The party that is supposedly about limited government is out there banning books, taking away women’s reproductive rights, criminalizing homelessness, advocating vigilantism abortion laws, proposing to gut Social Security and Medicaid, proposing to tax the poor and staging a war against Mickey Mouse.

Every single Supreme Court justice who is likely to overturn Roe v. Wade testified under oath, publicly, that it was “settled law.” Every single one of them lied under oath (perjury) but, hey, let’s focus on the fact that someone leaked the draft — you know, because the public needs a distraction. I get that abortion is a bad thing in many people’s minds. And I will repeat what I often say: Most responsible women and couples would prefer to use contraceptives and birth control methods rather than to go through the pain and expense of an abortion.

But for the life of me, I can’t understand why most of these newly written abortion laws make ZERO exceptions in rape, incest and certain medical cases.

What decent mother would want their teenaged (or younger) daughter raped by a criminal or family member and then allow her victimized child to have to give birth to a child of rape or incest?

A nine-month reminder of a brutal crime!

What decent father would want their child to bear the pain of being brutalized and have no say in the remainder of her life?

Why is it OK to let the baby AND the mother die in cases in which complications from the pregnancy places both lives at risk?

Many of these laws don’t allow for any medical exceptions. Imagine being a loving husband and losing your wife and child on the same day, without having a say in the matter. Imagine you’re the doting grandparents and your baby girl and her child HAVE to die because there is no exception. You’re OK with that?

These are personal decisions, not government issues. This is not limited government; it is government overreach.

I understand for many, it is due to a religious belief. Children are a precious gift from God.

Yes, but RAPE or INCEST is NOT a precious gift. Or are you saying that is a precious gift? Because if you are, you need help.

Plus, freedom of religion means I get to follow the religion of my choice, not force my religion on others. I have the right to be a Catholic, Baptist, Episcopalian, Protestant or any other faith I choose to follow. You don’t have the right to force your version of religion on me and others, so stop doing that.

And once they overturn Roe v. Wade, they will come for other rights, yet they continue to say they are the party of freedom and democracy.

Whose freedom? Theirs only?

There are already a few red state leaders talking about banning birth control and contraceptives; some are talking about making the “crime of abortion” punishable by jail time or the death penalty.

THE DEATH PENALTY — but they’re “prolife,” am I right?

They talk about saving the babies so the USA has a “domestic supply of infants” for adoptions. What about the 400,000 kids in foster care right now? What about them?

I guess they are no longer “babies,” so they don’t matter.

Sure, let’s talk about saving the babies while voting against healthcare. Let’s talk about saving the babies but NOT talk about how that baby will be (un) cared for by a parent who didn’t want the child to begin with. Let’s talk about saving the babies without ensuring each baby that is saved will be adopted out to a loving home.

If you are pro-life, you need not worry about abortion because you don’t ever plan on getting one. But you don’t have the right to tell others how to live their lives or make their medical decisions.

SORRY, BUT YOU DON’T.

I don’t get to tell you what medical procedures you should have. I don’t get to tell you what to eat for dinner every night. I don’t get to tell you how to brush your hair, what to wear, how many kids you should have or who you should marry.

And you don’t get to tell others what they can or must do in their lives, either. Because even if you are the best of friends, it is ultimately their personal decision to make.

I never thought I’d see the day when I was living in a dystopian society. Five steps forward and suddenly five decades of law pushed back.

Who knew Margret Atwood actually wrote a nonfiction book?

Patty Leon is senior editor of the Coastal Courier.