

Letter: Republicans have head in sand on abortion issues

4:42 PM, Jun. 21, 2013  |  Comments

The Wisconsin Legislature has passed a bill that would obligate doctors to order a pre-abortion ultrasound, and would require abortion providers have admitting privileges to a hospital within 30 miles of their clinic. Republicans claim this is to protect life, to protect the health and safety of the mother and child.

If Republicans truly cared about the health and safety of an expecting mother and her unborn child, they would mandate prenatal care and ultrasounds for all pregnant women. They would also ban smoking, alcohol and illegal drug use by any woman who knew or should know she was pregnant. If Republicans truly cared about health and safety during outpatient procedures, they would mandate all doctors who perform outpatient procedures have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital.

Republicans rally against ObamaCare, in part because they believe government bureaucrats will determine a person's medical care, not the doctor. They say government should not interfere in the doctor-patient relationship. But now it's apparently okay. It seems Republicans care only that a child is born, not that a child has a quality life. This makes them pro-birth, not pro-life.

Republicans consistently vote to cut funding that directly supports a quality life for born children, voting to cut social programs that help families, voting to cut education and health care funding, voting to cut child protection workers (those evil government workers), and more. Republicans also oppose sex education in schools and pregnancy prevention programs that could reduce the incidences of unwanted pregnancy.

Republicans can continue to bury their collective head in the sand and they can continue to be punitive in their approach to unwanted pregnancies. Or they can become proactive by putting money into abstinence education and pregnancy prevention programs, programs that support healthy families, and programs that would support and encourage women with unwanted pregnancies to choose adoption.

Carla Halvorson

Two Rivers

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