Georgia (USA) makes abortion punishable by life imprisonment.

[Oldstyle]

New legislation HB 481 only allows abortion up to 6 weeks. It has massive consequences for women who get abortions from doctors or miscarry. A woman who seeks out an illegal abortion from a health care provider would be a party to murder, subject to life in prison. And a woman who miscarries because of her own conduct—say, using drugs or alcohol while pregnant—would be liable for second-degree murder, punishable by 10 to 30 years’ imprisonment. Prosecutors may interrogate women who miscarry to determine whether they can be held responsible; if they find evidence of culpability, they may charge, detain, and try these women for the death of their fetuses.

Even women who seek lawful abortions out of state may not escape punishment. If a Georgia resident plans to travel elsewhere to obtain an abortion, she may be charged with conspiracy to commit murder, punishable by 10 years’ imprisonment. An individual who helps a woman plan her trip to get an out-of-state abortion, or transports her to the clinic, may also be charged with conspiracy to end of the life of a “person” with “full legal recognition” under Georgia law.

This is a shocking assault on women's health, autonomy and reproductive rights. The intention to 'interrogate' women who miscarry to check for 'blame' is inhuman. Apparently 28 other states are intending to follow Georgia's lead.

As I say, banning abortion is where ultra capitalists, religious zealots and racists meet. An unholy union that is intended to harm the most vulnerable and those who do not obey what they are told.

www.vice.com/amp/en_us/article/9kxkze/abortion-bans-in-georgia-and-ohio-dont-need-to-go-into-effect-to-cause-harm?__twitter_impression=true
Abortion Bans Don’t Need to Go Into Effect to Cause Harm
Bans in Georgia and Ohio are unlikely to be enforced, but people are already confused about whether they can access abortion care there.

Despite the fact that the law isn’t slated to go into effect until January 2020—and will likely face an onslaught of legal challenges that should block it from taking effect at all—Dawson says the governor's signature has sown even more confusion and fear in her patients. In the past two days, she estimates one in three patient calls to the clinic are about whether they can still access abortion care.

“We had a patient call today in tears because although she’s still in the first trimester, she just passed the six-week mark,” Dawson said Thursday. “She doesn’t have a lot of support and she’s just terrified.” Staff explained to her that abortion after six weeks was still legal, and she could come in for her appointment as planned.

www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/02/argentina-authorities-deny-11-year-old-s-right-to-terminate-forced-pregnancy/

www.livescience.com/19584-10-year-birth.html

Women deserve better than abortion, its existence is a reflection that society has not yet met the equal needs of women.

Even if they are having an ectopic pregnancy? Even if they are pregnant because they were denied access to effective contraception? Even if the foetus will not survive birth? These laws go far, far beyond anything that possibly be described as supporting women.

Fucking hell, this is utterly horrifying

America has gone completely nuts
America is a truly repulsive excuse for a country.
The US is a barbaric, unevolved nation.

As an American woman, this hurts. Even from the links presented on this thread, it's very clear that some politicians in some states are hardline anti-choice misogynists, and some politicians in some states are fighting back with everything they've got. We still have a federal system, just as we've had since the inception of our nation. I've heard the current American political situation described as a "Cold Civil War" and unfortunately that feels accurate to me. The worst among us do not represent us a whole, especially not in these extremely tumultuous times...

I agree. MN can really nasty with regards to Americans for some reason. It's a massive country and the generalisations do nothing but make the accuser sound like an idiot. Esepcially when they are blaming the victims of this law. I don't think anyone here would appreciate being called swivel eyed racist loons because of Brexit. And there were actually more brexit voters than remainers.

Unlike the US elections where Trump supporters were in the minority.

We know how many women will have abortions when given safe access to them. Those women don't want this.Most people do not want this.. A few men want this. It's disgusting. It's vile and inhumane.

And I want in a way that I can't quite express to you, to knee them so hard in the testicles that they literally voimt them back up.

Appalling. Apologies if this has already been mentioned in the thread, but Jennifer Worth who worked as a midwife in the East End when abortions were still illegal in this country and saw the results of back street abortions said "You can never ban abortions, you can only ban safe abortions"

This is abhorrent and I wonder how many girls like the one in the story will be forced to carry a pregnancy their body simply can’t cope with, due to being raped. How anyone can condone this is beyond me. What choice does an 11 year old girl have when she’s being raped by an adult man?

It’s also awful for all women and girls in Georgia and the idea this could spread to others states is truly frightening.
It’s just all so regressive

I don't think I explained myself very well. The point of my long screed about DF wasn't personal. It was medical history to show how doctors worked round the law when abortion was illegal in the UK. And hoping that American doctors might do the same.

DF tells me that expensive private gynaecologists would arrange a D&C - a procedure that (completely incidentally, of course) would remove a pregnancy. Women who could afford it had abortion on demand, and of course this is still true.

I remember once reading something comparing pro-lifers to comic book fans- when a rare comic is in a wrapper, it is highly valuable and must be treasured and looked after. Once it comes out of the wrapper it loses all value and is worthless.

Same with foetuses. Whilst they’re inside a womb they’re precious and must be protected at all costs. Once it’s born, they don’t give a shit if they’ve just added another child into the social care system because the woman forced to give birth to it wanted no part in bringing it up.

If I were a Georgia woman forced to give birth to a baby under this ruling you’d be damn fucking sure I’d be leaving it on the Governor’s doorstep for him to deal with.

'Same with foetuses. Whilst they’re inside a womb they’re precious and must be protected at all costs. Once it’s born, they don’t give a shit if they’ve just added another child into the social care system because the woman forced to give birth to it wanted no part in bringing it up.'

Absolutely spot on. Those who scream loudest about being pro life seem to often very neatly cross over with those who favour small state government and 'personal responsibility' - which translates nicely into lowering benefits, cutting support, having no interest in good and readily available childcare, privatising services (because in their eyes state=bad and doing on the cheap =good). None of these things help women or children, who are so very precious until they take their first breath and are then demonised as a drain.

We're not all like that. Some pro lifers, sadly too few, find this law abhorrent and do not support it, and pro life does mean more than just protecting babies in wombs.

Agreed, Floral.

America has gone completely nuts
America is a truly repulsive excuse for a country.
The US is a barbaric, unevolved nation.

As an American woman, this hurts. Even from the links presented on this thread, it's very clear that some politicians in some states are hardline anti-choice misogynists, and some politicians in some states are fighting back with everything they've got. We still have a federal system, just as we've had since the inception of our nation. I've heard the current American political situation described as a "Cold Civil War" and unfortunately that feels accurate to me. The worst among us do not represent us a whole, especially not in these extremely tumultuous times...

I’m an American and I agree with the UK commenter. I’ve lived in Atlanta. I grew up in Alabama. The South is incredibly backwards and kept that way, not only by the white apartheid-like power structure, but by waves of carpet baggers, private and public, who for generations have used it and its people as a giant laboratory for any and all sick grand scheme imaginable. Think Tuskegee experiments, only that’s mild compared to other shit I’ve seen.

The federal system you’re talking about is completely captured by powerful interests, and is strong armed and blackmailed by their servants in the permanent state, the intelligence and military bureaucracies. Studies out of Princeton and Yale show that the voting patterns of average citizens on any particular issue have a 0% chance of affecting federal policy, that’s if you are allowed to vote. Voting roll purges of the poor and minorities are partially to blame for the rise of right wing governments in the South and Midwest. The use of hackable voting machines is not an accident. The mainstream media serves as a bullhorn for the interests of its corporate owners and their servants in government, so you won’t hear any big stories repeated over and over again about why your vote doesn’t count. On top of that, and not that it ever stopped them before, it’s now legal for the federal government to propagandize to US citizens. I think that passed in 2012. This is something to consider next time you hear some talking head on tv babble on about Russia.

There are hints and glimpses of how bad things really are, like Guantanamo, and Abu Grahib, and immigrant children separated from their families. The public occasionally sees behind the curtains, but then seems to turn its head and go back to pretending and trying to pay their bills. Most of it they don’t or can’t see however, at least not now, it’s hidden in secret sites all over the country, but I won’t go into that.

The truth is you’re living in a top down controlled, corrupt, murderous, torturous, militaristic State and global empire that perpetuates itself by keeping up the pretense of being a republic and bastion of human rights, keeping its crimes, and their impacts, out of the immediate line of sight of a good portion of the public. I agree with a political analyst who recently said he wished it were straight out, honest totalitarian, then at least we could commiserate with each other rather than wasting our time arguing over how bad it is, and which controlled politician is to blame.

I’m American, and I agree. My country is the Death Star.

Unlike the US elections where Trump supporters were in the minority.

Agree. These abortion laws show that America has problems that are much bigger than Trump. But we have to support the many, many Americans who are fighting hard for their country. In so many ways we are in this together.

The trouble with these laws on the books is that rich people will always take advantage of them. Men will take advantage of them to punish women who step out of line.

200mg/caffeine a day is associated with an increased risk of miscarriage. Coffee on the way to work, a coke/coffee after lunch or dinner, and you're over. Someone with a good lawyer could use that to crucify their partner - and someone will. They always do.

Excellent post Bloom

In Ohio, they also want to try to remove and re-implant an ectopic pregnancy. Which is not possible.

What a great idea. Give false hope to a woman who is already in an awful situation. Nothing surprises me about America anymore, they seem determined to move women's rights back to the 50s - the 1850s.

Someone earlier said that's not possible.

Has this procedure been tried and tested.

Or are they going to carry out experimental surgery on women, possibly against their will?

It is not possible and Malcolm Pearce was struck off for faking research that it was possible.

www.bmj.com/content/310/6994/1554.2

US law confuses me. The UK doesn't have a written constitution which tbh seems a good thing as Common Law and statute law can freely adapt to changing circumstances.

I don't really follow how abortion is legal now under the constitution but can become illegal.

The cross state border enforcement application must be a conundrum.

We should always remember the abortion law in NI, as part of UK, these ideas are not so far from home at all and being enforced.

Abortion is illegal in NI full stop apart from saving mothers life.

The fact that the NI govt will turn a blind eye to women travelling for abortions is really interesting.

The recent move by Scotland and then England to give women from NI free abortion on NHS same as other UK women was great and a public statement about this healthcare provision.

In America though it's the constant pushback that is horrifying. They had it / have it, and people are trying and succeeding in taking it away. It's the rolling back of rights, which feels scarier in a way than never had them in the first place and fighting to get them. The latter is changing the status quo which is hard, but once done esp for something that will save lives etc, it could be expected to stay done. Having it removed, that reminds us that our rights are not as permanent as we might like.

Also this bill would ban the morning after pill and coils. Mirena coil is brilliant for heavy periods, mine stopped altogether which was bliss.

So reducing effective contraception and no means to resolve accidents.

As I said upthread this will affect ALL women. Any wealthy women smugly thinking oh well I'll never need an abortion or whatever. Gynaecology, obstetrics and perinatal are messy, not black and white, complications happen. Doctors need to be able to offer the best evidence based treatment on a case by case basis not be at risk of prosecution whilst their practice is dictated by idiot politicians with an agenda.
The numbers of Drs choosing the specialism will plummet and everyone will be worse off.

I don’t understand about the MAP and coils though, wouldn’t they only prevent or stop pregnancies BEFORE six weeks/a heartbeat therefore fall in line with that rule?