June 24th, 2022
On the Supreme Court’s decision to reverse Roe vs. Wade, and the future of abortion rights:
(More to come on the recent adjustments to gun laws, which coincided)
Today
Today we are reminded of great fractures within our nation and among our communities, and even families. We are reminded of the importance of local and state governments, and their purpose to allow us to speak through elected officials in a democratic republic.
Our profoundly imperfect federation of states retains profound potential for good. I believe individual sovereignty is a core American value. I believe at its heart, as a unique country, the United States believes in the right to pursue happiness, the right of freedom, and the right to privacy. That being said, I’m not sure what the American mind is currently thinking; however, I know the state legislature is a good place to focus our collective community attention right now.
Today was marked by sorrow and celebration. As a legislator, I would seek to represent the people, both the voters and the someday-to-be-voters, of West Virginia’s new 86th district. In this position, one should aim to amplify voices. And friends, these voices certainly can say some different and opposing things.
I’ve inherited much of my Charleston-born, libertarian father’s ideals of living and letting live. And ideally, I wish for no government to have the authority limiting a woman’s reproductive options. Yet we find ourselves in a position wherein government may be the only mechanism to protect such freedom. It is a quandary.
One aspect of the Supreme Court’s majority decision I find particularly bizarre is the notion that there is not long-standing enough precedent to allow Roe vs. Wade to remain federal law. There was also not long-standing precedent to allow non-white Americans or women the right to own property or vote. Nor was there long-standing precedent to allow people from different ethnic backgrounds, and more recently of different genders, to marry. No one is challenging the former, and I worry about the future of the latter.
I know people are profoundly concerned. I can feel the consternation and relate to it. I know some feel strongly about a ‘middle road’, whereby the life and health of the mother is sacrosanct, that instances of rape and incest are exempt, that there need not be restriction before fetal viability. I am open to reasonable restrictions, with the above exemptions, after fetal viability, and I need more education on this. As someone I deeply respect, who I consider a wise ‘elder’, and have at times disagreed with, told me today: “I have no more right to tell you that you can’t have an abortion than you have to tell me I must have one. It is an individual decision.” In the coming weeks and months, I will listen, respectfully, to ALL my constituents about what the right law is for West Virginia.
I am also keen on preserving marriage equality in Mountain Mama, should that somehow become collaterally in question.
I do not intend to vilify or condemn opposing views, be they based in theology or personal moralities. I only want to be clear on my own views, to share them, and to remind people that in this country and in West Virginia, change is not only possible, but inevitable.
Our society ebbs and flows. Sometimes a course needs correcting, and even new philosophies and methodologies to be applied. We can only move forward.
And, as in any moment and with any situation we have collectively faced as a nation, as a state, as the lower panhandle, we start with today.