GOP Senator Pushes Radical Bill To Restrict Discussion Of Abortion Over The Internet

• Cucurbita wrote on 2011-10-20 16:23
  http://thinkprogress.org/health/2011/10/19/347993/jim-demint-prohibit-internet-abortion-discussion/
  
  

  Instead of focusing on job creation, congressional Republicans have spent their time passing socially conservative legislation like the “Let Women Die” bill that would allow hospitals that receive federal funds to deny women life-saving abortion procedures.
  
  Now Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), one of the most die-hard anti-choice lawmakers, has jumped on the bandwagon by sneaking a radical anti-abortion amendment onto a completely unrelated piece of legislation. DeMint’s amendment would ban women and their doctors from discussing abortion over the Internet:
  
  Anti-choice Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) just filed an anti-choice amendment to a bill related to agriculture, transportation, housing, and other programs. The DeMint amendment could bar discussion of abortion over the Internet and through videoconferencing, even if a woman’s health is at risk and if this kind of communication with her doctor is her best option to receive care.
  
  Under this amendment, women would need a separate, segregated Internet just for talking about abortion care with their doctors.
  
  Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said DeMint is essentially mandating “an abortion-only version of Skype.” She points out that a woman with high-risk pregnancy talking to her doctor through video conferencing would have to somehow switch to a separate communications system if abortion came up at all. “It is impractical, ridiculous, and, most importantly, bad for women in rural or remote areas who would not be able to discuss the full set of options with their doctor,” Keenan said.
  
  DeMint’s bill is yet another Republican attempt to circumvent women’s constitutional right to an abortion by essentially outlawing doctors from discussing that option with their patients. These so-called “small government” conservatives have no problem inserting government into private conversations between women and their doctors.
  
  To add insult to injury, DeMint’s underhanded method is to shoehorn this attack on women’s privacy onto an unrelated bill — an insidious effort to push his agenda while avoiding public scrutiny.

  
  
  Nope, we can't even talk about it. Screw 1st amendment.
• Taycat wrote on 2011-10-20 16:25
  This won't pass. At least, I hope not.
• Cynic wrote on 2011-10-20 16:30
  Lol'd at the fact people assume our rights are worth anything when they stand in the way of people in power.
• EndlessDreams wrote on 2011-10-20 16:33
  Wow, this is such a stupid bill. Next, they will censor the word abortion on the internet as well?
  
  How do you even enforce this bill anyways?
• Osayidan wrote on 2011-10-20 16:36
  I have nothing to say about this that wouldn't make my server catch fire from the processing power needed to convert all the profanity into *'s.
• Adelynn wrote on 2011-10-20 16:37
  One word: No.
  
  ._.
• ValkyrieHamster wrote on 2011-10-20 17:04
  Even IF this idiotic bill passed, the interwebs would just make up a word to use in place of abortion...
• Chiyuri wrote on 2011-10-20 17:16

  Quote from ValkyrieHamster;628301:

  Even IF this idiotic bill passed, the interwebs would just make up a word to use in place of abortion...

  
  
  ""Yes yes, I need a little help doc.. About a month ago, I think I caught a parasite in my body.. probably from my boyfriend.. I was thinknig of having it remove before it ruin my life. yes you can help me, thanks you so much, so in 2 weeks at **** road *****. To be there before 3 PM. Understood and thanks you again.""
• Yoorah wrote on 2011-10-20 17:22
  Abortion is a debatable thing. If a conservative senator wants to push for anti-abortion legislation, that's fine. The people who voted for him are likely to be against abortion. His idea seems impractical, but I suppose its purpose could be technical in nature, to slowly build up laws against abortion.
  
  The real issue here is that he tried to sneak it in "a bill related to agriculture, transportation, housing, and other programs." If he and the people he represents are anti-abortion, they should be trying to pass anti-abortion law in a more honest manner.
  
  Then again, this tactic is used in politics all the time. It's just part of the game, and one of the things that need to be fixed, IMO.
• Kingofrunes wrote on 2011-10-20 18:22
  I think there's extremes to both sides. I'm against abortion but measures like these I have 0 support for. None whatsoever. Restricting freedom of speech is bad enough but having the ****ing balls to slide it into something not even closely related?! I don't think so >.> That really hits a nerve.
  
  The "Let Women Die" Bill pisses me off even more! I think that if a Woman's life is in danger that she should have a life saving abortion. ****ing idiots! You even had the audacity to call the bill "Let Women Die". Who the hell do you think you are?! Burn these people at the stake. Seriously, or get their asses out of Congress.
  
  Hopefully they can vote against certain measures in the bill otherwise, he just effectively killed that bill that might have actually had some merit. Friggen Congress.
• Spartaaaaa wrote on 2011-10-20 20:28
  lol I'm pro life, but this is a bit much. Talking about murder and actually committing murder are not the same thing!
• Nintega wrote on 2011-10-20 20:30
  I keep trying to tell myself that not all republicans can be this insane, but they keep proving me wrong. Screw it, I hate all politicians.
  
  I really hope these two anti-choice bills don't pass. The way it's looking now though, there's only more of them on the way...