A Message from Mark Ruffalo to the Abortion Rights Freedom Ride - to read at Abortion Rights Rally -

[MrScorpio]

I am a man. I could say this has nothing to do with me. Except I have two daughters and I have a mother who was forced to illegally have an abortion in her state where abortion was illegal when she was a very young woman. It cost $600 cash. It was a traumatizing thing for her. It was shameful and sleazy and demeaning. When I heard the story I was aghast by the lowliness of a society that would make a woman do that. I could not understand its lack of humanity; today is no different.

What happened to my mother was a relic of an America that was not free nor equal nor very kind. My mother’s illegal abortion marked a time in America that we have worked long and hard to leave behind. It was a time when women were seen as second rate citizens who were not smart enough, nor responsible enough, nor capable enough to make decisions about their lives. It was a time that deserved to be left behind, and leave it behind we did, or so it seemed. We made abortion and a woman’s ability to be her own master a Right. That Right was codified into law. That law was the law of the land for decades. My own mother fought to make herself more than a possession; she lived her life as a mother who chose when she would have children, and a wife who could earn a living if she so chose. I want my daughters to enjoy that same choice. I don’t want to turn back the hands of time to when women shuttled across state lines in the thick of night to resolve an unwanted pregnancy, in a cheap hotel room just south of the state line. Where a transaction of $600 cash becomes the worth of a young woman’s life. So that is why I am lending my voice to you and your movement today. Because I actually trust the women I know. I trust them with their choices, I trust them with their bodies and I trust them with their children. I trust that they are decent enough and wise enough and worthy enough to carry the right of Abortion and not be forced to criminally exercise that Right at the risk of death or jail time.

There was no mistake us making Abortion legal and available on demand. That was what we call progress. Just like it was no mistake that we abolished institutional racism in this country around the same time. The easy thing to do is lay low, but then are we who we say we are? Do we actually stand for anything, if what we do stand for is under attack and we say nothing? There is nothing to be ashamed of here except to allow a radical and recessive group of people to bully and intimidate our mothers and sisters and daughters for exercising their right of choice. Or use terrorism and fanaticism to block their legal rights or take the lives of their caregivers. Or design legislation that would chip away at those rights disguised as reinforcing a woman’s health. I invite you to find your voice and let it be known that you stand for abortion rights and the dignity of a woman to be the master of her own life and body. I invite you to search your soul and ask yourself if you actually stand for what you say you stand for. Thank you for being here today and thank you for standing up for the women in my life.

Sincerely and humbly,
Mark Ruffalo

http://stoppatriarchy.tumblr.com/post/58513899826/a-message-from-mark-ruffalo-to-the-abortion-rights

[Baitball Blogger]

1. He just keeps getting better looking with age.

[liberal_at_heart]

6. I've always had a crush on him.

[DirkGently]

2. Yes. I don't understand men who wouldn't see it this way.

I'm glad a visible person is attaching himself to what ought to be the norm for the male POV on abortion.

[snacker]

3. What a touching and compassionate message!

Thank you for posting this.

[Cha]

4. Gotta love and thank Mark Ruffalo.. for one thing he treats people with

respect yet gets his point across very well.

This is not the first time he's spoken out for what he believes in.

Thank you, MrScorpio.

[Hekate]

5. TY for bringing this to us, Mr Scorpio. Wonderful speech-- the guy is a gem. nt

[Ohio Joe]

7. K&R - nt

[Precisely]

8. Was it "codified into law"?

"We made abortion and a woman’s ability to be her own master a Right. That Right was codified into law. That law was the law of the land for decades."

Doesn't that mean when law/code is written specific to the right? Or does that apply to Supreme Court decisions?

It would help if there was a law. Or an Equal Rights Amendment.

This piece is great and from the heart. Thank you Mark Ruffalo!!

[freshwest]

9. Well said by Mr Ruffalo. K & R. Please note what the GOP is doing here:

If Obamacare Fails, Women Lose

On average, insurance companies charge women 50 percent more than men for the same coverage. Obamacare will make that discrimination illegal—unless Republicans manage to thwart the law...

It doesn’t end there. In 2011 alone, women enrolled in Medicare saved $1.2 billion as a result of improvements in prescription drug coverage. Who knew that the Republicans actually like the idea of $1.2 billion in new taxes to be imposed on the backs of women?

In an effort to thwart Obamacare, Republicans are trying to enable insurance companies to deny coverage to people with preexisting conditions. Women have often been on the losing end of insurers' whims. C-sections, breast and cervical cancers and even medical treatment for domestic or sexual abuse have been considered pre-existing conditions. This type of discrimination against women should be illegal—and it will be starting next year thanks to Obamacare.

If Republicans had their way, more than 26.9 million women would be charged expensive co-pays and deductibles for preventive services like life-saving breast and cervical cancer screenings, birth control and well-woman visits. By opposing the Affordable Care Act, Republicans are supporting insurers to place lifetime caps on insurance for nearly 40 million women, thereby preventing coverage just when many women need it most. They also seek to eliminate health care for 1.1 million young women between the ages of 19 and 25 who now have access to health care under their parents' health insurance coverage.

More

http://www.thedailybeast.com/witw/articles/2013/09/08/what-women-have-to-lose-if-obamacare-fails.html

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023692387

Stop the EXTORTION of human rights by the GOP threatening to starve, kill and degrade Americans in October. DU needs to rally to stop discrimination and save lives.