The gender gap explained

Recent polling shows that the Republican Party is quickly becoming overwhelmingly white and terrifyingly male.

The latest example of what the GOP thinks of women comes in the form of a bizarre anti-abortion law adopted by the Arizona Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Jan Brewer.

It bans all abortions after 20 weeks except in a “medical emergency” where an abortion would prevent the mother’s death or “substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function.”

Seven states have similar restrictions.

The bill signed into law Thursday makes other changes to abortion regulations, including the requirement of an ultrasound 24 hours before the procedure. The law becomes effective 90 days after the Legislature ends its session, which is likely to occur later this month.

Supporters say the law protects women, an absurd contention that lacks any statistical evidence. This law is not about women’s health; rather, it is an attack on women’s freedom — it achieves its so-called protections by eliminating women’s rights to make their own decisions about their bodies and their pregnancies.

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• Read poetry at The Subterranean.
• Certainties and Uncertainties a chapbook by Hank Kalet, will be published in November by Finishing Line Press. It can be ordered here.
• Suburban Pastoral, a chapbook by Hank Kalet, available here.

Author: hankkalet

Hank Kalet is a poet and freelance journalist. He is the economic needs reporter for NJ Spotlight, teaches journalism at Rutgers University and writing at Middlesex County College and Brookdale Community College. He writes a semi-monthly column for the Progressive Populist. He is a lifelong fan of the New York Mets and New York Knicks, drinks too much coffee and attends as many Bruce Springsteen concerts as his meager finances will allow. He lives in South Brunswick with his wife Annie. View all posts by hankkalet