By RJ Schinner, 12/7/06
On Dec. 6, 2006, just as Congress nears the end of its session, 250 members of the House voted that fetuses have feelings. In a declaration of their continued determination to outlaw abortion, Republicans sought to pass a bill that would force doctors to tell women who are about to have an abortion that the fetus could experience pain, and even offer anesthesia for the fetus! The bill did not meet the 2/3 majority needed to pass, but 250-to-162 vote for such an outrageous law is nothing to breathe a sigh of relief over.
While on the surface this bill seems outright ridiculous,
given that there is no scientific evidence showing that fetuses can
feel anything, the fact that this passes as legitimate political
discourse and garners a majority in the House is nothing to laugh
about. Science does not matter to the regime currently at the center
of power in the US. Nor do the lives and rights of women. In fact,
the point of this bill and insisting on bringing it to a vote before
Congress lets out is exactly to criminalize abortion, promote nonsense
based on Christian fundamentalism as opposed to science, and to further
society towards a theocracy.
The right to abortion is not so
gradually being taken away, with over 15 states having passed bans on
abortion, Congress passing a law requiring minors to notify their
parents before getting an abortion (and penalizing anyone who helps
them), and the Supreme Court (the one with Bush-appointees Roberts and
Alito) hearing arguments over the so-called “Partial Birth Abortion Ban
of 2003” on Nov. 8. Moreover, the assault on the right to abortion has
had all the initiative in the halls of power, with Democrats running
anti-choice candidates in the midterm election.
There is an
urgent need for massive opposition to this whole assault on the right to
abortion and the drive toward theocracy it is part of. And it’s way
past time to stop being defensive about the fact that fetuses are
clumps of cells that don’t have feelings, and women should not feel the
least bit apologetic about having control over their own bodies.