On Tuesday, April 27, Oklahoma’s State Legislature thought it would be fun to take away reproductive choice from women. They passed TWO abortion laws that had been previously vetoed by the governor for being unconstitutional. That silly thing known as the Constitution, however, isn’t getting in the way of the Republican majority in both the house and senate. They are hell bent on doing away with all reproductive choice, one bad bill at a time.
One of these disturbing bills requires a woman to have an ultrasound of the fetus before she gets an abortion, so the doctor can point out different parts of the fetus. No exceptions, even if you were raped or involved in an incestuous situation. As if your decision wasn’t difficult enough, the compassionate conservatives in Oklahoma are forcing you to watch the monitor along with your doctor (who probably hates this as much as the women subjected to it). I mean, are they for real? Talk about the government overstepping their bounds! How are they going to enforce this? Have a government worker stand in on every ultrasound?
I thought the Republicans were all about small, less invasive government? I don’t think you can get anymore invasive than a government enforced ultrasound! Who’s paying for this ultrasound? I’m sure the state is against it, so the woman is forced to pay for an ultrasound she doesn’t medically need? Well, what if her insurance won’t pick this tab up, and what if she can’t afford it? What if she didn’t have insurance in the first place? The state will end up paying for it one way or another. Talk about a cluster fuck.
Oh, the goodness in Oklahoma doesn’t stop there, though! The other law that passed prevents women from suing doctors for concealing information about a fetus’s birth defects during pregnancy. So, in other words, the state has basically told the doctors to lie to you about the health of your unborn child. That way, if there is something totally wrong with it, if it is going to have horrible defects and will need special care for the rest of its life (that the woman may or may not be able to afford...which in any case the state will have to pay for) tough shit. The woman is denied the truth about her situation and can’t even rely on the doctor to be honest with her. This is despicable, unethical, indefensible behavior and I can’t imagine a doctor in good conscience neglecting to tell this information to her patient. Doctors are here to help not hurt pregnant women in their most vulnerable state. Oklahoma clearly demands all babies be born no matter what the situation, with no regard for the mother or her needs.
Are you enraged yet? Oh, you will be! The Legislature is also considering two OTHER anti-abortion bills. One limits insurance coverage for abortion (what a shocker-even though abortions are a hell of a lot cheaper than insuring a low-income child until they are 18 through state programs) and the other requires women to fill out an extensive questionnaire for her reasoning for having said abortion. The results are then published online for all to see! No joke! I wish I was joking! My hands are shaking as I type, I am so infuriated at this backwards, immoral, disgusting behavior being displayed right here in the USA.
The New York Times reported, “the various pieces of legislation would make Oklahoma one of the most prohibitive environments in the United States for women seeking to end a pregnancy, advocates for women and family planning said.”
Look, I am not here to debate the morality of abortion or whether you personally believe in it or not. Family planning in this country is supposed to be LEGAL. This issue was resolved decades ago and yet there are those hell bent on refusing women their rights to privacy and reproductive choice. The world would be better if all children were wanted and brought into a loving home. No one is disputing that. However, there are women out there who make this difficult decision to end a pregnancy and guess what? It’s no one’s business. It is a choice between a woman and her doctor. If the Republican party wants to stand up against big invasive government, maybe they wouldn’t look so hypocritical by literally forcing probes into women’s bodies, for a start!
erikdolnack
Says Nora Ephron, “There is no woman’s movement today,” she says flatly. “It’s tragic. There is no one who stands for women’s rights and stands for that alone.”