Texas passed the Heartbeat Bill. This is what it does-
-It bans women from having abortions after cardiac activity can be detected, which occurs at about 6-week mark of pregnancy.
-The bill allows private citizens to sue anyone who assists a women in getting an abortion after 6-weeks.
In doing so, it is a way to circumvent Roe vs. Wade. The whistleblower is awarded $10,000 if they win their suit. Texas setup a website for people to submit tips on law breakers. The logic is that these people are profiting off abortion and should be punished. It could be an abortion provider, someone who offers financial assistance for an abortion, to the uber driver taking a woman to her appointment. A complete stranger with no involvement could sue… anyone, anyone they believe assisted a women getting an abortion after 6-weeks.
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The obvious problems with the bill are: 85 – 95% of abortions occur after 6-weeks. Most women do not know they are pregnant by 6 weeks, and even if they did, it is not possible to get treated by the 6-week mark. That’s about a 2-week window between detecting pregnancy and getting treated. The idea that anyone can sue anyone connected to an illegal abortion is insane. It’s chaos.
Let’s say for a moment this law was legit- It would be no different than spotting a shoplifter pocketing a candy bar at the grocery store. You caught them, now you get to sue their lookout at the end of the aisle for $10,000. You witness a teenager running a red light? Report it, then sue their parents for loaning them the car for 10 G’s. No matter how you feel about abortion, this is ridiculously unconstitutional. And the problem is, it went into effect in Texas. The conservative Supreme Court had the ability to prevent the law from going into effect, until they heard the case. They declined to do so.
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My opinion?
I’ve been told I do not have the right to speak on this matter, many times. Well unless I am 100% supportive of pro-choice women, then jump in. But if you aren’t, you are not allowed to speak on the issue.
Back in college I had a good friend. Let’s call him Jonny. When Jonny was a young man, he found out there was something abnormal about his manhood. He saw a couple doctors, and was told he was infertile. He would never be able to have children naturally, and maybe never at all. Everything else worked fine (I’m told) but he was shooting blanks. He started dating Molly freshmen year. The relationship turned serious. Junior year he bought an engagement ring. He asked her to marry him, and she said yes. They weren’t using protection because they were in a committed relationship, and were under the belief that Jonny could not impregnate her. Fall semester of senior year rolls around and Molly missed her period. She takes a test, and it comes back positive. Jonny was ecstatic. He spent the last decade under the belief he would never have a child of his own… Now he was getting married, with a baby on the way. It was like a dream come true. Molly secretly had concerns. Not about their relationship, she fully wanted to get married. She worried that the baby would arrive in the spring semester, and that if she had a baby before graduation, she may drop out and not return. She went to her mother and discussed it. She came back and told Jonny, sorry, but my mother and I discussed it and decided it would be best to terminate the pregnancy. Jonny was shaken up. He begged her not to do it. He promised to make sure she finished school, that he would take care of the baby. He’d do anything. She said sorry, I still want to be with you, but I’m aborting. And she did. And that was that. They tried to make it work for a little while after that, but it wasn’t happening. They broke up, and Jonny fell into a massive depression. For the next 6 months, he was just out of it. It was hard to watch.
So when I am -often- told that as a man, I am not allowed to speak about abortion issues… I tell them to p-p-p piss off, with my best Porky Pig impression.
Abortion rights for women, come at the expense of men. I have no rights. A man can have a one night stand, and be tied to a women and child he does not want for the rest of his life. At the same time, my wife is pregnant. This week we even picked out a name. That said, if tomorrow she decided at a whim to have an abortion, there is absolutely nothing I could do to stop her. That’s the truth. I do not have any rights. My wife could sit here chain smoking and drink a pint of vodka per day from here til January… and there is absolutely nothing I can do to protect my unborn until she comes out.
That’s truth. I have every right to speak on the issue, because legally I have no rights. Us men are at the mercy of whatever our partner decides. And in a fairytale world, those decisions would be made together in agreement… but in reality, they are not. The decisions of women affect us men. Therefore, I’ll say what I see fit, just like every other topic. Especially a topic so plagued with lies and misinformation coming from both the pro-life and pro-choice camps. -But we’ll touch on that later.
So, what do I believe? When people ask me where I stand on abortion, I tell them I am very reluctantly pro-choice. I am not going to pretend to be some pro-choice champion. I’m not.
And that #ShoutYourAbortion garbage a few years ago made me sick to my stomach.
I am pro-choice, only because I happen to think it is the lesser of two evils. I think abortion is a barbaric practice that I wish to see ended. However, I do not believe that can, or should be done by lawmakers with a pen.
It should be done with education, science, medicine, and social programs.
Between condoms, contraceptives, spermicide, and morning after pills… today if we put serious funding behind education and providing free easy access to the above prevention methods, we could eliminate roughly 95% of all abortions.
I hate abortion debates. The same cliché talking points by both sides of the issue. Countless lies. Both sides are vicious, self-righteous. Neither side seems to understand basic human biology.
Today conservative pro-lifers are talking about the heartbeat of an embryo. They think based on this a woman should be forced to carry a baby to term… even if she is a 13-year-old raped by her uncle… Because God willed it so.
Pretty crazy huh?
I’ve had a pro-choice biology major tell me that a fetus is just another part of a woman’s body, like a pinky toe. It is not alive. It has the mother’s blood, and her DNA. Therefore, it was her choice to remove it. It’s like clipping a nail. When I corrected her, she told me to educate myself. She came back two hours later after researching the topic, and admitted her biology was a little rusty. She said it didn’t matter though, because a fetus doesn’t have a soul. Babies get their soul when they are born.
I shit you not. Don’t get me started.
Some claim the fetus is actually a parasite, and the mother has the right to remove it just like a tapeworm.
I’ve read the absurd pseudo-science about how the unborn isn’t a person. They haven’t developed personhood yet.
I’ve read all the posts about how white males are conspiring to control women’s bodies.
Which sounds great, except that it ignores the ~46% of women who are pro-life… who voted old white guys into office to make laws like the one passed in Texas.
It ignores Governors like South Dakota’s Kristi Noem who saw the success Texas just had, and says she’s going to follow suit with a similar proposal.
Believe me, I have heard every argument, on both sides of the issue. Most are nonsense.
So, what’s the point of all this? -If Donald Trump had lost the 2016 election, we wouldn’t be in this mess now. Three conservative Supreme Court picks. The women in Texas who seeking an abortion, are feeling the consequences of those who “voted their conscience” in 2016. Don’t apologize, just send formula, they are going to need it.
-I think the Supreme Court will hear and rule on the Heartbeat Bill and toss it. It is so egregious; I don’t see a way they could rule in favor of it. But until then women’s rights in Texas are zilch. – I also think there is going to be a huge backlash in Texas for Republicans. Most people, even with significant reservations about abortion, do not support this Texas bill. Everyone who is not a diehard Pro-lifer in Texas is going to come out in droves to the polls next election.
-Lastly, instead of telling lies, spreading misinformation to justify your viewpoint… try using the truth.
Let me ask you, how many of these young girls or young couples, don’t receive proper sex education, and are prevented access to contraceptives? An unwanted pregnancy occurs, and they seek out information about an abortion. They are undecided, they do not know what is right or wrong. And the information they receive is: The fetus growing in your body is a soul-less parasite, a tapeworm. What kind of person gives that kind of information to young people, then pats themselves on the back like they are some kind of pro-choice hero..?
They are just as bad as the Christians telling young girls that they are going to hell for it.
The most intelligent, honest argument I’ve ever heard on the topic came from a nun. A pro-choice nun. She didn’t like abortion. She argued that we should beat people over the head with sex education and easy access to contraceptives. She continued to argue that poor people are least likely to be educated, least likely to have access to contraceptives. It forces children to be born into poverty, to parents who do not want them. Those on the pro-life side of the fence refuse to help mothers in need. They do not want to pay medical bills, for food, clothing, schooling… but when they are old enough, they’ll send them to prison. They do not want to provide the education or the contraceptives that could prevent all of this. And the problem grows exponentially with every generation. We do not have enough adoptive parents or resources to take care of them… and in a very short time, we will all face steep consequences for the cycle of suffering we created. She said she very much wanted to end abortion- and our best chance was to focus on education, and free contraception for all.
I agree with that.
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