![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Women are NOT disposable!
Feb. 29th, 2012 02:01 pmOh my god, y'all. Y'all, I can't even begin to describe how infuriating this latest "pro-life" bullshit is. I've sat here staring at my screen for the last five minutes with my mouth hanging open. To say I'm appalled is an understatement. Right now, in 20-fucking-12, Kansas governor Sam Brownback is poised to approve anti-abortion legislation that is just beyond the pale.
"But, Jade," you start to say, "surely they wouldn't withhold any information that could endanger the lives of the pregnant woman or the fetus." Keep reading, and keep a barf bag handy.
In other words, if a doctor intentionally withholds information he or she knows will prevent health problems for the mother and unborn child, even if those health problems might result in death for the mother and/or her child, the doctor cannot be sued for malpractice. But don't worry, y'all, if the mother dies, her family (which probably will include at least one child since most women seeking abortions already have one or more kids) can file a wrongful death suit. Yeah, it sure does suck when your breeding animal dies, and let's face it this bill doesn't view women as anything other than baby-making factories.
This isn't the "informed consent" bullshit that gets paraded out for all these new mandatory ultrasound laws that have been passed at an alarming rate (and yes, this includes forced vaginal probe ultrasounds, which was already happening in Texas before the recent uproar in Virginia). It's one thing to say women who want an abortion have no idea what they're doing and must be told what an abortion is before they can get one, but to say a woman can't be trusted to know she could die because she might abort that potential life (and that's all it is: a potential baby) is something wholly different (though no less asinine and infuriating). When you purposefully neglect to tell a woman there is a danger to her health and/or her life by remaining pregnant, you aren't just putting their health at risk and making their lives inconvenient. You are potentially killing them. You are destroying families. Call me ridiculous, but isn't that the exact opposite of what a doctor is supposed to do? And, hell, why call yourself "pro-life" if you think it's okay to risk the life of a fully formed adult human for a clump of cells that may or may not ever develop into a fetus that can survive outside of the womb?
If a doctor doesn't want to perform abortions, that's fine so long as there are still doctors available who will help a woman abort. The thing is, being able to say no to performing an abortion does not absolve you from your duties as a doctor. Your moral objection to abortion (morals, I will add, that are not shared by everyone on the planet) should never outweigh the right of the patient to lead a healthy life.
I will give you one fact of life (if you'll pardon the pun): Abortion is necessary. Outlawing abortion will not magically erase the need for abortions, nor will it suddenly make any woman who doesn't want to be pregnant/have another child change her mind. What it will do is increase the number of unsafe abortions (and overall abortions) by an alarming rate and, as a result, women will die. They will die horrible, painful deaths, and either you care about women and want to save their lives, or you don't care that women will die (and so will those unborn embryos/fetuses you claim you're trying to save). It really is that simple.
Women's lives are NOT worthless.
WASHINGTON -- Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback (R) indicated that he is likely to sign the state's sweeping anti-abortion bill, which includes a provision that would allow doctors to withhold information from patients.
"But, Jade," you start to say, "surely they wouldn't withhold any information that could endanger the lives of the pregnant woman or the fetus." Keep reading, and keep a barf bag handy.
The latest bill -- which is scheduled to be discussed by a legislative committee for a second time on Wednesday -- contains a number of provisions which would give the state one of the most sweeping anti-abortion laws in the nation. Among the provisions is one which would exempt doctors from malpractice suits if they withhold information -- in order to prevent an abortion -- that could have prevented a health problem for the mother or child. A wrongful death suit could be filed in the event of the death of the mother. [Emphasis added]
In other words, if a doctor intentionally withholds information he or she knows will prevent health problems for the mother and unborn child, even if those health problems might result in death for the mother and/or her child, the doctor cannot be sued for malpractice. But don't worry, y'all, if the mother dies, her family (which probably will include at least one child since most women seeking abortions already have one or more kids) can file a wrongful death suit. Yeah, it sure does suck when your breeding animal dies, and let's face it this bill doesn't view women as anything other than baby-making factories.
This isn't the "informed consent" bullshit that gets paraded out for all these new mandatory ultrasound laws that have been passed at an alarming rate (and yes, this includes forced vaginal probe ultrasounds, which was already happening in Texas before the recent uproar in Virginia). It's one thing to say women who want an abortion have no idea what they're doing and must be told what an abortion is before they can get one, but to say a woman can't be trusted to know she could die because she might abort that potential life (and that's all it is: a potential baby) is something wholly different (though no less asinine and infuriating). When you purposefully neglect to tell a woman there is a danger to her health and/or her life by remaining pregnant, you aren't just putting their health at risk and making their lives inconvenient. You are potentially killing them. You are destroying families. Call me ridiculous, but isn't that the exact opposite of what a doctor is supposed to do? And, hell, why call yourself "pro-life" if you think it's okay to risk the life of a fully formed adult human for a clump of cells that may or may not ever develop into a fetus that can survive outside of the womb?
If a doctor doesn't want to perform abortions, that's fine so long as there are still doctors available who will help a woman abort. The thing is, being able to say no to performing an abortion does not absolve you from your duties as a doctor. Your moral objection to abortion (morals, I will add, that are not shared by everyone on the planet) should never outweigh the right of the patient to lead a healthy life.
I will give you one fact of life (if you'll pardon the pun): Abortion is necessary. Outlawing abortion will not magically erase the need for abortions, nor will it suddenly make any woman who doesn't want to be pregnant/have another child change her mind. What it will do is increase the number of unsafe abortions (and overall abortions) by an alarming rate and, as a result, women will die. They will die horrible, painful deaths, and either you care about women and want to save their lives, or you don't care that women will die (and so will those unborn embryos/fetuses you claim you're trying to save). It really is that simple.
Women's lives are NOT worthless.
