Here's what's going down at the NC state house today: the abortion bill has dropped. If you want to read the text of Senate 20, it's at https://ncleg.gov/BillLookup/2023/s20
An earlier version of S20 about safe surrender of infants was gutted to make this new monster.
Among other things, the bill defines an unborn child as a human being in the womb, so it shouldn't mean at conception, but who knows?
It totally bans access after 24 weeks regardless of rape, incest, health of mother or fetus.
It requires new clinic restrictions that will put Planned Parenthood out of the business.
It's all wrapped in the sweeteners of parental leave, access to contraception, etc.
We know how today's vote will go. We must double down on our efforts to sustain the governor's expected veto. The next week's will be busy.
Thanks so much for covering all of this shit across the country.
It was a great week for progressives - Chicago, WI, the national furor over what's happening in TN - politicians, are you paying attention to reality? Michele Goldberg has piece in the NYT-https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/07/opinion/abortion-rights-wisconsin-elections-republicans.html?smid=url-share
Tennessee demonstrates not just racism, but also misogyny.
*Brewer, however, said he believed giving doctors that kind of power would be too subjective. “Once one doctor is let off the hook in a criminal trial, it would be open season for other doctors who wanted to perform bad faith terminations,” he said.*
Bad faith terminations? WTF? Can't compromise with terrorists.
I think a lot of the problem we have is that voters in the 'middle' are pro-choice but still queasy about it, and that's what the anti-choicers are expert at exploiting. I mean, legal in 'most' cases, what the hell does that mean? Give me the example of the case when it shouldn't be legal. The American public is just not educated enough on pregnancy and reproductive health care (keeping it that way is a key part of anti-choice strategy), so people are encouraged to imagine that there need to be some limits rather than just trusting women and their doctors. I think we need to really work on education, and maybe this crisis and these horror stories help with that, rather than just saying we have the majority. We need those middle of the road legal in 'most' cases voters to be as firmly pro-choice as we are, and as pissed off about it as we are, because the enemy is counting on obfuscation. That's the only way they've been able to get away with this for decades. And even with that, yes we are getting a boost in elections. Imagine if -everyone- who is for 'mostly legal' knew what readers here know.
Here here! But how to proceed? How do we fix this *for good?* Not one vote for this initiative, another vote in this state for that supreme court justice, another vote that will afford our autonomy for oh, two years.....
I dream of passing something like the ERA but stronger, and tying unfettered reproductive access, spelled out, to it -- stronger than Roe. They dismantled Roe, well now we can build something stronger. We need an amendment to the Constitution. We can't have state against state when it comes to basic human rights. We can't survive as a country that way. The GOP's stranglehold on these state legislatures and their gerrymandering (look at Tennessee tonight.... ) has given them power they are abusing because they are safe in their extremes, but the majority of the country doesn't want these draconian, dystopian, discriminating laws.
We are hearing a lot about the real consequences of these laws, and that’s important, but I don’t understand why more people, politicians, even the medical community, aren’t making more noise to refute these ludicrous “abortion up until birth” claims. I don’t understand why these people are not getting called out for being liars.
BRAVO plus it is NOT about abortion. It is about disrespecting living pregnant people as human beings and subjecting them to arbitrary government control of their lives and bodies; it is about aggressive Christian evangelicals who disrespect all other religions; and, no matter what the Supremes decided it is anti democratic.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! This is the exact argument I had with my husband. For years we conceded in the hope that Roe would stand. I understand the need to find a common ground on many topics but this is not one of them.
Here's what's going down at the NC state house today: the abortion bill has dropped. If you want to read the text of Senate 20, it's at https://ncleg.gov/BillLookup/2023/s20
An earlier version of S20 about safe surrender of infants was gutted to make this new monster.
Among other things, the bill defines an unborn child as a human being in the womb, so it shouldn't mean at conception, but who knows?
It totally bans access after 24 weeks regardless of rape, incest, health of mother or fetus.
It requires new clinic restrictions that will put Planned Parenthood out of the business.
It's all wrapped in the sweeteners of parental leave, access to contraception, etc.
We know how today's vote will go. We must double down on our efforts to sustain the governor's expected veto. The next week's will be busy.
Thanks so much for covering all of this shit across the country.
Well said
Thanks. Jessica! You have successfully overcome the last remnants of my polite upbringing. Carry on! We will too.
the ol' truism: Never negotiate against yourself.
It was a great week for progressives - Chicago, WI, the national furor over what's happening in TN - politicians, are you paying attention to reality? Michele Goldberg has piece in the NYT-https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/07/opinion/abortion-rights-wisconsin-elections-republicans.html?smid=url-share
Exactly right.
Thank you
Tennessee demonstrates not just racism, but also misogyny.
*Brewer, however, said he believed giving doctors that kind of power would be too subjective. “Once one doctor is let off the hook in a criminal trial, it would be open season for other doctors who wanted to perform bad faith terminations,” he said.*
Bad faith terminations? WTF? Can't compromise with terrorists.
https://www.propublica.org/article/tennessee-lobbyists-oppose-new-life-saving-exceptions-abortion-ban?utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social
I think a lot of the problem we have is that voters in the 'middle' are pro-choice but still queasy about it, and that's what the anti-choicers are expert at exploiting. I mean, legal in 'most' cases, what the hell does that mean? Give me the example of the case when it shouldn't be legal. The American public is just not educated enough on pregnancy and reproductive health care (keeping it that way is a key part of anti-choice strategy), so people are encouraged to imagine that there need to be some limits rather than just trusting women and their doctors. I think we need to really work on education, and maybe this crisis and these horror stories help with that, rather than just saying we have the majority. We need those middle of the road legal in 'most' cases voters to be as firmly pro-choice as we are, and as pissed off about it as we are, because the enemy is counting on obfuscation. That's the only way they've been able to get away with this for decades. And even with that, yes we are getting a boost in elections. Imagine if -everyone- who is for 'mostly legal' knew what readers here know.
Here here! But how to proceed? How do we fix this *for good?* Not one vote for this initiative, another vote in this state for that supreme court justice, another vote that will afford our autonomy for oh, two years.....
I dream of passing something like the ERA but stronger, and tying unfettered reproductive access, spelled out, to it -- stronger than Roe. They dismantled Roe, well now we can build something stronger. We need an amendment to the Constitution. We can't have state against state when it comes to basic human rights. We can't survive as a country that way. The GOP's stranglehold on these state legislatures and their gerrymandering (look at Tennessee tonight.... ) has given them power they are abusing because they are safe in their extremes, but the majority of the country doesn't want these draconian, dystopian, discriminating laws.
We are hearing a lot about the real consequences of these laws, and that’s important, but I don’t understand why more people, politicians, even the medical community, aren’t making more noise to refute these ludicrous “abortion up until birth” claims. I don’t understand why these people are not getting called out for being liars.
BRAVO plus it is NOT about abortion. It is about disrespecting living pregnant people as human beings and subjecting them to arbitrary government control of their lives and bodies; it is about aggressive Christian evangelicals who disrespect all other religions; and, no matter what the Supremes decided it is anti democratic.
Excellent reporting. Thank you for all you do. Your endless tenacity is amazing Thanks Jessica ❤️🥰
brava you, jessica.
yes, let's get out of our "defensive crouch."
tugging the forelock ain't working. 😎
Thank you, thank you, thank you! This is the exact argument I had with my husband. For years we conceded in the hope that Roe would stand. I understand the need to find a common ground on many topics but this is not one of them.
The fetal pain argument drives me crazy. It completely erases the pain capability of the birthing mother.