Those who bear the consequences of a decision are the only ones fit to make it. Someone in a fancy suit hundreds of miles away who will not have to live with the outcome of the situation is wildly unfit to make difficult reproductive choices for others. No one has more of a right to make to make reproductive choices than a pregnant woman.

A fetus matters, but how much it maters changes over time. When it is just a clump of cells it matters a lot less than when it is nearly a full grown baby. To illustrate this point is a classic thought experiment: You are in a building when suddenly the fire alarm goes off and you realize the place is engulfed in flames. As you run to safety you pass an IVF clinic. Inside the open door to the IVF office you see a container holding hundreds of frozen embryos and next to it a crying 2 year old child. You only have the strength and time to save one. Which do you chose?

The difficult and complicated part its that it’s both. I imagine we’ve all seen the very publicized examples of very crass abortion supporters who have done things like throw an abortion party, etc. That’s ugly. And it says that women matter but a fetus does not matter. I’m sure we can all also think of an example of a staunch anti-abortion campaigner who would like to see women forced to carry their rapists babies. That’s horrific. And it says that a fetus matters but a woman does not matter. The tricky part about all of this is that it’s both, and it’s not simple at all. The life and well being of a woman matters, and a fetus also matters. In tragic times and places when the their needs are at odds, then very difficult choices about which matters most have to be made. And the ‘answer’ to that will differ in every situation. It’s not simple. We can’t make it simple. And that’s why someone in a fancy suit hundreds of miles away who knows nothing of the specifics of the situation can’t be the one that makes those choices. The people directly affected by the outcome of the situation are the only people fit to make those choices.

Can you imagine my terror? In places without modern health care childbirth and resulting complications are the leading cause of death for young women. Being pregnant is statistically more dangerous than being a police officer in the United States. It’s such a disservice to humanity that we hide these things away. That we don’t talk about them more openly. That so many men are ignorant to this reality. Imagine existing in a body that could be taken over by someone else’s DNA against your will. And then living a place that would force you to risk your life and well being to complete that pregnancy. Can you imagine my terror?

Can you imagine having your body ripped apart from the inside out? They say that the cocktail of hormones released during childbirth causes a woman to forget the physical sensations of the experience. Mixed evidence on that but it’s sort of true for me. With my first I had the epidural but with the second I had nothing. And while I can’t consciously remember the sensation of her birth, I often have dreams of childbirth and there I very much feel those sensations. It’s the strangest thing I’ve ever felt. And also one of the most terrifying. I wake up in a cold sweat. And now, imagine having to experience that against your will. And this is why bodily autonomy for women matters.

Every woman knows that it’s not “all men.” But women don’t know WHICH men it is. Predators aren’t dumb, they present as normal dudes. Because of this, it is logistically necessary for women to be wary of all men that they don’t know well. A situation that sucks for everyone.

People with patriarchal ideas will put women low beneath men, or way high up on a pedestal, but either way, they will put them far from decision making.

The most clear cut and egregious violation of men's rights in the world today is the military draft. It's very telling that the manosphere podcast bros rarely ever talk about it. But ya see nearly all the military leaders and politicians who enact these policies are men, and so this issue can't be blamed on women. For the red pill dudes, it's not about protecting men, it's about blaming women.

Does being understanding and loving actually work? I feel like I've put in an epic effort for decades to be as decent as I can to people. I've bent over backwards to be understanding. I've worked hard to hug rather than kick when someone is down. ...did any of that help anything? If someone doesn't want to see you, if their ideology won't let them respect you, then they will just never be good to you. It doesn't matter how loving you are. You can't make someone care.

It's tax day! ...how much did you contribute to the perpetual war?

You can't make people care... you can't make people care... you can't make people care 😢 you just gotta try to find the ones that do.

What really fills me with terror when discussing abortion is not that people care greatly for a fetus, I get that, I share that, it's that so many don't seem to have any understanding for women or even a drop of care for their rights or well being. Seeing the vitriol and assumed fault of women on such intense display is truly terrifying.

Where are all the protectors? I was told that men are protectors… where are they? Now there are a few, but wow are they rare, and I get so, so exhausted with having to explain why I have basic human rights, why I should have boldly autonomy, why I should be the primary decision maker in my own life. At times it seem that I’m surrounded by a sea of men that want to subjugate me and control my body. Where are the protectors? I would really, really love to know more men that take it as a given that I have bodily autonomy and should be leading my own life. I would really, really love to be around more men that actively protect my autonomy in the world. ...can someone help me find them?

People who are staunch pro-lifers and yet own guns and eat meat have a strange set of priorities. You’re telling me that you are willing to end countless animals for your culinary enjoyment, but you wouldn’t end a 6 week fetus to save a 12yr old from having to carry and birth her rapists child? I think ya got that morality the wrong way around.

Sometimes I get a bit down about how much authoritarianism and elitism has crept into the Bitcoin world. But today, I want to take a moment to appreciate those in this space that didn’t lose their values. Those that are still here for the freedom tech, still here for the decentralization of power, those that are still curious and learning. As I’ve lost respect for the Bitcoin world at large I’ve gained such intense respect for them. 🫶