The state Senate in Idaho today passed a bill mandating an ultrasound for any woman seeking an abortion. The legislation prompted a protest on the capitol steps a couple of weeks ago, and last week a senate hearing room was packed as the State Affairs Committee approved the bill, 7-2, along party lines.
The Spokesman-Review
The crowded senate hearing room as the Senate State Affairs Committee debated Idaho's mandatory ultrasound bill last week.
But today's vote in the full senate wasn't entirely along party lines. All seven Democrats in the Idaho State Senate were joined by five Republicans in voting against the bill.
State Sen. James Hammond was among the five Republicans to cross party lines. He had this to say to his fellow Republicans:
“I hope this bill isn’t just another litmus test to prove that you’re truly a conservative. There seems to be a presumption that a woman considering abortion is uninformed and needs government guidance. … But I would submit that rather than government guidance, their guidance should come from their physician and their family and their clergy.”
The final tally was 23-12 in favor of the new ultrasound requirement. The measure now goes to the Idaho House where there are 57 Republicans and 13 Democrats.
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*facepalm*
I second the facepalming
*facepalm*
We need to do everything we can to encourage Republicans like State Senator Hammond. Is someone keeping a list of these people who are standing up to their own party?
I'd rather hand out rope to the Republicans who are not like him. As for Republicans like Hammer, they all need an intervention. Or a deprogramming. The GOP is heading for a metaphorical Jonestown, and those who can should get out of the compound sooner rather than later.
We are to kindhearted.....If this was Dems loosing their mind...Repubs would be milking it for all it's worth.....Stop helping the Repubs see the light. They dug this hole for themselves. At the end of the day the spin will be that this was a Dem idea all along. They are already saying we goated them into this fight.....STOP HELPING THE REPUBS.....STOP IT!!
Yes, we are. I just sent him a thank you and will encourage all my friends to do the same!
Well, as a past rape victim, I can tell you if I had had to have something shoved up my vagina I would have rather died. These men have no idea what it is like to have their innocents taken with violence and insult. When a woman is making a choice to abort it is to rid her body of any hint of what had been done to her. To force a woman to have this ultra sound will be no different than being raped again, it will be done by some one that she does not want in that part of her body even if it is a woman. It will only cause the reliving the experience and the men in legislature have guaranteed an abortion not the saving of a fetus.
Been in the same situation and I couldn't agree more. It is being traumatized all over again. And in situations where it isn't rape, it is not anyone's right to tell them what should happen to their body, that is assault.
I want all the Repub candidates to sign a pledge as they stand in front of their daughters, that reads: "I will not allow my daughter to abort any fetus and she must carry the fetus of the man who raped and or beat her; no matter what his ethnic origin or even in the case of MULTIPLE OFFENDERS."
A father telling his daughter...Look, you are gonna carry this fetus...will never happen...legal or not!!! So let's get real....GOP, ENOUGH OF YOUR IDIOTIC LAWS!!!. But I forget...this will generate JOBS, JOBS, JOBS!!!
I am so glad this law was passed. I hope it convinces fewer women to kill their innocent babies. We can't kill babies for the mistakes of their parents. I am 6 weeks pregnant and just had an ultrasound yesterday. They just rubbed some jelly on my tummy and it was fine. And I got to see my sweet, tiny little baby's heart beat. I've read that one 1 out of 3 women choose not to murder their baby's after seeing their heart beats on the mandatory ultrasounds, thank God!!
So you liked the gentle ultrasound on your tummy. Good for you. Spot any difference to a 10 inch wand forced into your vagina against your will? What would you call that?
It's yet another victory for the New American Taliban. Can anyone imagine the UPROAR if this type of government intrusion was proposed by President Obama?
actually if it was the Taliban there would be no need for an ultra sound, in many cases, because a woman that get pregnant out of wedlock is put to death under Sharyl law.
That being said, I am conservative and I find this law very intrusive and non of the governments business. The government does not has the right to mandate any type of health care on anybody and by the same token shouldn't pay for it either. Health care is none of the governments business.
Well, if we are talking religious freedom here I think maybe we should consider Sharyl Law. Why is it okay for you to push your own religious beliefs on others but, it's not ok if another religion is being introduced. You opened a can of worms here that no longer fits in American society. There needs to be a clear separation between Church and State that includes your religion too. There are too many different religions in America now we have to stick to the Constitution in order keep everyone happy and healthy. We need to set an example for the rest of the world to see that all people can someday live together in peace. We have lost sight of Gods' purpose for us.
Mandated, unnecessary, expensive medical procedure FORCED UPON YOU BY YOUR GOVERNMENT. This makes any objection these fools make regarding "Obamacare" laughable.
"Sharyl" law? Nice to see you conservatives proving that you are indeed ignorant morons. You also seem to have followed Santorum's advice when it came to getting an education that involved spelling.
The government has a vested interest in health care. That's actually the silliest statement I've ever heard. The government has a vested interest in funding research to cure diseases, in controlling and treating diseases that cause mass epidemics like plague, and in regulating practices to make sure that people are not suffering unnecessary risks or complications that may stem from unethical practices, laziness, being overworked, etc. Government has a lot of vested interest in health care. This does not, however, necessarily mean that government has to tell you what pills you can take or what medical procedures a person can engage in. It just means the government has a responsibility in making sure those pills and procedures are available and safe. Everything else needs to be private.
The Mouzer I hope you are not saying there should not be Medicare and Medicaid. There are a lot of people who could not afford private insurance. The only thing that makes sense to me is Medicare for all, because sooner or later we will all need it.
How on Earth did you get from what she actually said to what you think she said?
Ugh. I would suggest that they keep going with this craziness in order to reduce the chances of being re-elected, but at this point either the Tea Party has a bigger following than I suspect, or we're just going to have to spend billions of taxpayer dollars to fix these shenanigans when realistic people are elected. Boo, Idaho. Boo.
You'll never see enough Dems being elected in Idaho to put them in control. The state is simply too conservative, and is racing rapidly farther and farther to the right with each passing day.
Idaho is a lost cause. Fortunately, nobody outside of Idaho pays any attention to Idaho.
One thing that seems to be lacking in this whole conversation (besides the sheer idiocy of the entire concept) is that with the exception of one (dubiously) documented case, no woman has ever become pregnant without the involvement of a man. All of these ultrasound bills as well as the controversy over contraception squarely puts the onus on women as the "perpetrators" that must be reigned in by policy. Men get off (no pun intended) scott-free. Curiously, it is mostly white men who make and pass these laws. I truly wonder how many of them can honestly say that they have not taken advantage of the benefits of female contraception to satisfy their urges at some point in their lives. "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone". And don't give me that "I've made my peace with God" bull@!$%# as an answer. You know who you are. Newt...Rick...Mitt...et al.
Fascism.
I totally agree Spud...right on
"Senator when you took the oath of office placed your hand upon the Bible and swore to uphold the constitution. You did NOT place your hand on the constitution and swear to uphold your Bible." Jamie Raskin
The Christian Taliban need to be stopped.
Evangelista keep winning...ugh...it will take so much time and energy to unravel all this....
I wonder if there is a reasonable legal challenge to these invasive procedures that are mandated but not paid for...??
why is it that the GOPEEEEE pants want to put gay rights up for referendum ballot vote.. e.g California, and New Jersy, but seem to be unwilling to offer the same plan with women / reproductive rights???
So far, referenda have proved to be a reliable way of suppressing the rights of LGBT individuals, and so far legislation has proven to be a reliable way of suppressing women's rights. Most people are not gay, so based on simple math referenda are the way to go. Slightly more than half of all people are, however, women; but women are a distinct minority among legislators. The consistent principle is what method is the most certain way of guaranteeing the desired outcome.
I"m not real sure about laws and such but, isn't this a violation against The separation of Church and State Provision. Also, I believe it is in violation of the Womens' Rights Amendment. This also is condemning a law that is already in place that has to do with Roe vs. Wade. There is a real attack on religious freedom here, too. They are also being prejudice against poor people who cannot afford Birth Control. I think there needs to be an investigation as to how many Republican women who are in Politics and also married to someone who is, the reports should show how many of these women have used birth control or had an abortion. I think the American People should demand such a list. They want to stick their noses in our business we sure want some of the same rights. If they are going to tell the country how to live then we need to see if they are truly setting an example. How have they lived? How many of their spouses and daughters have used birth control and how many of their family members have had abortions? That shouldn't be too hard to find out and eventually we will.
Economy.
Gas prices.
Foreign policy.
Birth control?
Ultrasound???
What ... is this a lemming convention?
Where's the cliff?
Yep, I'm about ready for a new country... Thanks Tea Party.
WHERE ARE THE PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ORGANIZATIONS?!!! Hellooo?? We can't Heeear You!!!
Their busy trying to figure out how to make money off of this one. America will soon be known as the place where you are mostly likely to get ripped off at least once a day.
Government so small it fits in your uterus. Absolutely disgusting.
Is there an organized effort to track all the lawmakers who have voted for such bills? I'm talking about a national organization for those who want to put their foot down on reproductive rights and stop this effort to have government control over a woman's womb. Nobody in government has the right to decide such things. Persuasion is one thing. Preach at me all day. But make it a law? No. No. NO.
We will need a list too of all Republican women in government who have ever used birth control or will they be loyalist and risk getting pregnant for the good of their party.
The Republican Party seems intent on alienating just about every possible voting group outside of conservative white males in this country. How many jobs will be created when government mandates women take invasive ultrasounds just to exercise their constitutional rights? How much will this shave off of the national debt? The GOP is fully embroiled in a re-ignition of the culture wars, and they will pay a steep price for it. http://www.sunstateactivist.org
When there's some sort of problem, and you know there will be, let's hope the state(s) that pass these ridiculous bills are sued to a fare-thee-well. It will be the least they deserve.
Do they have a similar bill to shove that ultrasound up the guy's pecker so he can share in the humility?
It wouldn't fit in his pecker. Shove it up his ass. Way up.
I wonder how many of those 23 Republicans were Morons, er, I mean Mormons?
most of the idaho legislature is infested with them. I am sure many of the 23 are also. they'll hear from their Elders on this one
What the republitard party is effectively doing is drawing attention away from the fact that the economy is getting better, healthcare is actually on its way to getting more attainable for many (pre-existing and unaffordable) and that the current president has actually kept most of his campaign promises. At least the ones the obstructionists in congress haven't stopped.
They have nothing to run on in this next election. They are creating wedge issues since the majority of voters no longer agree with their past wedge issues.
I have been laid off for two years now and my question is, "How much training does an ultrasound technician need?"
GOP-Got Jobs?
Better yet, who manufactures the ultrasound equipment and which elected officials own stock?
I think I read that some of these laws, actually specify that a Doctor do it. I think it was intended to add to the cost, not to have the best person for the job do it.
So no jobs here.
On the recent "Morning Joe"@MSNBC.com. Santorum actually defended his "no free birth control" by saying,"families are an important ECONOMIC unit" in America... ?? Wow. My friends are my family, and based towards LOVE and GOD, NOT ECONOMICS. What a sad life that guy must have.
I don't think NOT having birth control would stop anyone from sex; and therefore free birth control would only REDUCE future health costs.
Roman Catholics have ALWAYS believed life(the Soul part) started/entered flesh with the first BREATH of air. It was not until just a century ago that folks decided otherwise. Was EVERY Pope for 1900 years, (who supposedly was the voice of God for Catholics) WRONG? I guess they just make up stuff as they want; like the current GOP candidates.
Personally I don't trust institutions like the Church( which tried to control Europe).
I Read the RED WORDS of CHRIST. That's IT.
I am Pro Life AND Pro Abortion, as a result of logic. Though I will never make more babies, only adopt, as Christ did; I believe in Christ and want to live and and enjoy after-flesh with Him.
ALSO:
Would Santorum and the GOP, REALLY deny people free emergency room visits? People are taxed for school, and Fire service, why not BASIC emergency health, and preventative health/dental, plans. MANDATED. the ARMY is mandated because the Government says its in the best interest of all; Even during Vietnam when few of 'all' wanted to go.
At some point, can't this be overturned by the Supreme Court? I don't see how States can get away with this.
It is just as likely to overturn Roe V Wade.
Heaven help us! :(
newsblog
I'm sorry to report that according to Mr Santorum claims he is on the other side.