The Slow But Steady Erosion of Women’s Rights
By EOM Staff
We all thought this battle was over. In 1965, women were granted the right to use birth control. In 1973, we were granted the right to terminate a pregnancy. In 2012, we are extremely close to losing these rights.
State by state, legislatures are taking away our rights, or making them extremely difficult to exercise. Consider this:
Nine states (AL, GA, ID, MI, NE, OH, SC, UT, WV) mandate (that word that Republicans hate so much, except when they use it) physicians to perform ultrasound exams on women seeking an abortion and encourage them to view the images. Alabama Senator Clay Scofield (R) said, “this bill just allows them to see the child inside of them, so it’s not just out of sight, out of mind.” How insulting is that comment? He believes that when a woman is agonizing over whether to end a pregnancy, that pregnancy is “out of sight, out of mind?”
Thirty-five states have mandated (there’s that word again) that a woman seeking an abortion is counseled and the counselor must try to dissuade her from ending her pregnancy.
Six states mandate (yes, once again) physicians to tell a woman that a link exists between abortions and breast cancer. There have been many studies and none have shown such a link. What they have shown is that a pregnancy carried to term in a woman’s younger years results in a lower risk of breast cancer. But that does not equate to having an abortion increasing the risk of cancer. The risk would be the same as having never been pregnant. These states are mandating that physicians lie to their patients.
Eight states mandate physicians to tell women that having an abortion could cause psychological problems. There is no evidence to back that up. The vast majority of women who have an abortion, have no psychological side effects. The ones who tend to have problems later on are those with previous mental health issues, or who abuse alcohol or drugs.
Arizona protects a physician from a lawsuit if the physician chooses NOT to tell a pregnant woman that her fetus has major fetal abnormalities (including fatal ones), because that information might cause her to have an abortion.
So, here’s what we have: State by state laws are being passed that interfere with the private patient/doctor relationship. Requiring physicians to lie to their patients. Protecting physicians who don’t tell their patients the truth.
How do you think men would feel if laws were being passed that did those things concerning their health? Do you believe they would find it acceptable for their physician to lie to them, or to withhold the truth from them?
What’s most insulting of all is that in the past few months we’ve seen “panels” formed to discuss issues that effect women: birth control coverage and abortion rights. These are ALL-MALE PANELS! And they are refusing to allow testimony from WOMEN!
Is this really the kind of health-care we want in America? Or are we now living in Ameristan…I wonder if Sears carries burkas.
Eye On Modesto 