IDS 2: Freedom of Choice Act (Passed)

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

Essentially, this bill is a modified version of a Pacific law passed in 2006.  It affirms the status quo of the South's overall liberal attitude toward abortion with two exceptions: the prohibition of invasive "ultrasound laws" and a guarantee that rape victims will receive the help they need regardless of closest hospital.  While I understand the sentiments of those who oppose abortion in our region, I must stress that this bill merely synchronizes our current policy and establishes a common sense standard for local hospitals not dissimilar to that of several states, such as my home state of Connecticut.

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

Four is giving me tons of heartburn where did I put those tums


Anyway skipping that, can you give an example of what five is seeking to ban?

I kind of scratched my head at that as well when I read the Pacific law, so I really can't give an example.  I'd be okay with removing it since it's kind of redundant.

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

As important as I think it is to ensure as much autonomy possible between a woman and her doctor, I'm not very comfortable with keeping parents out of important health decisions like this when a minor is involved.  If the Legislature wants to remove or modify the provision, I will endorse that decision.

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

Oak Hills?  Dereich?  DeadPrez?  Speak to me.

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

Thank you for your comments, Dereich.

Ideally, the first provision would apply to so-called "crisis pregnancy centers" which are known to provide misleading information about abortion and sometimes might not even tell a client that she is pregnant.  However, I realize the difficulty of tracking these centers down and determining the intent of the people who run them.  Ultimately, lying cannot be outlawed and women can only be expected to read up on nearby health centers to learn which ones are legitimate.  I'll remove that provision, but I encourage anyone who has an alternative to speak.

Section three also appeared redundant and unnecessary to me at a first glance, but I have no desire to strike the language from the bill for the rare scenario that a state decides to outlaw a form of birth control.  Since it's of no detriment to the underlying principles of the bill, I would encourage the Legislature to leave the provision in tact.

Finally, as to section 7, I don't necessarily agree that a rape victim would feel "pressured" into using emergency contraception if placed in the situation, but I'll modify the language even though I realize there's little room for compromise on issues like this.

I'll also remove the section that bans parental notification laws.

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[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

I'm not in favor of this at all. Can you make the rules less stricter?

How is it strict?  The bill is pretty straightforward.

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

Just thought I'd give my two cents. if the people of a given area wish to require the ultrasound who are we to step in? Considering there is life* at stake, I see no harm in it. It may be emotionally rough for a lady, but that is trumped by the end of a life. Its nice to talk about freedom of choice, but lets not bury the lead here, this is a literal matter of life and death for the one party in the matter who have no choice at all.

*whether or not someone wants to admit that it s a "human" yet is one thing, but there is no way anyone who has taken freshman biology can deny it is a life.

The law doesn't concern what a doctor may or may not ask of his or her patient; it simply forbids the government from requiring medically unnecessary vaginal probes.  "People of a given area" need not be involved.

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

As a side note, I personally have a difficult time seeing the practicality behind ultrasound laws.  Yes, I understand why pro-lifers favor them, but think of it this way: if elective abortion is uncompromisingly wrong, what purpose does it serve to give women seeking an abortion yet another hurdle to jump through, rather than banning it outright?  One would, after all, think that these mandates are more for inconveniencing women than saving lives.  So, if a community decides that abortions should be forbidden, what discourages them from going all the way?

I'll step off my soapbox now.  I just could never quite wrap my head around that...

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

So section 3 falls within federal jurisdiction? What is our limits on abortion, by the way? 3 trimesters?

Yes, I believe so.  A federal late-term abortion ban was passed last year.  This bill doesn't conflict with that law.

Does section 3 prevent states/localities from making new laws against emergency contraception? From how it reads it only seems to eliminate current laws against it, of which there are none.

The bill is intended to do both, but I'm going to make some additional fixes.

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Ah.  That makes more sense, then.

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

I have a problem with 4, 6, and the private hospitals aspect in 7.

4. Although I don't really want abortion criminalized, I don't want it legal either. Can we just restrict the amount of criminalization?

Abortion is currently legal in the IDS and all the bill does is reaffirm the status quo by restricting invasive vaginal probes and require all hospitals to provide proper care for rape victims.  I'm not going to use the "Freedom of Choice Act" to push for more abortion restrictions.  Sorry.

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Ultrasound requirements, though I now understand the rationale for supporting them, don't really prevent abortions but instead force women to jump through more hoops.  Abortion is a serious matter and I'm not aiming to dispute that.  However, requiring women and hospitals to submit to medical regulations that are inherently unnecessary is not something we should encourage.

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With all due respect, if a private hospital isn't willing to give patients, and especially victims of rape, the care they need, then there's no reason to call it a hospital.  It's not as though we're requiring Catholic hospitals to perform abortions, but there are plenty of regulations hospitals need to adhere to in order to ensure that they function properly and I don't think this new standard is at all unusual to that.

I think I know how the vote is going to go at this point, so I would ask the Speaker to give the bill another day for comments and start a final vote tomorrow night.  I know I'm not going to convince anyone who's already against the amended text to vote the other way.

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

Anything else?

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

Hello?

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

Nay

The vote hasn't even started yet.