...I haven't been spotted for a while, but here I am. Jonathan was punching his wall, so I asked why. He told me about how Utah might pass a bill outlawing miscarriage. Here I am. I wrote a potential letter/email to Governor Herbert(Jonnycakes said he would too, as soon as he vented his anger) however, I would like you to review it and tell me how it could be improved. I would very much appreciate feedback.
Dear Governor Herbert,
Hello, my name is Jessica, and I live in Utah. I recently turned twelve years old, and I am in the sixth grade. One could say that I am being a bit...ambitious, by contacting you? No, ambitious is not the word...the word is most likely "outspoken". However, I find this measure, of contacting you, that is, to be not outspoken, but rather my duty to my state as a citizen of Utah. I have learned that the state legislature is contemplating a new law to illegalize miscarriage, and I find the need to speak out against this. Even if this email has no effect, even if it remains unread and is thrown into a trash bin, at least I can say to myself, "At least you tried to do something." And so, my argument against the illegalization of miscarriage in the state of Utah begins...
As I may or may not have already stated, I am vehemently against this new law, which I find to be barbaric to say the least. Yet I find to my surprise that it has already been made a bill, and awaits only your approval, which may or may not be pending. And I am ashamed of my state; yes, I say it again, I am ashamed. Just one day prior, when I was blissfully unaware of this bill, I was a Utahn. I was more than a Utahn; I was a Utahn, and I was proud of it. As the proverb goes, "Pride comes before the fall." And I, as well as the state of Utah in general, have fallen far. And now, although I am still a Utahn, I am a Utahn ashamed. Embarrassed by my home state, as a child is embarrassed by a foolish parent. And already, I hear about this from my friends online: "I always new Utah was a crap state"(for my online friends are not...let us say, the sharpest tool in the shed, and their grammar could use some touch-ups), "What, are Utahnians crazy?", "Thats a dumb law." And can they be argued with? Well, yes, they can, but you get the gist: they have a fair point. What has happened to the state legislature, that would possess them to make a woman who miscarried, a criminal. Now, I understand that you may believe that abortion, in any form, is murder, and that murder should be punished. However, have you forgotten that not all miscarriages are intended to be as such? In fact, I would venture so far as to say that the majority of all miscarriages are accidental. And yet, we wish to illegalize it? How is this fair, how is this justice, when the woman has had nothing to do with the miscarriage? And yes, some miscarriages are on purpose, as opposed to accidental. But why should they be punished? As I said before, there are those who believe abortion and all forms of it are murder. And yet...not all believe that. And is abortion not still legal? And is purposeful miscarriage not just another branch of abortion? Has a woman who has suffered an accidental miscarriage, not suffered enough? The death of their baby, the loss of hope, the pain of birth...Do we really need to add to that veritable pile of sorrows, and arrest them? For, need I remind you, miscarriage can cause severe damage to the mother as well as the baby, sometimes causing severe blood loss, sometimes causing death, and almost always causing pain, as the giving of birth is infamous for. I feel that this is wrong, and that you should veto this bill.
Another part of my argument is that the majority of miscarrying women, do not intend to miscarry. Those opposing abortion state that it is murder, and those with it state that it is a woman's right. And while I personally am against abortion(as they have already made the choice to have a child when they had sex...and no, I am not Christian, thank you very much), let us not drag that into this. Instead, let us look at miscarriage. Are we truly to punish a woman whom had no fault in the matter? Are we truly to punish a woman(and a man, by arresting his spouse) who has already suffered unimaginable loss and grief? Have we truly sunk that deeply into the belief that abortion is murder, and miscarriage is abortion, so all miscarriage is murder? Are we really that...dare I say it? Downright stupid? Foolish? Judgmental? For the battle against abortion and miscarriage is not ours to fight, Governor. Not ours in the least. Abortion is still legal, last I checked, and abortion is far more direct than miscarriage. If you are to illegalize anything, illegalize abortion, unless it is such a hot-button topic that you dare not. Instead, the legislature chooses to outlaw miscarriage? But why? Miscarriage is usually on accident, and not the woman's fault, why should we punish them for something beyond their control? Have you ever heard of the "Pear of Anguish", Governor? In medieval times, it was a torture device used to punish those who committed crimes such as blasphemy, the uttering of a lie, homosexuality(for in those times, that was a crime), and...you guessed it, women who conducted miscarriage. Are we really that far gone, that barbaric? Certainly, we are not torturing prisoners, but we are punishing innocent women for something out of their control. And even if the woman was not innocent, even if the woman was guilty, and she hired someone to falcon punch her(punch her in the stomach so as to cause miscarriage) or some other form of intentional miscarriage, are we really going to punish, say, nine innocent women just to punish one guilty? âBetter that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer,"-William Blackstone. And should we not follow his doctrine, most certainly in this case, where the innocent will comprise the majority of the punished, and the guilty make up only the minority. And the proposed punishment for this crime, by this bill, is life in prison. Life! How would you feel, if you were sent away to prison for all of your life, simply because of something you cannot control? It's not fair! Do you not believe so as well?
Another part is the Christian/Mormon side to this; it is undeniable, is it not? I doubt that this paragraph will make any difference, and will likely even alienate me to most of Utah. But I feel the need to say it: despite Utah's reputation for its correlation to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, not all of the population is Mormon; in fact, only about 60% is. And is it not supposed to be, that church is separated from state? The decisions of delegates of Utah are being influenced by their connection to the Church, whether they realize it or not, and these decisions that they make affect all of Utah, which is not entirely comprised of Mormons. I myself am a living testament to that, being agnostic. And yet, decisions being made for me, affecting me, are being influenced by a religion that I am not even a part of. Take, for example, this little factoid; prior to his political position, current Utah State Senator Bob Bennet was a chaplain of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
So, here I am, requesting formally, nay, begging, that you veto this bill, Governor. The women being punished are not the majority. Intentional miscarriage is only another form of abortion, which is still legal. And I would be willing to bet that the public will not be happy about this bill, if it is ever made common knowledge. Again; veto this bill. Let me regain my pride, as a Utahn. To be a Utahn. To love Utah. To find again, the sanity and the intelligence that I hold so dearly in my home of the 45th state of the United States of America.
Sincerely,
Jessica S.
