New law in MO

Looks like there is a new state initative to ban abortion. This time in Missouri.

Feministing:

A new ballot initiative in Missouri is seeking to essentially outlaw abortion. (H/t Cara)

The proposal would require doctors to extensively review the medical literature on abortion and investigate each patient’s background and lifestyle. It would require doctors to certify that the abortion was better for the woman than a full-term pregnancy.

Because when deciding what's best for a woman, the idea of actually trusting the woman herself is silly-talk. That's what doctors, legislators, and men are for. I suppose we shouldn't be shocked that they're going the "women are too stupid to know that when they get abortions, they're getting abortions" route, but it's still frigging infuriating. The proposal would also allow women to sue doctors if they later regretted their decision to terminate a pregnancy and would offer no rape or incest exception.

The proposal, which is known as the “Prevention of Coerced and Unsafe Abortion Act,” would require the doctor to certify that an abortion was necessary to avert the woman’s imminent death or irreversible disability. Or the doctor would have to document that carrying the fetus to term would be more dangerous than the combination of nearly every conceivable risk associated with abortion.

And get this--those risks include any risk that's been associated with abortion "in any study published in a peer-reviewed journal." So basically, even potentially politically-motivated and well, untrue, research would have to be taken into account. Charming.

So they will try to throw up every threat they can to scare off doctors. Lawsuits, poorly written law that WILL BE read to ruin doctors that still do undesired procedures.

But I have some hope this will fail or be struck down in court.

NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri says that the proposal would mean a near-total ban on abortion and that the wording would actually mean that a dying woman seeking an abortion that would save her life would be required to wait 48 hours before obtaining the procedure. You know, so she had sufficient time to mull the decision over and all. Disgusting.

So, if this is so badly written that women in emminent risk of death will be denied, or have doctors unwilling to proceed, I can't see this standing up to judicial rulings, unless you get a wingnut judge...I'm sure in appeal that there would be a more considered...

...tell me again that their is no difference between Republican and Democratic candidates at state and national levels.