Stripes

 "It is a shame that it happens, but there's an opportunity for that woman, no matter how young or old she is, to make a determination about what she's going to do to help that life be a productive human being." Those were the words that an Ohio lawmaker used to describe the circumstance in which a woman becomes pregnant after being raped. If you guessed that the Ohio lawmaker in question happens to be a Republican, you guessed correctly. If you guessed that this was a white male, you receive only half credit. Jean Schmidt has had two stints in the Ohio House of Representatives and was very active in generating the state's "Trigger Law" that would ban abortion if the United States Supreme Court should strike down Roe v. Wade. The bill makes performing an abortion a fourth degree felony, and criminalizes the use of medication abortions. The proposed legislation also states that two doctors who don't work together must sign off on an abortion, unless it is determined that the mother is at risk of death and injury.

We can only assume that for Ms. Schmidt would see that death or injury as "an opportunity." 

Now here's an interesting thing: This is the same Jean Schmidt that mask mandates for children should be prohibited. This seems to be yet another "opportunity" in the eyes of this seasoned political veteran. Never mind that children could become sick and die, another opportunity, or perhaps become infected and pass along the virus to their parents. And maybe a pregnant mother or sister or cousin. The complications and implications seem to swirl in ways that only politics can stir. 

For Ms. Schmidt, and conservatives who share convoluted vision of the world, you might expect that you would find a believer in the death penalty at the end of that legislative rainbow. And once upon a time, that was true. Representative Schmidt used to be a supporter of capital punishment. Just recently, she has had a change of heart and come out for criminal justice reform, saying, “the death penalty is creating more victims than the crime itself.”

So now things become less black and white, more textured. More evolved. If she can change her views on capital punishment, maybe there's hope on this whole abortion issue? 

Don't count on it. Ms. Schmidt and her cronies have been busy preparing Ohio's own "Don't Say Gay" bill like the one currently causing such a stir in Florida. 

A tiger doesn't change its stripes. Not when they're red tigers.