Woman arrested in Texas on murder for ‘illegal abortion’

[landOFconfusion]

Saw this on the news wires. Thought it was more important than some of the topics that are usually posted here.

STARR COUNTY, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A woman has been charged with murder after authorities say she performed a “self-induced abortion.”

www.tpr.org/news/2022-04-08/texas-woman-charged-with-murder-for-self-induced-abortion

Thought it was more important than some of the topics that are usually posted here.

Bit goady, that, isn't it?

@DealWithTheDevilAtTheCrossroad

Thought it was more important than some of the topics that are usually posted here.

Bit goady, that, isn't it?

Thanks for policing my tone. That was clearly the most relevant and helpful response you could have made to my post.

This is a hugely important topic. It is more important than some of the topics that are usually posted here. I'm surprised that I have to spell that out - but here we are.

We are watching a US state re-criminalise abortion and start arresting women for inducing their own abortions. This is a terrifying development in the war against women.

Yes, there are other posts on this topic.

It is bad. Really bad but not surprising.

I agree it's an important topic but why did you post it in Sex and Gender rather than Feminism chat?

How long until they start arresting women for having miscarriages?

Maybe paste the article you've linked on this thread

It is a terrible thing but

A) perhaps starting with an attacking tone, diminishing the other conversations here and telling us we should be discussing this instead, is not a way to win hearts and minds. Let me say it stronger. How bloody dare you try and police our discussions, limit our freedom to discuss what we want, and criticise us.

And

B) ‘Here’ is the place MNHQ established to lock away our dreadful conversations about sex and gender. It’s not where we are meant to discuss other topics. There is Feminism Chat for that.

and

c) why don’t you start by telling us what you are doing about it? I manage both to be a pro choice activist and an active discusser of other things! Who knew women could multi task.

Please don’t use this poor woman’s plight as a rhetorical device.

Yeah, I am pro choice but your rudeness put me off making a reasonable contribution tbh. Ironic that you accused a pp of " policing" you when your opening post was massively judgy. Bye.

It is more important than some of the topics that are usually posted here. I'm surprised that I have to spell that out - but here we are

Might be better in the feminist chat topic - I don't see a gender angie in thus.

Be aware that there is an offence of child destruction in E/W/NI which covers late abortion beyond the time limit, and which has a maximum sentence of life.

Also used occasionally as an additional charge when someone heavily pregnant is murdered.

@tabbycatstripy

Please don’t use this poor woman’s plight as a rhetorical device.

Exactly. Shame on you.

B) ‘Here’ is the place MNHQ established to lock away our dreadful conversations about sex and gender. It’s not where we are meant to discuss other topics. There is Feminism Chat for that

I see having a separate topic as a sign of the importance of the subject and a reflection of a high volume of traffic

And I agree this thread should be moved

They must have very different laws regarding patient confidentiality in the US. There are a very limited number of circumstances where a UK HCP could report anything to the police without breaking their professional code of conduct, this would not be one of them.

In the article it states it takes away pregnant peoples choices to decide what to do with their body.

No. It’s taking away women’s choices on what to do about an unwanted pregnancy. It’s not affecting men at all and I hate that we are playing pretend like pregnancy is something that happens to men.

Women are having their choices taken a way from them.

@FOJN

They must have very different laws regarding patient confidentiality in the US. There are a very limited number of circumstances where a UK HCP could report anything to the police without breaking their professional code of conduct, this would not be one of them.

Suspicion than an offence has been committed, such as TOP after the legal limit, being one of the permitted ones

this is so fucking wrong

using it as a device to try to police what women can discuss is so fucking wrong

it turns out two wrongs don't make a right

Suspicion than an offence has been committed, such as TOP after the legal limit, being one of the permitted ones

This is an incredible breech of trust, your right to confidentiality is worth nothing if a member of staff only has to have a suspicion an offence has been committed.

The dictatorial, judgemental tone of the OP is deeply inappropriate. And very unfeminist.

But here, Feminism: Sex and Gender, is a perfectly appropriate board to discuss the issue of a woman being denied bodily autonomy. Here is the place to discuss everything to do with the oppression of women. Women are oppressed on the basis of our biology, ie sex, and on the stereotypes imposed upon us, ie gender.

The reference to 'pregnant people' strips this woman of her 'identity' as a woman, yet she would not have been protected had she identified as a man.

Of course it’s important. But to come on a UK feminist board and imply there is something wrong with posters focusing more on something that presents an issue in their own country than on something happening thousands of miles away is wrong. I care about the women of Texas like I care about the women of Afghanistan: I do care, but I can’t lobby their politicians or march with them.

However, abortion is not a current controversy in the UK political system. The right to safe legal abortion is not under threat here and there’s little reason to believe it will come under threat.

It stands to reason it will receive less attention than the issues presented by gender ideology.

We can’t effectively discuss and fight for women’s rights - including right to bodily autonomy- if the definition of women is expanded to include men.

@tabbycatstripy

Of course it’s important. But to come on a UK feminist board and imply there is something wrong with posters focusing more on something that presents an issue in their own country than on something happening thousands of miles away is wrong. I care about the women of Texas like I care about the women of Afghanistan: I do care, but I can’t lobby their politicians or march with them.

However, abortion is not a current controversy in the UK political system. The right to safe legal abortion is not under threat here and there’s little reason to believe it will come under threat.

It stands to reason it will receive less attention than the issues presented by gender ideology.

Yes sadly this is the reality. I feel truly awful for the women in those states but beyond offering empathy I can't think of a single practical action I could take to help.

I could write to my MP or No.10 but I know the British Government are not going to get involved in American state politics and nor should they to be honest. I wouldn't want American state governors interfering in our laws either.

The reason we talk a lot here about things happening in the UK is because most of us are British and we have some chance of influencing laws here. America not even a little bit.

The topic of abortion rights has been, and is being, discussed at great length on the feminism chat board. Women on MN are quite capable of navigating the site, which is huge and has a wide variety of boards dedicated to different topics.

It does seem on social media that there is a lot of stuff being imported from the USA and people don't realise that the situation is very different in the UK.
In the UK gender reassignment is a protected characteristic, yet I've seen people on Twitter saying they might have to leave the country because the EHRC put out clarification on how that protected characteristic is in conflict with the protected characteristic of sex.

Also on social media lots of people saying 'gender criticals' are anti-abortion.

Plus the usual you women asked for this, that is what feminism has done.
I'm quite new to the board but I have seen lots of posts on abortion, for instance the women in Mexico being arrested and imprisoned for having a natural miscarriage.
The splitting of the boards means I never visit Feminist Chat because my interest and focus is on how damaging gender identity ideology is. If we can't define what a women is we will have no rights. It is sad we have had to go back to basics but that is the reality.