Well,great. Texas Gov. Perry signs law requiring pre-abortion sonograms

[w8liftinglady]

http://www.elpasotimes.com/newupdated/ci_18104092

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Gov. Rick Perry has signed into law a requirement that doctors conduct a sonogram before performing an abortion.
The hotly debated legislation passed the Republican-controlled House and Senate despite vocal protests against it.

The law requires the doctor to conduct a sonogram, provide the woman a chance to see the image and hear the fetal heartbeat. The doctor is required to explain to the woman what he sees, including the presence of internal organs or limbs. The only exception is for victims or rape and incest or in cases where the fetus has fatal deformities.

Proponents say it will ensure women are fully informed to make a decision. Opponents say it is intended to prevent women from getting an abortion.

The law is among the strongest in the nation.

[BlueJazz]

1. Who's paying for the sonogram and doctor's time ??

The SM's always like to fuck with people's rights. (SM = Stupid Men)

[W_HAMILTON]

3. That's what I was wondering. n/t

n/t

[yella_dawg]

5. No women in the Texas legislature?

http://texaspolitics.laits.utexas.edu/2_3_4.html">This site says there are thirty seven.

Nothing like a bit of sexism on a rainy afternoon.

[BlueJazz]

20. It's not rainy here so it's OK.

[OHdem10]

2. Taxpayers of course.

[aquart]

4. This is a tax increase, isn't it?

May I suggest that every woman discouraged from getting an abortion list Rick Perry as the father on the birth certificate?

[Ship of Fools]

7. i LIKE it!!!

[Ship of Fools]

6. question for those in the know:

watching maddow, a guest one evening explained it the best -- throw everything at women's abortion rights on state level, see what sticks, chip away, etc., etc. -- all the while KNOWING that these laws wont be challenged up to the level of SCOTUS because of the 5-4 klusterfuck.

question: could the EXTREME nature of any one of these laws allow for a successful challenge?

being forced to undergo an invasive medical procedure as precursor for another medical procedure seems like complete overreach to me ... i know that they're obviously signing these things into law as a complete *fuck you* to anyone and everyone, but is it not possible, as is the norm, for an over-step that even Scab-lia and Pubic Hair Thomas could not ignore?

[w8liftinglady]

8. that is a good question.

having dealt with a lot of rape/incest victims, I can only foresee many more self-inflicted preganancy terminations. The additional cost of an ultrasound on top of a pregnancy termination with a mandated waiting period is out of the financial and emotional range of too many patients.

These same "pro-lifers" are voting against school lunches and medical care for kids/disabled.
go figure.

[Ship of Fools]

13. thanks for your work.

i remember bader-ginsburg said (paraphrasing) that Roe v Wade would never be overturned had it been presented as a class-action suit. if a team of lawyers represented these poor women who will stop at nothing for that abortion (throwing one's self down stairs, coat-hangers, etc.) as a *class action* suit, would that suffice at the level of SCOTUS? there has to be SOMETHING. i feel so damned violated, even in my dotage.

[aquart]

28. What happens if a fetus dies due to the forced procedure?

[Ship of Fools]

29. hmmmmm ....

but the woman is terminating the abortion *anyway*. i don't think a court would see this as a legal *problem*??? i really don't know (as i know nothing about the law), but this is by far the most depressing law to date, in my mind.

[ceile]

9. Clarification

A sonogram must be performed prior to termination to determine the age of the fetus. What's at issue is the type of sonogram (vaginal v stomach) and making the women listen to a doc describe the fetus and discuss other "options" (because you know she hasn't thought of those on her own :sarcasm:)

[w8liftinglady]

11. as if it isn't hard enough to obtain a safe pregnancy termination as it is in Texas.

I dread the outcome of this...on the mothers, on the babies, on the families...

It's all I can do to not scream right now.

[ceile]

15. You're gonna love this:

When I had an abortion a few years back, first I had to wait 24 hours, then I had to listen to a recording on how the abortion will increase my chances for breast cancer and how I will likely suffer from depression after wards. I wonder if they still make women listen to this junk science...

[CaliforniaPeggy]

10. Can't say I'm surprised...

Horrible.

Recommended.

[w8liftinglady]

12. I feel so for the victims here...

"Pro-life" is such a misnomer.

"pro-torture' at its worst...for life.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

14. Forcing a woman to stick a probe up her vagina before she can have an abortion

Forcing a medically unnecessary and unfunded procedure on women. That's what Rick Perry believes in.


I've been wondering recently if all the talk about him running for President isn't a ploy by the GOP to light a fire under the anti-gay and anti-choice crowds? He has an ability to embrace hatred and bigotry without damaging his local political standing which many in their current field cannot.

[StopTheNeoCons]

16. I live in a state governed by the truly cruel and stupid...nt

[Sal Minella]

17. How pathetic that this single-minded focus and expense can't be

directed toward caring for infants of poor women who want to have a baby.

What an unconscionable waste of resources, and how many women (mothers) will die because of this idiocy.

This law demonstrates unspeakable contempt for women.

[Liberal_in_LA]

18. Women of Texas...wake up

[Proud Liberal Dem]

19. And lemme guess:

funds have been appropriated by the legislature for women to obtain these sonograms?

Right? Right? :eyes:

[w8liftinglady]

21. addendum. 31.3% of women of childbearing age are uninsured in Texas

see how Pro-Life we are here?
Nothing but the best for our fertile women.

SCREW the Texas politicianswho voted against their constituents' best interests.

[yellowcanine]

22. So requiring someone to buy medical insurance is unConstitutional but requiring a woman to undergo

an unnecessary medical procedure is not unConstitutional?

What is wrong with this picture?

[w8liftinglady]

23. and- denying healthcare is "The American way"... No Government Intervention

um...except abortions..and gay marriage.

[w8liftinglady]

24. And those socialists- The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology...points out how

"Pro-life" Texas is

http://www.acog.org/departments/govtrel/HCFWHCFA-Numbers.pdf

Uninsured pregnant women are less likely to seek
prenatal care in the first trimester and to receive the
optimal number of visits during their pregnancy. They
have a 31% higher likelihood of experiencing an adverse
health outcome after giving birth.8
• Inadequate use of prenatal care is associated with
increased risks of low birthweight babies, preterm birth,
neonatal mortality, infant mortality and maternal
mortality.(We already lead the nation in infant mortality...that is only going to rise after this)

Contraception is a medical necessity for most women
during the three decades of their reproductive years, but
many have a hard time paying for it.
• Two-thirds of women rely on private insurers for their
health coverage, yet many insurers still do not cover
contraception.
• Women already pay 68% more than men for outof-
pocket medical costs, due in large part to their
reproductive health needs

[w8liftinglady]

25. and Texas' abortion rate up to this point

[louslobbs]

26. So Republicans tout "bureaucracy not coming between you and your doctor" except when it's about end

of life conversations and now it's just fine for the government to come between you and your doctor when making a choice about pregnancy. What will be the other exceptions to their "bureaucracy out of the decision making between you and your doctor" rhetoric? This is just another fine example of Republican hypocrisy, forcing a woman to view a sonogram and forcing the doctor to explain to the victim what she is seeing.......sounds like keeping the government out of decisions between a doctor and patient is only for medical issues that the Thugs decide they should be. These people are really fucking sick.
Lou

[aquart]

27. BTW, how many pregnant women are murdered by the fathers yearly in Texas?