Reproductive rights update

Good news: the awful mid-19th century territorial law that forbade all abortions in Arizona is officially gone. Abortions in Arizona are now allowed through the 15th week of pregnancy, and there is still that invasive ultrasound and 24 hour waiting period to deal with. There is a ballot initiative that would allow abortions up to the week of viability (24 weeks) and would make it easier for women to obtain abortions when their health or that of the fetus is threatened. If you are in Arizona, plan on voting this November.  

Other news: "Conservatives" (I'd use the term authoritarians, and that is not me splitting hairs) have been obsessed with increasing the birth rate. It turns out their policies won't have any noticeable impact. That does not surprise me. We have not had an agrarian economy in the US in ages, so the need for children as free farm labor is gone. Try renting an apartment anywhere these days if you have some ridiculous number of kids, and then finding the money to afford food, clothes, medical attention, etc. Not happening. A combination of factors from changing economic conditions to increased lifespan, along with younger women and those who are struggling financially delaying childbirth are responsible, and I don't really see the problem with that. It makes sense to wait to start a family until one can afford to do so. Longer lifespans are very much a positive. There's nothing inherently wrong with an urban-based society where most work is focused on activities other than raising crops. Incentives like tax breaks are not enough to make raising additional children worth the trouble. Coercive tactics, which are increasingly used in GOP controlled states won't work either. We're actually in pretty decent shape demographically compared to much of the rest of the developed world. 

At some point, I'd like to say a few words about how the more coercive laws concerning reproductive freedom and health are having unwanted ripple effects in the rest of the healthcare sector. Long story short, states prohibiting abortion are becoming very unattractive places for physicians of any specialty to relocate to do their residency. We're already seeing that reality in my state. I'm at an age where a shortage of specialists such as cardiologists could actually turn out to be what kills me. Believe it or not, I am not being overly dramatic. If I were at the start of my career, I would definitely not be living where I am now, even if it meant taking on much different jobs from the ones I trained for. I'll get back to that at a later date.

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