I have been with someone who has gone to get an abortion. It’s not as easy as walking in a door and immediately getting it over with, as some would have you think.
If you are unfamiliar with the protocols, there is a mandatory 48-hour waiting period. If you are underage, you are required to have parental permission for the procedure. A note is required from a doctor proving she understands what she’s about to do. The woman also has to watch a video in the clinic for a further understanding of her actions before the procedure can begin.
There is a limited number of clinics for such a procedure, so some women have to take off work and travel long distances, which can require the extra expense of a hotel stay. They may even have to walk through a crowd of protesters calling them names and showing gruesome photos before getting in the door.
What are the protocols for buying a gun, even a semi-automatic rifle? It is as easy as walking in a door and immediately getting it over with.
It’s the hypocrisy that disturbs me the most. Not just hypocrisy, but knowing you’re being a hypocrite and continuing with that behavior. The debates over Roe v. Wade, gun availability and even police brutality alongside police ineptitude — depending on who is the culprit — have brought this nation to its lowest point in my lifetime.
“Protection” is a word that conservatives sling around a lot. Children should be protected from having to wear masks to school. Children should be protected from learning about LGBTQ topics. Children should be protected from learning about racism. Children should be protected from learning about other issues in history that might be uncomfortable for the parents. And yet, these same people have kept their mouths shut about really protecting children from being slain while at school.
What’s the point in forcing women who want an abortion to give birth to a child, only to watch that child die at the end of an assault rifle? Seems the hypocrites can’t answer that question.
People who want big guns should have to wait at least 48 hours to purchase them. If you are under 21, which is the legal age for purchasing alcohol, these people should need to get their parents’ permission. They should be required to explain why they want to purchase said weapon and what its purpose would be. They should also have to watch a video, showing the ill effects of weapon use in graphic detail, in order for them to understand the incredible responsibility of owning one. They should have to walk past protesters, calling them murderers, before buying it. And no private citizen should be able to own an assault rifle.
We will move on from all of these horrific events without any change to the law. There were at least eight mass shootings just in the weekend following the tragedy in Uvalde, Texas. And by the time you read this, there will be countless more.
There are four stages of abuse in a relationship: the building of tension, the abuse incident, the reconciliation, and a period of calm. I’ve come to realize my relationship with my country fits this pattern.