Butterfly Cauldron
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse. . .
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- A proposal to ban nearly all abortions in Louisiana moved forward on Wednesday, despite doubts from one lawmaker that it wasn't strict enough and doubts from another that it was too strict to get through the Legislature.
Sen. Ben Nevers is sponsor of the bill that would allow abortions only to save the life of the mother. Doctors found guilty of performing abortions would face up to 10 years in prison and fines of $100,000.
Nevers said he understood that some lawmakers wanted exceptions in the measure to allow abortions in cases of rape and incest. A competing bill, by Rep. Tim Burns, includes such exceptions but has not come up for a vote.
"I am very deeply concerned about women who have been raped, or been involved in incest. And my heart goes out to them," said Nevers, D-Bogalusa.
Nevers said he opposes the exceptions because "abortion is just another crime," like rape.
The Senate Health and Welfare Committee passed Nevers" bill without objection, though Sen. Diana Bajoie said she wanted the bill changed to remove the provision allowing abortions to save the mother's life. Bajoie, D-New Orleans, said she objected to the idea of a woman's life being saved by sacrificing a child.
Sen. Joel Chaisson, D-Destrehan, told Nevers he questioned whether the bill could get through the full Legislature without exceptions for rape and incest.
Sen. Lydia Jackson voiced the only objection to the bill, but didn't vote against it.
"I think today it is clear how little control women have over their lives," said Jackson, D-Shreveport.
The bill moves to the full Senate. Nevers told Bajoie he would work to remove the measure's one exception and make it "more pro-life."
The measure passed after two hours of testimony from speakers on both side of the issue, including a doctor who sat at the witness table holding up a jar with a preserved human fetus inside. Women who regretted having had abortions spoke against the bill; speaking in favor were women who had abortions and did not regret it.
"I will forever and always be grateful for the right to make my own childbearing decisions," said Jessica Odell, 23, an LSU senior and founder of a campus pro-abortion rights group who said she had an abortion as a freshman.
Raymond Gasser, a professor at LSU's medical school in New Orleans for 40 years and an expert in prenatal care, testified in favor the abortion ban, arguing that a fetus should not be aborted because "it is a human life, a unique human life."
"There's no denying it," he said.
In the background of the debate over Nevers' bill is a South Dakota law enacted earlier this year - nearly identical to Nevers' measure -- that is expected to be challenged and appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. If the high court took up such an appeal, it would constitute a reconsideration of its 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that established the right to an abortion.
A majority of the Supreme Court?s nine justices have voted to uphold Roe v. Wade in the past.
Where do I even begin? I just....not strict enough? I need to find the link to the article about El Salvador making the rounds. Maybe if Bajoie saw just what her law could do to women she'd change her mind. Although, I really doubt it. People who think that way, tend not to care too much about the damage their beliefs do to them. I'm just surpised she's a Dem from New Orleans. Should anyway feel the urge to express an opinion to the fine senator from New Orleans, she can be reached at:
websen@legis.state.la.us
Capitol Office
P.O. Box 94183
Baton Rouge, LA 70804
Portia Jackson, Administrative Assistant
(225) 342-0752
District Office
Post Office Box 15168
New Orleans, LA 70175
(504) 568-7760
Her website is located here: http://senate.legis.state.la.us/Bajoie/
Ben Nevers can be reached thusly:
http://senate.legis.state.la.us/Nevers/
websen@legis.state.la.us
Capitol Office
P.O. Box 94183
Baton Rouge, LA 70804
(225) 342-2040
District Office
724 Avenue F
Bogalusa, LA 70427
(985) 732-6863
1-800-881-2749
Tim Burns actually has a real Web page, not the standard one set up by the state. It's here: http://www.timburns.us/
He thoughtfully provides he phone numbers too. Here ya go:
E-mail: tim@TimBurns.us
Phone: 985-624-4492
Fax: 985-624-4496
Mail:
Rep. Tim Burns
1 Sanctuary Drive, Suite 306
Mandeville, LA 70471
Finally. Lydia Jackson, who had a brain but didn't vote against this. Now, I'm sure she didn't vote against it because she knew it wouldn't do any good. The thing was gonna pass anyway. But come on, you vote against this shit because it's wrong. Period. Still, she did speak against it and maybe she will continue to speak against it.
http://senate.legis.state.la.us/Jackson/
jacksonl@legis.state.la.us
Capitol Office
P.O. Box 94183
Baton Rouge, LA 70804
(225) 342-2040
District Office
610 Texas Street
Suite 201
Shreveport, LA 71101
(318) 676-7029
What's disturbing to me, aside from well, everything about this, is these people are Democrats. Seriously, aside from Burns, they're all Democrats. And Burns may be too, I just couldn't find it listed on his site. (And I'm in a rush to get this out and get off to work so I just gave it the once over. It may be there and I missed it.) These are the people the Big Guy Bloggers (yeah, you know who they are. I don't have to spell it out for ya) are so gung ho to get elected, they're willing to sacrifice reproductive rights for other "important stuff." Well, fuck that. Seriously, these some of these people are willing to let me die to save a clump of cells that will die along with me. I don't care what party these people belong to, that's evidence of seriously messed up thinking and they don't deserve to be in positions of power, full stop. That's not pro-life. That's not pro-pregnancy. Hell, that's not even pro-fetus, since the fetus is going to die too. There is no clearer demonstration that this is completely, totally about control. And that these people who claim to hold these beliefs due to thier Christian faith (which most say here in the Deep South Pit o' Hell) have not ever actually read their Bible, talked to their God or really examined what Jesus taught. (More on that later. I'm so very on the edge of late for work.)
Sen. Ben Nevers is sponsor of the bill that would allow abortions only to save the life of the mother. Doctors found guilty of performing abortions would face up to 10 years in prison and fines of $100,000.
Nevers said he understood that some lawmakers wanted exceptions in the measure to allow abortions in cases of rape and incest. A competing bill, by Rep. Tim Burns, includes such exceptions but has not come up for a vote.
"I am very deeply concerned about women who have been raped, or been involved in incest. And my heart goes out to them," said Nevers, D-Bogalusa.
Nevers said he opposes the exceptions because "abortion is just another crime," like rape.
The Senate Health and Welfare Committee passed Nevers" bill without objection, though Sen. Diana Bajoie said she wanted the bill changed to remove the provision allowing abortions to save the mother's life. Bajoie, D-New Orleans, said she objected to the idea of a woman's life being saved by sacrificing a child.
Sen. Joel Chaisson, D-Destrehan, told Nevers he questioned whether the bill could get through the full Legislature without exceptions for rape and incest.
Sen. Lydia Jackson voiced the only objection to the bill, but didn't vote against it.
"I think today it is clear how little control women have over their lives," said Jackson, D-Shreveport.
The bill moves to the full Senate. Nevers told Bajoie he would work to remove the measure's one exception and make it "more pro-life."
The measure passed after two hours of testimony from speakers on both side of the issue, including a doctor who sat at the witness table holding up a jar with a preserved human fetus inside. Women who regretted having had abortions spoke against the bill; speaking in favor were women who had abortions and did not regret it.
"I will forever and always be grateful for the right to make my own childbearing decisions," said Jessica Odell, 23, an LSU senior and founder of a campus pro-abortion rights group who said she had an abortion as a freshman.
Raymond Gasser, a professor at LSU's medical school in New Orleans for 40 years and an expert in prenatal care, testified in favor the abortion ban, arguing that a fetus should not be aborted because "it is a human life, a unique human life."
"There's no denying it," he said.
In the background of the debate over Nevers' bill is a South Dakota law enacted earlier this year - nearly identical to Nevers' measure -- that is expected to be challenged and appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. If the high court took up such an appeal, it would constitute a reconsideration of its 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that established the right to an abortion.
A majority of the Supreme Court?s nine justices have voted to uphold Roe v. Wade in the past.
Where do I even begin? I just....not strict enough? I need to find the link to the article about El Salvador making the rounds. Maybe if Bajoie saw just what her law could do to women she'd change her mind. Although, I really doubt it. People who think that way, tend not to care too much about the damage their beliefs do to them. I'm just surpised she's a Dem from New Orleans. Should anyway feel the urge to express an opinion to the fine senator from New Orleans, she can be reached at:
websen@legis.state.la.us
Capitol Office
P.O. Box 94183
Baton Rouge, LA 70804
Portia Jackson, Administrative Assistant
(225) 342-0752
District Office
Post Office Box 15168
New Orleans, LA 70175
(504) 568-7760
Her website is located here: http://senate.legis.state.la.us/Bajoie/
Ben Nevers can be reached thusly:
http://senate.legis.state.la.us/Nevers/
websen@legis.state.la.us
Capitol Office
P.O. Box 94183
Baton Rouge, LA 70804
(225) 342-2040
District Office
724 Avenue F
Bogalusa, LA 70427
(985) 732-6863
1-800-881-2749
Tim Burns actually has a real Web page, not the standard one set up by the state. It's here: http://www.timburns.us/
He thoughtfully provides he phone numbers too. Here ya go:
E-mail: tim@TimBurns.us
Phone: 985-624-4492
Fax: 985-624-4496
Mail:
Rep. Tim Burns
1 Sanctuary Drive, Suite 306
Mandeville, LA 70471
Finally. Lydia Jackson, who had a brain but didn't vote against this. Now, I'm sure she didn't vote against it because she knew it wouldn't do any good. The thing was gonna pass anyway. But come on, you vote against this shit because it's wrong. Period. Still, she did speak against it and maybe she will continue to speak against it.
http://senate.legis.state.la.us/Jackson/
jacksonl@legis.state.la.us
Capitol Office
P.O. Box 94183
Baton Rouge, LA 70804
(225) 342-2040
District Office
610 Texas Street
Suite 201
Shreveport, LA 71101
(318) 676-7029
What's disturbing to me, aside from well, everything about this, is these people are Democrats. Seriously, aside from Burns, they're all Democrats. And Burns may be too, I just couldn't find it listed on his site. (And I'm in a rush to get this out and get off to work so I just gave it the once over. It may be there and I missed it.) These are the people the Big Guy Bloggers (yeah, you know who they are. I don't have to spell it out for ya) are so gung ho to get elected, they're willing to sacrifice reproductive rights for other "important stuff." Well, fuck that. Seriously, these some of these people are willing to let me die to save a clump of cells that will die along with me. I don't care what party these people belong to, that's evidence of seriously messed up thinking and they don't deserve to be in positions of power, full stop. That's not pro-life. That's not pro-pregnancy. Hell, that's not even pro-fetus, since the fetus is going to die too. There is no clearer demonstration that this is completely, totally about control. And that these people who claim to hold these beliefs due to thier Christian faith (which most say here in the Deep South Pit o' Hell) have not ever actually read their Bible, talked to their God or really examined what Jesus taught. (More on that later. I'm so very on the edge of late for work.)
Labels: abortion, stupid state
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