Arizona Legislators Trying To Declare Pregnancy Two Weeks Prior To Conception

greaterthanlapsed:

This is not a headline from The Onion.

Legislators have had so much success smuggling in ulterior motives with 20-week bans that they’re now looking for ways to expand the amount of hard right anti-choice nonsense they can attach to those bills. The most recent—-and extreme—-example is Arizona. There, lawmakers are writing a 20-week abortion ban that starts counting off at the first day of a woman’s period. Yes, they’re arguing that you’re “pregnant” while you’re actually getting your period. In fact, as Kate Sheppard at Mother Jones explains, they’re really trying to steal as many weeks as possible away from women seeking abortion:

Most women ovulate about 14 or 15 days after their period starts, and women can usually get pregnant from sexual intercourse that occured anywhere between five days before ovulation and a day after it. Arizona’s law would start the clock at a woman’s last period—which means, in practice, that the law prohibits abortion later than 18 weeks after a woman actually becomes pregnant.

That’s bad in and of itself, but taking a step back and looking at the big picture makes this law look even more sinister. Medically speaking, pregnancy starts when a fertilized egg implants in the uterine lining. Anti-choicers have attempted to define it earlier with their failed attempts to pass “personhood” law that would define not just pregnancy, but “personhood” as beginning at conception. Now in Arizona, they’re trying to argue that you’re pregnant a couple of weeks before you even had the sex that resulted in your pregnancy.

Think about the implications down the road. If a woman is “pregnant” two weeks before she becomes pregnant, than any fertile woman—-including those currently menstruating!—-should really be considered pregnant. After all, we don’t know the future. We don’t know that any non-pregnant woman couldn’t be pregnant two weeks from now, making her retroactively pregnant now. Considering that it’s anti-choice nuts we’re talking about, it’s safe to assume that they’d simply prefer a situation where all women of reproductive age are considered to be pregnant, on the grounds that they could be two weeks from now. Better safe than sorry, especially if that mentality means you get to exert maximum control over the bodies of women of reproductive age.

(Source: existentialcrisisfactory)

Notes

1. underdreamskies reblogged this from lipstick-feminists
2. netarchaeology reblogged this from prolongedeyecontact and added:

   This is not a headline from The Onion. Legislators have had so much success smuggling in ulterior motives with 20-week...

3. tasteslikefail reblogged this from lipstick-feminists
4. the-smell-of-dust-after-rain reblogged this from sleepyhobbits
5. sleepyhobbits reblogged this from sleepyhobbits
6. xmasandribena reblogged this from lipstick-feminists
7. rhodessexperts reblogged this from prolongedeyecontact and added:

   ^^^^^^^^^^^

8. lolasimone reblogged this from fuckyeahplannedparenthood
9. batfeathers likes this
10. my-little-underground likes this
11. my-little-underground reblogged this from leftoversushi and added:

    I think we should give Arizona back to Mexico. It would be a lot better off than it is now being ran by a bunch of crazy...

12. leftoversushi reblogged this from waitingtocollide
13. iamgangstafosho reblogged this from we-are-not-ok
14. tiiigerstyle likes this
15. we-are-not-ok reblogged this from divinityphotography and added:

    So, if we consider a woman pregnant before she is literally pregnant, can we get men to start paying child...

16. divinityphotography reblogged this from rabbleprochoice
17. razingcomplacency reblogged this from bebinn
18. be-wary-for-there-are-zombies likes this
19. nobodyloves-no-one reblogged this from rabbleprochoice
20. newanddifferentsun likes this
21. abitharpish reblogged this from bebinn and added:

    Amanda Marcotte was wrong about something? NO!

22. abitharpish likes this
23. bebinn reblogged this from prolongedeyecontact and added:

    Thanks, prolongedeyecontact. This was messing with my head.

24. apiphile reblogged this from bronapartiste and added:

    See, Twitter people, this is why I was saying Arizona appears to be trolling now. How does this even make sense?

25. mijello reblogged this from mozaria and added:

    FUCK. YOU. AMERICA.

26. motheatenmusicalbrocade likes this
27. lexdysic likes this
28. prolongedeyecontact reblogged this from stoneagechronicles and added:

    *Pregnant people, not just cis women. This is kinda embarrassing… People need to stop reblogging this immediately....

29. bronapartiste reblogged this from mozaria
30. mozaria reblogged this from blonde-cyborg
31. blonde-cyborg reblogged this from peayeahknow
32. peayeahknow reblogged this from sunset-in-my-veins
33. bad-hay reblogged this from thejessbeast
34. bloodyrainbows reblogged this from stoneagechronicles and added:

    I don’t have anything to say. I can’t think of anything witty to say here. Fuck you Arizona.

35. smallcrackinmydiplomacydike reblogged this from lipstick-feminists
36. thejessbeast reblogged this from lady-assbutt
37. hangthesilver likes this
38. princessnijireiki reblogged this from lady-assbutt
39. lady-assbutt reblogged this from nikinapalm and added:

    so like you could be pregnant before even knowing you are going to have sex i arizona what are you doing my followers i...

40. lady-assbutt likes this
41. killarichdude reblogged this from thegoshdarnbatgirl
42. zerianquestionssleep reblogged this from lipstick-feminists
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44. rareandradiantmaiden reblogged this from nikinapalm
45. waitingtocollide reblogged this from meoplelikepeople
46. meoplelikepeople reblogged this from limiculous
47. jar0fstars reblogged this from lipstick-feminists and added:

    Stop. Failing. High school. Biology. Politicians. Really. You. Are. The. Weakest. Link.

48. delilahmae reblogged this from rabbleprochoice
49. subdual likes this
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