Alabama Senate committee approves four abortion bills

BLOT: (13 Apr 2011 - 01:50:34 PM)

Alabama Senate committee approves four abortion bills

Seems when our stateside legislators aren't resolving to keep Georgia's grubby hands off of our precious, pure water supply (in this case, it seems to be Georgia's water supply, but one that eventually flows into Alabama), or to say a whole-hearted NO to taking a pay-cut, they are forming senate committees to look at abortion-curbing bills. Common tactics used in anti-abortion legislation run from guilt to shame to semi-criminalization to culling access to re-definition games. Alabama lawmakers seem to prefer a heady mix of all of those:

Fetus legally becomes person at moment of conception.
Woman would have to see [via ultrasound], and have described to her, the fetus before she could abort.
The state will opt-out of health insurance exchanges under the new federal health care.
RU-486, or Mifepristone will be more regulated.

I listed those, roughly, from the ones that annoy me the most to the least, though #1 and #2 are pretty much a tie since both annoy me greatly. #3 I will not really touch, because like everyone else in America, I have no idea what is going on with Health Care. I was under the impression that in order to opt out of those exchanges, you have to offer equal or better options to your people, but since Alabama is a broke-ass state that only makes it because we get more Federal funds than we are willing to give up, I am going to assume that this means that we are going to wink-wink and keep taking lots of Medicare/Medicaid without any improvement in the situation.

#4 refers to RU-486, apparently, even though the article initially makes it seem like it is referring to all "morning after drugs" (which would include things like Plan B: Levonorgestrel). I'm ok with people not being able to order, sans prescription, drugs with as big of an impact as Mifepristone. Hell, if you can order something like that online, why not let us order antibiotics, diuretics, or other "they can do weird things but never exactly kill you" drugs?

#2, though? Hell. There are TONS of things we do that are distasteful if looked through such an examination. Emotional ploys like this are the last resort after practical discussions fail and while they have their place, they usually underline a dearth of logical underpinnings. Especially when mandated upon people by a law like this [Republicans - the political party that wants the Government small enough to fit inside your bedroom]. Like a friend of mine once said, showing aborted fetuses to combat abortion is like showing piles of feces to combat eating. One question I have: does this force doctors into doing this, as well, whether or not they do not want to do it, or does it just hold that you have to find a doctor who is willing to do the scan but not necessarily the abortion? For Rep. Clay Scofield to describe it in terms of "One of the ways we can reduce abortion is through education," is disingenuous. Education, huh? Maybe that's what Alabama needs to pick up our failing schools and overworked teachers: guilt.

And #1. Hot tamale. If that passes, you get to declare unborn fetuses on your state taxes. You also have issues like a woman slipping and falling and being charged with involuntary manslaughter. Miscarriage? Or Murder? And before you go "No, Doug, stop being silly!" I'm going to point to Georgia and leave it at that. Plus well, nah, I'll leave it alone. This one could take a long time.

The article ends with saying, "There are more than a dozen bills addressing abortion issues pending in the Legislature," but doesn't go into detail what the other 8+ bills are. I guess we'll find out when they pass and get struck down almost immediately, huh?

You want to reduce abortions, Alabama? It is simple. You make contraceptives more readily available, condoms and birth control at least [and you show them the I Want Sweeties commercial]. You make the father of the unborn child legally responsible for half the pregnancy and child's rearing—both time and money—up until the child is of legal age (19 in Bama). You have sex education brought BACK to the schools, taught not by coaches or by people who find talking about sex distasteful (and while abstinence as an option can be taught, you sure as shit don't ONLY teach abstinence) but by people who understand the issues, are good at reaching the children, and are careful with handling the sensitive matters so that they sink in. And you increase government sponsored pre-natal care and help girls to give the child up for abortion if they need. You give people OPTIONS and SUPPORT to take care of the issue, as well as actual EDUCATION, not cut and slash every single thing that might actually curb abortions. And if you do take all the support and options, don't act the like the so-called epidemic isn't somewhat on your hands.

Alabama

OTHER BLOTS THIS MONTH: April 2011