By Tommy Gagliano
I’ve been doing some thinking after reading the email sent out by the SA on March 13th. It made me realize that there is nothing more important than feelings. It’s also made me realize that womyn, people of color, and LGBTQAAIP2SSLMNOP?@#厶戈月8=D~+ individuals are oppressed by our patriarchal, heteronormative, white supremacist society, and I (as a straight white male) need to become an ally and cater to their every whim. There are so many issues I want to write about with my new-found knowledge and wokeness, but I think I’ll start with abortion. From this point on, I will refer to the person that the fetus is inside of as the host, since using the word “mother” would not only be offensive to women that get pregnant but do not want to be mothers, but also discriminatory to trans men (who can also get pregnant). “Host” is also a more accurate word to describe the relationship between them and the parasitic fetus that grows inside of them.
Just like healthcare, abortion is a basic human right. We’ve been telling womyn what they can and can’t do with their bodies for far too long. Their body, their choice. Many right-wing Trumpkin trolls will argue that it’s actually not their body, it’s a different person’s body inside of their body. They will back up this argument by citing science and facts, but don’t let them trick you. They are actually just sexist pigs that want to take rights away from womyn. The truth is that fetuses are nothing more than clumps of cells. They are completely dependent on the person whose body they are stealing nutrients from, and cannot survive outside of the uterus. They are parasites; they are not people, they do not have rights, and womyn should be permitted to abort them whenever they want, for whatever reason they want.
Even if we lived in some fairytale land where fetuses were people and not just clumps of cells, the host should still have the right to abort that fetus. The logic behind this is simple. The host will always be more oppressed than the fetus, and therefore deserves more rights. Think about it. Race is genetic, so that won’t factor in at all. If the fetus is male, the host is more oppressed because they are most likely female. If the fetus is female, the host is still more oppressed because they are older, and therefore more susceptible to ageism. Of course the host won’t always be female, since some men can get pregnant too, but those men are trans, which means they are automatically more oppressed. The only way the fetus would out-oppress the person aborting it would be if the fetus was gay or trans and the host was straight, but we have no way of knowing if that is the case until the fetus decides for itself, which it can’t, because it’s just a clump of cells.
The current abortion laws in the United States are not satisfactory at all. Many states require waiting periods and/or parental consent, and do not allow abortions after a certain amount of time has passed since conception. Additionally, fourth trimester abortions are banned in every single state, which is something I do not understand at all. I could see Alabama or Louisiana or some of the other sexist, racist, oppressive, redneck, hick states not allowing it, but I’m appalled that supposedly-progressive states such as California and New York also ban the practice. For those unfamiliar with the term, fourth trimester abortions are abortions that occur after the “baby” has been delivered. I see no reason why abortion after birth should be treated any differently than abortion before birth. The act of the fetus coming out of the vagina and leaving the uterus does not change what it is – a clump of cells. Why does the location of the clump of cells affect anything? After all, the “baby” is still dependent on the host. It still steals nutrients from the host, just through breastfeeding instead of the umbilical cord. It still cannot survive on its own. In fact, after leaving the uterus, the clump of cells requires even more work from the host. Before they just had to carry it around, now they need to deal with crying, dirty diapers, breastfeeding, and other annoying tasks.
I know what you’re thinking – “If you support abortion after birth, then when do abortion rights end?” To me, the answer is simple. As soon as a clump of cells can prove that it is no longer dependent on its host, it transforms from a clump of cells into a human person. Testing this is easy. Blindfold your clump of cells, take their cell phone and other electronic devices, and drive them to a random location. Drop them off, then drive away. Track them down a week later, and if they are still alive, congrats! Your clump of cells has become a person, and aborting them now would be illegal. (Unless they are a straight white male; those go straight into the trashbin of history.)