Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime...

I've been hearing a lot lately about "Liberty and Justice for All, Born and Unborn."

It is not justice to force a pregnant person into involuntary servitude for 9 months, risking her life and health. With no trial. No judge. No jury.

It is not justice to declare that the life and health of a living person is worth less than the fetus she carries. With no trial. No judge. No jury.

It is not justice to withhold life-saving surgery from a living person due to concern for the fetus she carries. With no trial. No judge. No jury.

It is PARTICULARLY not justice to do so when you are also working to allow pharmacists to refuse to dispense birth control.

It is PARTICULARLY not justice to do so when you are also working to prevent accurate sex education.

It is PARTICULARLY not justice to do so when you are working to cut funds to social services, day care, foster care.

...If we truly valued children, we would do everything in our power not to traumatize, deprive, or neglect them...

Until I see this, I won’t believe that “pro-lifers” care about life at all. I won’t believe that “family values” proponents care about families. And I won’t believe that those who seek to “protect” children care about children.

Matt Kailey at Womanist Musings

Oh! And in case you thought Choice is only about Abortion, here's a post that will better inform you.

And if you're interested in empowering young people to make reproductive choices that work for them, why not donate to NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia Foundation (the second button, it's tax deductible!) and help with their mission in Petersburg, VA.
(crossposted at Loudoun Progress)

Roads cost money

This is a basic fact. Roads are a subsidy government gives to drivers. To pay for roads - for the materials and for the road crews, governments use either bonds or tax money.

And if you're going to say that you want the government to stop borrowing money, cut taxes, AND BUILD ROADS, then I'm wondering where you think the money's going to come from. The Easter Bunny's been and gone this year.

So, I'm asking Shawn Williams, where are you expecting to get the money to pay for the roads you want built?

Oya Simpson is a finalist for an award!

Oya does a terrific job every year putting together the Earth Day celebration at Clyde's in the Broadlands. She's a phenomenal organizer. Please vote for her!

(via John Stevens)

My vote for most misleading headline ever

A Shot in the Dark: Researchers Advise Flu Vaccine for Unborn Babies


Actually, researchers suggest flu shots for pregnant MOTHERS. Because, not only do the shots protect the mother, but they also continue to protect the NEWBORN for up to 6 months.

Seriously. The way the headline, and the article itself, is written, you'd think that the researchers were advocating injecting flu vaccine through the uterine wall to the fetus.

I'm all for keeping newborns healthy, let's just remember that the best way to do that is to FIRST keep the mother healthy. Not the "unborn baby". The mother.