We were a society dying of too much choice.

~Aunt Lydia/The Handmaid’s Tale

The Handmaid’s Tale is a dystopian novel written by Margaret Atwood in 1985. The story involves the fictional military coup of the United States government in which the president and most members of Congress are killed. America was then taken over by an authoritarian religious regime whose mission was to fuse their fundamentalist religious doctrines into the laws and government of the land. A huge swath of land that was a part of the former United States became the Republic of Gilead but was often referred to as ‘The Divine Republic’. In the novel, the country had suffered an environmental disaster rendering most women infertile. This newly founded republic set up a patriarchal and oppressive society. The men’s roles were divided into an orderly hierarchy of power and authority. Women’s roles were categorized by fertility, marriageability and skills at domesticity. The role of the Aunts was to form fertile Handmaids into obedient surrogate childbearing vessels for the powerful Commanders and their infertile wives. There was a special category for infertile sensuous women, they were the Jezebels. Jezebels were hidden from the everyday world of Gilead. Their role in this shadowy underworld was antithesis to the espoused norms of the Divine Republic. Their sole purpose was to provide forbidden sexual experiences for the Commanders and Generals. Women were not given a choice of their roles. They were assigned their role and function in the new ‘Divine Republic’. Dissent was not a pleasant option.

The novel is terrifying in its prescience. Margaret Atwood states that her dystopian novels only include events that have already occurred in history. As such, The Handmaid’s Tale is a cautionary tale about authoritarianism and the infusing of radical religiosity into the functioning of a government. Think Taliban, Ayatollahs, and our own homegrown brand of Christian Nationalism and religious fundamentalism. Aunt Lydia would most likely give an approving nod to Kansas City Chiefs kicker, Harrison Butker in his address to Benedictine College this past May. He was clear about what 'trad Catholics' and Christian Nationalists believe to be the true calling for women. He congratulated the graduating women on their accomplishments albeit due to the “diabolical lies” that had been told to them about corporate success. He proudly said that his wife’s life only “truly started when she started living her vocation as a wife and as a mother.” He received a standing ovation from the class of 2024.

Did You Know:

On June 24, 2022, in a devastating decision that will reverberate for generations, the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) overturned Roe v. Wade and reversed the constitutional right to abortion. The Dobbs ruling abandoned nearly 50 years of precedent and marked the first time in history that the Supreme Court has taken away a fundamental right. In a nod to federalism, the court stated that decisions about women’s reproductive rights and access to safe and legal abortions should be left to the states. In effect, a woman’s right to reproductive freedom now depends on her zip code.

Following the Dobbs decision, Indiana immediately convened a special summer legislative session to craft an anti-abortion law which ultimately banned abortion after six weeks. It was one of the first states to pass a near total ban on abortions. Jim Banks, a U.S. Congressman representing Indiana’s 3^rd Congressional District and who is now running for U.S. Senate said that he ‘danced for joy’ when the decision was announced. In a recent statement just this summer, he proudly admits that he supports implementing a travel ban for women seeking abortions in less restrictive states.

That same summer of 2022, under the leadership of Speaker Pelosi, the U.S. House of Representatives drafted and passed legislation that ensured a woman’s right to contraception. This emergency legislation was drafted in response not only to the Dobbs decision but also in response to Justice Clarence Thomas’ concurrence opinion to that decision. In his concurrence statement he indicated that the Supreme Court “should reconsider” its past rulings codifying rights to contraception access and same-sex relationships. In other words, let's take away those messy choices that have been granted over the past fifty years and turn back the clock.

Although the Right to Contraception Act passed in the House of Representatives in 2022, the legislation stalled in the Senate due to the filibuster. In an attempt to move this legislation to final passage, a special Senate vote was taken on June 5, 2024. Mike Braun, Indiana’s gubernatorial Republican candidate, did not vote. Our two Indiana senators voted against codifying a women’s right to contraception, paving the way for future SCOTUS decisions to further restrict fundamental freedoms for women. Most Indiana GOP legislators and state officials are faithful MAGA acolytes. They serve the party, not their constituents. They have made that very clear. It’s up to us to notice.

Why It Matters:

The Dobbs decision was just the beginning. Justice Thomas said the quiet part out loud. We must believe what Republican politicians are saying about their desire to further restrict our rights and freedoms. These decisions have real life consequences. The Dobbs ruling is a bellwether for more restrictive legislation and Supreme Court decisions. We must understand what this means for all of us.

Listed below are just a few of the consequences of living in a post Dobbs country. As Justice Clarence Thomas indicated in his concurrence opinion, this is just the beginning. We must believe him.

• Forced births for young girls impregnated by rape or incest

• Lawsuits against physicians who make medical, life-saving decisions to abort a pregnancy.

  • This is having an impact on overall access to medical care in states with abortion bans like ours. Medical school graduates are not applying for residencies in states with abortion bans which directly impacts women’s access to health care.

• A young Texas mother trying for a second child is told her fetus is not viable. She is forced to carry the child until she succumbs to a sepsis infection and is near death before doctors will abort the fetus.

• A young unmarried teenage having to travel hundreds of miles to find a clinic that will provide an abortion for a unwanted pregnancy

• Right to personhood laws being written and put into the pipeline for future SCOTUS rulings. These rulings have implications for in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures.

• IVF is considered illegal in some states, a consequence of ‘right of personhood’ laws.

• Several states are exploring banning IUDs and classifying that form of birth control as ‘abortion’.

• Gender affirming care considered child abuse and illegal in some states. Indiana has banned parental access to gender affirming care for their children.

• LGBTQ+ rights at risk, including overturning the Marriage Equality Act affording the right to marry for same sex couples.

• Zombie laws resurrected to restrict mailing contraceptives/abortifacients thus severely limiting access and use of non-medical abortions on a national level.

What You Can Do:

It is our work as Hoosiers to be aware of what is happening within the MAGA controlled Republican party. The news can be overwhelming and at times discouraging, but avoidance and despair are not strategies for responding to this crisis. We were made for this moment, and we are up to the challenge!

As we move closer to the upcoming general election, we must be informed and willing to do our part as everyday citizens who love this country and this grand experiment of self-governance. We must come together as Hoosiers committed to protecting our freedoms and the freedoms of our neighbors regardless of their race, faith, politics, sexual preference or gender identity. We must grow the movement against extremism and make sure extremist candidates are not elected. Here are a few simple ways to make a difference!

• Be an informed, high information citizen. Local, small-town newspapers used to be the source for information in rural Indiana counties. Those newspapers no longer exist, and our state is suffering from an epidemic of disinformation and misinformation due in part to social media and national cable opinion journalism that traffic in misinformation. Engage with your neighbors about the issues you care about. Hearts and minds are changed in community and through heartfelt conversations.

• Red, Wine & Blue have amazing resources and tools to help you engage with your friends, family and community. Take advantage of their power and their generosity to grow this movement!

• Avoid social media platforms; many can be a cesspool for misinformation and often an echo chamber that keeps us divided. Russian backed misinformation and propaganda designed to amplify divisions and spread misinformation has intensified since the 2016 election.

• There are a few statewide platforms on FaceBook that you can trust. Check out Indiana Nasty Women and their chapters in Porter and Hamilton County. Another great site is WUFPAC; it is a private page mainly focused on Allen County but has good general information and high standards for submissions.

• Volunteer for statewide and local campaigns in Indiana that have non-extremist candidates. These candidates struggle for media coverage and fundraising support. Support statewide house and senate districts that may not be in your local district. No matter the district a MAGA acolyte comes from, once elected they have statewide influence! They are appointed as chairs of important committees and craft legislation that impacts you.

• Democracy is not a partisan issue, it is a choice. Here are a few amazing candidates who are committed to supporting freedoms and democracy for Hoosiers:

  • Jennifer McCormick is running for Governor against Mike Braun and Micah Beckwith. Micah Beckwith is a self-proclaimed Christian Nationalist.

  • Valerie McCray is running against Jim Banks for U.S. Senate. Jim Banks supports a national ban on abortion and a travel ban for women seeking reproductive health care across state lines. He is firmly against LGBTQ+ rights and supports the ban on gender affirming care for our Indiana trans children.

  • Destiny Wells is running for Attorney General against Todd Rokita. Her campaign is about ‘returning integrity to the Office of Attorney General”. She is young, intelligent, politically savvy and passionate. Todd Rokita is an election denying MAGA acolyte who sued the OBGYN physician Dr. Caitlin Bernard for treating the ten year old incest victim seeking medical attention in Indiana because of the strict abortion laws in Ohio. His claims against Dr. Bernard were unfounded. He supports a nation-wide ban on abortion and is working to obtain the private health records of women who have ‘terminated pregnancy’ as a way to surveil women who have had miscarriages or abortions. He also created a portal called the “Eyes for Education” for anyone to ‘report’ inappropriate materials in public schools that may be examples of “real examples of socialist indoctrination from classrooms across the state.” Under His Eye indeed.

  • Deborah Pickett is running against Victoria Spartz for Indiana’s 5^th Congressional District. Victoria Spartz is an election denier, compares the FBI to the KGB and is facing a House Ethics Committee investigation for harassment and bullying of her staff. She is against LGBTQ+ rights and has been accused of directing her harassment and bullying against LGBTQ+ staff. She is a MAGA extremist.

  • Michelle Higgs is an amazing young woman running for House District 60 in Morgan County. She is organizing ‘rural summits’ to occur across several rural counties that have responsible, respectable non-extremist candidates running for House Districts across 21 rural counties. She would be a valuable influence in the super majority GOP statehouse. She is running against longtime incumbent Peggy Mayfield.

  • Trish Whitcomb is running for House District 69 against the Republican incumbent Jim Lucas. Jim Lucas is the legislator who flashed his gun at students in the Statehouse who were advocating for more common-sense gun laws. He regularly posts racist memes on his social media sites. In June of 2023 he was charged with an OWI and leaving the scene of an accident. He took a plea deal and was placed on probation for 180 days.

  • Heidi Beidinger is running for House District 5 in St. Joseph County. She is a university professor and expert in global health. She is committed to improving public education, protecting reproductive rights and resisting extremism in Indiana politics. She is running against incumbent Dale DeVon.

Indiana has promising candidates on the ballot for November. Take the time to learn more about each candidate and dedicate a bit of your time and resources to supporting them. Don’t believe those who say Democrats can’t win in Indiana. If the Democratic candidate is not an extremist, they can win but they need our help.

Join the movement to resist extremism and protect our personal freedoms. Aunt Lydia would not approve—that’s the point. One more very important thing you can do.

• Forward this newsletter to as many people as you can think of. Invite them to subscribe.

Let’s keep The Handmaid’s Tale dystopian fiction and not a prophecy for 2025.

Onward in democracy,

Debbie, Rachel and Barbara

Notes:

For more information about Margaret Atwood’s use of history for her dystopian novels, see this article by The Guardian

For more information about Jim Banks’ and Mike Braun’s vote on The Right to Contraception Act, see this article by Indiana Capital Chronicle

For more information about Rep. Jim Bank’s support of travel bans for pregnant women, see this press release by the Indiana Democratic Party

For more information about religious opposition to in vitro fertilization, see this article by The Indianapolis Star

For more information about how the Dobb’s decision and Indiana GOP legislators align with Project 2025 from The Guardian and this NPR Podcast