Saturday, March 12, 2022

Chipping away at body autonomy rights

Jezebel warns us:

    Every day, a fresh hell awaits as I check to see how a state legislator is trying to one-

up the legislature the next region over. For the worst proposals this week, it’s a four-

way tie between Missouri’s attempt to stop people from leaving the state for

 abortions; Texas trying to investigate parents supporting trans children for child

 abuse; Idaho’s attempt to criminalize providing medically necessary, gender-

affirming care to minors; and Oklahoma pushing six anti-abortion bills one step

 closer to becoming law. This four-way combination managed to unseat Florida’s

 “Don’t Say Gay” bill which seeks to block discussion of sexual orientation and identity

 in state classrooms, and caused student-led protests across the state.

Republican and conservative lawmakers packed the 2022 legislative calendar to the brim with proposals aimed at cutting off access to gender affirming and medically necessary healthcare for trans kids and adults. Oh, and outlawing abortion in any possible fashion until the Supreme Court rules in June. We’re approaching the end of many state legislature sessions, meaning the fight to get every bill passed is running at a high clip.

Conservatives at all power levels are attempting to move the Overton Window—a way of gauging what’s politically possibly, created by a conservative think tank—in front of our eyes. The goal is to remove bodily autonomy from as many people as possible as quickly as possible.

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