The country is a mere two months into the Trump administration and history already appears to be repeating itself, at least when it comes to frightful images of white men deciding the fate of women and their bodies. A picture of Vice President Mike Pence -- who previously signed a bill that would force women who had abortions to bury or cremate fetal remains and who voted against the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act three times -- surrounded by dozens of white men as they discuss maternity leave under the now-stalled and likely dead "Trumpcare" bill (American Health Care Act) went viral on Thursday.
The photo of Pence is eerily reminiscent of a picture of Trump signing an executive order banning U.S. aid to overseas nongovernmental organizations that provide or advise on abortions -- just two days after the record-breaking Women's March protests in January.
While Trump asked Speaker Paul Ryan to pull the bill on Friday, it doesn't look as though the problem of white men governing over women's bodies will not go away anytime soon.
The photo of Pence was taken at a meeting with the Freedom Caucus, a group of 30 all-male Republican representatives who convened to discuss an amendment to AHCA that, among other things, would allow states to revoke Medicaid coverage from new mothers who haven't found a job within two months after giving birth, according toSlate.
That amendment, should AHCA miraculously pass, piles more restrictions on women under the "health care" bill that already calls for dismantling insurance coverage for abortion and defunding Planned Parenthood.
While Trumpcare has been pulled for now, these photos of men making decisions about women's reproductive health are part and parcel of Trump, Pence, and the GOP's attempts to wrest women's rights from them. The photos may make for good memes, but they're also a sign to remain vigilant.
