Comments on: Targeting South Dakota

By: One Utah » Blog Archive » It’s A Pro Choice Country

One Utah » Blog Archive » It’s A Pro Choice Country — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 18:56:53 +0000

[...] a post at Feministe, Shannon writes: Nowhere is it more difficult to obtain an abortion than it is in South Dakota. [...]

By: Rebecca (liberal!Rebecca)

Rebecca (liberal!Rebecca) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 20:13:53 +0000

Yep, minors need consent for a tonsillectomy. A parent would also be seen as abusive for denying consent to a tonsillectomy.

Cf. Jehovah’s Witness kids and transfusions.

By: Paige

Paige — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:40:38 +0000

In reference to the “whole, separate unique, living separate human being.”

Ummm…yeah…can something be considered whole and/or unique without a heart beat. Answers to the question: “When does a fetus develop a heart beat?” can vary but most fall within the realm of 5-8wks. Food for thought.

In reference to the increased risk of suicide and depression:

A friend of mine gave birth to a child last fall after being raped. Since the birth, she gave the child up for adoption to an aquaintence unable to have children. Giving up the child she carried for 9 months sent her into a downward spiral of both depression and suicide attempts. Whether or not she would have encountered the same sense of loss with an abortion, I will never know, but having the child and then adopting it out left her bleeding on the bathroom floor. Point: having a child can increase the risk of suicide and depression.

And as to the parental consent:

Bad things happen, as with the case of the girl dying with complications due to an abortion, but what can be worse is a family making the decision for the woman in question (minor or not). She is going to have to live with the decision. We would like to think that the parents who made the decision for her do too, but if she is 16+ they can technically cut her off. Then where is she? Desperate? On wellfare? Unable to finish highschool so she can work some $7/ hr job to try to get by? Sometimes you have to chose the lesser of 2 evils, and not all parents are mindful of that.

By: Erzulie

Erzulie — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:28:12 +0000

Oregon sounds nice.

By: eli bishop

eli bishop — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 05:28:04 +0000

in oregon, minors have the right to autonomous medical decisions (whether they involve abortions or dental work). hooray!

By: Danakitty

Danakitty — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 03:02:17 +0000

I wanted to add with the parental consent part… if a minor becomes pregnant than they can legally be considered an adult. Why should a minor require parental consent to have an abortion, but not give birth?

By: Mel

Mel — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 01:17:24 +0000

“terminating the life of a whole, separate unique, living separate human being.

And here I thought abortion was terminating the life of a partial clone, dead nonhuman.

I definitely quibble with separate, though, not when the fetus is dependent on the mother’s organs for survival.

By: Shannon

Shannon — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 22:23:58 +0000

Yes…. to all of you who pointed out my first statement… you’re very correct. I did mean to say “Nowhere in the US…” Thank you for catching it.

By: Luna

Luna — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 22:04:05 +0000

SplendidValor:
I’ll tell you what’s wrong with parental notification laws. A good lot of pregnant teenagers are girls who face abuse at home. Tell their parents they’re pregnant, and you risk subjecting them to some pretty severe abuse, or even death.

Abortion needs to be safe. Parental notification takes the safety out of it for a lot of young women.

By: Luna

Luna — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 22:01:36 +0000

Nowhere is it more difficult to obtain an abortion than it is in South Dakota.

Nowhere in the US, you mean. Because it is much harder to get one in a lot of other places. Even in some places in Canada. Like PEI, where there is no abortion provider at all. One has to go to another province. And never mind third world countries, where it’s nigh on impossible.