Why I #StandwithWendy

In the New York Times this morning I read an article that bothered me: maternity costs in the United States are some of the highest in the world. For the price of a used Lincoln MKZ, a car I hope to one day drive, a woman could, by herself, cover the costs of a Caesarian delivery. $15,000 for a procedure that is sometimes done on request, not as it should be, for medical emergencies.

I wonder if some of the issue here in the United States that drives up medical costs is the fact that we make medial procedures out of normal biological processes. Your household pets don't need an epidural to give birth to puppies/kittens/insert name of offspring of other household, so why should it almost be a no-nonsense decision that almost every woman has one? I partly digress, because as I support whatever choice a woman makes about her own medical decisions, all I can offer is input.

Any expectant mother should read A Midwive's Tale by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. Back in the late 18th century, woman gave birth to children with almost ZERO modern medicine, and the outcomes were not much different than today, except more children survive today. But then again, I also think that our modern lifestyle could have something to do with premature births. And watch the documentary Pregnant in America. I saw the trailer and my jaw dropped.

I stand with female legislators across the nation, including Wendy Davis herself, as they fight male Republican colleagues who are on a mercy mission to shut down clinics, many of which don't perform a whole lot of abortions but instead prevent abortions in the first place: many of these male Republicans are also against birth control. I jokingly say this, of course, but does Texas governor Rick Perry know what a condom is?

The Democratic US Senator from North Carolina, Kay Hagan, is right when she notes that we need to spend more time on creating jobs and less with these distractions. Women, when their rights are endangered, get out and vote and are mobilized, so I have a word to my fellow males:

Don't mess with a lady. Or you might be out a political office.