The St. Louis Pest-Dispatch tells us that Missouri has passed a somewhat controversial bill to force women to wait 72 hours to get an abortion even in cases of rape and incest. Medical emergencies are exempt from the limitation.
Personally, I would rather have had the voter photo ID requirement that died in exchange for this measure, but I don't think it is a bad piece of legislation.
Governor Jay Nixon is constantly channeling Obama-like rhetorical flourishes while trying not to be too associated with the president as he prepares to challenge Roy Blunt in 2016 for a Senate seat. I am sure he plans to veto this bill. He made a statement calling it "extreme". Because, you know, 48 hours more to think about whether a person wants to terminate an innocent life is really asking a lot.
I doubt Nixon would have the same qualms about a 72-hour waiting period to purchase firearms. That would be more "common-sense" than "extreme", in his opinion.
I feel some sympathy for women who find themselves in difficult situations. There are cases where rape and incest result in pregnancy, and I can understand the decision to have an abortion under those conditions, or where it is a medical necessity. However, the number of those cases is miniscule relative to the number of women who have abortions for the sake of convenience after consensual sex.
I'm pro-choice. I think a woman ought to have a right to decide whether or not to get pregnant, and there are a number of ways to avoid pregnancy. If a woman is too stupid to figure those ways out on her own, I'm sure she can find someone to explain them to her at no charge.
Choose to think.
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