Small victories

Finally some good news on the home front! Yesterday, judges in both Texas and Oklahoma reminded Republicans that acting like paternalistic, abusive fathers and trying to beat women into submission isn’t actually legal (unless you’re in Kansas…).

A federal judge in Texas ruled that Governor Perry’s move to defund Planned Parenthood was a violation of the first amendment. Since the part of the organization potentially being defunded is not the part that provides abortions, he was essentially punishing them for supporting an organization that performs abortions. News flash, Republicans: Sanctioning an organization just because it believes in something you don’t is not exactly small government. That would be… umm… what do you call it… oh, fascism.

Then, in Oklahoma, the OK Supreme Court ruled that the personhood amendment, which would give a fertilized egg the same rights as living, breathing, taxpaying, white, rich Republican men (and considerably more rights than those filthy baby-incubating women!) was clearly unconstitutional. In fact, they called it “repugnant to the Constitution of the United States.” Oooh, burn.

While these little glimmers of intelligence scattered across the country are encouraging, the fight isn’t over. Just since January 2012, there have been 944 pieces of legislation written/introduced that in some way seek to restrict women’s rights. A few small victories don’t mean these hateful extremists are going to give up.

But yay for baby steps (um, pun intended) forward!