So while watching my mind numbing TV I was also on Facebook and my dear friend Sunny had commented on a link. I read the title of the link and sort of rolled my eyes when I saw whose post she commented on. (I'm not a huge fan of the original sharer) but curiosity got the best of me and I decided to read the article. I was very happy to see that the author was not the person I'm not fond of but shocked to read the article.
The article in itself was shocking. To sum it up, in the state of Virginia they want to pass a law that FORCES women seeking an abortion to first have a transvaginal ultrasound for NO MEDICAL reason. If they do not do the ultrasound that is basically shoving a probe in their vagina they cannot get an abortion. According to the article a woman can't make an informed decision about her body unless she gets this ultra sound AND if she chooses NOT to look at the ultra sound video or listen to the heart beat it will be noted in her medical file. WTF?
Wait, let me repeat that again, a bit louder... WTF?!
What shocked me more than the article were the comments on the original sharer's Facebook wall that were along the lines of "Well good, you should be able to see and hear the sound of the precious baby you are about to shop vac out of your vagina" "Why should the baby pay because the mother was a classless hussy who couldn't help but spread her legs". The woman on woman hate was just so aggravating and of course heart breaking.
A few things I don't understand:
1. Is every single abortion conducted in the US a result of a slutty girl/woman? I mean, are you telling me that people who use precautions to NOT get pregnant still don't end up pregnant? Birth control has never failed?
2. Why are people trying to give more rights to a fetus than to the mother carrying the fetus? What if I'm pregnant and the pregnancy will kill me...do I have to continue my pregnancy because the government thinks an unborn child has more rights than I do?
3. Why are women agreeing with the fat white men in Congress trying to decide what I can or cannot do with my body? Since these women think their "place" is to be a child bearing machine regardless of the circumstances why not just take away our right to vote too. I mean, if I can't decide what to do with my body and what affects my family why should I be allowed to vote for something that can effect the entire country?
A lot of the comments I read were just straight out hate against women. "Well you shouldn't have gotten pregnant if you can't take care of the baby" "Well you should just carry the baby to term and give it up for adoption" (because you know, our orphanages aren't already exploding out of control) and SERIOUSLY why is the pregnancy always the woman's fault? Did they go jerk off a man after her fell asleep reading the bible and use a turkey baster to impregnate ourselves and then after going through ALL that we just decided to get an abortion because, well, pregnancy just isn't for me?
I was having a few twitter discussions about this and at first I thought one man agreed. He sort of did. He wanted to lessen the blow of FORCING a woman to get this ultra sound by changing the word forced to required. A woman isn't forced to have a vaginal probe, she is required.
It's FORCED. Change the word to anything you want its still forcing it. If you HAVE to do one thing to do another even if there is no medical reason then its forced. I do not give you consent to do medical procedures that are not medically required. For example men, if you go get a prostate exam and you consent to get your asshole probed by a finger does that mean you also give your consent to have a metal rod up your ass too? I mean, you gave consent for one medical procedure, that should mean the doctors can do anything to you regardless of your wishes...because you gave consent for one thing! Or how about if a man goes to get a vasectomy and is told, "I'm sorry but unless you first allow me to shove an ultra sound machine up your ass you can't get this done...."
That isn't okay is it? So why is it okay for women?
Forgive me if I'm wrong but isn't the U.S. a country that has separation of State from Church or do they only have the IDEA of it? Most people who are against abortion state that they are this due to what the Bible says. Newsflash, NOT everyone shares the same religion so why should YOUR religion decide what someone does or doesn't do to their body? Again, forgive my ignorance but does the Bible not also mention something about not judging? If this is the case why are so many quick to judge a woman that has an abortion as a whore? A slut? A stupid careless girl?
Let me explain something to you, because I've gotten facebook messages asking how many abortions I've had. My answer is this. NONE.
I'm Pro-Life for myself. I could not phantom getting an abortion unless continuing a pregnancy would kill me and leave my daughter motherless OR if the pregnancy was the result of a rape. On a legislative level I am pro-choice. I would NEVER force my beliefs or opinions on another woman. I'm pro-choice because I'm pro-woman. Pro-choice does NOT mean you are pro-abortion. It means you are pro-HAVING a choice in what to do. Oddly enough, it seems that the majority of pro-lifers equate that belief with anti-woman. I just do not believe that the government has the right to make a decision regarding what a woman can and cannot do with her body.
What are your thoughts on this topic? Do you agree? Disagree? Or would you like me just to STFU?
AMEN! The anti-woman tripe that's going on right now is just mind boggling and you add in the hate from other women and I'm at a loss of words. You've vocalized what I've been thinking reading all the articles about this out there right now.
ReplyDeleteI'm pro-choice because I'm pro-woman. Pro-choice does NOT mean you are pro-abortion. It means you are pro-HAVING a choice in what to do. I couldn't have said it better myself!!!!
ReplyDeleteI was under the impression that women are forced to have an ultrasound before having an abortion in order to determine whether or not the pregnancy was a tubal one. It isn't required by law in California as far as I know, but I do know that all clinics perform them before administering a medical abortion. It's pretty much a requirement for insurance companies anyway. What is the big deal? Whether or not the baby is kept, an ultrasound would probably administered to date the pregnancy. Also, if an ultrasound is not administered, how are you supposed to know whether or not the abortion needs to be surgical? I'm confused.
ReplyDeleteIt is not true that ultrasounds are performed on all women seeking abortions.
DeleteIn some states the reason women receive ultrasounds has to do with laws that were put on the books that require them to do so in order to prove they are not performing abortions past the legal limit. Often times it has nothing to do with the actual HEALTH of the woman.
The length of pregnancy is determined in some cases solely based on the date of their last monthly period and physical examination. If after a physical examination the doctor feels that the pregnancy is farther along they will then have an EXTERNAL ultrasound performed WITH THE CONSENT of the woman.
There is very little medical need to do a trans-vaginal ultrasound. The reason the trans-vaginal ultrasound has been included in this atrocity of a law is because there is an attempt to stop first term abortions from taking place. The largest number of abortions in the US occur during early pregnancy and often times do not require any type of ultrasound.
I feel it is another way to attack/control women.
ReplyDeleteHow dare we attempt to control whether or not we can have children and if so how many? Just look at how the MEN are fighting over our right to birth control?!
Government has no place in my uterus. They should be worried about the lack of jobs and as Melissa Harris-Perry said the other day "They are no jobs in my uterus."
These people who continue to introduce these bills/laws are only interested in the fetus while it is in our womb. What about after? Are they lining up around the block to adopt all these children born to women who do not or cannot care for them?
No, most are not.
They need to find another crusade because women like myself? Aren't going to back down and no way am I going back to the days of having to get an abortion via hanger or back alley.
These old ass men who run this country have no damn business being in my uterus. What I do to my body is my own business no one else.
ReplyDeleteWell said. I couldn't agree more. I have never understood the stance of some conservatives... don't teach sex education, force them to have babies, and then vote to strip people of health care and all social aid. It makes no sense to me. These very things lead to crime, hunger & poverty, and strains education and healthcare systems. Start when they are little and teach them about their bodies and you know many girls go on to make good decisions all on their own. The horror stories I have heard from nurses and social workers. Eleven year olds that thought if they took one of their sisters birth control pills they wouldn't get pregnant. Youngest moms in the country reside in the South. Highest number of teen pregnancies are in Texas. We have a growing number of STD's too! Perhaps these are correlations with being red states? Just my two cents.
ReplyDelete@Brenda My feelings on this issue are very close to yours.
ReplyDeleteYou see these young kids who haven't had sex education and they feel like they have to be "doing it" in a relationship. And it doesn't help that TV networks are making stars out of the "Teen Mom" idiots.
Teach sex ed. Have parents do their job with their children. And add more TV censorship!
A study was done in recent years showing 45% of abortions are second abortions. I am pro-life for me and would choose not to hear about anyones abortion, not my business. It is widely discussed on fb and the subjects I have seen for choice seem less pro woman than those against. If women were not depending on the Gov't to take care of their issues, I doubt the gov't would be so involved.
ReplyDelete