You remember Katie Britt, don’t you? She gave the Republican response to Biden’s State of The Union address. No one will blame you if you’ve forgotten her. That’s what usually happens to those selected to provide the Republican response. Her response to State of The Union was like all Republican responses: forgettable and completely unremarkable.
But, she has stepped forward with her proposed bill to give free licenses to states to take on a new role many of their Republican wannabe dictators desire: Pregnancy Cops. Hell, why not? Numerous people are equating this to Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale.
For some time, I’ve been trying to understand why individuals like Kattie Britt believe they speak for all the women in this country on the issue of birth control, abortion, and IVF. I mean, who is she, and what are her qualifications to stand in front of a microphone making such dumbass statements about what mothers do or do not want? What she is promoting is right out of the dystopian playbook. She is advocating state-sponsoring autocratic control of the wombs of women in this country. A federal bill that would demand states have a registry of all the pregnant women in their state. Why do individuals like her believe they have the right to mandate such a ludicrous concept?
What could possibly go wrong with a government mandate pregnancy registry? Did she consider the cost of implementing this hair-brain idea of hers? I’m sure if pushed on this, the first words out of her mouth will be it’s voluntary. That would be a lie. The rhubarb she is trying to play is to help provide aid for those in need. That is a lie that registers as a ten on the Richter scale. The following is a fictional story of just one thing I believe could happen if Britt’s bill gains any traction.
The Tale of Two Teenage Girls and The Federal Abortion Tracking System
Donna had just finished reviewing and answering her daughter’s questions regarding her law school application and was thinking how proud she was of her as she watched her go upstairs to her room. She picked up the book she was reading, The Collective Works of Thomas Paine, and walked over to her favorite chair, looking forward to enjoying the rest of the day when the doorbell rang. Donna reached for her phone on the table and silently hoped it wasn’t JW’s at the door. Looking at the doorbell app on her phone, she was surprised to see two police officers at the door. Donna opened the door and greeted them with, ‘Officers, what can I do for you?” She made a mental note of their names from their name tags, a skill Donna taught her clients to do whenever the police stopped them. Donna had stifled a chuckle when she saw their names, Cagney and Lacey, but not quick enough. Officer Lacey’s tone let Donna know he caught her attempt not to laugh.
Officer Lacey asked:
“Are you Donna Curry?”
Donna said yes and again asked what the officers wanted. Just as Officer Lacey was about to answer, his partner received a message on his radio and pulled him aside to whisper something. Lacey nodded in recognition that he understood. Lacey then asked,
“Mam, is your daughter on the premises?” Donna nodded yes. The officer then requested that Donna call her downstairs, and that’s when she once again asked why the officers were at her home. Officer Lacey said he would explain everything once her daughter was downstairs. Donna complied with the officers calling for her daughter to come downstairs.
Donnatella came downstairs to see her mother and the two police officers. A tinge of fear struck her. Why were two police officers at her home? She suddenly felt a cold chill up her spine. Did something happen to her father? She was soon relieved when she heard her father’s booming voice asking her mother why a patrol car was in their driveway. She stopped midway in his question when she saw the police in his living room.
Mystified by the presence of two police officers in his home, James demanded to know why the officers were at his home. Officer Lacey spoke,
“Sir, we are here to execute a warrant for the arrest of your wife and daughter for failure to register with the state’s version of the Federal Abortion Tracking System (FATS) and in violation of interstate travel in the unlawful conduct of obtaining an abortion for your daughter Donnatella.
James glared at officers Cagney and Lacey and said,
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
Lacey responded,
“No sir, we’re not. Here is a copy of the warrant. Sir, please step back, Mrs. Curry, and Ms. Curry, please turn around and place your hands behind your back.”
Donna and Donnatella complied with Officer Lacey’s instructions, allowing Officer Cagney to handcuff them. Handcuffing the mother first, then the daughter. But there was something a bit off with Cagney. Throughout the entire situation, there was contemptuous hate for the mother and daughter he was attempting to keep under control. He didn’t know them, but he was someone who didn’t believe in abortion, along with being a member of a right-to-life radical organization he kept secret. So, when placing the handcuffs on Donnatella, he did so in a manner that caused her to move in a manner that allowed him to draw his weapon and yell, ‘STOP RESISTING!’ Fortunately, Lacey placed himself between Cagney and Donnatella in an equally loud voice and demanded that he holster his weapon. Cagney hesitated for a moment but obeyed. Once he had, Lacey pulled him aside, took his gun, instructed him to wait in the patrol car, got on his radio, and requested a supervisor.
James was holding his wife and daughter, trying to control the siege of rage welling up in him. He looked into his wife’s eyes and slowly gained control because they told him what he needed to do, and he proceeded to address Officer Lacey.
“Officer Lacey, first, thank you for gaining control of your partner. Your action averted a major tragedy from occurring. Your partner was clearly out of control when he handcuffed my daughter. I saw it, and I know you did. Just so I have a better understanding of your reasons for coming to my home to arrest my wife and daughter, may I see the arrest warrant, and can you please uncuff my wife and daughter? They are no threat to anyone, and surely they are not going anywhere.”
Lacey handed him a copy of the warrant and complied with his request to remove the handcuffs from his wife and daughter. James couldn’t believe what he was reading as he reviewed the warrant. When Officer Lacey informed him the supervisor had arrived, Officer Lacey and James went out to meet him.
The supervisor and James were college buddies, but when it came to legal matters, they knew how to interact professionally to avoid conflict. However, this situation could end their friendship and years of working effectively together.
The supervisor acted as he should in these types of situations. James listened to him respectfully, but his rage was building, and he was trying to contain it. When he had enough, he exploded.
CRAIG, YOUR DUMBASS COP NEARLY KILLED MY DAUGHTER! DON’T YOU FUCKING GET THAT! IF OFFICER LACEY HADN’T STOPPED HIM, I WOULDN’T BE HERE TALKING WITH YOU BECAUSE I WOULD HAVE STRANGLED THE DUMB SON-OF-A-BITCH WITH MY BARE HANDS. MY DAUGHTER ALMOST DIED BECAUSE OF A GODDAMN MISTAKE!
Craig, the supervisor, said,
“Mistake, what mistake?” James told him to look at the warrant again but slowly and carefully. Craig complied and reread the warrant,
While rereading the warrant, the blood drained from Craig’s face as he realized the names on the warrant were Danna and Don’atilla Murry, his wife and daughter.
James, Donna, Donnatella and Craig, Danna, Don’atilla were sitting in the judge’s chambers. The judge opened the conversation by saying,
“Mr. Curry, first, allow me to apologize for what could have been a significant miscarriage of justice. I understand that Officer Cagney resigned from the police force. Is that correct, Supervisor Craig? “
“Yes, your honor. We’ve also entered his name on the National Practitioner Data Bank and National Decertification Index (NDI). Still, as you know, there are ways around those, but we have clarified to our staff how to handle any inquiries if they get them.”
“I understand. I, too, wish there was more we could do, but we are where we are. Regarding your daughter and the not registering on the F.A.T.S. database, I understand that Ms. Curry has something to say, but before I hear her out, I have a few questions for Ms. Curry.”
“Ms. Curry, may I call you Donnatella?” Donnatella shook her head.
“So Donnatella, I understand you will graduate from Havard Law School in a few weeks. Is that correct?’ Again, Donnatella shook her head.
“How old are you?”
“Sixteen at present, your honor. I will be seventeen upon graduation.”
“I have it on good authority; you’ve done well in your studies at Harvard Law and have already applied for the bar exam. Are you ready for that?”
“I feel that I am your honor, but I know it’s a rarity that anyone passes on the first go around. I am prepared for that. But, the thing my parents taught me is there is no try. Either I do it or I don’t. Trying isn’t part of the equation.”
The judge smiled and chuckled as he understood the Star Wars reference. He then turned his attention to Don’atilla.
“Well, Ms. Murry, we are in this situation because of what you did and didn’t do. What took place was indeed bad and could have been made worse. But, you and your mother did violate the law.”
“Your honor, may I speak?’ It was Don’atilla’s mother, Danna. The judge nodded his head.
“My daughter and the Curry’s daughter are the best of friends. They are sisters from different parents. I only hope that as they grow older and eventually go their various ways, they will remain friends and will look on this day as something they can build on. But my daughter and I knew she was not ready to have a child. I have older sisters; they all had their first child before they were seventeen. I was the only one who managed to escape that fate. I didn’t want early motherhood for my daughter when she had her entire life in front of her. So, I took her to have an abortion, which should be her right. And yes, I didn’t register her or myself on that foolish tracking database.
The very fact it exists is an anathema to our freedom. But it does because people won’t stand up and say no. The fact that only women have to register is illogical on unimaginable levels. It takes two to conceive a child, so why aren’t men required to register? I’ll tell you why because 1) men don’t have menstrual cycles, 2) they’re the ones making damn stupid rules like this, and 3) they have brainwashed the idiot women who support this damn foolishness. My daughter has the right to a life without the premature responsibility of early parenthood; if you need to punish someone, then punish me, not my daughter.”
The judge smiled at Danna and said,
“Mrs. Murry, would it surprise you that I agree with you? But I don’t make the laws. My job is to ensure those who run afoul of the law receive a fair and impartial trial. At the moment, both you and your daughter are in violation. Still, you have an excellent attorney in Donna, whom I believe will be a valuable asset, and that is all I can say regarding the charges you presently face.”
At that moment, Donnatella said, ‘Your honor, may I say something?’ The judge nodded for her to proceed.
“The last week, I experienced something no one should have had to. I had a police officer handcuff me, and when he was putting the handcuffs, he was being deliberately rough and overly aggressive to the point he drew his service weapon. I wouldn’t have been here today if it hadn’t been for Officer Lacey’s quick action and taking charge of the situation. Former police officer Cangey was ready to shoot me because he believed I had an abortion. I could have died because of a clerical mistake, the misguided views of a few people who think they have the right to dictate to women what they can and cannot do with their bodies, but most of all, because too many people want to take us back to the 19th century as if those were too good ole days. Thomas Paine said:
If you look back, you see nothing but loss and disgrace. If you look forward, the same scene continues, and the close is an impenetrable gloom. You may plan and execute little mischiefs, but are they worth the expense they will cost you, or will such partial evils have any effect on the general cause? — The Crisis, Thomas Paine Collected Writings pg.189.
The judge responded, “Donnatell, you make an excellent point. I suspect once you graduate in a few weeks, you will go to work for your Mom and Dad, but let me offer you another choice: come clerk for me. My current clerk has accepted a job with a large law firm in L.A. Talk it over with your parents. Your point about the Paine quote is interesting. I will consider it in my deliberation.”
Three weeks later, both the Currys and Murry’s were in court. The judge said the following:
“A tragedy was averted by the quick thinking of one of our police officers. One of our young citizens nearly lost her life because of a clerical error. This near tragedy was because of the country’s abortion policy, the establishment of the Federal Abortion Tracking System, and the issuance of notification from this database. These two young women both underwent some difficult times, and as the judge in this case, I’m not going to add to the trauma they both have suffered because of a clerical error. I found in favor of defendant A and ordered all charges against her dismissed, and the court sealed the case.”
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