Waste of money, waste of time
Put up your dukes.
Missouri Governor Matt Blunt has announced that he will call a special legislative session some time this fall to reconsider some anti-choice legislation.
If you don't have time to read this full article, here is a summary of what Blunt hopes to accomplish, to the tune of somewhere around $50,000 per day of session (while Missouri enacts deep cuts Medicaid due to a severe fund shortage):
1. New "safety" regulations that would, though their excessive and unrealistic expectations, effectively close many clinics across the state. The regulations are unreasonable and intended to close clinics, not to make them more safe.
2. A provision that would require all doctors providing abortion services to have hospital privileges within 30 miles of their clinic. For outstate regions and small communities, this provision would force several rural clinics to shut their doors.
3. A provision that any adult who escorts a minor from Missouri across state lines to have an abortion in a state without parental notification laws (Illinois, for example) could be sued. I wrote about this issue in an earlier post.
Aside from the possible anti-choice outcomes of this special session, I have to stress that it is a blatent waste of time and tax dollars. This is special interest pandering to Missouri Right to Life. Blunt is making nice with the MRTL folks because he stood in the way of the passage of the above items during the regular legislative session.
Under pressure from some big business leaders, Blunt faltered in his support for the bills that carried these anti-choice provisions - they were packaged up with others that would restrict theraputic cloning and stem cell research. He wasn't being a good guy, he was just being a good Republican.
This is a fantastic example of the hypocrisy of the Right. Blunt was hardline anti-choice until something attractive came along that might boost business for the region, might make Missouri a leader in bioscience. Get your ethics off my business, right Matt?
The most likely conclusion of the upcoming fiasco is this: the bills will pass.
What can we do? Make a lot of noise about the waste of money and misplaced priorities. This is not a pressing state issue. It is a great big kiss on the ass for Missouri Right to Life.
Contact Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and ask what you can do to help. I believe they're planning a trip to Jeff City for the special session to make pro-choice voices heard, and you can join them. Ask for Cora or Michelle in the political department. They'll hook you up.
Missouri Governor Matt Blunt has announced that he will call a special legislative session some time this fall to reconsider some anti-choice legislation.
If you don't have time to read this full article, here is a summary of what Blunt hopes to accomplish, to the tune of somewhere around $50,000 per day of session (while Missouri enacts deep cuts Medicaid due to a severe fund shortage):
1. New "safety" regulations that would, though their excessive and unrealistic expectations, effectively close many clinics across the state. The regulations are unreasonable and intended to close clinics, not to make them more safe.
2. A provision that would require all doctors providing abortion services to have hospital privileges within 30 miles of their clinic. For outstate regions and small communities, this provision would force several rural clinics to shut their doors.
3. A provision that any adult who escorts a minor from Missouri across state lines to have an abortion in a state without parental notification laws (Illinois, for example) could be sued. I wrote about this issue in an earlier post.
Aside from the possible anti-choice outcomes of this special session, I have to stress that it is a blatent waste of time and tax dollars. This is special interest pandering to Missouri Right to Life. Blunt is making nice with the MRTL folks because he stood in the way of the passage of the above items during the regular legislative session.
Under pressure from some big business leaders, Blunt faltered in his support for the bills that carried these anti-choice provisions - they were packaged up with others that would restrict theraputic cloning and stem cell research. He wasn't being a good guy, he was just being a good Republican.
This is a fantastic example of the hypocrisy of the Right. Blunt was hardline anti-choice until something attractive came along that might boost business for the region, might make Missouri a leader in bioscience. Get your ethics off my business, right Matt?
The most likely conclusion of the upcoming fiasco is this: the bills will pass.
What can we do? Make a lot of noise about the waste of money and misplaced priorities. This is not a pressing state issue. It is a great big kiss on the ass for Missouri Right to Life.
Contact Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and ask what you can do to help. I believe they're planning a trip to Jeff City for the special session to make pro-choice voices heard, and you can join them. Ask for Cora or Michelle in the political department. They'll hook you up.
posted by Jackie at 9:05 PM
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