In Trent Franks' wackadoodle world, that is.
The Arizona Congressman, easily a finalist for the most Looney Tune fundamentalist in Washington DC, is back with his federal bill outlawing abortions based on the race or gender of the fetus. Yes, Arizonans regularly turn to Republican Trent Franks for inspiring civil rights policy, so it's no surprise he's titled his bill "The Susan B. Anthony and Fredrick Douglass Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act."
The great civil rights leader Franks says he is concerned that far too many African Americans are having abortions. After all, the babies could grow up to be Frederick Douglass! Skeptics might ask why Trent Franks is introducing this legislation, since blacks make up about 2 percent of his constituency, and no one has ever pointed to a single incidence in Arizona of a fetus aborted because of its race or gender.
Nonetheless, Franks' bill is scheduled for a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee tomorrow, with a possible floor vote before the November election.
In addition to the shameless name-dropping found in Franks' bill -- "The Susan B. Anthony and Fredrick Douglass Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act" -- it also would give a woman's family members the ability to sue abortion providers if they think an abortion was performed because of the race or sex of the fetus. New Times
Not only is the title of HR 3541 skewed, in that it appropriates two civil rights leaders to reinforce Franks' warped agenda, but get a load of the first line in the bill:
Women are a vital part of American society and culture and possess the same fundamental human rights and civil rights as men.
That's right, Mr. Franks, which is why you've dedicated your congressional tenure to stamping out women's rights. Franks' stupidly named bill never got out of committee last year, but he's back this week with nearly 80 cosponsors; by my count, I see two women on the list. Clearly, white men know what's best for black women.
But here's the deal: there is absolutely no friggin' evidence in America that anyone aborts fetuses because of their race or gender. In fact, 95 percent of abortions take place before week 16, when the fetus's sex becomes apparent, so that's a moot point. Also, since Roe v Wade the U.S, has actually experienced an "uptick in baby girls born":
While most American parents say they'd prefer to have a son, the ones who actually take measures beyond expressed preference to ensure the gender of their unborn child are trying to have a girl. Jezebel
Franks said he gave the bill its name, and he introduced it in the first place, because this is a civil rights issue:
"This is the civil rights struggle that will define our generation," Franks said in his opening statement [last year].
Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), the longest-serving African American member of the House, responded to Franks' proclamation by asking why Frederick Douglass' and Susan B. Anthony's names are on the bill. "I've studied Frederick Douglass more than you," Conyers told Franks. "And I've never heard or read about him saying anything about prenatal nondiscrimination." HuffPo
The reason more African American women seek out abortions, the HuffPo article says, is that their rate of unintended pregnancy is a third higher than white women, not because they don't want black babies!
A similar bill passed here in Arizona last year -- again, without any evidence that couples are choosing to end pregnancies based on the sex or ethnicity of the fetus:
Rep. Steve Montenegro, R-Litchfield Park, said he pushed the legislation because of fears women would choose to abort because they didn't like the gender or the race of the baby. Rep. Katie Hobbs, D-Phoenix, said the only proof Montenegro offered was a magazine article on such practices in China and India. Arizona Republic
Well, at least our legislators can read a magazine. I had my doubts.
Franks can drop any name into his bill ("The Lady Gaga and Samuel L. Jackson Act"), and he can scream "civil rights" as loud as he wants. But this screwball legislation is about one thing and one thing only: another step along the path to overturn Roe.