Losing track of the individual
Mother and children
My oldest daughter, Megan, and her boys
Everyone and their brother hasvoiced an opinion about the appalling case of Dallasite Kate Cox, pregnant witha badly deformed fetus that will probably not survive the pregnancy and couldconceivably cause severe illness, infertility, and possible death for themother. I have tried in my nightly blog to stay away from hot-button politicalissues and to ruminate on other aspects of life, without sinking to boring accountsof my day. But tonight, I feel compelled to speak out about this case.
I have yet to hear an opinionthat supports Ken Paxton’s cruel challenge of the lower court order. It’sapparent that he, newly having scraped by an impeachment hearing, is gloryingin his newly affirmed power, appealing to what he thinks is his base (he mayhave misjudged that one), and perhaps inadvertently displaying contempt forwomen. Today’s Supreme Court decision denying permission for an abortion was asurprise to me, as I’m sure to many, and perhaps it’s too soon to hear nationalreaction. I am relieved to hear that Mrs. Cox will seek treatment outsideTexas, and I am hoping against hope that Paxton, relishing his iron sword, doesnot go after her or whoever drove her to the airport. That would add unthinkablecruelty to a situation that is already outrageous.
I did a bit of searching,spurred on by my indignation. To my surprise, three of the nine justices on theTexas Supreme Court are women. Perhaps it is old-fashioned thinking on my part,but I would have thought women would have more sympathy for Mrs. Cox as an individual, would understand the heartacheof a pregnancy gone bad, the fear of losing your fertility—and possibly yourlife, with two young children at home. But alas, the women either did not havethe compassion I expected or were not able to prevail over six white men. (Isay white, because I think that is part of the Texas problem—and maybe the U.S.—weare ruled by mostly old white men). Significantly I found no way for us tocontact these exalted beings to express our concern, so they are isolated intheir ivory tower, free to interpret the law however. They are all Republicans.
It seems to me Kate Cox islost in this whole mess, although she has been a vocal and sympathetic presence.Still in their rush to—what? Judgment? Discipline? Punishment? —neither KenPaxton nor apparently the justices considered Kate Cox as a living breathinghuman being, an individual who loves and hopes and grieves, who has twochildren at home undoubtedly affected by this trauma. Nope. They forged aheadfollowing a bizarre set of laws that most of us resent.
My question is what happenswhen the letter of the law clashes with the wellbeing of an individual? We allknow that if you hear of a thousand deaths in a bombing, it’s hard to wrap yourmind around the horror. But give us a close-up story of one individual, and itsuddenly all becomes real. To me, Kate Cox made this whole abortion mess seemup close and personal. I instantly decided I do not want any of my threegranddaughters to settle in Texas, much as I would love to have them all nextdoor to me.
In a way I see Kate Cox aspart of a bigger and most unfortunate trend in America. We have lost theindividual in a maze of laws and rules and restrictions. I had occasion todayto call my bank with a problem where I thought if they looked at the record,they would see that maybe they could bend their rules. I have been a customer/clientat this bank at least since the early eighties. I may not have a lot of money,but I have been steady, never bounced checks, kept a good balance in checking andsavings. When we remodeled the house and renovated the cottage, a personalbanker saw me through the process. But today when I called to ask forreasonable reconsideration of a banking decision, I was met with first arun-around, from one person to another, and ultimately someone who gave me alot of corporate-speak. I understand that banks have rigid rules, that theydepend on credit ratings, etc., but I thought they could take background andrecord into consideration. Not so.
And that’s what I see as aproblem in our society—rules dominate over individuals. I’m not asking for theday when a handshake was good for a deal, but I am saying not all cases orsituations fit into one rigid mold. Somewhere there has to be room for compassion,empathy, concern for the individual.
That’s what is missing fromthe Kate Cox case. I wish her Godspeed. May she have a successful abortion,come home (I wouldn’t be surprised if her family leaves Texas), and have as manymore healthy babies as she wants. Texas has done itself no favors in this case,but it has given us all something to think about.
