A PERSONAL AND PRIVATE DECISION

WHY MEDDLE INTO OTHERS’ DECISIONS?
The abortion discussion silenced forever


It was late in 1991. I was living in Austin, and GHW Bush had just completed his last dying gasp as President, with his own war in Kuwait/Iraq. See, these Presidents don’t just think of their Administration, or their accomplishments, they also like to think of their war. Or at least that’s the way it looks. Reagan had a tough time doing his, a real shooting one, that is, but he finally declared war on some construction workers in South America, and kicked hell out of them, or so I’m told.

Ann Richards was Governor of Texas at that time. There was a small jazz joint near the Capitol, on Congress Avenue in Austin. I was in there, and I saw her walk by. I saw her on a couple of occasions, but I’m not sure if she ever went in that jazz joint. I loved it, however. I later was able to consider her a friend.

Anyway, Ann Richards always carried herself with utmost dignity. She was a good governor, but, if you didn’t know it, the Governor in Texas is little more than a figurehead. I know, it’s not your normal setup, but that’s the way it’s done in Texas. The real power resides in the Legislature – the Governor just gets to sign bills, and say No to the condemned who ask to escape the death penalty. (See Karla Faye Tucker.)

Well, as you can figure out from the year, Ann was running for re-election of Governor while the warrior GHW Bush in Washington was running for re-election as President. She was making campaign stops, and speeches, etc. Typical stuff. There were a lot of issues in that particular campaign that Ann had to contend with, and parry, and expound on, etc. One day she gave a little talk to a small number of people in a crowded little Restaurant. It was a spur-of-the-moment friendly discussion, really, not a campaign stop. Someone asked her what was her stance on abortion. See, that was a big issue of the day. It really was. I wasn’t in the restaurant, having seen her go in there so I sort of listened for a bit at the door. This restaurant featured sidewalk seating, too. If you were in the sidewalk part of it, the walls to the inside were folded down, and you could see the whole restaurant. Sort of like in France, except the menus were in English. (I really would have preferred the Jazz Joint, but no one was playing. It was mid afternoon.)

So when Ann fielded that question – she answered the normal way, as I remember – it gave me the idea to contact her with my take on that question. I believed then, and I know now, that I had the most reasonable, most mature solution to this intense argument about abortion. This issue continues to stir up heated debate, year after year. There is plenty of room for the smear when talking about a candidate and this issue. You know, the inevitable hint that, if elected, so-and-so would repeal Roe Vs. Wade.

Rubbish!

So I decided to contact Ann immediately with my solution to the raging torrent of rhetoric on abortion. I really wanted her to be re-elected. I won’t elaborate, but her Republican opponent was known in Texas. I mean really known. To say he had a checkered past was itself a misdemeanor. So I wanted her to win re-election, and wrote her a nice letter. In it I offered what I considered the ultimate treatment of the abortion argument. I told her I was for making the argument a non-argument. Make it a non-starter. I remember I added (a little egotistically?) how she didn’t need to worry about winning re-election as Governor if she adopted this stance. I said she could probably run for Emperor. Well, anyway …

Given the chemistry involved in the medical condition that is necessary to make abortion the subject of discussion, I told Ann Richards in a nice letter that the answer to any argument on abortion as to yes or no is right there, staring us in the face.

I suggested the state, or preferably the Nation, declare a nationwide election with one question on it. Abortion. Do you want it legal? – yes or no. Any female citizen of voting age could vote. When the votes were finally tallied, by the all-female vote counters, we’d have the law on abortion decided. All in one day. Save all the rhetoric, and the heat.

It’s patently obvious why only females could vote. No man has a vote on this subject. It is for women to solve, without any interference. It is a woman’s body, her life, her decision. Any male is arrogant in the extreme to deign to intrude on this particular territory. Would these same men allow a vote on whether or not they could have a vasectomy, or a circumcision? You could hear them scream foul all the way to the Washington monument. Jeez …

Some of the objections are “… a woman doesn’t have the right to end a pregnancy.”
Yes she does.

Or, “…abortion is killing an unborn child.”
No it isn’t.

Or, “…The state hasn’t voted on it yet.”
The state includes a lot of MEN.

Ann wrote me back the nicest letter. She started with Dear Bob! You’ve certainly given me a lot to think about. I think it’s brilliant but I have to think about my constituents, especially the would-be fathers who would scream.” Etc. Etc.

She wrote me a nice letter, but I didn’t stop there. I wrote back and pointed out that the would-be fathers had no claim on the unborn child. None whatever. They gave it to the lady. In fact, in most cases, they passionately recommended that she accept it, if you catch my drift. So once it was a gift to the lady, they (the would-be fathers) had no legal standing as to what she could do with it.

I know, I know. This is a dry, sterile sort of legal argument on an otherwise emotional issue. But it is the only mature way to handle this one, for those very reasons. It strips the argument of the emotional overtones. Where the arguments heretofore have intruded on reality is in assuming that we men have a right, for God’s sake, to VOTE on what a woman can or cannot do with herself. God, you talk about hubris!

Well, some time passed and I never communicated with Governor Richards again, on this subject or any other. But, looking at what has been a subject full of emotion, anger and supposition, it’s really plain to see that the subject of abortion has to be handled maturely, by women, in every element of the decision. I have full confidence in the ladies to vote their beliefs, especially when they know they have the whole stage to themselves. I believe in the maturity and wisdom of women, when not interfered with, on a subject as incendiary as this one.


Faithfully, in the interest of the American people.
Bob