State-Sanctioned Rape? Excuse Me?

I just finished reading Nicolas Kristof's article called, "When States Abuse Women." It was mainly about how many states are taking extreme measures to prevent abortions. In states like Texas, women getting an abortion are required (yes, it's MANDATORY) to get a vaginal ultrasound, listen to the fetus' heartbeat, watch it on a screen and listen to the doctor explain about all of the fetus' organs. Then, the girl has to sign papers saying she understands all of it, go home and wait 24 hours before she can come back and actually get the abortion. Many people are saying it borders on the definition of rape.

Rape is, after all, "putting any object into an orifice against a person’s will." That's what this is, except the state government is organizing it. "Twenty states now require abortion providers to conduct ultrasounds first in some situations, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization. The new Texas law is the most extreme to take effect so far, but similar laws have been passed in North Carolina and Oklahoma and are on hold pending legal battles." Read that again. TWENTY STATES. That's almost half of our country. What I'm wondering is if these laws are constitutional. They probably are, but I'd like to investigate some more. I am just so shocked to learn about this. Yes, I knew people were against abortion. I knew a lot of people were against abortion. This just seems like a little bit over the boundary.

All these people seem just a tad hypocritical to me. They are so against abortion, yet they still do the following. "The small proportion of women and girls who aren't using contraceptives account for half of all abortions in America, according to Guttmacher. Yet Texas has some of the weakest sex-eduction programs in the nation, and last year but spending for family planning by 66 percent." It honestly makes no sense to me how they could possibly make women go through such hoops to get an abortion when in fact they are doing little to stop it from happening in the first place. I understand that they have their opinion about the matter, and I respect that, but they can't just complain about a problem and make it worse if they didn't try to prevent it in the first place! 



Personally, I am pro-choice. I think if a women wants an abortion, she should be able to get one, especially for young girls. People shouldn't bring a child into the world unless they are going to take care of it to the best of their ability, love it with all their heart, and provide it with a good life. That's my personal opinion on the matter. After reading the article, it just made me even more pro-choice, if that's even possible. I just couldn't believe some of the bigotry in our country. If a doctor has to probe a woman's vagina to stop her from getting an ultrasound, and make her do all that other crazy stuff, things are clearly out of hand. Some people see that, but until more people see that, nothing is going to get better any time soon.


Here's a link to the article if you want to check it out for yourself, which you should.