Let's get this straight

Based on a few comments on the Federation's Facebook page, we feel it's important to clear up some misconceptions about the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which the West Virginia House of Delegates passed yesterday. The bill now moves to the Senate. We hope after reading this post you'll take a minute to call your State Senator and ask him or her to vote no.

This bill does not include exceptions for rape or incest, but as we mentioned yesterday, that's a minor issue. Most women who want to terminate a pregnancy resulting from sexual assault can and do well before the 20-week threshold. Let's be clear, though: Not all cases of rape or incest are reported or treated, for a variety of reasons. We do hope, however, that victims of a criminal would not be further victimized by the omission of such exceptions.

While the bill does include an exception for the life of the mother, an amendment to create an exception for the health of the mother was voted down. If a doctor says carrying a pregnancy to term would result in death to the woman, an abortion may take place. But if her health would be jeopardized – mental or physical – then the law says no.

We can't explain the logic behind this reasoning, and we won't try.

We've been accused of being pro-abortion. 

LET'S BE PERFECTLY CLEAR ABOUT THIS: We are pro-child, pro-woman and pro-choice. We've yet to meet anyone who is pro-abortion. We'd like to reduce the number of abortions as much as every Republican lawmaker sitting in the Capitol today.

But legislating against abortion isn't going to reduce that number. It will simply reduce the number of safe abortions. We will go back to back-alley, coat-hanger, self-administered procedures that resulted in infection, shock and death.

There is this notion among those in favor of this bill that a woman who has carried a pregnancy through 20 weeks suddenly looks down at her growing belly and says, "What was I thinking?!?" While many birth defects and problems can be found and decisions can be made prior to 20 weeks, some simply can't. Some women develop illnesses or diseases during their pregnancies that, if treated, would result in harm to the fetus. 

These women want these babies, and are left with a painful, heartbreaking decision in which government has no business interfering.

Now if you still think it's government's role to play doctor, more power to you.

We respectfully disagree.