I knew Bush would try to slip one under the wire...

[mousme]

To be honest, I expected another war. What he's slipping under the wire, however is legislation that would allow any medical professional to refuse their services to a woman needing an abortion, on religious or ethical grounds. No matter who: the doctor, the nurse, the anaesthesiologist, anyone could walk away from a woman in need, even if they're the only one for two hundred miles who can perform the job.

Clinics that receive government funds would have to abide by this rule, and could not fire someone for not doing their job, even if they are the only person in a hundred miles who could do it. Even if it is the only abortion-providing facility in the state.

It's sneaky, in a brilliantly twisted way. No need to make abortion illegal, which would be a messy legal tangle. No, instead, you can just make it impossible to obtain the service.

Props to the_xtina for pointing me to this entry, which explains it better than I can, and also gives many handy links to follow if you want to take action. Please, if you're an American citizen in particular, take a few moments to write an email, at the very least.

Comments

[talyesin.livejournal.com]

I'm forced to wonder how much actual effect it could have. I mean, if you object that strongly to abortion, why would you work at a clinic were abortions were provided?

[pdaughter.livejournal.com]

I find this absolutely disgusting!

Although I'm not american I will still take some time to either send off an email or a post through one of the links.

I'm mind boggled and did I say disgusted!

I can't get my head around this... sheesh! This is just another one of those things that makes me SO glad I live here.

[chasingthenuns.livejournal.com]

you do know that in that thing he wants to pass the definition of abortion is so wide that it could also be used to describe most forms of birth control? Yet, no one here seems to care.

[miseri.livejournal.com]

Here's the thing. If you believe that action X is horrifyingly immoral, unethical and wrong, would you accept a law that insisted you do it?

Consider that a lot of the people who are against abortion see it as no different from killing babies -- would you kill a baby because its mother told you that, for whatever reason, it had to be done? You may say that it is in fact not the same thing at all, but put yourself for a moment in the shoes of someone who really and truly saw it as exactly the same thing.

To force a doctor to provide a service that he or she considers immoral would be to force your own version of morality on him: legislating morality, in other words, and no different from any law that forbids willing doctors from performing abortions. I'm no fan of Bush, but as I see it, this law seems eminently sensible.

[kino-kid.livejournal.com]

Appalling.

[fearsclave.livejournal.com]

Don't worry. There's still plenty of time for Dubya to drop the bomb on Iran.

We really should hold a party for when he's out of office, whenever his replacement gets sworn in. Light a fire and drink some whiskey and let off some fireworks or something in celebration of the chimpanzee no longer having the power to fuck things up.

[sorceror.livejournal.com]

Frankly, I'm surprised that medical professionals aren't *already* allowed to refuse to perform abortions. To me it's very obviously a matter of conscience: how can anyone say a doctor should be forced to provide a non-theraputic abortion against his or her beliefs?