Since there are currently no pressing problems facing our great nation, the US House of Reprehensibles has just passed HB 36, a national ban on abortions after 20-weeks. Charmingly entitled “The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act,” the legislation would force a pregnant patient who is carrying a fetus that is dead, dying, or incompatible with life to carry it to term and give birth, unless the patient is in grave danger of death or “substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function.”
According to reality, fetuses are not capable of feeling pain until at least 28 weeks. But since conservatives are highly allergic to reality, perhaps Your Liberal Media™ might helpfully report on this egregious tripe from another angle. Let’s say, just for the sake of argument, that a fetus is indeed capable of feeling pain at 20 weeks.
SO FUCKING WHAT?
You know what’s really painful? Giving birth. (So I’ve heard – I personally dodged that bullet thank Vishnu.) I would like my legislator to promptly propose a bill entitled The Pain-Capable Pregnant Person Protection Act, which provides free abortions on demand to anyone who wishes to avoid the pain of childbirth. The bill should have no problem passing in this congress, seeing how the majority is so concerned about sparing citizens from painful medical procedures.
I’m on board with that one. Thankfully, I also dodged the birth bullet. Before I could get myself fixed though, I did get pregnant, and I’ll be forever thankful that when I went for a termination, it was before assholes decided my medical decisions were there business. The one thing I remember most is just how packed the waiting room was, and the room was huge.
^ their, not there. Sigh.
This, this, this.
Pregnancy is a nuisance at best and fucking dangerous and extremely painful at worst. And that’s before birth starts. I remember begging my in the process of being born kid to give me a fucking breather because I just couldn’t take it anymore.
I mean, I got a fucking episiotomy and that pain was drowned out by all the other pain I was in. Should I mention that this was a “picture book no problems birth”?
I remember being very worried about getting the epidural, with the big needle and all, but when I got it I didn’t even feel it. That was after twenty-plus hours of labor, including being sent home “to get some rest” because of not being dilated enough. Did not get any rest. Hard to get rest with contractions every few minutes. Epidural did not take effect until after I delivered, damn it. Could have used it for the episiotomy. There are probably nurses who still have my fingernail marks in their hands.
I know not everyone finds the pain unbearable, but for me it was several degrees beyond any other pain, just impossible to deal with.