Do You Hear the People Sing?

I'm in a class in school right now called "The American Experience" and our homework for this past Monday was to read the Roe v. Wade and BSA v. Dale Supreme Court decisions. I decided to write one of my journals based on my reaction to these readings and to the class discussion. A note on the song choice: I had some difficulty choosing a song to represent this rant; it really is a rant. I felt this particular song from Les Miserables works because it is a call to arms. This assignment felt to me like a call to arms to fight for what I believe is right. Here it is.

 Controversy in the Court

            When I first sat down to read through the Roe v. Wade and BSA v. Dale decisions, it did not take long for me to start seeing red; I have not been that angry in a very long time. Now, I knew that the Boy Scouts are a very Christian group and do not condone homosexuality, but I didn't understand the extent of their prejudice and bigotry. As for Roe v. Wade, I am acutely aware that it may be overturned in my lifetime, and that is very scary. As a woman, I feel I have the right to decide what I do with my body, not to have a court of mostly old, white men tell me I have to carry through with a pregnancy I don't want/can't afford/am not ready for. These decisions really pissed me off and, at least with BSA v. Dale, strike me as incredibly unfair and discriminatory.

            Some of my very best friends are gay; I have no problem with this. They are clever, funny, and some of the nicest people I know. They also treat me with more kindness and respect than 98% of the heterosexual people I am acquainted with. I know gay rights is a huge issue right now, but it baffles me that people are so threatened by something that is not genetic or inherited but is simply a choice and a preference. America is supposed to be this free country where we can be whatever we want to be; isn't that the whole point of the American Dream? This ruling sends the message that "being gay is not ok if you want to ever be included." It is small minded and discriminatory. Unfortunately, it is also as hotly contested (if not more so) than the Civil Rights movement 50 years ago.

            In the case of Roe v. Wade, I tend to get hung up on the term "viable" and what it implies in the decision. Yes, a fetus may be viable at 23 weeks, but the repercussions of such an early delivery can result in lifelong health problems or the death of the fetus. Neither the court nor the state is even required to help out with any of the medical bills that would result from such an early delivery; the result is a broke, scornful new mother with an unwanted, sickly child. Is that fair to either party? The child will spend its entire life feeling unwanted while the mother will have a grudge against the court and the child; it is not fair. Unfortunately, unfair will only get me so far, but all of these conservative, right-wing groups that say life is a gift and any form of it should be considered a blessing: they need to carry a baby for nine months and give birth to it. Most of the major proponents in the government are MEN. Men should not have a say in what women do with their bodies. The only man who should have a say in that decision is the boyfriend or the father. That's it. Something like this is a private matter that should not have to be made public. By forcing women to fight for control of their bodies, they are objectified and treated as property. Women are people, too.

            I can argue this all day, and it is something that I get really fired up about; I want to have a family someday, be it in 5 years or 15, but the point is I want to be able to keep my right to choose when to have that family. Contraceptives aren't intended to "kill babies," they are to prevent unwanted pregnancies and extensive trauma for unwanted children. Men who like men or women who like women or people who are bi, transgender, transsexual or any of the other types of sexuality that exist should not be discriminated against because they have made a choice different from the norm, but if the norm is heterosexuality based on what a few old, white men decided, then it is time for that to change. They aren't aliens or vermin: they are PEOPLE, human beings who are entitled to the same rights and experiences as those considered "acceptable."

"When the beating of your heart/ Echoes the beating of the drums/ There is a life about to start/ When tomorrow comes."