June 27, 2013 - Dr. Gregory didn't do a lot in this storyline, but I feel this comic makes up for it.
I'm kind of embarrassed I said nothing about the attempts to pass Senate Bill 5 in Texas yesterday. Ultimately it wasn't passed so it's probably a moot point to mention it now, but the actions of Senator Wendy Davis should not be ignored. Standing for 10 hours to delay the vote of the bill (with help from other congressmen appealling the decision to end her filibuster to further delay the vote and disruptions from the audience) without food, bathroom breaks, or the ability to sit down or lean, she caused the vote to not happen within the allotted time effectively preventing the bill from passing. What this means for future attempts to pass the same legislation though remains to be seen and a new special session has already been declared for July 1st lasting 30 days. As much as I hope the bill is struck down or at least reanalyzed to include ammendments, the best I think I can actually hope for is that the ruling passes and then is successfully appealed. The staggering amount of inaccuracy behind the arguments for why to pass the bill are alarming. Supporters claim it will improve women's access to health care, but without grandfathering in currently operating clinics or better yet making sure that any clinic that shuts down is replaced by one that meets the new standards, the bill seeks to close the majority of clinics in the state of Texas (most of which are self-sustaining meaning that women seek out such clinics in high enough numbers that the services they provide are necessary) leaving women with no where else to go. It's also worth questioning if such opposition to abortion affects the quality of care as it's certainly a risky field to get into with such little job security. Did we learn nothing from Gosnell that when women have no other place to go they turn to monsters like him?
The only real victory that can be taken away from this situation is the overwhelming support Senator Davis received for her actions, especially from people out of state. Today the Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act and with it invalidated the basis of California's Proposition 8. This indicates that states don't have the right to make discriminatory rulings that the rest of the country rejects, and hopefully with time this will transfer to abortion rights as the support Sen. Davis received indicates to me that we've become a nation that understands the need for legalized abortion, restricting access on a state by state basis may hopefully very soon no longer be an option.
-D
I'm kind of embarrassed I said nothing about the attempts to pass Senate Bill 5 in Texas yesterday. Ultimately it wasn't passed so it's probably a moot point to mention it now, but the actions of Senator Wendy Davis should not be ignored. Standing for 10 hours to delay the vote of the bill (with help from other congressmen appealling the decision to end her filibuster to further delay the vote and disruptions from the audience) without food, bathroom breaks, or the ability to sit down or lean, she caused the vote to not happen within the allotted time effectively preventing the bill from passing. What this means for future attempts to pass the same legislation though remains to be seen and a new special session has already been declared for July 1st lasting 30 days. As much as I hope the bill is struck down or at least reanalyzed to include ammendments, the best I think I can actually hope for is that the ruling passes and then is successfully appealed. The staggering amount of inaccuracy behind the arguments for why to pass the bill are alarming. Supporters claim it will improve women's access to health care, but without grandfathering in currently operating clinics or better yet making sure that any clinic that shuts down is replaced by one that meets the new standards, the bill seeks to close the majority of clinics in the state of Texas (most of which are self-sustaining meaning that women seek out such clinics in high enough numbers that the services they provide are necessary) leaving women with no where else to go. It's also worth questioning if such opposition to abortion affects the quality of care as it's certainly a risky field to get into with such little job security. Did we learn nothing from Gosnell that when women have no other place to go they turn to monsters like him?
The only real victory that can be taken away from this situation is the overwhelming support Senator Davis received for her actions, especially from people out of state. Today the Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act and with it invalidated the basis of California's Proposition 8. This indicates that states don't have the right to make discriminatory rulings that the rest of the country rejects, and hopefully with time this will transfer to abortion rights as the support Sen. Davis received indicates to me that we've become a nation that understands the need for legalized abortion, restricting access on a state by state basis may hopefully very soon no longer be an option.
-D
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