So South Dakota's a-hole of a governer, this guy, Michael Rounds (ahem, a man) recently signed into a law a ban on all abortions in the state of South Dakota unless the life of the mother is at risk. There were no exceptions allowed for cases of rape and incest. So if you get raped in S.D., and you get pregnant, you're having the baby. If you are a doctor and you perform an abortion in S.D. (after July 1st) you face a felony conviction and 5 years in jail.I'm sorry, but does anyone else think that this is the biggest load of SHIT to hit the proverbial fan in quite some time. I know that everything in Iraq is a mess, and everything in New Orleans is a mess, but if this doesn't make it totally obvious that the Bush administrarion is out to legislate opinions and beliefs, and not things that will actually help Americans lead better, safer lives, then I don't know what is.
This is how the beginning of the law reads: "The Legislature accepts and concurs with the conclusion of the South Dakota Task Force to Study Abortion, based upon written materials, scientific studies, and testimony of witnesses presented to the task force, that life begins at the time of conception, a conclusion confirmed by scientific advances since the 1973 decision of Roe v. Wade, including the fact that each human being is totally unique immediately at fertilization. Moreover, the Legislature finds, based upon the conclusions of the South Dakota Task Force to Study Abortion, and in recognition of the technological advances and medical experience and body of knowledge about abortions produced and made available since the 1973 decision of Roe v. Wade, that to fully protect the rights, interests, and health of the pregnant mother, the rights, interest, and life of her unborn child, and the mother's fundamental natural intrinsic right to a relationship with her child, abortions in South Dakota should be prohibited. Moreover, the Legislature finds that the guarantee of due process of law under the Constitution of South Dakota applies equally to born and unborn human beings, and that under the Constitution of South Dakota, a pregnant mother and her unborn child, each possess a natural and inalienable right to life."
While this bill is clearly aimed at reaching the Supreme Court, it will take years to get there. But it will, undoubtedly, get there. (Hey, if fricking Anna Nicole Smith can do it, so can the South Dakota Abortion Ban.) With the two new justices on the bench that Bush appointed, people all over the U.S. who believe that a woman has the right to choose are thinking, "We're F*CKED!" And they're pretty much right, unless we get our butts in gear. And by "we" I mean both normal Americans such as myself, and also our Democrats in Congress who have developed a habit of just rolling over and going back to sleep, hoping that this will all have been a bad dream.
I for one am emailing John Kerry and Michigan's awesome Senator Debbie Stabenow. What are you going to do?
4 comments:
Interestingly, the only criminal in this legislation is the doctor who performs the abortion -- not the woman herself -- a fact I find both condescending and oddly encouraging because it creates a loophole.
If a female rape victim is taking the right kind of birth control pills and happens to know that three of them taken at one time is more or less equivalent to the morning-after pill, can she be charged with a crime? I think not. Who's going to press charges? The rapist?
Otherwise, though, you're right. I think the women of South Dakota should either take to the streets and start shouting or take sfgate columnist Mark Morford's advice and move as far away as they can get.
well, besides the start." he's a man" i tend to agree that this law is pretty far sided. As much of me says Pro Life, because i believe in keeping these sacred lives and i would never give up my own....i know that rape and people far too young have sex, there is always a grey area.
Pro choice is the way to go, with limits. It should not be used as birth control which happens even here in Michigan sometimes. Like there should be a cut off, "you've had 2 already missy, tough shit you're having this baby!"
I mean, what did they do back in the day? It's all out of hand. Birth control bitches!!!!!!!!!!!! But i don't agree with SD's new law.
I'm out
I think it's all just an attempt for South Dakota to increase its population since something like only seventeen people currently live there anyway (not including the four guys on Mount Rushmore). I'm not going to get into whether or not it's a pizza from the minute you put your fists into the dough or a pizza once you slide it out of the oven, but where's the voice of dissent on this thing. Why have Liberals/Democrats/pinko commie Godless bastards become so timid in this presidency? This administration is single handedly flushing personal freedom after personal freedom and right after right down the toilet, and all we ever hear is a mild grumble from the left side of the room. People need to start screaming.
I am old enough to remember the trips to the back alleys and had friends and peers do such. Backwards is not the way to go. While I hope NO WOMAN ever has to make that CHOICE, it is still hers to make. I shall never step foot in South Dakota or support any state function. MY few $$ will go to states that do not deny the rights of woman.
Karen
VOTE VOTE VOTE
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