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laynie
layniek
10 April 2008 @ 08:41 am
Oklahoma sucks. Again.  
Re: Abortion - Senate Bill 1878

Governor Henry,

As an Oklahoma woman, I want to urge you to veto Senate Bill 1878. This bill would require a woman to have an ultrasound before being allowed to abort a pregnancy. Proponents of the bill claim this measure will ensure that a woman's consent to an abortion is voluntary, presumably by giving her a visual reminder that, should she continue the pregnancy, the fetus she is carrying will one day be a baby.

Governor Henry, the women of Oklahoma are not children. When we seek abortions, we know what we are doing. Many women who seek abortions are in difficult places in their lives, faced with an even more difficult choice. Perhaps she already has other children and cannot afford to support another. Perhaps she has no medical insurance and cannot afford the pregnancy. Perhaps having a baby at that time in her life will destroy her chances of getting an education or keeping her job. Perhaps the pregnancy is a result of rape, or incest, or an abusive relationship. Women faced with such a difficult choice should not be forced to view an ultrasound in a misplaced attempt to make them feel guilty for seeking an abortion.

Reducing the number of abortions is a noble goal, but Senate Bill 1878 is not the way to achieve it. Measures such as comprehensive sex education in schools, universal health care, paid leave during pregnancy, affordable child care, and domestic violence prevention/assistance would go a long way toward reducing the need for abortion. Senate Bill 1878 will do nothing but demean women by implying we are too stupid to know what abortion is. We know. And we know what we need: your support, not your condemnation.

Thank you for your consideration,

[[info]layniek]


I also, um, posted a comment on the Oklahoman article. Yeah, yeah, this is a slippery slope, commenting on articles at newspaper websites. I promise not to get into a flamewar with the stupid trolls who will inevitably show up. Anyway, the article says this:
KEY PROVISIONS
[...]
Ensures mother's consent to an abortion is voluntary.

Provides a woman with an ultrasound of unborn child that she can view before the abortion.

Uh-huh. The first part is so conservatively biased it's ridiculous. The second part is blatantly untrue. So this is my comment (with better formatting, because their comment posting system sucks):
"KEY PROVISIONS
[...]
"Ensures mother's consent to an abortion is voluntary BY TRYING TO GUILT HER OUT OF HAVING THE ABORTION IN THE FIRST PLACE.

"REQUIRES a woman TO HAVE an ultrasound of THE FETUS that she MUST view before the abortion."

There. Fixed that for you.
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The Grammarian about whom your mother warned you.[info]acostilow on April 10th, 2008 02:38 pm (UTC)
That is...unbelievable. You can add my name to that letter.

Measures such as comprehensive sex education in schools, universal health care, paid leave during pregnancy, affordable child care, and domestic violence prevention/assistance would go a long way toward reducing the need for abortion.

But they can't do that, Laynie! That would involve, you know, proactiveness and maybe spending money and *gasp* sex education?! You mean, teaching children that lust is good?!

......I hate Oklahoma sometimes.

Edited at 2008-04-10 02:39 pm (UTC)
laynie: Pterry: not a violent man[info]layniek on April 10th, 2008 03:10 pm (UTC)
Well, I already sent the email. But getting more emails would certainly help. There's a form here. You're welcome to use my letter as a template.

On the whole sex education thing, I don't even aim as high as teaching children that lust is good. I'd settle for something like, "always use birth control, and here's how." Maybe with a side of "you CAN get pregnant the first time, you CAN get pregnant while you're on your period, douching with coke afterwards DOESN'T work, peeing afterwards DOESN'T work, and DON'T leave birth control in the hands of the boy because he's not the one who'll suffer if it doesn't work."
The Grammarian about whom your mother warned you.[info]acostilow on April 11th, 2008 03:02 am (UTC)
What I meant was, if we start teaching kids how to be safe, that would mean we were saying sex was good. And we can't have that.
laynie: James Bond: Guh[info]layniek on April 11th, 2008 08:01 pm (UTC)
Yes, exactly! Sex is all about guilt, and don't you ever forget it!

But, you know, in my ideal world, I would definitely have them teach children that sex and lust are good things and should be celebrated, so long as they're done safely. And while I'm wishing for impossible things, I'll also wish for a pony and a plastic rocket.
The Grammarian about whom your mother warned you.[info]acostilow on April 11th, 2008 11:51 pm (UTC)
Dear Buddha....
laynie: Firefly: Mr. Universe[info]layniek on April 12th, 2008 12:05 am (UTC)
Malcolm Reynolds FTW! \o/
The Grammarian about whom your mother warned you.: mal. gun. bitch.[info]acostilow on April 12th, 2008 12:06 am (UTC)
God, I love that man. *\o/*
Picara: Juno does what she likes[info]picara on April 10th, 2008 10:49 pm (UTC)
Oy. I was actually almost happy with the NPR coverage on KGOU, because they referred to it consistently as an "anti-abortion measure," and their coverage of local news is usually kind of conservatively slanted, which I think is mostly due to laziness (because a lot of it sounds like they're just reading a press release and added in "Senator so-and-so said that the bill..." at the beginning of every other sentence).
laynie: Pterry: not a violent man[info]layniek on April 11th, 2008 08:08 pm (UTC)
Yeah, I hate it when they try to disguise "reading a press release" as "reporting."

I'm still not getting into a flamewar in the comments at NewsOK. However, I did *check* the comments, and they're not all insane. Someone before me had corrected the bit about how it's an ultrasound of a FETUS, not an UNBORN CHILD. She came back and saw my comment and said "Thanks, Alaina - that *is* better." I actually feel a little bit better about our state now.
Etumon[info]etumon on April 13th, 2008 03:49 pm (UTC)
Wow...
Sometimes I just can't believe people. *sighs* Go, Oklahoma.

Nice, letter, though, and I have to admit, your comment left room (if it doesn't qualify itself) for some first-grade trolling. :-D
laynie: Pterry: not a violent man[info]layniek on April 13th, 2008 08:44 pm (UTC)
Re: Wow...
Hey! How is my comment trolling? I think I can snarkily point out the conservative slant of the article (because the Oklahoman sucks) without being considered a troll. And I didn't go back and fight with anyone else who commented. Because getting in fights with people who are wrong on the Internet is never a productive way to spend your time.