Opinion sought on charging abortion providers with murder (Texas)

[deadparrot]

AUSTIN -- A state lawmaker wants Attorney General Greg Abbott to clarify whether laws passed in 2003 and 2005 mean doctors could be charged with capital murder for performing abortions without parental approval or after the third trimester.

The Texas District and County Attorneys Association has outlined that scenario in its literature about the Texas penal code and in public presentations around the state.

But Rep. David Swinford, a Republican from Amarillo who chairs the State Affairs Committee, said there is no evidence the Legislature wanted doctors to be prosecuted that way.

Abbott has 180 days to issue an opinion, but his decision will not be binding on a court or a district attorney.

http://www.kristv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5146320&nav=Bsmh

[unpossibles]

1. does this mean that they want to execute abortionists

since that seems to be the popular option in Texas....

wow. Right to Life indeed...

[Zhade]

5. "Abortionists"? Can we please not use rightwing terms?

NT!

[unpossibles]

6. sorry - I was trying to use hyperbole to include everyone involved

in the process, but I shouldn't.

What sucks is, I have asked Anti-Choicers this question, if (a) they think abortion is murder and (b) they are pro-death penalty then (c) do they suggest we execute the millions of people (according to their literature) who have performed and had abortions (including both parents). Usually they hem and haw, not wanting to appear fanatical, but... it scares me if this is indeed something that people want.

[Zhade]

12. Oh, ignore me, I just hate the term.

I'm sensing growing fanatacism, which makes sense as people continue to feel stressed and scared and battle fatigue sets in.

I think people will give in to bad ideas if they're not careful, because An Answer will be highly sought-after in the coming years, I fear.

[unpossibles]

14. no, you are absolutely correct (see I try to avoid saying "right"

when I mean "correct" or "accurate"....


but you have a valid point, and it slipped past me. I generally try to avoid their terms, unless I am being sarcastic.

It is sad; I too can feel the tension building.

[Posteritatis]

8. What *is* the actual technical term for them, anyway? (n/t)

[Lars39]

10. If you mean the medical doctors, OB/GYN.

[Cyrano]

2. As Dan Quayle said when (incorrectly) quoting an ad:

"A mind is a terrible thing not to have."

[struggle4progress]

7. "What a waste it is to lose one's mind. Or not to have a mind ..

.. is being very wasteful. How true that is."

[bluestateguy]

3. What?

So if they believe that abortion is murder if the parents do not give consent, does that mean that it's not murder if the parents do give consent? Either way the abortion has taken place.

They just want to give legal grounds to make abortion illegal someday, which may happen in Texas if this president gets one moire Supreme Court appointment.

[lastknowngood]

4. My opinion is that everyone who has a child they don't want should

sue the anti-choice bastards for child support. The only reason the child is here is because of their direct interference with a woman's right to choose.

[nealmhughes]

9. Alabama recently passed a law that if a woman with a viable late term

fetus was injured or murdered, then there were two counts of murder. It sprang from an 19 year old girl who was due in days being shot as she drove. The paramedics didn't get there in time and the baby was emergency extracted, but was already dead.
This was in a rural area and noone knew she had been shot for some time. If it had happened with someone around to call 911 and/or stop her bleeding, they both might have lived. This was about 50 miles from Huntsville, one of the largest cities in the state. The murderer has not been found yet.
I wonder if it was meant to be one of those laws?

[noonwitch]

15. Those laws are so unnecessary

If a guy is being charged with first degree murder for killing the pregnant woman, and is found guilty on that charge, he's going to get the maximum penalty allowed by whatever state he's being tried in. So what good is 2 death sentences or 2 mandatory life sentences if they already have one? All it does is boost the prosecutor's conviction rate.

[blogslut]

11. Hang on

Anybody else notice this bit in the first paragraph of the article:

AUSTIN -- A state lawmaker wants Attorney General Greg Abbott to clarify whether laws passed in 2003 and 2005 mean doctors could be charged with capital murder for performing abortions without parental approval or after the third trimester.

After the ninth month?

[saigon68]

13. They just spew swill

And aparently don't chose their words or phrases carefully.

What more do we expect from an asshat