Yikes! The Uterus Police!

This story may redefine political madness. It first caught my eye because this man, Bobby Franklin, is from Georgia, where I currently happen to be living, and he's the "representative" to the state government for my district. For the record, I did not vote for him. Okay, so this is the blog I first saw...

Franklin wants to create a Uterus Police to investigate miscarriages, and requires that any time a miscarriage occurs, whether in a hospital or without medical assistance, it must be reported and a fetal death certificate issued. If the cause of death is unknown, it must be investigated. If the woman can't tell how it happened, than those Uterus Police can ask family members and friends how it happened. Hospitals are required to keep records of anyone who has a spontaneous abortion and report it. joemygod.blogspot.com...[

My immediate reaction was, they have to be exaggerating! But as I read further, I began to wonder. This first blog leads you to...

They do this every session in the state legislature here in Georgia. Someone introduces a bill that would make abortion a criminal act. And, yes, this year is no exception. This year's legislation was introduced by House Republican Bobby Franklin (the same guy ]who wants rape victims to be called "accusers"). Franklin is one of the more, ahem, colorful members of the legislature, bless his heart. According to him, SCOTUS had no right to rule on abortion and thus GA can do whatever it damned well pleases. Oh, and you'd better be able to prove your miscarriage was natural or face felony charges.
[...]
Franklin's H1 basically says that GA has a duty to protect all innocent life from the moment of conception until natural death (yet he also proposed a bill last session that would forbid the CDC from requiring mandatory flu vaccinations in a pandemic; apparently preventing massive deaths from a pandemic don't come under the heading of protecting life). He announces that we all know life begins at conception, and that abortion is "prenatal homicide". Furthermore, he states that a fetus is (or should be) a person under GA law, and thus entitled to equal protection under the law (yet gay adults shouldn't be allowed to marry, according to Representative Franklin, under that same equal protection clause in the GA constitution).
www.dailykos.com...

Yeah. Bless his heart. then I read the bill here, and it's worse than you can imagine. Skip right to section 2.14 to get to the gist of the uterus police. Read the rest if you'd like to get the full effect. Is this a test of states rights in his view? What?

In this video, from almost a year ago, he talks about legislation about what I believe is this bill and erm—well, I just can't even describe it.

Seems to me his own bill is guilty of what he accuses the other bill of—covering a multitude of issues in one fell swoop? Maybe I'm wrong. Anyway, yes, this is more than likely legislation that wastes our time and our money and will probably never even seen a vote, but these day? You never know.

Oh, and Franklin also recently brought us this gem about don't ask, don't tell:

"The Bible says it's a capital offense," Franklin said during a discussion about homosexuality and the December repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. "You want someone with unrepentant criminal behavior? And it's not just that, neither should adulterers, neither should thieves, neither should a lot of things. The church is full of sinners, but we're told in 1st Corinthians it rattled off the homosexual, the adulterer, the thief, the liar, and such were some of you, but you've been washed, you've been justified and so forth. It's not what you were. You're not punishing a thought. But do you want an unrepentant drug dealer in the military? Same thing."

And this one about rape:

Do you remember that old George Carlin joke about political correctness, that a plane crash would become an “unfavorable ground-air interaction” or that a rape victim would become an “unwilling sperm recipient”?

We’ve almost gotten to that point, but it’s worse. Georgia Republican state Rep. Bobby Franklin has decided that there is no such thing as a rape victim. He has introduced a bill “to be entitled” (it should be called the “anti-women bill”) which states:

To amend Titles 16 and 17 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to criminal law and criminal procedure, respectively, so as to change the term “victim” to the term
“accuser” in the context of a number of statutes making reference to circumstances where there has not yet been a criminal conviction; to provide for related matters; to repeal
conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

You can have burglary victims and assault victims but if he has his way, rape victims will become “accusers” because, you know, a man is innocent until he is proven guilty. At least where rape is concerned. www.politicususa.com...

But hey—he's Tea Party, and he wants to do away with drivers licenses, so he's gotta be A-okay

My question is, who the hell voted for this person? Who? Don't tread on me? Sister, please.

I'm thinking a visit to Mr. Franklin, or at the very least a series of very pointed letters and maybe a campaign to show people exactly what they voted for and how their state government is operating.

Or maybe, I'll just call a moving van.

[P.S. I half jokingly mentioned in the people who smoke should be found unfit thread: (Can't wait to see what's next. Lets see...hmmm...how about we judge and legislate the diets and activities of all pregnant women and keep them isolated from society so they don't pick up any germs? That would be a good one!) Ugh. That might not be so far off if some people get their way.

That future dude mentioned the tea party.

reply to post by Slipdig1

Titor?

And things like this are when I start scrambling and trying to minimize my association with my home state. I love north Georgia. It's one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. We have so much to offer the world and yet, for some reason, all we seem to export any awareness of is gangsta rappers, crime, and idiot right wing politicians with insane ideas.

The one bright side to this story is implied by it... This bill, or one like it, is introduced every year. And every year it fails. Thus at least the voters of this beautiful state are a bit more wise than our representation tends to act. But, hey, we are the state that just elected a corrupt Congressman as our Governor.

Did I mention that north Georgia is absolutely gorgeous?

~Heff

Wow just wow. I can't even say what I really feel due to the terms and conditions.

Is this guy insane?! Does he NOT know what a woman goes through during a miscarriage? Does he not know that the woman will more than likely wonder herself into a depression trying to figure out what happened. I have plenty of friends who have had them, one friend right now has had 4 in the last year. This guy is a total wack job. I have had a miscarriage and it is not something you want people in your business about at all.

Then I see his statement about women who are raped?!
Is he serious?! Where did he come from? Was he dropped on his head?

I just can't say anymore to this because it is disgusting and disturbing.

S^F!

I've been posting on a lot of these topics this week, but I have to say this one takes the cake. What a god awful idea. As a woman who has been "pregnant" but lost it within a week of finding out, there is next to no way to enforce this for early term spontaneous abortion. Investigating is a waste of time, sometimes the body just knows something shouldn't be kept. What about woman who have a hostile uterus? Are they to be labelled "repeat offenders"? What a joke.

Sounds like he'd like his women walking behind him fully covered from head to toe, with a leash attached, while he walks ahead giving the Hile Hitler sign! This thinking is so far off the charts of what freedom stands for.

reply to post by ~Lucidity

Or maybe, I'll just call a moving van.

Sorry. These crazies are in every state. You would just wind up moving from the frying pan into the fire. Like I did when I moved from MO to IL.

reply to post by ~Lucidity


I only read the first part of your op...
I have a daughter who suffered a miscarriage last friday.
She wanted the baby and had just bought maternity
clothes that same week.She doesn't know what happened
and didn't want it to happen.
Nature has a way of terminating a pregnancy when something
isn't right.I wonder how many women had a miscarriage and
didn't even know they were pregnant?Women with an erratic cycle
maybe used to missing one once in awhile.Then,when they do
have one,might not know it was a miscarriage.
But,to require a death certificate...

Somebody voted for that @ss ,Dear lord what is this world coming to.He should be removed from office and ridden out of town on a rail with a good dose of tar and feathering.He is clearly disturbed and needs to seek psyciatric help.

Sadly, this is the dark side of Christianity that is often supressed or at least ignored. And while this is not a post attacking Christians for the sake of it, I would like to point out that I have seen this sort of bible beating misogynistic hogwash throughout my childhood here in Texas.

I'll bet this man is anti-muslim and supported sending troops to Afghanistan to "support women's rights".

He is a hypocrite. Unfortunately, the fact that he keeps getting elected means there are others in GA that agree with him.

I apologize on behalf of my gender.

I understand this to an extent... many miscarraiges are caused by neglect/irresponsibility.

Why should women be free to smoke, drink etc. etc. while pregnant, potentially causing death to the unborn or permenant brain damage etc. etc. (?).

What's worse, smoking in the car with your kids or smoking with a baby in your body?

"To amend Titles 16 and 17 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to criminal law and criminal procedure, respectively, so as to change the term “victim” to the term
“accuser” in the context of a number of statutes making reference to circumstances where there has not yet been a criminal conviction; to provide for related matters; to repeal
conflicting laws; and for other purposes. "

What's wrong with that?

Makes some sense considering the # of false rape allegations that occur.

reply to post by SevenBeans


That a cruel belief for women who miscarry. "The cause of a miscarriage cannot always be determined. The most common known causes of miscarriage in the first third of pregnancy (1st trimester) are chromosomal abnormalities, collagen vascular disease (such as lupus), diabetes, other hormonal problems, infection, and congenital (present at birth) abnormalities of the uterus. Chromosomal abnormalities of the fetus are the most common cause of early miscarriages, including blighted ovum."
www.medicinenet.com...

While I have seen woman smoke and drink energy drinks while pregnant, and find it repugnant, there are far too many people who believe a pregnant woman is public property. She is still free to make her own descisions, regardless of how you feel about them.

Originally posted by JewelFlip
That a cruel belief for women who miscarry. "The cause of a miscarriage cannot always be determined. The most common known causes of miscarriage in the first third of pregnancy (1st trimester) are chromosomal abnormalities, collagen vascular disease (such as lupus), diabetes, other hormonal problems, infection, and congenital (present at birth) abnormalities of the uterus. Chromosomal abnormalities of the fetus are the most common cause of early miscarriages, including blighted ovum."
www.medicinenet.com...

I know all of this what is your point?

Many miscarraiges are caused by neglect..

Originally posted by JewelFlip
While I have seen woman smoke and drink energy drinks while pregnant, and find it repugnant, there are far too many people who believe a pregnant woman is public property. She is still free to make her own descisions, regardless of how you feel about them.

So you think there should be no consequence for a woman who causes brain damage etc. etc. to her unborn child? She should be free to make that choice no matter how I feel about it (even if the unborn is my child)?

reply to post by Hefficide

I love North Georgia. I reminds me so much of upstate NY. May just go sit by Duke's Falls for a good long while this weekend to get this kind of madness out of my head. The thing about Franklin is that he didn't seem this radical during the campaign? He did overdo the religion in my opinion, but that's pretty par for the course here.

Originally posted by SevenBeans
I understand this to an extent... many miscarraiges are caused by neglect/irresponsibility.

Why should women be free to smoke, drink etc. etc. while pregnant, potentially causing death to the unborn or permenant brain damage etc. etc. (?).

What's worse, smoking in the car with your kids or smoking with a baby in your body?

edit on 22-2-2011 by SevenBeans because: (no reason given)

Are you delusional? Are you a male? If you are female have you ever had a miscarriage? Do you have any idea how that feels for woman? I DO. You blame yourself and wonder what happened or what you could have done differently. It is not something easy to deal with esp when you are so excited to be pregnant. I know I have been there. I am unable to have kids and it was nothing I did, my body has female issues and I can't sustain a pregnancy. It is very hard for me because I really want kids and I still can by adoption but I would like to have my own.

Many miscarriages happen because the body rejects it. Sometimes the body knows what is best and as sad as it is it happens. You can't blame the woman. I won't lie, yes I am sure there are miscarriages that are the result of drug use and such but the majority have nothing to do with that.

reply to post by mamabeth

So very sorry to hear that, mamabeth. It's a heartbreaking thing to go through to begin with, and far more common, as you said, than nmny people realize—imagine having to go through an investigation on top of it all?

Originally posted by mblahnikluver
You blame yourself and wonder what happened or what you could have done differently. It is not something easy to deal with esp when you are so excited to be pregnant. I know I have been there. I am unable to have kids and it was nothing I did, my body has female issues and I can't sustain a pregnancy. It is very hard for me because I really want kids and I still can by adoption but I would like to have my own.

And?

Many miscarraiges occur because of neglect... it's a simple fact so I'm not sure what you're going on about your personal experience for.

Do you think pregnant women should be free to smoke, cause brain damage etc. etc. to their unborn?

reply to post by SevenBeans

Originally posted by ~Lucidity(Can't wait to see what's next. Lets see...hmmm...how about we judge and legislate the diets and activities of all pregnant women and keep them isolated from society so they don't pick up any germs? That would be a good one!) Ugh. That might not be so far off if some people get their way.

And here we have it.

reply to post by SevenBeans

Burglary victims, assault victims, but rape accuser? Really? I have a few things I would like to say to you, but the T&Cs prohibit them. Please stay out of my thread. There are some levels of ignorance that cannot be denied.