[
Update: New post - McDonnell Caves on Ultrasounds, Where Do We Go From Here]
Goodness, it's getting hard to keep up with all the new pro-abortion hysterics, it seems as if a new one comes up every day (Obama is happy, I'm sure)! From
Komen temporarily defunding Planned Parenthood, to Obamacare
mandating free contraception, now it's a bill in Virginia that would require ultrasounds be performed to determine the gestational age of an unborn baby to be aborted.
Gestational age is important for determining which abortion procedure to execute - Jill Stanek has some
examples in Virginia of
abortionists disciplined for complications arising from their misjudgment of the age of the babies they attempted to kill. The outrage is that pro-choice extremists are trying to say that the ultrasound requirement, because some ultrasounds are trans-vaginal, is "
state-sanctioned rape!" Yep.
As
Red State "streiff" blogger notes, trans-vaginal ultrasounds are not specifically required by the bill (
S.B. 484), only that an ultrasound "
be made pursuant to standard medical practice in the community." In most cases, an abdominal ultrasound will be used. Although trans-vaginal ultrasounds are better for detecting pregnancies between 4 1/2-6 weeks, that is only a
short period of time in which they are considered more reliable than abdominal ultrasounds.
Additionally, according to the
National Abortion Federation, some women may
choose them: "Some patients find TVU [transvaginal ultrasound]
more comfortable than TAU [Transabdominal ultrasound] because TVU does not require a distended bladder." But of course, feminazis don't listen to reason, they just want distract you with the word
RAPE!!! (Google "
The Big Lie," by the way, and tell me this is not it.)
RHRealityCheck.com - a
rabidly extreme pro-abortion website was among the first to say that an ultrasound is
"State-Sanctioned Rape," bizarrely citing this definition of rape from
VA law:
§ 18.2-61. Rape.
A. If any person has sexual intercourse with a complaining witness, whether or not his or her spouse, or causes a complaining witness, whether or not his or her spouse, to engage in sexual intercourse with any other person and such act is accomplished (i) against the complaining witness's will, by force, threat or intimidation of or against the complaining witness or another person; or (ii) through the use of the complaining witness's mental incapacity or physical helplessness; or (iii) with a child under age 13 as the victim, he or she shall be guilty of rape.
Um, explain to me again how the abortionist is having "sexual intercourse" with his victim against their will in this situation ... ? (
Although that has happened!) I thought there would be something in there about penetration with an object at the very least! Pretty much
big fail in utilizing legal definitions there, RHRC. Sounds like they are the ones in need of a
reality check.
But that doesn't stop
useful idiot Dahlia Lithwick from jumping on the theme of rape in
her article in Slate. Here's a list of all the ways she alludes to trans-vaginal ultrasound as rape:
"bodily intrusion," "forcibly penetrated for no medical reason," "physicians who would merely like to perform their jobs without physically violating their own patients," "physical intrusion by government into the vagina of a pregnant woman," "unwanted penetration with a medical device violates either the undue burden test or the right to bodily autonomy," and "physically invading a woman’s body against her will."
She finishes off with "One might hope that even the benign act of giving women 'more information' not be allowed to happen by
forcing it between her legs." Right, as if she's just fine with the regular trans-abdominal ultrasounds that will result from this law, it's only the trans-vaginal part she has a problem with! Hey, you know what actually
is a state-sanctioned, vaginally penetrative, invasive procedure? An
abortion!
Regarding the idea of women not giving "consent,"
Virginia S.B. 484 says that the ultrasound is "
a component of informed consent to an abortion," which means it is consented to if an abortion is consented to - contrary to feminazis trying to say it would be forced without consent and thus rape. Women are told ahead of time that an ultrasound will be involved, so the idea that it is "
physically invading a woman’s body against her will" is ridiculous. Furthermore, ultrasounds are
already a part of the abortion process in many cases, but pro-choice radicals won't let that get in the way of a good
false rape charge to further their agenda.
The Slate rape-scare screed also cites an American Independent (TAI) article titled
"Virginia ultrasound bill at odds with medical standards," which sounds like it's going to tell you that these ultrasounds are medically unnecessary. TAI turns to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) to find out "
when it is appropriate to administer a trans-vaginal ultrasound." The ACOG helpfully pointed out that abortion was not on their list, but lo and behold, the list includes "
to estimate gestational age," which is
exactly what the VA bill calls for the ultrasound to do!
TAI also notes that the ACOG has a pamphlet on what to expect in preparation of a first trimester abortion which includes this sentence: "
An ultrasound exam may be done to confirm the date of the pregnancy." But WAIT, how can that be! I thought the ultrasound bill was at odds with medical standards! Here the ACOG tells patients to prepare for an ultrasound for the
exact reasons the VA bill states! This means that many women are
already getting ultrasounds before abortions -
are they being raped against their will by the state, too?
In fact, Commentary says "
Ultrasounds Already Part of VA Planned Parenthood Abortion Procedure" – is Slate going to say these women are being "
forcibly penetrated for no medical reason?" Are abortionists who do trans-vaginal ultrasounds already "
physically violating their own patients?" If so, let it be known that the "
sacred" big abortion business
Planned Parenthood rapes women!
So sorry, pro-aborts, but ultrasounds and determining the gestational age of unborn babies are important - along with the ACOG and Planned Parenthood, your
Archbishops of Abortion, the National Abortion Federation (NAF), leaders even say so! NAF's "A Provider’s Guide to Medical Abortion" page that
streiff found says, in the section titled
Ultrasound Imaging in Early Pregnancy:
"In the context of medical abortion, ultrasonography can help determine gestational age, assess the outcome of the procedure, and diagnose ectopic pregnancy and other types of abnormal pregnancy."
NAF says determining gestational age is especially important for women undergoing "medical" abortions, i.e. through medication:
"Clinicians who provide medical abortion must be able to diagnose pregnancy and estimate gestational age. Accurate estimation of gestational age is essential, as the efficacy of the FDA-approved mifepristone/misoprostol regimen and of methotrexate/misoprostol regimens for medical abortion decreases as the pregnancy advances beyond 49 days' gestation.
...medical abortion researchers and many providers in the United States have routinely used ultrasound for gestational dating.."
Thus, again radical pro-choicers' hysterics are proven wrong, unfortunately days after their poisonous headlines are in the public consciousness. As they say, a lie can run around the world before the truth has time to put on its shoes. Time to fight fire with fire and turn pro-aborts' words against them - if ultrasounds are rape, then
abortionists have been raping women for years!
______________________
UPDATE 2/22/12: The truth has finally put on its shoes, but is it too late? (Emphasis below is mine, as always)
LifeNews.com: Planned Parenthood Rape Myth Debunked, 99% Do Ultrasounds:
Abortion advocates in Virginia have come under heavy criticism for equating the ultrasound legislation there would allow women to see before an abortion to rape. Yet, while abortion backers say having an ultrasound is like getting raped, a 2003 study shows 99% of Planned Parenthood abortion facilities do them beforehand.
...
“Vaginal ultrasound was always performed before the early surgical abortion at 59 (83%) sites, under certain conditions at 11 (16%) sites, and never at one (1%) site,” the study noted.
“Vaginal ultrasound was always performed after early surgical abortion at 18 (26%) sites, under certain conditions at 46 (66%) sites, and never at 6 (8%) sites.”
...
“Vaginal ultrasound was very common before the medical abortion, with 37 (92%) sites reporting that they always performed it,” the study continued. “Vaginal ultrasound was always performed after early medical abortion in 35 (87%) sites, performed under certain conditions in 4 (10%) sites, and never performed in 1 (3%) site.”
The research report’s authors also noted that the frequency of the use of vaginal ultrasounds before abortion is not limited to the abortion centers surveyed, but common practice in the abortion industry.
“Almost all sites offering early medical abortion always performed a vaginal ultrasound before and after the abortion, consistent with common practice in the US,” the study said.
The study also indicated some abortion centers will not actually perform an abortion without first performing a vaginal ultrasound.
Americans United for Life: Abortion Proponents Argue Against Medical Standards of Care:
What happens when abortion providers don’t follow practices of standard medical care?
You get Kermit Gosnell. Or Steven Brigham and Nicola Riley. You get unsafe, unsanitary conditions.
You get a “back alley.”
...
A basic component of an ultrasound law is a required standard of care. A “standard of care” is “a statement of actions consistent with minimum safe professional conduct under specific conditions, as determined by professional peer organizations.” Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary (20th ed. 2005). In the ultrasound context, this means that abortion providers are to perform an ultrasound in a professional manner consistent with the way ultrasound is performed across the abortion or obstetrics communities.
But abortion proponents are arguing against including a basic standard of care in ultrasound requirements.
For example, ultrasound bills are currently making their way through the Virginia legislature. Contained in these bills is a provision that the ultrasound “shall be made pursuant to standard medical practice in the community.” In other words, abortion providers must follow a basic standard of care. They shouldn’t conduct the ultrasound haphazardly. They shouldn’t throw an image of the woman’s gall bladder on the screen and claim that it is “products of conception.”
UPDATE 2/22/12 Part 2: Commentary confirms pretty much EVERYTHING we've been saying ("raping" women is standard medical care):
Planned Parenthood Says it Won’t Do Abortions Without Ultrasounds
“That’s just the medical standard,” said Adrienne Schreiber, an
official at Planned Parenthood’s Washington, D.C., regional office. “To
confirm the gestational age of the pregnancy, before any procedure is
done, you do an ultrasound.”
According to Schreiber, Planned Parenthood does require women to give
signed consent for abortion procedures, including the ultrasound. But
if the women won’t consent to the ultrasound, the abortion cannot take
place, according to the group’s national standards.
Schreiber said there are several options at that point. If the woman
is uncomfortable with a transvaginal ultrasound, which is more invasive,
she can wait until the fetus is large enough to opt for a
transabdominal ultrasound.
“But if she’s uncomfortable with a transvaginal ultrasound, then
she’s not going to be comfortable with an equally invasive abortion
procedure,” Schreiber told me.
Americans United for Life Says Attacks on Virginia Ultrasound Law Could Result in Fatal Consequences for Women
Powerful - Lori Ziganto takes on rape and trans-vaginal ultrasounds from personal experience:
Demagoguing Rape, Exploiting Victims: The Degenerate Left Continues to Use and Abuse Women
As a woman who has experienced both, the equating of a transvaginal
ultrasound with rape is beyond despicable. For the women, my arse.
The transvaginal ultrasound that I had when pregnant with my daughter
did not cause me violent, bodily harm. It did not put me in fear for my
life. It did not cause me to have to still sleep with a light on. The
rape did, even to this day — twenty years later. It did not make me have
to constantly plan my shopping trips to avoid the dark or suffer the
fear and heart racing caused by walking alone through a dark parking
lot. To this day. It did not make me introverted and fearful in social
situations, convinced that everyone was staring at me. Hello, mad hair
twirling!
It did not leave scars on my face and chest, caused by a broken beer
bottle used as one of the weapons against me. And while those scars may
have faded to the point that only I can see them, the scars that no one
can see on the inside are still there. And always will be.
...
They diminish rape, empower rapists and re-victimize those who have been raped — for attempted political points. Demagoguing RAPE. They
have truly moved past rock bottom and are scraping the earth’s mantle.
Their abuse of women knows no bounds. They know an ultrasound is in no
way like rape; in fact, Planned Parenthood uses them themselves before
sucking a child from a woman’s womb. But that’s the point, isn’t it?
They just don’t want silly little women to see the ultrasounds
themselves. They are trying to scare women with cries of ‘it’s just like
rape”- an ultrasound – as a way to push the ‘ball of cells’ lie to women. All so that more women will kill their children completely uninformed. Informed choice my strappy sandal-clad foot. See the actual baby? That doesn’t suit. It’s not good for the blood money bottom line.
UPDATED 2/23/12: I like that we're finally getting into the "life-saving" language now, much more effective.
National Review: Abortion Advocates Wage a Misinformation Campaign over Virginia Ultrasound Legislation:
There is a breathtaking
display of unvarnished bias as abortion advocates and their allies in
the national press try to kill legislation in Virginia requiring that an
ultrasound be performed prior to a surgical or chemical abortion.
Ultrasound laws are currently in effect in 22 states, with five of those
states requiring exactly what Virginia is considering. Why? Because,
simply put, ultrasound laws save lives.
Performing an ultrasound before an abortion should be a commonsense
standard of care for abortion providers. Ultrasound assists an abortion
provider in determining gestational age. The farther along in pregnancy
that a woman is, the greater the risk that abortion poses. Ultrasound
also serves an essential medical purpose by diagnosing ectopic
pregnancies which, if left undiagnosed, can result in fallopian rupture
and life-threatening bleeding. For example, the FDA has reported that at
least two women have died from ruptured ectopic pregnancies following
use of the abortion drug RU-486.
However, the abortion lobby doesn’t want women to receive these
life-saving exams if the images produced by the ultrasound could sway
women away from abortion....
UPDATED 2/25/12: Ramah International, a place that provides healing for regretful post-abortive women, has a section with information for women to consider before making the decision on whether or not to have an abortion. Included are important reasons for requiring ultrasounds before abortions that you may not have even thought of - what if the abortion mill is taking advantage of a woman who is
not even pregnant or is about to miscarry:
Confirm your pregnancy with a doctor who doesn't do abortions.
There have been cases where abortion clinics have provided clients with
incorrect information in order to obtain their abortion fee. Carol
Everett was an abortion clinic owner who used to provide abortion
services in Texas. She testified in Congress that she sold abortions to
women who were not pregnant but feared they were. For the best medical
input on abortion we recommend you speak with a medical professional
that has nothing to gain in your abortion decision. Your local pregnancy
care center can provide you with that referral.
Get an ultrasound.
You may receive an ultrasound from your local pregnancy care center.
This non-diagnostic ultrasound can tell you how many weeks you are into
the pregnancy or whether or not your pregnancy is viable. In other
words, it could be that you are going to miscarry the baby and won’t
need the services of an abortion clinic. This service, provided by a
certified sonographer, may aid you in making this important decision.
UPDATE
2/22/12 - New post reacting to collapse of the Virginia Ultrasound bill:
UPDATE 3/7/12: McDonnell signs a modified ultrasound bill.
UPDATE 3/8/12: Wow, even after the VA GOP modified the bill so as not to require a transvaginal ultrasound - or "rape" as the radical pro-aborts call it - opponents still weren't satisfied and
called transabdominal ultrasounds "battery:"
During the final debate on the bill in the Virginia House,
Delegate Charniele Herring, Alexandria Democrat, outrageously stated
that requiring the external “transabdominal ultrasound is tantamount to
battery.”
Seriously? Does that mean that Planned Parenthood of
Virginia and physicians’ offices across the state are “battering” women
with “unnecessary” procedures? If not, then don’t all women in the state
deserve the common-sense standard of care that even Planned Parenthood
admits is necessary before abortion?
The hysterics never end.
.
Related Posts:
No, Planned Parenthood, Birth Control is NOT "Basic Health Care"
Debunking the Myth that 99% of Women Are Using Birth Control
Controlling the Birth Control Debate
Susan G. Komen for the WIN: FAIL What Planned Parenthood doesn't want you to know
How Planned Parenthood Exploits Minors
Planned Parenthood exposed again
Front-Alley Abortions
Blood Money: More Abortonists Butcher Their Customers
Just your friendly neighborhood abortionists
Abortion ends in death. Can you live with that?
.
