PUBLISHER'S NOTE:
I have taken on the them of criminalizing reproduction - a natural theme for a Blog concerned with flawed science in its myriad forms and its flawed devotees (like Charles Smith), as I am utterly opposed to the current movement in the United States and some other countries - thankfully not Canada any more - towards imprisoning women and their physicians on the basis of sham science (or any other basis). Control over their reproductive lives is far too important to women in America anywhere else so they can participate equally in the economic and social life of their nations.
Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;
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PASSAGE ONE OF THE DAY: "The bill has been called draconian by Democrats, medical lobbies and civil rights organizations along with women’s rights leaders and celebrities who have opposed the measure and protested the bill for months. “The Handmaid Coalition of Georgia” marched to the statehouse to protest the legislation, chanting “shame” and “dissent” while clad in the red cloaks and white bonnets of characters in “The Handmaid’s Tale,” a book and TV series that depicts a dystopian future where women are enslaved to rear children."
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PASSAGE TWO OF THE DAY: "Abortion rights activists say six-week bans — which have been struck down by at least two courts as unconstitutional — are part of a deliberate strategy to pass increasingly radical laws in the hopes of getting the issue before the U.S. Supreme Court. Leana Wen, president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said would be filing a lawsuit to stop the Georgia bill from going into effect. “The bill signed by Governor Kemp bans abortions before many women even know that they are pregnant. It is so extreme that it criminalizes doctors who provide life-saving care, and it even allows the state to investigate women for having miscarriages,” Wen said. Like some other versions, Georgia’s law includes exceptions for incest, rape and situations of medical futility or where the health of the mother is at stake. Unlike the others, Georgia’s says a fetus is a “natural person” and “human being” once a heartbeat is detected.""
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STORY "Georgia governor signs ‘heartbeat bill,’ giving the state one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the nation," the Washington Post (reporters Emily Wax-Thibodeaux and Ariana Eunjung Cha) reports on May 7, 2019.
PHOTO CAPTION: "Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) signed a bill outlawing abortion if a doctor can detect a fetal heartbeat – one of the nation’s most restrictive abortion laws."
The entire story can be read at:
https://www.washingtonpost.
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/
I have taken on the them of criminalizing reproduction - a natural theme for a Blog concerned with flawed science in its myriad forms and its flawed devotees (like Charles Smith), as I am utterly opposed to the current movement in the United States and some other countries - thankfully not Canada any more - towards imprisoning women and their physicians on the basis of sham science (or any other basis). Control over their reproductive lives is far too important to women in America anywhere else so they can participate equally in the economic and social life of their nations.
Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;
-----------------------
PASSAGE ONE OF THE DAY: "The bill has been called draconian by Democrats, medical lobbies and civil rights organizations along with women’s rights leaders and celebrities who have opposed the measure and protested the bill for months. “The Handmaid Coalition of Georgia” marched to the statehouse to protest the legislation, chanting “shame” and “dissent” while clad in the red cloaks and white bonnets of characters in “The Handmaid’s Tale,” a book and TV series that depicts a dystopian future where women are enslaved to rear children."
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PASSAGE TWO OF THE DAY: "Abortion rights activists say six-week bans — which have been struck down by at least two courts as unconstitutional — are part of a deliberate strategy to pass increasingly radical laws in the hopes of getting the issue before the U.S. Supreme Court. Leana Wen, president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said would be filing a lawsuit to stop the Georgia bill from going into effect. “The bill signed by Governor Kemp bans abortions before many women even know that they are pregnant. It is so extreme that it criminalizes doctors who provide life-saving care, and it even allows the state to investigate women for having miscarriages,” Wen said. Like some other versions, Georgia’s law includes exceptions for incest, rape and situations of medical futility or where the health of the mother is at stake. Unlike the others, Georgia’s says a fetus is a “natural person” and “human being” once a heartbeat is detected.""
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STORY "Georgia governor signs ‘heartbeat bill,’ giving the state one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the nation," the Washington Post (reporters Emily Wax-Thibodeaux and Ariana Eunjung Cha) reports on May 7, 2019.
PHOTO CAPTION: "Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) signed a bill outlawing abortion if a doctor can detect a fetal heartbeat – one of the nation’s most restrictive abortion laws."
GIST: "Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed a controversial “heartbeat” bill
into law on Tuesday, outlawing most abortions once a doctor detects
what some call “a fetal heartbeat in the womb,” usually about six weeks
into a pregnancy. His signature could launch a
court battle that supporters hope will challenge abortion rights all the
way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The bill was signed at 10 a.m. Tuesday
in the governor’s ceremonial office at the state Capitol. Kemp said he
upholds his promise to enact the “toughest abortion bill in the
country.” “Georgia
is a state that values life,” Kemp said before putting his signature to
the Life Act. “We stand up for those who are unable to speak for
themselves.” Kemp said he recognizes the bill will be challenged. “But
our job is to do what is right, not what is easy,” Kemp added. “We will
not back down. We will always continue to fight for life.” The
bill has been called draconian by Democrats, medical lobbies and civil
rights organizations along with women’s rights leaders and celebrities
who have opposed the measure and protested the bill for months. “The
Handmaid Coalition of Georgia” marched to the statehouse to protest the
legislation, chanting “shame” and “dissent” while clad in the red
cloaks and white bonnets of characters in “The Handmaid’s Tale,” a book
and TV series that depicts a dystopian future where women are enslaved
to rear children. The protesters have been an almost daily presence,
along with heavy security. The #ReclaimGeorgia
campaign by NARAL Pro-Choice Georgia and Planned Parenthood Southeast
Advocates aims to spend six figures to mobilize activists and “put
unprecedented pressure” on supporters of the measure ahead of next
year’s election. Laura Simmons, the NARAL state
director, said it’s designed to “educate voters and put lawmakers on
notice that advocates for reproductive freedom will not let legislators
off the hook for turning their backs on women and families by voting to
criminalize abortion and punish women.” With two new conservative
justices on the Supreme Court, those against abortion want to test the
1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion. Doctors
who oppose the legislation, however, say what appears to be a heartbeat
at six weeks is simply a vibration of developing tissues that could not
exist without the mother. Georgia law previously banned abortions after
20 weeks of pregnancy. The American Civil
Liberties Union and other critics have vowed they will bring a lawsuit
targeting the legislation — and promised electoral payback as well. In
a statement responding to Kemp’s signing the ban, Talcott Camp, deputy
director of the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project, said: “Governor Kemp
put politics before the health and well-being of Georgia women and their
families. In a state with a devastatingly high maternal mortality rate,
particularly for Black women, politicians should be focused on
improving health care access for all women, not banning abortion before
most women know they’re pregnant. This bill is part of an orchestrated
national agenda to push abortion care out of reach and we won’t stand
for it. Governor Kemp, we will see you in court.” Georgia
is the fourth state to enact such legislation in 2019. Similar
“heartbeat” bills are in the works in 10 other states — Missouri,
Tennessee, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, New York,
South Carolina and West Virginia — according to the Guttmacher
Institute. A federal judge has already blocked Kentucky’s law. Other
courts struck down similar laws that were recently enacted in Iowa and
North Dakota. The bill made national headlines
after actress and women’s rights activist Alyssa Milano hand-delivered a
letter to Kemp’s office last month to protest the “heartbeat bill.” The
letter was signed by 50 celebrities who vowed to boycott the state,
which has a growing television industry, if the bill was signed into
law. State Sen. Renee Unterman, who pushed the
bill through the state Senate, called the bill the “culmination of my
political career.” Abortion
rights activists say six-week bans — which have been struck down by at
least two courts as unconstitutional — are part of a deliberate strategy
to pass increasingly radical laws in the hopes of getting the issue
before the U.S. Supreme Court. Leana Wen,
president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said would be filing a
lawsuit to stop the Georgia bill from going into effect. “The
bill signed by Governor Kemp bans abortions before many women even know
that they are pregnant. It is so extreme that it criminalizes doctors
who provide life-saving care, and it even allows the state to
investigate women for having miscarriages,” Wen said. Like
some other versions, Georgia’s law includes exceptions for incest, rape
and situations of medical futility or where the health of the mother is
at stake. Unlike the others, Georgia’s says a fetus is a “natural person” and “human being” once a heartbeat is detected."
https://www.washingtonpost.
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/
