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TERRIBLE NEWS IN KENTUCKY EVERYONE: SB 9—the “Born Alive” bill enacted by the Republican-controlled legislature—is now law because @AndyBeshearKY failed to veto it.
That’s good news for forced birthers in Kentucky—not so much for pregnant people. #TeamLegal
The bill sat on Beshear’s desk for ten whole ass days. He could've vetoed it.
But he didn’t.
Instead, he just let it go into effect. And the cherry on top of the shit sundae? Today is the anniversary of Roe v. Wade.
So that's fun.
But he didn’t.
Instead, he just let it go into effect. And the cherry on top of the shit sundae? Today is the anniversary of Roe v. Wade.
So that's fun.
So what exactly *is* the Born Alive law?
It is a fear-mongering and myth-making law based on THE LIE that abortion providers are somehow aborting newborns on the regular.
I don't know about you, but aborting a newborn is called murder or infanticide where I’m from.
It is a fear-mongering and myth-making law based on THE LIE that abortion providers are somehow aborting newborns on the regular.
I don't know about you, but aborting a newborn is called murder or infanticide where I’m from.
Kentucky's "Born Alive" law is utter propaganda.
It is also a blatant attempt by Republican legislators to control how and when physicians provide abortion care as @heyitscalla pointed out in this piece for @RewireNewsGroup: https://rewirenewsgroup.com/article/2019/04/12/born-alive-abortion-bills-are-based-on-nothing-but-propaganda/
It is also a blatant attempt by Republican legislators to control how and when physicians provide abortion care as @heyitscalla pointed out in this piece for @RewireNewsGroup: https://rewirenewsgroup.com/article/2019/04/12/born-alive-abortion-bills-are-based-on-nothing-but-propaganda/
Kentucky’s “Born Alive” law (SB 9) requires a physician performing an abortion "to take all medically appropriate and reasonable steps to preserve the life and health of a born alive infant."
You can read the bill here: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/21RS/sb9/bill.pdf
You can read the bill here: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/21RS/sb9/bill.pdf
But here’s the thing:
ABORTION PROVIDERS ALREADY DO THAT.
Abortion providers already try to preserve the life and health of a "born alive" infant.
ABORTION PROVIDERS ALREADY DO THAT.
Abortion providers already try to preserve the life and health of a "born alive" infant.
So let’s count the ways Kentucky’s “Born Alive” law is horseshit, shall we?
1. Legal abortion care does not involve murder or infanticide. I mean come the fuck on already.
2. Murder and infanticide *are already crimes* so why does Kentucky need a law reiterating that people shouldn’t be murdering infants?
2. Murder and infanticide *are already crimes* so why does Kentucky need a law reiterating that people shouldn’t be murdering infants?
3. “Born alive” is nonsense terminology because—wait for itttt—if you’re “born alive” it means you’ve been “born.”
BORN ALIVE DOESN’T MEAN ANYTHING.
4. Doctors are already required to care for babies that are born. This is common sense.
BORN ALIVE DOESN’T MEAN ANYTHING.
4. Doctors are already required to care for babies that are born. This is common sense.
These laws are also cruel:
While a healthy fetus can survive outside the womb after 24 weeks, abortions this late in pregnancy are *incredibly* rare and often involve heartbreaking circumstances like fetal anomalies or the pregnant person’s life being at risk.
While a healthy fetus can survive outside the womb after 24 weeks, abortions this late in pregnancy are *incredibly* rare and often involve heartbreaking circumstances like fetal anomalies or the pregnant person’s life being at risk.
In cases where a newborn doesn’t have a chance of surviving for very long outside of the womb—because of a fetal anomaly—
abortion providers provide compassionate end-of-life care for that newborn according to what the patient wants.
abortion providers provide compassionate end-of-life care for that newborn according to what the patient wants.
Some people opt to let the baby die naturally. Others opt to try to resuscitate it. Others opt to provide comfort care: to swaddle the newborn, cuddle it, and have a few moments with the baby before it dies.
This is a decision to be made between the physician and the patient.
This is a decision to be made between the physician and the patient.
These laws don't protect “born alive” newborns.
They strip rights away from pregnant people to, for example, sign a Do Not Resuscitate order to limit their newborn's distress.
Republicans want to interfere with a patient’s decision regarding end-of-life-care for their newborn.
They strip rights away from pregnant people to, for example, sign a Do Not Resuscitate order to limit their newborn's distress.
Republicans want to interfere with a patient’s decision regarding end-of-life-care for their newborn.
So not only are “Born Alive” laws based on junk science and scare tactics, they make an already difficult situation even more difficult for pregnant people during a particularly painful time.
These laws are cruel and unnecessary.
These laws are cruel and unnecessary.
And the Kentucky law is of course not the first of its kind—anti-choicers are not the most creative people.
At @RewireNewsGroup, we’ve had our eyes on “Born Alive” legislation for years now, including on the federal level: https://rewirenewsgroup.com/article/2018/01/17/house-republicans-vote-shock-value-abortion-bill-anti-choice-protesters-descend-d-c/
At @RewireNewsGroup, we’ve had our eyes on “Born Alive” legislation for years now, including on the federal level: https://rewirenewsgroup.com/article/2018/01/17/house-republicans-vote-shock-value-abortion-bill-anti-choice-protesters-descend-d-c/
We even did an investigation after the Gosnell scandal to see if there was a flood of abortion providers murdering newborns willy nilly.
We sent letters to all state attorneys general. Every response said:
NO EVIDENCE OF PROVIDERS MURDERING NEWBORNS.
https://rewirenewsgroup.com/article/2013/08/22/disproven-the-myth-of-infants-born-alive-after-abortions/
We sent letters to all state attorneys general. Every response said:
NO EVIDENCE OF PROVIDERS MURDERING NEWBORNS.
https://rewirenewsgroup.com/article/2013/08/22/disproven-the-myth-of-infants-born-alive-after-abortions/
Do you want to know more about “Born Alive” laws and why they’re a bunch of crap?
Well @Hegemommy and I have you covered with this episode of #BoomLawyered.
You can listen to it while you pretend to get any work done on a Friday afternoon: https://rewirenewsgroup.com/multimedia/podcast/myth-busting-the-anti-choice-born-alive-bills/
Well @Hegemommy and I have you covered with this episode of #BoomLawyered.
You can listen to it while you pretend to get any work done on a Friday afternoon: https://rewirenewsgroup.com/multimedia/podcast/myth-busting-the-anti-choice-born-alive-bills/
~FIN~
