Religious fundamentalist Saudi Arabia allows abortion in cases of risk to a woman’s life and to protect her physical and mental health. A pregnancy arising from incest or rape might qualify for a legal abortion under the Saudi law’s mental health exemption. Idaho Republicans think that policy is outrageously liberal. During the mouth-breathing misogynists' annual convention, the GOP delegates voted 412-164 to reject an amendment to the platform that would allow for abortions if the mother’s life were in “lethal danger.”
These sanctimonious sadists have buried the monstrous lie that they are “pro-life”. It is impossible to say that you value life when you condemn women to death because they want to live. It is also devoid of logic.
Consider “stand your ground” laws. Here the “pro-life” Bible-thumper encourages the (white conservative) gun owner to blast away if they feel the least bit threatened. No duty to retreat. No requirement to ensure that the other person is a real threat. No. Whip it out and start shooting, no matter how crowded the scene.
Why is a pregnant woman not accorded the same consideration? Her life is threatened, why can’t she act to save it? You would have to ask the Idaho GOP to explain their reasoning because I cannot discern the logic.
Take this one step further. What if the life-threatened pregnant woman shot herself in the womb? Would not that be standing her ground?
Now consider a situation where the woman’s life is threatened by her fetus in such a way that if she dies, so does the fetus — which I suspect is the usual case. How is two dead more “pro-life” than one dead?
Further burying the idea that these sadists are motivated by a genuine concern for the fetus is the additional bigoted — and contradictory — language in the GOP’s platform. It said the party believes a child’s gender assigned at birth to be an essential characteristic of identity and purpose. And that the party believes parents, not the state, have a sacred duty and right to rear their children in the manner they see fit.
“We call upon parents, responsible citizens, and officers of government to promote measures that respect and protect the biological gender of children. We strongly oppose any person, entity, or policy that attempts to confuse minors regarding their biological gender.”
It is Orwellian to say that the party believes parents should raise their children as they see fit. While also saying parents ought to raise their children following party guidelines.
The Idaho GOP plays the “but what about those beautiful angels” card. Scott Herndon, a Republican candidate for a Wyoming Senate seat, is typical of these pietistic zealots.
“For the last 49 years, we have essentially lost the argument in the culture because we have focused on abortion as the termination of a pregnancy and not the termination of a living human being.”
It is a sophist’s argument. Herndon states his belief as absolute truth. His claim that a fetus is a “living human being”, from a fertilized egg on, is his opinion, not a fact. Throughout history, until the present day, religions have disagreed about the start of ‘personhood’. Many place the start of human life at the time of “quickening” or “ensoulment” — around 20 weeks.
Why shouldn't a woman’s religious freedom allow her to identify when her fetus attains human life?
Has Herndon thought his position through? What if Idahoan biblical literalists insist that sperm is imbued with human life? Genesis 38:9-10 says
9 And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother.
10 And the thing which he did displeased the Lord: wherefore he slew him also.
The words seem to refer to the withdrawal method of contraception. But fundamentalist moralists, who interpret the Bible in a way to cause the most suffering, believe these biblical verses show that God views masturbation as a capital crime. So before Herndon, and the rest of these misogynists, dictate the rules to women, they should swear on their Bibles they have never masturbated.