The state of Oklahoma has recently passed legislation that requires all women having an abortion to witness a sonogram of the fetus they are carrying. There is to be no exceptions, to include rape and incest victims.
Bullshit Oklahoma!
I don't work in the medical field, but I do know, depending on the stage of pregnancy, some sonograms must be performed transvaginally.
Imagine, if you can, a young girl is raped. Imagine that she doesn't want to be reminded of the criminal that did this to her everyday for the rest of her life, or even bring an incestuous baby into the world, so she makes the painful decision to abort - Only to be violated again by a doctor.
Does that make any sense?
I imagine the thought process is that forcing the woman to see the fetus might convince her to not abort.
We might enforce similar laws regarding other "distasteful" things in our society. We could force our children to watch videos of babies drowning before we taught them about Noah's Ark? Surely if one believes the story, one must admit that babies did, indeed, drown!
Ridiculous? Maybe, but so is forcing rape victims to be undergo more humiliation.
22 comments:
mac,
You make a valid point. After doing feminist ethics I would only add that this is part of a much larger picture.
For example, abortion proponents don't want to show a sonogram for the exact same reasons anti-abortion proponents want to show a sonogram.
They both want to manipulate women. They make the issue about the fetus/unborn child in both scenarios.
That's why your example is so good. It's really not the sonogram that's the issue. It's the fact that once again somebody isn't taking the woman or girl into account. Like those Catholics in South America you blogged about a couple months ago.
Abortion is like war. There's no happy solution, each choice is difficult and somebody (relatively speaking) is going to die or suffer. When I went into the clinic I didn't see women all happy they were getting an abortion.
"Woo hoo abortion! Time for a celebration!"
Gimme a break.
... and most of these activists run around demonstrating as if they had a solution.
Frankly I think they're all just masturbating in front of each other. Pontificating about how great their opinions are.
It's like they use the word 'choice' or 'life' and have no idea what those words really mean.
Judge them!
Thanks Harry.
You have expressed my thoughts much more eloquently than I did.
Normally, I stay out of the abortion fray. It's none of my business what a woman does, or doesn't do. This time, however, I had to let some steam out.
I think all sides need to look at what they are doing and ask themselves if they actually care about the issue, or do they merely care about "their side's view".
And, nobody actually advocates abortion, do they?
Wow that bull has a large sack under there.
Stop by tomorrow,I have a lovely award for you.
Well stated!
Very well said !
Honestly, if children are not wanted, women aborting them are doing them a huge favor.
This is a very stupid law, I am so glad I live here in CA.
That is some bullshit. For me I personally believe in life...that being said I also believe it is a womans choice. So I refuse to judge.
Harry made all the valid points... but for the conservative Christian whoo-ha's who won this round, you have to wonder where they are on Obama and his allegded encrouchment on freedoms via the health care legislation.
This law is an abomination to what we think the constitution is supposed to stand for. How is that for irony?
Meat is murder, you terrible Oklahomans. Choose tofu.
"Wow that bull has a large sack under there.
Stop by tomorrow,I have a lovely award for you."
What? Oh man mac, you get all the beautiful womens. Maybe I should wear a picture of a bull's sack on my shirt.
Hmmmm. But I'm not as charming as you.
Yeah, probably wouldn't work :-)
"Well stated! But that's a cow! Not a bull! Brush up on your anatomy brother..."
Now I'm confused. You think it's a cow, mac thinks it's a bull. I have no idea, and none of us can go investigate.
It's an udder tragedy.
Yes!
Bad puns run rampant when I'm avoiding doing my final essays.
Judge me!
I have just looked to see if war has broken out in Oklahoma over this - it hasn't!
Having had a varied breeding career (6 pregnancies but only two survivors!) I remember very clearly the horror of a medically advised abortion. And then some dick wants me to look at pictures????
I don't fucking think so!
Harry is right, it is not always a personal choice and it appears in this case that women are being punished for being women.
What next? Name and shame on the internet? A public flogging for the 14 year-old rape victim?
Women bear the heavy responsibility of being the child bearers for Men.
This goes as far back as recorded history any probably further. Classic Greek Mythology & Old Testament literature bears this out. It's all about controlling a linage. Men in power have typically resented the fact that women have more control over who gets born then they do. This is just another way of suppressing a woman's power over birth.
BTW, I think that bull?cow might of been photo-shopped.
The saddest part of this is that the pro-lifers, for the most part, couldn't give a crap for the children, it's totally politically motivated!
Agreed - seems quite harsh...I try to stay out of this whole debate-- I'm only used to posting "fluff posts" ;-)
Tsk tsk all those legislators in Oklahoma... you're mother's are ashamed of you.
I'm with you on this one. It is bullshit. It's just one more hoop to ask a woman to jump through. (Hugs)Indigo
I had heard this. I'm appalled, but that's what happens, when you live in a state where nutty fundamentalists rule. Speaking of which, my Tennessee friend, I spent my first 36 years in Mississippi.
It is completely and utterly ridiculous. I do work in this field; you are correct some u/s would be performed transvaginally.
Harry is absolutely accurate. This is merely about the manipulation of women, which can we agree is what childbearing has been about for much of history? Fuck, it's even been about the manipulation of women when you consider HOW women give birth. (Look at the History of Midwifery and the creation of the American Medical Association in the late nineteenth century)
Where was I?
Oh yeah. Choice.
I just LOVE, in the most sarcastic sense of the word, how we can just throw this word around.
All of the choices are really fucking hard choices.
Choosing to have my own abortion sucked really bad (for lack of more eloquent words). But, is it a choice that I've come to understand was the choice I needed to make in the *here and now* of when I made that decision? You betcha. Does it still hurt sometimes. Yeah. There's no party afterwords.
Personally, I could never justify an abortion for myself. That said, it is none of my damn business if another woman does. I wont judge her choice, because I don't know her story. And there are plenty of reasons where it is perfectly justifiable to terminate a pregnancy.
I don't care what the situation is - the medical procedures done on me are between myself and my doctor. My government has NO FUCKING BUSINESS involving themselves there. That goes for everyone. It is also why I think it is ridiculous to require parents to be notified when minors have abortions. Uh, hello! Ever think it might be the PARENT causing the problem?
Fuck these laws.
This is an interesting post and I totally agree with you. As someone who is adopted I'm kinda glad my birth mother decided to give birth to me before she gave me away. At least I'm here writing this now.
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