Last week, the state of Texas signed an incredibly restrictive new anti-abortion bill into law. More than 10,000 people turned out at the state Capitol during its passage. My wife and I wanted to be there. Our daughter did too. As parents, we believe that children should be taught continually, instead of just at school. My daughter and I have been to city council meetings to watch and discuss how politics gets done in the city. We have taken our children to the Capitol repeatedly because it is important for them to understand how politics affects them personally. When Senator Wendy Davis was stopped from filibustering, I woke my daughter up so that she could watch the proceedings on the internet. We stayed up until 3.30am watching more coverage and researched the issues together. I explained as best I could what the bill itself would mean to women in the state of Texas, as well as how it would influence politics throughout the United States if it were passed. When my wife and I decided to go to the Capitol, we welcomed her to come along.

Billy Cain with his daughter and her anti-abortion bill placard

After having been at the Capitol for four days, reading all of the anti-choice posters and seeing their pictures, my daughter made a sign which she and her friend held up during the protest. It read "Jesus isn't a dick, so keep him out of my vagina." When I saw that the photo had been posted online, I knew there would be a firestorm. We have been reading comments online and have been flabbergasted at just how extreme people can be towards a young girl they have never met. Initially it was very disappointing to see that type of behaviour. Instead of staying silent, I decided to use the opportunity to start a discussion. I immediately posted my name and support online because I believe that people should stand up to bullies. The perception of anonymity that the internet seems to breed is often filled with hate and one-sided monologue. Since I decided to be completely transparent on the internet years ago, the only decision I could make was to confront these comments head on. I was concerned about my family's safety, and still am, but I felt it was more important to confront the hostility with measured debate.

In our family, we have discussed women's issues since our children could understand the concept. Our education system seems to think that abstinence is the name of the game, if sex education is taught at all. This latest abortion bill shows that giving the state control of people's bodies is something that needs to be considered carefully and debated publicly. I see a potential future for women that I do not want to participate in. The invasion of a woman's private decisions with her doctor is the beginning of a very difficult, slippery slope to navigate. This is important to everyone, not just my family. I would like to see everyone, not just our daughter, participating in government at any level. This means writing your representatives, calling them, physically being present at protest or hearings, and discussing these topics in depth. My personal experience has been, without a doubt, that the more you talk to people in person, the wiser you become. We are fortunate that people in Texas are paying attention to what our government is doing with their time and our bodies.

Each person in our family has dealt with the vociferous reactions online in different ways. I decided to confront it head on, my wife is participating online, and my daughter is currently designing T-shirts to help her get her feelings out through artwork. She would desperately like to start a Twitter account and share her opinions and spelling and grammar corrections of those posts online, but as a parental unit, we do not believe it would be a good idea. She can participate in that way soon enough, as she is becoming a self-aware woman before our eyes. Whether you agree or disagree with our daughter's sign, I hope that by keeping the discussions alive, we will have the ability to have more opportunities to change our legislators' pens in favour of women everywhere. It is vital for everyone to talk and discuss their opinions and share the facts that have been presented to them. I think that in a situation like this, it is more important than ever. We simply cannot allow the state to make decisions that affect so many people without having a full discussion in public.

Despite some of the negative comments we've seen this week, we have been and continue to be involved politically. We are proud of our daughter and we encourage everyone to get involved, no matter what their views are.