Triana (17,070 posts)
The Atlantic: Why Are We Punishing Women for Kermit Gosnell's Crimes?
In the wake of Kermit Gosnell's conviction for murder amid gruesome conditions in his abortion clinic, Republicans in Congress and in state legislatures across the country are pushing for new laws to restrict later-term abortions. On Monday, Texas Gov. Rick Perry convened another special legislative session, which immediately went on recess again, to pass a bill banning abortions after 20 weeks that was blocked last week by Wendy Davis's 11-hour filibuster. In Ohio, Gov. John Kasich signed a state budget that will force women seeking an abortion to see or listen to the fetal heartbeat; the doctor can face criminal prosecution for not follow this rule. That follows the House of Representatives, which passed the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act in June. That bill, The New York Times reported, plus others in the states, were the result of the Gosnell case, which "has reinvigorated the anti-abortion movement to a degree not seen in years, advocates on both sides of the issue said." What these bills would not do is prevent another Gosnell.
What's happening, The New York Times' Ross Douthat writes, is that "abortion opponents have basically tried to do what gun control advocates did after Newtown, and use a horror story to make the case for policies that have clear majority support but also face passionate opposition." But opponents of these new laws can make the same case the NRA did after Newtown: Why don't we enforce the laws already on the books? And why don't the new laws actually address the crimes Gosnell committed?
Gosnell performed abortions after Pennsylvania state law bans them — 24 weeks. Staffers were trained to take ultrasounds so that the fetuses looked younger. And it appears Gosnell invented the procedure he used for killing the fetuses. He did so in disgusting conditions. Feral cats were allowed to walk around and poop on the floor. Women were given blood-stained blankets. Bizarrely, fetal feet were stored in plastic jugs. Not even the grossest restaurants are allowed to stay open in conditions like that. But Gosnell found it highly lucrative. The clinic took in between $10,000 and $15,000 a day.
. . .
These measures don't address Gosnell's crimes. They do not strengthen the penalties for doctors who deliver substandard care, and they certainly don't increase the amount those doctors can be sued for malpractice. They do not create tougher penalties for inspectors who miss grotesque violations of regulations. Ohio doctors can now be criminally prosecuted for failing to show an ultrasound to a woman who wants an abortion. That means the new law punishes women by trying to make them feel guilty.
THE REST:
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2013/07/kermit-gosnell-abortion-bills/66752/
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http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023145824Why are we punishing law abiding gun owners for the crimes of the monsters who misuse guns?
Ilsa (32,131 posts)
1. Duh. The Atlantic is just now figuring this out?
Have they figured out that more of these butcher shops will open up quietly if abortion access is severely restricted? The substandard care Gosnell provided was because women had no where else to go.
Every abortion clinic is a butcher shop. The only difference between Gosnell and a legao abortion is what side of the womb the horrific act is committed. It's like saying if you kill someone inside your house is fine, but if you kill that same person in your yard all of a sudden it is murder.
niyad (25,118 posts)
2. because pukes and fundies hate women, hate women having any sort of independent thought
or action. gosnell is just an excuse. they were writing plenty of laws before gosnell.
If there is any hate in the abortion issue it is you assholes. You hate the unborn so much that you cheer when they are murdered.
You idiots also hate it when women do in fact have independent thought and do not cherish the right to kill the unborn. A woman who is pro life is just as hated as any minority who doesn't vote for democrats. In both instances you can not stand independent thought.
