Courtesy of the Supreme Court, the Horror Stories are Rolling In

 This story from NPR contains a genuine horror story, one that is full of tragedy, loss, and a sickening suppression of individual human dignity. A woman who suffered a medical disaster 18 weeks into a wanted pregnancy was refused the procedure that would remove an unviable fetus and forced to live through a series of nightmares, day by day, because doctors feared taking action due to state laws in Texas. Where a procedure might have been preformed safely and quickly, allowing this couple who wanted to become parents to grieve this loss, the woman was instead forced to suffer endless pains and humiliations, and to demonstrate she was on the brink of death before doctors would act.

As one doctor put it, what she suffered was nothing short of “torture.” But as every doctor involved knew, under Texas law anyone—anyone—could sue them for any role they played in an abortion, even if that abortion was performed under the most terrible and dire circumstances. That fear caused them to actively participate in the torture of a patient they were sworn to protect.

This dreadful story is only one example of how, even before Roe v. Wade was destroyed by a radical Supreme Court, Republicans were carving out a “country within a country,” one based on fear and oppression. One where the powerful reign with impunity. A nation where teachers are censored and accurate education is outlawed. A nation where racism and all forms of sexism aren’t just legal, but required. One where the power of the state is used to interfere in the most intimate and personal decisions.