It’s a Pregnancy, Not a Potted Plant

Representative John Becker (R) Ohio, introduced a bill that includes a clause for moving a fertilized ovum from the fallopian tube (called an ectopic pregnancy) into the uterus.  That’s not medically possible.  A fertilized egg cannot be transplanted like a geranium.

This is just one instance of an alarming number of bills being introduced around the country that limit women’s access to reproductive health, even in the most heinous of circumstances.  Here is a partial listing, all in various stages of the political process:

• Missouri: Representative Tina Hubrecht (R) stated that pregnancy as a result of rape is a gift from God, the silver lining of the cloud. The House passed Resolution 98 which gives constitutional rights to fetuses. It is a trigger bill which would ban all abortions if there is a change or reversal of Roe v. Wade.
• Alabama: A bill that outlaws almost all abortions at every stage of pregnancy and criminalizes the actions of doctors who perform abortions. There are exceptions for the life of the mother, but not for rape or incest.
• Georgia: Women who abort face prison or even the death penalty.
• Ohio: An 11 year old girl who survived rape and is pregnant is being forced to carry the baby to term.
• Kentucky: Blanket abortion ban once there is a heartbeat, usually at six weeks. This is frequently before a woman even knows she is pregnant. It is called a Heartbeat Bill.
• Louisiana:  Heartbeat Bill
• Mississippi: Heartbeat Bill
• Ohio: Heartbeat Bill
• South Carolina: Heartbeat bill with an exception for the life of the mother, rape or incest.
• Arkansas: Trigger Bill that would outlaw abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned. Other legislation bans abortion after eighteen weeks.
• Oklahoma: The Senate approved a constitutional amendment which inserts a clause stating the constitution does not guarantee rights protecting abortion.
• Rhode Island: A bill that would protect women’s reproductive health choices and access to abortion failed to get out of committee and reach the floor for debate.

The roll back in women’s rights is something about which all people, women and men should be deeply concerned.  These bills allow the state to essentially regulate women’s child bearing and make the private decision of a woman, her doctor and her God a matter of law.  We have fought long and hard to protect women’s right to choose.  It is in jeopardy now.

Make no mistake; these laws in various states have a direct impact on every person in the country.  They are part of a larger strategy to get one or more of these bills before the Supreme Court in an effort to overturn or essentially gut Roe v. Wade.  The ACLU and Planned Parenthood have brought numerous suits in numerous states but the appeal process is going to take time in each state.  It may be years before it reaches the Supreme Court.  And that may not bode well for the Pro-Choice movement.  In the current climate of politics, the Court is becoming more conservative and more politicized.  If one more liberal justice no longer serves, the court will most likely swing fully to the right and we will see changes that should terrify us all, and not just in reproductive rights.

People are free to believe whatever they want.  They are NOT, however free to make me believe the same thing OR institute laws that limit my practice of my religion. I should be free to act on what I think is right and what I believe about controversial issues without state or national interference.

Only someone who has never been raped can state so unequivocally that pregnancy as a result of rape is a gift from God.  Only someone who has never been molested can think carrying a molester’s baby to term at age 11 is a good idea. 

It is primarily old white men who are making these decisions.  How about some bills suggesting vasectomies?  The legislative world would go ballistic.  But, it’s a thought.  Why is this just a women’s issue? It takes two to get pregnant and men are not held accountable.

Here’s the thing. If you are against abortion, don’t have one.  But don’t tell everyone else in the country they can’t have one either.  It’s not the business of legislators, the courts or the political process. It is a private medical decision between a woman, her health care provider and her own faith which may be very different from the dominant voice.

Restrictive reproductive health laws fail to acknowledge a woman’s sovereignty over her own body.  Women have a unique understanding of their situation and the reasons for making the choice.  It is not the business of anyone else.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote, “The emphasis must not be on the right to abortion but on the right to privacy and reproductive control.”  For years women have fought for the right to keep the government out of their uterus.  The fight is far from over.  And it needs you to add your voice.