Yesterday was an anniversary...

Yesterday, the 22nd Jan, was the 35th year since Roe vs Wade. Quite ironically I would say, since that was the day when Fred Thompson (‘Defender of the unborn’) proclaimed he stepped down from the Republican candidacy race.

So, I think I said something about politics (read; South Carolina elections and Huckabee winning so many votes) the other day when I spoke to my American friends. They wondered why I was so interested in this election thing since I can’t vote anyway?! I simply replied that I am interested in politics and I am interested in the country I live in. The fact that I threw a fit regarding the tax laws last Friday is another thing.

(Don’t remind me but seriously, I am in awe that not everybody in this place is in debt and that the IRS demands in money from more. And I like taxes! I like paying to the government as a principle! But please, this stuff and this legislation/transparency is silly. It is enormously hard to try and have some kind of budget work (getting paid every 14 days and have monthly bills on different dates took a while to get use to I tell you, but now I am ok with it - almost) or to plan what you are going to get from your tax (with deductions and different things to withdraw and not) and it didn’t help that my own institute apparently “have paid wrong federal tax for international post docs last fall so you will most likely have to pay the IRS in April”. My only question, “how much?” was responded with “Well, we can’t tell you that. You will figure it out then”. Excuse a poor little legal alien for wanting to know what kind of money we are talking about. Are we talking about $400 or $4000. [I’m guessing the first but hey, I don’t know.] Then I remembered my resolution about not worrying, so I will just wait and see. Lucky me that I have a good savings account.)

Anyhow, just noticed the coincidence with Thompson resigning and the Roe vs Wade. And the fact that has been nagging in my brain for a while, an abortion is still technical legal in the federal America but since it is not covered in MedicAid or even doctors available in most counties it sometimes feel like a fluffy pillow to hind behind when the wind is picking up and you want to find cover behind a solid rock. I don’t know, maybe it would be better for everyone if it was illegal and then everyone would see that it is something that is possible for people with money who can flee the country but not for anyone else… or maybe that is just too cynical and won’t help a thing. I guess it is one of those stances that it will come to again in the Supreme Court.

If nothing else, maybe people can look at the rate of teen pregnancy in the south as well as high school drop out and then draw a few conclusions?!? Not that I would dare to make a deduction (it might not be a real connection but seriously, you don’t have to work hard to see some kind of connection between the two) but I think if the notion of “contraceptive being covered for all woman” or at least some kind of discussion rather than “abstinence and we are not talking about it, then it won’t happen” is an interesting one. Maybe we wouldn’t even need to talk about the (il)legality of abortions in case that reality happened? And I won’t even say a thing about Plan B.

note one> The fact that the price for a termination of a 10 weeks pregnancy is about $400 dollar didn’t have any impact on my suggestion of tax debt, not at all.

note two> I know, contraceptives doesn’t stop abortions but maybe they lead to fewer teen pregnancies and maybe even less ‘unwanted pregnancies’? Again, with the guessing.

note three> No, I am not pregnant and I have medical insurance that covers at least contraceptives in case I want them, which is good seeing Plan B can not be found easily where I reside and abortion wouldn't be my choice.