On mobile, sorry for any formatting errors.
I'm scared. Recent events Don't just affect women. They affect everyone. I was raised in a house where I did not have control of my body. I was treated as property and my family were the ones who determined what I was going to do when and how. I'm lucky they weren't total sickos and made me do sex stuff but they were very very religious and still are. I vowed I would never let something like that happen to my child. And now this? I always dreamed of my kids having the rights they deserve as people and no one being able to tell them otherwise. I'm scared. I live in a progressive state but if I wanted an abortion, I'd still legally need to be of a certain age, have my husband's consent, and I think at least one kid already. Not everyone wants kids. Kids aren't for everyone. This is not about kids. It's not about whatever it is those people are trying to tell you. It's about control. Our government is a failed experiment in democracy. If given the opportunity, I would gladly take my family and myself away from the USA and flee. But I have debt, bills, and I don't want my son to know what my father did when he and his parents filed their home country. To have nothing and struggle for a long time just to get by on crumbs. I don't know what to do. I'm the breadwinner. My spouse is a stay at home parent and we have a toddler. I can't go on strike. I can't afford to call in sick. I feel so helpless. I can't do anything.
(I want to be an herbalist and own my own apothecary shop and cafe. Living wage for all employees, benefits, accomodations for students who work for me as well as being super friendly to those who are disabled. The whole shebang. I got a lot of support from coworkers and friends for the idea. If I had my own shop, I could offer a small class/lecture on what to use for fertility as well as what to use to naturally prohibit pregnancy. I want to fuse modern pharmaceutical medicines and the knowledge of the wise women of our past. To keep people safe and healthy with as little as necessary and at affordable prices. I have to get my ducks ina row first financially before I can even attempt this. By then, we may already be living in a “Handmaid's Tail” scenario.
Sorry for the rant. I hate what the USA has devolved into. Since when does someone else's religious freedom override what I and those I love can and cannot do with their bodies. Their rights end when my oppression begins. And it has begun.