Melanie, of Sparks from a Combustible Mind, still filling in for Frank, aka PCGuy, who is taking a temporary hiatus from his Truthful Tuesday prompt. This week Melanie wants to know…

Should an individual have autonomy over their own bodies and the decisions made about their own body?

Oh boy, here we go. The short answer is yes. I am not a fan of body piercing or tattoos, and I would never subject my body to either. But if someone else might choose to get a body full of tattoos and piercings, I might question their choices, but not their right to do so. If a man wants to get a vasectomy, does anyone try to stand in his way? If a woman chooses to have a hysterectomy, does anyone stand in her way? Similarly, a woman should have the right to manage her own reproductive health care, including pregnancy and abortion. It’s no one else’s business. As I frequently say, whatever floats your boat. For those people who believe abortion is wrong, the answer is simple. Don’t have an abortion. That’s their choice. Why do they feel compelled to impose their choices on others?

Ought the government be allowed to get involved in such personal decisions?

Isn’t it interesting that Republicans used to be the party that preached that the government should stay out of their bedrooms and out of their personal, private lives? Oh how things have changed. Now they are passing laws banning abortions and even making having an abortion a crime. They want to ban contraceptives and to condemn same sex relationships and let businesses refuse to serve members of the LGBT community. How much more personal and private can you get?

Republicans consider mandates requiring the wearing a face mask during a pandemic that has taken the lives of more that a million Americans to be an infringement of their personal freedoms and liberties. But making abortions illegal is fine and dandy. Talk about hypocritical.

The government should be allowed to pass laws designed to ensure safety when it comes the health and welfare of its citizens, but that is it. Today, with abortions being legal, the procedure, like any other medical procedure, must be performed by a licensed health care provider. If abortions in the United States are declared illegal (or criminal), abortions will still be performed, but in so-called “back alleys” by unlicensed, unregulated providers. Is that really where we, as a nation, want to go?

Some Republican states are even considering laws making it illegal for women to travel out of state (to a state where abortions are still legally provided) without a certification that they are not pregnant. And you thought my post about the U.S. becoming a real-life Handmaid’s Tale was over the top.