“I mean, do a group of old white ladies govern what goes on with my balls? No. They don’t. But this is what happens in America. Old white men who believe in an invisible man in the sky get to say what goes on in all women’s vaginas.” — Ned Hepburn, Death and Taxes.
Old white men
Death and Taxes magazine has an enlightening article on the showdown in Indiana over abortion you might want to check out.
Some background information: Indiana republicans are attempting to pass a bill to make abortions illegal after the 20th week. Democrats are opposed, and back and forth discussions have turned nasty – at one point Eric Turner, a republican House of Representatives member, suggested women may fake a rape in order to get an abortion.
As much as I want to stay away from political (and emotionally charged) issues, it seems that there is something more insidious happening here that needs attention. It’s plain this is less about governing and more about pushing a conservative, religious, agenda. More and more we’re seeing this brazen attitude where government officials are doing “God’s work” – not always explicitly declared, but not uncommon, either – and more worryingly, no longer is this seen as an extreme position by many. A disturbing number of people don’t see anything wrong with this, they somehow think that state capitals and courtrooms are a proper venue for these ideological battles.
Regardless of personal views on abortion, we all have an interest in keeping these discussions out of government. At a time when the economy is on the edge of collapse, when we are fighting multiple wars, when millions are unemployed or underemployed, our government is spending time arguing over personal ideology. This is precisely why religion was meant to be kept out of government.
What do Pastafarians think about the abortion issue? I for one believe that Life begins at the Creation of the sperm, and that sperm, as potential human lives, deserve equal protection given to fetuses and grown children. Think of the billions of sperm needlessly killed by such things as hot tubs and tight-fitting underwear. In the future we will learn to save every sperm Created, so these potential lives can each develop into human adults as the FSM intended. Who’s with me?
Join me at Save-Our-Sperm.org (a work in progress).