But Huckleberry knows better
by digby
“Sen. Graham and his colleagues seem completely ignorant of the real, far-too-often tragic stories of women facing a decision to have an abortion later in their pregnancy,” said Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America. “Instead of playing politics with women’s lives, they should stop to listen to stories like Dana Weinstein’s, whose much-wanted pregnancy was met with a heartbreaking diagnosis every family dreads. These women could also be survivors of rape or incest who are dealing with severe emotional trauma and often can’t come to terms with a pregnancy as a result of their attack. No matter the story, women and families deserve the dignity to make this very personal and private decision without political intrusion.”
In the ad, Dana says, “As a mother I didn’t want to bring a child into this world for her only to exist in immense pain and suffering. I had always thought – personally – that people who needed late-term ignored their prenatal care. It never occurred to me that the reason people are primarily in late-term is because of a horrific fetal anomaly that cannot be detected earlier.”
Many 20-week abortion bans do not have exceptions for severe medical conditions or adequate exceptions for the health of the mother. This is true about the bill Sen. Graham is introducing today and the companion legislation which passed the U.S. House of Representatives in June.
Since there is limited access to this care, the only option available to Dana when seeking later abortion was to travel to Colorado, 1500 miles away, putting an incredible emotional and financial strain on her and her family.
“Being able to come to a decision that was right for us is really what’s important here,” Dana continues in the ad. “And that’s not for a legislator to decide.”
Senator Graham has to be the most imperfect messenger for this legislation I can imagine. But it’s very telling that he would choose this issue to shore up his Tea Party credentials. Don’t listen to anyone who says they are libertarians who don’t care about social issues. it’s a crock.
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