First off, let me start with a huge apology for not writing any sooner. It’s been a bit hectic here around the Feminista household as coming into finals week, the stepson has had a TON of Boy Scout events and trips, and life’s just been incredibly busy for me. I do need some really positive vibes from all you wonderful people out there because I interviewed today for a job that will not only afford me the time I need to be able to finish school an entire semester earlier, but will also help me save in gas and car mileage, since I drive about 25 miles a day on average, and it would dramatically drop if I were to get this job. So please send me good vibes because I really want this job!

Now, for the reason I’m upset. Within the last week or two (I forget as my weeks are meshing right now), I sent off letters to the members of Congress in my state over the latest Bushism that’s going on where the conservative, right-wing, dweebs in office are trying yet again to tell me what is the right thing for my body and what values and morals I should have without even so much as getting to know me first.

In the proposal, obtained by The New York Times, the administration says it could cut off federal aid to individuals or entities that discriminate against people who object to abortion on the basis of “religious beliefs or moral convictions.”

Now, here’s my issue with this: when you take an oath to practice medicine or pharmacology, you’re taking an oath to do what is in the best interest of the patient, not your own moral beliefs. If you have a problem with someone who is seeking birth control or is seeking to have an abortion performed, why did you enter this type of medicine then? And I have to wonder if these same people would object to such body modifications as breast enhancements, liposuction, etc., that really has no medicinal value (except in extreme cases) other than that of vanity. I live in Miami, I see thing things walking around the street all the time and I can’t honestly say that these people look as if they feel any better about themselves after they had all these modifications done, but the men sure do like to look at them! As a matter of fact, I know someone who recently had breast augmentation surgery and underwent a HUGE depressive episode after the surgery. But I’m veering off topic here. Body image issues is another topic for another time.

So I went on this letter writing thing using the Naral letter, and I received a response from my Senator. Here’s what he had to say to me:

Dear Ms. FEMINISTA: Thank you for contacting me regarding President Bush;s proposed new Health and Human Services regulations. I appreciate hearing from you and would like to respond to your concerns. Throughout my career in public service, I have been consistently and strongly pro-life. Every human life is precious, and I believe that the sanctity of life is a critical characteristic of a strong nation. These are beliefs I have held both personally and professionally throughout my entire life, and they are beliefs that I will continue to hold and promote. Our country is currently divided over the issue of abortion rights and my views are not shared by all Floridians. I understand your concern about the availability of contraceptives and birth control. However, I am opposed to drugs that can destroy an early embryo and is abortive in nature. I believe the public has the right to access health information and services, and I will continue to support measures, such as abstinence education and adoption programs, that promote a culture of life in America. Again, thank you for sharing your views with me. If you have any additional questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me. In addition, for more information about issues and activities important to Florida, please sign up for my weekly newsletter at http://martinez.senate.gov. Sincerely, Mel Martinez

United States Senator

[all emphasis mine]

Ok, so let me break down this letter piece by piece. First he says that he believes human life is precious and believes that the sanctity of life is a critical characteristic of a strong nation. Firstly, considering he was born in 1946, he was around for all the “coat hanger abortions” and knows about the lives lost due to the desperation these women were underwent, so he can’t claim ignorance. What about the sanctity of those lives? What about caring what will happen to the mother who not only can’t get pregnant-for whatever reason-but is also not allowed birth control? What does this woman do than? Not have sex?! Sorry, that’s not an option.

Now, as we all know, abstinence education does not work. Abstinence education leads to kids being undereducated about safe sex and the options they may have and these leads to a lot more teen pregnancy, because again, assuming that these kids will not have sex simply because that’s what you’re supposed to be teaching them, is also not an option.

Adoptions are all great and dandy, but the truth of the matter is that there may be a lot of good parents who are willing to truly love and care for these children, but there are also a lot of bad families from bad homes who will raise unstable deviant children that will be a burden on society, and Goddess forbid, take another life later on. What about the sanctity of that life? Granted, this is a very extreme situation, but it does happen, and it is possible. Gangs are based on the neediness of adolescents and the lack of attention and affection that they receive at home, and these kids will do anything for their family/familia.

The on thing that sticks in my head most when I think about the adoption issue is the movie I watched called I Had an Abortion from Women Make Movies. There was this one woman that they interviewed who was Christian and she ended up pregnant. With everything that she was brought up to believe, when she became pregnant she decided to seek adoption for her unborn child, and the moment the interviewer found out that the baby would be interracial, they wanted nothing to do with her. So, under certain circumstances, again, adoption is not an option.

Now I skipped a little because the last statement I want to discuss really shows me this man either has a lack of education or immense gullibility, I’m not sure which one yet. It is just about every pro-lifer who believes that contraceptives are a type of abortifacient, when it is not. Chemical birth control does not cause and abortion, it deters an egg from implanting, or it does not release an egg, as is the case with the pill and others like it. Is Mr. Martinez telling me then that life begins at fertilization? What truly bothers me is that from his standpoint, an embryo that could not come any where near sustaining life outside of my womb has more rights than I do. When will this kind of control stop?! I say that the moment men start menstruating and start worrying about pregnancy and whether or not it’s the right time for them to conceive, and what they can do in order to avoid getting pregnant, or abstain all together when they have a partner who is threatening to leave because you won’t “give him some” is the moment that these men can tell me what to do with my body. They are not me, they do not understand my circumstances, nor my reasons to not want to conceive at this time. Therefore they can not feign to know what is right for me, and there will be no lack of sex in my life right now so to take all these options away from me is not an option.