Letters to the Editor
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Perhaps they could reorganize
If they reorganize themselves into groups that only perform 4 abortions each, then they're exempt from the law. This is the kind of Big Business solution republicans love, so there may even be legal precident for such a reorganization. They'll still use the same building and doctors, they'll just realign everything for administrative purposes.
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That's the goal
Who was it who said that their goal was to ensure that abortion was legal, but no woman in the U.S. could get one? Randall? Anyway, that's the goal of the anti-choice movement. They've realized that the courts aren't going to completely overturn federal abortion rights, and that it doesn't matter. They can go to states and convince enough legilators to pass increasingly restrictive access laws. They can even pass seemingly innocuous laws in blue states that restrict abortion (like parental notifications laws, so called "partial birth abortion" laws, clinic re-modelling provisions, etc.).
They've also been winning the PR war. The entire "partial-birth abortion" frenzy was a meaningless exercise in preventing abortions (it was pretty rare to begin with, and there are other options), but it convinced a lot of people that 3rd trimester abortions are common and uncontrolled. There are actually a lot of people in the U.S. who believe that a woman could walk into a clinic on the day before she is scheduled to deliver and demand an abortion - and get one. At every step, they have framed this issue in ways that make people believe that abortion is murder, that it is a common method of birth control, that fully-formed foetuses are being ripped in agony from women's wombs, that woman are being traumatized by abortion, and that there are multiple health risks associated with abortion. There are hundreds of anti-choice sites making spurious claims, but their claims are ridiculous, but people believe them because they have heard them so many times, and we have never countered their arguments. Compare that to evolution - there are multiple sites breaking down anti-evolution arguments and countering them. If you type "abortion" into google, one of the top sites (just after wikipedia) is called "abortionfacts.com". It seems very neutral, until you start reading about "facts" like how abortion can cause PTSD, and how "Pregnancy from rape is extremely rare. As reasons for legalizing abortion rape and incest are nothing more than emotional screens used by those profiting from abortion.". It's a very nice looking site. No pictures of aborted foetuses, no moral claims, just lots of lies.
I've tried to research actual abortion statistics and technical information, and it's not easy to find reliable, current information. Even trying to find out how many women get abortions each year is a challenge. Occasionally you read an article in the news about studies on post-abortion issues, but details are rarely included. Their claims go unanswered, except by people saying "but we have the right to an abortion", which is then interpreted as "we have a right to murder innocent babies" by the anti-choicers. We may be right, but we're losing the battle because we're focusing on esoteric rights while they are distorting facts, outright lying, and manipulating people's emotions.
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i hope every pro choice woman who voted republican out of fear of terrorrists has learned her lesson
If EVERY WOMAN who believes abortion should be legally available swears off EVER voting for a Republican again we shouldn't have any problems. What possible rational basis could any of them have for doing otherwise, anyway.
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Can you give us the info on how to make a direct donation?
Surely it would be a nice message back to the anti-choice fringe in the Missouri legislature if this move was met by thousands or millions of Americans stepping up to defend choice. If we made it clear, within a few weeks, that Planned Parenthood-Columbia could comply with that law, then perhaps it would signal that "they" can't eviscerate choice through faux-protective roadblocks.
Got the info to share, or do we just contact PP ourselves?
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It would be cheaper to invest $2 million dollars
Overseas in a program to get American women to go somewhere where abortion isn't defacto illegal. We do this with organ transplants for money, already (yes we do - lot's of South Americans with one kidney and clothed and fed children). Unless the United States of Cotton Mather is intending to perform internal examinations of all women re entering the country.....
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The Missouri Bill
"Ambulatory surgical center", any public or private establishment operated primarily for the purpose of performing surgical procedures or primarily for the purpose of performing childbirths, or any establishment operated for the purpose of performing or inducing any second or third trimester abortions or five or more first trimester abortions per month, and which does not provide services or other accommodations for patients to stay more than twenty-three hours within the establishment, provided, however, that nothing in this definition shall be construed to include the offices of dentists currently licensed pursuant to chapter 332, RSMo; [Changes in bold] http://www.senate.mo.gov/07info/BTS_Web/BillText.aspx?SessionType=R&BillID=7394
Huh? Any establishment whose raison d’etre is abortion? Is there any such establishment?
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How could you possibly think their intentions were less then sincere?
How could you possibly think they don't care about women? Don't you know forcing women to raise children they can't afford is always in the woman's best interest? How can you not see that?
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@mizbinkley
I don't understand. Are you questioning the existence of abortion clinics?
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Jenny O - donations
Here's a link: http://www.ppkm.org/donations.asp .
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politics and reality
I don't doubt that there are millions of people in this country who genuinely believe that a woman has no right to choose what to do with her body, and they'll clearly go to any lengths to validate that belief.
BUT. The abortion fight has always had larger political implications, and the very last thing any politician wants is to outlaw abortion.
So, this way the politicians get to have their cake and eat it too. Without provoking a backlash that puts them all into retirement.
What'll happen is that the states that prefer to be ruled by fascists will make abortions impossible, and women will have to go to states where the procedure is legal. Those who can afford it. I can see whole new NGO's starting up. A kind of underground railroad for women who want to terminate their pregnancies.
That's how it will go. California, Oregon, and New York, and a few other states, will allow abortions, and women will have to go there to get one.
Abortion will never be outlawed on the Federal level. Too dangerous...unless, of course, the GOP has over-reached itself on the Supreme Court, and the court decided to outlaw the practice nationwide. The GOP would be destroyed if that happened, I suspect. I just don't see that happening though. Roberts and Alito in particular are clearly political animals. They know the score. I doubt they'd vote to outlaw abortion.
It's a sad situation...but the truth is, progressives asked for this back when Roe was decided. Did we all think the nut-job right was just going to sit still? The abortion debate has probably been a major factor pushing the GOP toward fascism, and is an equally large factor in the success of Bush and Cheney. Without it, and Gay Marriage, those guys probably never would have been put in power.
Progressives really should start thinking twice before we start legislating for the whole country. Some of those fights don't work out too well for our side, in the end.