Athenae, Immoral Values

Choices

Read this:

“Purely a genetic fluke, nothing you could have done,” said Dr. Iglesias, who then asked for our family medical histories, and our medical histories. He handed us pens. We were confused, shaken, tired. “If it doesn’t die before you deliver it, it will have very serious problems,” he said. “It would likely not achieve consciousness and certainly would not live without some kind of extraordinary intervention.” That’s when I was given three choices: terminate the pregnancy now, do nothing and likely miscarry, or induce and deliver vaginally a baby who will die or be dead. Terminate. Miscarry. Induce.

“But I am still pregnant,” I insisted.

[snip]

“Listen to me, Mira. ‘Partial Birth’ abortion is an inaccurate term,” is what Dr. Stein told me, over the phone, when I’d finally accepted her phone call. “You must understand that.” She explained how the term I had used to describe the D&E was a political one. Incorrect. Inaccurate. Charged with meaning. That the phrase was coined by the National Right to Life Committee, and that it was not recognized as a medical term by the American Medical Association. Or the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. That the term “partial birth abortion” was false. A generalization. A terrible term. She told me that my situation, right now, was my body’s. That I hadn’t done anything wrong, that I couldn’t have prevented any of this, that I needed to understand this, and that this was a decision I needed to make for myself based on what was best for me. And that the best decision, the healthiest choice, for me, in her opinion, as a health professional, as my doctor, was to terminate the pregnancy, immediately. The only one who was going to survive this was me. Period.

Then this:

Commonly referred to as a “fetal pain” bill, House Bill 954 would tighten medical exemptions for terminating pregnancies and requireany abortion performed after 20 weeks of pregnancy be done in a way to bring the fetus out alive. No exemption is made for rape or incest. The measure says that a fetus can feel pain at 20 weeks, therefore the state has an interest in protecting it.

Supporters of the new Georgia bill said it would save lives and protect more fetuses.

And try not to punch anyone in the face.

They have no idea, the people making these laws, how women’s bodies and women’s lives actually work. They have no idea all the things that can happen inside you, all the things that can go wrong. And so they make these glib and ridiculous laws that wind up hurting women who are already alive, while paying lip service to preserving life.

Schmucks.

A.

15 thoughts on “Choices”

  1. Not to mention that most scans and such to detect problems are done right around 20 weeks. So, goodness forbid, there is a problem, our “choice” is now timed. FUN.

  2. When I was in college, I took a basic class in genetics and concluded that it was amazing any of us got born at all. Fortunately the cases like the one you cite are pretty rare but are completely devastating to the people involved.
    The suffering of this poor woman means nothing to the politicians who are trying to score points with the wingnuts. Her pain is irrelevant because she’s just a Fetus Carrier. And probably a slut to boot.

  3. Their plan is clear; they’re slowly moving the goalposts for when abortion is considered “acceptable” until they get to the point where it’s meaningless.
    So yes, you can get an abortion IF:
    * You are less than 20 weeks pregnant (to be calculated from last date you were visited by Eve’s Curse)
    * The pregnancy is due to incest or rape (with the proviso that “you can’t really rape sluts”; be prepared to submit breathalyzer tests and reference photos of the outfits you were wearing on any nights you had sex during the window of opportunity)
    * The child has no chance to survive being born (determination to be made by a board appointed by and convened at your local Catholic parish)
    * At your cost
    * Assuming you can find a doctor willing to perform one (your local right-to-life organization should have a handy list—they’re the ones with bullseyes painted on their faces with “WANTED FOR MURDER” under their pictures).

  6. by the way i stumbled on an old obstetric medical book + had a picture of a fetus w/ a cyclops face, but the eye was another mouth. also had other pics of horror.

  7. Beauzeaux,
    It isn’t that rare. According to a website I just visited 1 in 150 pregnancies results in a baby with a chromosomal abnormality. Alot of women just choose not to talk about complicated pregnancies. Our society is obssessed with “normal” to the detriment of those who can’t or won’t have a normal pregnancy.

  8. In an age when anesthesia is common I think it fairly obvious that preventing fetal pain is not the issue. Has never been the issue. Will never be the issue.
    Causing women as much physical and emotional pain as possible is clearly the goal of each and every one of these laws.

  13. on the contrary, Athenae: we should be punching every single one of these anti-woman legislators in the face at every possible opportunity. Preferably with something like a heavy shovel. From overhead with a full-force windup.
    They have no sense of decency, only political advantage.
    They deserve no mercy.

  14. I really want to ask Arizona how they’re gonna prove when my last period was. Will the period police come sniff through my trash can each month?
    I’m kinda scared of the answer, though.

  15. The fact is that there are TWO bodies involved in a pregnancy. I absolutely think that fetal abnormalities are part of this debate. Just as I think the debate needs to include the idea that in order for a fetus to grow it leeches a woman’s body of vitamins and minerals(which ought to be a valid enough reason to allow a woman a choice on whether or not to continue a pregnancy.)
    I get simple is easier but I don’t think that it is right to suggest that there isn’t a place for reminding people that sometimes pregnancies go wrong and that is a very valid reason to terminate.

Comments are closed.