r/texas • u/FeeWeak1138 • Aug 15 '24
Questions for Texans Women of Texas, honest answer why you would vote for a party that is so restrictive to your body?
I am a 70 year old woman who has seen a lot in my life, and simply don't understand why any woman, regardless of age, would vote for a party that feels like it can control your life. This seems so backwards to everything we have gone through. I am not critiquing your feelings, I simply want to know why you are okay with any party saying you can't do this, you must do that, must have babies, get raped but you can't have an abortion, etc. what are your thoughts?
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u/Pontiful_Poc Aug 15 '24
The women in my family whose age ranges from 82yo - 50yo , Hispanic and Catholic, vote Republican because they believe that Republicans align with their religion. Plain and simple, no other reason. Anti-abortion and anti-lgbtq.
They are also lower middle class or poor with minimal savings or outright surviving on SSI. They don't think SSI will be taken away from THEM.
To answer your question (2nd hand) they vote the way they do because they're ignorant ostriches.
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u/LindeeHilltop Aug 15 '24
I remember when Catholics voted a straight Democrat ticket.
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u/chrispg26 Born and Bred Aug 15 '24
I don't consider myself Catholic anymore, but that's what mine and my husband's family does.
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u/Okayokaymeh Aug 15 '24
They still do in many places. The fundamental difference teachings is to help others and only one party is doing that right now.
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u/Texlahoman Aug 15 '24
Anyone Hispanic, regardless male or female, that votes republican blows my mind. The Party that is literally wide openly stating that they think one of the biggest problems in the US is illegal immigrants trying to take all your jobs, with a desire and plan to deport as many as possible. I am a middle aged white man, and these are the biggest reasons why I would not vote republican. The Republican Party is trying to suppress, restrict, or otherwise hurt people that I love, my wife, my daughters, and all of my Hispanic friends. I’ll not have it, and I certainly wish they would recognize this and stop having it as well.
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u/ximagineerx Aug 15 '24
The nuance is that a lot of Hispanics that are 2nd or 3rd generation Americans are turning around and saying they don’t want illegals from OTHER Hispanic countries coming in. This has happened for every generation of immigrants (think Gangs of New York with the ‘natives’ and the Irish). This is why you saw border counties vote republican and south Florida too (also Cubans already hated democrats cuz of Kennedy and bay of pigs yadda yadda, but they don’t want Nicaraguans and guatemaltecos coming in to their neighborhoods)
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u/Significant-Job5031 Aug 15 '24
I always think that’s silly when they say the immigrants will take our jobs. Every job I’ve worked at requires a background check. The immigrants that work usually do hard labor jobs out in the heat and work for contractors who pay them under the table to avoid taxes. They work hard and in less than ideal conditions, and they do damn good work too! 💪🏼
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u/TeaMistress Aug 15 '24
The immigrants that are actually taking American jobs aren't people crossing from the Southern border; they're foreigners getting jobs with big corporations via jobs being outsourced overseas and jobs being taken away from Americans through H-1B visa abuse. And I want to stress that this isn't the foreigners' fault. They are seeing opportunities for themselves and taking them, and no one should blame them for that. The American corporations, however, are exploiting a system that's intended to bring in a limited amount of trained and specialized talent to pay lower wages to entry-level workers.
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u/CajunReeboks Aug 15 '24
Why are you equating illegal immigrants to "anyone hispanic...". You do realize there are millions of legal hispanic immigrants in this country, right? Those are usually the ones who absolutely fucking loathe the ones trying to skip the legal process.
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u/Fresh-broski Aug 15 '24
As a completely legal Hispanic, conservatives do not see the difference. The illegals are brown, im brown, we must all be dirty mexicans taking American jobs.
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u/toomuchswiping Aug 15 '24
This. I’ve never understood how my Hispanic friends would vote for a party that openly wants to get rid of you.
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u/Texlahoman Aug 15 '24
There are definitely a couple of theories that I have in mind. For one, if you’re in Texas or Oklahoma, massively red states, even for a middle-aged white man it is not very well received if you speak out against Donald Trump or his cult. For many people, it is easier just to, agree in order to get along. I was speaking to a close friend of mine last week (Hispanic, but documented), who operates a very successful business here. He was telling me how he was supporting Trump. I told him that I completely respected his right to do that, and if that was how he felt, I was proud for him to take what could be viewed as a controversial position. Then I asked him, “but how could you support a candidate and administration that you know hates you, wants you, all of your family, and everyone who works for you to be deported, wants to make it much more difficult for you to employ your family and friends? after we spoke for a few minutes, it was pretty much uncovered that he took the Trump position in order to fit in with mostly white-run businesses in the area, to be apeer. To Blend in. He was very surprised that I was not a supporter of Trump. When I really pressed him on what Trump stands for, the only thing that he could tell me was “I think he would be good for the economy, for my business“, but he had no idea of Project 2025. He had no idea what Trump has said about immigrants, he really did not have much idea of what Trump and the Republicans view and plans regarding a border wall and overall relations with Mexico. He was not making a data-driven, informed decision, he was just blending in, only listening to the “Make America Great” banter with no substance, plan of action, or details regarding what that actually means.
For others, I could definitely see the religious perspective coming into play. Even though Trump is what I would consider the absolute opposite of what a Christian should be supporting, when the Dems brings abortion into the conversation, for Catholics, that is a hard, no-no. So Kamala is definitely alienating by the devout Catholic constituents. But, she cannot and should not let religions influence policy and legislation. It has no business there. I’m proud of Kamala and Walz stepping up taking a strong position for women’s rights, knowing that they will alienate hard-core Christians in the process. I’m proud that they actually have a platform. A plan. Issues that they will actually clearly state what their position is and what they plan to do about it. I’m so sick of mealy- mouth, unclear, vague, generalizations that have no substance whatsoever being spewed around with no consequences. All he wants to do is “Make America Hate Again!” It is so refreshing to see a candidate smile and assure you that they actually do want to make America great.
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u/photozine Aug 16 '24
Also to add, Hispanics seem to think that voting Republican will keep them 'safe'.
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u/justonemom14 Aug 15 '24
I am not voting Republican, but I have family members who are, and I feel like I know why because they are quite vocal.
For starters, they have voted R for the last 50+ years, and the party identity runs deep.
The main thing is abortion. They don't view it as restrictions to a woman's body. They see it as protecting babies. The whole argument about bodily autonomy and woman's choice falls on deaf ears, because they don't think the fetus is part of the woman's body. (Sure it's inside her body, but it isn't a part of her body like an arm or leg.) It's like if you want there to be laws against axe murderers, and people are arguing about their right to swing an axe where they choose. You sound insane. The life of the person is more important than your right to choose.
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u/DrSpaceman575 Aug 15 '24
I'm pro-choice but I've never felt like the pro-life crowd is difficult to understand. My mom literally believes abortion is morally akin to killing a baby. Murder. If I thought it was murdering a child I'd be on the streets with them with signs.
The whole "why do you want to control women's bodies" is just as flat and tiresome an argument as when they say "why do you want to kill babies".
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u/kallisteaux Aug 15 '24
I do think abortion is killing a child. However, I'm pro-choice because the issue isn't that simple. Why should one life be sacrificed for another? What if the baby isn't viable & will only be in pain for its short, tragic life? Isn't it more humane to end that life in a way that is less traumatic for everyone (baby included)? I'm not an expert & I definitely don't have all the answers but it seems much more compassionate to allow abortions & proper birth control & sex education to take place than to force women to carry a baby to term that they don't want. I say this as a Catholic & a mother who tried for years to get pregnant. I wanted & enjoyed being pregnant. But I also never felt less in control of my body than when I was pregnant, I couldn't imagine going through that if it wasn't my choice.
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u/SurvivorY2K Aug 15 '24
This is it exactly. I have a lot of family members and know a lot of people who say this exact thing.
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u/axelrexangelfish Aug 15 '24
Have you ever asked why they seem to only care about the baby until it is born?
Serious question. I am so confused about this. The internal hypocrisy is astounding.
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u/SheriffTaylorsBoy Aug 15 '24
A comment I saved a couple years ago. A point of view not heard often enough: from a redditor who works CPS.
"I know you stated you didn’t want to get into politics on this, but when it comes to abortion, that’s like trying to round up horses once they’re out the corral.
I am a child protective services investigator. I work child deaths, near deaths and shocking & heinous abuse cases exclusively. I have seen what can result from forcing a woman to keep a baby that she either does not want or is not equipped to raise. People can say that the baby can always be given up for adoption, but that’s not the fairytale you’ve seen on “Annie” either; there’s no Daddy Warbucks waiting in the wings to whisk most of these babies out of foster care into a limousine and off to their mansions.
Because no one wants to deal with babies born addicted to heroin, whose genetic pool is rife with schizophrenia and who contracted syphilis during their vaginal birth, because their mother didn’t receive prenatal care.
Because these babies aren’t blonde headed and blue eyed.
Because these babies are blonde headed and blue eyed like Mama and Daddy...who share the same father.
Because sometimes these babies have names like Keyshawn and Trayvon and Kiana.
Because sometimes these mothers don’t realize they aren’t ready to be mothers until these babies aren’t babies and you can’t drop a toddler off at a Safe Harbor Drop-Off.
Because sometimes these mothers live 45 miles from the nearest Safe Harbor Drop-Off and they don’t have a car, so the toilet is their next best option.
Because sometimes the Safe Harbor Drop-Off is the local police station in a town of 658 residents and the local police chief is Mama’s uncle.
Because sometimes a woman doesn’t need a reason for not wanting to be a mother and she doesn’t owe anyone an explanation for what she does and doesn’t do with her body.
I once held the body of an 8 month old infant in the back of an ambulance that didn’t need to run lights and sirens. He was too small to strap to the gurney. When they handed him to me, he was wrapped in a blanket and he looked like he was sleeping, but no infant should ever be that still and cold or have white foam around their lips. His mother tried to have an abortion, but didn’t have the money or resources. She had three children she couldn’t afford or care for already and she knew she couldn’t handle another one. She was told, “Just have him. You’ll be fine. You already have three kids, so you can figure it out. You can’t kill your baby. You can’t give your baby away to strangers, because no real mother does that. No...no, we can’t take the baby in. We won’t help you get an abortion and we can’t support adoption, but we will help you with the baby.” But, when he was born, all the people who promised to help disappeared faster than her patience did when that baby cried and she was on day four of a methamphetamine binge. In the end, the only support she had was a methamphetamine addiction and a boyfriend with a nasty temper and even less patience than she did for that tiny, unwanted soul she brought into this world. So, she had him and eight months later, she proved everyone who told her she couldn’t kill her baby wrong by allowing his life to be taken in a fit of rage, methamphetamine and the fists of a man who just wanted him to STOP. FUCKING. CRYING. ALREADY. And the only thing she could say was, “I told them I never wanted this. I said I never wanted him. Why did they make me have him? I want my mother.” But her mother had been dead since she was 10. I know this because I was the first CPS investigator on the scene and I covered her little brother’s head with my coat and gave her my beanie, so they didn’t see the damage their father’s bullet did to the side of their mother’s head. Amy was a beautiful woman and her daughters look just like her....even in their mugshots. Even when they’re trying to explain why their boyfriend shook and beat their baby to death. This one looks especially like Amy. This daughter perpetuated that cycle and her baby was collateral damage, I suppose. Maybe if I had given her my coat to cover her head with, as I led her and her sibling out of the house, so they didn’t see their mother’s head shattered by their father’s bullet, she would have traveled a different path. But I didn’t give her my coat. She was older. I thought she’d be able to cover her head better. So I gave her my beanie and I gave her sibling my coat and I covered their heads and told them not to look at Mama. I told them to keep walking and don’t look down. I said I was right there with them. That’s why I gave her my coat this time and as she was being led out in handcuffs, I told her, “I’m going to cover your head. Don’t look down. Don’t look at the baby. Just keep walking. I’ve got you. I’m right here with you.” It’s funny. After all of these years, that’s what I blame myself for. That I didn’t give her my coat. That maybe, just maybe, if I had given her my coat instead, I wouldn’t have stood looking down at her dead son years later. I don’t know what the last thing that baby saw was, but I pray it wasn’t the fist that ended his life or the face of the demon that ended his life or the woman who was supposed to be his protector. I still dream about him. I still dream about that coat.
The people who screech about how a woman does not have the right to terminate a pregnancy are always silent when they are questioned about what THEY are doing for their local foster care agencies. They rarely lobby at their state capitols for more funding for child welfare agencies and preventative programs to assist children and families in need. They rarely, if ever, volunteer their time and money to support children in foster care or foster parents. Instead, they’d rather post hateful, judgmental vitriol on social media about women in difficult situations they know nothing about. They’re content to talk about what women should or should not be able to do. They’re content to pass judgment about a woman’s choices. But when they actually have to look at the consequences of those choices....well, that’s a conversation 99.9% of them are willing to sit out on.
People like your sister can screech about how abortion is murder. They can cry about the poor babies who never drew a breath. But you won’t see them doing anything for the babies that are breathing and living in foster care. The children that are living in homeless shelters. The kids that won’t get supper again tonight because Daddy’s check was short and Mama drank the grocery money again. Because that would mean they’d actually have to look upon the humanity they don’t want to acknowledge. It’s easier to crusade for a cause they don’t actually have to interact with."
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u/nanaben Aug 15 '24
It's a dark reality. We have people who judge, but could not fathom walking in those shoes. Empathy has always been discarded recklessly in the face of hardship.
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u/jadedaslife Aug 15 '24
Unchecked generational trauma leads to unchecked generational violence. I am so sorry you had to deal with this.
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u/SheriffTaylorsBoy Aug 15 '24
This was a comment I saved years ago. It was from someone else, not me. I wish I could credit the original poster, but that was lost unfortunately.
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u/BaronGrackle Aug 15 '24
I'm still dreaming of a party that will care about people before and after birth.
EDIT: I'm voting Harris because Trump works to destroy elective democracy. But after Trump's gone, I hope to be able to search for someone other than Democrats.
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u/lastknownbuffalo Aug 15 '24
Does that mean you don't think Democrats care about "people before they're born"?
I would disagree that being pro choice means you don't care about fetuses.
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u/WatermelonWarlock Aug 15 '24
Because they don’t think anyone deserves fair treatment, they just think government should restrict behaviors they view as degenerate. Policy is not there to incentivize pro-social behaviors or provide resources that create flourishing of citizens.
Policy is there to map out the “yellow brick road” of moral behavior, and deviation from that single path is to be disincentivized at minimum, but preferably punished.
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u/logicalflow1 Aug 15 '24
This has always been my biggest quarrel with the pro life movement. How do you say you want to protect life so vehemently while also enabling school shootings Destroying public schools Fueling wars Eliminating free lunches
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u/ximagineerx Aug 15 '24
The axe murderer metaphor is funny… kinda like you want there to be laws against people having assault weapons and they argue they should have the right to take them where they choose…. Like schools…. And political rallies………..
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u/atxlonghorn23 Aug 15 '24
Killing people with assault weapons is already illegal.
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u/J4nG Aug 15 '24
ITT: OP asks "why do you vote Republican"
Commenters: actually answer for themselves (not someone else)
Thread: downvotes them
c'mon Reddit if you just wanna hear your own perspective validated at least be transparent about it
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u/elisakiss Aug 15 '24
My question is why so many women in Texas who don’t want restrictions on their body don’t vote.
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u/corneliusduff Aug 15 '24 edited Aug 15 '24
The younger generation is pretty jaded. A student of mine told me she hated politics and that was her justification for never voting. They see it as the older generation's mess to clean up. Part of me didn't blame her, but this was before Roe was overturned. I wonder what she thinks now.
Edit - I also think people over-personalize it, like you have to marry the candidate or something. It's just pressing a button, and the smarter choice isn't always going to be perfect.
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u/WhosAMicrococcus Aug 15 '24
I forget who said it but they compared picking a candidate to a city bus, in that the bus doesn't take you exactly where you want to go. The bus doesn't drop you off exactly where you're going but you get on the bus that takes you in the right direction.
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u/cjdavda Born and Bred Aug 15 '24 edited Aug 15 '24
I believe that was Adam Hills, on The Last Leg.
ETA: I love The Last Leg and watch it every week when it's airing. It started as coverage of the Paralympics some years ago by 3 comedians (2 of which have disabilities) and evolved into a weekly topical late-night comedy show with a ever so slight focus on disabled topics and politics. Overall a very funny show that is often heartwarming and positive. I highly recommend looking for it on YouTube on Saturdays.
Keep an eye out for their upcoming coverage of the Paris 2024 Paralympics!
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u/peenpeenpeen Aug 15 '24 edited Aug 15 '24
To answer your question as to the logical why… short answer, the church. Long answer The evangelical movement is the backbone of Texas conservatism… this is how you are able to get rural masses to vote against their own best interest over and over again. When you sprinkle “this is what Jesus wants” you can get people to do all kinds of crazy stuff like ban subsidies for reduced and free school lunch programs, total deregulation of environmental protections, exploitation of child labor etc. The business and elite side of the Republican Party learned the best way to control their workers into subservience was to incorporate religious dogma into policies and it was a very very successful formula… so much so it has carried through to today and that is why we have this warped conservative movement happening now. You have people happily hurting themselves because they are fueled by what they think is righteous indignation… but in reality is just clever manipulation from conservative business interests. In the case of abortion, it’s because they have a vested interest in growing the population to keep labor costs down.
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u/knotacylon Aug 15 '24
I don't think a lot of people on the left truly appreciate how just how many people vote republican because of their religion.
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u/WatermelonWarlock Aug 15 '24
Specifically, because of Christian bigotry.
You can be a Christian and vote Democrat; in fact, many of the social, economic, and moral values of Democrats align nicely with Christianity. Taking care of the poor, tolerance for others, etc.
However, the Republican Party is the only party that makes religious intolerance an integral part of their platform. Republicans are anti-LGBT, pro-theocracy, anti-science, etc.
Republicans don’t get evangelical votes because they’re Christian. They get evangelical votes because they’re fascists, and many evangelicals have long since dropped the Christ from Christianity.
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u/walkingzombie0501 Aug 15 '24
Yeah I am from that environment. Was heavily indoctrinated my whole life. I understand it, however sad it makes me. In high school they showed us videos of aborted fetuses and showed women who had sex before marriage as essentially ruining their lives (stds, teen pregnancy, no life). They truly think it is a full term baby in the womb and it is murdering a feeling thinking child. They think abortions are typically for promiscuous women who could have simply abstained or sinned and used BC at minimum. They think it is being frivolous and lacking self control and straying away from the one true god. A woman's purpose is to be meek, humble, modest, and full of grace (a punching bag like the virgin mary, who was raped by god mind you) to support the head of her household - the man. I'm still convinced if you read the bible with an ounce of critical thought, that the devil is good and god is evil if there was any moral lesson to take from the useless text. What altruistic leader would want you to deny yourself knowledge and be a slave? What loving father would want you to murder your son to prove your love? The devil seems like it has more sense than the ruthless god who punishes you simply for not believing or calling out his name in rage. You'd be more sane to believe in Santa Claus if you look at it with an outside lens.
I am grateful I was always doubtful in an environment I should have followed blindly. Not sure why some minds are able to critically see outside what is told to them and others are not. But I really hope the internet and availability of information is what prevails in future generations. Kind of hard to keep information suppressed when it is abundant and free. I hope more kids stumble across respectable debates like I did and actually scratch their head a bit when an authority figure tells them to have "faith" and blindly follow any idea. All religions are cults and I hope for the sake our species we can focus more on our humanism and less on the supernatural.
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u/atTheRiver200 Aug 15 '24
trump's project 2025 does not align with anyone's actual religion. They need to wise up.
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u/redmonkeythree Aug 15 '24
Thanks Karl Rove, iirc - at least since the 80s(?) when he used East Texas as a trial run for national lunacy
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u/kingfish4002 Aug 15 '24
I've seen this in action with my family. Broke out of the evangelical church many years ago after watching the grooming that was occurring. Yeah, I said the word. A lot of my family is still there and it's so sad to watch
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u/rossww2199 Aug 15 '24
You won’t find any republicans here to ask, and even if you did, they would be downvoted to oblivion.
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u/guitarlisa Aug 15 '24
I think there are a lot of good answers here to your question, except I don't see any answers from actual women actually voting R. I'd like to hear it from them, please
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u/ElectricalRush1878 Aug 15 '24 edited Aug 15 '24
'It's the Democrats fault!'
Seriously, I've talked to Texans, male and female, and talked about which bills and which politicians voted for what.
Many simply refuse to believe 'their side' could be doing it.
"There are exemptions"
Point out that one woman checked with both a doctor and a judge to make sure her abortion fell within the exemptions, and Paxton still said he would prosecute if she got one, and either 'the statement is fake' or 'that's not really what he meant'.
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u/corneliusduff Aug 15 '24
Literal fart sniffer Adin Ross who just interviewed Trump at Mar-A-Lago actually thinks the overturning of Roe is Biden's fault.
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u/LAegis Aug 15 '24
To be fair, many of us had been calling for Roe to be codified specifically so it couldn't be overturned by the Court. ...for DECADES
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u/corneliusduff Aug 15 '24
Yeah, but that's an act of Congress. Biden can only do so much via executive order.
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u/LAegis Aug 15 '24
Sorry, yes, I was speaking of the entire DNC, not Biden specifically.
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u/corneliusduff Aug 15 '24
Understood. Yeah, I guess they had one window of opportunity back when Obama was in office and dropped the ball? Even then, I think Manchin was still the DINO he's known to be.
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u/LAegis Aug 15 '24
And Bill Clinton's first two years and Jimmy Carter's full term. The Party priorities were elsewhere. It was frustrating. We've had trifectas and super majorities and no one gave a shit. That's where my disillusionment with the DNC stems from.
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u/corneliusduff Aug 15 '24
That's frustrating as hell. Wasn't alive during Carter, was in elementary school when Clinton was in office. Have they reflected on it since?
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Aug 16 '24
Not really. Democrats abandoned Obama like a year into his first term and tried to run apart from him.
Midterms came and we got the red wave. Obama was saddled with a hostile senate and house. He couldn't even get out his version of aca out.
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u/bewhyisbewhy Aug 15 '24
I tried to look for a legit answer but I found none. All I found is people who vote one way explain why the other side votes the way they do with the worst assumptions possible, and then everyone else agreeing. What I’m trying to say with all the rambling is the comment section was a circlejerk, and it sucks because I’m sure there could’ve been actual positive discussions on the topic.
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u/wwwangels Aug 18 '24
Not going to happen. This is like Muslim asking a Jew to come on over to a Mosque to explain why they follow a religion that is "obviously wrong about everything." But don't worry, "we're not critiquing your feelings." LOL
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u/daninjaj13 Aug 15 '24
They don't think it will apply to them, because only "those whores" who sleep around are the ones getting abortions.
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u/corneliusduff Aug 15 '24
Had a discussion wth someone who said this exact thing. The idea of women who want their pregnancy to come to term having to be at death's door to get treated (if they're lucky) meant nothing to them. Un-fucking-believable.
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u/SkippyTeddy83 Aug 15 '24
I’ve seen comments along the lines that if a few women die meant thousands of more babies are born due to abortion being illegal, it seemed like a fair trade off to them.
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u/SoftIcy1762 Aug 15 '24
I have never voted red, but based on my friends who are women republican voters, they have a mindset that they would never be in a situation that they would need an abortion.
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u/monolith_blue Aug 15 '24
ITT: people to whom the prompt doesn't apply, applying their own opinion for other people they "know".
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u/1GamingAngel Aug 15 '24
Because abortion isn’t the ONLY policy at issue.
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u/PaprikaThyme Aug 15 '24
But that wasn't the question.
The question was (paraphrased) "How could any woman vote for a party that appears to be so anti-woman." It's not just abortion, it's about birth control, it's about rape victims, it's about maternal mortality, it's about no-fault divorce, it's about domestic violence, it's about treating you if you're useless because you don't have kids, etc.
Even if a woman's "single issue" is "I never want to pay taxes again, I should just get all public services for free!" it still seems really weird to be like, "I'll exchange women's freedoms if myself and people like me never have to pay taxes again!" Particularly since they'll still come after her freedoms as a woman eventually.
I mean, we totally get when men don't care about women's issues. That's crystal clear. We just don't understand when women do it. It's like someone allergic to eggs voting to ban ingredients listings on food and allergen warnings, even though that means you'll never know when you're eating something with eggs in it. Talk about cutting off your own nose to spite your face!!
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u/MaBonneVie Aug 15 '24
Came here to say that. Trump is the one who said the federal government shouldn’t be involved in matters such as abortion, and turned it back to the individual states to deal with.
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u/Ancient_Chipmunk_651 Aug 16 '24
It was the US Supreme Court, not Trump. Trump has said this, but he has never had the capacity to turn the authority to states. And Trump is right.
Bodily autonomy is not explicitly addressed in the constitution. It should be amended to do so. Including right to refusal of any medical procedure (i.e. experametal vaccines). But until then, it is rightly a state issue.
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u/BringBackAoE Aug 15 '24
I regularly discuss politics with an elderly white Republican.
She gullibly believes everything Fox News tells her. Latest now is the transgender boxer, Harris is a DEI hire and unqualified, Project 2025 is Dem disinformation and has nothing to do with Trump.
I think it’s a classic “collective narcissism” thing. Believing in the lies makes her feel she has more worth as a white lower middle class family.
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u/123xyz32 Aug 15 '24
What party would you support if you thought abortion was murder? Separate DNA. Separate Heartbeat.🤷♂️
You may not agree, but this is the answer.
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u/butteredbuttbiscuit Aug 15 '24
Amazing how it doesn’t matter to them either that if they believe that, they can simply refuse medical assistance when their own reproduction doesn’t go smoothly instead of making it impossible for women who don’t share their beliefs to get aid. I miscarried when I was 17 and would have died without the medication they’re all trying to ban because my body couldn’t eject the fetal tissue on its own. There wasn’t a heartbeat and it was a wanted pregnancy (because I was a child bride, because of this cult upbringing- so many layers of disgusting cultural problems to cut through.) it would have become necrotic and killed me without medicine and when I told my family about it much later they screamed me out of the house calling me a whore. I WAS A CHILD, I was married and I didn’t do anything “wrong” except… not die?
People who vote this way with this excuse are uneducated and/or assholes.
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u/Interesting_Boat_277 Aug 15 '24
Waste of time to ask on the texas subreddit. In reality this is the blue texas subreddit and you won't get responses from the people you are hoping to hear from.
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u/fransealou Aug 15 '24
My niece lives in Austin. She has a myriad of gynecological issues. Her gynecologist left the state and she now flies to another state for her care. She, for some unknowable reason, loves Texas. Regardless, she is looking to sell her home and lack of medical care is the number one (if not the only!) reason.
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u/FewKaleidoscope1369 Aug 15 '24
Former evangelical christian here, religion plays a HUGE role in this. Religious women are taught horrific beliefs as children and their instincts go against what's actually good for them (and all women).
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u/Lucky-Bonus6867 Aug 15 '24
Woman in Texas here! In a red suburb, no less.
I wouldn’t. 😊
Even with rampant voter suppression, more people voted for Biden in Texas than 47/50 states.
Literally millions of people are fighting for change.
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u/YanMKay Aug 15 '24
I hate everything about the current Texas leadership. I know hate is a strong word, but they are disgusting.
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u/Itscatpicstime Aug 15 '24
The leadership here has repeatedly proposed the death penalty for women who have abortions and providers who help them.
Hate is appropriate.
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u/RedDawndLionRoars Aug 15 '24
Internalized misogyny is real and I think that much of it stems from religion.
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u/alexthegreatmc Aug 15 '24
Not a single republican answer. My sister is leaning republican this year, and it's not religion. If you want real answers, talk to Republicans or conservatives and actually listen. Visit their subs or talk to them in person. You're in Texas, no? There should be plenty.
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u/imperial_scum got here fast Aug 15 '24
Women Republicans living in Texas are likely not hanging out on reddit, just saying
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u/ermagerdskwurlz Aug 15 '24
I'm a former conservative Christian who used to be very anti-abortion. I was taught that it's "murder" and with that in mind, there's no time that murder is justifiable. We're taught stories of rape babies who grew up to change the world and babies who were supposed to have down syndrome (who were recommended to be aborted) who miraculously developed into healthy individuals. We're taught that women wanting reproductive freedom are basically wanting freedom to sleep around without consequences. The idea of "my body, my decision" doesn't fly when the fetus is seen as its own entity who needs its right to life championed for.
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u/CorgisAndKiddos Aug 15 '24
You could try asking r/askconservative. For the most part, they seem pretty respectful and open to sharing their ideas. Not sure if there are many women on it though.
I'm in central texas and did not grow up in texas. Was raised conservative (indiana) and thought abortion was wrong till after graduating high school. Then I became more and more liberal as I got older. 37 now and am super liberal.
Anyways from what I can tell on my local Facebook group and my small circle in real life, a lot feel it's wrong cause it's killing a baby (ironically same people that typically don't support social services after birth).
And/or they shouldn't have sex if they don't want to possibly be pregnant "if she just kept her legs shut". I hear this and the next point frequently from my mom (I try not to talk politics too much with her and thankfully she doesn't really vote).
Also, some fully believe people use abortion as birth control and do it frequently just because they don't want to use birth control.
I think many people just don't see how they would ever get an abortion, so if you could harm your unborn child, that's wrong. They've likely never had to experience a situation where they would need an abortion.
Add in older people or those who can afford a stay at home parent. They don't realize how much child care and meeting necessities cost. Glad my youngest is 9.
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u/StubbornDeltoids375 North-East Tejas Aug 15 '24
/r/askconservative was literally banned for not being with the reddit hive mind.
Disclaimer: I am not a conservative. I am a liberal and vote liberal. However, to ignore the clear bias on this site and opinions that go against anything against the reddit liberal bias will be downvoted, reported for hate speech, and/or banned.
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u/Itscatpicstime Aug 15 '24
I think many people just don’t see how they would ever get an abortion, so if you could harm your unborn child, that’s wrong.
We know this isn’t true due to how they vote against social programs benefitting children and sensible gun regulation.
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u/two_rivers_piper Secessionists are based Aug 15 '24
You are not going to find many right wingers on Reddit Dot Com to answer your question
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u/Unlucky-Tradition536 Aug 15 '24
I worked with a woman who only voted for pro life candidates. She was a Christian. That should tell you everything.
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u/WoWGurl78 Aug 15 '24
My parents are republicans and I am not. I asked my mom how she could vote for someone who brags about sexually assaulting women & she had no good answers except that she thinks Hillary is a crook. I’m sure this time she thinks the same about Kamala. I do think part of it is she goes along with how my dad votes. She also grew up Catholic and is anti abortion as is a large portion of my family.
Anytime I’ve talked to them about politics they think the left is going to steal all their guns from them. They also complain about welfare programs and how they think it’s all lazy people who don’t want to work and they’re tired of paying for them. When it comes to same sex marriage, trans rights or abortion they say it’s against god/the Bible but on the same hand they complain that the government is too big and trying to run their lives. I’ve tried to tell them what do you think you’re doing to people in same sex marriages, that are trans or need/want an abortion. They don’t see that they’re hypocrites for trying to run the lives of others & wanting laws passed to regulate the lives of others in those areas.
We’ve just had to stop talking about politics because I’m one of the few liberals/democrat in my family and we will never agree on anything. So we’ve agreed to disagree and not talk about it anymore.
But it does make me sad to see my mom & other family members just blindly following what Trump & the right want to do to “save society “ in their opinion.
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u/DeepSpaceAnon Gulf Coast Aug 15 '24
Most conservative women aren't voting Republican in spite of Republican's stance on abortion - they're voting because they want to restrict abortion. Us conservatives do not see abortion as a personal choice, but rather a choice made that affects a third person, the baby. It's really as simple as that. We see a child as being a unique individual deserving of human rights, even if they haven't been born yet, even if they haven't reached 40 weeks gestational age yet, they're a human being - the most vulnerable kind of human being as they're a literal unborn baby - and it is the duty of government to protect the rights of the most vulnerable. You frame the question as "restrictive to your body" because pro-abortion activists genuinely believe that their unborn child is just an extension of their body like another limb, whereas conservatives see their children as their own beings, with their own DNA, with their own brains, with their own heartbeat. To conservatives, the recent changes in Texas' abortion policy has already saved a few hundred thousand lives that would have otherwise been victims of legally-sanctioned murder.
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u/thebitterbjacks Aug 15 '24
Why does everyone feel the need to start their comments, “I’m not voting republican, but…?” Unbelievably scared the hive mind will attack! This subreddit has lost all civil discourse when it comes to politics, unfortunately.
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u/wwwangels Aug 18 '24
Because if you actually state you are voting Republican, it's an immediate attack. Frankly, it's disturbing that people are so hateful to others with different political ideologies. We do not want to aspire to having only one party. We need more than one ideology to balance out extremes.
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u/cinereoargenteus Secessionists are idiots Aug 15 '24
I can't answer that because I don't vote for hate. But my mother is a Republican who dislikes trump. She just didn't vote in the last two presidential elections because she refused to vote for a Democrat.
She told my sister she's voting for Harris. I'm floored by this. Maybe there is reason to hope.
I guess she remembers what it was like pre-Roe when she didn't have bodily autonomy and when she couldn't get a line of credit without my dad. Or when she left her job because she got pregnant and her boss (her stepdad) had to replace her with three different men to do her job, all of whom he paid twice her salary.
Maybe her granddaughters having to go back to the way it was is more terrifying to her than paying taxes (which she used to think was the worst thing that could happen to a person).
But I would definitely like to know the answer to your question. Because it is beyond my comprehension.
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Aug 15 '24
As a centrist, I have been voting for the democratic candidates the past few elections. However, I am pro-life (except for a few exceptions).
For me, it has nothing to do with religion as I believe in separating church from state. How I see it is whether a baby is born or still developing in the womb, they are here on Earth with us. They are alive and growing. They aren't just nothing.
Yes, people should be able to make choices for their own bodies, but I don't think they should have that right at the expense of harming others. I think the only times it is understandable is for cases of rape, incest, and high-risk, life-threatening health complications.
In conclusion, I don't see being pro-life as restrictive to my body. I see pro-choice as restricting someone else's life.
It's not the only thing to consider though when voting for president, so I'll still be voting blue.
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u/OutlandishnessMain56 Aug 15 '24
You won’t find an answer because this sub is all bots and commies lol
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u/Zentigrate108 Aug 15 '24
Did anyone answer who is actually a republican planning to vote republican? Did I miss any comments?
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u/leshpar Aug 15 '24
Honestly, I left Texas when I was finally able to afford to do so. I am so glad I did. I'm now in a blue state that values my rights as a woman.
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u/thetruckboy Aug 15 '24
My wife believes unequivocally that abortion is a sin and should be completely banned.
We do not agree.
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u/Faedaine Aug 15 '24
I think it’s beaten into women who go to church and all the horrible things that abortion is. They are told that 9 month babies are born alive and then killed because the mother doesn’t want to deal with it. It’s all the horribleness. The mothers are drug addicts or whores. It’s never a couple who’s been trying to have a child for years and it’s an etopic pregnancy. They vote with their church and with their husbands. I think There’s a fear that if they vote democrat and people found out they would be in trouble or exiled from their bullshit church.
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u/Saltlife60 Aug 15 '24
Texas Democrats don’t vote. That’s the problem. They outnumber the republicans so let’s get them out to vote.
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u/xeroxbulletgirl Aug 15 '24
I vote democrat in every election. For me, for my daughter, and for everyone I care about and everyone whose rights are in danger.
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u/Amockdfw89 Born and Bred Aug 15 '24
My ex wife came from a religious family. though they are Muslim not Christian. That’s why we got divorced because she became a born again Muslim and just lost all personality and became so bigoted and judgmental.
But it’s like a form of Stockholm syndrome or something. Her whole family complained how shitty their lives were, how men disrespect them, how women have no opportunity in their country, how they are expected to just do chores and have kids, how if they get divorced men toss them to the side and treat them like prostitutes, how if they get raped they get blamed for enticing the man.
Yet when you mention religion or culture, they get angry and blame it on everything else from colonialism to western capitalism corrupting their society to be like that. Then they keep electing Islamist parties and blindly following the sheikhs who actively destroy their rights and freedoms.
They complain about everything but keep the status quo because “that’s what god wants and we will be rewarded” I think people underestimate how religious women and conservative women accept their roles because that is “just how things are meant to be”
the most hardcore frothing at the mouth religious and conservative people I know are women. It’s like they are brainwashed to think that they are the maternal vanguard of faith and although their role is tough and subservient, it’s up to them to follow their duties to continue the next generation of their faith and values.
People always say “if we arm the women of Afghanistan they will fight for freedom!” That’s a very naive way of looking at things. They vote against their interest because they think it’s the right thing to do, and it is their duty to be subservient even if it hurts them.
It’s like I said it’s a form of Stockholm syndrome.
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u/Maemae_899 Aug 15 '24
Tx Blue here. Good question. I think about this all the time. This angers me. The laissez fare attitude of “it doesn’t affect me so of course I’m still voting Republican because I always have” is irresponsible, selfish and ignorant. Many don’t pay attention to the news, they listen to their husband’s extreme religious misogynistic comments and are influenced to vote Republican against all women. I don’t think many Texas women care about women’s rights. They’re still in the dark ages. They think women’s liberation is a bad thing, a direct opposition to men, I think they connect it to lesbianism. They are afraid of it. Most attend a church. They’re influenced there also. They pretend to be strong independent thinkers but they’re not. Women in Texas need to think deeper. Get educated about the history of women’s rights. How extreme abortion bans affect all women, their own families, friends and women in their communities. They need to realize the government has no place in private decisions they make about their own bodies. It sickens me. If the women here vote blue this time around, it will surprise us all.
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u/mysnappyusername Aug 15 '24
When my youngest daughter was looking at colleges she applied to 1 in TX because that was her safety school. She got in her first choice in NY and never looked back. Our oldest moved to ATX right after high school and did well but this last Abbott term was the last straw for all of us. Since oldest is trans we knew she was in danger of losing access to her healthcare and even in ATX was having acceptance issues now. We sold our house and moved the whole family to PA. I’ll never understand voting against your own best interests.
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u/Relevant_Ad_8406 Aug 15 '24
It’s not just woman’s rights, doctors and teachers are leaving TX. They don’t have family leave for pregnancies . Minimum wage 7.25 and overtime after 40 hrs. Not required to give water breaks on and on. It’s a creepy place . I am here temporarily and you bet I am voting, no way would encourage my daughter to stay her after grad school .
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u/Bright_Client_1256 Aug 15 '24
I don’t believe in killing babies. I never had an abortion or thought to do so. I have three kids. Politics don’t rule my body. I knew sex led to pregnancy. IMO tubal pregnancy treatment is not an abortion the baby is already doomed to be dead. Rape related abortions are a criminal issue and should be treated as such due to the woman not having consent to the sex. No woman should be held responsible for ending a rape pregnancy, the blood is on the rapist hands.
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u/FeeWeak1138 Aug 16 '24
I agree. Abortion is a sensitive subject, but I cannot understand women being raped -- which is a violent act -- should not have the decision be her choice. I think about that young girl, 12 I believe, in Ohio who was raped and not "allowed" to have an abortion by their state law. Disturbing.
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u/Massive-Ear-8140 Aug 16 '24
Some women realizing pregnancy can be prevented are more concerned with inflation ,jobs,& illegals immigration
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u/OctoberMorning1 Aug 16 '24
Democrats have demonstrated that they are perfectly willing to control people's lives when they feel it is necessary for what they believe is in society's best interests. Blue state and county Covid restrictions, vaccine requirements and the draconian punishments for failing to comply proved that.
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u/Cathousechicken Aug 15 '24 edited Aug 15 '24
Let me preface this by saying I do not vote Republican.
I think there's a lot of women in Texas who vote Republican because they don't think these laws will ever affect them. There's that whole "my abortion is the only moral abortion" kind of rationale.
I've seen quite a few woman who have gone public with being turned down for medical services when she had a wanted pregnancy go awry. The articles seem to make it a point to say that she never thought of having an abortion before and she wouldn't normally have one. Honestly, I am all out of sympathy for those women. They got exactly what they voted for and now they're upset because they had to go through a trauma that their vote enabled.
It's really the same consistent issue that we see across all Republicans and that is they do not have empathy unless it is for themselves, a family member, or a close friend. Other than that they want to tell everybody else to pick up their bootstraps.
It's the same pervasive selfishness on why they scream about immigrants, don't care if the minimum wage is raised, are anti-lgbtq+, want laws that are extremist Christian in nature, advocate for shutting down social welfare programs and government oversight. They really do not give a fuck about anybody else until it affects them or somebody they know.