banning driving on the highway
oh yeah - only if you're helping someone access abortion care
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This is very timely for a Halloween week post - it’s scary shit!
Last week three Lubbock County, TX commissioners voted to implement an ordinance that forbids people from using their highway system. Only if you’re using it to drive someone into New Mexico to receive abortion care that they can’t get in Texas. While abortion is currently completely banned in Texas, it is still 100% legal to travel out of state to receive care. But that didn’t stop them from declaring Lubbock County a “sanctuary county for the unborn” (??). It’s objectively terrifying.
From Mark Lee Dickson, a “pastor”, major dweeb, and founder of the “Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn Initiative” (yes really): “Guys, I long for the day (when), coast to coast, abortion is considered a great moral, social and political wrong and is outlawed in every single state”. This dude has made it his life’s mission to whip up weird outrage about other people’s decisions about their body. What a waste of a life’s mission.
Unfortunately, Lubbock isn’t the first Texas county to pass an ordinance like this. The other three are Cochran, Goliad, and Mitchell, each with a population of less than 10,000 people. There are also two cities: Odessa (population 117k) and Little-River Academy (population 2.2k). A ban was proposed in the city of Amarillo, but so far they’ve declined to enact it.
Major highways that are used to get out of state pass through most of these counties and cities. For a visual, they’re literally trying to create a wall:
“This is an effort, one by one by one, to create a statewide ban against travel to other states, literally creating a reproductive prison in the state of Texas,” - Wendy Davis, former state senator and current senior adviser at Planned Parenthood Texas Votes
It’s already really difficult for people to travel out of state for care. It’s very expensive (gas, hotels, child-care, time away from work) and time-consuming (if I needed to drive to a clinic in NM from my home in Austin, it would take over 8 hours). These ordinances are meant to add to that burden.
As with many of the bans nationwide, it’s not directly targeting people seeking abortion care - it’s targeting the people who help them. The goal is to isolate people who have abortions from their friends and families. To punish those who demonstrate compassion. To instill fear by threatening them with the carceral system. And, it’s structured similarly to another Texas law - SB8 - in that it allows any random private citizen to sue anyone who provides or "aids or abets" an abortion. The prospect of citizen enforcement (sometimes backed by out of state heavily funded organizations) is horrifying. Texas is often a testing ground for anti-abortion legislation that will later be attempted in other states, so this garbage is relevant nationwide.
Obviously, this is definitely unconstitutional and largely unenforceable (literally none of them seem to have an actual plan for enforcement - although I’m sure they’re trying to figure it out). It’s self-aggrandizing intimidation, meant to scare people away from accessing care in places where it’s still legal. But outside of legality, it also serves to stir up stigmatization. It tells people who have abortions that we are so inherently other from the general public that we aren’t even allowed to use public roads. But of course, people in Lubbock County have abortions. As do people in each of the other counties and cities with these ordinances. None of us deserve this kind of infantilizing hatred.
I love Texans who have abortions, and I love the people who support us <3
some notable/less notable things
My first book, Baking by Feel, had it’s first birthday last week! I so appreciate each and every one of you that have made the recipes and felt your feelings - seeing it has been one of the most special things in my life.
Here’s some of my favorite pics from along the way:
We recently acquired a deep freezer - please tell me about your fave freezer meals!
Here’s how Botie orders his own treat at the coffee shop drive through:
Two more Hallmark-esque holiday movie reviews:
Secretly Santa 8/10 (I liked this one!!)
Miranda and Paul, two business rivals who playfully despise each other, work together on a holiday gift-giving app, and unexpected feelings develop for one another (watch on Hulu).
A Snow White Christmas 0/10 (do not watch this under any circumstances)
When Blanca Snow is faced with spending Christmas with her dastardly stepmother Victoria, she attempts to fulfill her late father's wishes and create new memories as a family (watch on Hulu if you choose not to listen to me).
If you’re able, please join me in making a donation to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund to support their work providing critical medical care and supplying basic necessities (food, water, shelter) to those most in need in Gaza.
Pro-abortion Virginians: The only thing standing between Virginians and a sweeping abortion ban – which Governor Youngkin has vowed to “gleefully” sign— is TWO votes. It doesn’t have to be this way. On November 7th, all 40 Senate seats and all 100 House seats are up for election in redrawn, untested districts. This is our best opportunity in a generation to build a pro-choice majority at the state level, one that finally reflects the 77% of Virginians who support abortion rights. If Republicans gain control, they will build on their previous attacks – and introduce, pass, and sign legislation to ban abortion outright in the Commonwealth. Roe Your Vote Virginia is a local organization that has been working for the last year to help pro-abortion rights candidates in swing districts. Visit roeyourvoteva.com to donate!
a recipe
halloween candy cookies
makes 15 cookies
This is a recipe for when you bought two Costco sized bags of Halloween candy and had only one trick or treater (yes, that’s a true story). It makes a chewy cookie with crispy edges, full of bits of your favorite candy.
ingredients
2 cups (260g) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks, 227g) room temp unsalted butter
⅔ cup (133g) light brown sugar
¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
1 (50g) large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups coarsely chopped leftover halloween candy
3 tablespoons sprinkles (optional)*
the how-to:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and kosher salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract on medium high speed until thoroughly combined. Mix in the flour mixture on low speed. Add the chopped candy pieces and mix on low speed until just incorporated.
Scoop into 3 tablespoon (60g) balls and arrange 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 13-15 minutes. Let cool for two minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
store in an airtight container at room temp for up to three days
a few notes:
You can use any candy you’d like/have on hand for this recipe (but not, like, sour patch kids or anything). Chocolate-based works best! I used a mix of m&ms, reeses, snickers, and twix for mine!
The sprinkles are optional, they’re just there for the cute factor.
If you’re up for it, press some candy pieces into the tops of your dough balls after you roll em - that way they’ll show up on the top!
If your dough feels too sticky when you’re trying to roll it into balls, very lightly coat your palms in flour and continue rolling.
abortion affirmation of the week
You should never have had to drive hundreds of miles to access care.
my current fave pic of otie (halloween edition)
xoxo,
your favorite becca
things that permanently live at the bottom of my posts:
Submit your secrets/sparkly moments here.
If you need help accessing abortion care, click here or here.
Grab a copy of my choose-your-own-adventure cookbook, Baking by Feel, here!