pregnancy and abortion from white male Missouri and other GOP legislators around the country. Let’s be clear, most of these men have only one goal. It is to put women in their place. To control their bodies. To show them who’s in control.
We are becoming Iran or Saudi Arabia, where religion is used to control women. Good bye America.