GA law could give death penalty for miscarriages.

I believe this snarks itself.

Quote :

It's only February, but this year has been a tough one for women's health and reproductive rights. There's a new bill on the block that may have reached the apex (I hope) of woman-hating craziness. Georgia State Rep. Bobby Franklin—who last year proposed making rape and domestic violence "victims" into "accusers"—has introduced a 10-page bill that would criminalize miscarriages and make abortion in Georgia completely illegal. Both miscarriages and abortions would be potentially punishable by death: any "prenatal murder" in the words of the bill, including "human involvement" in a miscarriage, would be a felony and carry a penalty of life in prison or death. Basically, it's everything an "pro-life" activist could want aside from making all women who've had abortions wear big red "A"s on their chests.

ASHDGLAIHSGLDKFHGLKSHDFGUAHDSFGLJKDFHLDFGHFDSLHDFg.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Just when I think that things in this world can not be anymore crazier.

The day something like this passes, I will be applying for colleges in California.

So basically, if you were pregnant with your first baby, gloriously happy, and all excited about the upcoming birth, then accidentally tripped and fell down the stairs in your third month and miscarried the child, they could accuse you of doing it 'deliberately' and kill you?

Because we all know that's where it's going.

Rabid Badger wrote:

So basically, if you were pregnant with your first baby, gloriously happy, and all excited about the upcoming birth, then accidentally tripped and fell down the stairs in your third month and miscarried the child, they could accuse you of doing it 'deliberately' and kill you?

Because we all know that's where it's going.

Or, you know, if the fetus died in the third trimester because you caught pneumonia or something, and an OB just happened to help get the lil' corpse out of you lest you turn into one as well. Or if your husband beats you while you're pregnant and kills your unborn child, you go to jail for it. (Because we all know there'd be those too.)

I mean, the odds of this shit passing is slim to none, but the fact that it was introduced at all, with the HOPE of passing, makes me rage and want to castrate every pro-lifer in government.

There was a discussion of this bill on the PaperBackSwap forums. It inspired lots of fighting, especially after the resident troll said that only irresponsible, reckless, negligent women needed to worry, at which point every woman who'd ever had a miscarriage and every person who had a loved one who'd suffered a miscarriage jumped on the troll and the troll's defenders and basically told them they were a bunch of stupid fucks (in politer language).

It seems that more people think this bill is idiocy than agree with it.

That said, how the fuck did Bobby Franklin get elected?

It's local politics. The district could be that far to the right, or it could be based on other things altogether. Look at the guy's Wikipedia page, and you'll see that other bills he's proposed include one to ban the use of paper currency and one just two months ago to abolish driver's licenses. Heck, maybe people keep voting for him as some kind of perverse practical joke.

The death penalty, or life in prison for miscarriages? As if women intend to have miscarriages?

Wow, that is SO pro-life.

How can anybody anywhere possibly class the Death Penalty as being a pro-life measure?

Quote :

Both miscarriages and abortions would be potentially punishable by death:

Quote :

In 2010, Franklin stated, "Islamic terrorism is not the greatest threat facing America. God is."

Truer words were never fucking spoken.

Pardon me for belaboring the obvious, but this bill is six different kinds of crazy. In any of the other 49 states it wouldn't even be contemplated, let alone brought up for a vote; if somebody here in Massachusetts even hinted they were thinking of proposing something like it, that person would be promptly wrapped up in a straitjacket and taken to MacLean Hospital for observation.

Chris, there's every likelihood it won't ever make it to a vote in Georgia, either. Just about every state legislature has at least one or two of these loonies who'll regularly propose bill after bill that never make it out of committee* and are considered jokes by their colleagues and the state press. And, of course, when the media outside the state learn of one of these bills, they'll put out panicked stories with headlines almost implying the thing's been about to be passed, signed, and put into immediate effect. "Nebraska to Ban Nerds?" Uh, no.



*Sometimes, like in South Dakota recently, one of these will make it as far as the state's House or Senate floor. Worrying then is more justified.

No, they're not the real threat-- but they sure as hell should be treated as coalmine canaries.

Drabbler wrote:

It's local politics. The district could be that far to the right, or it could be based on other things altogether. Look at the guy's Wikipedia page, and you'll see that other bills he's proposed include one to ban the use of paper currency and one just two months ago to abolish driver's licenses. Heck, maybe people keep voting for him as some kind of perverse practical joke.

Or just think of how bad the other guy is.

bleachedblackcat wrote:

Drabbler wrote:

It's local politics. The district could be that far to the right, or it could be based on other things altogether. Look at the guy's Wikipedia page, and you'll see that other bills he's proposed include one to ban the use of paper currency and one just two months ago to abolish driver's licenses. Heck, maybe people keep voting for him as some kind of perverse practical joke.

Or just think of how bad the other guy is.

"Bad," in that case, just might mean "a compassionate human being with the capability of thinking logically."
As for these bills, of course they are so extreme no one in their right mind would vote them into law, but it is not only disturbing that someone with such a warped view of reality even got into a position where he can propose these bills, it is also an egregious waste of tax payer money (and this although the Republicans are the ones constantly crowing about ZOMG THE [state or national] DEFICIT!!!), since this thoroughly useless politician receives money, proposing, contemplating and rejecting the bill costs time and therefore money... you get my drift.

I thought SoDak's fundies were bad.

Why does it always seem to be the United States you keep hearing these rage-worthy things about? >_>

Because the Southern US is insane.

Mr.Doobie wrote:

Quote :

Both miscarriages and abortions would be potentially punishable by death:

Well if you don't want to face the death penalty or imprisonment for a miscarriage, CLEARLY the responsible solution is to never become pregnant. And if you get pregnant, you're clearly not being responsible!

Saleha wrote:

As for these bills, of course they are so extreme no one in their right mind would vote them into law, but it is not only disturbing that someone with such a warped view of reality even got into a position where he can propose these bills, it is also an egregious waste of tax payer money (and this although the Republicans are the ones constantly crowing about ZOMG THE [state or national] DEFICIT!!!), since this thoroughly useless politician receives money, proposing, contemplating and rejecting the bill costs time and therefore money... you get my drift.

This. I like how Republicans were crowing last election about JOBSJOBSJOBSJOBS. How the fuck is this sort of shit (or the sort of shit that's going on up in Wisconsin) creating jobs?

When it comes down to it I think that "small-government" Republicans are really just for making state governments into little tyrannies, each with its own bizarre and moronic legislation quirks.

My brother's lived and worked in Georgia for the last 32 years, and even he occasionally remarks when I talk to him how batshit insane a lot of the politicians are. This from a man who could care less about politics and, to the best of my knowledge, has never registered to vote, despite having lived there longer than he actually lived in the state of his birth.

Somehow, Mal, I don't think you can call this guy big-government. Except for enforcing his idea of law, he seems to want the state out of everything, including schools, health care, and roads. I'm just guessing, but it doesn't seem to me like he'd be in favor of government job-creation programs.

Remember, the Republican party isn't any more monolithic than the Democratic one, and it's certainly not a single-issue party. These are especially evident as the posts get more and more local.

InkWeaver wrote:

Because the Southern US is insane.

South Dakota is in the north.

Utah is more north than south (actually, more west than either).

Wisconsin is in the north.

Stating that the Southern US is insane does not exclude the Northern US from its own insanity.

Besides, Florida accounts for at least 50% of the crazy in the south.