Something that Won't Happen often

This is going to be a bit (ok, potentially a lot) political. It's not something I'll do here frequently. I'll never hide my political views if I am asked but I do usually hold to the tenant that it's not a discussion for exceptionally public places. Usually my small rants will stay on Facebook or Live Journal. Maybe, if I'm feeling particularly feisty, they'll make it to deviantArt. Very rarely will you see them here. This is one of those rare times, though. The news of the last few weeks is just adding up too much for me to not say something; writing, especially when it needs to be well thought out and ordered, can be quite cathartic.  And now onto the rant. 

For how much certain political forces like to claim that they want "small government" they do seem awfully happy to shove their government all over my body. Especially my reproductive system.

Several states have passed/are considering laws that would require a woman seeking an abortion to first have a sonogram. One state would be too many. The fact that's not just one... Perhaps worst of all, there's no exceptions. Carrying a rapist's child? Listen to the heartbeat. Carrying a child you know will be stillborn or dead soon after birth? Listen to the heart beat.

And now there's a bill in the House (that naturally has the support of my congress creature) that will limit tax dollars that go towards abortions. Currently, medicaid can pay for them in cases of rape. Even if we go with the idea that that is the only time it's acceptable to have one, this bill wants to change that to only cover it in times of forcible and violent rape. That's it. Date rape drugs involved? Alcohol? You weren't raped enough to deserve that abortion. Further, it's limiting all tax money spent, and they're saying that because an HSA is tax free that money can't be spent on abortions, regardless of reason. And those tax deductions that you can get for insurance payments if you itemize your taxes? Kiss those goodbye if your plan even offers abortion coverage, regardless of if you ever use it.^

There's fear mongering in this country that it's going to turn into some socialist nightmare. We'll ignore the fact that most of the people screaming about this cannot actually tell you what socialism or communism is, just that Joe McCarthy told them it was a Bad Thing. Problem is, it's not one of Orwell's novels that I'm worried is going to come about; it's Atwood's*. That's not socialism. It's fascism, and it is far far scarier.

It is becoming quite clear to me that there is a group of politicians who do not view women as fully functioning adults capable of making their own decisions and running their own lives. Most shocking is the fact that there are women *in* this group. I've never really used "feminist" to describe myself. I never thought I had to; surely we had reached a point where there was no need to point out that I considered myself equal citizen despite having a uterus. Apparently that was naive of me. Regardless of my past naivety, this needs to be paid attention too. Every thinking woman, and every man who views women as more than chattel, needs to pay attention to this very slippery slope. Now it's proposed to not be rape from the view point of medical treatment. How long before it's not rape from the view of the law?

*The Handmaid's Tale is particularly creepy right now.
^H.R. 3 of 2011

edited for a couple of small typos