Early voting is underway in Albuquerque for an election Tuesday, which will decide whether to ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Although similar bans have been passed by state legislatures, New Mexico's largest city is believed to be the first municipality in the country to place such an initiative on a ballot.
The "Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Ordinance," which needs a majority to pass, would have statewide impact because the only late-term abortion providers in the largely rural state are in Albuquerque.
Women living out of state also fly to Albuquerque for this type of care, said Micaela Cadena, policy director at Young Women United. The New Mexico-based group is part of the Respect ABQ Women campaign, which is fighting the local measure.
"Albuquerque voters are voting for the whole state of New Mexico and also for the rest of the country," Cadena said.
The Supreme Court's ruling in Roe vs. Wade has been interpreted by lower courts as making abortion legal through 24 weeks of pregnancy, but antiabortion activists are pushing to ban the procedure after 20 weeks — a step in chipping away at the 1973 landmark ruling.
There is little doubt that these people will never stop until they have managed to overturn Roe vs Wade, or else have the laws allowing abortion so watered down so as to make them virtually useless.
Our only hope of protecting a woman's right to choose is to elect as many Democrats as possible to office, and to focus on putting secularists into positions of power.
Remember the entire anti-abortion debate is based on a biblical belief that life begins at conception, and that man has no right to interfere with God's wishes.
If we put rational politicians, who are not manipulated by superstition, into office, we can pass laws that strive to protect people instead of embryos, promote education instead of indoctrination, and who place their faith in science instead of the supernatural.
To my mind that is essentially our only hope of protecting our women, our children, and ultimately our planet.
This would be heinous enough, but these people also want to ban contraception. In other words, they are telling women that if they have sex and get pregnant, they are somehow blessed by God and have to carry to term. Yes, even a 13 year old raped by her uncle is blessed if she gets pregnant. A woman raped in an alley...blessed. A woman whose fetus is so deformed it dies in utero...blessed to be able to carry a dead fetus until it rots and she becomes ill herself. A poor woman with six kids under 10 whose wandering husband appears and talks her into sex, then disappears? Why, go ahead and have number seven. Meanwhile, the things that really would stop most abortions, education and covered contraception? All bad. Or gee, tell your sons to keep their pants zipped untll they are married and working? No, this is God's vengeance on women for that apple in some mythical garden. And I guess the 20% of pregnancies that end in miscarriage are a lie as well? And when no one is trained to do abortion procedures, these women will also be harmed? These people are nuts. Oh, and to the woman in the tight lime jeans? Stop taking fashion notes from the Palins.
ReplyDeleteSo let's get this straight. By their logic, gun laws are ineffective because the bad guys will always find a way to get 'em, but outlawing safe procedures that give women a 99% chance of having a baby again (instead of through a botched, illegal one) is up for grabs as a civil right? You can't take weapons of mass destruction and domestic violence away from 2nd Amendment patriots but you can take away the most basic freedom an American woman has? Change the rape culture and we'll talk about something that should be safe, legal and rare - just like your fucking guns.
ReplyDelete"Roe vs. Wade" has saved thousands of women's lives,
ReplyDeleteand that's a fact.
...maybe millions...
If a fetus is shown to have a severe mental or physical defect and The State forces the mother to bring the baby to term...
ReplyDeleteThe State should pay for all the ensuing costs of raising a "special child".
Period.
Signing any anti-abortion petition should automatically enroll the signer in a special tax pool to pay for children with severe birth defects.
In other words: if you feel that strongly about outlawing abortion, then PAY for it.
Anyone who would vote for a Republican in upcoming elections is nuts. They are anti the rights of women - majority of them are racists - started the KKK - and have just made the rich get richer and the poor get poorer! Oh, and what has happened to the middle class?
ReplyDeleteThey push religion on us as supposed 'christians' when the majority of them don't begin to live what their Bible teaches.
Plus, the ones in Congress pay absolutely zero attention to the folks that elected them!!! It's unbelievable. Get them out of office!!!
McConnell, of Kentucky, would be a terrific start and he has good competition running against him in his home state! My next choice would be Boehner of Ohio when he is up next. McCain should be retired from AZ...he picked Palin...and is nuts!
In her book, "And So It Goes," newscaster Linda Ellerbee admitted having an abortion when she was younger. "I was no longer pregnant, but I wasn't the same. No woman ever is." Ellerbee persuaded me that the decision is one that a woman never approaches lightly, and will often haunt her, even if -like many of life's difficult decisions having nothing to do with pregnancy- it was the sane and correct choice at the time.
ReplyDeleteIt's long been my conviction that men who truly love women do not begrudge them dominion over their own uteri.
These "Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Ordinance," folks are trying every trick in the book against Roe V. Wade. How about the pain capable woman whose forced against her will to carry full term? Since when is it anyone's business? Who's going to support, raise, pay day care, special needs and life extending artificial means to keep a medically necessary semi viable damaged fetus thriving? Who's going to pay funeral expenses and psychological counselling for families of women who die during childbirth? The ONLY feasible way to pay for this is to raise everyone's taxes, so where do these rabid assholes form lines to pay the costs?
ReplyDeleteIt's simple, really. If you don't want to have an abortion, then by all means don't. But don't force your "beliefs" on other women whose situation is none of your business to begin with and not your choice in the second place.
Elect Democrats, your life, your family, your marriage, education, career and your freedom are at risk. Keep Abortion safe, legal, sanitary, and rare. Education is key. This "Pain Capable" business is bullshit when the fetus can't survive outside the womb on it's own.
Update: November 19, 2013 10:40 pm mst
ReplyDeleteThe late-term abortion ban (Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Ordinance) was defeated tonight, 55% to 45%. Late term abortions will continue to be legal and available in Albuquerque, NM.