Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Strict Abortion Measures Enacted in Oklahoma

The New York Times reports that a bill we posted about earlier has been passed in Oklahoma, and it even has a scarier second bill:
The Oklahoma Legislature voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to override vetoes of two highly restrictive abortion measures, one making it a law that women undergo an ultrasound and listen to a detailed description of the fetus before having an abortion.

Though other states have passed similar measures forcing women to have ultrasounds, Oklahoma’s law goes further, requiring a doctor or technician to set up the monitor where the woman can see it and describe the heart, limbs and organs of the fetus. No exceptions are made for rape and incest victims.

The second measure passed into law Tuesday protects doctors from malpractice suits if they decide not to inform the parents of a unborn baby that the fetus has birth defects. The intent of the bill is to prevent parents from later suing doctors who withhold information to try to influence them against having an abortion.

Also, apparently
two other antiabortion bills are still working their way through the legislature. One would force women to fill out a lengthy questionnaire about their reasons for seeking an abortion and then post statistics online based on the answers. The other restricts insurance coverage for the procedure.

Friday, April 23, 2010

"Lake of Fire" Film Showing


Filmmaker Tony Kaye, best known for American History X, has been working on Lake of Fire for the past fifteen years and has made a film that is unquestionably the definitive work on the subject of abortion. Shot in luminous black and white, which is in fact an endless palette of grays, the film has the perfect aesthetic for a subject where there can be no absolutes, no 'right' or 'wrong.' He gives equal time to both sides, covering arguments from either extremes of the spectrum, as well as those at the center, who acknowledge that, in the end, everyone is 'right' - or 'wrong.'

Professor Mary-Jane Rubenstein will lead a discussion after the film. Sponsored by FemNet and Wesleyan Clinic Escorts.

ADVISORY: The film contains graphic images and language that may be upsetting to some viewers.

Facebook event here.

Date: Tuesday, April 27
Time: 7pm
Place: PAC 001

Friday, April 2, 2010

Scott Roeder Sentenced to 51 Years

From CBS News:
District Judge Warren Wilbert gave prosecutors what they wanted, a so-called "Hard 50" sentence for anti-abortion zealot Scott Roeder, 52, meaning Roeder won't be eligible for parole for at least 50 years for shooting Dr. George Tiller of Wichita.
...
Roeder, 52, also was sentenced to an additional year in prison on each of two counts of aggravated assault for threatening two church ushers as he fled. With time off for good behavior, Roeder won't be eligible for parole for 51 years and eight months.
...
District Judge Warren Wilbert could have made Roeder eligible for parole on the murder charge after 25 years. But he said there was evidence Roeder stalked Tiller and added that killing him in a church made the crime heinous because a house of worship is meant to be "a place of peace and tranquility."
And then the part where Roeder proves he's a hate-filled fruit loop:
Roeder also took the opportunity to describe abortion procedures in detail, which he had been forbidden from doing during his trial. Most abortions are legal in Kansas, and prosecutors were careful not turn the trial into a referendum on the issue.

Roeder accused Wilbert of "duplicity" and said his trial was a miscarriage of justice because he wasn't allowed to present testimony then about the evils of abortion. He also said God's judgment against the U.S. will "sweep over this land like a prairie wind."

"He will avenge every drop of innocent blood," Roeder said.

Forty minutes into his remarks, Wilbert stopped Roeder as he was about to publicly attack District Attorney Nola Foulston.

"It is not a forum for you to get on a soap box for you to give your entire political beliefs," Wilbert told Roeder.

Roeder later interrupted Wilbert several times as the judge pronounced sentence. When Wilbert read from a previous court decision saying that allowing vigilantism would promote chaos, Roeder said, "Baby murder is anarchy and chaos."

As he was being led away in handcuffs after the sentencing, Roeder shouted, "Blood of babies on your hands."
And I feel that the last part just demonstrates how messed up all of this is:
"Scott longs to be a law-abiding citizen," said Dave Leach, an anti-abortion activist from Des Moines, Iowa. "He hates anarchy. He wants to do what he can to make America better."

Lee Thompson, the Tiller family's attorney and friend, called the murder an act of domestic terrorism. He said his office still receives calls from women seeking medical services.

"The impact of his death on women throughout the world is like an earthquake," Thompson said. "They ask, where can I go? What will I do?' I have to say, 'I'm sorry, I can't tell you.' That's the impact of this crime."