Via HuffPo:
On July 13, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed into law a measure that establishes–among other restrictions on access to sexual and reproductive health services–an in-person counseling requirement and a 24-hour waiting period before a woman can obtain an abortion. Proponents of the new law claim that it helps inform women’s abortion decisions. In truth, however, this distortion of the informed consent process only hinders access to abortion services.
Hmmm… Proponents of the new law claim that it helps inform women’s abortion decisions? Now, I don’t buy that for a minute. In fact, the only way someone can justify this position is if they believe women are incapable of reaching decisions on their own – as in women are too stupid to think for themselves. That said, I do find the “let’s help them make an informed decision” argument quite fascinating since Conservatives/Republicans have taken the exact opposite stance when it comes to informing people about living wills.
What’s also predictable is how the GOP tosses out its keep government out of our health care in favor of keep government out of our health care… except for when We want it in our health care. This is, after all, the party of Terri Schiavo.
So which is it? And I know this is a tough question for Republicans, since consistency isn’t their strong suit.
UPDATE: So much for their “free market” ideals. Now they want to ban private insurers from paying for abortions.
Well, I suppose we should have known. Apparently the big holdup with Max Baucus’s Finance Committee bill is… abortion. (Yeah, I wondered what the hell that has to do with finance, too.)
But wait, it gets better! The Senate Republicans not only demand that abortions not be paid for with public funds (something already forbidden by the Hyde Amendment), they want to prevent private insurance plans from paying for them, too.
(h/t crooks and liars)