It’s Not ‘Pro-Life,’ It’s ‘Anti-Choice.’ Get It Right, Jerks

786529691Remember last month, when Texas State Senator Wendy Davis stood on her feet for 11 hours with no water breaks, bathroom breaks, or food to successfuly filibuster one of the most restrictive anti-abortion bills the country has ever seen? You may or may not know that Governor Rick Perry of Texas almost immediately negated her hard work by calling another special session to bring the bill up for a vote. Well, that special session was yesterday. The bill passed.

The bill will ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy and hold women’s health clinics that perform abortions to the same standards as hospitals and surgical centers.

Nearly 99% of abortions occur before 21 weeks gestation. I’ll repeat, nearly 99% of abortions occur before 21 weeks gestation. Anti-choice advocates like Governor Perry draft legislation that speaks to this type of procedure for one reason only – to fool the general public that does not know the facts about these late term procedures into believing that they are commonplace. He wants to paint the picture of the selfish woman who can’t be bothered to terminate her pregnancy until she is five months along. He wants “pro-life” supporters to picture little babies with a chance of surviving outside the womb – their “lives” being cut short by the callous women who gestate them and carry them for five months only to flippantly decide at the last minute to terminate. Such a load of incredible bullshit.

The majority of abortions that happen after 20 weeks gestation occur due to severe fetal abnormalities or in pregnancies that may threaten the health and life of the mother. They occur in wanted pregnancies. The cruel coincidence of this ridiculous 20-week ban is that 20-weeks is the exact same time that pregnant women receive the routine ultrasound that scans anatomy and effectively measures for different birth defects. It’s when you find out if your fetus may potentially be missing vital organs or have a heart defects that will only enable the child to live but mere weeks after birth.

This bill is making the lives of women who are already going through hell even harder. The majority of the women that need to even consider a late term abortion want these pregnancies to go to term. Every time I hear someone say “I am pro-life after 20 weeks” I want to punch them in the face. Then I have to take a step back and realize, it’s not their fault. They’re uniformed – and it’s legislation like Perry’s that is fooling them into believing that being “pro-life after 20 weeks” is even a stance they need to take.

Congratulations Texas, on effectively approving a bill that will terrorize women in wanted pregnancies who are already going through hell.

The second provision of the bill – requiring women’s health clinics that offer abortions to upgrade their clinics to meet the same standards as hospitals – will do nothing but effectively shut these underfunded clinics down. They won’t be able to afford to make these renovations. Too bad all of the family planning and women’s health services that take place at these clinics will vanish, too. So, we’re taking away women’s health services and family planning services because we care so much about “life.” Right.

If you’re pro-choice and you find yourself using the words, “pro-life” try “anti-choice” instead. Don’t do their faulty PR for them.

(photo: Twitter)

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