Reproductive rights group challenge bill
This particular article caught my eye because I work in the healthcare field. A reproductive rights group has filed a class-action lawsuit against a new law passed by Texas legislature that increases regulations on Texas women trying to get abortions and the doctors that perform these procedures. This new law was signed by Gov. Perry in May and prevents a woman from getting an abortion until her doctor does a sonogram and tells her about the details and allows her to hear the fetal heartbeat sounds also. The law will require this for all abortions beginning October 1st, regardless of the woman's preferences to hear or see this stuff or not. If you read the article by clicking on the link below, you will see that there is much more information in it than just what I've described. However, that's the quick summary of it. I am a pro-choice kind of gal, BUT this isn't always such a bad idea in some cases. I think that sometimes the woman seeking the abortion is not completely aware that this is a potential life inside of her not just some "thing" that is an inconvenience. When you have these senses stimulated by visually seeing there is a heart beating and hearing an actual heartbeat, you may no longer think it is just a "thing" in there to just get rid of. While I do believe it is the choice of the woman, I do think that to some extent these reality checks should be presented to the woman seeking the abortion. I think if the woman has completely and truly made up her mind that this is what she is going to do regardless of what anyone says or does, then these attempts to change her mind will be unsuccessful anyhow. If there is any small amount of doubt in her mind, she will perhaps be swayed into thinking it is not a good idea. I have definitely always thought that if it was made more difficult to go through with having an abortion that the quantity of abortions completed annually would decrease.
About 81,000 abortions are performed in Texas every year, according to the state Department of Health Services.
As of right now, there are already laws in place that require a doctor to give detailed information about all possible options to the woman seeking an abortion 24 hours before the procedure is to take place. This new law will be heavily enforced to the point of doctors not complying with all of the regulations could lose their license to practice medicine. While I am about giving the woman a right to choose and also have a soft spot in my heart for babies, I can also see the point of this reproductive rights group as well. The two statements below are from Bonnie Scott Jones, the deputy director of the U. S. Legal Program and the Center for Reproductive Rights group.
“This is basically forcing your doctor to act as a government agent force-feeding you these messages from politicians,” Jones said. “It makes the informed consent process a biased one in which the woman is getting information she doesn’t want forced upon her by her doctor. This law really is about promoting an anti-choice agenda in the doctor’s office.”
“The law treats women as if they are too immature or incompetent to make their own important medical decisions,” she said. “It’s very demeaning and patronizing to women. It really does single them out because men are never treated this way in their decisions about health care.”
Bonnie Scott Jones has made some valid points here. I'm just curious as to whether her points are enough to block the new legislation from being enforced. What are your thoughts? Should the extra enforcements be required or not before a woman is permitted to go through with an abortion?
Article: "Reproductive rights group challenges sonogram bill"
By: Syeda Hasan
Published: 6/14/2011
http://www.dailytexanonline.com/
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