Conservatives' junk science is having real consequences

[Eugene]

Source: Washington Post

Conservatives’ junk science is having real consequences

By Dana Milbank
Columnist
May 17 at 4:19 PM

Louis Brandeis imagined that states could serve as laboratories of democracy. At the moment, they are serving as a bunch of mad scientists.

The Supreme Court justice envisioned states trying “novel social and economic experiments.” But he could not have anticipated just how novel the thinking would be of Alabama state Sen. Clyde Chambliss (R), author of the state’s toughest-in-the-nation law, which bans virtually all abortions, even in cases of rape and incest.

“I’m not trained medically, so I don’t know the proper medical terminology and timelines,” the legislator-scientist said during this week’s debate on his bill. “But from what I’ve read, what I’ve been told, there’s some period of time before you can know a woman is pregnant. .?.?. It takes some time for all those chromosomes and all that.”

Chambliss then argued that, under his law, women would be free to get abortions during this period of time — so long as they don’t yet know they are pregnant. So a victim of incest could get an abortion? “Yes, until she knows she’s pregnant,” he reasoned, as journalist Abbey Crain recounted.

The genius behind the abortion law elaborated: “She has to do something to know whether she’s pregnant or not. It takes time for all the chromosomes to come together.”

-snip-

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/our-states-are-laboratories--run-right-now-by-mad-scientists/2019/05/17/94da1a72-78aa-11e9-bd25-c989555e7766_story.html

[3Hotdogs]

1. HOLY FUCK ! Unbelievable, that asshole gets to vote on anything?

[Beartracks]

2. "I'm not trained medically..." And amazingly...

... as the friggin' AUTHOR of such a bill, he still never bothered to learn anything about the process he's trying to control.

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[Beartracks]

3. This seems like a good thread to post this picture.

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[csziggy]

4. By this logic EVERY woman should take a morning after pill every time she has sex

After all, if she does not yet know whether or not she is pregnant, that is legal, isn't it? That would be the only way women could not have unwanted children.

Of course, women who want those children but finds out later that they died in the womb or will have horrific birth defects that doom the infants to a short, painful life are screwed. They would not be able to protect themselves if they find out that they have an ectopic pregnancy that will kill them and the fetus (despite the delusions of some of these Republican idiots that the fetus can be implanted in a womb).

[jmowreader]

5. This could be entertaining

"Good afternoon, Planned Parenthood of Alabama. How can I help you?"

"Hi, this is Emma. I need to come in for an abortion by Friday afternoon."

"As you know, the State of Alabama has a heartbeat abortion law that prohibits the procedure after six weeks of pregnancy. Do you know when you conceived?"

"Actually ma'am, I'm not pregnant. Or at least I don't think I am."

"Then why do you want an abortion?"

"Because Senator Chambliss says I can't have one after I know I'm pregnant, so I guess I better get that taken care of now and save the rush."

"I...see...Emma, when was the last time you had sex?"

"Oh, this is for the sex I'm going to have on Saturday night. I figure we should just go ahead and get the damn thing out of there before it even gets the chance to be conceived. Don't you think that's prudent?"

"As prudent as anything else that goes on in this fucking state. Okay, so I've got you down for a pre-need abortion on Thursday at 3:30...would you like me to give you some free condoms while you're here?"