State Representative Rich Collins and State Senator Bryant Richardson, both of the horrible Republican variety, have announced two bills intended to enslave women and assert male dominance over their bodies.
HB53, the forced ultrasound bill, requires a physician to offer a patient ultrasound imaging and auscultation of fetal heart tone services before terminating a pregnancy and provides civil and criminal penalties for the failure of a physician to comply with this requirement. The patient is free to choose not to view the ultrasound or listen to the heartbeat.
Now, this bill is not as bad as the McDonnell Virginia bill back in 2009 or 2010 that required the doctor to vaginally rape or probe the pregnant woman. But it is still old white conservative men forcing themselves into the doctor’s office, forcing the doctor to shame the woman. That woman knows what she is doing. She has already made her decision with more knowledge about the consequences than any man possesses when they made a decision concerning their reproductive choices.
HB52, the 20 week abortion ban, repeals the current sections of the Delaware Code relating to termination of human pregnancy (which were just passed two years ago, codifying the Supreme Court precedent of Roe v. Wade into state law), banning all abortions (no matter if the woman’s health or life is in danger, no matter if the pregnancy is the product of rape or incest).
So will this get a vote? Not likely. But if it does, I imagine the vote will be similar to the vote on SB5(S), the bill that codified Roe v. Wade. The vote there 22-16-3 in the House and 11-7-2-1 in the Senate. That result seems close. But let’s look closer:
HOUSE
YES: B.Short (replaced now by Seigfied), Baumbach, Bennett, Bentz, Bolden, Carson, Heffernan, K.Williams, Keeley (replaced by Dorsey Walker), Kowalko, Longhurst, Lynn, M.Smith (replaced by K.Johnson), Matthews, Mitchell, Mulrooney (replaced by Mimi Brown), Osienski, Paradee (replaced by Bush), Potter (replaced by Nnamdi), Q.Johnson, Schwartzkopf, Viola
NO: Brady, Briggs King, Collins, D.Short, Dukes, Gray, Hensley, Jaques, Kenton (replaced by Shupe), Miro (replaced by M.Smith), Outten (replaced by Morris), Postles, Ramone, Smyk, Spiegelman, Yearick
ABSENT: Hudson (replaced by Griffith), J.Johnson (replaced by Cooke), Wilson (replaced by Vanderwende)
The House vote will likely by 24-17 rejecting the ban (a no vote), assuming that Griffith and Cooke vote no, and Vanderwende, a bill sponsor, votes yes (for the ban). Perhaps Brady and Jaques will also vote no against the ban, redeeming themselves after their horrible no votes two years ago. That would make the vote a strict party line vote of 26-15.
In the Senate, here were the votes for Roe v. Wade two years ago:
SENATE
YES: Bushweller (replaced by Paradee), Cloutier, Ennis, Hansen, Henry (replaced by Brown), McBride, McDowell, Poore, Sokola, Townsend, Walsh
NO: Delcollo, Hocker, Lawson, Lopez, Pettyjohn, Richardson, Simpson
ABSENT: Bonini
COWARD: Lavelle (replaced by Sturgeon), Marshall (replaced by Lockman)
The vote would now likely be 13-8 rejecting the ban, assuming Bonini is present this time to vote for the ban, and that Sturgeon and Lockman vote no rejecting the ban.
HB53 – Forced Ultrasound
Where is the bill? House Health & Human Development 1/24/19
Democratic Sponsors —
Republican Sponsors — Richardson, Hocker, Lawson, Pettyjohn, Wilson, Dukes, Postles, Vanderwende, Yearick
Yes Votes —
No Votes —
HB52 – Twenty Week Abortion Ban
Democratic Sponsors —
Republican Sponsors — Collins, Richardson, Hocker, Lawson, Pettyjohn, Wilson, Dukes, Postles, Vanderwende, Yearick
Yes Votes —
No Votes —
Let’s get to the roll call here.
On the matter of female bodily autonomy:
Richardson – Male: Yes Uterus: No
Hocker – Male: Yes Uterus: No
Lawson – Male: Yes Uterus: No
Pettyjohn – Male: Yes Uterus: No
Wilson – Male: Yes Uterus: No
Dukes – Male: Yes Uterus: No
Postles – Male: Yes Uterus: No
Vanderwende – Male: Yes Uterus: No
Yearick – Male: Yes Uterus: No
Collins – Male: Yes Uterus: No
Math checks out.
“HB52, the 20 week abortion ban, repeals the current sections of the Delaware Code relating to termination of human pregnancy (which were just passed two years ago, codifying the Supreme Court precedent of Roe v. Wade into state law)”…
And these are the same assholes that have their Jefferson Davis underoos all in a twist because some House Dems want to revisit HB 47, that was passed last year… Yet another example of the GOP ethos “It’s only bad when a Dem/Obama/Hillary do it.”
Ask all your “pro-life” friends and family if they’re down with corporate tax cuts, job offshoring and underfunded schools; because that’s what they’re voting for when they vote for a “pro-life” politician.
it’s almost as if “preservation of life” isnt their actual mission.
Couldn’t make up the irony of all the sponsors being men, of course – but I’ll admit, I feel frustrated every time I see a reminder that Jaques and Brady prefer to have abortion access be unsafe and illegal. Hopefully they’ll continue to be challenged within the party for those votes.
I don’t see how we allow abortions after the first trimester in this country. The procedure is downright savage ripping the baby or “fetus” as you would call it from limb to limb and crushing its skull. Why on earth wouldn’t a woman be able to decide in the first trimester whether or not she chooses to have an abortion? If you ask me a second or third trimester abortion is just as savage as leaving a baby in a dumpster to die.
Hey, Pro-Birther… You know what else is savage AF? (1) Ripping 8yr olds from their families and sticking them in cages; (2) Trying to eliminate health coverage overall, as well as for pre-existing conditions; (3) Constantly trying to eliminate public assistance programs; (4) Constant opposition to raising wages enough to even begin to support a family with… I could go on and on and on…
Until you and your religious ilk start unequivocally supporting social assistance programs, healthcare for all, livable wages, safe housing… All that shit the people could really, really use when trying to raise a child, then maybe the rest of us will start listening to your opinion… Until then, though, GTFO with you paternalistic, judgy, religious-cultish bullshit.
Actually I support expanding the earned income tax credit and purchase of care! Thank you for your response.
Women deciding for later term abortions are 1) have non-viable pregnancies or; 2) have pregnancies that risk their own health or lives. It is always for a medical reason — you won’t even find a doctor who will do these procedures unless there is a major medical necessity. We’re accustomed to pregnant women having uneventful pregnancies but there are the rare cases where they can go very wrong indeed. That is what late-term abortions are for.
That said, you are free to have an opinion about someone else’s health choices, but you are not free to weigh in on those decisions. Especially since you did not know enough about why later-term abortions even happen. You can’t get a later-term abortion on demand, you need a high priority medical reason for the procedure.
It always amazes me how people, like Kent, pontificate about a subject on which they’ve done zero research.
Cassandra has addressed later term abortions, so I’ll address this: “Why on earth wouldn’t a woman be able to decide in the first trimester whether or not she chooses to have an abortion?”
My first thought on this statement is that Kent doesn’t know much about women’s bodies.
– Unless a women is trying to get pregnant, she may not know she’s pregnant right away.
– Despite being taught the menstrual cycle is 28 days, it’s normal for it to be 21 to 40 days. Do the math – altho it won’t be exact since not all women ovulate 10 -16 days into their cycle.
– It’s normal for approx. 20% of women to have some bleeding during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Many confuse this as their period, and, therefore, do not think they’re pregnant.
Welp, there goes the first trimester! But there are other reasons:
– Before getting an abortion, there’s the appointment with a doctor to confirm you’re actually pregnant. You know, an appointment that has to be scheduled, and, unless you have a friend or family member who’s an Ob/Gyn, won’t be scheduled that day. There goes another week, maybe more depending on where you live.
– Then the abortion procedure must be scheduled. I get that “pro-lifers” think women can just pop in and have an abortion any ol’ time, but that’s not how it works. And it’s funny how they know this when it comes to every other medical procedure.
– The two points above, of course, rely on getting time off from work, having transportation and money for the doctor’s visits and procedure.
Every one of these things cost time – unless Kent is advocating for free abortions during the first trimester then these obstacles won’t go away. In fact, these obstacles (including diminished access to safe and legal abortion) contribute to women having to wait to have an abortion.
Toss in the stupid waiting periods in some states (waiting periods and travel time could result in women in some states having to take off significant amount work time, not to mention having the funds for gas/transportation, accommodations, as well as the procedure) and you’ve succeeded in extending the timeline. But that’s the point, isn’t it?
You’ll never stop women from needing/wanting abortions, so you’ll make it difficult, and in some cases impossible to get. You’ll never advocate for free contraception or comprehensive sex ed, or free/affordable child care, healthcare or programs designed to help the babies/children you’ve forced women to have. What “pro-lifers” do is try to run out the clock by making abortion extremely difficult to get in order to force birth on a women. So, if you’re not on board with all the items listed above, then you’re not “pro-life”. You’re pro-forced birth and controlling women’s bodies – bodies that you obviously don’t understand.
Incredibly well-stated… Much appreciated…
This is a good starting point to stop abortions “free contraception or comprehensive sex ed”!
I would support an ammendment to allow abortions if their is an extreme abnormality that would cause the baby severe pain or death upon or shortly after birth.
I do support expanding the earned income tax credit and purchase of care actually.
So… when you said, “I don’t see how we allow abortions after the first trimester in this country.” what you really meant was I don’t see how we allow abortions unless “their is an extreme abnormality that would cause the baby severe pain or death upon or shortly after birth.”
Not surprisingly, you left the women out of your statement. Why is that?
At least this comment is far more honest than your first one – where you pretended to be okay with 1st trimester abortions. Guess the info Cassandra and I provided let you rip off your mask and show your musings on “Why on earth wouldn’t a woman be able to decide in the first trimester whether or not she chooses to have an abortion?” to be complete BS.
A tax credit and purchase of care? But not free contraception or comprehensive sex ed, or free/affordable child care, healthcare or programs designed to help the babies/children? Seems to me that your support of babies/children is quite limited. Looks like ‘life’ isn’t that precious to you. Basically, you just want to force women to give birth and then walk away.