When it comes to politics I am not one that can hold much back. This is not to say that I will not listen, this is to say that I stand by what I believe and respect to its end, unless given valid proof and facts that support otherwise. Nowadays with the way government officials play bill maker you need to take a strong stand in what you see as unjustified, unconstitutional, and an outright assault on our basic natural rights.
The Virginia Senate has approved a bill in which women will have to undergo an ultrasound before having an abortion, and a waiting period of 24 hours. This is an amended bill, which now excludes rape victims and victims of incest from having to undergo the ultrasound if they have reported it to police.
This bill was passed yesterday 21 to 19. Sens. Charles Colgan, Prince William, and Phillip Puckett, Russell, were the only Democrats to vote for the bill. Republican Sen. John Watkins, Powhatan, voted against it.
NOTE: The originally proposed bill wanted to have an invasive transvaginal ultrasound…
Now, where do we begin? I understand that abortion and women’s reproductive rights have always had a strong influence in politics, and with this being an election year no one is holding back to get voters to think who they want to vote for this coming November. The media has had a field day covering all the Republican debates and one of the main things that they have been making clear is what they wish to change; apparently it seems that our personal private life, whether we have sex, when, with whom, and what we do with our reproductive system is a big topic for them. This bill is an outrages violation of women’s health care rights.
Lets start with the amendment which was made by the Democrats, which has victims of rape or incest excluded from having to undergo the ultrasound if they have made a report to the appropriate law enforcement officials. A woman who has undergone a traumatic experience such as rape is not always ready to go and let anyone know, even less one whom has had it from a family member. The shame and psychological damage that a woman goes through is hard to understand. It may take years to gain basic trust and feel comfortable to even start talking about; reliving a traumatic experience is in no way an easy task. Many cultures consider it taboo taking about such things as sex, so telling someone, even if it a law enforcement official can be difficult, and may even not be an option for many. I am not only speaking as a woman, but as someone who has had to deal with sexual assault. An abortion is a time sensitive procedure usually done best within the first trimester. How can someone who has such a traumatic experience deal aside with that as well?!
“It is not the role of government to subject victims of rape and incest – for those Virginians who choose not to report it – to a humiliating procedure that is meaningless, so that some elected officials can engage in political posturing and promotion of their anti-woman agenda,” Sen. MamieLocke, D-Hampton.
Medically, what is this bill trying to achieve? Over 90 percent of abortions in the US are performed within the first trimester. Senator Ralph Northam D-Norfolk, is the chamber’s ONLY medical doctor had a couple of things to say about this, “I might as well put the ultrasound probe on this bottle of Gatorade, I’m going to see as much.” This has no medical necessity, “when we as a group of non-physicians start telling a doctor and a patient ho w they should practice medicine and the kind of medical care they receive, we are getting in way over our heads…This is a tremendous assault on women’s health care. It is a tremendous insult to physicians practicing in the commonwealth of Virginia.”
Who is to pay for this? To shame women for even considering an abortion? Is this a way to restrict our own agency on a matter that is private? Of course! And to think that the original proposal wanted a transvaginal ultrasound.
A woman who has decided, or is contemplating an abortion has thought about this. An abortion is not something that is taken lightly, it is both costly, and hard on the body… it is after all a medical procedure. Even if you aren’t well educated, places like planned parenthood take you through the steps and explain in detail what exactly is going to take place, they answer questions and understand that this is a decision that may require time and so they are not pushing you go through with the procedure. For those educated women we understand what it is, and we have made the decision to go through with it. It is something that in the world that we operate in is done in a way as to not disrupt our daily life. You call, you make the appointment, try to fit it in to your schedule as seamlessly as possible so that you have time to recover and go back to work as normal. Why you wonder? Because it is a PRIVATE MATTER. There is no need for anyone to know. So this 24 hour waiting period is to say the least, absurd and UNNECESARY.
I would like to understand what the uproar that pro-life people have against someone who is pro-choice. When women considers an abortion it is not on a whim like getting a manicure. It is a responsible and difficult decision. Responsible, yes, because there are a number or factors that play into it; Financial means, readiness and maturity to start a family, if it is a viable fetus, or just not wanting a child. There are according to UNICEF 143 to 210 million orphans worldwide. More than 250,000 kids enter foster care in the United States each year. These numbers are astronomical, and why I see women who have one as responsible. Like it or not, we do have a population problem.
A woman’s choice with her body is a personal matter, and one that she makes on her own. Placing restrictions and obstacles for something like this is unconstitutional, and an assault on women’s health care.