Rosie Jimenez was a poor student who already had a daughter. She she couldn't afford health insurance, that's why she was on Texas's Medicaid. Unfortunately for her the Hyde Amendment had just passed in 1976 and went into effect in 1977, barring Medicaid from covering an abortion. Whatever her reasons Rosie was desperate enough to have an abortion that she crossed over into Mexico where she obtained an abortion that she could afford, but it ended up costing her life leaving her daughter an orphan. Here are some excerpts from a newspaper report at the time:
Five women in Texas bled and suffered because they had cut-rate abortions in Mexico and one them died.
At least three of the women could have been eligible for federally subsidized abortions in hospitals before August 4th, when Congress banned the practice.
The Department of Health, Education, and Welfare following the appropriations law, cut off federal funding for abortions except in life-threatening situations on August 4.
The Center for Disease Control in Atlanta said four of them were Americans who went to Mexico to have abortions in border town "pharmacies". A fifth was a Mexican who sought treatment in Texas afterwards. All crossed the border at Reynosa, Tex.
The CDC which has been looking for such cases since Congress ordered the cutoff, said they had sepsis, a bacterial infection. An HEW spokesman said the women had intense vaginal bleeding or pelvic infections.
Texas is one of a number of states that cut off payment for abortions.
Jeannie Rosoff of Planned Parenthood said, "These incidents show that what we are really talking about is poor, desperate women who are willing to maim themselves or even die in an attempt to get an abortion. Members of the Congress who support the ban on Medicaid abortions were responsible for the chain of events that inevitably led to the death and suffering of these poor women."
Rosie was just 27 when he died, obviously the other women were victims as well, they just didn't die. The anti-choice movement, of course, deny any culpability in the death or Rosie on the Hyde amendment. Instead they like to focus on the "
little short of euphoric" response of the pro choice groups who use Rosie's as an example of the need for access to safe abortions. The forced birthers argue that "Readily available public funds for abortion had taught her that she need not be careful about her sexual activity and/or birth control" and that "Public relations efforts by prochoice groups left women like Rosie with the belief that criminal abortion was their only option." Something tells me that if she were alive Rosie would have something different to say about the casualness of her abortions (she had had 2 previously, interesting how she hadn't died from them when they were paid for by Medicaid) or that the only reason she was aware of the option of seeking an illegal abortion was the result of pro-choice public relations (never mind the thousands of years previous that women had sought and obtained abortions of varying safety and effectiveness).
No, the forced birthers are never willing to admit the consequences of their "pro-life" restrictions to abortion, how could they? It's easier to blame the PR campaigns of pro choice groups. I wonder if that was responsible for this too?
A 16-year-old Richmond Township boy who police say repeatedly beat his willing girlfriend in the abdomen to force a miscarriage has been arraigned on a felony charge in Macomb County juvenile court.
The teen's fathers told reporters after the hearing that the teens were good children who were desperate to hide the pregnancy for fear of disappointing their parents.
Authorities say a roughly 6-month-old fetus was delivered Oct. 4 at the girl's home after the girl allowed the boy to hit her repeatedly in the abdomen with a 22-inch baseball bat over the course of two weeks. The buried fetus was discovered in November in the boy's yard.
If we're "little short of euphoric" when scenarios like the above occur,
then why are we always trying to make sure they don't happen again by keeping (and unfortunately having to restore) access to safe, legal, abortions? The wealthy have always enjoyed access to safe abortions, regardless of legality,
for the poor it will, unfortunately always be something the rest of us struggle to provide. Let's make sure to remember Rosie when we vote and campaign next year, and
ten other reasons it's important to return the House to Democratic control, or at the very least keep one branch of government in pro-choice control:
HR-3 No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act
It would also redefine rape for the purpose of exempting resulting abortions from the federal funding restrictions as "forcible rape" and limit the incest exemption to cases where the women is a minor.
H.R.593 - Taxpayer Conscience Protection Act of 2011
2/9/2011--Introduced.Taxpayer Conscience Protection Act of 2011 - Directs each state that makes a Medicaid payment from federal funds during the fiscal year for any items or services furnished by an abortion provider
H.R.358 - Protect Life Act
Prohibits a federal agency or program and any state or local government that receives federal financial assistance under PPACA from requiring any health plan created or regulated under PPACA to discriminate against any institutional or individual health care entity based on the entity's refusal to undergo training in the performance of induced abortions, require or provide such training, or refer for such training.
H.R.217 - Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act
Amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit the Secretary of Health and Human Service (HHS) from providing any federal family planning assistance to an entity unless the entity certifies that, during the period of such assistance, the entity will not perform, and will not provide any funds to any other entity that performs, an abortion.
H.R.361 - Abortion Non-Discrimination Act of 2011
Amends the Public Health Service Act to codify provisions that prohibit the federal government and any state or local government that receives federal financial assistance from subjecting any health professional, a hospital, a provider sponsored organization, a health maintenance organization, an accountable care organization, a health insurance plan, or any other kind of health care facility, organization, or plan to discrimination on the basis that the entity refuses to participate in abortion-related activities.
S.314 - Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act of 2011
Brochure that includes a statement that there is substantial evidence that the process of being killed in an abortion will cause the unborn child pain and that the mother has the option of having pain-reducing drugs administered directly to the child. Creates an exception to save the life of the mother
S.121 - Pregnant Women Health and Safety Act
Subjects any physician who knowingly performs an abortion in violation of this Act to fines and/or imprisonment.
S.165 - Abortion Non-Discrimination Act of 2011
Amends the Public Health Service Act to codify provisions that prohibit the federal government and any state or local government that receives federal financial assistance from subjecting any health professional, a hospital, a provider sponsored organization, a health maintenance organization, an accountable care organization, a health insurance plan, or any other kind of health care facility, organization, or plan to discrimination on the basis that the entity refuses to participate in abortion-related activities.
S.96 - Title X Family Planning Act
A bill in the U.S. Congress: A bill to amend title X of the Public Health Service Act to prohibit family planning grants from being awarded to any entity that performs abortions.
S.167 - Child Custody Protection Act
A bill in the U.S. Congress: A bill to amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit taking minors across State lines in circumvention of laws requiring the involvement of parents in abortion decisions.
(h/t
LaFeminista)