Well this is just about the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.
I saw the post from 26th Parallel and his support for the bill requiring all women to undergo ultrasound before getting an abortion. I also read Miami & Beyond’s post..well thank god there are some men who have some sense.
As a woman, I completely agree with Dan Gelber, the House Democratic Leader of Miami Beach, who stated, “‘The ultrasound mandate is meant to warn pregnant woman, “are you sure you want to do that?’” and finally “‘Just to constantly second-guess and challenge a woman who makes what I imagine is one of the hardest and most difficult decisions a person has to make. In that sense, it’s an offensive bill.’”
“‘Republicans, though, said an ultrasound is necessary for a woman to make a good decision about whether to have an abortion. Supporters read letters from women who said they regretted their decisions to end their pregnancies and wished they had seen images of their fetuses.’” How about we make the Ultrasound VOLUNTARY, for those women who aren’t so sure whether they should get an abortion or not? If you’re unsure, and your gut feeling tells you not to do it, don’t do it!
Abortions are not easy decisions for women especially those who would love to have a child but are unable, for whatever reason, to do so at the time of conception. It’s a painful decision, nonetheless a smart one as if a woman can’t care for the child, she shouldn’t have it. Unlike a lot of other women who continue to have babies they can’t afford, and end up collecting more and more checks from the government, um, us.
Frankly I don’t see any reason for this bill other than
$$$$! When women walk into a clinic for an abortion, they have already thought it through hundreds upon hundreds of times whether this is the right decision for them AND their unborn child. Now they have to be forced for fork over another few hundred bucks in the name of “effectively defining life at conception for criminal prosecutions.” Wait a minute. “Effectively defining life”?? WTF. This discussion has been going on for eons whether and at what point an embryo is considered ‘life’, ‘fetus’, ‘baby’. Depending on who you ask, an embryo is all of these things. Others see it a bit differently. Personally I’m pro-choice at 3 months since conception, and afterwards only if the fetus threatens the life and health of the mother.
The explanation for this bill is complete bullshit. It’s just yet another waste of time where the government seeks to “protect” its people by making decisions for them. If the women who later regretted having an abortion and wrote letters in favor of this bill had one bit of a sense of personal responsibility for their own actions, this bill would not have as much pull. In fact, everything in this country is like that. People are stupid, they burn themselves with hot coffee then sue the restaurant, or they abuse their prescription drugs, get addicted, and blame it on the manufacturer. And this really vexes me. It’s with everything, now this BS bill.
I was eighteen years old when I became pregnant from a condom busting on me. When I found out I was pregnant, I thought to myself, “hmm I’m 18, I’m in college, I want to finish school, get a great job, make lots of money, and get my life together before I even consider having a child, so this is not a good time to have a baby.” Was I in love with my BF? Maddly. Did I think that between he and I we could make it? Sure, lots of people do it everyday. But I would be throwing my life away, and I certainly was not in a good position to properly provide for a child, neither financially or emotionally. So, if an 18 year old can make such a definitive choice about having an abortion, all women can, and we don’t need to see a picture of the embryo in our bellies to tell us whether we are doing the right thing. To this day, it is one of the smartest decisions I’ve made in my life.
Dear Bacardi & Diet,
I came across the ad in City Link about your Blog. I must say, I love it. I have read almost all your past posts and am now catching up to the current ones. Many of them have made me want to commit, but I hadnt until I hit this particular post on abortions.
I agree with you 100%.
I too had the unpleasant experience of choosing to have one at a very young age. After many nights of debate, do I keep it?, do I have an abortion?, back and forth, I chose to have the procedure.
I dont know why, but the doctor that performed the procedure, without asking, showed me the ultrasound.
I mean, you go into this decision that took me 2 weeks to make, you have no idea what to expect, so you are just going with the flow and BAM!! There it is.
I wish the government would act fairly and ask the women who did get the “opportunity” how it made them feel.
In a situation like that, I would hope that woman would take that decision very very very seriously, and I had. Seeing that ultrasound only made the situation that much harder, and gave me horrible horrible nightmares. Never once though did it make me think twice about my decision.
I do recall very vividly asking the doctor “What the fuck? You could have prepared me a little better!” I was soo upset. Therefore, I too think it should be 100% voluntary!!