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Jun 28, 2022·edited Jul 5, 2022Liked by Katie Hawkins-Gaar

I lost all hope of siring a child when in the fall of 1981 my wife and I were victims of a horrible head on crash caused by a young woman dozing off and drifting into our travel lane.

My wife received multiple injuries to her internal organs, as well as losing a walnut sized portion of her left frontal lob.

The surgeons and our family doctor told me a pregnancy might kill her.

The medical team working on my wife eventually found a rural doctor willing to perform a vasectomy on me.

It is a sadness I sometimes ponder now that I am rapidly approaching my 8th decade. Fortunately I have several step children who love me and soon I may be blessed to welcome into my family another grandchild.

I share this history with you Katie only to explain the vagaries that often can haunt our souls.

You are not to be condemned for giving into the temptation of gorging on the sorrow you and many other women are experiencing following the Supreme Court ruling.

Your personal story leads me to believe you are a survivor.

I had to learn how to be a survivor long ago.

May you and your family be blessed with grace and gratitude for the good things in your life, and the strength do deal with that which is not good in your life.

An old man like me will wait a few weeks, or even months, hoping that the legislators here in Florida will add rape, incest and human trafficking exceptions to our new abortion law.

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Jun 28, 2022Liked by Katie Hawkins-Gaar

At age 74, I am horrified at how much social progress is being revoked and how much of it is still in danger. Your newsletter reminds me that there are many young women who are working for equal rights and opportunity. It's so overwhelming, yet you always remind us of the ways we can help.

Thank you so much for including ARC-Southeast in your list. I sent them a donation, along with this comment: My gift is dedicated to all the women before me who fought for their right to speak, vote, have economic freedom, and the right to make their own decisions about their own bodies. While I am grieving this major setback, I have hope that we can, together, pass a constitutional amendment that will finally codify women's rights in the United State of America.

We need to do an end run around this deeply biased and regressive Supreme Court. We need to finally pass the Equal Rights Amendment.

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Sep 11, 2022Liked by Katie Hawkins-Gaar

Thank you so much for this piece, Kate.

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