Knowledge=Power

Standing up for Abortion Rights In Iowa. Keep going! We can't lose!

This is a photo of me as an Abortion Fairy Godmother with a parasol. My friend Nicole Upchurch was signing up to protect Abortion Rights in Iowa. Nicole plays banjo and sings like an angel in her bluegrass band The Feralings. She played at our wedding here in Iowa City. Photo credit- Nicole’s husband Benj Upchurch. Thanks Benj!

Last Saturday, I woke up with a hangover from the past week here in Iowa where Iowans’ bodily autonomy and Abortion Rights were gutted. My friends here were all stunned, crying. Not sure what to do with all this sadness. Saturday morning after days of crying, I woke up and knew what to do. I went down to our local Farmers Market in Iowa City, brought all my Abortion Rights signage and set up a booth collecting signatures from fellow humans who believe we can stop this avalanche of hate that’s coming down from Iowa’s Governor Kim “Make Iowa the FL of the North!” Reynolds. Banning abortion is against the will of the people here in Iowa. Abortion Bans are peak fascism. Abortion Rights are Human Rights.

The first person to show up at my booth was Jamie H. They worked with our local abortion clinic Emma Goldman and now work with their local library. Yay Librarians! Their slogan on Linktree embodies Abortion Rights- Be Justice, Mercy, Kindness. Allies are the only way we will make it out alive. Jamie gets points for having the coolest tee-shirt in town! Jamie bought these magical frog keychains as good luck talismans. #TheFutureIsTrans

Talking to folks at the Farmers Market was life affirming. Because when we come together, nothing can stop us. Seventy-five folks signed up and gave me their emails. Old timers, farmers in overalls signed up and told me “Your sign says 80% of Americans support Abortion Rights. It should say 100%!” America needs Farmers like this gem of a guy!

I was crying myself to sleep last week after the Abortion Ban passed the Statehouse late last Tuesday night. Then came the Special Session on Thursday where our State Legislatures in Iowa had to fight for 12 year old girls who’ve been raped not to be forced to carry that pregnancy. They made an exception for 10, 11, and 12 year olds, but if your 13 year old daughter, friend’s child, niece, neighbor is raped- they’re outta luck with this Iowa Abortion Ban.

I was at the Hearing in Des Moines leading to the Statehouse voting to ban abortion. I was with the ACLU of Iowa. One of the most impactful testimonies at the Hearing last week in Des Moines was from a physician, an OBGYN. Only twenty-two Iowans were allotted two minutes each to make a case for Abortion Rights in Iowa in this 1.5 hour Hearing that lead to 1.5 million Iowans being stripped of our Abortion Rights. This physician, she in a soft voice explained this law will devastate physicians caring for pregnant patients who need life saving abortion services. No TV new outlets were allowed in the Hearing. No major news outlets covered it. The testimonies were not broadcast or recorded. The lack of coverage is intentional. The fascist agenda starts with killing the press. Putin literally kills journalists. The reason they don’t want anyone to know what’s in the bill is because of people knew, they wouldn’t stand for it.

#DemocracyDiesInDarkness

In the final two minute testimony from this OBGYN, she explained that the language in the 70 page bill, which was only released 11 hours before it was voted into law, the wording is intentionally vague. It has no clarity around when a physician performs an abortion to save a pregnant person’s life what parameters or metrics are being used. The State’s anti abortion Medical Board can second guess the physician’s decision and say the pregnant person’s life wasn’t endangered enough and go after the physician.

It’s similar to Witch Hunts where they devised a drowning device to determine if a woman was a witch. She was tied to a chair connected levy and pole that drowned her. If she died she was thought to be innocent. If she lived she was guilty and they attempted again to kill her by beating her and hanging her.

This is what patriarchy looks like. They want women to die. The want to silence women. They only win by everyone being afraid.

My favorite feminist hero, Mona Eltahawy wrote an incredible article last week The Trifecta of Patriarchal Fuckery: State, Street, Home.

Physicians who act to save their patient’s lives will be sticking their neck out. A non-medical Anti Abortion witch hunt is happening in States hostile to abortion all across this country. Dr. Caitlin Bernard, who helped a 10 year old girl who’d been raped in Indiana get to Ohio to have an abortion, after she did the legal ethical right thing in helping this child, Indiana’s State Medical Boards which is not progressive or supportive of physicians or abortion rights retaliated against her and publicly reprimanded her even though she acted legally and didn’t violate HIPPA in reporting this 10 year old being raped and needing an abortion. The witch hunt is real. This cruel misogynist Indiana Medical Board was trying to send a message to physicians and women who aide and abet abortion- “Stick your neck out and we’re coming for you!”

The Anti Abortion legislative vigilante in GOP controlled states who’ve passed similar Anti Abortion Bans have threatened to fine physicians, strip them of their medical licenses and livelihood, and threatened jail time. They are not listening to doctors or medical people. Their moral compass is broken. They are not listening to the majority of Iowans who believe we have the right to an abortion in this State. They are listening to evangelical christians who hate women like the Duggers. The Duggers condoned their son molesting their daughters because the Bible condones incest and rape. Just like the NC State Rep who said NC can’t have State exceptions for incest and rape because the Bible says it’s god’s will that women and girls be raped by the boys and men in their lives. Just like Brett Kavanaugh thought it was his right at 16 to attempt to violently rape Dr. Christine Blasey Ford when they were privileged white kids at elite DC private high schools. No one is safe. Donald Trump’s first wife Ivana wrote about being raped by Donald when they were married.

I spoke with an elder and activist here in Iowa City who worked to get Iowa’s marital rape laws on the books in 1984. Comments at the time from misogynists men here in Iowa were “If you can’t rape your wife, then who can you rape?!”

Jessica Valenti, our National Abortion Rights Ambassador, in her Abortion Everyday Substack celebrated our win here in Iowa yesterday. The near total Abortion Ban that Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law on Friday was stopped this Monday by an Iowa Judge from going into effect. Hallelujah! Iowans still have Abortion Rights up until 20 weeks of pregnancy as of today.

My neighbor Nina Na Li came and helped me move my booth under the shade of the Gingko tree. She ran for City Council here in Iowa City and is working on getting Chinese New Year recognized by Iowa City. Go Nina!

Signing people up for the fight for Abortion Rights.

The last group to come through were Sorority Sisters. First their group leader signed. Then she got her Sisters to sign.

“You guys have TikTok, right?” I asked them.

“Yes,” they replied.

“You’re the ones who have the platform that can reach people. You’re the age that matters.” I never thought I’d be saying it, but our Sorors will save us.

Because they understand- Their Body, Their Choice!

I spoke to physicians who are leaving the state of Iowa, because they cannot conscionably practice medicine in this state with their hands tied behind their backs.

Mandi Remington who’s running for City Council here has organized all our Abortion Rights rallies in Iowa City explained the twenty GOP State Reps who voted against the Abortion Ban are the ones we need to reach out to. This isn’t a partisan issue. No one wants this horrible Abortion Ban except extremist christian fundamentalist who believe women and girls are subhuman and don’t have bodily autonomy, except the six illegitimate Justices on the US Supreme Court who are using Scalia’s writings and Scalia is quoting 1600’s English judge Sir Matthew Hale who believed women and girls couldn’t be raped because they’re subhuman and therefore incapable of giving consent because they don’t have bodily autonomy. This 1600’s misogynist is where they’re taking their guidance from. How horrifying is that.

Ken L. Harris, PhD, President/CEO The National Business League on LinkedIn.

We can do better. Ignorance = Fear and Silence = Death as Keith Haring painted. Haring was a gay activist fighting the stigma of HIV in the NYC AIDS epidemic. My gay Program Director for my Peds Residency at St. Vincent’s Hospital in NY, Dr. Sam Grubman, who’s also an art dealer had this Keith Haring on his office wall.

When you know better, you do better. - Maya Angelou

Better days are coming for Iowa. All we have to do is spread the word. A kind supporter here on Substack Susan S. shared what she’d worked on in Pennsylvania to TurnPABlue.org

Our work is to organize, to not be afraid, to speak up, to reach out to each other.

Keep Going! We can’t lose!