I CAN’T. I REALLY CAN’T.
It’s only February, but this year has been a tough one for women’s health and reproductive rights. There’s a new bill on the block that may have reached the apex (I hope) of woman-hating craziness. Georgia State Rep. Bobby Franklin—who last year proposed making rape and domestic violence “victims” into “accusers”—has introduced a 10-page bill that would criminalize miscarriages and make abortion in Georgia completely illegal. Both miscarriages and abortions would be potentially punishable by death: any “prenatal murder” in the words of the bill, including “human involvement” in a miscarriage, would be a felony and carry a penalty of life in prison or death. Basically, it’s everything an “pro-life” activist could want aside from making all women who’ve had abortions wear big red “A”s on their chests.
I doubt that a bill that makes a legal medical procedure liable for the death penalty will pass. The bill, however, shows an astonishing lack of concern for women’s health and well-being. Under Rep. Franklin’s bill, HB 1, women who miscarry could become felons if they cannot prove that there was “no human involvement whatsoever in the causation” of their miscarriage. There is no clarification of what “human involvement” means, and this is hugely problematic as medical doctors do not know exactly what causes miscarriages. Miscarriages are estimated to terminate up to a quarter of all pregnancies and the Mayo Clinic says that “the actual number is probably much higher because many miscarriages occur so early in pregnancy that a woman doesn’t even know she’s pregnant. Most miscarriages occur because the fetus isn’t developing normally.”
Holding women criminally liable for a totally natural, common biological process is cruel and non-sensical. Even more ridiculous, the bill holds women responsible for protecting their fetuses from “the moment of conception,” despite the fact that pregnancy tests aren’t accurate until at least 3 weeks after conception. Unless Franklin (who is not a health professional) invents a revolutionary intrauterine conception alarm system, it’s unclear how exactly the state of Georgia would enforce that rule other than holding all possibly-pregnant women under lock and key.
Click here to read the rest. I have to go — I suddenly feel some pressure building in my –
I NEED A CLEAN-UP ON AISLE BRAIN!!
[cross-posted here at Balloon Juice]
i don’t have words for this.
I just… I don’t… I can’t… “WTF” doesn’t quite capture the emotion here, and so I am at a loss.
If understand this correctly, my friend who miscarried her twins when she was five months along would, in addition to dropping to the depths of mourning and loss, should have been tried for… failing to… what, now exactly? Have the right body?
And when one of my pregnancies failed at the roughly 10 week mark, and there was no heartbeat, and the doctor (A HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL) told me I had to get a D & C, I should have gone from the recovery room to… what now? Jail? My days and days of tears were not enough punishment?
This man is inhuman, and sick in the head to boot. I can only hope he doesn’t actually know any actual women, because just imagine what it would be like to be a woman in his life!
He didn’t take his meds. He left them on the kitchen table.
OOh, I do that all the time. I can understand that.
All of these assholes are dug out of the same dung pile:
Scott Walker:
“…Walker has a history of striking hard-line positions, and nowhere is that more true than on the most controversial social issue of them all: abortion…Walker’s abortion crusade…banning state and local government employees from “promoting, encouraging, or counseling in favor of abortion services.” Walker’s proposal would also block “public facilities or public institutions or any equipment or any other physical asset that is owned, leased, or controlled by this state, an agency, or a local government unit” from offering abortions. Public employees would be subject to a $1,000 fine if they discussed abortions.”
http://motherjones.com/mojo/2011/02/wisconsin-scott-walker-abortion
I is all over it right now, unleashing the kung fu jujitsu all over his pasty ass. Post will be up shortly.
I’ve been predicting this shit for a long time. It’s a natural escalation of unnatural insanity.
This man was first elected in 1996.
PEOPLE IN GEORGIA HAVE BEEN RE-ELECTING THIS SHITHEAD FOR 15 YEARS!!!!!
What kind of idiots vote for certifiably insane jackholes for 15 years????????????????
Unfortunately, this fuckwit ran unopposed during the last election cycle. Prior to that, I don’t know.
I just don’t get it. His district isn’t in some rural, bible-thumping, snake-handling area of the state – it’s in North Atlanta *headdesk* . The only good thing I can say is that even the close-minded pro-life contingent of Georgia’s Congress don’t want to come near him.