Senate GOP would fine, imprison doctors who don't notify parents of abortion procedure

[alp227]

Six Senate Republicans on Monday introduced legislation that would hit doctors with heavy fines and imprisonment if they fail to inform parents when their minor daughters seek an abortion.

The bill's sponsor, Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.), said that state laws requiring parental notification have helped to reduce teen abortion rates, but that these laws can be dodged when abortions are sought across state lines. He said a federal law covering all states would solve this problem, and that the proposal is widely supported across the country.

"Polls show nearly 80 percent of Americans agree parents should have the legal right to stop an abortion from being performed on their minor daughter," he said.

Under the bill, parents would have to be notified by certified mail that their minor daughter is seeking an abortion, and doctors would have to wait four days before performing the procedure. Anyone violating this requirement could face a fine of up to $1 million and a prison term of up to 10 years.

Full story: at The Hill, found via Washington Independent "Proposed federal abortion bill would extend waiting time".

Of course, those narrow-minded Republicans have no problem if the teenage girl wanting an abortion gets further abused or even killed by her angry, shocked parents. That's "pro-life" right there, I see. And the misogynistic component of all this: no provisions also notifying the parents of the girl's male sexual partner...and I thought conservatives stood for personal responsibility.

Would parental notifications for abortion really discourage pregnant teens from getting abortions?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Whatever happened to states' rights?

:sarcasm:

[LiberalLoner]

2. Well, since it's really all about disempowering women and punishing them

for their sexuality, if the girls die at the hands of their parents, so much the better.

[iwishiwas]

3. umm so the Repugs now WANT big gov??

[izquierdista]

4. Who is writing their legislation?

Sounds suspiciously close to this news item:

Deterioration in Living Conditions Encourage Abortions that Jeopardize Lives
Doctors have reached a consensus that there has been an increase of women who are attempting abortion secretly. An obstetrician in Sariwon said that unless either the mother is in a critical situation, or the fetus is showing severe disability symptoms, abortion is outlawed. However it seems to him that abortion cases have been on the rise especially since last year. There is no official statistics, but the doctors have anecdotal evidence that more and more women have been coming to their doctors and asking secretly for an abortion. He further speculated that women have been trying to avoid having more children, especially those who fared worse off due to the currency reform. Women who attempt abortion, in most cases, acquire from the markets and abuse drugs that have been rumored to rid them of their fetus, or secretly undergo operations by paying doctors whom they know well. Such operations are carried out in utmost secrecy as, if discovered, the doctor in question as well as the officials in charge is sent to re-education centers.
--From North Korea Today http://goodfriendsusa.blogspot.com/

Maybe Sen. Boozman is a close friend of the Dear Leader?

[uppityperson]

5. k&r for assholes. Interesting how they phrase it "legal right to stop an abortion" rather than being

notified in case she has some sort of problem afterwards. So much for "but we need to know in case she has a problem" and "we need to stop the abortion".