One Victory for the War Against Women
On Wednesday, the War Against Women was victorious in Oklahoma, which rather surprised me since Oklahoma is a bit more conservative than most other states. An Oklahoma district judge struck down a state law requiring women to have an ultrasound image placed in front of them and to listen to a detailed description of the fetus before having an abortion. District Judge Bryan Dixon ruled that the 2010 measure is an unconstitutional special law because it only affects patients, physicians, and sonographers who deal with abortions without addressing other medical care.
There are still many more fights and hopefully more victories as several states recently have passed mandatory ultrasound laws or they are on the table to pass.
Virginia’s Gov. Bob McDonnell passed a similar ultrasound prior to abortion bill recently. The legislature passed an amended version that did not require invasive transvaginal ultrasounds, but it still seems the new law runs counter to guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). As Forbes’ Rick Ungar points out, “According to the ACOG, ultrasonography in pregnancy should be performed only when there is a valid medical indication.” But the Virginia law says an ultrasound is necessary to determine the fetus’ gestational age — not a listed reason from ACOG. Instead of leaving it up to a doctor, the state of Virginia’s new law now dictates what is a required procedure.
Challenges against these types of laws are pending in North Carolina and Ohio, while Texas’ law went into effect this year after a judge upheld it.
Many thanks to you, Oklahoma Judge Bryan Dixon for seeing the truth behind these laws – that they are a direct violation of women’s health rights. I only hope that other states see the truth and are able to separate their personal beliefs from constitutional rights.
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I felt the same thing when I read this – hurray Judge.
Also been seeing a lot of opining that the GOP is going to start backing down from this because they’re taking a beating over it.
Hope that’s true…
I hope so to. They stirred up a wicked hornets nest by attacking women and our reproductive rights.
And yet the Republicans are always claiming they want less government involved in our lives! laughable!
LOL… yeah. I know. I listen to Stephanie Miller and she’s always carrying on about this.
And yet the Republicans are always claiming they want less government involved in our lives! Laughable!
The judicial branch of US government… blessing or curse? Seems like it can be both, depending upon who is sitting on the bench. At least this time there was a judge who could see through the bullshit of these laws which are nothing more than blatant efforts to punish women for deciding to have an abortion – and also a subtle attempt to get a woman to decide not to have an abortion, by cruelly manipulating her emotions when she is at her most vulnerable, and usually already miserable enough as it is, without being subjected to state sanctioned mental/emotional coercion masquerading as a legitimate medical procedure. It makes me fucking furious!
It is ridiculous, and you stated it perfectly. These laws are being written as a manipulation in hopes that women will not get an abortion. They haven’t been able to make abortions illegal, so they just decide to mind-fuck them women instead.
What a world we live in….
Ayup. I shake my head all the time.