© Credit: Reuters/Kevin LamarqueAnti-abortion demonstrators take part in the "March for Life" in Washington January 23, 2012. Nearly 100,000 protesters marched to the U.S. Supreme Court to mark the 39th anniversary of the Court's landmark Roe v. Wade decision on abortion.
A new study from the Guttmacher Institute looked at all the laws and provisions relating to reproductive rights that went into effect in 2012:
Reproductive health and rights was once again the subject of extensive debate in state capitols in 2012. Over the course of the year, 42 states and the District of Columbia enacted 122 provisions related to reproductive health and rights. One-third of these new provisions, 43 in 19 states, sought to restrict access to abortion services. Although this is a sharp decrease from the record-breaking 92 abortion restrictions enacted in 2011, it is the second highest annual number of new abortion restrictions.The highest year, of course, was 2011. What are some of the restrictions passed? Age limits, late-term abortion bans (20-week bans, for instance), clinic regulations that are near-impossible to meet, forbidding insurance coverage, and more.
Here are just a few examples, directly from Guttmacher, that I think show clearest how deep inside the wombs of Americans these legislatures are creepily willing to go:
"A new provision enacted in Mississippi requires a physician performing an abortion on a minor younger than 14 to provide a tissue sample to the state bureau of investigation. It also includes criminal penalties for anyone assisting a minor in seeking an abortion in violation of the state's parental consent requirement."The shaming, nitpicking and intrusiveness of these kinds of laws is exemplified by the provisions above.
"South Carolina amended the long-standing requirement that the state employees' health plan may cover abortion only when necessary to save the woman's life or in cases of rape or incest. The new provision permits taxpayer dollars to be used to pay for abortions only in cases of life endangerment; the cost in cases of rape or incest must now be paid entirely from employees' premiums."
"Finally, the new ultrasound mandate in Virginia also requires that women who live less than 100 miles from the clinic undergo the ultrasound 24 hours in advance of the abortion ... Although Virginia law already required a 24-hour waiting period, this new provision compels women to make two trips to the clinic before receiving an abortion."
This couldn't be further from the truth. If it wasn't such a serious issue that statement would be laughable. Tax dollars spent on any single one of these things is waste.
Family planning - I don't know alot about this but I know CPS is probably the most corrupt and detrimental govt agency of all, aside from the military and fed.
Abortion - Should only ever be done in cases of rape, incest or to save a woman's life.
Birth control - Don't spread your legs if you don't want prego, or buy your own condoms, pills and shots. Passing debt to our grandchildren for things like this is criminal.
Cancer screenings - Early detection leads to early death. Your better off fighting cancer with proper diet. Go to the hospital with cancer and your life expectancy in most cases goes way down. Visitors to this site should be well aware of this.
In short, if this 'unmitigated disaster' for abortion rights results in govt spending cuts then this is good news. The real unmitigated disaster that awaits us all is the collapse of the US dollar, which is going to effect the other 99% of us not just the 1% of women who ever consider an abortion.