Thread by @kazweida

This #SundayMorning we're asking what the hell this "after-birth abortion" thing is and why conservatives are pushing it as a talking point everywhere (CPAC included).

Democrats aren't actually advocating infanticide so what on earth are Republicans talking about?

(THREAD)

(2) Conservatives believe abortion can still divide Americans. Support for a woman's right to choose is holding steady, but the GOP has latched onto a poll funded by a Catholic organization & believe anti-abortion rhetoric is 2020's secret sauce to success
kofc.org/un/en/resource…

(3) There's precedent for this hyperbolic rhetoric. In 2003, the US passed a partial-birth abortion ban. Sponsored by National Right to Life, it was a centerpiece of Bush's presidency.

Scientifically though, partial-birth abortions don't exist.

forbes.com/sites/tarahael…

(4) In fact, the current rhetoric about "after-birth" abortions arises out of another piece of legislation called the “Born Alive” bill, sponsored by Sen Sasse. It has stalled in the House, where Dems pointed out it's redundant, unnecessary & inflammatory

politico.com/story/2019/03/…

(5) Allowances for fetal viability already exist in Roe v. Wade. And even if they didn't, the partial-birth abortion ban from 2003 was upheld by the Supreme Court. Why introduce this bill now?

Looks like 2020's fake news campaigns are in full swing.

foxnews.com/politics/senat…

(6) The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says this "Born Alive" bill would only address extremely rare cases that occur in about 1% of abortions. And it would require doctors to resuscitate infants that are on the edge of viability.

nytimes.com/2019/02/26/hea…

(7) This bill's unintended consequences would result in families having to watch a baby with severe abnormalities die in pain instead of spending their last hours together saying goodbye and deriving as much comfort as they can from a terrible tragedy.

nymag.com/intelligencer/…

(8) And furthermore, it ratchets up rhetoric that we have already seen results in threats & even murder of doctors.

It's a disgusting use of an emotional bait and switch that exploits one of the most tragic moments in someone's life for political gain.

politifact.com/truth-o-meter/…

(9) Let's make the implications of this legislation clear with a personal example. In 2010, I almost died. What was diagnosed as a miscarriage was an ectopic pregnancy.

The day after Christmas, I was rushed into surgery with massive internal bleeding.

https://twitter.com/kazweida/status/979741512652144640

(10) I had probably been "pregnant" for 4-5 months, but an ectopic pregnancy grows outside of the womb. In this case, it was in my right fallopian tube. The fetus had a heartbeat, but it was not viable.

My fallopian tube had already burst twice.

(11) When they cut the mass out of my fallopian tube, I assume it didn't draw breath in this world. Ectopic pregnancies grow more slowly due to constricted space & it's unlikely it had anything resembling lungs.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fetal_via…

(12) I was grateful to wake up to the smiling face of my five-year-old son and my husband. My doctor saved my life. And I miraculously went on to get pregnant again just two months later with a healthy pregnancy.

Our daughter is now seven. I hope she'll never endure what I did.

(13) These medical decisions are complicated. Men like Sasse & Trump who exploit moments of grief for their twisted religious & political ideals sicken me. This is not a respect for life.

Women endure these tragedies. We suffer.
We are NOT host bodies.

https://twitter.com/JessicaValenti/status/1101500672439140352

(14) We deserve the respect of making our own decisions about how and when to have our families without having our basic reproductive rights legislated by zealots. Cut the rhetoric and have some respect for women.

WE DESERVE TO LIVE.

harpersbazaar.com/culture/politi…

(END) Thanks to @mindyanns for the #SundayMorning thread suggestion. If your suggestion didn't get nominated, come back next week- we do this every Sunday.

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