Madness

Lovelies,

I do not even know where to start today. I am so beyond emotionally tapped out I can’t even tell you. Originally, today was booked as a Squawk Box post but unfortunately the well has run dry. I have no more Squawk Stories to share with you at this juncture. So, instead, I am going to plead with you to send me your stories… and then I am going to plead with you to engage with your local politics. Because the world has lost it’s mind.

But first, it is important to me that I share a diverse group of people who have had a diverse array of infertility experiences on this blog. I am only one person and I only know what I know, which is admittedly little. So I started Squawk Box to fill the void. To make sure that no matter who stumbled onto this piece of the internet they felt heard. If you haven’t read much of the Squawk series I encourage you to read the whole blog roll of them– here –. If you have even an hour free this week and feel like your story could help others please, dear god, please send them– here –. You can be anonymous. I encourage you to share even if you don’t want to out yourself.

Ok, thanks. Hopefully, I have a story to share next month for Squawk.

And now, if you live in the United States please drop what you are doing and sign Resolve’s petition against HR 586. Like, immediately. Sign it and then keep reading.

No, really. I’ll wait…

Because, holy shit, how many fucking times are we going to have to fight this personhood bill?! I am just DONE. I cannot stand the GOP poking it’s old, white, male hands into the worlds vagina any longer. I am just SICK that HR7 passed and there is now a gag on funding reproductive programs ABROAD… not even within the United States… worldwide. NO ONE can get USA funding for reproductive initiatives anymore unless they EXPLICITLY will not cover abortions or emergency contraception. Never mind that those are some of the LIFE SAVING things these companies offer. Yes, life saving…

But that one is dead and buried, executive order, signed.

…So I digress.

You know what ISN’T buried, yet? HR586, also known as the personhood bill. That’s why I urge you to sign the petition. I urge you to call your local representatives, your Governors, ANYONE YOU CAN THINK OF! Make them understand the full ramifications of this bill. Because it is not just anti-abortion.

It really shouldn’t matter what side of the abortion debate you fall on. It’s cool if you’re pro-life. I’m pro-choice. That isn’t what this is about. Wanting to save the babies is cool, I admire that. But, if this bill goes through, IVF as we know it is not going to be a thing any more. Want to save a baby? What about my son, who was conceived through IVF? He wouldn’t exist. Because we froze 3 embryos. That would now be illegal. Because we let 2 sub par embryos, that weren’t developing correctly, die off. That would also be illegal, it might even have jail time attached to it.

If HR586 passes an embryo of 1 cell (egg + sperm) would be classified as having human life. A 1 cell embryo isn’t even at the stage where it could implant in a woman’s uterus and actually grow to be a baby. A 1 celled embryo cannot live on its own and they often don’t implant and grow… for a myriad of reasons. All of those reasons would basically then qualify as manslaughter if not outright murder:

-Spontaneous miscarriage

-Missed miscarriage where a D&C is performed

-IVF where more than one egg is fertilized

-Frozen transfers where embryos are unthawed and do not live

and many, many more…

Here is a pretty awesome list of some more reasons and why this bill should not pass.

So, my lovelies, you awesome infertiles you, raise your voice. Let your lawmakers know the reasons this law can harm wonderful, all American families. How would this law harm you? Be loud. Raise your voice. This is the shit that matters. Protecting reproductive rights right now isn’t just about unborn babies. Or the choice of whether or not someone feels ready to be a parent. It also affects infertiles, who DO feel ready to be parents. Please don’t deny them the opportunity to try.

Yours in solidarity,

The Chicken