Thursday, November 10, 2022

BEWARE OF UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES

UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF ABORTION BANS:

Misunderstandings about abortion abound! And, most people don't know that there is anything that they don't know or misunderstand.

Do anti-choice people really REALLY understand that they will be bound by these laws, too? Unless they are wealthy, of couse. 

The 2 biggest misunderstandings about abortion - that influence all the others - are

1.  Not knowing what abortion is. Yep. That is true.

2.  Not understanding how complicated medical decisions are, how deep and wide the knowledge & experience of HCP's, and that there are often no black:white decisions to be made. When you vote for politicians who are anti-abortion, you are voting for women and girls -- and their families -- to lose their voices in making their own health care decisions.

Consequences of #AbortonBans:

 -> OB-GYN resident docs are leaving the state. In fact, medical recruters are seeking doctors from states like Wisconsin -- with an 1849 abortion ban waiting in the wings -- to move to states that guarantee the right to abortion.

-> OB-GYN programs have trouble training doctors in procedures such as dilation and curretage -- D&C.  Doctors and women are in danger of being criminally charged even if the procedure had nothing to do with an abortion. Even if the fetus is already dead. Even if the fetus is "incompatible with life." 

-> Doctors are afraid to perform salpinectomies to remove tubal pregnancies. Embryos which implant outside the uterus cannot live. These "ectopic pregnancies" can kill the mother or can cause her to lose one of her tubes. 

-> Couples can't get infertility treatment. Yep. Couples are not able to get IVF under abortion restrictions or bans. This is heartbreaking.

-> IVF clinics will close/move to other states. Illinoise will now get this business.

-> Families of unconscious pregnant women cannot make medical decisions for them! Imagine, your wife is unconscious after an accident and the ER is waiting for the dying fetus to finally die before working to save her life.

-> Poverty will rise. Abortion is an economic issue. The inabililty to get an abortion will have a huge impact on the financial stability of families. 

-> Incidence of infection/sepsis will rise.

-> Incidence of genetic disorders will rise.

-> Adoptions will NOT increase

-> Need for "welfare" & services WILL increase

-> There will NOT be a sharp rise in foster parenting 

-> Women WILL die as a result

-> More infants WILL die at birth or soon after

-> The negative consequences will be most felt by POC and in rural areas

These are the tragic consequencies when ignorant politicians make medical decisions. 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday, August 12, 2022

MY VERY DEAR ROCK COUNTY FRIENDS

To Rock County, WI Board of Supervisors: 


I love you madly! But... I hated that the recent meeting I attended sounded a lot like a DJT rally. Oh, dear!


And, the people speaking at the meeting sounded like -- I don't want to be rude, but -- evangelical preachers at a tent revival meeting in 1955! 

 

All we wanted was 3 itty bitty non-binding resolutions on Rock County ballots in the Nov 8 election. Just let the people speak - via the ballot box.


A non-binding resolution is, essentially, a poll of voters’ views and opinions. Shouldn’t our Supervisors want to know voters views?

 

We are very disappointed in the Rock County Board of Supervisors’ failure to put forward three proposed non-binding resolutions for the ballots in Rock County on: Bodily autonomy; gun safety; and marijuana.

 

We were also disappointed that the issues were framed as “partisan” and “controversial” even though all three issues have broad support among voters. I was at the planning meetings for the issue of bodily autonomy. Using this issue to “get out the vote” never occurred to us.

But, it did to you, evidently.

 

Someone also rallied anti-choice, anti-marijuana, and anti-gun safety speakers.

 

There were many absolutely untrue statements made about all three issues - factually demonstrably untrue.

 

-> Here is one example: It was stated that a dilation and curettage (D&C) is not abortion. It definitely is. So is the treatment for ectopic pregnancy – salpingectomy. Women are in danger of bleeding to death or dying of infection under the current 1849 Wisconsin law. <-

 

Currently, politicians are legislating medical treatment. That is terrifying! Doctors and patients should be making medical decisions.

 

Are our supervisors better informed than the speakers? I hope so!

 

The non-binding resolution in support of bodily autonomy should be on ballots across the state of Wisconsin. The current abortion law in effect was written before women even had the right to vote! 1849!

 

1.    One branch of the US Government took away a constitutional right:  We all have the innate right to bodily autonomy.

 

2.    As citizens of a Constitutional Republic we still have the right to free speech and the ballot box is a major part of that.

 

3.    We still have the right to freedom of religion.

 

Everyone should be able to make all decisions about their OWN health care with their OWN doctors, families, partners, and religious counselors.

 

The federal government took away that guarantee and now state government can impose bans our own bodily autonomy. Government!

 

Women -- and couples -- are competent free people with the innate right to make personal private decisions. But, the government thinks otherwise.

 

Do men realize that if their wife were unconscious and couldn’t make areproductive decisions for herself, the state would make them – not her partner?

 

The recent SCOTUS decision is a blow to the freedom and constitutional rights of women AND couples.

 

++ We deserve the right to free speech on this and every issue.

 The Rock County Board denied the voters of our county the avenue to express their views at the ballot box. Period!


+++ We have freedom of religion in this country. We are not a “Christian” nation.  Wisconsin is imposing bans that violate that right and force all religions to follow some Christian religions on this issue.

 

Many religions do not oppose abortion and support the right to make personal private health care decisions.  No one should have to follow others’ religious values on personal private decisions.

Conservative Judaism, Reform Judaism, the United Church of ChristUnitarian Universalists and other major religion support the right to abortion.


SUMMARY

When the government deprives people of the right to make their own reproductive decisions it violates  their God given and US Constitutional rights.

 

Government bans on bodily autonomy also violates freedom of religion

 

The Constitution guarantees freedom of speech – and voting is an exercise in free speech. Rock County citizens are being denied that right by the Rock County Board. Don’t people who oppose bodily autonomy also have the right to express that view?


Again, I thank you for your service to our community.


 

https://www.co.rock.wi.us/government/county-board-of-supervisors

 

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/06/24/what-the-data-says-about-abortion-in-the-u-s-2/

 

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/abortion

 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/religions-support-abortion-rights-leaders-are-speaking-rcna27194