Virginia’s proposed law requiring women to have an ultrasound before an abortion has evidently offended a writer at Slate. She compares the procedure to rape.
This week, the Virginia state Legislature passed a bill that would require women to have an ultrasound before they may have an abortion. Because the great majority of abortions occur during the first 12 weeks, that means most women will be forced to have a transvaginal procedure, in which a probe is inserted into the vagina, and then moved around until an ultrasound image is produced. Since a proposed amendment to the bill—a provision that would have had the patient consent to this bodily intrusion or allowed the physician to opt not to do the vaginal ultrasound—failed on 64-34 vote, the law provides that women seeking an abortion in Virginia will be forcibly penetrated for no medical reason. I am not the first person to note that under any other set of facts, that would constitute rape under state law.
As an editorial in the Virginian-Pilot put it recently, “Under any other circumstances, forcing an unwilling person to submit to a vaginal probing would be a violation beyond imagining. Requiring a doctor to commit such an act, especially when medically unnecessary, and to submit to an arbitrary waiting period, is to demand an abrogation of medical ethics, if not common decency.”*
The writer deems the bill, which has not been passed yet, unconstitutional, and senses a conspiracy against pro-abortion advocates.
Whatever happens in the commonwealth, it’s fair to say it’s no accident that this week the Legislature also enacted a “personhood” law defining life as beginning at conception—a law that may someday criminalize contraception and some miscarriages as well as abortion. Today was not a good day in the War on Women. Abortion is still legal in America. Physically invading a woman’s body against her will still isn’t. Let’s not casually pass laws that upend both principles in the name of helping women make better choices.
We don’t want to be probed at the gynecologist’s office. We don’t want to be probed while pregnant. We don’t want to be probed when the abortion procedure is being performed. I doubt men like sharing the backside of their ballsack with every git wearing gloves, either. It’s what we do.
I grabbed this off the planned parenthood site.
Both are pretty invasive.
Of course I’m not a very abortion-minded person… but if having a pre-probe probe saved one child’s life… it would be worth all the bitching from all the leftists in the world.
No images. I’ve just seen all the pictures of aborted babies I care to for the rest of my life.
21. February 2012 at 1:55 pm
you said it
21. February 2012 at 2:36 pm
To think an ultrasound is the type of thing people consider an abomination… We’re so screwed as a civilization.
21. February 2012 at 10:05 pm
You’ve reminded me about a post I’ve been meaning to write…
23. February 2012 at 6:43 am
This is an odd thing to call it. I’d not call it rape. Nobody is holding her down and forcing her to do it and if you’re having an abortion, you’re having a lot worse done to you.
However, this is one of the reasons why the Republicans cannot take the White House again. The bottom line is the average American doesn’t think that abortion should be used as a form of birth control, but they do think that a woman has the absolute right to terminate a pregnancy, in the first trimester, in the cases of rape and incest and early on in the 2nd trimester in the case of birth defects such as spina bifida. And I can sit here and say that I’d not have terminated, but the bottom line is I can’t sit here and tell a woman that she must have a profoundly handicapped child. It’s not my place and I truly believe that its ultimately between she can God.
And the average American really feels this way. We talk about it at work and of the 20 people I work with, only one is completely 100% anti abortion. One out of 20. The beautiful thing is we’re all open to talking about it, there is not that political nastiness and hatred from either side.
But the 19 people watch what is going on in VA and think that the are glad they don’t live there. The 19 folks, given someone who is not more moderate on abortion will probably stay home on Voting Day, rather than vote for someone who is too Conservative. And I know that offends the very far right, but the big picture is, come in off the right a bit and we can win or stay there and Obama will. The average American is just not as Conservative as that law that nearly passed in VA. They just aren’t. Right or wrong… it is what it is.
23. February 2012 at 7:38 am
I, like most Americans, support abortion for rape and incest victims. Birth defects… as you say, are between a woman and her God. Not my place to tell any woman what to do.
Rick Santorum on opposition to abortion for rape victims: “Every life is a gift and the child must be protected”.
President Bush supported abortion in cases of incest, rape or if the life of the mother is compromised. Newt Gingrich has been quoted as wanting ‘federal funding in the case of rape or incest or life of the mother, which is the first step’.
On Newt’s site it says: “End taxpayer subsidies for abortion by repealing Obamacare, defunding Planned Parenthood, and reinstating the “Mexico City Policy” which banned funding to organizations that promote and/or perform abortions overseas.”
http://www.newt.org/solutions/protecting-life-and-religious-liberty/
Who the hell knows where most of them stand from one year to another? It’s frustrating. BUT I’d vote either Santorum or Gingrich. We’ve got much larger problems than abortion…
23. February 2012 at 10:18 pm
Well that is how I am hoping most vote… we have far larger issues than abortion. I have never once voted on that topic… but I know people who have. I always tell them, “The entire Country and all our issues… and you pick that one thing?”
Santorum’s stance is a tough one though and people will absolutely not vote for him on that one alone. I’ve heard him speak about it and other than the life of a mother being in jeopardy, he doesn’t believe in it at all.
However, as I’ve told people, what I do like about Santorum is he walks the walk and talks the talk. He has a child with a severe birth defect. He gets it. He’s walking in those shoes. He’s not a hypocrit.
24. February 2012 at 3:30 am
I do respect Santorum. He is no hypocrite; you’re absolutely correct.
Guess we’ll find out what’s important to people come November… at least the minority who vote.