Woman Live-Tweets Her Abortion

From The Frisky:

“I’m doing this to de-mystify abortion,” she says. “I’m doing this so other women know, ‘Hey, it’s not nearly as terrifying as I had myself worked up thinking it was.’ It’s just not that bad.”

Also, check out I'm Not Sorry

Spain Declares Abortion a Woman's Right, Pope says GRR

Finally, good news! Spain ftw!

From MSNBC:

Spain on Wednesday approved a sweeping new law that eases restrictions on abortion, declaring the practice a woman's right and doing away with the threat of imprisonment, in part of a drive toward liberal policies that has angered conservatives and the Catholic Church.

The new law allows the procedure without restrictions up to 14 weeks and gives 16- and 17-year-olds the right to have abortions without parental consent. The senate's passage of the bill Wednesday gives it final approval.

Under Zapatero, Spain has also legalized gay marriage and made it easier for Spaniards to divorce.

Utah Bill Criminalizes Miscarriage

Seriously Utah? Again? A bill passed by the House and Senate in Utah this week could make it a crime to have a miscarriage, with penalties up to life in prison. RH Reality Check reports:

The bill passed by legislators amends Utah's criminal statute to allow the state to charge a woman with criminal homicide for inducing a miscarriage or obtaining an illegal abortion. The basis for the law was a recent case in which a 17-year-old girl, who was seven months pregnant, paid a man $150 to beat her in an attempt to cause a miscarriage. Although the girl gave birth to a baby later given up for adoption, she was initially charged with attempted murder. However the charges were dropped because, at the time, under Utah state law a woman could not be prosecuted for attempting to arrange an abortion, lawful or unlawful.

The bill passed by the Utah legislature would change that. While the bill does not affect legally obtained abortions, it criminalizes any actions taken by women to induce a miscarriage or abortion outside of a doctor's care, with penalties including up to life in prison.

Lynn Paltrow of National Advocates for Pregnant Women tells RH that while other states have feticide laws specified to prosecute third-party attackers, directing it at the woman will have severe repercussions. It could create cases where women are prosecuted for having an unintentional miscarriage if there is any indication of "reckless behavior," like drink alcohol and miscarry, or do any number of other things that could be deemed "reckless."

"This statute and the standards chosen leave a large number of pregnant women vulnerable to arrest even though they have no intention of ending a pregnancy," Paltrow said. "Whether or not the legislature intended this bill to become a tool for policing and punishing all pregnant women, if enacted this law would permit prosecution of a pregnant woman who stayed with her abusive husband because she was unable to leave. Not leaving would, under the 'reckless' standard, constitute conduct that consciously disregarded a substantial risk," Paltrow explained.

Disabled Kids are God's Punishment for Abortion

Sigh.

From Newsleader.com:

State Delegate Bob Marshall of Manassas says disabled children are God's punishment to women who have aborted their first pregnancy.

"The number of children who are born subsequent to a first abortion with handicaps has increased dramatically. Why? Because when you abort the first born of any, nature takes its vengeance on the subsequent children," said Marshall, a Republican.

"In the Old Testament, the first born of every being, animal and man, was dedicated to the Lord. There's a special punishment Christians would suggest."

What cruel ableism. But he keeps spewing dumb shit out:

"Looking at it from a cultural, historical perspective, this organization should be called 'Planned Barrenhood' because they have nothing to do with families, they have nothing to do with responsibility," Marshall said.

Nelson suggested that the organization be called "Klan Parenthood," saying that the group's founder, Margaret Sanger, made racist comments in the 1930s and that the organization has shown a "willingness to take donations from people who are racist."

Does NO ONE read scientific studies anymore?! And I like his use of the race card, even though he is a person who is sexist and ableist, just to start.

Side note, a commenter on the original news story wrote "the bible also says "speak softly and carry a big stick".......maybe ... he should think of that" Just, you know, an fyi. That was actually Teddy Roosevelt, and not the Bible. Ah teh interwebs.

What Exactly Happens in an Abortion?

This is a question that many escorts have, but are afraid to ask. This is an important thing to know, however, so I'll give a quick outline of the two most common proceedures. I suggest following the links to the original Planned Parenthood site to get a more in-depth idea of what happens during these procedures. Also, the Helpful Links section on the right of the blog includes many websites that are great sources to start learning more.

First off, Plan B (a type of Emergency Contraception, or EC) is not a type of abortion. It won't end a pregnancy, but it can help make one less likely after unprotected sex or birth control failure. It also shouldn't be used as regular birth control because it isn't as effective.

The Abortion Pill (Medication Abortion)

• Take medicines to end an early pregnancy
• Safe and effective
• Available from many Planned Parenthood health centers
• Costs about $350–$650

The abortion pill is a medicine that ends an early pregnancy. In general, it can be used up to 63 days — 9 weeks — after the first day of a woman's last period. Women who need an abortion and are more than 9 weeks pregnant can have an in-clinic abortion. It works about 97 out of every 100 times.

In-Clinic Abortion Procedures

• Medical procedures that end pregnancy
• Safe and effective
• Available from many Planned Parenthood health centers
• Costs about $350–$900 in the first trimester

There is more than one kind of in-clinic abortion procedure. The most common is called aspiration. It is also known as vacuum aspiration. Aspiration is usually used up to 16 weeks after a woman’s last period. D&E — dilation and evacuation — is another kind of in-clinic abortion. D&E is usually performed later than 16 weeks after a woman's last period. In-clinic abortions work almost every time they are done.

Source: Planned Parenthood

Are Those Posters the Antis Have Legit?

The answer is both yes and no. Often the facts are blatant lies. This video is an interesting look at what some women are told when they attempt to access reproductive health services. It's only about two minutes long, so please check it out:


But one of the most disturbing things about escorting is the images that the antis use to demonstrate what an abortion really looks like. They are graphic, bloody, and upsetting. They are also misrepresentations of what doctors refer to as the products of conception.

Many abortion protest photographs are artist's renderings or the result of image manipulation, and the bulk of the rest are of very late-term fetuses aborted for emergency medical reasons. The most well-known graphic abortion poster is of a 30-week-old fetus, aborted six full weeks into the third trimester. The vast majority of abortions are performed during the first trimester, and Roe v. Wade only protects first and second trimester abortions.

Utah House OKs ultrasounds before abortions

From The Salt Lake Tribune:

A bill that would give a woman seeking an abortion the option to first view her ultrasound passed the Utah House on Friday.

Before HB200 cleared the chamber in a 53-15 vote, Minority Leader David Litvack, D-Salt Lake City, unsuccessfully attempted to amend the bill to delete language he believed to be flat-out false, referring to viewing the heartbeat of a fetus at three weeks.

"It is not medically accurate," Litvack said. "It's not possible. It does not exist."

Litvack read from a physician's e-mail that said you could expect to see embryonic cardiac activity at about six weeks from the woman's last period.

Rep. Carl Wimmer, the bill's sponsor, disputed Litvack's claim.

"There are arguments on both sides of the issue," Wimmer, R-Herriman, said.

Rep. Neil Hansen, D-Ogden, supported Litvack's amendment because of the added costs the bill would incur. Enactment of Wimmer's measure is projected to cost $7,000 in 2011, then $4,000 each year thereafter.

This makes me really uncomfortable, as it feels less like allowing women to hear the heartbeat and more like requiring them to, potentially by having to wait another 3 weeks before they can get an abortion. Where there really that many women asking to hear the fetus's heartbeat and being denied by their doctors? Couldn't that money be used more productively?