South Dakota, You So Crazy

[neadods]

South Dakota has shelved the bill allowing "justifiable homicide" in defense of a fetus.

In its place, the SD House just passed a bill mandating that women must consult with anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers before getting an abortion.. There do not appear to be any exceptions, so if that fetus is dying or killing you, you'd still have to listen to a lecture by an untrained counsellor telling you it's *their* God's will you stay pregnant.

And I'm SURE that NOBODY in such a center would DREAM of putting off that mandatory appointment until the clock ran out on a legal early abortion.

There's no point in getting too worked up because there's no way in hell it would survive a legal challenge even if it passed into law. But seriously, who thought that was a good idea?

Comments

[ginmar.livejournal.com]

It's all about chipping away and lowering the bar for what people are sued to. We're at the point where somebody practically has to say, "Kill all the bitches," before we get offended or worried. Their strategy is working.

[wendymr.livejournal.com]

The more I hear about things like this, and attitudes to other things in the US such as healthcare and minority rights, the more I think that the US isn't just a foreign country to me compared to my experiences living in three different Western countries - it's an alien planet.

[wrenn.livejournal.com]

I swear... This is all a side show, to distract from the fact that no one is really trying to solve the real problems with the economy and with the job situation.

A carny attraction to take up time, people's attention and wear out people's emotional resources.

[redpanda13.livejournal.com]

I'm hoping someone will point out that it's unconstitutional-- isn't it?-- to force anyone to undergo religious (and specific religious) counseling before a medical procedure.

"The bill says an abortion could not be performed until at least 72 hours after a woman first meets with the doctor who will perform the abortion. That doctor would have to determine whether the woman is voluntarily seeking an abortion and whether she is at risk for developing psychiatric or physical problems if she has an abortion."

Here's what I want: a law that says no hetero couple can have unprotected (or doing-it-wrong protected) sex until at least 72 hours after they meet with a doctor who will determine if they are voluntarily seeking possible pregnancy and whether they are at risk for developing psychiatric or physical problems if they go through with having a child.

Sounds fair to me, since pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting are more likely to cause physical and psychological problems than abortion is. You can look it up.

[redpanda13.livejournal.com]

GOP War on Women cartoon:

http://www.salon.com/entertainment/comics/this_modern_world/2011/02/22/this_modern_world

GOP WoW column:

http://front.moveon.org/top-10-shocking-attacks-from-the-gops-war-on-women/

Congresswoman Jackie Spier of CA informs those who want to defund Planned Parenthood that she had one of those procedures because of a difficult pregnancy, lost the baby, and that for them to suggest that women do this without thought or care is outrageous:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ky2gylhdXRA

[redpanda13.livejournal.com]

GOOD NEWS! The Justice Dept. has quit its legal defense of the anti-gay-marriage DOMA act. They'd said they were legally required to defend it, since it was law, but have decided it's a rotten law (slightly after many of the rest of us did).

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/23/AR2011022303428.html?hpid=topnews


Also, on previous topic, Ruth Marcus' column points out that the GOP meat-ax approach to de-funding family planning will mean more abortions and more deficit spending:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/22/AR2011022205350.html

[belovedwarrior.livejournal.com]

In North Dakota, it's the law that a practitioner has to say "the abortion will terminate the life of a whole, separate, unique, living human being" before performing an abortion. Oh, also! The woman has to see an ultrasound of the fetus beforehand. It was passed in 2009, and, as far as I know, has held up thusfar. It was voted in on a 77 to 9 approval .. so that goes to show you it's popularity. :P

All bills to link abortion to homicide have failed, though.