Written by Guest Writer: Mary Beth Cox
Note Update from the Author, Mary Beth Cox: Thanks for posting my article! My bad on the ‘first state to mandate ultrasound’ thing. There are 7 states that require ultrasound. More info here and click on “Ultrasound Requirements”. I confused it with this fact: “If the personhood bill had passed, IT would have made VA the first in the [country] to grant personhood to an embryo.“
Last year my husband and I decided to move our family back to Virginia, where I lived for 3 of our military moves growing up and 12 of my 34 years. It’s more home than any of the 14 places I’ve lived. I love Virginia but I am embarrassed by the legislation that is coming out of our General Assembly. I am sad that the rest of the country sees us this way: Virginia is for Lovers of Guns and Not of Women.
First, passing a law that enables people to purchase more than one handgun a month. Translation: Gun smugglers of the 1990s (when Richmond was murder capital of the U.S.) who operated prior to the restriction which we just lifted– Welcome back! Virginia loves you! As a mom and sane nonviolent person, I think my reasons for thinking this bill is absurd are apparent.
Next, almost passing a law (SB 484) that would require a woman seeking an abortion to have an ultrasound wand inserted into her vagina. Now, people think it’s somehow better that it’s just a trans abdominal ultrasound. Whew – we barely avoided state-sanctioned rape in Virginia. And Governor McDonnell is about to sign a law for Virginia to become the first state in the country to legislatively mandate an expensive, non-medically-necessary medical procedure, thus telling doctors that politicians know more about medicine than they do. Good job GA! I’m glad you spent my tax money via your paycheck on this one!
My first problem with this bill is that proponents say it is for the purpose of “informed consent.” I say baloney. There are already measures in place including a 24-hour waiting period, state mandated counseling and parental consent. Learn more about this here. Also, some facts: A woman seeking an abortion knows she is pregnant. If there is question regarding the gestational age, etc., appropriate medical tests will be decided on between her and her doctor. Also, women are not stupid. My translation: The real (thinly-veiled) purpose of this legislation is to guilt the mom into making a different decision, which is called coercion.
My next problem with this bill: it lays the ground work for actual passage of the personhood bill. I like to call this the “slippery slope” bill. By defining the unity of sperm and egg as a person and outlawing any activity that would compromise that embryo, Virginia could also be outlawing most forms of effective contraception (the IUD included), restrict or eliminate many assistive reproductive technologies and – ultimately, in my opinion – requiring proof of negative pregnancy test before women could drink alcohol, smoke, or be nutritionally deficient, a handful of social/behavioral health issues that could lead to miscarriage. Also, it’s not out of the question that reported miscarriages may be open to criminal investigation.
What is the end game here?
My last problem with this bill: it doesn’t change the conversation. We need a paradigm shift about abortion in this country, a new conversation. The pro-choice/pro-life rhetoric sets up an ‘us and them’ morality war that nobody will win, but will leave women feeling disenfranchised and abortion statistics unchanged.
Here is my solution for the GA. The new paradigm: Start talking in terms of supply and demand. The goal: fewer abortions (which everybody can agree on). Here is what pro-supply would look like: Control or restrict the supply chain of the procedure itself, make it hard to get, make it financially burdensome, impose restrictions on doctors, and make women feel bad enough to change their mind. Here is what pro-demand would look like: Lay the groundwork through policy and resources to reduce the demand for abortion services. Provide open, honest education in schools about biology and reproduction. Increase access for all women to contraception and preventive health care.
To identify opportunities for intervention, a good technique might be the 5 Whys which can help identify the root cause of a problem. An example:
- Why did Jane have an unwanted pregnancy? Because her boyfriend was controlling her pills.
- Why was her boyfriend controlling her pills? Because she was trapped in an abusive relationship.
- Why was she trapped in an abusive relationship? Because she would be homeless otherwise.
- Why would she be homeless otherwise? Because she has no marketable skills.
- Why does she have no marketable schools? Because she can’t read and never got past 8th grade.
And thus you identify a root cause of abortion, highlighting an issue people can do something about.
I do not identify myself as “pro-choice” or “pro-life” because I am neither and both. I respect human life AND human dignity. I want babies to survive and women and families to thrive. I like to think I would never choose abortion for myself, but I will not presume to know what drives other women to make that choice and what it must be like.
The current debate is embarrassing, but an opportunity for Virginia to be a leader. When we start talking balancing supply and demand, then we might actually be able to have a rational conversation, and become a state where we can proudly shout our motto again. Virginia can be for lovers of moms and babies.
Note: Articles by Real Richmond Moms include their personal opinions and may or may not reflect the opinions of Richmondmom.com owner and staff.
