Fighting on Two Fronts

North Dakota has a bustling fossil fuel economy  and has allocated one million dollars  to defend it’s anti-abortion legislature.  

Despite the overflowing coffers, ND has failed to pass  funding increases in medicaid or social services to help pay for pregnancy and childbirth for women who can’t afford medical care.  

The bills have also cut off all public funding  for any entity which even discusses abortion as an option.  

photocredit RVW40

The ACLU reports  that in the past two years alone, states have passed almost 140 laws legislating abortion.  Some of these “laws” are in fact, illegal. In December 2011, the Federal Bureau of Investigation re-worked it’s definition for the crime of rape:

 “The penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.”  

Why is this important?  

It removes the requirement of the victim to physically and or verbally defend herself (or himself) against the perpetrator.  Saying “No” and not saying (or not being able to say) “Yes” are now nearly interchangeable in the eyes of the law.  

It allows prosecutions against sexual assaults if a victim is unconscious, disabled, intoxicated, married to the defendant,  or previously disallowed because the “wrong” orifice was penetrated.  

It also makes the “Heartbeat Bill”  illegal.  In order to detect a fetal heartbeat within a 6 week time limit, the patient is required to have a trans-vaginal ultrasound .  That’s right- REQUIRED. 

photocredit tvu

These bills have turned the pro-life vs pro-choice issue into a larger debate. “You can have an abortion as long as your doctor commits (forced?) vaginal penetration”. The recent VAWA  reauthorization is not enough to sin-wash this.

“The intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment or deprivation.”

~ W0rld Health Organization

“The inclusion of the word ‘‘power’’... broadens the nature of a violent act and expands the conventional understanding of violence to include those acts that result from a power relationship, including threats and intimidation... Thus, ‘‘the use of physical force or power’’ should be understood to include ...sexual and psychological abuse....” ~quote

Can there be legal carte-blanche consent if the State demands submission?  This is why many have referred to such legislature as “state sanctioned rape".  Women’s pro-choice advocates  all over the country have been staging protests, writing articles and signing petitions, but what’s exciting are some new voices chiming in dissent. 

 Some pro- life advocates  have been distancing themselves, stating the new laws have “gone too far”.  This may be good news for Roe v Wade after all.  If the issue has become coerced consent, maybe I yet have a reasonable chance to get the government out of my vagina.

photocredit, box

watch:

Rachel Maddow

Democracy Now!

voice your concern:

Office of Governor State of North Dakota

~artramp, 3-26-13