#Fetal Viability

[justinspoliticalcorner]

David Baker at AZ Family:

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A measure that would add an amendment to the state constitution making abortion a “fundamental right” has enough signatures to get on the ballot. State officials confirmed on Monday that supporters of the Arizona Abortion Access Act got 577,971 signatures, roughly 50% more than the 383,923 signatures needed. It’ll be on the ballot as Proposition 139. It is the most signatures ever validated by a citizen’s initiative in state history, supporters said. [...] If voters approved the measure in November, it would create an amendment that allows abortions until the point of “fetal viability,” which is around the 24th week.

A proposal to protect abortion rights called Proposition 139 will be on the ballot in Arizona in November. If it passes, abortions will be permitted until the point of fetal viability (approx. 24 weeks), the same standard as the now-overturned Roe had.

[thatstormygeek]

“Ultimately, I believe that we should provide equal protection under the law for all unborn children,” Fairchild said. “I believe that science proves that life begins at conception, and the government has a responsibility to protect that life from conception until natural death.”

Oh, wow. That's quite a stand for a Republican. Obviously this means he supports extended pregnancy and parental leave and socialized healthcare and universal basic income and all that stuff, right? I mean, if the government has a responsibility to "protect" life from "conception until natural death," that's a big change from how we currently operate.

Let's see what else he's been up to in his 3 years in the Kansas legislature...

Hmm. That doesn't seem like it's super concerned with protecting life. What else?

That's kind of odd. I mean, if you're going to disallow certain types of medicine that have years of evidence of their effectiveness, sponsoring a bill to make sure drugs that don't have that evidence are more widely available certainly is A Choice.

Ultimately, of the 19 bills and resolutions he's signed on to sponsor, four of them have been anti-abortion actions. The rest are spread out across topics, though two of the four non-abortion resolutions are about legislative term limits (the other two are recognizing a Teacher of the Year and condemning the Oct 7th attacks).

I don't know why I bothered to begin doing this. We all know they don't care that they are hypocrites. I guess something about the ridiculousness of his statement combined with the GOP take on pretty much anything inspired me.

However, I did run across this in a bill that became law over Gov. Kelly's veto and just...what?

This is an ultrasound of a fetus at 9 weeks

There is zero chance of this fetus being born alive.

This is a 12 week ultrasound:

Again, this fetus is not going to survive birth. (Ultrasound images from here)

Fetal viability is a complex topic that I'm not going to go into, except to say that experts place the earliest viable gestation age around 22-24 weeks and, according to that Wikipedia article linked right there, the "lowest gestational age newborn to survive...was born on 5 July 2020 in the United States, at 21 weeks and 1 day gestational age, weighing 420 grams." So what the fuck are they even doing with that reporting requirement? I mean, we know what they are doing, but still. wtf.

[in-sightpublishing]

FFRF hails new Ariz. law repealing archaic abortion court ban

Publisher: In-Sight Publishing Publisher Founding: September 1, 2014 Publisher Location: Fort Langley, Township of Langley, British Columbia, Canada Publication: Freethought Newswire Original Link: https://ffrf.org/news/releases/ffrf-hails-new-ariz-law-repealing-archaic-abortion-court-ban/ Publication Date: May 3, 2024 Organization: Freedom From Religion Foundation Organization…

[ralfmaximus]

With no national support or attention, Arkansas women (and a few good men) did what everyone said couldn’t be done. On July 5, organizers turned in enough signatures to qualify an amendment to restore access to abortion in Arkansas.  The amendment will restore access up to 18 weeks for any reason and thereafter has exceptions for rape, incest, fatal fetal anomaly, and life and health of the mother.  The amendment had no support from national groups like Planned Parenthood or the ACLU because it didn’t allow for abortions up to the point of viability.  However, polling showed that anything over 18 weeks simply wouldn’t pass in deep red Arkansas, and the amendment will cover 99% of abortions that do occur.

Abortion rights will be on the ballot in Arkansas, thanks to a 100% unfunded volunteer effort! Amazingly good news.

[fillejondrette]

if you want to know what it's like to live in ohio, just know that my town designated itself as a sanctuary city for the unborn, which meant that it was illegal to get or assist someone else to get an abortion, even if the support consisted of giving them money to get an abortion in columbus or whatever.

[iwriteaboutfeminism]

ABC News

Abortion rights supporters have prevailed in all seven states that already had decided ballot measures since 2022: California, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, Ohio and Vermont.

...

The Missouri ballot measure would create a right to abortion until a fetus could likely survive outside the womb without extraordinary medical measures. Fetal viability generally has been considered to be around 23 or 24 weeks into pregnancy but has shifted downward with medical advances. The ballot measure would allow abortions after fetal viability if a health care professional determines it’s necessary to protect the life or physical or mental health of the pregnant woman.

[amaditalks]

Abortion Is On The Ballot

In ten states, there are ballot measures or questions which will be decided in the November election which will impact the future of abortion access in those states. Here’s what you need to know.

Arizona

Arizona Proposition 139 the Right to Abortion Initiative will amend the state constitution to provide for the fundamental right to abortion that the state of Arizona may not interfere with before the point of fetal viability unless justified by a compelling state interest.

To enshrine abortion rights protection in the state constitution Vote Yes

Colorado

Colorado Amendment 79, the Right to Abortion and Health Insurance Coverage Initiative will amend the state constitution to create the right to an abortion and authorize the use of public funds (Medicaid) to pay for abortion care.

To enshrine abortion rights protection in the state constitution Vote Yes

Florida

Florida Amendment 4, the Right to Abortion Initiative, will amend the state constitution to declare that "no law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.” The current constitutional provision requiring parental consent for minors' abortions will not be affected.

To enshrine abortion rights protection in the state constitution and overturn the current six week abortion ban Vote Yes

Maryland

Maryland Question 1, the Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment, will amend the state constitution to establish a right to reproductive freedom, defined to include "the ability to make and effectuate decisions to prevent, continue, or end one's own pregnancy."

To enshrine reproductive rights protection in the state constitution Vote Yes

Missouri

Missouri Amendment 3, the Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative will amend the state constitution to provide the right for reproductive freedom, which is defined as "the right to make and carry out decisions about all matters relating to reproductive health care, including but not limited to prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, birth control, abortion care, miscarriage care, and respectful birthing conditions," and providing that the state legislature may enact laws that regulate abortion after fetal viability.

To enshrine broad reproductive rights protection including abortion in the state constitution and overturn the current complete abortion ban Vote Yes

Montana

Montana CI-128, the Right to Abortion Initiative will create a constitutional "right to make and carry out decisions about one’s own pregnancy, including the right to abortion," and allow the state to regulate abortion after fetal viability, except when "medically indicated to protect the life or health of the pregnant patient."

To enshrine broad reproductive rights protection including abortion in the state constitution Vote Yes

Nebraska

The Nebraska Prohibit Abortions After the First Trimester Amendment will amend the state constitution to elevate the current twelve week abortion ban law to a constitutional provision with limited exceptions for medical emergencies or in cases of rape.

To prevent the current legislative abortion ban from being enshrined in the state constitution Vote No

Nevada

Nevada Question 6, the Right to Abortion Initiative will amend the state constitution to create a constitutional right to an abortion, providing for the state to regulate abortion after fetal viability, except where medically indicated to "protect the life or health of the pregnant patient."

To enshrine abortion rights protection in the state constitution Vote Yes

New York

New York Proposal 1, the Equal Protection of Law Amendment will amend the state constitution to provide that people cannot be denied rights based on their "ethnicity, national origin, age, and disability" or "sex, including sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive healthcare and autonomy."

To enshrine equal rights protection for pregnant people and abortion patients in the state constitution Vote Yes

South Dakota

The South Dakota Constitutional Amendment G, the Right to Abortion Initiative will amend the state constitution to protect the right to an abortion based on a trimester framework, with no restrictions permitted in the first trimester, only limited medical need restrictions permitted in the second trimester and allowing deeper restrictions in the third trimester except "when abortion is necessary, in the medical judgment of the woman's physician, to preserve the life and health of the pregnant woman."

To enshrine abortion rights protection in the state constitution and overturn the state's current full abortion ban Vote Yes

If you live in one of these ten states and abortion rights matter to you, get registered or double check your registration and make your voting plan today. Every single vote matters significantly in amendment questions.

[lilleluv]

What Is Viable/ Non-Viable Pregnancy?

Pregnancy is a beautiful phase in a woman’s life. However, not all pregnancies progress to a full-term healthy delivery. In some cases, a pregnancy may not develop normally or may cease to grow, leading to what is known as a non-viable pregnancy. In this article, we will explore what viable and non-viable pregnancies are, what causes them, and how they can be diagnosed and managed. What Is…

[destielmemenews]

"Missouri is currently enforcing a total abortion ban with exceptions for medical emergencies. The ballot measure's proposal to enshrine the right to abortion until fetal viability - typically around 24 weeks in pregnancy - drew support from 52% of Missouri voters in a St. Louis University/YouGov poll conducted from Aug. 9-16. The measure would need more than 50% support to pass."

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[secularprolifeconspectus]

Quick Pro-Life Responses

Keep in mind: the fundamental disagreement between pro-life and pro-choice is on whether a fetus is being formed into a person, or if the fetus is already a person and is simply developing.

Confidently assert, “you say that because you think a fetus is not a person yet.”

They may concede fetuses are people in word, but still not conceptualize them as full people worthy of equal consideration.

“I have the right to bodily autonomy.”

Abortion is literally suffocation, poisoning, or dismemberment of a living human organism.

Abortion induces fetal demise by depriving a human of oxygen, blood, or vital function.

Bodily autonomy does not justify abuse of power and excessive force over a helpless person.

Abortion, a disproportionately brutal response to a passive threat, is aggressive violence.

“No one has the right to use my body.”

Correct. But, a prenatal person does not use a pregnant person’s body. They have no agency.

A pregnant person’s body takes care of the prenate. This care is ordinary and healthy.

Abortion is not like refusing care to a dying person, it is like murdering a healthy captive.

No one has the right to murder someone who they caused to be dependent on them.

“I have the right to revoke my consent.”

When you give consent, you agree to accept the foreseeable outcomes and risks of an action.

The creation of a bodily dependent is a foreseeable outcome of consensual intercourse.

You cannot revoke consent to outcomes. You can revoke consent to actions.

You may not violently sacrifice a helpless person to “mitigate” a risk of a consensual action.

“Anything dependent on my body is a parasite.”

If you make parasites, then you’re a parasite; it’s misogynist to suggest women are parasites.

The female body would not actively try to make pregnancy happen if it were parasitic.

Prenates never directly cause pregnant people harm; they are not aggressors or parasites.

Using developmental dependency to justify murder is simultaneously ageist and ableist.

“An embryo is just a clump of cells.”

Human embryos meet NASA’s criteria for the characteristics of distinct living organisms.

Human embryos are self-directed and their development follows a body plan.

Human embryos are organized and individual. They already have inherited capacities.

Tumors and gametes do not follow an organized body plan.

“Early humans have no cognitive capacities.”

By week 3, the embryo has a spine and is developing a nervous system.

By week 5, the embryo has a rudimentary brain that controls their pulse.

By week 8, the embryo has pain reflexes and can move their limbs.

It’s incredibly ableist to use the cognitive inabilities of a human being to justify their murder.

“If a fetus is a person, so is a brain-dead human.”

A brain-dead human is, obviously, dead. It’s an oxygenated corpse, the remains of a person.

Death occurs when human organisms stop resisting entropy and lose organic integration.

Preborn people actively resist entropy (decay) and have organic integration (unity).

An early human organism isn’t dependent on a mature brain to organize her vital functioning.

“Later abortions only happen for medical reasons.”

According to two studies by pro-abortion researcher at UCSF Katrina Kimport, this is untrue.

Kimport’s studies found that the reasons for later abortions are similar to early abortions.

Later abortions aren’t euthanasia; infants are stabbed with lethal injections and dismembered.

Perinatal hospice and palliative care relieve suffering. Dying babies deserve love, not murder.

“What about rape and incest?”

Abortion is not evidence-based treatment for sexual trauma. Abortion is traumatic as well.

A preborn child should not be condemned to the death penalty for their father’s crime.

It is safe for most menstruating children to carry pregnancies to viability with sufficient prenatal care.

Children conceived in incest are likely to have disabilities; that’s not reason to murder them.

“What about health of the mother?”

Every abortion ban in the US has exceptions for if the mother’s life or body is in grave danger.

We are not against tragic cases of triage. We are against elective induced abortion.

Some procedures coded medically as abortions aren’t legally or ethically defined as abortions.

Pro-life doctors report that the bans have not impeded their ability to treat their patients.

Your Core Arguments

There is no sound evidence or consistent logic that proves the preborn are the only class of human beings exceptional to the rule that humans are people with equal rights.

If a being is in the dynamic process of bonding with us as kin, then that being is a whole actual person by the manner of actively and inherently relating to our collective humanity.

Embryonic humans are full and equal people like us because they latently embody our same capacities and are manifesting them as we are, on account of sharing our nature.

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Rape Victim who Has an Abortion in Brazil May Face Harsher Penalties than the Rapist if Bill Is Approved

Project could affect legal abortion in Brazil; criminal law experts say the proposal is unconstitutional

A woman carrying a pregnancy resulting from rape and having an abortion after the 22nd week could face a harsher penalty than her rapist. This is what will happen if PL 1904, which is urgently being processed in the Chamber of Deputies, is approved. The project aims to set a 22-week limit for terminating pregnancies where there is fetal viability, opening room to include cases where abortion is authorized, such as rape, risk to the mother's life, and fetal anencephaly, increasing the penalty for those who perform the procedure after the period.

The proposal's goal is to equate the punishment for abortion to the imprisonment provided for in the case of simple homicide. Thus, the woman who undergoes the procedure, if convicted, will serve a sentence of 6 to 20 years in prison. The penalty for rape in Brazil is 6 to 10 years.

Continue reading.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Amee Vanderpool at SHERO:

The issue of abortion protections will be on Missouri’s statewide ballot in November, thanks to a successful initiative petition, put forth by the Missourians for Constitutional Freedom coalition, that was finalized on Tuesday, just before the 5pm deadline. In order to be successful, the amendment proposal must receive more than 50% of votes in approval, which would then protect abortion procedures up until the point of fetal viability, generally around 24 weeks. A successful amendment like this would return the State of Missouri back to the standard used after the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, but before the Dobbs Decision, which overruled the guaranteed rights from Roe. The language of this new amendment also includes exceptions after viability “to protect the life or physical or mental health of the pregnant person.” The new law would also protect the patients receiving medical care as well as anyone performing or assisting in the abortion procedure.

The current law in Missouri currently holds that doctors who perform abortions can be charged with a class B felony and face up to 15 years in prison. As a consequence of providing medical care, a doctor’s medical license can now also be suspended or revoked for performing abortions in the state. This latest win of providing a ballot initiative for abortion comes after a grueling battle with Republicans in the Missouri House of Representatives, that sought to keep any type of abortion protection measure off the ballot. Missouri is currently among 18 states with an abortion ban, and one of more than a half-dozen states which will allow the voters to decide on the issue of abortion protections on the 2024 ballot. This week, officials in Arizona also announced that local abortion-rights supporters had amassed enough signatures to put a proposed amendment on the November ballot that would formalize abortion rights in the Arizona State Constitution as well.

Amee Vanderpool writes in her SHERO Substack that Missouri’s abortion rights referendum is a very big deal for the state of abortion access post-Roe. Missouri currently has a near-total abortion ban as a result of the Dobbs ruling.

See Also:

Jess Piper: Abortion is on the Ballot in Missouri

[mush-dooms]

MISSOURI VOTERS!!!

ABORTION RIGHTS ARE OFFICIALLY ON THE MO BALLOT THIS NOVEMBER 5

I know tumblr dot com doesn't give a shit about rural, deep red states, but this is HUGE. Missouri has one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the US, allowing exceptions only "to save the pregnant person's life" or "to prevent serious risk to the pregnant person's physical health," and even these have stipulations requiring a mandatory 72-hour waiting period and counseling, parental consent for minors, as well as banning Medicare and insurance from providing abortion coverage

WE CAN CHANGE THIS

Ammendment 3 would change the Missouri constitution, effectively reestablishing reproductive freedom. More specifically, this includes "the right to make and carry out decisions about all matters relating to reproductive health care, including but not limited to prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, birth control, abortion care, miscarriage care, and respectful birthing conditions."

Ammendment 3 also only allows for future legislation restricting abortion access after fetal viability. While this is less than ideal, you have to understand that this is Missouri we're talking about, a state where Trump won in 2020 by a 15% margin. Republicans have already tried (and failed!!!) to have Ammendment 3 removed from the ballot-- they're scared, but we HAVE TO SHOW UP.

A "Yes" vote on Ammendment 3 is in favor of amending the MO constitution and restoring the right to choose what happens to OUR bodies.

WE HAVE A CHANCE TO FIX THINGS

- - - - -

Voter Resources:

October 9 is the deadline to register to vote, and you can do so here: https://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/goVoteMissouri/register

Find a polling place: https://voteroutreach.sos.mo.gov/portal

Register for absentee voting:

Online: https://www.vote.org/absentee-ballot/missouri/

By Mail: https://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/goVoteMissouri/howtovote

Confirm your registration status: https://voteroutreach.sos.mo.gov/portal/

Accepted Forms of Voter ID (required in MO): https://www.sos.mo.gov/voterid

REBLOG TO SPREAD AWARENESS

[toshtoshtosh]

A 34-week-old fetus isn’t classified as “full term” but it IS well past the age of fetal viability, meaning the point at which it could survive outside of the womb. So, if you’re “aborting” a fetus that could survive outside of the womb and disposing of the body, what might we call that?

[intersectionalpraxis]

"Under a Missouri statute that has recently gained nationwide attention, every petitioner for divorce is required to disclose their pregnancy status. In practice, experts say, those who are pregnant are barred from legally dissolving their marriage. “The application [of the law] is an outright ban,” said Danielle Drake, attorney at Parks & Drake. When Drake learned her then husband was having an affair, her own divorce stalled because she was pregnant. Two other states have similar laws: Texas and Arkansas."

"Missouri is particularly restrictive when it comes to reproductive health and autonomy. It was one of the first to ban abortion after Roe v Wade was overturned in 2022, including in cases of rape and incest. Research shows that abortion restrictions can effectively give cover to reproductive coercion and sexual violence: the National Hotline for Domestic Violence said it saw a 99% increase in calls during the first year after the loss of the constitutional right to abortion."

"Advocates are currently trying to gather enough signatures to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot that would make abortion legal until fetal viability, or around 24 weeks."

"In Missouri, homicide was the third leading cause of deaths in connection with pregnancy between 2018–2022, the majority (75%) of which occurred among Black women, according to a 2023 report by the Missouri department of health and senior services, which examines maternal mortality data. In every case, the perpetrator was a current or former partner. And in 2022, 23,252 individuals in the state received services after reporting domestic violence, according to the latest reporting from Missouri Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence, which compiles data from direct service providers in the state."

The dystopia we speak of -across many of issues that women and marginalized folks face is HERE already. This is terrifying.

[tomorrowusa]

With Kamala Harris (and a Democratic Congress) you get reproductive freedom. With "Weird Donald" Trump you lose freedoms.

Kamala Harris jumped into the presidential race with a broad pledge to “restore reproductive freedom.” The Harris campaign specified Monday that she’s calling for restoring Roe v. Wade. While many abortion-rights groups are championing her bid for the White House, some activists are frustrated with her position on the issue and plan to keep pushing to go further than President Joe Biden. The Harris campaign told POLITICO the stance the vice president took in a September interview with “Face the Nation” hasn’t changed — support for restoring Roe, which protected abortion until the point of fetal viability, around 22 weeks of pregnancy. “I am being precise. We need to put into law the protections of Roe v. Wade,” Harris said in that interview. “And that is about going back to where we were before the Dobbs decision.”

Weird Donald is trying to label Kamala as an "abortion radical". But her position is basically that of the US in between 1973 and 2022. In '22 the GOP US Supreme Court overturned 49 years of established law and told women that they had no federal right to abortion. All three Trump justices voted to overturn Roe v. Wade.

It's Weird Donald who is the true "abortion radical". The convicted felon and adjudicated sex offender is pandering to extreme fundamentalist Christians who wish to make America a theocratic equivalent of Iran – but with Jesus instead of Muhammad.  

Kamala's position aligns with that of most Americans.

Polling shows that while there is broad support for access to abortion, most people believe there should be some restrictions. A YouGov/The Times poll last week found that 31 percent of voters think there should be no restrictions on abortion, while another 32 percent support abortions in most cases with some restrictions, and 30 percent believe the procedure should only be allowed in special circumstances.

Iowa just became the latest red state to ban nearly all abortions.

On Monday, as Iowa became the 18th state to ban nearly all abortions, the Harris campaign announced a “Fight for Reproductive Freedom” week of action that will include dozens of events across battleground states. Harris, in a video released Monday, lambasted the Iowa law as another “Trump abortion ban.”