Don't Give Up Your Right to Fly Back to Alaska in Labor!

Lynn Paltrow's open letter to Gov. Sarah Palin, published on Alternet, does a wonderful job of connecting the dots between abortion choices, birthing choices and who gets to choose what happens to a pregnant woman's body. Considering birthing rights is absolutely necessary when we talk about restricting abortion and granting a fetus protections that trump the needs of the mother. Paltrow and her organization National Advocates for Pregnant Women, are some of the heroes of the reproductive justice movement. Below is an excerpt, but the whole letter definitely deserves a read. 

"Dear Governor Sarah Palin:

Many Americans agree with your position regarding abortion -- they do this as a matter of faith, ethics, personal experience and sometimes politics. I am just wondering though, if you have thought about what would happen if you succeeded in getting your position -- that fetuses have a right to life -- established as the law of the land? Did you know that it not only threatens the lives, health and freedom of women who might want or need someday to end their pregnancies, it would also give the government the power to control the lives of women -- like you who -- go to term?

Your last pregnancy, the one that has become the topic of widespread discussion and speculation provides an important opportunity to demonstrate how this could be true.

According to press reports your water broke while you were giving a keynote speech in Texas at the Republican Governors' Energy Conference. You did not immediately go to the hospital -- instead you gave your speech and then waited at least 11 hours to get to a hospital. You evaluated the risks, made a choice, and were able to carry on your life without state interference. Texas Governor Rick Perry worried about your pregnancy but didn't stop you from speaking or take you into custody to protect the rights of the fetus."

Comments

[Marianne Jaycox, Communications and Outreach Director at National Advocates for Pregnant Women]

Hi there,

Thanks so much for sharing such important information and bringing heightened awareness to the issues surrounding reproductive justice.

As the abortion issue takes center stage and we count down to Election Day, NAPW is spreading the message that the proposed measures in Colorado and South Dakota supporting “fetal rights”– laws which assert the unborn has separate and greater rights than pregnant women – are being used to punish and hurt ALL pregnant women, including those going to term.

In our efforts to get the word out, NAPW has produced a video, which can be seen here: http://www.advocatesforpregnantwomen.org/ It explains how these anti-abortion ballot measures pose a real threat to the rights, welfare and even the lives of pregnant women. Voters are urged to vote “NO” on Amendment 48 in Colorado and “NO” on Measure 11 in South Dakota.

People need to understand that voting against these fetal rights measures does NOT mean supporting abortion, it means protecting pregnant women and ensuring that they remain safe in the eyes of the law. We must support a real culture of life…one that supports and values the women who give that life.

Best wishes,

The staff at National Advocates for Pregnant Women (NAPW)

[SoMG]

Pixie, the ACOG and the AMA are not trying to get rid of home births. You should try to avoid embarrassing yourself by writing this sort of silliness.

Chris, you wrote: "I would have more respect for the Pro-Choice movement if they simply admitted that yes, they were in fact killing babies,..."

Where have you been for the last decade??? The non-personhood argument is sooooooo 1970s.

"I ask this of you, would you think it was wrong to have 25 abortions? (You may gasp!)"

Actually this was not so unusual in the USSR during the 1980s when the non-functional economy made contraceptives unavailable.

[Chris]

Come on... I would have more respect for the Pro-Choice movement if they simply admitted that yes, they were in fact killing babies, but that the benefits of being able to do that to society, economy, and the mother outweighed the right of the unborn to life. I ask this of you, would you think it was wrong to have 25 abortions? (You may gasp!) If so, then why was the first one ok?

Chris

[pixie l]

This has been heavily on my mind, and I'm glad to see someone else bring it up. As someone who has frequently made "alternative" parenting decisions, I am terrified by the specter of a Supreme Court that would overturn Roe v Wade. I had a homebirth last time. With ACOG and the AMA trying to get rid of homebirth, those who seek to allow the government into women's reproductive choices scare me. It's not just about when to give birth, it's about how and where. Laws don't belong in my uterus.

[erin]

just had to say that i found your blog a few months ago and am a child birth educator working primarily with pregnant women.

I really enjoy and respect your blog. I strive to provide the same sense of empowerment and respect at the other end of the spectrum in reproductive rights.

All women deserve the right to make choices about their body whether to proceed with their pregnancy or not and to be treated with dignity from their caretakers.

I have learned much from your stories. Keep sharing.
e

[Mellankelly]

I just wrote this at RH Reality Check but I will reiterate here:
I researched all of the women you referenced and in doing so found many more who were forced to endure unimaginable circumstances due to these so-called "fetal rights." I can't fathom my daughters being put into one of these situations or dying as a result (see Angela Carder)... this has only reignited my passion for ensuring that we elect a President who will make certain that any Supreme Court Justice(s) that they nominate will see the value of the lives of these pregnant women and not be clouded by their distaste for abortion.