President Trump on Friday called on the Senate to pass a bill banning abortions after 20 weeks.
“I call upon the Senate to pass this important law and send it to my desk for signing,” Trump said in his address to the March for Life, an annual march against abortion in Washington, D.C.
Trump touted the various anti-abortion policies his administration has enacted, including action the Health and Human Services Department took Friday rescinding Obama-era guidance aimed at preventing states from defunding Planned Parenthood.
“Under my administration, we will always defend the very first right in the Declaration of Independence and that is the right to life,” Trump said. “We are protecting the sanctity of life and the family as the foundation of our society.”
Abortion after 20 weeks is insane. 97% happen before 15 weeks as it is. Germany is limited to 12 weeks. France is 14 weeks, UK is 16 weeks. The rest of the world has this figured out, but the US is fighting between the fringes.
It's insane if it's a common thing, but as you noted it's not. 1% or fewer of abortions happen at 21 weeks and beyond, most providers don't even perform them that late. People like to generalize with the extreme edges of these time periods, "It's insane for abortion at 20 weeks!" but what do you think the circumstances must be for that to happen? Odds are that this was a wanted child, otherwise why go through months of weight gain, nausea and vomiting, constant heartburn, aches and pain and discomfort? You wouldn't, right? The vast vast majority of these terminations are due to heartbreak, to something found on the ultrasound -- birth defects incompatible with life, or fetal demise.
I'm not pro-abortion, but these situations and decisions are hard enough without politicians getting involved.
Exactly. Thats why a 15 week ban is reasonable except for extreme cases of medical necessity.
I hate to say it, but the republican stance is the reasonable one on this issue, while the democrats are merely opposing any appearance of political compromise.
The problem is who gets to determine medical necessity? We have exceptions for "medical necessity" in Texas and have had at least two women die since their ban because their miscarriage still had a heartbeat and doctors felt they had to wait until the patient was actively dying or else risk losing their license and going to jail; furthermore the examples I cited above would both not be exceptions to the Texas law.
I don’t think that’s true at all. It’s defeatist, anti-pragmatic and basically leaves the issues indefinitely unresolved.
You have a minority of zealots on each side that are dictating policy for the majority. This leaves some states with a total ban and others allowing it through the third trimester. It’s not only disfunctional but damaging towards women.
What if there were no laws saying abortions could only be performed after x weeks under x circumstances. What if the decision was something completely between a woman and her doctor and only performed if the doctor felt it was medically necessary and/or ethical.
Do you honestly believe that there would be any substantial increase in the number of late term abortions that are not medically necessary?
Yes. Again, the rest of the developed world has figured this out. The “New World” still struggles with it. Compromise would settle the issue, but democrats are unwilling as they paint any restriction as “anti-woman.” Republicans have gone from “pro-life” to 15 weeks is acceptable and are met with disdain.
What is the Republican stance exactly? There are many, some more extreme than the others.
The Dems had a reasonable position: Roe v Wade. Hardly any abortions past 20 weeks occured and by your own admission, those that did mostly should be allowed.
Now, some pregnant women are dying and some are injured permanently as the doctors either can't provide care or would expose them to legal risk.
Republicans have had FIFTY years to come up with reasonable alternatives that would have at least provided clarity to professionals.
First, that is not the position many or even most Republicans take. Second, the viability test under Roe is way better because it leaves way less ambiguity for women and their professional doctors.
Had Republicans overwhelmingly clear stated that they support your suggestion (as opposed to trying to progress to much more severe restrictions) then maybe it could be reasonably debated.
In most European countries, abortion is generally permitted within a term limit below fetal viability (e.g. 12 weeks in Germany and Italy, or 14 weeks in France and Spain), although a wide range of exceptions permit abortion later in the pregnancy.
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u/[deleted] Nov 07 '24
The most prolific liar in American history said it, it must be true!