"The goal that we should have is that we see zero abortions"

[The Straight Story]

State Senator Wendy Davis is on the campaign trail tonight.

She's known for her support of a woman's right to choose.

It's no secret where she stands on abortion restrictions.

She supports keeping abortion clinics open but tells Action 4 News she doesn't want to see any babies killed before they're even born.

She simply wants to give women the option of terminating their pregnancy if they choose to.

&quot Joey Horta): The opponents of that will say, people who support that, they're baby killers. That's what they say. How do you respond to that?"

“(Davis): The goal that we should have is that we see zero abortions but in order to achieve that goal we have to make sure women are recieving the kind of healthcare and planning that they deserve," said State Sen. Wendy Davis.

http://www.valleycentral.com/news/story.aspx?id=973180

[bettyellen]

1. she called abortion killing "babies"? Doubt it.

[Iggo]

22. Nope. Joey Horta did. (n/t)

[Fumesucker]

2. That means either sterilization or total abstinence from heterosexual coitus except for procreation

There are no 100% effective means of birth control otherwise.

[PeaceNikki]

8. It's a terrible statement. There are also always going to be women's who's lives are at risk.

And that statement ignores them or values the life of a fetus more.

Like I said, if she had not done what she'd done in that filibuster and I heard this, I would be rallying against her. But her actions preceding her words here do it for me.

[CTyankee]

38. We have to remember that she is running in Texas which is still a pretty conservative state.

If she said it in CT, she could expect a LOT of pushback because we are very pro-choice and very blue. What sounds terrible in one context really isn't in another. She is giving some cover to folks who really want to support her but are afraid to appear TOO eagerly pro-choice.

[PeaceNikki]

3. It's a fucked up and ridiculous comment.

If she hadn't stood up literally and figuratively the way she has for choice, I'd be livid.

But, she did and, as such, I trust her.

[Lurker Deluxe]

25. Or she didn't ...

She filibustered a bill that was going to pass.

It passed, but she received national attention for that. Before that, what had she done??

The w-nuts here in Texas wrote and passed a bill they knew would be struck down by the courts, perhaps they were pandering to a base?

Perhaps this is all theater.

When was the filibuster? When did she announce? Coincidence?

I'm not sold on her yet, sure she is going to be better than Abbot ... but is she really what she seems to present? I see alot of support from oil and gas and prolife groups. Just not so sure.

[PeaceNikki]

26. hmmm... you make an interesting point...

[La Lioness Priyanka]

4. she needs people to vote for her. it's the same way that democrats talked about gay marriage

circa 2004/2008

[Arugula Latte]

5. This station BLOWS! The "baby killing" phrase is not her words.

She didn't use that terminology. Joey Horta wrote it up that way. Pretty clear where he stands. Asshole.

[SheilaT]

6. There will always be accidental, unintended pregnancies,

no matter what.

Women need and deserve to have every possible option open to them.

An accidental embryo is not a baby.

[PeaceNikki]

9. There are also always going to be women's who's lives are at risk.

And that statement ignores them or values the life of a fetus more.

Like I said, if she had not done what she'd done in that filibuster and I heard this, I would be rallying against her. But her actions preceding her words here do it for me.

[SheilaT]

11. As well, of course,

as babies with severe defects of some kind, some of which simply can't be known before 20 weeks.

[PeaceNikki]

13. I like Wendy a lot, but she screwed the pooch with that statement.

[leftyohiolib]

17. an "accidental" embryo is still a baby

em·bry·o [em-bree-oh] Show IPA noun, plural em·bry·os, adjective
noun
1.
the young of a viviparous animal, especially of a mammal, in the early stages of development within the womb, in humans up to the end of the second month. Compare fetus.
2.
Botany . the rudimentary plant usually contained in the seed.
3.
any multicellular animal in a developmental stage preceding birth or hatching.
4.
the beginning or rudimentary stage of anything: He charged that the party policy was socialism in embryo.
choosing to consider an embryo not a baby may help you sleep at night but it is still a baby. btw iam not an advocate of absolutely no abortions for women.

[REP]

18. This is a baby?

This is a human embryo.

[leftyohiolib]

19. yes , an under-developed one, at what point in the womb would u consider

a baby a baby , when it looks like u?

[REP]

20. Birth.

Babies breathe air.

[leftyohiolib]

29. ok

[Iggo]

27. That's not a baby.

[leftyohiolib]

28. s/he was talking to me

[Iggo]

32. Don't care. Still true.

[rug]

39. Are you going to post a picture of a fetus next?

[gollygee]

23. Your definition doesn't show that an embryo is a baby

And yet you keep saying it. It is developing and might very well become a baby, but an embryo is at too early a stage of development to be a baby.

[PeaceNikki]

31. Fetal development -

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002398.htm

The end of the 10th week of pregnancy marks the end of the "embryonic period" and the beginning of the "fetal period

Abortions are legal until viability. Viability is defined as the ability to live outside the womb. It is based upon the broader logic that "a person is as a person does." In other words, people normally breathe on their own, circulate blood on their own, fight off most germs on their own and sustain normal cellular activity on their own. A fetus is able to achieve these functions once it reaches a weight of about 5 pounds. This usually occurs between the 7th and 8th month of pregnancy -- coincidentally, about the time that the baby has finished its brain and central nervous system. The extra womb time appears to be a biological courtesy.

[Starry Messenger]

43. Your def. doesn't say what you say it says.

Unless you serve pollen and seeds on your dinner table and tell everyone it is fruits and veggies too.

[gollygee]

7. "babies killed before they're even born?"

Did she actually say that?

[msanthrope]

12. No--the station did. nt

[SomethingFishy]

14. No she did not.

[Nye Bevan]

10. Hmmmm. I prefer "safe, legal and rare" (nt)

[leftyohiolib]

15. what could be more rare than zero

[NickB79]

16. And the tens of thousands of women who get pregnant from rape?

Are we to assume they'll happily serve as incubators for their rapist's spawn?

A goal of zero abortions is stupidly unrealistic, and setting that as your goal makes it 100% certain you will fail in your endevour. And this failure will be used against you by your opponents.

Stupid statement by Davis.

[hrmjustin]

21. That station should be ashamed of themselves.

[Humanist_Activist]

24. Great, set an impossible goal, even if women had 100% control over getting pregnant or not...

there will be wanted pregnancies that will end in abortion, either spontaneous or induced for medical reasons.

[cbdo2007]

30. She does make a good point, which both both sides seem to ignore.

Abortion should be the secondary argument in the issue of "unwanted pregnancy"...the first issue should always be, how can we stop these in the future.

[PeaceNikki]

34. No, one side ignores that.

And more than half of abortions performed are on women who used contraception.

[cbdo2007]

36. No, both sides ignore that.

Even in your response you admit that contraception isn't a very good solution to the "unwanted pregnancy" problem.

[RC]

33. If people want to see zero abortions, then stay out of other peoples private lives.

Simple, yes?
Funny how the can ignore the big stuff, such as war crime, wars built on lies and the war criminals that start them, but they need to interject themselves into the private lives of total strangers, in matters that do not affect them one iota.

[renie408]

35. I just want to make sure I tow the correct progressive party line on the subject of abortion...

It is obvious to me that progressives are supposed to not only support a woman's right to choose, they should actually CELEBRATE abortion.

I had an abortion at 19. Silly me, I thought it was a regrettable necessity.

Why don't we allow people to think abortion just might not be a good time had by all as long as they support the right to choose? Why do we have these utterly ridiculous purity tests?

[rug]

40. +1

[el_bryanto]

42. Because it is felt that if you question having an abortion

You are shaming a woman and contributing to a society that would recriminalize abortion. Or so the argument goes.

Bryant

[Bradical79]

37. She's right.

If she's talking about an ideal. With free birth control, high quality sex education, women's rights, etc. the ideal would be to not have it come to terminating a pregnancy through a medical procedure. The goal is always to eliminate unwanted situations and conditions when it comes to life in general, but that is obviously impossible. The reality is that liberal feminist policy on sex, women's rights, and birth control would most likely lead to less abortion as women would be less likely to have an unwanted pregnancy in hr first place.

[haele]

41. The only way to ensure the least amount of abortions will ever need to be performed is:

A birth control pill or regeme of pills/implants.
A process that only allows a woman to become pregnant when she wants to be pregnant and goes to an OBGYN to get the prescription and ensures she has medical care during the pregnancy.

- or - remove all the eggs and store them until a woman is ready to become pregnant, signs up with a doctor, and checks her eggs out from her OB/GYN or birthing hospital facility.

Again, it will insure that 1) the woman wants to have a baby, 2) the woman will have health care during her pregnancy, and 3) there is some sort of official notice that she either needs support or has enough support to raise her child.

And even then, that will only reduce abortions to the level of having an abortion due to an unviable fetus or severe medical emergancy.

Actually, the philosophical question when discussing the system I illustrate above is actually greater than that of no abortion/less abortion.

It comes down to - is the choice to make an effort to develop and birth a baby similar to the choice to develop and birth a future for an individual?
Or are we still looking at a being stuck with "mistakes can happen, random chance natural crap shoot" system when it comes to becoming pregnant, and are also stuck with the same old ways of mitigating the flaws in system as it stands?

There is always a price - and potential pain - whenever considering a pregnancy situation. Abortion is simply one of the symptoms of a pregnancy that is not optimal for either the woman or the potential for a child at that time.

It should always be between the woman, her doctor, and whatever spiritual needs she has. No one else is going to be ultimatly responsible for the progress and results of a pregnancy.

Haele