The Republican surge has revived abortion fights in state legislatures (Huckabee, house of representatives)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
LAST November, Republicans picked up dozens of seats in the Texas legislature, their majority in the House of Representatives there leaping from two out of 150 to 52. So this year’s agenda is crowded with conservative concerns that might seem marginal in light of the state’s whopping budget deficit. One bill, for instance, would allow people to carry concealed weapons on college campuses. Perhaps the most controversial, though, is a measure that would require women seeking an abortion to have an ultrasound scan and, in most cases, hear a detailed description of the foetus’s development. Rick Perry, the governor, called the bill a priority in his “state of the state” speech this month. It duly sailed through the Senate and is expected to have an equally easy time in the House.
Reducing the number of abortions is a worthy goal. But Texas has some of the worst health statistics in the country, and its teenage pregnancy rate is among the highest. The new approach, critics say, will not give women more information, only more hassle. Planned Parenthood, a pro-choice group that provides health care to women, points out that ultrasounds are already part of standard care before a termination.
Last week Mike Huckabee, a former governor of Arkansas and a possible contender for the 2012 Republican nomination, said that abortion “transcends” all other political issues.
He's right. If a government cannot be trusted to protect the most innocent and helpless, how can they be trusted to do anything else!
It's not just states, federally pro-life is taking off again as well!
Why is it that it's typically the very same individuals who support a female's right to kill her offspring on the one hand, but deny the state's right to kill a murderer on the other?
Wait a minute! It does make sense. They support killers of innocents! Which also explains why they oppose citizen's being able to legally arm themselves against killers.
Although I neither like the Republican Party, Planned Parenthood, or Rick Perry, I have a feeling that the Ultrasound Bill and many others part of Rick Perry's wish list are going to create a huge political backlash.
This depends on how well the Republicans govern, and how well their opponents (including the Democratic Party, among others) organize the opposition.
Still, at least Rick Perry isn't asking for a bill that virtually legalizes the killing of abortion doctors (such bills are being proposed in several other states).
But overall, "Texas could go blue!"? Well, it could, but it doesn't mean that these forms of socially conservative legislation won't gain a foothold. A large amount of the growth of the Democratic Party in Texas is among Hispanics, who tend to be more socially conservative and may support a bill that Rick Perry is calling for.
EDIT: Also, where is Planned Parenthood getting their information from? My guess is either a study or just rhetoric . Perhaps Planned Parenthood already provides ultrasounds to women who are considering an abortion.
Ultrasounds are helpful in determining the development stage of a fetus--
often times the people coming in wanting an abortion have no clue as to the length of time they might have been pregnant--
so for accurate diagnosis an ultrasound is done
Perhaps Planned Parenthood already provides ultrasounds to women who are considering an abortion.
If PP performs an ultrasound, its for their purposes only. This law requires an ultrasound be performed and the mother see what is actually inside of her. The term fetus and 'product of conception' are used by PP to separate the realty that this is a baby from the act of killing it. The majority of abortions occur around 10 weeks. At this point, the baby looks like a baby. If mothers see this on the ultrasound, it now becomes much more difficult to murder their child. There are many private groups that support mothers both during and after the child is born.
Ultrasounds have also converted the hearts of those who perform abortions. A great example is the conversion of 8 year veteran of PP Abbey Johnson. Her story is here:
Margaret Sanger was the founder of Planned Parenthood and her goal was elimination of the unwanted populations (primarily blacks) through birth control and abortion. There is a great write up on this here: BlackGenocide.org | The Truth About Margaret Sanger
Who's gonna pay for the ultrasound if the mother can't afford to and doesn't have insurance? Unfortunately it's not corporate welfare so Goodhair won't fund it. Maybe they can put tollbooths at every hospital entrance.
It's just another attempt at legislating the Texas Republican view on 'morality'. I find it appalling, making an already traumatic event even more agonizing.
Crosstimbers Okie: I support both, although "kill their offspring" is a misleading way to put it (but you know that). A fetus is NOT a baby, especially in the first trimester. And I am for capital punishment, although it is overused in Texas.
One abortion is one too many, but I don't think a woman decides to get an abortion cavalierly. It is obviously a complicated issue, but I fundamentally believe a woman should be able to choose.
This bill seems intended only to harass the woman. When the state actually requires someone to touch you -- especially as invasive as some sonograms can be -- it severely crosses the line in my book.
I'm not sure that a sonogram would deter a woman from having an abortion anyway. Here is a 10 week sonogram picture:
Also, this would only increase medical costs and is admittedly an unnecessary step in the procedure. I thought Republicans were against raising medical costs when it came to tort reform. But when it comes to abortions, it's good to increase costs? Rick Perry told us that when the federal government requires us to buy health insurance, it infringes on our liberty. But requiring a doctor to put a tube up a woman's vagina doesn't.
Really?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
. Perhaps Planned Parenthood already provides ultrasounds to women who are considering an abortion.
