In the wake of Donald Trump’s election, people have been coming for his right-hand man Governor Mike Pence from Indiana. In addition to his staunch opposition to expanding LGBTQ individuals’ civil rights, calling them a sign of “societal collapse” and opposing birthright citizenship, Pence has also led multiple crusades against reproductive rights since entering the political arena in 2000.
In March 2016, Pence signed a bill that would prohibit women from obtaining an abortion based on the race, gender or ability-status of the fetus. Doctors who performed these abortions could also be convicted of wrongful death. This law was later blocked by the Supreme Court and prohibited from going into effect. In 2011, he co-sponsored the ‘Ultrasound Informed Consent Act’ which required women to get an ultrasound prior to seeking an abortion, whether it was necessary or not, and then have the doctor describe the fetus to her in detail. Pence has also tried to sign a bill that would require women to hold funerals for their aborted or miscarried fetuses. Basically, Pence spends a lot of his time thinking about, and being concerned over women’s reproductive systems.
Planned Parenthood is an organization that provides millions of individuals, particularly those of low-income status (can I get an amen for universal healthcare?), with reproductive health services. In 2011, Pence defunded the organization and attempted to remove government support. Again in 2013 as Governor, he cut resources, and by 2014 Indiana’s funding was half of what it was in 2005. As a result, clinics that provided STD testing, and never performed abortions, closed. The location of one of those clinics, Scott County, experienced an HIV outbreak afterward.
Pence’s Neanderthal logic is sound: he has never menstruated, experienced period cramps, been sexually assaulted or carried a child, but he knows exactly what women should do with their bodies.
Pence with his wife who has certainly never used birth control (or had trouble accessing it)
Revolting against one of the most extreme anti- reproductive rights politicians entering the White House, over 200,000 people have donated to Planned Parenthood. Around 46,000 of those donations were made in Mike Pence’s name and luckily for the Vice-President elect, he receives thank-you notes for each donation. Several celebrities have climbed onto the bandwagon including Amy Schumer, Katy Perry and Amber Rose Tamblyn. This is not the first time people have taken a stand against Pence; Indiana women started ‘Period for Pence’, a campagin where members called Pence’s office to provide details about their menstrual cycles.
Clearly as long as Pence continues to try to restrict women’s access to reproductive rights, women will continue to fight back #ovariesrevolt.
Images obtained from
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Mike_Pence_by_Gage_S…
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/Mike_Pence_%26_Karen…
https://cystaract.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/angry-womb.jpg?w=557&h=463