Aside from anti-abortion activists vandalizing Planned Parenthoods, and New Hampshire denying women prescription refills after de-funding Planned Parenthood, 19 states have passed 80 laws that block women’s access to health care and right to a safe, legal procedure. Here’s a sample from Daily Kos:
Alabama, Indiana, Kansas, Oklahoma and Idaho enacted laws prohibiting abortion after 20 week of gestation based on the phony claim of “fetal pain.” Nebraska adopted a similar law last year. Pro-choice advocates argue that these laws, and a proposal in Ohio to bar abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected at about six weeks of gestation, violate the Supreme Court’s rulings that forbid states from placing undue burdens on women seeking abortions.
I don’t see how anyone can argue that any of these laws make women safer or healthier, but that’s not the point, is it? Preventing abortions isn’t the point either—there were too many measures introduced this year aimed at taking away women’s access to routine procedures like breast exams and STI testing for conservative Christians to argue that point too hard with straight faces (although they try).
The point is to punish women for having sex—even though it takes two people (at least) to make a baby, and one of those people must have working man parts. These laws are promoting the religious subjugation of women.
Hat tip Bill.
They are trying to turn this country into an empty headed theocracy. It won’t work.
@1: Well, they’ve already got empty-headed down in half the country.
This is just awful. I’m so glad you are writing about this stuff, because it seems like only feminist or so-called radical blogs are covering this stuff. I sometimes feel like I’m the only one who is outraged about how this country is revoking women’s rights.
This is another thing the Dems should be shouting from the rooftops, every goddamned day, using exactly your words, Cienna: “the religious subjugation of women.”
There is so little difference between these cretins’ goals and the Taliban’s, they might as well just roll out the bloodstained carpet right here on these shores and let the pros lead the way.
Right on – this needs to be completely repeated again and again – that the only goal of all of this anti-choice crusading is to punish women for having non-procreative sex. The goal of these people is not just the overturning of Roe v Wade, but also Griswold v Connecticut. Never heard of it? It’s the basis of Roe v Wade and concerned the right of people to buy contraceptives (which was decided in 1965. Before that date it was technically illegal to buy contraceptives in Connecticut). As is painfully obvious in these news stories, and in the rhetoric used by anti-choicers is asserting that the birth control and morning after pills are abortion per se, it is pretty clear that the christianists in this country won’t stop until nothing to do with family planning is permitted for women.
@3 You’re not alone! Volunteer your time with Planned Parenthood or NARAL and you will find MANY like-minded souls who are passionately fighting for women’s sexual and reproductive rights every day. It made me feel better!
I hate to say it, but we’re losing on abortion. Pro-choicers have been relying too heavily on Roe v. Wade, it’s a supreme court ruling, not a law or an amendment. Also, we need to get away from this idea that abortion should be legal but is somehow wrong or bad, it’s giving anti-choicers the moral high ground.
whaaaaaaaaaaaa!
the guvment won’t pay for killing my baybeeeez no more!
whaaaaaaaaaaa!
7
you are right.
the younger the demographic cohort the less support for abortion…..
@9: LOL NOPE.
How does it feel to be so thoroughly distanced from reality?
10
nice graph.
here’s some extra credit work for you, junior-
how many points is the cummulative drop in support for abortion of all age cohorts from 1994 to 2009?
(hint- it’s more than 30…)
@11: Are you touched in the head or something? The cumulative drop in support is entirely meaningless. The only meaningful statistic you could talk about is the weighted average drop, you pinhead.
12
omg!
you are right!
we are wrong!!
support for abortion is RISING!!
quick, tell Cienna before she strangles any more kittens…..
@14: Yes, I am right and you are wrong. You indicate that support for abortion is falling? Again, I say:
LOL NOPE.
@7 actually you are wrong about abortion history here in washington state. In washington state, abortion is legal by statute, approved by popular referendum. http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?Dis…
This is the case in every state that legalized abortion pre-1973. Overturning Roe v Wade would have no effect on Washington State.
@9 you are actually wrong. The approval of abortion in all cases (which is what this poll asks) is high for the 18-29 cohort, and lower as you age. The graph does not suggest that the relative support for abortion in all cases has changed over the years for the younger cohorts, but that the overall support has changed. This is different than what you say.
@14 – I assume you also did the @9 and @11 posts? I don’t really understand your post here. Poor sarcasm doesn’t translate well in type. Also, Cienna’s post wasn’t just abortion-related, but also about basic health services like STI screening and pap exams. Is that also kitten-strangling related? Also, is this a missive against cat abortion? I mean, I guess if you think that abortion is murder no matter what, someone who takes their dog or cat to the vet for a pregnancy termination is committing animal abuse, right? maybe you should protest some vet clinics? Maybe you could hang out in Red Square with an oversized 10 foot sign with an aborted kitten to better persuade people of your crusade for the protection of the unborn kitten? I think Cienna should come out once and for all and tell us dear readers if she supports kittens.
@15 – be careful with that graph – the definition of pro-choice and pro-life is highly subjective. Someone who defines themself as pro-choice could conceivably not support abortion in all cases, which may be part of the overall decline in your graph from post #10.
@venomlash – also, I guess this is what we get for looking at the unregistered comments….although I actually think having a registered name as “take her some dry panties while you’re at it…” would be kind of funny
As a woman who just underwent cancer screening after an abnormal pap, I hope that every motherfucker supporting these laws gets prostate cancer, and finds out about it too late for treatment.
And yes, the wish I made in my previous post applies to all the nasty little trolls in this thread too.
I just want to thank you, Cienna, for your reporting on this topic. Like @3, I feel like I’m not hearing analysis like yours from other sources. Maybe I’m not looking in the right places? Regardless, keep up the good work!