Today I want to deal with facts, their misinterpretation, (I’m being kind in my choice of verbiage) and some poor decisions including on the part of some Democrats.

The anti-choice legislation is worse than it appears. Much of it codifies lying. In fact, one of its basic tenants is untrue. Much of the pending legislation is based on the disinformation that the fetus has a heartbeat at six weeks. While some tests may pick up something resembling a heartbeat the heart doesn’t form until the ninth or tenth week of pregnancy. It’s a matter of the number line folks.

Then we come to the matter of the disinformation (a/k/a lies) that are legally required to be told to pregnant women seeking an abortion in many states very much including Texas. They are told that if they have an abortion, they will have an increased risk of breast cancer and infertility. Neither of which is true.

Women seeking abortions are also told they will have an increased risk of depression and suicide. There are no medical studies that establish this link. The real answer is that we haven’t studied it and therefore do not know. In that case it certainly doesn’t fall under the category of truth.

The last “fear factor” is that women are told they risk death by having an abortion. Like most good lies there is a grain – a very tiny one – of truth in that statement. All medical procedures entail a risk of death. I had my gall bladder out a few years ago and the surgeon made me aware that there was an extremely small, but nonetheless existent, chance of death. Neither of us was worried and obviously I’m alive today. Let’s look at the relative risk of a legal abortion. Less than 1 in 100,000 (.73) women die as a result of the procedure. At the same time 17.4 in 100,000 women die in childbirth. (That is almost 24 times higher.) I don’t know of anyone who is anti-childbirth.

Now I’d like to turn my attention to the current COVID situation in America. I tend to error on the side of caution (which I think is prudent action) in the pandemic. In my opinion many elected officials, including some Democrats, are acting prematurely. In basketball you pull your starters when the lead is so large that you effectively feel you have won the game. You pull your starters but you don’t pull your team off the floor. Big difference!

I follow the 14 day rolling average because I feel it is the best predictor we have readily available. With relation to the pandemic any actions I take can only affect the future. The past is simply that; the past. As of this writing the February 15th numbers are the most recent available. We had 140,204 new cases and the new infections are dropping at a rate of 67%. In fact, the cases have been dropping at close to that rate for over a week now. We are definitely moving in the right direction and at a decent pace but we are far from out of the woods. 100,000+ new infections a day is nothing to ignore!

I’m still wearing a mask on the somewhat rare occasions I go out in public for some time to come. I will practice social distancing and very much be picky about who I associate with even in a socially distant setting. I’ve been triple vaccinated and encourage all to do likewise with the exception of those too young or having a medical condition that prevents vaccination (less than 2% of the population).

I think a lot of elected officials are falling victim to public political pressure. I remind them that leadership often entails making unpopular decisions. Ever cut a kid from a basketball squad? It’s not an enjoyable experience or a universally popular decision.

In the final analysis you have one thing going for you – you. Make smart decisions and cut through the malarkey.

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