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Opinion

Pregnant women already facing risks due to insane new state laws

Jul 26, 2022

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Following the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, state abortion laws are in flux. With the procedure now either “illegal or heavily restricted” in at least twelve states, more bans are expected as states seek to take advantage of the nation’s new law. Straight Arrow News contributor Rashad Richey cites several examples showing that since Roe v. Wade was overturned, pregnant women have already been put at great risk:

Okay, I said this would happen: Insane laws being passed by state legislatures all over the United States of America, because of the overturning of Roe v. Wade. I’m going to highlight some of these insane laws and I want you to tell me at the end of this: Do you still believe that overturning Roe v Wade was something that was constitutionally necessary and required?

Let me first take you to legislation in North Carolina. North Carolina has proposed a bill that would actually make it legal to kill a woman who is seeking to abort a fetus.

Now, many lawmakers and some legal scholars, they say the terminology, the wording, is vague and vague enough to imply that if you kill a pregnant woman who’s attempting to abort a fetus then you are within the reading of this legislation — now this is just legislation, it is not yet law.

But there are some things that are. Let me first take you to Wisconsin. In Wisconsin a woman bled for ten days straight because of their misreading of actual law. So a Wisconsin woman bled for more than ten days from an incomplete miscarriage. Now, what does that mean? That means there’s a miscarriage and there’s still fetal tissue that’s pulsating.

Well, according to the medical staff, they thought that the state would have said, “Well, that’s a heartbeat. So you can’t do anything because there’s a heartbeat.” That has already happened in Wisconsin. Now, let me remind the people of Wisconsin, there’s a federal statute, a federal law, that says you must save the life of the woman even if you have to abort a full fetus. At the end of the day that federal statute preempts any state dynamic.

The Department of Justice had to release a memo to remind states that the federal law still applies, if a woman is at risk of losing her life, then preemption takes over, the statute is preemptive, it overrides whatever state law you have passed about a woman’s right to choose.

There’s more. So the emergency room staff in Wisconsin refused to remove the fetal tissue amid a confusion over the legal landscape about a heartbeat or pulsating tissue.

Then in a Texas hospital, the Texas hospital literally refused to save the life of a woman until her ectopic pregnancy — which is a fetus that is situated or positioned in a way where it cannot be born…Okay…they said they refuse to do anything to help this woman until it ruptured, because they say the fetus had a heartbeat. Once again, another misapplication of the law, and not adhering to the preemption law of the federal government.

Now, these states are going to keep doing this until or unless the Department of Justice decides to prosecute those who do not adhere to this particular federal law.

Okay, I said this would happen, insane laws being passed by state legislatures all over the United States of America, because of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, I’m going to highlight some of these insane laws. And I want you to tell me at the end of this, do you still believe that overturning Roe v Wade was something that was constitutionally necessary and required? Let me first take you to legislation in North Carolina, North Carolina has proposed a bill that would actually make it legal to kill a woman who is seeking to abort a fetus. I kid you not North Carolina, Bill 150, a section 39. The language says and I quote any person who willfully seeks to destroy the life of another person by any means, at any stage of life, or succeeds in doing so, shall be held accountable for attempted murder, or for first degree murder, respectively. Any person has the right to defend his or her own life, which is pretty common language. Here’s the kicker or the life of another person. Now according to the context of any stage of life, any person has the right to defend his or her own life, or the life of another person, even by use of deadly force, if necessary, from the destruction willful destruction by another person, there’s more. The state has an interest and duty to defend innocent persons from willful destruction of their lives, and to punish those who take the lives of persons born or unborn. You heard it right, born or unborn, who have not committed any crime punishable by death in North Carolina. Now, many lawmakers and some legal scholars, they say the terminology, the wording is vague and vague enough to imply that if you kill a pregnant woman who’s attempting to abort a fetus than you will within the reading of this legislation now this is just legislation. It is not yet law. But there are some things that are let me first take you to Wisconsin and Wisconsin a woman bled for 10 days 10 days straight because of their misreading of actual law. So Wisconsin woman bled for more than 10 days from an incomplete miscarriage and incomplete miscarriage. Now, what does that mean? That means there’s a miscarriage, and there’s still fetal tissue that’s pulsating? Well, according to the medical staff, they thought that the state would have said, well, that’s a heartbeat. So you can’t do anything because there’s a heartbeat. That has already happened in Wisconsin. Now, let me remind the people of Wisconsin there’s a federal statute a federal law that says you must save the life of the woman, even if you have to abort a full fetus. At the end of the day that federal statute preempts any state dynamic. The Department of Justice had to release a memo to remind states that the federal law still applies. If a woman is in risk is at risk of losing her life, then preemption takes over the statute is pre emptive. it overrides whatever state law you have passed, about a woman’s right to choose. There’s more. So the emergency room staff in Wisconsin refused to remove the fetal tissue amid a confusion over the legal landscape about a heartbeat or pulsating tissue. Okay, then in a Texas hospital. The Texas hospital literally refused to save the life of a woman until her ectopic pregnancy which is a fetus that is situated a position in a way where it cannot be born. Okay. They said they refuse to do anything to help this woman until it ruptured. Because they say the fetus had a heartbeat, once again, another misapplication of the law, and not at hearing Due to the preemption law of the federal government, now, these states are going to keep doing this until or unless the Department of Justice decides to prosecute those who do not adhere to this particular

federal law. There’s more. Just a few weeks ago, a 10 year old child had to leave one state go to another because she was pregnant. But in the state she was pregnant in it did not allow for her to seek an abortion. Because they said, no exception. Not even with raping incest, you have to understand how barbaric that is. If you’re telling me that your rules and your laws and your ideology are rooted in protecting children, do you not believe that a 10 year old who has already been molested, has been raped? And is now pregnant? Do you not believe that if you force her to bring that fetus to force her to birth a child? Do you not think that is in fact abusive to that child? Not only mentally, but physically a rips a 10 year old apart? Why do you not see that as abuse, forced abuse by way of actual law on a 10 year old child who had choice taken away from her because of monster molested her and then the state molester by way of their own policies.

There’s more. Republicans are now creating legislation that would make it illegal for a pregnant woman to travel outside of their state where abortion is illegal, and traveled to a state where it is

they would make it illegal for a woman to exercise a right to choice a right of choice in another state. They will say you cannot do that you cannot leave this state, go to another state exercise your right of choice, your freedom of choice and then come back to this state. They’re crafting legislation right now in places like Texas and others that would make that a crime, literally, a crime. Think about how insane this is, you know, the Constitution gives us the right of what’s called interstate travel is under the Commerce Clause of the US Constitution. Once again, if legislators are able to pass a law that regulates the movement of pregnant women who would like to seek a legal abortion in another state, that’s another right taken away from only who Yep, women, once again, it gets even deeper than that. The restriction of interstate travel is something that the Department of Justice once again, a few weeks ago, released a statement saying you can’t create legislation to stop women who may be pregnant from traveling to another state in order to exercise their freedom of choice. But damn these memos, Department of Justice, what are you going to do in order to hold people accountable to the federal law that provides some level of protection to these women who are seeking a legal option? Now, let me remind you, this is not about life. The same people will tell you this is about life of the same people who are okay with a 10 year old having a fetus rip her body apart. This is not about life. These are the same people who are totally different programs that would actually help mothers bring a child to full birth. This is not about life, the same individuals who are pro death penalty, pro war, pro defunding, organizations, nonprofits, foster programs that help life as it is that helped youth as they are that help in the foster care community, those same individuals are the one proclaiming to be pro life. This is not about life. This is about control. This is about, as they say, making America great again, you know what they’re great again means when women did not have choices, when black folk did not have choices. Have you ever heard of one state that has a ban on gambling? Say if you travel to another state that allows gambling. When you come back to this state, we’re going to prosecute you under our state laws. As a matter of fact, they have charter buses that will leave the state where it’s illegal to gamble. take people from that state to a state where it’s legal to gamble on those charter bus companies in danger of any prosecution from the state that makes it illegal to gamble. Or what about a state where it’s illegal to smoke marijuana like Alabama. Somebody may want to travel to Colorado where you can smoke marijuana with out fear of penalty. Slagle, if you do that when you come back to Alabama, is there a law that says they will prosecute you for leaving their state in order to exercise a freedom? That’s lawful in Colorado? Of course not. These laws only apply to women. That’s it. Their creativity and legislation has been used in order to restrict the voices of women. I ask you Is this about life? Or is it about something else?

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