Everyday Erinyes

More incidents which seem to me to call for the efforts of the Greek Furies (Erinyes) to come and deal with. Just as a reminder, though no one really knows how many there were supposed to be, the three names we have are Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone. These roughly translate as "unceasing," "grudging," and "vengeful destruction."

One thing many US women hoped after Roe v Wade was handed down in 1973. was that the era of coat hangers was over – except, of course, for hanging clothes.  But it has turned out to be unceasing.   

Raw Story:  A Tennessee woman who tried to abort her own pregnancy in September has been charged with first degree attempted murder.  (It doesn't get much rawer than that, does it?

Detective Tommy Roberts determined that 31-year-old Anna Yocca attempted to “self-abort” her pregnancy in September.  Police said that Yocca filled her bathroom tub with hot water, got in and then “took a coat hanger and attempted to self-abort her pregnancy.”  Roberts wrote that Yocca became “concerned about her safety” after she lost a lot of blood. She was taken to Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital by her boyfriend.

She didn't deny that she wanted to end her pregnancy.  "However, doctors were able to save the baby, which weighed only 1.5 pounds at birth. It will reportedly need medical care for the rest of its life because of damage done to the lungs, heart and eyes during the abortion attempt." 

A grand jury indicted her last week.  She is of course in jail; workers at Amazon fulfillment centers can't afford bail, even were their wages not getting stolen, and certainly not $200,000.00 bail.  Alecto, I see three individuals or groups here.  First, the doctors who thought it was a good idea to keep a 1.5 pound baby alive in those circumstances.  Second, Detective Roberts.  Third, the grand jury.  Perhaps you can try to — um, reason with all three.

That story also had an element if grudging women the right to be human.  This story, from Equality Now, also has an element of unceasing, since FGM has been going on for literally centuries.  But I am focusing on the element here of the grudging of justice.  It was a doctor who performed the FGM from which 13-year old Sahir al-Batea died.  Her father, who took her to the clinic for the procedure, and Dr. Raslan Fadl, who performed it, were both charged.  It is illegal – a criminal offense since 2008.

Both Dad and Doctor were tried and acquitted, but the prosecution appealed, and on January 26, 2015, the appeals court sentenced Dr Fadl to two years and three monthe – three months for performing FGM and two years for manslaughter.  (Dad was given a three month suspended sentence.)  OK, I hear you say "That's not enough," and I concur, but it would at least be something IF he were serving it.  He never reported to prison, he was never remanded to prison, he has not served a day.  His clinic, which was to be closed for a year, was never closed, and he has been performing FGM daily.  Megaera, I hear Egypt is lovely this time of year.

And now to Kentucky, where a "Christian"-run homeless shelter is exercising vengeful destruction of women, and children as well.  The vengeful here is not REvenge, just common or garden variety hate and fear.  At least I understand that to be the case.  If there is in fact any fancied revenge, that would be a whole other ball of neuroses.

Billy Woodward, the cold-hearted Emergency Christian Ministries Director, defended the ban and justified it by saying it is based on teachings in the Bible.  Furthermore, Woodward claims that his actions were not “biased or prejudiced whatsoever.” He reasoned that homeless women were utilizing the shelter as an impromptu dating or hookup service that he was not having any part of, “They say, ‘We’re homeless, maybe we can find somebody, a mate or something.’ They want to meet or slip in a room occasionally and we can’t have that."

Tisiphone, I realize that Megaera and Alecto could also have an interest, but they are busy right now.  I know you can handle it.

I should let everyone know that I do not intend to run an article in this series next week. It is too close to Christmas, and it can get too depressing, and besides, we are probably all busy with much happier things.