Via Wonkette, on Tuesday, the Tennessee legislature debated a reproductive rights bill called HB 977, which would require women to wait 48 hours and receive counseling before having an abortion. Democratic representative Craig Fitzhugh proposed two amendments to it: first, that doctors would be able to exempt their patients from the waiting period “if, in that doctor’s medical judgment, that 48 hours would exacerbate an existing medical condition or a substantial risk of psychological harm.” He added, “This is what is done for the safety, health, and welfare of the woman involved.”
Then, Republican rep Sheila Butt took the stand to point out that this amendment “is really a loophole for the abortion industry. It allows someone who’s going to profit from abortion to get the waiting period waived.” Yes—a great point, by Sheila Butt! Forget the mental health or physical safety of the woman making a choice about a life-altering situation: those notoriously profit-mongering abortionists just want to go from one nonviable life to the next, stacking gold coins in their abortion bunker, as those millionaires tend to do.
Sheila Butt tabled the amendment. Classic “Butt,” if you ask me. Then Fitzhugh proposed his second amendment: an exception to the waiting period in the case of rape or incest.
Butt came back in real hot with the powerful suggestion that this waiting period would be a waiting period rife with lies:
“This amendment appears political. Because we understand in most instances, this is not verifiable. Let’s make sure that these women have the information and the understanding to act.”
LOL at “This amendment appears political.” Get those politics out of my state legislature!
Fitzhugh replied with the controversial implication that women should be trusted:
“I just don’t think women take something like rape or incest lightly. And I can’t imagine any person would take advantage of that type of situation. Fortunately or unfortunately, it may not happen much. But it is certainly a condition that women need to be protected from, and that we should not give them a more burdensome process because their pregnancy is a result of one of these two actions.”
Then, the Tennessee House voted both amendments down. The bill passed 79-18, and if it passes the Senate, Governor Bill Haslam is expected to vote it into law.