I had wondered whether this might happen, and it now sounds like there is cause for concern. Those living in states with extreme anti-abortion measures may see a decline in the quality of our healthcare services. Why? Talented healthcare professionals are leaving and fewer are moving here. It is not hard to understand why.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State noted:
Consider Texas, which has one of the strictest abortion laws in the country. Growing numbers of doctors and nurses, especially those who work in the field of obstetrics, are leaving the state, switching fields or retiring, Slate reported recently.
With other options available, who would chose such a work environment? It was bad enough when these professionals had to worry about the safety from assorted Christian nutjobs. At least they had the law on their side. But that's no longer the case. The nutjobs are now elected officials with political power. They are determined to impose their religious beliefs on the rest of us.
All women stand to lose here. Most doctors and nurses involved in abortion provide many other services. Access to these other services will now be harder to come by. When all women lose, all of us who care about women also lose. Dismissing this as a women's issue would be a mistake.
Reproductive rights are civil rights. This is also a church-state issue. And of course, it is only the beginning. They started with Roe, but they want a ban at the federal level. They also want a ban on contraception and the return of forcible prayer in school. The more they get, the more they'll want.
Sitting this, or any other important church-state issue, out isn't a viable option. There's too much at stake here. There's also no reason to feel powerless because there is much we can do. Fighting back won't be easy. Many potential allies still aren't aware there's a problem. And we've been outplayed. The theocrats are better organized and have been at this for longer. But we don't have to keep sitting on our hands. We can decide that we've had enough and are not going to let our loved ones lose any more rights.
What kind of country do we want to live in? What sort of future do we seek? Unless our answers include something that looks like a Christian theocracy, we need to set aside our apathy. As unpleasant as it is, try to listen to what the Christian extremists are saying. Learn about what kind of future they want for us. Our apathy brings us closer to their vision for us. That's a thought that keeps me up at night.
