The legendary actress Mae West is quoted as saying: “Those who are easily shocked should be shocked more often.”

Who should be shocked more often today? Women. Why? In light of the draconian state laws being promulgated with the sole purpose of either severely restricting, or in some cases totally eliminating, abortion rights and access to abortion pills (medication abortion), women should both be “shocked more often” and dismayed by any inability to control their own bodies, health and family choices.

What to do or not to do? The answer was given to women by the historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich: “Well-behaved women seldom make history.”

Women should change their demeanor, become less “well behaved” and make history by organizing against such state-mandated legislation, protesting and holding rallies, initiating letter-writing campaigns against state and national legislators who do not support a woman’s right to control all facets of her body, and educating men with respect to these female-centered issues.

In the much larger context, and not just related to individual states, women should continue the pursuit of national legislation to recognize abortion as a medical option available to all women in a uniform and meaningful manner, regardless of where one lives.

To seek an abortion is a highly personal choice to undertake; the ultimate decision should be left to a woman and her physician, and not male- and/or Republican-dominated state legislative bodies. So, women, start misbehaving and make history.

John M. Mishler
Harpswell

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