I am far too busy cross-checking news stories today to be even remotely interested in studying or in writing the paper that's due in approximately 100 hours. Why, you ask? Because the Indiana legislature is at it again.
Indiana is the first state to defund Planned Parenthood. Which, okay, conservative family values, yada yada yada. It's really almost expected. The real problem is that this bill will probably cause Indiana to lose all $4 million that it got for family planning services last year. And this is where it gets funny.*
Let's be real: this bill really passed because Planned Parenthood gives abortions ALL THE TIME.** And abortions are bad. But how can we prevent abortions? Well, we COULD cut all the money that goes to them. OR we could do something much more radical. We could provide proper family planning services that teach people how to not get pregnant in the first place. Well, look at that. That's what Planned Parenthood DOES! Why, with more education at a proper family planning center, we could have fewer abortions! Especially since there can be NO learning about anything other than abstinence at school.
Are you paying attention, Indiana? There's more than one way to skin a cat.***
Moreover, beyond the whole "Do you really not get how to prevent abortions being necessary" thing, this law is INCREDIBLY paternalistic. I know lots of people who went to Planned Parenthood. I went to Planned Parenthood, too. Not for any sort of medical procedure, but to ask the questions we couldn't ask at home, at church,**** or even at school. (Again, not that they would have been answered. See link above.) By taking away services like this, you're forcing people to either ask questions where they are too scared to do so or just not to have proper information in the first place. This bill will help take away people's right to make choices for themselves, based on their own lives. And not just poor people, but young people and scared people, too.
Plus, in the words of my mother, "What are all the people who pray outside of the Planned Parenthood going to do now? They're going to have way too much free time."*****
Mitch Daniels is expected to sign this bill into law, even though he called for a truce on social issues.****** This is saddening because for me it means that the state I grew up in has become a place that I'm no longer proud of between this and the anti-gay amendment. This is why young people don't want to go back. Nobody wants to say "I live in Indiana," when the legislature proves time and time again that bigotry, hate, and misinformation reign supreme in that little Red land.
If you're an Indiana citizen, I urge you to really think about this issue and write to Governor Daniels. We young people will never change anything if we don't get loud first. Tell Governor Daniels that his real problem with brain drain is not anything to do with jobs, but rather has everything to do with not wanting to associate with a state that's 50 years behind. Prove that at least some of the citizenry can actually use their brains to make a decision about an issue, not just have a knee-jerk reaction to a scary word.
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*I use this term loosely. I think I mean "ironic," but so many people use that word incorrectly, (I'm looking at you, Alanis Morissette) that I'm not even entirely sure what it means anymore.
**This is not true. Only about 3% of Planned Parenthood's funds go towards abortions. But then, you should look at this chart, because it's funny, and probably where people THINK PP's spending goes.
***I'm trying to put things in folksy terms so that people who don't get "actions = consequences" will be able to understand.
****No, seriously, once my youth group had "ask a priest" night, where we were encouraged to ask Fr. Herman all of our questions about sex. Never mind that we didn't really want to ask anything. ANYWAY, all of the answers came down to "God doesn't like that," which was not extraordinarily helpful.
*****My mother is much cooler than I used to think she was. Also, I know people who actually did this in their free time. They'll probably have to go to jail now and pray for an end to capital punishment. Oh, wait. Pro-lifers don't do that. Also, in the words of my mother "A life is a life. If you're going to say you're going to support capital punishment, then you're still CHOOSING to end a life, which pretty much makes you pro-choice." Go Mom.
******He's also expected to run for President. Signing this bill would probably ruin his political career. As it should.
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