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DiscussionDesigning Women might be a more feminist show than anything on air today
I've been wanting to find a fun show with compelling female characters who stick by each other and have witty takes. I can't really find anything current. So I've had to get into my TV time machine and go hunting.
I just rediscovered Designing Women.
Here's an episode. Watch the scene in the restaurant that starts at minute 11 through to 13:30. I can not imagine a speech like this being aired today. It's like we've all started walking on eggshells, too afraid to say anything that might make the mens mad or sad.
It's like a time capsule from an era of feminist hopefulness, when things really had gotten quite a bit better for women, and when women were learning how to take up space (both figuratively and literally - just look at those shoulder pads) and there was an assumption that it wold only get better for the generations to come.
Does anyone else know this show?
I’ve had 2 miscarriages
Why am I not being investigated?
Oh, that’s right. I’m married and already have kids so I’m not the type they target.
I have prolifers in my life and they were briefly sympathetic, but they sure as hell didn’t think I lost TWO BABIES. (Nor did I tbf)
Because it’s only a pre-born baby/stopped beating heart/murder/etc if it’s an UNwanted baby.
If it’s a pregnancy that a woman can’t emotionally/physically/financially manage at the time, we need to force her to complete it.
I wanted those pregnancies. I’m in a stable relationship and financially ok. I already have kids so my life is already set up that way.
Therefore, it falls under “shit happens” and some empty platitudes about how it wasn’t meant to be
GOOD!!!!!!!!
Hopefully she receives some compensation, if only through donations, for the absolute horror of having a murder charge being illegally thrown at you out of the blue and having your name and private medical decision illegally made public for the whole world to know about.
This is some serious reputational damage. I can't imagine being known as the woman who got charged with murder over an abortion.
That's predictable after they couldn't say what law was relevant.
But you don't need to go all the way to court to spread a culture of fear.
And her name and reputation are forever destroyed.
This was dropped very quickly. Did she just have a miscarriage or something and some lunatic working at a hospital reported her?
No surprise there. Unlike TRAs, anti-abortion activists know when something is bad optics.
Without more details of what actually happened, it's impossible for readers to make a call on this situation. Did she use abortion pills? Did she have an actual abortion or did she miscarry? How far along was she? Were there extenuating circumstances like rape, or was the fetus severely malformed, or was a full pregnancy a real danger to the health of the woman etc etc....
How is any of this relevant
It's not.
Women don't lose the right to bodily integrity and consent the minute we get pregnant. It is ridiculous that dead bodies literally have more rights than pregnant women do in the United States.
Because women's bodies are seen as the property of the people. They think their opinion actually fucking matters here. That she actually did something wrong. Meanwhile murderers, rapists and traffickers walk free enjoying life. Fuck this world.
Her case could be an early sign of what is to come if Roe is overturned, Vladeck said.
When prosecutors charged Herrera, they might have been thinking of a pre-Roe abortion ban that is still on the books in Texas, Vladeck added, but has not been in effect since 1973 because it is unconstitutional under Roe.
Nine states still have pre-Roe bans, which could come back to life depending on what the Supreme Court decides in June.
So it sounds like if Roe is overturned in June, women in Texas could indeed be charged with murder if they have an abortion.
Why? I mean, I'm very happy this happened. But aren't they serious about their convictions?
Why suddenly change your mind about something you consider literal murder?
I want to know how they knew she gave herself a self-induced abortion. Who reported her? I want names. I hope she sues the shit out the state, county, person who reported her, everyone.
Seriously, this has potentially damaged her reputation irreparably. Potential employers will Google her name and this will come up.
Edit
Potential HIPAA violation?
Medical providers are mandated reporters. If Texas added abortion to the list of stuff they mandate reporting for... she's screwed.
I haven't read the article yet but I wonder if they dropped charges due to the bad publicity, which of course would be the state's right to do. Oh my sweet summer children. We're just getting started.
They dropped the charges because there is no criminal violation. The TX AG's office releases a statement to that effect today. That TX anti-abortion law provides for a civil lawsuit, not a criminal violation lawsuit. It looks like whoever reported her and the police department misunderstood and screwed up.
I believe a woman still has a right to privacy until the SC overturns it. Hopefully, she sues everyone for big bucks.
That’s a campaign I’d fund.
You've given me a great idea for a paper to research, write, and submit to a law journal: What is the extent to which HIPAA allows state law to preempt federal law when it comes to the HIPAA Privacy Rule and mandatory reporting, and could states exploit this to force medical providers to report women who seek abortions? And if so, how should Congress/HHS fix this vulnerability via legislation and/or regulation?
Well the hospital may have wanted to hide it, but one punitive authoritarian can blackmail a ward full of staff, especially if they have the law on their side about mandatory reporting.
I think it was supposedly self-induced? I didn't catch that she ended up in the hospital.
The law may state they have to report anyone treated for complications from an abortion, because the goal is (purportedly) to go after the providers. If the woman suffers complications, well, she’s learned her lesson and they don’t need to charge her with murder. Oh the humanity.
Then this will deter women from seeking medical care if complications happen after at home abortion. They can't trust the hospitals or health care providers not to report them. Technically, a malicious/scrupulous healthcare worker can sue them too for the $10k reward under the new law. (Although in practice 10k would barely cover lawyer's fee for filing an initial complaint, so I think the financial incentive under this awful law is for all practical purpose not high enough for anyone to file a civil lawsuit solely for money reward.)
Precisely.
Gee, look how what we've been saying would be the result of this ban and were told was hysterical hyperbole is now happening.