Legislative bullying
The Republican party in this state is completely out of control. I get it that “majority rules” and that this is decidedly a “red” state, but even many of those that back the GOP are starting to get the idea that our legislature is drunk with power.
In the last few months, the legislature has enacted one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the nation, given doctors the right to tell LGBTQ patients they aren’t worthy of treatment, made it harder to vote, passed the least-effective piece of “hate crime” legislation on the books and now, they have decided that they know better than the governor himself — a governor who, let me remind you, is from their own party.
Yes, these so-called representatives of ours passed a terribly restrictive bill that would prevent doctors, under penalty of criminal charges, from deciding that a patient under their care needs gender-confirming treatments. Yes, that’s right. Just to reiterate — Abortion? No (not even for rape or incest). Refuse to treat a person whose beliefs are different from yours? Yes! (go die somewhere else, Mr.
Muslim or Ms. Lesbian) And now, you’re a trans teen?
Well, if I treat you for that, I could go to jail.
I believe that’s a Bingo! on the intolerance card. I have always been proud to live in Arkansas. It’s not among the richest states or the largest or the most powerful. But I’ve always been of the mindset that we are a group of individuals all striving toward the same goal. They used to tell me that Arkansas was the only state you could build a wall around and it would still thrive due to our rugged individualism and vast natural resources. And now we’ve basically said, if you’re not a white, straight, Christian, either shut up, go away or die (and I say that as someone who is all three!). Good luck drawing new industries…
What a shame.
