Good God...

[niankhsekhmet]

Thank you to sunfell for pointing out this complete and utter OUTRAGE.

Gee, maybe I am glad I had my tubes tied so long ago because I have had about five miscarriaged in my life. I am also glad I don't live in Virginia. Hell, if I did, they would probably lock me up and throw away the key if this bill had been in effect!

Comments

[nemtetsemnewty.livejournal.com]

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What was the article about?
Curious
Nemtetsemnewty, the tired....too tired to sleep.

[mmc327.livejournal.com]

She's referring to http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/1/6/194434/1328.

Basically, one VA legislator wants to pass a law that says that if you have a miscarriage and you don't report it within 12 hours to proper authorities, you could land in prison for up to a year.
That's just great. That happens to be where I live.
Hell. Never mind. The governor's a Democrat who's been known to stand up to the legislature before so I think this bill doesn't have as good a chance at becoming law as its sponsor may wish.

[earenwe.livejournal.com]

*blinks* I agree with you, mmc327, that it'll probably never be passed, but the idea that someone could propose that sort of legislature is. No words.

[nemtetsemnewty.livejournal.com]

VA Legislative Sentry: Have a Miscarriage, Go to JAIL?
by Maura in VA
Thu Jan 6th, 2005 at 16:44:34 PST

Imagine the following scenario. You are at home alone at 8:00 on a Friday night. You are 8 weeks pregnant. All of a sudden, you begin to experience heavy cramping and bleeding. You realize with shock and sadness that you are probably experiencing a miscarriage. You are overwhelmed with grief and surprised by the intensity of physical pain involved. When your partner comes home, you break the sad news to him. Over the next few hours, you suffer pain, cramping, and intermittent bleeding. Exhausted, you finally fall asleep in your partner's arms around 4 AM. You sleep until noon.

Guess what? You just earned yourself up to 12 months in jail and a $2,500 fine. Why? Because you failed to call the cops and report your miscarriage within 12 hours.

True? Not yet. But if Delegate John Cosgrove (R-78) has his way, HB1677 will become law in a few short months, and this scenario will be reality for many women in Virginia. Incredulous? Outraged? Read on below the jump for more information on this odious bill.

I don't know if it won't be passed but if it is, it won't be upheld by the United States Supreme Court.

I state this for several reasons.

1. It would go against the right to privacy which is the backbone of a woman's right to choose if she should terminate a pregnancy or not.
2. Embryos are not considered to be Human life at this time within the legal system because embryos are considered to be cells - not human being in their own right - so its not
   a crime.
3. It's not inforceable.

At the risk of sounding weird, I wonder if this is not a reactionary response to the murder of the young woman who bred rat terriors and who had her child ripped from her womb? It seems the alledged murderer is a woman who had had a miscarriage; concealed the fact from
family, friends and loved ones and behaved as if she were pregnant. Why she chose this course of action is anyone's guess.

To curtail every womans rights because of the behaviour of one clearly unbalanced woman is
very short sighted. I think that thinking men and women of reason will see it for what it see and not pass this bill. Should reactionaries have their day, I doubt the United States Supreme Court will NOT uphold it.

AUS
Nemtetsemnewty

[cavefelem.livejournal.com]

Whaaaat?! I don't get it. Why?! That makes just as much sense as having to report a sprained ankle to the "proper authorities".

[shemem.livejournal.com]

It's another step in the anti-abortion movement.

[niankhsekhmet.livejournal.com]

Thank you for correcting. *sigh* I was really tired!

[niankhsekhmet.livejournal.com]

What I find absurd is that the legislator wrote back to the disgruntled constituent and said that this was merely to take care of the "trash can babies" syndrome that they have in VA apparently.

Yeah, well read your own bill, guy. That is not how the language is written, and it was definitely narrowed by legal definition.

[vireoibis.livejournal.com]

Apparently some (all?) anti-choicers cannot tell the difference between a miscarriage and a birth.

[victorian--rose.livejournal.com]

As if a miscarriage isn't stressful enough. That's just asinine.

[maiem.livejournal.com]

o_O Not even I thought people were THAT fucking stupid. Ugh, one more damn letter for me to write...I really do like Virginia, but the people are all STUPID! >_

[maiem.livejournal.com]

Someone in the NOVA lj community posted the proposal itself: http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?051+ful+HB1677

[jayed.livejournal.com]

Sorry to post out of topic..:)

Nice Snake!
:)

[digitalsabre.livejournal.com]

And 'kay I read the proposal and it doesn't say anything about "trash-can babies".

But I do see, tangentically, how it could prevent that from happening.

That's not to say it's right. It's fucking nuts, that's what it is. Stupid lawmakers.

It could be done better. For example (and don't get mad at me, I'm just a thinker who has thunk): I think it'd be much more reasonable to require a woman to report a miscarriage to her physician. And give her some more time (like another 12 hours, at least). Said physician would be stuck with the woman's right to privacy. And would be much more well equipped to determine whether the woman "miscarried" a full term pregnancy, and possibly get help for any child, without interceding in the woman's privacy.

A line I once heard in a story read, "One Man's Turnip is Another Man's Dinner." Since I'm just a thinker, and not a woman, I have no right to actually suggest the above paragraph. I only put it out to be accepted or discarded. It could be trash. It could be gold. Agreement with it is good, but only as good as disagreement, from my standpoint.

[nemtetsemnewty.livejournal.com]

Hey welcome back. I added you. I did not know you undeleted your journal.
Huggles.
N.

[jayed.livejournal.com]

Its madness!! Its serious madness!
Its a lead onto anti abortion laws, and checking loss's for sign of drugs, or other abortion methods..:(

I am sorry to hear that you have had several miscarrages.:(

[pseudo-kemetic.livejournal.com]

oh. um. fcku.

Just when you think you've seen the worst of what politicians think they can do over the pond, they pull something like this.

Right now, I'm *very* glad to be English.