Waiting periods mean women have to pass these charmers twice.
Republican state legislators across the country continue looking for ways to make it more difficult for women to exercise their right to choose abortion, and Tennessee is in the process of passing one of the classics: a waiting period. And a Tennessee Republican managed to make waiting periods even more insulting than they by definition are. Tennessee Democrats tried to amend the waiting period bill to exempt victims of rape and incest, but state Rep. Sheila Butt was not having it, because
how do you know that a woman is telling the truth about her pregnancy being the result of rape or incest?
"This amendment appears political because we understand that in most instances this is not verifiable," Butt said. "Let’s make sure that these women have the information and understanding to act. Madam Speaker, I move this amendment to the table."
In short, let's just assume that women are lying about rape and move on.
Butt's claim that this was about "mak[ing] sure that these women have the information and understanding to act" also doubled down on the insult of the waiting period. Waiting periods mean that it's not enough to scrape together money that may be hard to come by and travel what may be hours to the nearest clinic that's managed to stay open despite harassment of doctors and laws targeting it. No, you need to do that, then wait 48 hours or more, then go back for a legal medical procedure. It's a burden of time and money and it's based on the claim that women don't know what they're doing when they decide not to continue a pregnancy, schedule a medical appointment, and do whatever money-saving and traveling it requires. Just the kind of thing you do on a whim, according to Republicans. Who doesn't love a medical procedure every so often, particularly one likely to bring you face to face with screaming protesters?
That's why Sheila Butt had to make sure that rape victims—or, you know, liars claiming to be rape victims—won't be able to indulge that particular whim without waiting for 48 hours. Since they don't have the "information and understanding" to make decisions about their medical care otherwise.