Blowing a Gasket on the Sanctity of Life

From AP Yesterday:

SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- President Bush told abortion opponents Monday that they are pursuing "a noble cause" and making a real difference in the campaign to recruit more Americans to stand on their side.
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"This is a cause that appeals to the conscience of our citizens and is rooted in America's deepest principle," the president said. "And history tells us that with such a cause we will prevail."
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"You believe, as I do, that every human life has value, that the strong have a duty to protect the weak, and that the self-evident truths of the Declaration of Independence apply to everyone, not just to those considered healthy or wanted or convenient," Bush told the abortion foes.

"These principles call us to defend the sick and the dying, persons with disabilities and birth defects, all who are weak and vulnerable, especially unborn children," the president said.

SusanG on Dkos responds...

I'm just trying to tune in to the logic here of this fetishization of the fetus, this cult of the blastula. As far as I can tell, the "reasoning" must go something like this: Embryos are innocent and sinless, unlike the rest of humankind, therefore God commands that they are somehow deserving of treatment as a special class (although it's hard to justify the God-induced early miscarriage rate under this argument ... but never mind). But watch out, kiddo. Once you draw that first lungful of breath, sin must get sucked into your lungs like a couple gallons of evil in sick building syndrome, because ... Baby, you are on your own. Yeah, you and your mama too, if she's not of the right economic class. No child care, crappy and undersubsidized health care, no Head Start, no school lunches, no student aid to dig your sorry ass out of the mess you were born into, no federal job training if the conservatives continue their slash and burn budget cuts (but you can join the military, babe). Once you draw that first fateful breath, you're just as worthless as the rest of us ... and part of the growing legion of the discarded, shamed, blamed and forgotten, tossed into the dark corners of our "free" society. Crawl your own way out of the ditch the compassionate conservatives dug for you. Little infants who respirate, be on notice: You are the embarrassing debris left over from the American dream. Get used to it.

In reponse to the likely confirmation of Samuel Alito at least four state legislatures have announced plans to put forward anti-Abortion legislation.

SOUTH DAKOTA, United States, January 23, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) –South Dakota is introducing a bill that will ban abortion in the state. The bill, called the Woman’s Health and Life Protection Act, will make abortion a crime, but will not allow prosecution for a doctor who performs an abortion when a woman’s life is in danger.

The bill is a direct attempt to over-turn Roe vs Wade. Changes in the US Supreme Court are encouraging the fight to regain legal protection for unborn children. A growing number of states are introducing anti-abortion legislation, attempting to force the Supreme Court to revisit the 1973 decision of Roe vs. Wade that made abortion a constitutional right.

Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee and Georgia are all in the process of introducing legislation that would place broad limits on abortion.

In the state of Indiana, Bill 1096, under consideration, would ban abortion except when the woman’s life or physical health would be in danger of “substantial permanent impairment.”

That wording is in direct conflict with the wording of Roe vs Wade, which gave doctors the freedom to consider “all factors…relevant to the well-being of the patient,” which included emotional and psychological health, in effect granting a free slate for abortion access.

Yet another Dkossack (quitter) puts it all in perspective.... Love the Fetus (Or Blastocyst-American), Hate the Child is the policy.

I made this map of infant mortality in this country. It's pretty consistent with that argument.

Infant mortality rate (deaths per 1000 live births) by state 2000-2002. To put the numbers in perspective, Mississippi, with its stunning rate of 10.5 deaths per 1000 live births (or 1 in 100), has more than double the infant mortality rate of Massachusetts at 4.8, and places it somewhere between Macedonia and Uruguay on an international scale. It is also interesting to note that of the 26 states that have rates greater than the national average, 75% are so-called "Red" states, and of the 10 states with the lowest infant mortality 8 are "Blue". When you compare states with the highest infant mortality rates (Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee all have rates of 8 deaths per 1000 live births or greater), and the states with the lowest infant mortality rates (California, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Oregon, Washington, and Utah all have rates of infant mortality in the range of 4.8- 5.5 deaths per 1000 births) you see that a certain portion of America actually enjoys comparable or lower infant mortality than the combined average for the EU or countries like Great Britain and the Netherlands.

Our infant mortality rate year to year is between 6.5-7 per 1000 per year according to the CIA factbook. However, the rate is being dragged up by the red states, particularly in the South.

Source: National Center for Health Statistics. Health, United States, 2004 With Chartbook on Trends in the Health of Americans. Hyattsville, Maryland: 2004.

Two of the states, Tennesee and Georgia, whose legislatures have already began to the process of banning abortion are Dark Red (in the "High Infant Mortality range") , while of the other two Ohio and Indiana are "hard pink" on infant mortality.

There are a great many positive options that could, and should be focused on to help protect the quality of life for those among us who are genuinely most vulnerable. First among that being accurate and comprehensive sex education to help prevent unwanted teen pregnancy including proper use of contraceptives as well as "abstinance". Women should have full and complete access to "morning-after" medication to help prevent accidental pregnancy, and when such a pregnancy occurs a entire host of alternative care options, from extended family to a revamped foster care system and open adoptions should be available. All of these options would help to lower the rate of abortions by making them unneccesary.

But when those on the fundie right try to claim they are taking the "high road" while at the same time attempting to keep children in the dark, supporting cruel measures such as the Texas Futile Care Law.

"Simply put we want to bring out the wackos to vote against something and make sure the rest of the public lets the whole thing slip past them..."

Michael Scanlon - Republican Operative, Lobbyist, Convict!

Vyan