Simply

Desiree Timply’s news hour named “Simply Timply” was now on hold. It was a commercial break and the pit crew redid her makeup, fluffed her blonde hair, and touched up her nose, lips, cheeks, and eyes. She always felt like a corpse being primped and ready for a casket.

This evening, the Ultimate Court decided to take away all abortion rights for every state. Desiree looked at this news, studied this news and regurgitated it to her audience of about thirty million viewers, plus another three million streaming.

She lit up a cigarette. The room got cloudy like purple haze. The countdown began. Her producer folded her arms. The red light glowed like the tip of her cigarette.

“This morning, the Ultimate Court decided to lose their collective minds. They signed a bill. Was it to curtail and eliminate mass shootings? Recover from two disastrous wars? Make healthcare a provider’s prerogative? Was it to decriminalize and legalize all drugs? Do they wish to stop catastrophizing the climate conditions? Was it to address the swelling prison population? Do they want to crack down crime? Technically. But that crime, sadly, is abortion. That’s right folks. With all of the issues we could choose to address, it’s this one: a woman’s mind and body.” Desiree puffed from her cigarette.

“I know we can do better than this. Abortion?! Telling a woman she can’t get in the stirrups because she is too ‘womanly’ and ‘unwitting’ to know the difference between opening her legs and opening a jar of paint? How did we get here? This is madness.”

Desiree took a caller.

“Yes, Desiree, this is Fendi Fairbank from Newark, Delaware.”

“My hometown. Good evening, Fendi. What have you got for me?” She drew on her cigarette and lit another one in one swift motion.

“Yes, I wanted to say that I’m in favor of this ruling.”

Desiree spit out her cigarette and coughed. “You said what, now?”

“I think that women should make better choices with their lives. I think that if you want to slum and bum with just anyone and then get rid of a kid, that should definitely be a crime.”

Desiree’s eyes turned to saucers. “Caller, my fellow Newarkite. This goes against what is called reason. Now, you ought to realize that you’re going to be met with hostility. You deserve it. But what you also deserve is a bit of truth.”

“Mmhm,” Fendi replied.

“Listen closely. With all that ails us in this country, it is not only a personal issue it is a selfish one. I mean that it is rationally self-interested. To stop a potential child is totally different from killing an actual one. Now, we can quibble about the third trimester and moments directly preceding an actual birth. The fact remains that the baby is not a baby until it’s a baby. In the womb it has the potential for life. And life at conception is an anti-concept. Does that make things clear?”

“Yes. I disagree completely but thank you for taking my call,” Fendi said.

“You can’t disagree with facts but it’s good to know another Delawarean called to the show. Isn’t that great?” Desiree then took the time to light another cigarette.

“No more calls. I’m just going to get pissed off some more. It’s such a precious thing in this life. That’s why women should be able to use their own minds. I’m pro-life. The woman’s life. What stands out the most is the idea that someone could even consider the hatred for women in their behavior.”

She tapped some ashes into a tray.

“Once we get to the point where we’re deciding on how to control human thought and behavior, we’re running headlong into the territory of totalitarianism.