Orange shirts, blue shirts--and change in the wind

 It will come as no surprise to most readers of this blog that I am terribly upset by the goings on in the legislature in Austin, where they are about to pass the so-called abortion bill, which really isn’t about abortion at all—it’s about women’s health care, particularly reproductive health care. I don’t have hard and fast statistics but it would close down all but a few clinics now serving women throughout Texas, particularly poor and rural women, many of whom will now have to drive hundreds of miles for health care—and may not be able to do it. I have seen predictions that the number of abortions will go up, not down, because women will be denied access to counseling, family planning, and contraception knowledge. And there will be more illegal abortions—remember coat hangers! The way to prevent more abortions is to prevent more unwanted pregnancies—and that comes through counseling and education.

The thing I resented most that I recently read concerned those few clinics who meet the new tough health care standards. Guess who owns one such clinic (I think there are five in the state)—Governor Perry’s sister! He talks anti-abortion out of one side of his mouth and gives a huge business advantage to his sister out of the other side. No comment.

It was a pleasure tonight to go to a fundraiser/birthday party for Representative Lon Burnam, one of the most outspoken and loud voices in the House in defense of women’s rights.  Lon has served in the legislature for many years now and sometimes been the lonely only liberal voice, but he brings a much-needed balance to the scene. I hope he continues his service for many years, and it was cheering to see the great number who turned out to celebrate with him. Who ever thought Lon would turn 60?

I am also proud that Senator Wendy Davis, who has led the charge and is still leading it, is from my home district. Her statewide bus tour was in Fort Worth tonight, but I couldn’t be both places and missed it.

I sense a seismic-and overdue change in the Texas political landscape. I think this controversial bill has galvanized more people to take a stand than any issue that’s come up for years. It’s the beginning of a political movement that just might sweep the state, if not the country. I liked Bud Kennedy’s column this morning that suggested that the leading names in state politics will shortly be George P. Bush and Wendy Davis. I don’t know enough about the young Bush’s agenda, but I sure like the way Wendy Davis thinks. And I would never ever underestimate her. A change in leadership would be so welcome, both on the state and nation al level.

To all those pro-life blue-shirted protestors, I wish you could understand that this nasty piece of politics is not about preserving the life of those unborn children you are so ardent about—it’s about women’s health. And children’s health care. Politicians righteously proclaim every life deserves a chance—but once that life is here, they are totally unconcerned about health care, insurance, education, etc.

Got to get myself an orange T-shirt. Wonder why those chose such an unflattering color?

A chance to hear an icon

I’ve been missing from the blog for a couple of days because life got in the way—lunches with friends, dinner one night at a local high-rise retirement community followed by my presentation on writing mysteries. I tried to make it a workshop but with minimal response. Still the audience of abot thirty was attentive, and I was pleased. Took dinner the next night to friends—he has just had a hip replacement, though doing remarkably well, and she has run herself ragged taking care of him. Still, she insisted on putting everything out on nice serving dishes-I would have served the meatloaf in the pan I cooked it in! And then last night my weekly dinner with Betty—fun but I was in an off-mood and an off-appetite all day. I did get my yoga done two of those days and my thousand words all three. But today was the capper.

My friends, State Representative Lon Burnam and his wife, Carol Roark, had invited me to sit at their table to hear Gloria Steinem at the Planned Parenthood Annual Luncheon. Who would turn down an opportunity like that? Even though the luncheon was, as Carol predicted, a mob scene. We parked almost three blocks away to avoid valet parking, which was going to take forever.

Hearing Steinem and seeing her at the distant podium and, much better, on a large screen, was awe-inspiring, just because she’s such an icon for the women’s movement and because we remember all the risk she took, all the barriers she broke down. I was fascinated by her hands—extremely long, thin fingers which she used in a most expressive manner. She tailored her speech a bit to Texas, giving a nod to Sarah Weddington and Barbara Jordan and saying at one point she looked forward to coming back when we have a worthy successor to Ann Richards—who doesn’t wish for that day? She was witty and clever, but she didn’t say much new we hadn’t already heard.

Statistics about violence against women: since 9/11, more women in this country have been killed by their husbands than by the 9/11 attacks and the Afghan and Iraq wars combined—pretty appalling. She issued the usual warning that if women don’t have control over their own reproductive rights, we cease to be a democracy. Kind of comforting to think almost 500 people in this city, the only major Texas city to vote red in the last election, turned out to hear that message.

But Steinem lost me when she listed how having children limits a woman—in education and job opportunities, pay scale, health care, and other areas. I know a lot of women have experienced these limitations, and I feel fortunate that I have been blessedly free of them in the workplace, but at the same time I thought she was diminishing the role of motherhood and overlooking the tremendous benefits that come from raising children. I should know—my four look after me.

Today, while I was at the luncheon two of my chldren got all upset because my home alarm went off and they couldn’t find me—for more than two hours. My daughter and my tenant knew where I was, but nonetheless they alarmed the neighbors and the police came—there goes another $50 call for a false alarm. Still it’s nice to know they are so concerned.

As we walked into the hotel where the luncheon was held, a handful of  protestors carryied signs saying, “Adoption, not Abortion,” and “No Taxpayer Dollars to Planned Parenthood.” I did manage to tell one that I was the mother of four adopted children, but I don’t think she got the point. It’s too bad these folks don’t recognize that women’s health care, not the dispensing of abortions, is that primary goal of that organization—mammography is a big part of it, providing health care to the indigent, picking up what the states, particularly Texas, won’t, providing counseling on birth control to avoid abortions. You’re right, Gloria, come back when we have a worthy success to Ann Richards.