The Perverse, Potentially Lethal Consequences of Lindsey Graham's Federal Abortion Ban

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/09/lindsey-graham-republicans-federal-abortion-ban.html

On Tuesday, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham unveiled a bill that would impose a federal ban on abortion at 15 weeks of pregnancy with a few very narrow exceptions. The senator, reversing his prior position that abortion should be left to the states, now seeks to override blue states’ more liberal laws by establishing a nationwide cutoff. If enacted, Graham’s bill would criminalize abortion at the exact moment in pregnancy when dangerous fetal anomalies and maternal health problems come to light. It would force many patients with high-risk pregnancies and severe fetal defects to flee the United States in search of legal termination. It would condemn countless sexual assault victims, including children, to bear their rapist’s child. In short, Graham’s measure would spread the tragic, potentially deadly consequences of red state abortion bans to the entire country.

Republicans have sought to cast a 15-week limit as the moderate alternative to an absolute federal prohibition, though it would leave stricter state-level bans in place. It would also federalize some of the most extreme and unpopular aspects of these existing bans. Like those laws, the Graham bill allows abortions only when “necessary to save the life of a pregnant woman,” rejecting a broader exception for maternal health. It includes no exception for fetal anomalies, no matter how grave.

Unfortunately, many genetic and physical defects can only be detected after the 15th week of pregnancy. As The 19th reported in August, the earliest point when doctors can detect anomalies is between 15 and 22 weeks, when scans show fetal organ structures. Certain abnormalities detected at this stage, like Trisomy 18 and anencephaly, render fetuses “incompatible with life,” meaning they will die during birth or shortly thereafter. At most, if carried to term, these children will live just for hours or days in immense pain. And continuing the pregnancy often puts the patient at heightened risk of medical complications.

The lack of an exception for fetal anomalies in Graham’s bill is intentional. For years, the anti-abortion movement has sought to outlaw abortions due to fetal “disability.” Before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, at least nine states had passed these bans. Three states also gagged doctors from even raising the possibility of termination with patients after diagnosing fetal abnormalities.

*snip*

[Ilsa]

1. Another Gag rule:

Three states also gagged doctors from even raising the possibility of termination with patients after diagnosing fetal abnormalities.

I'm so sick of these people in government practicing medicine fraudulently and not allowing doctors to tell their patients the truth about their medical condition. The AMA and other associations need to remind Congress that doctors are obligated to be honest with their patients.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

2. Government-forced birth is an abomination. We need to root out and vote out theocrats.

Roe, Roe, Roe your vote
against theocracy!
Republicans revoke your rights
and kill democracy!

Donate to 38 House candidates: https://www.democraticunderground.com/100217067267
Stick 'em up for a blue wave: https://www.democraticunderground.com/100217078977

[Solly Mack]

3. I'm not a pacifist.

That's it. That's my comment.

Oh, and a system that arbitrarily strips me of my rights has also removed any possibility for justice.

[DFW]

4. As if Graham would have the slightest clue about any women's issue

The last woman to tell him good night in bed was his mother. He should stick to what he knows, and if that’s nothing, so be it.

[NNadir]

5. As it happens, I'm familiar with Edward's syndrome, trisomy 18

During my wife's pregnancy with my oldest son, her NIPT screen suggested a risk of trisomy 18. We were sent to a genetic counselor who recommended an amniocentesis which we had We would have aborted the fetus if it came back positive, but happily, the test came back normal.

My son it turned out had a somatic single nucleotide polymorphism that had consequences on his trigeminal neurodevelopment and associated vascularity, but happily the consequences were nothing like Edward's syndrome, which usually results in spontaneous abortion, miscarriage, or a stillbirth. Viable newborns usually die within a year, although in rare cases, severely disabled infants can survive longer.

I have always wondered if the NIPT testing actually picked up someone related to the SNP, although I doubt it.

My son is fine despite his mild facial difference which, along with his personality, makes him unforgettable.

One thing is certain however, I certainly wouldn't have wanted an ignorant bigot thug Senator involved in our family's decisions.

[Heather MC]

6. Stop letting men who've never seen a vagina, make decisions about women's bodies🖕🏾

Can we at least all agree to that?

This is absolutely insane.
What does he possibly know about a vagina, when if he ever saw one in person he would probably say "eww... that's what they look like"