Lucasville Remembers Past 4th of July Celebrations -- 1865 Peace Jubilee to Harrisonville Reunions to Civic Club Events

 

The 4th of July Independence Day outing – once called “a community picnic – used to be a spectacular annual summer event for the Lucasville community. When I was younger, the day-long celebration featured picnics, amusements, commemorations, music – including a very popular teen dance – and, of course, fireworks. The setting was the Scioto County Fairgrounds where large crowds gathered to enjoy the patriotic festivities.

I miss the event, and I often wonder why it disappeared, as so many families – and especially area youth – flocked to the fairgrounds to take part in the colorful observance. Like so many other things from the past, a doting generation has lost part of its identity to time. I assume the cost of liability insurance, fears of injury, and lack of funds probably all contributed to the demise of the local tradition. For whatever reason, the community no longer hosts the summer celebration.

Allow me to share information about one such Fourth of July outing of the past. I am not certain if this was the second year for the event or just the second year for the sponsorship by the Lucasville Civic Service Club. I am sure that many seniors will recognize names and details from this 1946 4^th of July. Through this post, I hope that Lucasvillians hearken back to the past for a “hot minute” of history now gone but not forgotten. By the way, please add your remembrances of the Fairgrounds 4^th in the comment section. I'm sure others will enjoy those reminiscences. 

1946: "July 4th Event Will Raise Funds For Projects in Community"

An all-day Fourth of July celebration will be held Thursday, July 4, 1946, at the fairgrounds at Lucasville in the form of a community picnic sponsored by the Lucasville Civic Service Club. The organization boasts a membership of 30. The club was organized a year ago last May and this is the second Fourth of July celebration held for the purpose of raising funds for community projects.

Officers of the club include: W.J. Carver, president; John Collins, vice president; Edward Miller, treasurer; and Mr. Bogan, secretary. Members of the committee in charge of the picnic include: P.L. Bogan, A.S. Moulton, Coy Dodds, Dean Schuler, and G. Malone.

Admission to the grounds will be free as well as admittance to a baseball game in the afternoon between the Portsmouth Moose nine and a Jackson team.

A concert by the Valley Rural High School band will be a special attraction at night. The band is comprised of high school students and other members who have played with the band in past years. The group will be directed by Esto Davis.

Midway attractions, square dancing, and other amusements will help raise money for the club. Families are invited to take picnic baskets and spend the day. Refreshment stands will be on the grounds, and it is planned to keep the rides over for an extra two days, Friday and Saturday.

Last year the club helped purchase new uniforms for the high school band and gave a Christmas party for youngsters with funds raised at the 1945 celebration.

The club has seven standing committees. These and their chairmen are: municipal development, C.M. Purdy; civic improvement, Dr. D.C. Coleman; business, Mr. Carver; advertising, J.W. McKinley; membership, Mr. Moulton; agriculture, Walter Malone; recreation, Mr. Miller.

(Frank R. Thompson. “Bits and Pieces.” Bicentennial Calendar Project. 2019.)

 Photographer: William Fischer, Jr.
Taken: September 2, 2012
Caption: Civil War Mural Detail, Robert Dafford

I would also like to share information about Dugan's Grove and early beginnings of other public commemorations at, or near, the Scioto County Fairgrounds in Lucasville. The place – the grove – was very much both a center of public attention and a symbol for patriotic observances, including the end of the American Civil War.

Here is an account of one very celebrated reunion at Dugan's Grove – an event actually organized on July 4, 1865,

August 17, 1865 – Dugan's Grove

At the close of the war, patriotic fever was at white heat. The people felt there should be a grand reunion of the returned soldiers. At a meeting in Dugan’s Grove on July 4, 1865, it was resolved to have a Grand Soldier’s Reunion and Peace Jubilee. It was an affair of the two counties of Pike and Scioto. Abram F. Millar, Thomas Dugan and John L. Ward were the master spirits in the movement. Many committees were appointed in Portsmouth and the reunion was set for August 17, 1865.

Dugan's Grove was then one of the most delightful spots in the county. On this beautiful day, the two entrances to the grove were decorated for the Jubilee. Over one entrance appeared the motto, “Victory at Last,” and over the other, “Welcome to the Soldiers.”

The grand event featured a free dinner, with two tables each over a thousand feet in length. At one was a banner inscribed, “We honor the private soldier.” At the other at each end were banners bearing the names “Logan,” “Thomas,” and "Rosecrans.” In the center were banners bearing the names, “Grant,” “Sherman,” and "Sheridan.” On the speaker’s stand was a banner reading, “The War was not a Failure.”

Five thousand people took dinner. Colonel John R. Hurd made the opening speech. Colonel T. W. Higgins spoke as did General Robert Schenck, who was the orator of the day. Schenck was at both battles of Bull Run and took part in Jackson's Valley Campaign of 1862, and the Battle of Cross Keys. Hon. Eli Glover made the closing speech. There was dancing in the afternoon and the band of the 73rd O. V. I. furnished the music. 

G.A.R. Organization, “G.A.R. Reception Committee,” Local History Digital Collection, accessed June   30, 2022, https://www.yourppl.org/history/items/show/12892. 

Closing

To close, I would be remiss if I didn't include information about the Harrisonville Reunion in this blog post, billed as one of the "biggest events in the county," according to many records. Local historical accounts say people would come from all over the region to participate in the festivities. The 1865 Peace Jubilee was evidently the inspiration (the beginning?) of the so-called “reunion.” Here is what I know from Portsmouth Times accounts …

The Harrisonville Reunion

The Harrisonville Reunion was started as a "thank you" to all of the veterans who served in the Civil War. The event was originally held in Lucasville. An article appeared in The Portsmouth Times on June 5, 1965 entitled, "History Revealed." This article states that:  "History recalled that on August 17, 1865, a reunion of Civil War veterans was held in the grove. More than 5,000 attended the "Peace Jubilee." Abram F. Millar, Thomas, Dugan and John L. Ward were listed as the committeemen.

The Times (1965) reported in 1880 Lucasville lost interest in the reunion and it was moved to Harrisonville when it was held August 17, 1880 and has been held annually since as the Harrisonville Reunion." Then, the Harrisonville reunion became an institution eventually managed by the Sons of Veterans.

There are conflicting records about the reunion's start date:

The July 20, 1895 article states, "one great picnic in the county every summer for the last 5 years" (making the start date 1890). Please read this 1895 reference: it's a great report. You will see Lucasville references and also delight in how descriptive and detailed past Portsmouth Times accounts truly were. Historians, enjoy. 

Historical Note: Harrisonville Reunion (August 18, 1895)

Article taken from The Portsmouth Daily Times, August 16, 1895

Sam Patch said "Some things can be done as well as others." He was right. So with the Harrisonville reunion and picnic last Saturday. Scioto Post, G. A.R., ably assisted by Lois Camp, S. O.V., put forth an extra effort this year, and the result was highly satisfactory to all concerned.

It cannot be said that reunion was any better or the picnic more enjoyable than on former occasions. The Harrisonville gatherings are always up to the limit. It's hard to improve on them. Last year the Sons of Veterans had entire charge of the affair, this year they stepped aside and the G.A.R. Ruled.

Saturday was an ideal picnic day. All roads led to Harrisonville, and long before people were coming from all parts of the county. The road was blocked in some places by long strings of rigs stretching away for a mile or so without a single break.

The dust was almost suffocating, and if there was one thing more devoutly prayed for than another it was rain. And it came in a gentle sprinkle in the afternoon. Just a wee bit of shower where the people were gathered, but beyond Harrisonville it rained copiously, and many of the home goers in the evening found the roads muddy in some places. Judging from the acres of rigs of all sorts in the grove it seemed that everybody in the county had turned out. Various estimates were placed on the number of people present. Some thought there could not be less than 6,000 people in the grove; others estimated the attendance at 2,000. A fair average would be 4,000. Of these probably 500 came from Portsmouth.  How they did miss the street car!  A horse and buggy represented $6 for the trip from Portsmouth, and it had to be a good, reliable driver that could get it at that price.

The picnic grounds are on a little rising knoll, half a mile beyond Harrisonville.  The grove is the property of Dr. Ray and contains over forty acres. The trees are not very large and the shade is not dense. The grounds might be considerably improved by cleaning out the underbrush and burning the leaves which have been accumulating on the ground for several years and have smothered out the grass completely. No malaria lurks in the grove. It is on high ground, half a mile away from water and dampness.

There were various means of entertainment in the grove. Most prominent of all was a large dancing platform. There was a large crowd around it all day. The Scott String band furnished the music for the dancers. Lemonade and refreshment stands were quite numerous. Marsh had two of the largest on the grounds and did a big business. The talented editor of the Morning Excuse even conducted a small lemonade and soda water stand. Five merry-go-rounds were in operation, but did not do the business expected. A platform for speech-making and the band was erected. Wheels of fortune, cane racks, shell games and various other schemes were in operation. Down in a corner of the grove several slabs of lumber had been stuck up, forming an enclosure of about twenty-five feet square. It was the intention of the builders to confine some Union prisoners inside, put some Rebels on guard, and, finally a grand rush for liberty was to be made, with a sham battle following. The prisoners could not be found, so the scheme failed.

A baseball game was also booked for the afternoon between the Sciotoville players and the Lucasville nine.  As the clubs were being organized the rain came up and the sport stopped.

Recognizing the importance of having some eloquence and speech making, Mr. Horace White exerted himself to enlist the services of a number of orators and politicians. After much trouble he obtained some promises and after some patriotic music by the Harrisonville Sheepskin band and the Lucasville band, the first orator of the day was introduced. It was young Orra Rickey, son of Ex-Commissioner Frank Rickey. He delivered a very able oration and one worthy the oldest orator on the grounds.  He is a very bright young man and will make his mark in the world someday.

Rev. Snodgrass was then introduced and made one of his characteristic patriotic talks. He was listened to with considerable interest and his frequent bursts of eloquence were loudly applauded.

William E. Ross, the colored statesman from the Seventh ward was next introduced. He wore his long Prince Albert coat and as he placed his hand on his bosom he looked far more dignified than his wont when addressing the city fathers. He made a good speech. It was full and running over with patriotism and he only alluded to politics in a very mild way. It was a very interesting talk. "Some negroes will steal and so will the white folks. Some colored people go to the penitentiary so does the white man. If I want to steal a chicken once in a while, nobody ought to kick on an old soldier. I was raised by Grover Cleveland's uncle anyhow and I ought to be excused," said the member of council from the Seventh ward. With the assistance of two of his colored brethren he sang an original song composed for the occasion. He afterwards favored the crowd with another song not quite so original, "Poor, but a Gentleman Still." He sang it, however, in a very original key, and some of the people believed what he said.

For some unaccountable reason the speech and song of Bro. Ross closed the exercises of the day, Chairman White then announcing the speech making at an end. There were several orators waiting behind the grand stand and were sorely disappointed when they were overlooked by the chairman.  Charley Hard stood under the dripping bunting until his had was colored red, white and blue, ready with a pretty little speech for his constituents. Rev. Racy also wanted a chance to move the audience to tears and tell them what an honest man he was to trust with the country cash. A number of other offices seekers could hardly control their anger when refused a chance to make their speeches, "This is not a good crowd to electioneer in anyhow" said C. Hard, "there are too many woman and children here. The people I want to see are voters."

A good story is told on Candidates Hard and Ball of a discovery they made while in search of water. They found something else, and as they were examining the cork of kodak, flend pressed the button.  Go to Floyd McCormick for the rest. It is said that Rev.  Tracy was also in it.

All in all the picnic and reunion was a great success. Not a single accident was reported, not a single drunk and disorderly was to be seen on the grounds. Everybody came to enjoy themselves, and they did in their own quiet way.

These annual picnics are productive of much good. It matters not that their main objects is to make a little money. Patriotism and love country are always inspired, and the day is looked forward to with much eagerness by those to whom it is the only big holiday of the year. In many respects it is much more of a gala day than the biggest day of our county fair. Scioto Post, G.A.R., Lois Camp, S.O.V., and the people of Harrisonville are to be congratulated on giving us such and opportunity for solid enjoyment. There is not another picnic in southern Ohio equal to it. May the custom long survive.

(“The Harrisonville Reuniion. https://www.minfordfalcons.net/TheHarrisonvilleReunion.aspx.)

In the August 17, 1900 edition of The Daily Times, p. 1, an article described plans for the upcoming reunion. "Every rig and spare cab in the city have been engaged and the pike from here out will be black with vehicles and people a foot."

July 21, 1911 article states, "They mean to make this the biggest of the twenty-nine like affairs" (making the start date 1882) – “and to that end will get new attractions to draw the people. Chief of these is a balloon ascension which has already been contracted for.”

July 21, 1915 article states, "making the 36th annual reunion one of the best a great series" (making the start date 1879)

The reunions started to fizzle in the early 1910's. By 1915 there was a drive to reinstate the reunion is all it glory. In later years, the reunion became known throughout the community as the 17th of August. The event was held on August 17, unless that date fell on a Sunday.

(“The Harrisonville Reunion.” https://www.minfordfalcons.net/TheHarrisonvilleReunion.aspx.)

Historical Note: The History of Harrison Township 

FIRST SETTLERS IN THE AREA

The first two families to live in the area were Rev. Thaddeus Bennett and family, and his son, Rev. Joseph Bennett and family.

Thaddeus Bennett and his son, Joseph Bennett, lived in New York in the early 1800's. Thaddeus Bennett was a veteran of the Revolutionary War. Joseph Bennett was a veteran of the War of 1812. Around 1814, the two men decided they wanted a different life in the Northwest Territory.

Thaddeus, age 56, and Joseph, age 22, built a raft, and set out on the Olean River to begin their new life. They headed toward the Allegheny River. Continuing south, the men finally reached the Ohio River. The Bennett families continued down the Ohio River until they arrived at  the mouth of the Little Scioto River. They settled in the area we now know as Sciotoville.

General William Henry Harrison visited the area again in 1836.

In 1837, Joseph Bennett laid out a town on the land surrounding his home. He gave a building site to anyone who would guarantee to build a home in the settlement. Joseph named the town Harrisonville, after his friend, General Harrison. However, it would be 22 more years before the  town of Harrisonville would become "official." The town had not been platted in Scioto County records.

By 1880, the population of Harrison Township had grown to 1,325.

Lodges played a big part in the community of Harrisonville.  Ives Lodge Knight of Phythias started in 1890. Soon after it was organized, a large two-story hall was built at a cost of $1,800 including fixtures.

Scioto Post GAR was established in 1880.

Lois Camp Sons of Veterans was organized in 1880. They enjoyed second rank in the state of Ohio.

HARRISONVILLE CHANGES ITS NAME TO MINFORD

There was another town called Harrisonville on the C&O Railroad line. Railroad officials wanted to simplify matters, so they asked local resident Frank R. Minford if he thought the village would mind changing its name. Frank R. Minford was friends with one of the C&O Railroad attorneys.

Several names were suggested for the town--Harrison, Bennettville, and Minford. In honor of Frank R. Minford, (a local blacksmith) the town's name was changed to Minford on August 17, 1917. Frank R. Minford was the son of William J. Minford who immigrated to the area from County Antrim, Northern Ireland in 1846. William, his mother, brother Robert, and sister Agnes first arrived in New York before traveling to Ohio. William was the owner of a successful blacksmith business in the area. He taught his trade to his son, Frank, who took over the business when his father passed away.

(“The History of Harrison Township.” https://www.minfordfalcons.net/HarrisonvilleBecomesMinford.aspx.)

 

Five Despicable Cases That Scream For the Right To Choose

This post is for pro-lifers who defend outlawing abortion. Most want no exceptions for saving the so-called “life” of the baby – no provisions for rape, incest, and potential severe health hazards to the fetus or to the mother. The latest Supreme Court ruling that overturns Roe v. Wade makes no provision for abortion in cases of criminal activities against a perpetrator like I am about to report.

Allow me to present five cases that I believe deserve utmost consideration for abortion. Although each case involved disgusting and reprehensible acts that required arrest, each also fostered a victim of abuse left with an indelible scar. I believe no one should be forced to live with the product of such unions. To me, the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade is unthinkable.

Case One: Showering the Rapist With Love (2021)

Oklahoma police arrested a woman after her 12-year-old daughter gave birth – and the family welcomed the child’s rapist to a baby shower.

Tulsa police said mom Desiree Castaneda and other family members knew about the victim’s relationship with 24-year-old Juan Miranda-Jara, who was reportedly surprised when he was arrested July 14, 2021 as he accompanied the 12-year-old to the hospital where she delivered.

“At the time, we received many questions along the lines of, ‘Where were the parents?’” the Tulsa Police Department said in a statement posted to Facebook.

“The family permitted the relationship, and there are photos of the family throwing a baby shower for the victim and the suspect.”

Castaneda was slapped with charges of enabling child sex abuse and neglect. The victim’s dad is behind bars on a 12-year prison sentence for an unrelated case of first-degree rape, cops said.

Miranda-Jara was charged with first-degree rape of a minor when he showed up to the Hillcrest Hospital in midtown with the victim in mid-labor. When questioned, he reportedly admitted he was the father of the unborn child and “acted a bit unsure as to why police were even getting involved,” FOX23 reported.

They walked in just like any other couple would; excited to deliver their newborn child,” Officer Danny Bean told the local station.

Miranda-Jara even allegedly posted that he was in a relationship with the girl on his Facebook profile, the station said. Photos of Miranda-Jara and the victim at the baby shower were also posted to his page, FOX23 stated.

(Mark Lungariello. “Mom arrested after her 12-year-old daughter gives birth.” New York Post. July 29, 2021.)

Case Two: Raped By the Deacon (2021)

Sherry Johnson was raped by the deacon of her local church when she was just nine years old. She was the daughter of the assistant “church mother” and her stepfather was the assistant pastor at an Apostolic Christian church in Tampa, Florida. The deacon who sexually abused her was 18.

He had entered her home while her mother and sisters had gone to church. “All you had to do was walk down the steps from the church and you’d walk into our kitchen,” Johnson explained. “And that’s where he raped me. I woke up with him on top of me. Many times.”

Johnson told her mom about what had happened and pleaded with her to help her understand what she had gone through. Even though she was young, she knew something was amiss. But her mom ignored her and didn’t even believe her. Shockingly, she told the church that Johnson was a liar.

“I was a sacrifice to cover up what he did,” Johnson recalled. She said at that moment she wanted to run away from home. But she had nowhere to go and she was just nine years old. And then, to make matters worse, she found out that she was pregnant months after being sexually abused by the deacon.

Social workers got involved but Johnson couldn’t tell them who the father of her baby was as she was frightened. Her mom had also told her that she should keep it a secret in order not to ruin her family name. Johnson was later sent away with the deacon who raped her again while they were making their journey from Tampa to Miami. The young girl was seven months pregnant at the time.

While staying with the deacon thousands of miles from home, she gave birth in a hospital. Her mother did not even visit her or her new baby, Johnson said. At 11, she

was forced to marry her rapist, who was now 20. Her mother made the wedding cake, dress and even a veil for her. Johnson said she found “a little bit of security” in the marriage because her mother told her to do it. “So I thought there must have been something OK with it,” she said.

But after the marriage, the deacon started tormenting her — emotionally and physically. And anytime he got her pregnant, he would leave her and then come back after the baby was born to impregnate her again. By age 16, Johnson had six children.

Eventually, the deacon was jailed for failing to pay child support. Johnson tried to start divorce proceedings but she was not able to because she was under 18. Later, she was given special dispensation and divorced the deacon at 17. Johnson went on to marry twice, and in both marriages, she was abused. But she had three more children and about five years ago, she finally got her high school diploma at age 55.

Now a mother of nine children and a grandmother of more than 30 grandchildren, she has been fighting to end child marriage in the United States. Her children, who know about what she went through when she was young, have been giving her all the support she needs.

Although most states in America require one to be at least 18 years old to marry,  some have exceptions that allow children under 18 to get married. Most states require a minor to have parental consent, the approval of a judge or to be recognized as adults (i.e. emancipated minors) for them to get married. Consequently, as of December 2017, 25 states allowed minors to get married if they meet their state’s exceptions.

(Mildred Europa Taylor. “Raped by a deacon, she had his baby at nine, married him at 11 and had six kids by 16.” https://face2faceafrica.com/article/raped-by-a-deacon-she-had-his-baby-at-nine-married-him-at-11-and-had-six-kids-by-16. December 14, 2021.)

Case Three: Brother Pregnancy (2020)

An 11-year-old girl in St. Charles, Missouri, who was raped by her brother, gave birth at home, and now he and their parents are facing criminal charges.

The (unnamed) girl gave birth to a boy in a bathtub according to a probable cause statement. Her biological brother, who is 17, was charged in February 2020 with incest, statutory rape, and statutory sodomy of a person younger than 12, while her parents were charged with child endangerment. Police say the girl's parents did not provide medical care to their daughter after she gave birth.

Police started investigating on Feb. 11 after the girl's parents brought a baby boy to a hospital. The baby still had the umbilical cord and placenta attached and a body temperature of 90 degrees, according to a probable cause statement.

The girl's father initially claimed the baby was his and had been dropped off on their porch by an ex-girlfriend.

He later told investigators his daughter had given birth to the boy and that his son was the father, a probable cause statement states. The girl's parents claimed they were not aware she was pregnant or that she was allegedly being sexually assaulted by her brother, according to the statement.

During questioning, the brother told police he had sex with his sister about 100 times but did not know she was pregnant, according to a probable cause statement. He also said he did not know how long it had been going on for, the statement said.

The baby was born premature, and the girl is in the care of relatives, St. Charles police Lt. Tom Wilkison told NBC News.

(Janelle Griffith. “Girl, 11, gave birth to baby allegedly fathered by brother; he and parents are charged.” NBC News. February 22, 2020.)

Case Four: 25-Year-Old Florida Woman Pregnant By 11-Year-Old Boy (2018)

Can a male be raped? If so, what say should he (or his parents/guardians) have on carrying a baby to term? An additional 14 charges were filed November 2018 against a Port Richey, Florida, woman accused of sexual battery on an 11-year-old that led to her having the boy’s child.

The relationship started in 2014 and Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputies said the baby boy was born later that year.

Investigators arrested 25-year-old Marissa Ashley Mowry on Tuesday afternoon. She was originally charged with sexual battery on an 11-year-old child.

Mowry was charged with three counts of sex assault by 18 years of age sex battery victim under 12 years of age, and 11 counts of sex assault by custodian sex battery victim 12 years of age and under 18 years of age.

Investigators said Mowry admitted to having a sexual relationship with the boy.

In January 2014, investigators said Mowry, who was 22 at the time, had sexual intercourse with the 11-year-old at a home in Hillsborough County. As a result, Mowry got pregnant and gave birth in October 2014.

Deputies said Mowry and the victim continued to have sexual contact several times until this year when the victim was 14.

Investigators said the victim was also a Brandon resident but deputies would not elaborate on how the two were connected in an effort to conceal the victim’s identity.

Investigators said that in April 2018 someone anonymously reported the encounters through an abuse tip line in Pasco County.

(Staff. “25-year-old Florida woman impregnated by 11-year-old boy, has child’s baby” https://www.bigcountryhomepage.com/news/main-news/25-year-old-florida-woman-impregnated-by-11-year-old-boy-has-childs-baby/. Abilene Nexstar. November 20, 2018.)

Case Five: Father of Four Babies By His Own Daughter (2014)

Dateline Harrisonville, Missouri: A woman whose husband fathered four babies with one of the couple's daughters was sentenced to seven years in prison November 2014 after pleading guilty to child endangerment and hindering prosecution of a felony.

Three of the four children the woman's husband had with the couple's daughter died, including one whose body was found in a shallow grave in eastern Oklahoma where the family apparently lived for a short time. The bodies of two other babies were found in coolers on a rural Harrisonville property where the family lived in their mobile home.

Judge Mike Wagner said he knew of animals in the wild that fought to protect their young and questioned why the 49-year-old mother didn't do the same.

"What is so frustrating to the court is there is no amount of time in prison that can give this young lady her childhood back," he said. "Your child suffered an unthinkable abuse, and you allowed that to happen. You will have to live with that for the rest of your life."

Three of the four children the woman's husband had with the couple's daughter died, including one whose body was found in a shallow grave in eastern Oklahoma where the family apparently lived for a short time. The bodies of two other babies were found in coolers on a rural Harrisonville property where the family lived in their mobile home.

The Associated Press is not identifying the parents to protect the victims' identities.

Under a plea deal, the victim's mother was sentenced to serve her seven-year sentence for child endangerment at the same time as her four-year sentence for hindering prosecution.

The victim testified at her father's trial, divulging that her father began having sex with her when she was 5 years old. He was sentenced in June to life in prison after being convicted of charges that included second-degree murder and abandonment of a corpse.

The murder charge stemmed from the death of the victim's third child, who fell ill and didn't receive appropriate medical care. The victim's first child, born when she was just 14, died after falling off a couch; the fourth baby was stillborn. Only the second child survived.

The victim, now 21, sobbed during her mother's sentencing hearing as Cass County prosecutor Teresa Hensley wrapped her arm around the young woman.

"It hurts me to know my mom could have been there for me and helped me," the victim said in a handwritten statement that Hensley read to the judge. "I wish I had a mom to talk to and hang out with, but that will never happen."

The victim said in the statement that she now could move on with her life with her surviving son and soon-to-be husband. The boy was placed in foster care when the allegations were first made, and Hensley said the victim is seeing him.

(“Mother Sentenced to 7 Years in U.S. Incest Case.” https://www.foxnews.com/us/mother-sentenced-to-7-years-in-u-s-incest-case. Associated Press. November 17, 2014.)

Conclusion

Those who wish to simplify abortion with ideals of morality and pleas of absolute right to life should shoulder all responsibility for evil actions of those like the perpetrators above. Denying a young girl … even a boy … a choice to end the product of rape, incest, and total irresponsibility is the loss of a precious freedom. Notice I said “a choice” – who can deny that an option must be available for those manipulated and abused?

Pro-lifers are quick to cite that only a fraction of abortions in the U.S. are done for rape, incest, or mother’s health issues. But, what does that have to do with the reality of these things occurring? Should the smaller percentage deny a right to choose in such incredibly invasive and dangerous cases? I think not.

Anti-abortionists say “abortion is just another act of violence perpetrated against their bodies and their children’s bodies.” Or, they argue that the future child's life may have come intrinsic value or that when a woman goes through with a pregnancy, that process somehow “conquers” the rape. How presumptuous.

Think of this equally “fair” consideration: the victims have been stripped of their choice once, why do that to them again?” It should be an individual's choice of freedom, and not the government's choice. Allowing this individual to choose gives that person back their self-control. And, if the government wants to respect people's values and beliefs, such circumstances require special attention and delicate relief.

I'll end with this little-known fact. Dr. Ann Burgess, an internationally recognized pioneer in the assessment and treatments of victims of trauma and abuse, commented, “People are not aware how the rapist tries to claim responsibility for the child. He insists on some say in the child’s life. I know about a dozen cases where this happened. The rapist continues the emotional trauma on the victim by forcing himself into the victim’s life.”

American Thinker was told about a senior in college who was raped. She did not abort and when the child was seven years old the rapist suddenly served her with papers requesting custody of their daughter. At first she thought it was so ridiculous she laughed it off. Then, the truth sank in as she noted, ‘I was struck with terror, not only with the idea of letting my child be around him, but also having to spend the next eleven years of my life tied to him.’”

(Elise Cooper. “The Rape Exception.” American Thinker. September 25, 2015.)

The victims should be the ones to determine if they want to continue the pregnancy or prevent it. Those women who become pregnant because of rape and do not believe in abortion should be respected by society, but so should those who choose to abort.

Postscript

In Virginia, GOP congressional candidate Yesli Vega, who also cited her time as a police officer, gave credence to an absurd untruth – that a woman who is raped may have a lower chance of getting pregnant. Axios published audio recordings of her comments on June 26, 2022.

In the fall of 2021, Ohio US Senate candidate JD Vance called pregnancies from rape merely "inconvenient" and emphasized that in matters relating to pregnancy resulting from rape, "The question to me is really about the baby." (Apparently the woman matters very little, if at all.) In 2022, Ohio Republican Rep. Jean Schmidt said that her state's law criminalizing abortion gave child rape victims the "opportunity" to "help that life be a productive human being."

That is, if a child victim makes it that far. Pregnancy and childbirth complications are the leading killer of girls aged 15-19 worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. And adolescent motherhood means that girls are more likely to be in abusive relationships; that they wind up poorer; that they and their children are less likely to reach their educational potential; and that their children are less healthy and are more likely to die in infancy.

And just this week (June 26, 2022), in a stunningly callous interview with CNN's Pamela Brown, Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio applauded his state's strict anti-abortion law, which outlaws abortion roughly six weeks after the first day of a woman's last menstrual period with few exceptions and without any exemption for rape or incest.

"What happens when a twelve-year-old girl falls pregnant after being raped?" Brown asked him. "Are you ok with her being forced to carry that fetus to term?"

"You don't know you were raped for two months?" Warren asked, as if women and girls seeking abortions after rape are either liars, idiots or irresponsible. "I think it's a great law," he said. "And it is a compromise." The "compromise," apparently, is that most rape and incest victims are forced to carry pregnancies to term. That, Warren reiterated, didn't bother him. "It's hard to conceive of somebody who doesn't know they were raped for two months," he said.

(Jill Filipovic. “Opinion: Cruel GOP rhetoric about rape survivors and abortion is far more than words.” CNN. June 28, 2022.)

 

Ohio Legislature Is Anti-LGBTQ+ -- "Rolling Back the Hatred"

 

The Ohio legislature has opted for anti-LGBTQ+ bills.

In April, House Bill 616 was introduced, a “divisive concepts” bill opponents have dubbed a “Don’t Say Gay” bill that would prohibit schools from teaching about “divisive or inherently racist concepts,” including sexual orientation and gender identity for students between kindergarten and third grade.

In May, House Bill 454 was introduced to ban various medical procedures for transgender or non-binary minors.

And, in June came House Bill 151, which aims to ban transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports.

“[Ohio] is on the brink of rolling back as this hateful, anti-LGBTQ+ legislation is considered by our state leaders, instead of more conversation on how we can improve our climate for LGBTQ+ folks who want to live, work and play here,” said Alana Jochum, executive director of Equality Ohio – a statewide legislative and legal nonprofit organization dedicated to furthering equality for LGBTQ+ people.

(David Rees. “Ohio equality score: Advocates say anti-LGBTQ+ bills are bad business.” NBC 4. June 27, 2022.)

Out Leadership, a global LGBTQ+ network for business leaders and companies, released its State LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index for 2022, ranking Ohio 31st in the nation.

The annual index ranks each state by assessing LGBTQ+ people’s experiences and is designed to be a tool for business leaders to advocate for equality from a business perspective.

Businesses supporting Climate Index 

(“2022 State LGBTQ Business Climate Index.” OUT LEADERSHIP. Updated as of May 31, 2022.)

The index gives each state a score out of 100 points, based on 20 markers across five categories: Legal and Non-discrimination Protections, Youth and Family Support, Political and Religious Attitudes, Health Access, and Safety and Work Environment and Employment.

Each category includes markers like, “Does the state have any employment nondiscrimination policies for LGBTQ+ people?” “How supportive is the state of LGBTQ+ people who are in or want to start families?” and “Do LGBTQ+ people, particularly the most vulnerable and economically precarious, have access to health care and insurance?” For each question, Out Leadership gave the state a score out of five.

(David Rees. “Ohio equality score: Advocates say anti-LGBTQ+ bills are bad business.” NBC 4. June 27, 2022.)

The American Civil Liberties Union reports that Ohio does not have a statewide law that protects LGBTQ people from discrimination. This means that a person can still be fired, denied housing, or refused service simply because of whom they love or how they identify. Unfortunately, the Ohio legislature has been voting down LGBTQ nondiscrimination bills for the past twenty years.

As of January 4, 2021, 32 cities and 1 county in Ohio have passed local ordinances banning any LGBTQ discrimination (sexual orientation or gender identity) in employment, housing, and public accommodations, but LGBTQ Ohioans deserve more than a piecemeal approach.

Here’s the list of 35 localities banning discrimination:

Akron, Athens, Beachwood, Bexley, Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, Columbus, Coshocton, Cuyahoga County, Dayton, Dublin, East Cleveland, Galion, Gambier, Golf Manor, Kent, Lakewood, Medina, Newark, Oberlin, Olmsted Falls, Oxford, Portsmouth, Reynoldsburg, Sandusky, Shaker Heights, South Euclid, Toledo, University Heights, Westerville, Worthington, Yellow Springs, and Youngstown.

In 2021, Ohio approved legislation that would allow medical providers to refuse to administer any medical treatment that violates their moral, ethical, or religious beliefs.

The language was buried in a 700-page document of last-minute amendments to the state’s two-year budget bill, which Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine approved. The provision allows anyone providing medical care – from doctors and nurses to researchers and lab techs – and anyone paying for that care (namely, insurance providers), “the freedom to decline to perform, participate in, or pay for any health care service which violates the practitioner’s, institution’s, or payer’s conscience as informed by the moral, ethical, or religious beliefs.”

The bill does not allow medical professionals to deny LGBTQ people care, carte blanche; the exemption “is limited to conscience-based objections to a particular health care service.” It goes on to say that the provider is “responsible for providing all appropriate health care services, other than the particular health care service that conflicts with the medical practitioner’s beliefs or convictions, until another medical practitioner or facility is available.”

But the bill was overwhelmingly opposed by the state’s medical community. “The implications of this policy are immense and could lead to situations where patient care is unacceptably compromised,” read a letter to budget negotiators, signed by the Ohio Hospital Association, the Ohio Children’s Hospital Association, the Ohio State Medical Association, and the Ohio Association of Health Plans.

Gov. DeWine could have struck the language while signing the rest of the budget into law, but declined to do so, despite issuing 14 other line-item vetoes.

With this newly enacted language in place, a medical provider could refuse to prescribe PrEP to an LGBTQ patient looking to reduce their risk of contracting HIV, or refuse to provide gender-affirming care to trans and nonbinary patients, or puberty blockers to transgender minors. Equality Ohio called it a “license to discriminate,” and Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David said that it jeopardizes “the medical well being of more than 380,000 LGBTQ people in Ohio.”

Local advocates have also called foul on lawmakers’ move to insert the clause last-minute into the state’s massive two-year, 2,400-page budget bill. “They know that they couldn’t pass this on its merits as a standalone bill, because literally no one is asking for this to be passed,” Dominic Detwiler, a public policy strategist for Equality Ohio told the Columbus Dispatch.

(Hannah Murphy Winter. “Ohio Allows Doctors to Deny LGBTQ Health Care on Moral Ground.” Rolling Stone. July 07, 2021.)

Redder the worse

Conclusion

Where does Ohio go from here? I guess that depends on the political climate much more than on the human rights demands. The nationalistic movement to deny LGBTQ rights is rooted in homophobia and hatred. As you can see, it blocks progressive legislation and thwarts positive gains for this population.

And, what about the LGBTQ population in Ohio? The Williams Institute based on Gallup surveys conducted between 2015-2017, and looked at LGBT family demographics in every state and Washington D.C. Respondents who said they identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender were considered LGBT and were not asked whether they identify under the wider umbrella term LGBTQ+.

Ohio's numbers were as follows:

- Population identifying as LGBT: 4.3%

- LGBT population with children: 30.0%

- LGBT couples with children: 17.7%

The Ohio Fairness Act – Senate Bill 119 would make it illegal in Ohio to discriminate against someone based on their sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. The legislation, sponsored by State Senators Nickie Antonio and Michael Rulli and introduced in March, 2021 has languished in the Ohio General Assembly without even sponsor testimony being held.

"Don't Say Gay" is not just about words.

Children are not being turned gay due to what they learn in school. Gender identity is a real thing and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer children and adults exist.

Ohio bills like House Bill 327 are attempts to whitewash history just as House Bill 616 is an attempt to erase LGBTQ people.

The Columbus Dispatch Editorial Board wrote on April 5, 2022 …

“It is reprehensible that adults – in this case Republican lawmakers – want to shame and suppress children while they are developing into the people who will lead this state.

“That's the indoctrination that should outrage parents and anyone else who cares about children or the future of Ohio.

“Teachers have already come out against it, Anthony Coy-Gonzalez, Ohio's 2021 teacher of the year, calls it an attack on "authentic and honest" education.

“As Ohio continues to recover from the pandemic, the recessive bill will no doubt be condemned by businesses, those here hoping to attract young and forward-thinking talent and those looking for homes here.

“That is no small thing particularly in Columbus – the state's undeniable economic center – which also ranks among the top gay friendly metropolitan areas in the nation.

"'Our nation has strived to make good on its promise that everyone is entitled to be treated with equal dignity under the law. That is true when it comes to LGBTQ Americans, who now have the constitutional right to identify openly as LGBTQ, to marry, and to form families with children,' said attorney Roberta Kaplan who is representing National Center for Lesbian Rights on behalf of Equality Florida and Family Equality.

“Instead of following Florida down the road to oppression, Ohio lawmakers should make this a state where all kids can strive, learn and grow into healthy adults.

“By not saying gay, lawmakers are telling LGBTQ kids they are not worthy of love or liberty.”

(“Our view: Ohio's LGBTQ kids would be forced in closet with lawmaker's 'Don't Say Gay' copy.” Dispatch Editorial Board. Columbus Dispatch. April 05, 2022.)

There is a ton of work to do to achieve equality in the Buckeye State.

In February 2020, Human Rights Campaign Foundation and the Equality Federation Institute released their 5th annual State Equality Index (SEI), a comprehensive report detailing statewide laws and policies that affect LGBTQ people and their families, and assessing how well states are protecting LGBTQ people from discrimination. Ohio falls into the category, “High Priority to Achieve Basic Equality.”

While falling into the lowest category, Ohio is one of 30 states where LGBTQ Americans, their friends and families remain at risk of discrimination.

 

Abortions Now Illegal In Ohio At Fetal Heartbeat -- But, What Is a "Heartbeat"?

 

Abortions in Ohio are now illegal once a fetal heartbeat can be detected.

The news came Friday evening – June 24 – in the form of a ruling from a federal court judge who lifted the nearly three-year injunction on the law following the U.S. Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade on Friday morning. Judge Michael Barrett granted the state's request to lift an injunction in place since 2019.

Dubbed the "heartbeat bill," the law criminalizes all abortions performed after the detection of fetal cardiac activity, which is about six weeks into a pregnancy (four weeks after conception).

The Ohio Department of Health doesn't track how many abortions happen at the six-week mark, but about 38% of abortions performed in Ohio in 2020 (7,866) happened after nine weeks gestation.

Patients seeking what would now be illegal abortions would not be prosecuted under this new law, but providers could face fifth-degree felony charges and up to one year in prison. The law has an exception to save the life of a patient but no exceptions for rape or incest.

(Anna Staver and Cameron Knight. “Ohio's six-week abortion ban becomes law hours after Supreme Court's Dobbs decision.” Cincinnati Enquirer. June 25, 2022.)

What does this mean? The Ohio ruling will end safe, legal abortions. Patients seeking abortions may contact clinics to get instructions on next steps, which might include going to another state. Groups like Women Have Options provide money and assistance for those seeking abortions.

What about prosecution for those who seek abortions? Ohio Republicans like Gov. Mike DeWine have consistently expressed reluctance to prosecute people who seek abortions, and Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, told the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau that policing what Ohioans do in other states isn't likely to happen.

When is a fetal heartbeat detected?A fetal heartbeat may first be detected by a vaginal ultrasound as early as 5 1/2 to 6 weeks after gestation. That’s when a fetal pole, the first visible sign of a developing embryo, can sometimes be seen. But between 6 1/2 to 7 weeks after gestation, a heartbeat can be better assessed.

Sometimes, a so-called “heartbeat” is not detected this early because the patient may have a retroverted uterus – one form of “tilted uterus,” a category that also includes anteverted uterus, which is a uterus that is tilted forward rather than backward. In addition, a doctor may not detect a fetal heartbeat in a patient with a large abdomen. And, an ectopic pregnancy, which most often occurs in a fallopian tube, may also not be detectable.

Fetal Heartbeat – Politically Flawed Definition

But the medical-sounding term "fetal heartbeat" is being used in this law – and others like it – in a misleading way, say physicians who specialize in reproductive health.

Dr. Jennifer Kerns, an OB-GYN and associate professor at the University of California, San Francisco, says that health care providers might use the term "fetal heartbeat" in conversations with patients during this early stage of pregnancy, but it's not actually a clinical term.

"This is a term that is not widely used in medicine," Kern says. "I think this is an example of where we are sometimes trying to translate medical lingo in a way that patients can understand, and this is a really unfortunate side effect of this type of translation."

“That's why "the term 'fetal heartbeat' is pretty misleading," says Kerns.

"When I use a stethoscope to listen to an [adult] patient's heart, the sound that I'm hearing is caused by the opening and closing of the cardiac valves," says Dr. Nisha Verma, an OB-GYN who specializes in abortion care and works at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

The sound generated by an ultrasound in very early pregnancy is quite different, she says.

"At six weeks of gestation, those valves don't exist," she explains. "The flickering that we're seeing on the ultrasound that early in the development of the pregnancy is actually electrical activity, and the sound that you 'hear' is actually manufactured by the ultrasound machine."

"What we're really detecting is a grouping of cells that are initiating some electrical activity," she explains. "In no way is this detecting a functional cardiovascular system or a functional heart."

(Selena Simmons-Duffin and Carrie Feibel. “The Texas Abortion Ban Hinges On 'Fetal Heartbeat.' Doctors Call That Misleading.” All Things Considered. NPR. May 03, 2022.)

In reality, it would be really hard for a woman to know she's pregnant before the point at which cardiac activity would be detectable by an ultrasound. She would have to be tracking her periods carefully, have regular periods, notice her period was late and then be able to quickly get an appointment with her doctor to confirm a pregnancy.

"Periods vary in length – and can be normal – from 21 to 42 days," Kaplan says, adding that "late" periods can happen for many reasons, some of which have nothing to do with being pregnant. "It can be because of stress, it can be because of changes in sleep, changes in weight, travel – all of those things can do it. We actually aggressively counsel women they shouldn't be panicked about being a week or two late."

Pregnancies are dated from the start of a woman's last period. A few weeks after that, if fertilization and implantation occur, Kern says, there's "a window of a few days, maybe a week or two at the most, where you can actually detect an intrauterine pregnancy [with an ultrasound] before you detect any kind of cardiac motion or electrical activity," says Kerns.

(Selena Simmons-Duffin and Carrie Feibel. “The Texas Abortion Ban Hinges On 'Fetal Heartbeat.' Doctors Call That Misleading.” All Things Considered. NPR. May 03, 2022.)

To add to the confusion, working women are busy, and the last thing on their list may be to schedule a pregnancy test.

John Culhane, a law professor at Widener University who co-directs its Family Health Law and Policy Institute, said the anti-abortion lobby's marketing of “heartbeat bill" legislation is “all an attempt to make a fetus into a person.”

“The ‘heartbeat,’ it literally tugs at the heartstrings, it makes you feel like, ‘Why would you do this?' Never mind that there’s not a heart” yet in the embryo, he said.

(Julie Carr Smyth and Kimberlee Kruesi. “'Fetal heartbeat' in abortion laws taps emotion, not science.” ABC News. Associated Press. May 14, 2021.)

The number of abortions performed in the state in 2019 decreased 2% from 2018, part of a steady decline that has been observed since 2001, according to the newly released abortion report by the Ohio Department of Health.

 

The Data

The CDC reports that in 2019 (the last year for which the CDC reported a yearly national total for abortions), women in their twenties accounted for the majority of abortions (56.9%). The majority of abortions in 2019 took place early in gestation: 92.7% of abortions were performed at ≤13 weeks’ gestation; a smaller number of abortions (6.2%) were performed at 14–20 weeks’ gestation, and even fewer (<1.0%) were performed at ≥21 weeks’ gestation.

“Early medical abortion” is defined as the administration of medications(s) to induce an abortion at ≤9 completed weeks’ gestation, consistent with the current Food and Drug Administration labeling for mifepristone (implemented in 2016). In 2019, 42.3% of all abortions were early medical abortions. Use of early medical abortion increased 10% from 2018 to 2019 and 123% from 2010 to 2019.

(Kortsmit K, Mandel MG, Reeves JA, et al. Abortion Surveillance – United States, 2019. MMWR Surveill Summ 2021;70(No. SS-9):1–29.)

Figures indicate that in 2019, 56% of legal abortions in clinical settings occurred via some form of surgery, while 44% were medication abortions involving pills, according to the CDC. Since the Food and Drug Administration first approved abortion pills in 2000, their use has increased over time as a share of abortions nationally.

The Guttmacher Institute, that compiles its figures after contacting every known provider of abortions – clinics, hospitals and physicians’ offices – in the country, says that 2020 was the first time that more than half of all abortions in clinical settings in the U.S. were medication abortions.

Conclusion

“Heartbeat legislation” or not, early medical abortions will continue to occur in Ohio. What about morning-after pills? Emergency contraception, which is taken within days of unprotected sex, will become even more important. Laws against such sale? What happens to consumerism in this case?

A wave of direct-to-consumer brands – including Wisp and Nurx – are working to make it easier to access these pills, which don’t require a prescription. Stix, a three year old startup, is the latest. Today, it’s debuting its own $38 emergency contraception pill, Restart, and launching a fund to make the pills free to women in need. It’s also rolling out billboard ads close to crisis pregnancy centers, which focus on preventing women from getting an abortion.

In May, when news broke that the Supreme Court might overturn Roe, online searches for the morning after pill surged more than 160%. Once the decision is issued this summer, there will likely be another surge, including women who are stockpiling it for the future. Wisp, a website that sells sexual health products, echoes this, saying demand for emergency contraception pills has been up by 50% since May and it’s preparing for an even greater surge if Roe falls.

Today, Stix is unveiling billboards ads located within five miles of crisis pregnancy centers in Ohio, Arkansas, Utah, Missouri, and Kentucky, which are among the states with trigger bans. These billboards will advertise Restart while also highlighting the absurdity of restricting abortion. For instance, one says, “In Ohio, a dog can legally get an abortion. But her owner is begging for reproductive rights.”

(Elizabeth Segran. “Post-Roe, the morning after pill will be crucial. Startups are racing to increase access.” https://www.fastcompany.com/90761921/post-roe-the-morning-after-pill-will-be-crucial-startups-are-racing-to-increase-access. June 21, 2022.)

To close, here's a story from Ohio about how even a mention of abortion may now cost you your job in the health field …

“When she came across a training opportunity for mifepristone, a drug used in early pregnancy loss and abortions, Jessica Warner put a mention of it in the May edition of the newsletter she compiled as a coordinator at the Ohio Department of Health.

“An hour after she hit send, her supervisor called. It was the start of an ordeal that culminated in Warner, a sexually transmitted infections and viral hepatitis training coordinator, being fired and two other employees disciplined. An investigative report prepared by human resources described abortion topics as 'off limits,' adding that 'the mifepristone item in the newsletter is in direct conflict with the agency’s mission and is an embarrassment to ODH.' It also said the topic was 'contrary' to the state’s mission.

“That a state health department would take such a stance, Warner said, came as a shock.

“I want people to understand how it seems like politics is taking over health care, and it’s less about the science and the evidence,” she said in an interview with The Washington Post five days after her termination. 'And it seems more it’s about people who have no background in health care who are making our decisions and even censoring and silencing us.'

"Ohio Department of Health spokesman Ken Gordon said there is no policy that keeps abortion topics off limits. He said references to abortion as being in conflict with the health department’s mission are based on a state law that took in effect in 2019, barring the department from contracting or affiliating with 'any entity that performs or promotes nontherapeutic abortions.'”

(Brittany Shammas. “Ohio health agency staffer fired after abortion pill mention in newsletter.” The Washington Post. June 23, 2022.)

Go figure for yourself. What is the end goal of anti-abortionists and political movements to supposedly save “hearts” of the unborn? This all-out assault on a woman's right to choose has devastating consequences, many of which are simply swept under the table and out of sight of Ohioans and their fellow Americans across the nation. In order to get a full view of the good, the bad, and the ugly, one must not be overcome by emotions or by non-medical definitions. Like every difficult issue, to be studied properly, abortion requires thorough investigation of all its possible outcomes.

Overturning Roe v. Wade: A Human Rights Violation

Regardless of how you feel about abortion – all of the fundamental concerns for the life of the embryo or fetus – you need to understand that the Supreme Court's decision to strike down Roe v. Wade takes away a woman's right to choose.

A woman's right to choose regarding birth control and abortion is sociologically important because women have fought long and hard to be equal to men. In fact, authoritative interpretations of international human rights law establish that denying women access to abortion is a form of discrimination and jeopardizes a range of human rights. The United Nations human rights treaty bodies regularly call for governments to decriminalize abortion in all cases and to ensure access to safe, legal abortion in certain circumstances at a minimum.

American poet, essayist and critic Katha Pollitt writes …

“Young women need to know that abortion rights and abortion access are not presents bestowed or retracted by powerful men (or women) – Presidents, Supreme Court justices, legislators – but freedoms won, as freedom always is, by people struggling on their own behalf."

Pollitt explains that qualifying abortion as "the most difficult decision a woman will ever make" may help abortion rights advocates to "forestall the 'women are lazy sluts who have abortions for convenience'" line from opponents, Pollitt said, but the somber tone of such defenses withholds the fact that abortion is often a positive choice for women's lives.

(Amanda Duberman. “Katha Pollitt On What The Pro-Abortion Rights Movement Gets Wrong About Choice.” HuffPost. October 15, 2014.)

Ultimately, treating abortion as a moral issue means ignoring many of the realities that factor into a woman's choice to end a pregnancy – and the positive impact this decision can have on her life.

"The way we need to reframe abortion is to talk about it in the context of people's lives. Women want to have children when they are able to have a good situation, when they're ready and able to take care of a baby," Pollitt said. "Doesn't it everybody benefit, including children, when families are planned by the people who are supposed to be responsible for them?"

Kristin Luker, Elizabeth Josselyn Boalt Professor of Law in the Jurisprudence and Social Policy Program and Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley, posits …

"Pro-choice and pro-life activists live in different worlds, and the scope of their lives, as both adults and children, fortifies them in their belief that their own views on abortion are the more correct, the more moral, and more reasonable. When added to this is the fact that should 'the other side' win, one group of women will see the very real devaluation of their lives and life resources, it is not surprising that the abortion debate has generated so much heat and so little light."

(Kristin Luker. From Abortion and the Politics of Motherhood. August 4, 1985.)

On June 14 2022, the American Medical Association announced that the organization would be adopting a new policy that recognizes abortion restrictions as a "violation of human rights."

The AMA, one of the largest health care associations in the country, promised legal actions to protect access to abortion should restrictions be imposed on the state level. AMA went on to state that the group views abortion as a private matter between patient and physician.

"Responding to the growing threat of over-policing and surveillance of reproductive health services, the nation’s physicians and medical students at the AMA Annual Meeting adopted policy recognizing that it is a violation of human rights when government intrudes into medicine and impedes access to safe, evidence-based reproductive health services, including abortion and contraception," the press release reads.

The AMA, along with dozens of other leading medical organizations, filed an amicus brief in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, stating that abortion is a safe medical procedure and a decision to be made between the patient and the physician.

(Asher Notheis. “Abortion bans a ‘violation of human rights’: American Medical Association.” Washington Examiner. June 21, 2022.)

From “Poem about My Rights”

By June Jordan

 

I am the history of rape

I am the history of the rejection of who I am

I am the history of the terrorized incarceration of

myself

I am the history of battery assault and limitless

armies against whatever I want to do with my mind

and my body and my soul and

whether it’s about walking out at night

or whether it’s about the love that I feel or

whether it’s about the sanctity of my vagina or

the sanctity of my national boundaries

or the sanctity of my leaders or the sanctity

of each and every desire

that I know from my personal and idiosyncratic

and indisputably single and singular heart

I have been raped

be-

cause I have been wrong the wrong sex the wrong age

the wrong skin the wrong nose the wrong hair the

wrong need the wrong dream the wrong geographic

the wrong sartorial I

I have been the meaning of rape

I have been the problem everyone seeks to

eliminate by forced

penetration with or without the evidence of slime and/

but let this be unmistakable this poem

is not consent I do not consent

to my mother to my father to the teachers to

the F.B.I. to South Africa to Bedford-Stuy

to Park Avenue to American Airlines to the hardon

idlers on the corners to the sneaky creeps in

cars

I am not wrong: Wrong is not my name

My name is my own my own my own

and I can’t tell you who the hell set things up like this

but I can tell you that from now on my resistance

my simple and daily and nightly self-determination

may very well cost you your life

June Jordan, “Poem About My Rights” from Directed By Desire: The Collected Poems of June Jordan (Port Townsend, WA: Copper Canyon Press, 2005). Copyright © 2005 by The June M. Jordan Literary Trust. Used by permission of The June M. Jordan Literary Trust, www.junejordan.com. Source: The Collected Poems of June Jordan (2005)