Sorry, GOP. Abortion bans created tidal wave of one-issue voters in KY and beyond. | Opinion

Eighteen months ago, 50 years of settled law was disrupted by the U.S. Supreme Court when they overturned Roe vs Wade, supposedly handing the issue to the states.

That decision triggered a wildly inconsistent jumble of poorly-written laws, as abortion bans around the country have forced young women to ask chilling and disturbing questions, such as: Could I really get an abortion, if I needed one to save my life or my health? Will my doctor lose their medical license or go to jail if he or she treats me? Will my partner or parent be prosecuted for driving me to the procedure? How sick might I get before the government would “let” me get a needed abortion? Who makes that decision—A doctor? A committee? A judge? A court? What if they can’t decide in time? What happens to women’s and maternal healthcare in states where doctors’ hands are tied by these laws?

Since June 2022, the resulting insanity has shown us that women’s lives and health are at risk to a degree not seen in over a generation.

In a July 2022 op-ed piece for this paper, I wrote, “As uninformed legislators strive to control every permutation of every pregnancy, their clunky laws—and the ensuing enforcement—become more ludicrous and cruel.”

Recent high-profile cases, such as those of Kate Cox, Brittany Watts, and Allie Phillips have carried my point in frightening and horrific ways. The documentary “On the Brink” (streaming on Hulu, and shown on ABC 1-5-24), details more stories of women denied the healthcare they needed, and discusses the ramifications of these bans on women’s healthcare everywhere.

When I complained about arbitrary bureacratic decisions, my friend used to say: “Honey, they don’t care about you.”

She was right.

Bureaucracies and governments don’t care. The best we can hope is that they will keep their boots off our necks. Real people — your family and friends, your doctor, your partner — those people care. They should help you make life-altering decisions, not some “pro-life” legislator in Frankfort. Not some extremist judge.

I want to speak plainly now, to everyone, but specifically to women who have voted “pro-life” in the past, thinking, “I’ll never need an abortion.” Maybe you didn’t realize then that these laws keep women from getting healthcare when they are sick, or have a miscarriage, or when their pregnancy isn’t viable. The last 18 months have shown us the truth: implementing abortion bans violate women’s rights to access needed medical care. When the bans’ brutality became painfully, cruelly obvious, and exceptions were debated in conference rooms while women suffered, politicians, lawmakers, and judges responded by doubling-down instead of accepting responsibility for what they had done. They knew they weren’t qualified to make safe, effective medical decisions, and they lied when they said our lives and health would be protected. The stark, heinous truth is — they don’t care.

Now, they’ve forced our hand. As women, as responsible and caring citizens — along with the men who love us —we must become one-issue voters, until that glorious day politicians stop thinking they know better than doctors. Make no mistake, women’s lives are on the line in 2024.

First, make sure you are registered to vote.

Second,

Hold. Our. Candidates. Accountable.

When you go into that voting booth, picture that “pro-life” candidate: imagine that toothy smile, feel that too-aggressive handshake, picture that polished suit as they staunchly defend short-sighted legislation as “saving babies” while they simultaneously reject laws that support feeding, educating, or providing for them. Remember that forced birth laws violate your right to medical care. They are a ruse that plays on your emotions and your good intentions. Abortion bans don’t save babies: healthcare providers and families save them — and their mothers.

So, hold that legislator’s image in your mind, and listen as your own voice whispers truth to you, my sister—

“Honey, they don’t care about you. They don’t care about you.”

And. Vote. Them. Out.

Kay Cox is a wife, mother, grandmother, educator, and Anderson County resident.