The Pregnant Woman Means Less Than The Fetus

WANT TO GO ON A WILD RIDE ABOUT PREGNANCY? Well, keep on reading.

When you think about a PREGNANT woman, what are your thoughts? Do you envision a woman glowing with her hands encircling her extended rounded belly? Do you think and wonder if the little bundle of joy is a girl or a boy? Most people when they see a pregnant woman have sweet positive thoughts about baby and mommy. But there is another side of pregnancy that is never discussed.

In America, there is an ongoing discussion about ABORTION. The FETUS is center stage. The fetus's rights trumps the mother's rights. Her life is put into suspended animation, and she becomes a HOST or VESSEL for a new life. Saying a woman is a host or vessel sounds cruel and harsh. But when someone else is calling HER healthcare choices while she is pregnant, those people make her into forced vessel or host. After she gives birth, then she is SEEN once again. Negative consequences experienced DURING pregnancy comes AFTER the needs and wellbeing of the growing child.

I write about the debate regarding abortion. I look at it from many angles. Today I thought about the LIFE of a PREGNANT woman. I knew I had heard this is a time in a woman's life where she is vulnerable to domestic violence. The ABORTION debate focuses on the baby. WHO focuses on the pregnant woman?

Pregnancy can often be an especially risky period for IPV (Intimate Partner Abuse), as many women report that abuse started or intensified when they became pregnant. Each year, an estimated 324,000 pregnant people in the United States are battered by their intimate partners. Homicide is a leading cause of traumatic death for pregnant and postpartum women, accounting for 31 percent of maternal injury deaths. Women suffering from domestic violence MAY seek a medical abortion to save her life. the pregnancy can be a product of domestic violence and NOT PROMISCUITY as many believe. A woman may choose to not birth a child into domestic violence. Not wanting to see her potential child SUFFER also from abuse is a MATERNAL instinct. But people view this as cruel and can't get behind such a decision.

Abuse often gets worse during pregnancy. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (also called ACOG) says that 1 in 6 abused women are first abused during pregnancy. More than 320,000 women are abused by their partners during pregnancy each year. 

Every pregnancy isn't flowers and butterflies. Those who are pro-life still maintain circumstances don't matter when it comes to the life of a child. There is no reason for a woman to MURDER a baby. This is a visceral, emotional stance. People respond and react based on emotions. On that same note, women are often depicted as OVERLY emotional during pregnancy. Their reactions are often viewed as over the top. Most often this hormone driven behavior is demonstrated by mood swings and sudden onsets of crying. People just accept it as part of being pregnant. This is also another side of pregnancy for many. Women who are taking medication for mental health disorders prior to pregnancy often have to go off their much-needed medication regulating their mental health stability. An unplanned pregnancy for a person with certain mental health disorders, pose medical problems and major decisions for the pregnant woman.

Scientist are beginning to study the brains of pregnant women. They have noticed significant changes in the pregnant BRAIN. The research is in its early stages and at this time. Positive aspects of the changing pregnant brain have been documented. One of the negative changes during pregnancy linked to changes in the brain is DEPRESSION. Even though the pregnant woman is seen as glowing, her brain may say something different. We all love the birth of a little bundle of joy. But don't realize, mommy may be going through some things whether she is aware of it or not.

A study of more than 100 new parents showed that pregnancy and birth cause changes in brain circuits that may be involved in empathy and bonding with the child. How wonderful. Will ongoing studies reveal not every woman experience this change during pregnancy? What are the consequences for the pregnant woman or even the mother after giving birth if this change in the brain's circuits do not take place?

Researchers also think some of the brain changes pregnant people undergo might prepare them not only for parenthood but for childbirth itself—by increasing pain tolerance, for example. That is an extraordinary thing in my eyes. I only believed superheroes underwent such changes. This should make one believe a woman's health care is in better hands of a physician than government restrictions with such extraordinary bodily changes.

A deeper understanding of the cellular and system-level mechanism will improve the understanding of how pregnancy remodels specific circuits to promote MATERNAL BEHAVIOUR. Pinpointing the synchronicity of gray and white matter changes that unfold in the maternal brain could be key to understanding the behavioral adaptions that emerge during and after pregnancy, such as honing the brain's visual and auditory responses to infant cues and eliciting maternal behavior. Such brain changes are linked to perinatal depression. Neuroanatomical changes observed over the course of a human pregnancy | Nature Neuroscience. Perinatal depression is a mood disorder that occurs during pregnancy and after childbirth. The symptoms can range from mild to severe.

Can you imagine a pregnant woman being given the news her unborn child may have genetic defects which will not allow it to go to full term while under the influence of brain changes already existing which cause depression? What if she was told her preexisting condition or conditions she developed while being pregnant is endangering her life under such brain changes? How much worse will this type of news be for the pregnant woman who is refused needed medical care due to government regulations while under the brain changes of pregnancy?

Science is proving a pregnant woman is more than a vehicle for carrying a baby. While being concerned for the growing child, we can't overlook the needs of the pregnant woman which have been unaddressed for centuries. SOMETIMES her medical needs REQUIRE an abortion. Pro-life supporters must know, even though a pregnant woman's body is designed to promote the development, survival, and care of a baby, changes in her brain can be a time in which she is most destressed. And when things go wrong during a pregnancy, not being able to make life-saving decisions can lay the groundwork or susceptibility to mental illness. 

No. I'm not saying that is why or a good reason to have an abortion. I'm saying the mother needs just as much attention to HER wellbeing as the developing fetus and science is just NOW acknowledging a pregnant woman's brain is no longer like it was before pregnancy. I'm saying pregnancy is a COMPLICATED and often times DANGEROUS time for a woman. 

The most noticeable changes to the study participant’s brain throughout her pregnancy was a reduction in cortical gray matter volume which persisted after birth. The majority of the outside layer of the brain consists of gray matter, which has a main job of processing information in the brain and helps control thoughts, emotions, memory, and muscle movement. This honing and fine-tuning of the material, the brain, is a process that happens early in development, again during puberty, and pregnancy probably reflects another wave of cortical refinement.

Additionally, scientists found noteworthy increases in white matterTrusted Source located deeper in the brain, which they reported peaked in the second trimester and returned to normal pre-pregnancy levels around the time of birth. About 60% of the brain consists of white matter, which connects different areas of the brain together to help with communication for focus, learning, and balancing while moving.

All of the above are the POSITIVES of the changes of the pregnant brain. But the research is in its infancy. When a woman's health care is being discussed, people should remember it is an INDIVIDUAL experience for EACH pregnant woman. People are ONLY thinking about and addressing concerns for the unborn child overlooking the mother's need for consideration. Pregnant women go through things!

In a previous post titled, Viagra Is Healthcare?, I listed reasons for a MEDICAL ABORTION. I want people to realize people are not advocating for abortions per se, but for the RIGHT to make their own health care choices during pregnancy. Not all pregnancies are the result of PROMISCUITY as Christians and men would have you believe. Things go wrong during pregnancy. Nine months is a long time where anything can happen to the pregnant woman or fetus. It is a vulnerable time with changes science has yet to understand. When looking at A+B=C (A= man, B= woman, C=fetus), we only focus on C. No one is saying anything about A, the men in the abortion debate. Pregnant women, B, lose their rights in regard to HER health. It is not A+B=C+D (D=those against women having choice in their health care). D becomes the one calling the shots for A, B, and C.

All I'm trying to say in this post is, don't forget about the pregnant woman. She may be going through something while pregnant that only her physician can help with. If ANYONE reading this post has experienced the negative, or never thought of circumstances during their pregnancy, PLEASE SHARE your story with me. People need to remember YOU in the equation of pregnancy. That you went through some things as the CONSEQUENCE of being pregnant.

Thank you in advance.

Trusted Sourcevolume, which persisted after giving birth. 

Viagra is Health Care?

 

We all know that cosmetic surgery is considered elective surgery, right? It is having a chosen surgical procedure which is not lifesaving in most cases. We are clear about ELECTIVE surgery, yet it is not regulated or focused on as an individual right in the way MEDICAL abortions are.

Women's health care has become a hot button topic. Defining what is and is not acceptable health care for women has been put up for public debate without a woman's voice having any more sway than any other voice.

Medical reasons which make it necessary to end a pregnancy are varied and the majority of the public are unaware of these reasons. A woman may be offered a termination for medical reasons (TFMR) if tests show that your baby is not developing as expected. This may be due to a serious genetic or structural condition. A woman may also be offered a TFMR if she has pregnancy complications that risks her life or to the baby’s life. 

The feelings a woman has when she needs to end a pregnancy for medical reasons are no less painful or valid than any other type of baby loss. Being told that you or your unborn baby are at risk is a painful and traumatic experience. Parents tell us that the guilt linked to making the decision can make it even harder. It is made even harder when the parents AREN'T allowed to make the decision.

The MOST common situation where a pregnant patient would need a procedure to terminate their pregnancy is a miscarriage. In medical terms, a miscarriage is called a spontaneous abortion, which can be confusing to patients. An estimated 10% to 20% of confirmed pregnancies in the US will end in miscarriage. The majority of these will complete without intervention; but some patients might require medication or surgical intervention, using the same procedure performed during an abortion.

The other large category of pregnancies where a physician might suggest or recommend an abortion is when the pregnant patient has a pre-existing disease that's associated with high maternal morbidity and mortality. This category includes a number of conditions, including cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease, Marfan syndrome, lupus nephritis, cardiomyopathy, and pulmonary hypertension. So just in that context, think of someone who has severe cardiac disease. By the time they make it to the third trimester and then at the time of delivery, they might not be able to survive delivery. 

Another key consideration when it comes to pregnancy and pre-existing disease is the use of teratogenic medications, such as medicines for Rheumatoid arthritis. These are medications that can cause birth defects or abnormalities in the embryo or fetus, and they include some of the most effective treatments across medicine. Unintended pregnancies occur even when someone is using highly effective birth control. And when physicians prescribe teratogenic medications to patients with reproductive potential, it is usually with the understanding that in case the patient became pregnant, abortion would be available to them as an option.

For some conditions, like lupus nephritis, there may not be any alternative, non-teratogenic therapies available. A disproportionate number of lupus patients are female, and lupus tends to manifest during childbearing years. And if they develop renal complications of lupus, which about 40% will, carrying a pregnancy to full term would be dangerous. The best evidence-based medications we have for that entity are both teratogenic, which harms the fetus.

With pregnancies indicating a clear need for medical intervention to end the pregnancy, the Republican party has decided that a pregnant woman and her doctor does not have the right to make those decisions.

Yet, when it comes to elective medical INTERVENTION to restore an ERECTION, only the man and his doctor has this delicate private discussion.

I know you're saying, "Wanting to have an erection after the biology of a man's body says its over is not equal to the death of a fetus," and you are right. But whether you believe the two are equal or not, what IF someone said WE DON'T CARE! We say no to YOUR medical need/desire/ What if your most FACT-based reasoning proves you, as a man, under a physician's care can still be told, sorry, WE will be making THIS decision for you.

As of June 2005, over 23 million men had been prescribed Viagra (sildenafil citrate) by more than 750,000 physicians worldwide. In 2022, ClinCalc DrugStats estimated that 1,127,720 patients in the United States were prescribed Viagra. Viagra is one of the most commonly prescribed and abused pharmaceuticals and is considered the most well-known treatment for erectile dysfunction (ED). it's abused! Isn't that a valid reason for it to be denied? Can you IMAGINE 23 million men's voices being ignored when it came to THEIR health care? Can you imagine 750,000 physicians being criminally charged for prescribing a medication? It IS crazy, right?

What makes the availability of certain types of health care for men be stamped as fine when LIFE THREATENING medical care is denied for women? Why isn't here an evaluation of ALL medical care to determine which should and should not be determined between a patient and a doctor? Let's put some more health care choices on the ballot.

Many feel justified in saying NO to select medical services offered to women. They say, "We are saving lives," with pride. But what are you DESTROYING in the process? The life you MAY be saving - you have NO investment in or future care of. IS THIS AN EGO TRIP by those who believe they are doing a good thing? What good have you done if a mother dies? 

The thing about health care is it BELONGS to an individual. I doubt any man, as he consults with his doctor, would want me there as he describes his erectile dysfunction, how long it has been a problem, and how he is suffering because of it. If there was another person in the doctor's office with men seeking Viagra, many would not do it. That is why there are so many Viagra commercials saying men can order the medication, without a doctor's prescription and it's mailed without a label so no one will know what they have ordered. Erectile dysfunction is as private as private can be.

The sad thing about this double standard of medical care is, there are millions of people who will fight for the right of MEN to have access to medical care THEY BELIEVE they need and are ENTITLED to.

It is hard to believe we live in a time of rampant cosmetic surgery just to get more likes online, and erectile dysfunction medication being mail order, and a woman can die or be criminalized for a medical abortion. But women have been here before.

An online magazine reached out to me years ago after reading a blog post I had made. This is that post they later printed in their magazine below.

My MoJo Online Submission in Issue 11

MEMOIR/SOCIAL COMMENTARY:

I NEVER THOUGHT I’D SEE THE DAY

By Dorothy Guyton

I think it was four-no five years ago I went to visit an elderly friend. Oh, that’s not a good description of this lady whose eyes and ears have seen and heard more things than most young minds could contain. She was a lady but was never ashamed of the hard labor she did with her dark palmed hands. These were hands that picked astonishing amounts of cotton and the same hands that slipped bail money in coffins from up North to Mississippi during Jim Crow for those imprisoned under made up charges with high set bail. Now, you get it. Now you know I was visiting a fountain of courage and wisdom who spoke in a paced, low alto, authoritative voice.

“Yes, Dorothy I would have loved to have more children, but I couldn’t. The doctor told me when I was in my thirties, I needed to have a hysterectomy, but my husband told the doctor no.”

Stunned for a moment, knowing I just misunderstood what had just been said; I asked the woman who spoke like spun silk to repeat what she just said. With a smile at my naive youth her skin color perked up and began to flush with undertones of renewed blood flow.

“Oh, yes Door-ah-they (I loved how she purred my name), a woman had to get her husband’s permission to have a hysterectomy back then even if her health was in jeopardy like mine was. It wasn’t until we divorced that I had the surgery. I think I suffer now for waiting so long.”

I left her presence haunted by the thought. I drove home swiftly with a new idea for a book swirling in my head aching to be released and jotted down on paper. I had grand plans for a four-part novelette.

It would begin with a slave woman and progress to the 1950’s, to 2009, and end in the year 2065, all dealing with the same core issue with different women linked to each other one way or another. 

(The story would begin) Aunt Addie was used to produce babies for her Master to sell. Her children all went for high prices, and each had an identifiable birthmark on them somewhere that looked like a star. Her prized off springs began to be known as a ‘Star Child’ and every slave owner wanted one. This was fine with Addie until she became pregnant by the love of her life who promised not to sell their love child, the master’s son.

Of course, the child was sold, love was lost, and it turned out she would never have another ‘Star Child.’ Years go by and the new Master (her old love) purchases a beautiful young girl who worked hard and now was the one counted on to birth the money children. When it comes time for the baby to be born old Aunt Addie was the midwife. The young girl pushed and pushed and then Aunt Addie saw it, the birthmark on the inside of the new young girl’s thigh in the shape of a star.

I can’t tell you the entire story, but not to be able to recognize or ever raise one of your children had to hit Old Aunt Addie hard. What had to hit even harder was that more ‘Star’ children were being birthed for market, with no say in the matter. Great little story of a past era we strive to leave in the past and move towards our future.

My, how time flies. The title of the book is going to be I Never Thought I’d See the Day. But I have lived to see the day. I live in a world where there is a debate whether a woman can have contraceptives, safe abortions, a place for breast exams, and procedures in a hospital that would save her life, but not if it endangered the unborn child’s life.

    Men are debating women’s issues without even asking for a woman’s advice. What a difference four or five years can make. I did not believe I would see a day, a time like this. My fictitious character, Aunt Addie, did not have any control or choice of her reproduction wishes, her own body. “How far have we come as women—or is the question —where are we headed as women?”

Say what you will, give reasonings as you will, but as long as Viagra is healthcare, so should medical abortions without interference from the public.

No More Thought and Prayers for Mass Shootings Christians!

How much longer will thoughts and prayers be offered when there is a MASS SHOOTING? If we are a Christian nation as many suggest, is it biblical to JUST offer thoughts and prayers for families who have been victimized by mass shootings who are asking for HELP? I say NO!

There was another mass shooting in Birmingham, Alabama, September 21, 2024, with 21 people injured and four dead. Mass shootings have become so common, we no longer shake our heads about it. Social media does become flooded with when will America do something about weapons, and I have the right to own guns. But no solution is ever reached to stop the death and suffering of people. And of course, there are thoughts and prayers offered.

In the Christian Bible in the book of James 2:14-16, "What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such a faith SAVE him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I WISH you well; keep warm and well fed, "but does nothing about his PHYSICAL NEEDS, what good is it?

Many people believe they are doing God's will by PRAYING for people to be well or to have their needs met. Of course, praying for one another is biblical. But we DEMONSTRATE Christ to the world by our ACTIONS. When there is a person or a people CRYING out for help, the Christian must go BEYOND prayers.

At least 131 people have died this year in those mass shootings, which are defined as incidents in which four or more people die within a 24-hour period, not including the killer — the same definition used by the FBI. Last year ended with 217 deaths from 42 mass killings in the U.S., making 2023 one of the deadliest years on record. Who is NOT aware of the suffering?

Gun control is always presented as a Second Amendment right. The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution states that "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed". The amendment was ratified to ensure that citizens would still have the right to own weapons, even though the federal government would have the power to create a standing army and navy. Our forefathers made sure we were allowed to protect ourselves as citizens.

But what is a nation to do when what was meant to be a right for self-protection has become what the nation needs to be protected from? This may be where the citizens who also hold to the fact that our nation was founded under the guidance of religion, show their faith. The citizens, actively living their faith will balance laws which have gotten out of control.

The word INFRINGE in the Second Amendment means to actively break the terms of (a law, agreement, etc.). And gun owners will say the government cannot TAKE away their guns. But if a Christian knows his brothers and sisters are in NEED of help to try to stop the pain of mass shootings by semi-automatic rifles, there should be a WILLINGNESS to help instead of offering thoughts and prayers and walk away from their desperate need. There should not be a need for anyone to BREAK or infringe on the right to own weapons when the Christian willingly says I want to help my brothers and sisters in this area.

Christian gunowners who turn their back on the need for gun control which is killing our children and then offer up prayers for the safety of children in school, are not demonstrating their faith in God. James goes on to say in 2:17-18, "In the same way, faith by ITSELF, if not accompanied by ACTION, is DEAD. But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." SHOW me FAITH without DEEDS, and I will show YOU my faith by WHAT I DO."

Is the Christian by refusing to allow gun control to help others demonstrating their faith for THEIR security and life is in THEIR own hands and dependent on owning weapons? Where does God figure into their lives? Those who do not practice Christianity, or the WORLD, as Christians refer to them, put their trust in THEMSRLVES or others. The Christian's faith is in God. I know your response to this statement is God gave me the good sense to protect myself. Yes, God did. And surely, he gave you the good sense to help others in need through love and compassion.

We can read just offering thoughts and prayers is not a biblical stance for the Christian. John 17:14, Jesus prays to the Father, saying, "I have given them your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world". Some say that this verse means Christians should be "in the world but not of the world", and that this means not following the world's values, beliefs, and actions. Instead, Christians should follow Christ's word, represent Christ's kingdom, and show the Father's love and kindness. Continuing to stand by something so destructive as allowing assault rifles to be in the hands of any and everybody killing people in large numbers, and just think of self is not biblical. It's not Christian.

Christians choose soap box SINS to rail against while not living out the Word of God. Christians try to have things both ways and every way. It is NOT possible if you are living as the Bible which instructs Christians how to live daily. Christians are to see differently and behave differently. They are to be Christlike and that is demonstrated through their ACTIONS. Many people BELIEVE just because they advocate for Christianity, proclaim Christianity, and talk about Christianity they are GOOD Christians. Once again James says in 2:19, "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the DEMONS believe that - and shudder."

Don't get me wrong. this isn't an attack on Christians. It is just one Christian saying to another, how are we loving and caring for our brothers and sister and even enemies. In the Bible, Luke 6:32 says, "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them". This verse is part of a passage that continues, "But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful." People have chosen sides about owning certain guns, one being good and the other evil. Christians have lost their FOCUS on their Christian walk by taking sides on material things.

Christianity goes far beyond THOUGHTS and PRAYERS. It must be demonstrated by actions through faith. 1 Corinthians 13:13, "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is LOVE. Does a Christian demonstrate the three when they turn their back on the need and loud request of people in large numbers to try to ensure the safety of their children as they attend school? If the answer is gun control, isn't that a simple request when your faith and hope is in God? Is this an opportunity for those who follow the Christian religion to stand and say I am not like the world putting my faith in worldly things to care and protect me? Is this an OPPORTUNITY to point others to live trusting God?

Living as a Christian is not a solo ENDEAVOR. Christians walk daily with the trinity of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, each encompassing LOVE. Our FAITH must be shown in our ACTIONS. Thoughts and prayers are SOLO actions. Turning your back is an action. Addressing a need is an action. 

Christian's must make decisions daily. They must die to their flesh daily. Our flesh, which is worldly, is concerned about our OWN wants, desires, and needs. In the Bible passages in James I quoted, we are encouraged to be CONCERNED about our brothers and sisters. Offering them words of COMFORT is not enough when they are in DISTRESS. 

WHEN WILL A CHRISTIAN nation realize thoughts and prayers are not enough? Even the Good Samaritan came to the aid of his enemy, Luke 10:25-37, when the religious men passed the man in need by. The passage said the Samaritan had COMPASSION for the man.

Thought and prayers regarding mass shootings allows the Christian to DO nothing. It justifies turning the back on a painful need. WHY pass up an opportunity to demonstrate FAITH, HOPE, and LOVE? Talking Godly is much easier than living Godly.

America's deadliest modern mass shootings. This PAIN requires Christian action.

1. Route 91 Harvest music festival, Las Vegas, October 2, 2017: 60 killed, more than 850 injured.
2. Pulse, Orlando, Fla., June 2016: 49 killed and 53 injured.
3. Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va., April 2007: 32 killed and 17 injured on campus.
4. Sandy Hook Elementary School, Newtown, Conn., December 2012: 26 killed.
5. First Baptist Church, Sutherland Springs, Texas, November 2017: 26 killed and 20 injured.
6. Luby's Cafeteria, Killeen, Texas, October 1991: 23 killed.
7. Walmart, El Paso, Texas, August 3, 2019: 23 killed, 26 injured.
8. McDonald's, San Ysdiro, Calif., July 1984: 21 killed.
9. Robb Elementary School, Uvalde, Texas, May 24, 2022: 21 killed.
10. Schemengees Bar and Sparetime Recreation, Lewiston, Maine, October 2023: 18 killed and at least 13 injured.
11. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, Fla., February 2018: 17 killed.
12. University of Texas Tower, Austin, Texas, August 1966: 16 killed around campus.
13. Inland Regional Center, San Bernardino, Calif., December 2015: 14 killed.
14. Edmond post office, Edmond, Okla., August 1986: 14 killed.
15. Fort Hood, Fort Hood, Texas, November 2009: 13 killed.
16. Columbine High School, Littleton, Colo., April 1999: 13 killed.
17. Binghamton Civic Association, Binghamton, N.Y., April 2009: 13 killed.
18. New Jersey neighborhood and local shops, Camden, N.J, September 1949: 13 killed.
19. Schoolhouse Lane neighborhood and Heather Highlands Mobile Home Village, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., September 1982: 13 killed.
20. Wah Mee club in the Louisa hotel, Seattle, Wash., February 1983: 13 killed.
21. Century 16 movie theater, Aurora, Colo., July 2012: 12 killed, 58 wounded.
22. Star Ballroom Dance Studio, Monterey Park, Calif., January 2023: 12 killed, 9 injured.
23. Navy Yard, Washington, D.C., September 2013: 12 killed, 8 wounded.
24. The Borderline Bar & Grill, Thousand Oaks, Calif., November 2018: 12 killed, several wounded.
25. Virginia Beach Municipal Center, Virginia Beach, Va., May 2019: 12 killed.

Why Are Republicans Cheaters In Politics?

From Georgia to Arizona, Nevada to Michigan, Republicans are mounting an all-out assault on the election process that journalist Ari Berman refers to as a “five-alarm fire for democracy.”

Why are Republicans turning to CHEATING in an effort to ensure their presidential nominee, Donald Trump, wins the presidential election? Come on. Let's not play dumb. Haven't you cheated at something at least once in your life? If you answered yes, then you know why the Republicans have gone to tactics which are definitely in the category of cheating. But, in case you don't know why people cheat, continue reading.

When we think of cheating, we first think of infidelity in relationships. We think about men and women cheating on each other because it is done so much it has become the NORM, expected, and really no big deal in society. Married men: 20–25% of married men cheat, according to Professor Nicholas Wolfinger. A 2024 study found that 20% of men admitted to having sex with someone outside their marriage. Married women: 10–15% of married women cheat, according to Professor Nicholas Wolfinger. A 2024 study found that 13% of married women admitted to having sex with someone outside their marriage.

We are not talking about relationships though. We are talking about one political party trying to CHEAT the American people out of their VOTE and their desired choice for PRESIDENT. This has not been occurring forever, it is not the norm. But Republicans have been cheating so much and for so long that it has become EXPECTED of them by society, hopefully not ACCEPTED by society. So, what are our Republican friends up to now? 

Georgia Republicans altered how counties count and certify votes. The Georgia state election board passed a new rule that empowers board members—whose traditional role has been to ministerially certify the number of votes cast for each candidate—to condition certification on a “reasonable inquiry that the tabulation and canvassing of the election are complete and accurate and that the results are a true and accurate accounting of all votes cast in that election.” Broken down, the election board can question ballots and delay state certification of votes if their man doesn't win. 

In Texas, the Republican-controlled state government has for years tried to restrict voting in districts where Democratic candidates do well. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced this week that he has purged over 1 million voters from Texas voter rolls. This increasingly common tactic inevitably removes legally registered voters, often through faulty data screens that target likely Democratic voters. As the old church singers sung, 'Your name is removed from up yonder when the roll is called,' or something like that.

Also in Texas, last week, under Paxton’s orders, the homes of a dozen members of LULAC, the League of United Latin American Citizens, were raided and searched by Texas authorities, including SWAT teams. LULAC said in a statement, “Attorney General Paxton’s actions clearly aim to suppress the Latino vote through intimidation and any means necessary to tilt the electoral process in favor of his political allies.” These are fear and intimidation tactics long employed by cheaters.

Lindsey Graham, in an effort to ensure Trump wins all of Nebraska's electoral votes, went to Nebraska to try and get them to change their electoral count rules within 50 days of an election so that they just happen to disenfranchise a bunch of voters. Nebraska splits its five votes, granting two of them to the winner of the state’s popular vote, while the other three are given to the winner of the three congressional districts. 

The South Carolina Republican, Graham, met with Governor Jim Pillen and more than a dozen Republican lawmakers Wednesday with the hopes of shoring up support for a bill that would make all five of Nebraska’s electoral votes go to whoever wins the state, Nebraska’s Republican congressional delegation wrote a letter to Pillen Wednesday urging the state to return to a model where all the votes would be granted to the winner of the whole state. Such a bill would transform Nebraska’s presidential election into a winner-take-all system—at the very last minute. They wanted ALL of Nebraska's votes to go to who they believed would win the state, Donald Trump ensuring Kamala Harris could not receive ANY votes from the state.

Republicans are doing some BOLD in your face CHEATING and do not care who knows it. But why do they continue to cheat even when they know people HATE CHEATERS? Because the reward for them is worth it. 

Cheating can be a shortcut to money, fame, and success. It promises all the reward without the work. It's the path of least resistance—as long as you can avoid being caught. Republicans are so desperate to win, they don't care if they get caught cheating. Their NEED to win has left the realm of what a healthy mature person will and will not do. There are no deterrents such as shame, guilt, and/or ostracization by society that can rein in their need to win. Many would say they have crossed over to sociopathic, psychotic behavior. Everyone agree and know they are prone to CRIMINAL behavior. Their top man Donald Trump is a convicted FELON. Isn't that a criminal?

Research across different fields, from academics to sports, suggests that people with lower self-esteem are more likely to cheat. They might cheat to achieve goals, boost their image, or avoid failure because they don't believe in their abilities. People may also cheat to obtain money or prestige, a desire to prove they're smart, or because they are impulsive. Winning elections such as the presidency, allows for all of the aforementioned REWARDS.

In sports, success often involves comparing oneself to others, which can lead to a sense of entitlement and the belief that one is better than others. Politics is the highest of competitions. It is seen by an audience of millions of voters. The voters are rooting and cheering for their TEAM to win. Just like in sports, the candidates vying for political offices will cheat to win to avoid embarrassment or awkwardness, to attain a certain rank or status, to see if they can get away with it and/or to prove they're smart.

Okay. We know people cheat. You may be one of the cheaters, past or present. But WHAT type of person cheats? WHAT are the different types of personalities that are most likely to cheat? There are several types of personalities that have been found to be more prone to cheating, including narcissists, psychopaths, and those with an avoidant attachment style.

There you have it! A narcissist and/or psychopath are known to be cheaters. Narcissism can present as a mental health disorder along with psychopathic behavior. A narcissist is a person who has an excessive interest in or admiration of themselves. Narcissists think the world revolves around them. President elect Donald Trump checks that box. A psychopath typically is a person who is callous, manifests antisocial behaviors, does not see other people as human beings, manipulates them, betrays them, uses them and has total disregard for the law. We have a winner! Donald Trump gets a check for this box also. He uses people, gives them marching orders and then publicly deny he has ever seen or known them. Enter Laura Loomer.

When people succeed in competition against others, it seems to compromise their ethics. It makes them more likely to cheat afterwards. On the flip side, when someone fails too many times, they look for other ways to win such as cheating. Donald Trump has won a presidential election (2015) and lost a presidential election (2020). This makes his chances of cheating even greater because he is operating from both sides of the coin. 

When trying to find an answer or strategy to stop people, Republicans, from cheating, the solution becomes problematic because they are not operating as 'normal' people. Remember, many of the actions of some of the Republican party have crossed over the line of acceptable behavior for a rational person. If they are not affected by symptoms of mental illness than they are operating under peer pressure or even coercion. Lindsey Graham went to Nebraska after public suggestions by a close Trump supporter, Laura Loomer he was 'gay' which he denied. Research suggests that patients with mental illness may be more prone to VIOLENCE if they do not receive adequate treatment. Violence is not always just physical. Everyone knows Trump is not afraid of stirring the pot (or to get others to do the stirring for him) of violence to get people to do his bidding or in retaliation.

Lindsey Graham was one of many Republicans asking Donald Trump to distance himself from the baseless conspiracy theory spreader (Laura Loomer), who also makes racist and degrading posts on her social media platform with a large number of followers. Her response to Graham's request, “Lindsey Graham has never been loyal to President Trump,” Loomer wrote on X (formerly Twitter), adding, “When is Lindsey coming out of the closet? We all know you’re gay, Lindsey… and that’s ok.” If she was used as a WEAPON, she hit EVERY TARGET.

Over the course of the past seven years, Loomer has posted an unending stream of racist and Islamophobic content online, while pushing conspiracy theories about school shootings, election fraud, and the January 6 attack on the Capitol.

Loomer posted a racist attack against Vice President Kamala Harris. “The White House will smell like curry & White House speeches will be facilitated via a call center,” Loomer wrote in a post on X.

Even Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia congresswoman who has pushedschool shooting conspiracies, boosted QAnon, and even questioned if Nancy Pelosi should be tried for treason and executed, called Loomer’s recent social media posts “extremely racist.”

The only way to combat evil is to continue to do good. Edmund Burke said it best, "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing," Voting for people who put the welfare of country and citizens first, without seeking glory, status, or power is how we combat Republicans who have crossed over the SANITY line, either by mental illness, coercion, threat and/or intimidation. Voting, running for political offices, and continuing to resist is what will show there is no room for cheaters in politics just like in sports and relationships.

Even if you, yourself have cheated in life, let us not allow cheating to become the 'norm' in our lives and society when it comes to our political process. Republicans, as I said earlier are BOLD and in your face cheating. With our focused engagement in politics and wise voting, eventually, the GOOD will conquer the BAD.