We got the email in the middle of spring break that classes would be remote for at least the first two weeks after break. That quickly turned to remote classes for the remainder of the semester, kicking off endless panicked long days recording lectures and writing up online/at home lab activities.

But really, this isn’t about defining sex. It’s about setting up an argument for fetal personhood to support a nationwide abortion ban. Otherwise, why start the definition at the point of conception, which isn’t observable outside of IVF? Why not use birth as the reference point?

Second, if the definition is based on the ability to produce certain gametes, a zygote/embryo has no sex for at least the first 6-10 weeks, since the cells necessary to produce gametes don’t start differentiating until that point. At the time of conception, those cells and structures don’t exist.

One of my cats had a urinary blockage over the summer and needed emergency surgery. The vets were very clear with how much everything cost, and were audibly relieved when I said I had pet insurance. Literal life-saver for my cat, who has cost about the same as a modest car at this point.

Hozier in Sacramento in September 2024, taken through binoculars from the nosebleeds.