The pregnancy termination method pejoratively labeled "partial birth" abortion is a method of abortion--not an indication of the point in the timeline of a pregnancy at which an abortion occurs. There are other, still-legal methods of abortion for late-stage pregnancies, and "partial birth" abortions are not exclusively a late-stage pregnancy termination method.
The problem with banning "partial birth" abortions is that the procedure is generally only used when it is in the specific health interests of the mother. For that reason, this ban will definitely maim and probably kill women, plain and simple.
I know...after doing a lot more research on the subject after I posted that post yesterday I've come to realize this...it's sickening. I find the idea of a partial-birth abortion disturbing because I know what happens in it, but it's a necessary procedure for the health of the mother in so many instances.
It's just a damned shame how so many religious conservatives fool women into being religious conservatives and allowing themselves to be ruled over by men...they're indoctrinated nigh from birth...I'll tell you this much: any daughter of mine can have an abortion if she ever needs to for her health or whatever reasons. It's her body, not mine. I have no right to decide for her anymore than I would have a right to decide for my wife or any other woman. Men should not be allowed to decide this, only women. Period.
Good News: U.S. Government Likely to Approve Creation of Wild Sky Wilderness Area
With the Democrats back in control of Congress, this long-stalled initiative finally passed the House, where Republicans had obstructed its progress. It should enjoy smooth sailing in the Senate, and President Bush has indicated he will sign it. This will give maximum-level wildland protections to about 100,000 acres of land—the first new wilderness area created in Washington in nearly the span of my lifetime.
Fantastic news, always. Our current methods of industry and urban creation results in too much damage to the environment with potentially catastrophic effects for our way of life in the future...until we develop more efficient and enviro-friendly methods we need all the protected space we can get.
Bad News: Supreme Court Places Major Ban on Abortion
ZeaLitY already brought this up, but I mean to bring it up again. This article in the P-I indicates that hundreds or even thousands of women in Washington State alone will be impacted by this ban, each year. This ban is a direct assault on women’s rights, dismisses good science in the face of religious fundamentalism, and emboldens anti-abortion activists to press for further bans on abortion. This is a taste of what George Bush’s Supreme Court plans for America. The ban is altogether evil.
Hundreds or thousands in Washington state alone?! That's enough to make me want to say "Jesus Christ!" Ridiculous...purely ridiculous...
WTF News: Russia Plans Siberia-Alaska Tunnel
The tunnel, part of a larger $65 billion transportation corridor, will include pipes, rails, roads, and wires. It will be twice as long as the Chunnel. I’m not actually convinced this is good news, because for one thing the project is highly likely to fail, and for another thing the environmental consequences of opening this transportation link may be very dire. But this tunnel has been talked about for a long time, and it is exciting to think it might finally happen. My admiration at the engineering marvel that such a project would produce, and my optimism toward progress is general, is enough for me to view this project positively. It’ll be a monster undertaking, and already has attracted the interest of multiple countries on both sides of the ocean.
I'm going to have to smack Zeality for the Soviet Russia joke because I've heard far too many of those about this bit of news already and it's beginning to piss me off. Still, the actual news is quite interesting. I just hope it pays off...the sheer usefulness of a tunnel from North America to Asia should not be underestimated. With this tunnel one could concievably drive or walk from New York City to Moscow, or Beijing, or Dubai, or Cairo, or any other city in Asia, Europe, or Africa. Now if only we had a tunnel stretching to Australia...
