An alarming bill requiring an ultrasound 24-72 hours before an abortion can be performed has been introduced in the Tennessee Legislature and is being cosponsored by three local state representatives, Jon Lundberg, Matthew Hill and Tony Shipley. Planned Parenthood has described this legislation as an effort to shame women and is a governmental intrusion into women’s lives.
What’s next — legislation to declare that a fertilized egg is a full human being? Many politicians today are too young to remember the days of back-alley abortions and coat hangers. We older citizens do remember those dark days of our past.
Many of us are Christians who are both pro-life and pro-choice — depending on the circumstances of each woman — and we strongly reject the narrow position of the Roman Catholic Church and fundamental protestant Christians who are intent on imposing their religious convictions on everybody else. A person can support abortion without endorsing abortion as a birth control method.
Many women who face an unwanted or unplanned pregnancy are poor and less educated, so who is going to pay for these ultrasounds — the man who impregnated the woman? How can our politicians legislate exactly when an ultrasound has to be performed, and doesn’t a doctor have to schedule these?
Our legislators on both the state and federal levels need to get out of our bedrooms and our sex lives.
Also, where are the sensible, conservative voices of the Republican Party of past years — people like Sen. Everett Dirksen of Illinois and the very popular speaker/author William F. Buckley? The Republican Party today is a far cry from the party of Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft and even Ronald Reagan.
Call or write your representative to stop this ultrasound bill, hopefully before it even gets to a committee vote.
CAROLYN B. BAILEY
Bristol
bakerjw writes:
March 4, 2013
3:35 PM
With great power comes great responsibility and there is no greater power in this life than the ability to create a new life. Since it is allowed, the decision to destroy that life should be an informed one. You even state that many of these women are "less educated". What is wrong with educating them about how developed their "fetus" is? Is there such a fear that they might see a face or a hand and decide to not go through with a procedure that is very lucrative to the clinic?
If the abortion industry is so caring, then why do they charge for their services?
Lastly, "A person can support abortion without endorsing abortion as a birth control method." The sad fact is that more than 90% of abortions are for convenience. They are not noble reasons such as rape, or incest, or to protect the life of the mother. They are for those instances where someone was irresponsible.
In this country it is legal to terminate a pregnancy from conception to natural birth. That is the reality of abortion, day 1 to week 40. Yes, as gruesome as it sounds you can legally terminate a viable baby. Myself, I will err on the side of caution because the stakes are just too high.
skdowd writes:
March 7, 2013
5:28 PM
It is no one's business but the girl's/woman's, or the couple's. Go ahead and try to legislate morality.