GH asked me about the crayzee going on in the TX Senate this week. A bill full of serious restrictions on abortion was fillibustered by this woman from Ft Worth, and then a bunch of crayzee protestors created a riot in the Senate chamber to prevent the Lt Gov from calling for a vote.
Here's the thing: I have my own personal views about abortion that may seem contradictory to many. I do not think it should be used as birth control, but do accept the "special circumstances" school of thought. I do not think abortion should be legal after a healthy baby is legitimately viable outside the womb. But I also resent men and goodie goodies trying to have control over what I do and don't do with my body.
All that being said, the bill itself was bad. Under the guise of "safety", the bill states that all centers who perform abortion must be 30 miles or less from a major hospital and be designated a "surgery center", with new licensing requirements. This would close 30 of the 42 abortion centers in Texas, most of which are in poor and low income areas in south and west Texas. I myself live more than thirty miles from a "major" hospital, and I am not even out in west Texas, where it could be hours to the nearest facility.
I did agree with parts of the bill about banning late term abortions and such, but I cannot stand bullshit backdoor maneuvering. The head of the pro-life group came right out and said "We are outlawing abortion in this state by closing these facilities that cannot comply." Well, fuck you, Ms. High and Mighty. The right to an abortion is still the law of this land, like it or not, and while certain restrictions may make sense, using bullshit means to close clinics and deny poor women the right to an abortion when they are the ones who use this service more often - is just that - bullshit.
As for Wendy Davis, the senator from Ft Worth. She has done this same thing the last two sessions, both previous times with regards to education funding. Needless to say, I find her to be a grandstander and an attention getter, who openly admits her plans to seek higher office and is using the publicity as a means to an end.
There are ways to compromise on this issue - and most women like me fall into the same camp - restrict the time period so you don't kill viable babies, don't force me to stay pregnant under heinous circumstances, and oh btw, stay the fuck out of my uterus, you self righteous idiots. But both sides are so fucking all or nothing that compromise is impossible.
Flame away, but I've thought about this a lot, especially while myself was pregnant. Gives you a whole new perspective about life and choice and other people telling you what to do.