Just so you know the kind of person you are reaching: I am a retired single grandfather raising my three special needs grandsons. I've had them for 12 years. When I got them they were 5yo, 2yo and 14 months old. I attend a Grandparents Who Parent group. I am the only male in the group. I guess I must be equal to a post-menapausal woman. ;-)
I admire what you've done and would do the same if given the circumstances. What your response tells me is they don't care about you or any one of us. All we are to a republican is a possible vote. Jess, thanks for your post, there is so much work to do.
Another point is that nearly two thirds of the small animal vets in practices being swallowed up by equity firms are women. Are they being fairly compensated? Something tells me they're not.
This sounds very similar to the way independent pharmacies have been taken over, and our residential housing gobbled up by corporations. I talked to Elad Gross about that yesterday. He is running for MO attorney general. He said if it is an anti-trust issue, the AG should be suing. So one thing we can do (in addition to screaming, etc.) is vote for an AG that works for us. And as an added bonus, Elad will enforce Amendment 3 overturning the abortion ban when we pass it in Roevember. Unfortunately, we will not recover from 20 years of R supermajority overnight, but this is where we start turning it around.
They are not, and the support staff is not. The veterinary field has its own issues, veterinary technicians (animal nurses) not having a national minimum standard of education required, no union, and good luck if these corporate offices offer anything other than high deductible health insurance for the employee (doctor, nurse, reception) -if health insurance is offered at all.
I just recently saw a resurfaced video of JD Vance saying people without children should have their taxes increased because “we” want to punish behavior we don’t like. So now we HAVE to have children? If you want kids,great. Russia is now going to fine people for promoting a childless lifestyle. Great role model JD.
What childless People do in life is NONE of JD vance's business!
Remember that Trump and JD Vance see women as second class citizens. They hate women and debase them every chance he gets.
Someone having such issues with and general hatred of women has NO place in the White House. Period.
Overturning Roe was step 1. Trump's Project 2025 will dismantle women’s rights and consolidate power to white men. I strongly urge you to vote for Harris/Walz where your reproductive decisions will be personal and protected.
Imagine wearing these t-shirts in front of these kinds of bigots 👇
And I believe their base agenda is to take away women's voting rights. As author William Greider said in The Nation magazine back in 2003, the Republican goal is to destroy the federal government, and their "grand ambition is to roll back the twentieth century." Look it up. He was right, and they've been working on it for over 20 years.
That is precisely where MAGA intends to go. One senator said he wanted to move the nation back to the ’60;s, when women were at home. I’m sure it was great for them—a progeny producer, child care provider, valet, laundery & ironing service, cleaning person, chef, social secretary, accountant, business manager--all for the price of room and board. And she couldn’t quit because of divorce laws and lack of funds.
MEN are asking why women over 50 care about reproductive care. THE CARE IS FOR WOMEN, Dumb*ss!! We are still women with female family members and friends THAT NEED OBGYN CARE for our whole life!!! And as women, we still remember when women were considered 2nd class humans, unable to own property or have credit or run a business. Men should have NO say in a woman’s healthcare. And no one should have the right to impose their religion on anyone else. Thank you, Jess. I M SO grateful for you and can’t figure out how you stay so calm and sensible. I am outraged !!!!
Men need to step up on this issue, too. Just because we have no direct, personal need for OBGYN care, we have wives, daughters, cousins, girlfriends, sisters, and friends who do. This is a people issue. This is public health issue. This is a Doing-What’s-Right issue. It is way past time to start treating it as such.
I disagree that men "have no direct, personal need for OBGYN care". I have a serious, direct, personal need for the women I know to get the medical care that they want/need. I also need menstrual products readily available at a nearby store, even though I don't generally purchase them.
I, personally, need to not be surrounded by pointless suffering.
Thank you for mentioning another aspect of this - the public health aspect. While no one "catches" pregnancy or whatever from anyone else, unlike Covid, or the flu, or whatever, people DO catch STDs from one another, and having 1/2 the population unable to access preventive care and treatment is terrible. It's also terrible for the families and communities in which they live. There is also a huge economic impact of having 1/2 the population sickly: on the schools they send their kids to, on their coworkers and employers, heck, even on the grocery stores and other places in which they shop, the concerts they'd attend, the other ways they'd participate in life but can't because they're sick! As if any reason to provide reproductive-system healthcare is needed other than it's the right thing to do.
It is interesting that you report that for every 10 livestock veterinarians in a given geographic region there is one OBGYN. Let me put that in even more frightening context.
In the field of veterinary medicine, we are worrying about shortage of rural veterinarians, shortage of livestock and food animal veterinarians. So then understand what it means for the dire situation of OBGYNs — fewer OBGYNs than the number in another profession that openly talks about rural veterinary shortage!
As a 69-year-old Missouri ex-pat living in a purple pocket of the blue state of California, I feel every fiber of this. You articulate a huge part of why I left Missouri and why I am a life-long Democrat.
I couldn’t agree more. Jess, you are an essential voice in this country. You speak truth in a humane voice. You never pull your punches when you share personal stories or call out terrible conditions or behavior. You give me hope for my children and grandchildren. Thank you!
If I were Usha Vance I’d worry about my status and position after menopause. Oh wait, but she clerked for 2 Supreme Court justices — so she will probably be on her way to the SCOTUS herself way before her husband expects her to babysit his grandchildren. But like her own mother, she will probably still have to take a year’s worth of sabbatical to babysit grandchildren. She sure is trying that life out now, having resigned her job. Good thing for her that she doesn’t need a job or babysitter unlike most of the rest of the population.
How Americans put up with all this privileged hypocrisy is mind-boggling to this middle-class immigrant.
From what few articles I have come across on her in online sources, she was his mentor and support and partner in their law school days. She organized a reading club together with him, encouraged him to write his book, read, gave feedback, etc. In India, like in other patriarchal societies, successfully-married women and/or women in power-couple marriages swear by the practice (and belief) that behind every successful man there is woman. I am not able to shake off that mental image of her, especially when I read tidbits like the Vances and Vivek Ramaswamy and his wife are close friends.
So, my imagination says that Usha Vance is playing her part well — well-educated, successful, powerful career woman who happens to also be happy giving out the vibes that she is a demure, contented wife of a Republican Senator and happy to accompany him on his campaigns and be the wife who is seen, not heard. For now, maybe. Patience is a virtue in Hinduism also. But we also worship Lakshmi, goddess of wealth, and Saraswati, goddess of knowledge, and Parvati, goddess of power. I am sure that in our myriad of gods and goddesses, there is one (that I may not know of) who forgives lies - spoken and unspoken - when we light a Diya (if we feel the need to light one when we are alone and in a self-reflective mood. But in a busy campaign season, we aren’t really alone or reflecting, are we?). And after that, oh well, memories are short.
Having fought for better for women, your article made me just howl with frustration! I just want to scream to think that, in my 70th year, such rotten conditions and attitudes still exist for women. I can remember when my male friends formed “consciousness-raising” groups in the 1970s. We had hope things might change. Yet here we are in 2024, essentially invisible, if not downright useless, to many of America’s males, and certainly Republican males. It seems to me that the women in my generation, we Boomers, need to raise holy hell with the Republicans in a loud, visible way. What can we do to effect change? How can we use our years of experience and wisdom to put the screws to the JD Vances of America? Who can advise us, organize us, help us get our concerns out in a visible way? I think the untapped power of post-menopausal women in particular would shock the pants off men like Vance and Moreno and others of their 19th century ilk. Do I sound like I have a battery on my shoulder? Well I do, and they better not try to knock it off!
As an over 50 woman myself, I have been appalled at the divisiveness from both JD and tfg. Hurtful, horrific statements about women, immigrants, LBGQT+, and others is not acceptable in a 21st Century World. We need to double down on confronting their lies and violent comments. It is just horrifying.
(BTW My 4x great grandmother was born in MO, and brought her MidWestern values to California when she migrated here in 1846!)
"Weird to think that women of a certain age still need the care of the OBGYNs who flee states with abortion bans. Odd to think some women of a certain age have raised daughters who need abortion care. Odd to think women of a certain age just stop caring about others because they are of a certain age." Tim Walz is going to tear Vance a new one on Tuesday.
Just so you know the kind of person you are reaching: I am a retired single grandfather raising my three special needs grandsons. I've had them for 12 years. When I got them they were 5yo, 2yo and 14 months old. I attend a Grandparents Who Parent group. I am the only male in the group. I guess I must be equal to a post-menapausal woman. ;-)
I really enjoy your posts.
Thank you for being here,Friend!
Bless your heart,you good man! Thank you.
I admire what you've done and would do the same if given the circumstances. What your response tells me is they don't care about you or any one of us. All we are to a republican is a possible vote. Jess, thanks for your post, there is so much work to do.
Another point is that nearly two thirds of the small animal vets in practices being swallowed up by equity firms are women. Are they being fairly compensated? Something tells me they're not.
That’s a really good point
This sounds very similar to the way independent pharmacies have been taken over, and our residential housing gobbled up by corporations. I talked to Elad Gross about that yesterday. He is running for MO attorney general. He said if it is an anti-trust issue, the AG should be suing. So one thing we can do (in addition to screaming, etc.) is vote for an AG that works for us. And as an added bonus, Elad will enforce Amendment 3 overturning the abortion ban when we pass it in Roevember. Unfortunately, we will not recover from 20 years of R supermajority overnight, but this is where we start turning it around.
They are not, and the support staff is not. The veterinary field has its own issues, veterinary technicians (animal nurses) not having a national minimum standard of education required, no union, and good luck if these corporate offices offer anything other than high deductible health insurance for the employee (doctor, nurse, reception) -if health insurance is offered at all.
I just recently saw a resurfaced video of JD Vance saying people without children should have their taxes increased because “we” want to punish behavior we don’t like. So now we HAVE to have children? If you want kids,great. Russia is now going to fine people for promoting a childless lifestyle. Great role model JD.
And also, it’s like he’s never heard of the child tax credit
What childless People do in life is NONE of JD vance's business!
Remember that Trump and JD Vance see women as second class citizens. They hate women and debase them every chance he gets.
Someone having such issues with and general hatred of women has NO place in the White House. Period.
Overturning Roe was step 1. Trump's Project 2025 will dismantle women’s rights and consolidate power to white men. I strongly urge you to vote for Harris/Walz where your reproductive decisions will be personal and protected.
Imagine wearing these t-shirts in front of these kinds of bigots 👇
https://libtees-2.creator-spring.com
And I believe their base agenda is to take away women's voting rights. As author William Greider said in The Nation magazine back in 2003, the Republican goal is to destroy the federal government, and their "grand ambition is to roll back the twentieth century." Look it up. He was right, and they've been working on it for over 20 years.
They have been working on it from the day women got the right to vote.
Not “second-class citizens”. Second-class humans (if considered to be human at all).
Not enough “likes” in the world for this post.
Project 2025 mandate for leadership says tha what we have in America is the freedom to do WHAT WE OUGHT!!
Who do you suppose gets to decide what we all “ought” to do?
Hint: not us
Go away t shirt guy
That is precisely where MAGA intends to go. One senator said he wanted to move the nation back to the ’60;s, when women were at home. I’m sure it was great for them—a progeny producer, child care provider, valet, laundery & ironing service, cleaning person, chef, social secretary, accountant, business manager--all for the price of room and board. And she couldn’t quit because of divorce laws and lack of funds.
And somewhere JD said a family should get an extra vote for each child they have.
MEN are asking why women over 50 care about reproductive care. THE CARE IS FOR WOMEN, Dumb*ss!! We are still women with female family members and friends THAT NEED OBGYN CARE for our whole life!!! And as women, we still remember when women were considered 2nd class humans, unable to own property or have credit or run a business. Men should have NO say in a woman’s healthcare. And no one should have the right to impose their religion on anyone else. Thank you, Jess. I M SO grateful for you and can’t figure out how you stay so calm and sensible. I am outraged !!!!
My wife the retired RN noted that women over 50 can become pregnant, so their healthcare is critical.
Men need to step up on this issue, too. Just because we have no direct, personal need for OBGYN care, we have wives, daughters, cousins, girlfriends, sisters, and friends who do. This is a people issue. This is public health issue. This is a Doing-What’s-Right issue. It is way past time to start treating it as such.
Yes. Thank you.
I disagree that men "have no direct, personal need for OBGYN care". I have a serious, direct, personal need for the women I know to get the medical care that they want/need. I also need menstrual products readily available at a nearby store, even though I don't generally purchase them.
I, personally, need to not be surrounded by pointless suffering.
Perhaps I should have said it is an important issue to men even though we are not the ones with our feet in the stirrups.
Thank you for mentioning another aspect of this - the public health aspect. While no one "catches" pregnancy or whatever from anyone else, unlike Covid, or the flu, or whatever, people DO catch STDs from one another, and having 1/2 the population unable to access preventive care and treatment is terrible. It's also terrible for the families and communities in which they live. There is also a huge economic impact of having 1/2 the population sickly: on the schools they send their kids to, on their coworkers and employers, heck, even on the grocery stores and other places in which they shop, the concerts they'd attend, the other ways they'd participate in life but can't because they're sick! As if any reason to provide reproductive-system healthcare is needed other than it's the right thing to do.
Well said, Lynn.
With the logic some of these republicans use, men shouldn't have the right/chance/privilege to vote on abortion issues at all.
Jess, your state needs to bring back Claire McCaskill and elect Lucas.
It is interesting that you report that for every 10 livestock veterinarians in a given geographic region there is one OBGYN. Let me put that in even more frightening context.
In the field of veterinary medicine, we are worrying about shortage of rural veterinarians, shortage of livestock and food animal veterinarians. So then understand what it means for the dire situation of OBGYNs — fewer OBGYNs than the number in another profession that openly talks about rural veterinary shortage!
As a 69-year-old Missouri ex-pat living in a purple pocket of the blue state of California, I feel every fiber of this. You articulate a huge part of why I left Missouri and why I am a life-long Democrat.
This needs to be shared far and wide. You are a very important voice in this country. People need to pay attention before it is too late.
I couldn’t agree more. Jess, you are an essential voice in this country. You speak truth in a humane voice. You never pull your punches when you share personal stories or call out terrible conditions or behavior. You give me hope for my children and grandchildren. Thank you!
If I were Usha Vance I’d worry about my status and position after menopause. Oh wait, but she clerked for 2 Supreme Court justices — so she will probably be on her way to the SCOTUS herself way before her husband expects her to babysit his grandchildren. But like her own mother, she will probably still have to take a year’s worth of sabbatical to babysit grandchildren. She sure is trying that life out now, having resigned her job. Good thing for her that she doesn’t need a job or babysitter unlike most of the rest of the population.
How Americans put up with all this privileged hypocrisy is mind-boggling to this middle-class immigrant.
I've been wondering about what Usha thinks about all of this.
From what few articles I have come across on her in online sources, she was his mentor and support and partner in their law school days. She organized a reading club together with him, encouraged him to write his book, read, gave feedback, etc. In India, like in other patriarchal societies, successfully-married women and/or women in power-couple marriages swear by the practice (and belief) that behind every successful man there is woman. I am not able to shake off that mental image of her, especially when I read tidbits like the Vances and Vivek Ramaswamy and his wife are close friends.
So, my imagination says that Usha Vance is playing her part well — well-educated, successful, powerful career woman who happens to also be happy giving out the vibes that she is a demure, contented wife of a Republican Senator and happy to accompany him on his campaigns and be the wife who is seen, not heard. For now, maybe. Patience is a virtue in Hinduism also. But we also worship Lakshmi, goddess of wealth, and Saraswati, goddess of knowledge, and Parvati, goddess of power. I am sure that in our myriad of gods and goddesses, there is one (that I may not know of) who forgives lies - spoken and unspoken - when we light a Diya (if we feel the need to light one when we are alone and in a self-reflective mood. But in a busy campaign season, we aren’t really alone or reflecting, are we?). And after that, oh well, memories are short.
You are the voice of so many women, particularly in our geo area (Arkansas AAA vol/super dem here). Please keep it up. We love and need LOUD WOMEN!!💙💙
Thank you, yet again, for your writing!
Having fought for better for women, your article made me just howl with frustration! I just want to scream to think that, in my 70th year, such rotten conditions and attitudes still exist for women. I can remember when my male friends formed “consciousness-raising” groups in the 1970s. We had hope things might change. Yet here we are in 2024, essentially invisible, if not downright useless, to many of America’s males, and certainly Republican males. It seems to me that the women in my generation, we Boomers, need to raise holy hell with the Republicans in a loud, visible way. What can we do to effect change? How can we use our years of experience and wisdom to put the screws to the JD Vances of America? Who can advise us, organize us, help us get our concerns out in a visible way? I think the untapped power of post-menopausal women in particular would shock the pants off men like Vance and Moreno and others of their 19th century ilk. Do I sound like I have a battery on my shoulder? Well I do, and they better not try to knock it off!
Love that battery reference! Too few remember that one.
Thank you Jess
As an over 50 woman myself, I have been appalled at the divisiveness from both JD and tfg. Hurtful, horrific statements about women, immigrants, LBGQT+, and others is not acceptable in a 21st Century World. We need to double down on confronting their lies and violent comments. It is just horrifying.
(BTW My 4x great grandmother was born in MO, and brought her MidWestern values to California when she migrated here in 1846!)
Remember “We the people in order to form a more perfect union,,,”
However you define a “more perfect union” it can’t be based on hate and setting groups @ each other’s throats.
Vance and Trump already show why they can’t honor the oath of office.
"Weird to think that women of a certain age still need the care of the OBGYNs who flee states with abortion bans. Odd to think some women of a certain age have raised daughters who need abortion care. Odd to think women of a certain age just stop caring about others because they are of a certain age." Tim Walz is going to tear Vance a new one on Tuesday.