"I would like to listen to the 50 million-plus children that have been aborted and killed since Roe v. Wade,' the senator says.
April 9, 2012 12:47 PM Subscribe
Why is Arizona's potential late-term abortion ban different from all other late-term abortion bans? It counts a fetus's age from up to two weeks before conception.
The State of Arizona is considering a bill that would make it the seventh state in recent years to ban late-term abortions based on the controversial idea that fetuses can feel pain starting at 20 weeks. H.B. 2036 contains a provision defining gestational age as "calculated from the first day of the last menstrual period of the pregnant woman."
As with the recent bill in Virginia (previously), Arizona's bill includes mandatory ultrasounds, as well as imposing a 24-hour waiting period and creating criminal penalties for doctors in violation of the law.
The bill passed the state Senate last week and is currently before the House.
The State of Arizona is considering a bill that would make it the seventh state in recent years to ban late-term abortions based on the controversial idea that fetuses can feel pain starting at 20 weeks. H.B. 2036 contains a provision defining gestational age as "calculated from the first day of the last menstrual period of the pregnant woman."
As with the recent bill in Virginia (previously), Arizona's bill includes mandatory ultrasounds, as well as imposing a 24-hour waiting period and creating criminal penalties for doctors in violation of the law.
The bill passed the state Senate last week and is currently before the House.
This post was deleted for the following reason: Creeping crappy legislation is a bad deal but this feels like we're more in "here's some potentially crappy news like the previous crappy news from other states" territory at this point than anything, and the pullquote title is like an extra helping of fight-starter. -- cortex
What's the distribution of conception measured in days after the last menstrual period? Is it a normal curve centered between two periods?
posted by michaelh at 12:51 PM on April 9, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by michaelh at 12:51 PM on April 9, 2012 [1 favorite]
I speculate that this will be shot down before it gets much further.
Really? This is Arizona we're talking about, y'know.
posted by Thorzdad at 12:51 PM on April 9, 2012
Really? This is Arizona we're talking about, y'know.
posted by Thorzdad at 12:51 PM on April 9, 2012
I speculate that this will be shot down before it gets much further.
What about Arizona's recent history led you to the prediction of sanity prevailing?
posted by Horace Rumpole at 12:52 PM on April 9, 2012 [2 favorites]
What about Arizona's recent history led you to the prediction of sanity prevailing?
posted by Horace Rumpole at 12:52 PM on April 9, 2012 [2 favorites]
Isn't this the standard, medically accepted way to count pregnancy weeks?
posted by grog at 12:53 PM on April 9, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by grog at 12:53 PM on April 9, 2012 [1 favorite]
Women of Arizona: you are pregnant. It doesn't matter what's happening in your womb; you are pregnant under the law. Failure to produce a live infant every nine months precisely constitutes proof of abortion.
posted by Fnarf at 12:54 PM on April 9, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Fnarf at 12:54 PM on April 9, 2012 [1 favorite]
Not that this isn't insane, but counting a pregnancy from the date of the last menstrual period is standard practice, since that is known but the exact time of conception generally is not.
posted by Flannery Culp at 12:54 PM on April 9, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Flannery Culp at 12:54 PM on April 9, 2012 [1 favorite]
I speculate that this will be shot down before it gets much further.
What about Arizona's recent history led you to the prediction of sanity prevailing?
I too am wondering this. Really?
A state where prisoners in a county jail are kept outside in tents (in over 100 degree heat) and fed only bologna sandwiches?
A state that is so racist they didn't want to implement the Martin Luther King holiday?
So, please explain, because right now I'm thrilled to death I left, because that shit scares me senseless.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 12:55 PM on April 9, 2012
What about Arizona's recent history led you to the prediction of sanity prevailing?
I too am wondering this. Really?
A state where prisoners in a county jail are kept outside in tents (in over 100 degree heat) and fed only bologna sandwiches?
A state that is so racist they didn't want to implement the Martin Luther King holiday?
So, please explain, because right now I'm thrilled to death I left, because that shit scares me senseless.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 12:55 PM on April 9, 2012
This is going to be tough to strike down, the bill also has an ironclad no-take-backs! provision.
posted by 2bucksplus at 12:55 PM on April 9, 2012
posted by 2bucksplus at 12:55 PM on April 9, 2012
Ardiril, so you're saying that the bill will be aborted?
posted by Old'n'Busted at 12:55 PM on April 9, 2012
posted by Old'n'Busted at 12:55 PM on April 9, 2012
Rar. Bad idea may become bad law. May not become bad law. Why should this be the exception?
posted by Ardiril at 12:59 PM on April 9, 2012
posted by Ardiril at 12:59 PM on April 9, 2012
It counts a fetus's age from up to two weeks before conception.
What's next? Counting the fetus's age from the night of the first date?
posted by jonp72 at 1:00 PM on April 9, 2012
What's next? Counting the fetus's age from the night of the first date?
posted by jonp72 at 1:00 PM on April 9, 2012
Rar. Bad idea may become bad law. May not become bad law. Why should this be the exception?
What's exceptional is that usually, a bad idea that might become a bad law is just that: a bad idea. This, unlike most (though not all) bad ideas, has a dollop of outright absurdity to it (a woman potentially being defined by the law as pregnant before she's even had sex) that's very straightforward.
posted by Tomorrowful at 1:01 PM on April 9, 2012
What's exceptional is that usually, a bad idea that might become a bad law is just that: a bad idea. This, unlike most (though not all) bad ideas, has a dollop of outright absurdity to it (a woman potentially being defined by the law as pregnant before she's even had sex) that's very straightforward.
posted by Tomorrowful at 1:01 PM on April 9, 2012
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posted by Ardiril at 12:49 PM on April 9, 2012