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Michigan’s Extreme Anti-Abortion Bill Leads the Nation in Batshittery

stfuprolife:

prochoiceisnotproabortion:

stfuprolife:

It must be hard to be a state these days. Everyone around you is always doing crazy stuff to get attention, and you really have to compete to get noticed. Well, not content to be a nice midwestern state any longer, Michigan is now gunning to become one of the cool kids by passing an insanely restrictive abortion law. Yeah, why let Arizona have all the fun? As we speak, they are busily ramming a huge bill up into our collective uterus that, if passed, would basically guarantee that most of the abortion clinics in the state would have to shut down. Hey, go big or go home, right?

The 60-page bill was introduced just last week by Republican Representative Bruce Rendon and contains all matter of horrors. For starters, all abortions after 20 weeks would be criminalized—no exceptions for victims of rape or if the fetus has a severe anomaly, like it is missing a brain or a spine. Wait? Oh, nevermind it’s pointless to even try to understand how that is a good idea because it’s not. There is a very narrow exception made if the mother’s life is at risk, but simply her health and/or future fertility is not reason enough to allow an abortion. Well, how very pro-life indeed. Oh, it’d also make it a crime to coerce a woman into having an abortion. Geeze, make that definition vague enough and you might be able to start prosecuting doctors for being overly enthusiastic in telling patients that it’s totally safe to get an abortion…

This lovely bill would also require that health centers that perform more than six abortions in a month be equipped with surgery rooms, even if they don’t do surgical abortions. Just in case someone needs an emergency appendectomy while they’re waiting, I guess? Makes TOTAL sense to spend a shit-ton of money you don’t have to create a room filled with expensive equipment that you’ll never use and have to jump through a bunch of hoops and pay to have the facility licensed.

There are also a number of provisions that can sadly now be described as typical: Women need to be screened to be sure there’s no “coercion” going on. A doctor needs to be present for medication abortions, and no telemedicine is allowed, so doctors won’t be able to use technology to prescribe medication abortions from afar or even prescribe the morning-after pill. And, just for good measure, the bill also puts in place elaborate new regulations for the disposal of fetal remains.

As you might have guessed, all of these restrictions would make it very difficult, if not impossible, to operate a clinic that offers abortions. You’d have to spend a huge amount of money to install a surgical room that sits empty. You’d need to pay a doctor to be there at all times, even if they weren’t doing anything. And all of your patients would need to come into the clinic to get services, where you’d then have to grill them to make sure they hadn’t been forced into showing up. Of course, that’s assuming they even live close by enough and have enough money to transport themselves to you in the first place.

Of course, doctors and people who are concerned that women be allowed some small measure of control over their own lives are concerned about these draconian measures, and about 90 of them showed up to testify against the bill. But Health Policy Committee chair Republican Gail Haines cut the hearing short after a Right to Life spokesperson and just a few other people spoke—so nobody else got the chance to lodge objections or ask questions. Yay democracy!

As you’ve no doubt surmised, there would be major ramifications if this bill passes. Meghan Groen, spokesperson for Planned Parenthood of Mid and South Michigan sums it up succinctly:

It could shut down most reproductive health centers in the state of Michigan. It’s the most extreme legislation we’re seeing anywhere in the country.

Excellent. Great work, America! We won’t even have to wait long for this shitshow to begin. This piece of crap legislation is going to be voted on by the full House sometime next week, where it is expected to pass and from there the sky is the limit. Aaand SCENE! Just kidding, this is not a hilarious 19-act play entitled “The War on Women,” this is the depressing reality we now find ourselves in.

SERIOUSLY, MORE PEOPLE NEED TO CARE ABOUT THIS.

Michigan peeps, where are you?!

This just makes me want to cry. Michigan get your shit together…

(Source: stfuprolifers, via stfuprolifers)

Rape Victim Denied Emergency Contraceptives. Doctor Cites Religious Objection As Reason

raging-liberal-hard-on:

abaldwin360:

Remember when doctors did what was in the best interest of the patient? Remember when refusing to provide care could get you fired or even arrested? Well, those days are coming to a close as doctors and nurses have been freed by the GOP from any ethical or moral restraints. These days, a medical practitioner can simply ignore a patient because treating them goes against their “religious beliefs.”

read more

And people are still convinced on this “war against religion” bullshit? 

I can’t even right now..

(via stfuprolifers)

Sydney University has approved an anti-choice group on campus

stfuprolife:

On Friday the 1st of June the USU board approved the formation of an anti-abortion society. This is an affront to all students on campus as it seeks to actively promote the disempowerment of women. The USU is supposed to promote positive campus culture not single-issue lobby groups. This isn't about freedom of speech or equal opportunity. Clubs with anti-choice views already exist on campus - in fact there are several of them. This is about funding and giving legitimacy to a group whose sole target is women. This ‘LifeChoice’ Society is an attack on women’s rights and by allowing its formation the Union is failing its students and undermining the inclusiveness it seeks to promote.

holly-and-max submitted:

Here is the petition. Can everyone please reblog and sign?

Take the time to sign !

(Source: stfuprolifers)

In media reports on women’s issues—abortion, birth control, Planned Parenthood—men are quoted around five times more than women, a new study shows

rabbleprochoice:

stfusexists:

Shocker. 

Because if there is one thing that is severely lacking when it comes to abortion and reproductive rights, it’s a man’s opinion.

Not like we just had an entire panel of (religious) men testify to congress about birth control use and how they oppose it…and no women…at all.

Love,

Rabble

(Source: newsweek, via pro-choiceproblems)

stfuconservatives:

Canada’s teen birth and abortion rate drops by 36.9 per cent

stfuhypocrisy:

Better access to contraception, higher quality sex education and shifting social norms have contributed to a 36.9 per cent decline in Canada’s teen birth and abortion rate between 1996 and 2006, according to a report released today by the Sex Information and Education Council of Canada.

  • I’ve finally forgiven myself for my abortions

“This is a good news story,” said Alexander McKay, lead author and research co-ordinator at the council.

“It’s important to look at teen pregnancy rates because they’re a basic fundamental indicator of young women’s sexual and reproductive health. While not all teen pregnancies are a bad thing, when we see [rates] dropping, it’s a fairly clear indicator that young women are doing increasingly well in terms of controlling and protecting their reproductive health.”

The report, which appears in the current issue of The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, compares Statistics Canada figures with numbers from three other countries. The United States experienced a 25 per cent drop while England and Wales showed a more modest decline of 4.75 per cent. Sweden’s numbers, meanwhile, jumped by 19.1 per cent.

“It’s not necessarily that sex education in Canada is at such a high standard,” said Mr. McKay, who co-authored the report with SIECCAN’s Michael Barrett.

“In comparison to the United States, we tend to have a more balanced, sensible approach to adolescent sexual health. Generally speaking what you find is that the more a society has an accepting attitude toward the reality of adolescent sexuality, the lower the teen pregnancy rate is. Canadians tend to have a more relaxed attitude towards adolescent sexuality than people in the United States.”

Mr. McKay said America’s emphasis on abstinence-only sex ed “tends to result in a higher percentage of teens becoming pregnant,” as does the country’s lack of universal health care. Poverty is another factor.

“The United States has large, well-entrenched pockets of inner city poverty and that clearly is linked to higher teen pregnancy rates,” he said.

“In those communities where young women feel optimistic about their educational and employment opportunities, the [rates] tends to be lower.”

Among the four countries compared for 2006, Canada boasted the lowest teen birth and abortion rate per 1,000 women aged 15 to 19 (27.9), followed by Sweden (31.4), England/Wales (60.3), and the United States (61.2).

“Sweden is a low teen pregnancy rate country so even with an increase in its [rate], it still remains far below countries like England and the United States.”

Swedish researchers have attributed the increases to two factors, Mr. McKay said: “a notable drop in the extent of sex education in Swedish schools,” and more abortions.

“It’s not that young women are viewing abortion as a form of birth control. Rather they do view it as an acceptable – although regrettable – way of dealing with an unwanted pregnancy when it occurs.”

Although declines were evident across the country, they varied widely by the province. The drop was greatest in Ontario (51.5 per cent) and the Yukon (51.8 per cent), and lowest in Saskatchewan (25.5 per cent) and Quebec (10 per cent).

The lesser decline in Quebec “was somewhat of a surprise,” Mr. McKay said, because “Quebec has historically had comparatively low [rates] compared to the rest of the country.”

Also a surprise was the Yukon’s drop, the highest in the country.

“Generally speaking, it’s been the case that the Yukon and the Territories and northern communities have had higher teen pregnancy rates,” said Mr. McKay, noting that the Yukon has ramped up its sex ed programs and reached out to youth in recent years.

He stressed that the birth and abortion declines should not be confused with judgments about teen sexuality.

“Teenage women in Canada are not more or less likely to be sexually active than they were 10 or 15 years ago. The difference is that we have seen a steady increase in the percentage of sexually active young women who are using contraception. That comes mainly in increases in condom use but also increases in birth control.”

<3 Canada, I love you. I know that a lot of the crap we do isn’t the greatest, but you really prove that being close minded about things doesn’t help the cause

(Source: stfueverything, via pro-choiceproblems)

Im just going to put this here.

TW: Abuse (Mental)

Just so people know. I have had an abortion, and I don’t regret it one bit.

I was 16, in high school, with my first serious boyfriend. I basically failed my grade 12 year because of this. I graduated on a bunch of 50ish marks.

As some background information, my boyfriend mentally abused me for the entire 2 and a half years we were together. He manipulated me and segregated me from my friends. He tried to guilt me in to keeping the fetus because he thought I would stick around forever and just continue to take his shit. He’s unstable and when I finally broke up with him, he threatened to throw himself off the roof of our apartment building (9 stories). 

I got told by my guidance counselor, that I can’t listen to him, because it’s my body and my education that would go down the tubes, not his. And the chances are, when it actually came down to it, he would leave me hanging to take care of a kid that he guilted me into keeping.

So yes, I am happy I got an abortion, because you know what, I would not be here if I hadn’t and I would not be able to say that I saved my life because I didn’t have an abusers child. So dear anti - choicers, please do not tell me I shouldn’t have gotten one. Because I might not be alive today if I hadn’t.

gentlesleaze:

George Carlin: Pro-life, Abortion, and the Sanctity of Life.
Carlin At Carnegie

This special is from 1982. It’s amazing how his rant is still relevant today. 

I’m just going to leave this here.

(via rabbleprochoice)

stfuprolife: thewhizzpalace: “Conservative MP Stephen Woodworth speaks to thousands of demonstrators gathered on Parliament Hill Thursday for the annual March for Life anti-abortion protest. Woodworth has a motion in front of the House of Commons seeking a special study into when life begins. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)” How can there be so many anti-choicers in Canada of all places?  Ugh.  This “study for when life begins” has so many dirty ulterior motives it makes me sick.  If you really think about it, life doesn’t actually begin as a zygote, it’s continued as a zygote. I said I wasn&#8217;t going to post. But this hits a little too close to home. Here&#8217;s the deal. In Canada, we are fairly open minded, for the most part. There are the people, like my neighbour for example, who are extremely anti choice. But most people are pretty open minded. Then there&#8217;s shit like this that makes you question every single thought you&#8217;ve had about your country. Harper has stated that he WILL NOT reopen the abortion debate. It went to parliament solely to appease some choice conservatives within his party. It won&#8217;t get a say until earliest, June, and latest, September. Harper I am pretty sure, will shove this down the hole. I have been attempting to keep up to date as much as possible on the happenings because it does hit so close to home. Canada has really been a pretty great place for me. And our stances on things really do make me happy. But if this goes through and Anti choicers get their way. I can guarantee that I will never be on because I will be living on Parliament Hill just to protest this for the rest of my known existence.   Rant done.

stfuprolife:

thewhizzpalace:

“Conservative MP Stephen Woodworth speaks to thousands of demonstrators gathered on Parliament Hill Thursday for the annual March for Life anti-abortion protest. Woodworth has a motion in front of the House of Commons seeking a special study into when life begins. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)”

How can there be so many anti-choicers in Canada of all places?  Ugh.  This “study for when life begins” has so many dirty ulterior motives it makes me sick.  If you really think about it, life doesn’t actually begin as a zygote, it’s continued as a zygote.

I said I wasn’t going to post. But this hits a little too close to home.

Here’s the deal. In Canada, we are fairly open minded, for the most part. There are the people, like my neighbour for example, who are extremely anti choice. But most people are pretty open minded. Then there’s shit like this that makes you question every single thought you’ve had about your country. Harper has stated that he WILL NOT reopen the abortion debate. It went to parliament solely to appease some choice conservatives within his party. It won’t get a say until earliest, June, and latest, September. Harper I am pretty sure, will shove this down the hole. I have been attempting to keep up to date as much as possible on the happenings because it does hit so close to home. Canada has really been a pretty great place for me. And our stances on things really do make me happy. But if this goes through and Anti choicers get their way. I can guarantee that I will never be on because I will be living on Parliament Hill just to protest this for the rest of my known existence.

  Rant done.

(via stfuprolifers)

I’m not going to be posting for a while.

I need a mental health break and I just can’t deal with anti choice nonsense.

I’ll still be around to answer questions.

I just can’t debate anyone.

I love every one of my followers, so thank you for being awesome.