NEWS: abortion illegal in SD effective 7/1

[danimal's dead]

Hey Rontele, back to your diss from page 4. Where does a wannabee lawyer from Chicago who hasn't even made it out of college yet get off calling me a jong. What did you ski 2 days so far this year. I'm sooo impressed with your use of Latin. You're just what the world needs, another self-rightous urban lawyer who skis at Vail 1 week a year.

And to the idiot who thinks we need more taxes, I'm sorry but every dollar you give to the feds is just another dollar wasted. Big Government will not solve your problems.

[Rontele]

Hey Rontele, back to your diss from page 4. Where does a wannabee lawyer from Chicago who hasn't even made it out of college yet get off calling me a jong. What did you ski 2 days so far this year. I'm sooo impressed with your use of Latin. You're just what the world needs, another self-rightous urban lawyer who skis at Vail 1 week a year.

And to the idiot who thinks we need more taxes, I'm sorry but every dollar you give to the feds is just another dollar wasted. Big Government will not solve your problems.

You my friend unfortunately have me pegged wrong. I disagree wholeheartedly that this country could function if we have fifty different foreign policies.

I would reduce myself to sniping back, but I did that earlier. Just remember it is the internet. Do not get your panties all wound up.

PS: I will have forty days of skiing after these two weeks and fifty by the end of the season.

[fez]

I know what the talking points are, but they fail to address the real issue; that is, when is that life in the womb a distinct human life and no longer simply a parasitic mass of tissue? Nobody in the mainstream(of either side) is saying that a woman does not have a right to make chioces about her own body. What they are saying is that at some point that mass of tissue becomes a human being and, at that point, the woman's right to choose what is done to her body is superceded by the baby's right to live.

if its in her body, its her right to decide. Probably the only restriction i could endorse is if the fetus is a viable entity (i.e. if it could survive outside the womb). The whole when is the baby alive argument is hardly the point that everyone makes it out to be. The argument is who's decision should it be. I definitely agree with the position of 'If you are against abortion, don't have one'.

i find it interesting that the same people (right-wing conservatives) that are fighting to keep a woman from terminating a pregnancy are also fighting to keep her from delivering a healthy baby (lack of affordable health care, pre and post natal), keep her from being able to properly raise a child once it is born (lack of affordable day care combined with a pathetic minimum wage), keep her from preventing the pregnancy in the first place (just say no approach to birth control education), and keep the resulting child poor and stupid to continue the cycle (consistent cuts to our education programs).
Perhaps if the conservatives were to better fund child care, health care, education, and availability of birth control education they would see a drop in abortions without reverting to draconian measures.

Some might argue that the pro choice group is doing the same thing by demanding that everyone agree that the fetus is not a human life until it is born...

some might, but i would expect that a resonably reflective person would realize that no one is demanding that anyone agree about anything. The point is to protect the minority from the majority. Just because most people believe that a fetus is a human life doesnt mean everyone has to. The only ones who are insisting that the other side conform to their beliefs is the anti-choice. Pro-choice proponents have never said abortion is a good thing, that it is an easy decision for a woman, that it should be a form of birth control, or that everyone should have one regardless of their beliefs. It is the anti-choice groups that are trying to force everyone to follow their personal beliefs.

I would like to see this issue left up to the individual states to decide. Right now it isn't

I wouldn't. Just as the individual states could not be trusted to handle civil rights legislation and suffrage in a manner that would equally protect all members of society, they cannot be trusted to handle this issue either.

[CUBUCK]

The whole when is the baby alive argument is hardly the point that everyone makes it out to be. The argument is who's decision should it be

I think you are off here. If life begins at conception, an abortion is a murder and there would be no legal difference between an abortion and drowning your three year old in a bathtub. If life begins at birth then its something very different. A woman can choose to have an abortion like she can choose to shoot her husband with a gun etc etc. That is why the definition of when life begins is so important.

[summit]

This thread has become a reductio ad absurdum

Hey Rontele, .... I'm sooo impressed with your use of Latin.

Chill out! I cracked up when I read it.

[fez]

I think you are off here. If life begins at conception, an abortion is a murder and there would be no legal difference between an abortion and drowning your three year old in a bathtub. If life begins at birth then its something very different. A woman can choose to have an abortion like she can choose to shoot her husband with a gun etc etc. That is why the definition of when life begins is so important.

the problem is that the definition of when life begins is a personal/philosophical/religious one. it is not a scientific debate. since there can never be a hard and fast scientific decision in this area, there can be no single definition. as such, the individual has to be given the ability to make their own personal moral decisions in this area.

[marshalolson]

5 pages and I'm the first woman to post in this thread?

Sort of astonishing, and yet fairly representative what this debate probably looks like among our elected officials. A bunch of men talking about what women should do in the case of an unwanted and potentially untenable pregnancy.

Don't take that as criticism - I'm actually heartened to see that most men here do in fact support a woman's right to choose. Rather, it's just interesting to see on a micro level what this conversation must look like at the legislative level.

point taken.

summit - so i guess we agree, and are just arguing for the sake of it?

[Lone Star]

summit - so i guess we agree, and are just arguing for the sake of it?

isn't that what posting in threads like this is all about?

[PNWbrit]

Edit: I forgot to ask; PNWbrit, when do you believe human life begins?

A very long time after the happy/tragic/freakish accident of conception takes place.....

24 weeks seems reasonable and is widely accepted by medical associations around the world.

and you?

[Village Idiot]

A very long time after the happy/tragic/freakish accident of conception takes place.....

24 weeks seems reasonable and is widely accepted by medical associations around the world.

and you?

When I blew a load in your Mom, she got pregnant, so I'm going to go out on a limb and say that's when it all started.

[PNWbrit]

When I blew a load in your Mom, she got pregnant, so I'm going to go out on a limb and say that's when it all started.

You might appreciate your mother being talked about in such terms I don't - If I ever have the pleasure of meeting you I'm going to break your nose for that remark.

[David Hasselhoff]

What do you call an aborted Czech Republic fetus?

A cancelled Czech. That one is BIG in Germany.

[LAN]

What do you mean access to birth control? I'm not sure I ever knew there was a problem. Every convenience store I have ever been in has had condoms at the very least?

There sure is an access problem! In nursing school, I was responsible to re-vamp the sexual education program in a local school district. It was just a small sampling, but the majority of kids had no idea how to gain access to contraception or how to use it properly.

There's always the school of thought that "Every store has rubbers" and "if you can't afford it, steal one" but it cuts deeper than that. Guys don't/won't wear condoms (I'm certainly not saying this is a majority, just an example), girls have limited access to healthcare/contraception as a minor.

There are wonderful programs out there for people to obtain contraception and family planning services. Problem being, it's so scandalous in our nation to discuss it, especially with a teenager, that those in need aren't getting the resources they need.

[LAN]

CUBUCK-

edit- this is clearly already evident as pointed out with respect to the so called morning after pill

The interesting thing about the morning after pill and the conservative crowds is the misunderstanding on how it works. The morning after pill is NOT the abortion pill. It's purpose is to inhibit ovulation, thus preventing sperm to fertilize the egg. If ovulation has already occured, you're up shit creek without a paddle and then you get into discussion on the abortion pill (RU-486).

[Village Idiot]

You might appreciate your mother being talked about in such terms I don't - If I ever have the pleasure of meeting you I'm going to break your nose for that remark.

I think it's more of a reflection on your Dad.

If we aborted you at say 8 weeks, would you have ever experienced life? I guess my point that life began with a grunt has been proven. Thanks for playing.

[PNWbrit]

I think it's more of a reflection on your Dad.

If we aborted you at say 8 weeks, would you have ever experienced life? I guess my point that life began with a grunt has been proven. Thanks for playing.

Your so fucking funny - but that nose realignment is a cast iron fucking promise pal..

[Chuck Norris]

I survived a partial birth abortion. I then roundhoused the doctor.

[Village Idiot]

Your so fucking funny - but that nose realignment is a cast iron fucking promise pal..

Get over your little inferiority complex and listen to the facts.


I think your Mom would not approve of you hitting her love. She loves the bend in my penis BTW.


I believe that life begins once the sperm make it around "the bend".

[LAN]

i find it interesting that the same people (right-wing conservatives) that are fighting to keep a woman from terminating a pregnancy are also fighting to keep her from delivering a healthy baby (lack of affordable health care, pre and post natal), keep her from being able to properly raise a child once it is born (lack of affordable day care combined with a pathetic minimum wage), keep her from preventing the pregnancy in the first place (just say no approach to birth control education), and keep the resulting child poor and stupid to continue the cycle (consistent cuts to our education programs).
Perhaps if the conservatives were to better fund child care, health care, education, and availability of birth control education they would see a drop in abortions without reverting to draconian measures.

You hit the nail on the head.

[Tippster]

if its in her body, its her right to decide. Probably the only restriction i could endorse is if the fetus is a viable entity (i.e. if it could survive outside the womb). The whole when is the baby alive argument is hardly the point that everyone makes it out to be. The argument is who's decision should it be. I definitely agree with the position of 'If you are against abortion, don't have one'.

i find it interesting that the same people (right-wing conservatives) that are fighting to keep a woman from terminating a pregnancy are also fighting to keep her from delivering a healthy baby (lack of affordable health care, pre and post natal), keep her from being able to properly raise a child once it is born (lack of affordable day care combined with a pathetic minimum wage), keep her from preventing the pregnancy in the first place (just say no approach to birth control education), and keep the resulting child poor and stupid to continue the cycle (consistent cuts to our education programs).
Perhaps if the conservatives were to better fund child care, health care, education, and availability of birth control education they would see a drop in abortions without reverting to draconian measures.




some might, but i would expect that a resonably reflective person would realize that no one is demanding that anyone agree about anything. The point is to protect the minority from the majority. Just because most people believe that a fetus is a human life doesnt mean everyone has to. The only ones who are insisting that the other side conform to their beliefs is the anti-choice. Pro-choice proponents have never said abortion is a good thing, that it is an easy decision for a woman, that it should be a form of birth control, or that everyone should have one regardless of their beliefs. It is the anti-choice groups that are trying to force everyone to follow their personal beliefs.




I wouldn't. Just as the individual states could not be trusted to handle civil rights legislation and suffrage in a manner that would equally protect all members of society, they cannot be trusted to handle this issue either.

Bravo. What a great post.

[meatdrink9]

Crazy stuff. My wife is a pharmacist and she's mentioned on several accounts that other pharmacists won't sell the morning after pill and some often go as far as hiding it from the other staff. Pretty psycho.

A few years ago there was a law pending in CO that had something to do with Hospitals providing incoming rape victims with information regarding abortion. If I remember correctly the law was shot down due to lobbying from Catholic Initiative Hospitals (my primary clients at the time). I was pretty disgusted that people were fighting so vehemently to stop a law that did nothing more than arm rape victims with information.

You'll get people too controlling and crazy on either side of any issue. There was a time when I was younger that I probably would've considered an abortion as a reasonable alternative for the situation of myself and the girl at that age, but now that I have a daughter of my own and am mildly established in life I couldn't imagine a situation for which we'd ever remotely consider an abortion. I'm sure the people making these laws are in a similar place and can't see the plight of other less fortunate or in a tough situation that would only be made worse by bringing an unwanted child into already sketchy scene.

[FiveLarge]

Came across this recently: http://www.womendeservebetter.com/

I can't say this org mirrors my thoughts on every detail of the issue...but it does seem like a different approach than what I've mostly read in this thread...and hear 99% of the time in the "debate". And just maybe, there's a better approach than the one we usually see. For the pro-lifers...if you're really about caring about life, how about putting more energy into caring for the pregnant woman who feels as though she has no other option, rather than just trying to make it illegal? Maybe if you did a better job of providing financial and emotional support during and after her pregnancy for both she and the child, and offering some other options, she wouldn't choose abortion in the first place. For the pro-choicers...you say that you're fighting for the freedom and best interest of women...but is abortion really helping women? If you've spent any time with even a small number of women who have gone through an abortion, it's hardly a choice without significant consequences for years to come, or a choice that brings "freedom".

[LAN]

Came across this recently: http://www.womendeservebetter.com/

I can't say this org mirrors my thoughts on every detail of the issue...but it does seem like a different approach than what I've mostly read in this thread...and hear 99% of the time in the "debate". And just maybe, there's a better approach than the one we usually see. For the pro-lifers...if you're really about caring about life, how about putting more energy into caring for the pregnant woman who feels as though she has no other option, rather than just trying to make it illegal? Maybe if you did a better job of providing financial and emotional support during and after her pregnancy for both she and the child, and offering some other options, she wouldn't choose abortion in the first place. For the pro-choicers...you say that you're fighting for the freedom and best interest of women...but is abortion really helping women? If you've spent any time with even a small number of women who have gone through an abortion, it's hardly a choice without significant consequences for years to come, or a choice that brings "freedom".

If a woman is making a decision in regards to pregnancy, she deserves nothing but support, encouragement and unbiased information to make the choice that best suits her, her partner and the surrounding details.

[MeatPuppet]

A very long time after the happy/tragic/freakish accident of conception takes place.....

24 weeks seems reasonable and is widely accepted by medical associations around the world.

and you?

The presence of brain activity. Which is somewhere around 24 weeks. Amazing, you and I actually agree on something

Our definition of death relies heavily on the lack of brain activity, it only makes sense that the presence of brain activity play heavily into the definition of life. I am swayable on this though. If someone could give me a good argument to define the fetus as a distinct human life even though there were an absence of brain activity, I might be persuaded, but I can't go any later than that.

[FiveLarge]

The presence of brain activity. Which is somewhere around 24 weeks. Amazing, you and I actually agree on something

Our definition of death relies heavily on the lack of brain activity, it only makes sense that the presence of brain activity play heavily into the definition of life. I am swayable on this though. If someone could give me a good argument to define the fetus as a distinct human life even though there were an absence of brain activity, I might be persuaded, but I can't go any later than that.

Not to spoil your special moment of agreement but, for the record, brain waves are recorded at 42 days. The heart is beating at 18 days. By 11 weeks, all body systems are present and working. (I still think a different approach is needed in this debate...but I do think these are interesting details).