Your Daughter's Life Is Now in the Hands of the GOP

[McCamy Taylor]

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/13/house-debates-bill-restricting-abortions/

Your daughter is a passenger in a car struck by a drunk driver. She has suffered lacerations to her femoral artery, and blood loss has dropped her blood pressure to almost nothing. An ambulance administers emergency care and rushes her to the only hospital in your small, suburban community. There is one doctor on duty. The doctor has recently become a Jehovah’s Witness, and he says that he can not (in good conscience) write an order for a blood transfusion. While the hospital desperately searches for a replacement physician, your daughter dies. You clutch her cold hand and weep.

Your daughter is a passenger in a car struck by a drunk driver. She has suffered massive brain injury to the point of death. The emergency medical techs administer CPR, but they are unable to get her heart beating again. A STAT CT scan at the hospital reveals that massive bleeding has forced part of her brain into her spinal canal. She is “brain dead” and will never wake up (or breathe or walk or talk) again. You tell the emergency room physician that your daughter has a living will in which she states that she does not want to be on a ventilator if there is no possibility that she will recover. The emergency room physician tells you that his religion requires that he do “everything possible” to save your daughters life. She is placed on a breathing machine and wheeled to the ICU. When the nurses finally allow you to see your daughter, you no longer recognize her. There are too many tubes, too many machines. You pat her hand, but she does not respond. She will never respond. You know that if she could see herself now, she would be angry at what they have done to her, and you feel guilty for not fighting harder and guilty for wishing that she could have died outright.

Your daughter is a passenger in a car that is struck by a drunk driver. She is 22 weeks pregnant, and she suffers injuries to her pelvis that result in partial separation of the placenta and the uterus (placental abruption). The ambulance transports her to the local suburban hospital. There is one obstetrician on call. When notified that your daughter’s blood pressure is dangerously low due to internal bleeding, he announces that he will not do an emergency C-section or attempt to induce labor, because it will kill the fetus, which is not yet viable. As long as there is an infinitesimally slim chance that the fetus will survive, he refuses to terminate the pregnancy. As your daughter’s blood pressure continues to drop and her lungs fill with fluid that makes it impossible to breathe on her own, the hospital arranges a Life Flight helicopter to take her to another hospital where a different doctor has agreed to do the procedure. While in the air, she (and the fetus) die. The next time you see her, she is at the funeral home, laid out in her coffin.

Yes, these stories are awful. Too horrible to contemplate. However, you need to think about them. Because, in the first two instances, the doctor is subject to prosecution and loss of his license and his hospital can be sanctioned by the federal government. This makes it extremely unlikely that he (or she) will do the things I have described. However, in the third case, the doctor has a Get Out of Jail Free Card, thanks to House Bill 358. He is legally allowed to deny your daughter life saving treatment, on the grounds that the treatment will result in the loss of her fetus and his religion says that is a sin.

When did the House Republicans become doctors? When did they go to medical school? When did doctors (and nurses and hospitals) become our moral arbiters? How long will we allow the right wing to ride rough shod over our right to choose? What ever happened to our Constitutionally protect right to life and liberty?

[babylonsister]

1. Recommend, and you didn't even bring up abortion much. This is

flipping unreal.

[defendandprotect]

37. Exactly --

[RKP5637]

2. As usual, religion in conflict with god. I'm not a religious person, but all I see

anymore (and in history) is religion causing more suffering and pain than good. Religion IMO often equals cruel punishment.

[abelenkpe]

3. K &R nt

[elleng]

4. My daughter, new occupational therapy intern and newly married,

is FURIOUS about The Protect Life Act, which she said is 'the most deceptively named law I've ever heard of. Maybe it's Opposite Day on cap hill.' We spent much time discussing this today.

[sulphurdunn]

24. You change the name

of the organization from Murder Inc. to Life Inc. because the people you kill enhances the lives of those who hired you to kill them.

[Lars39]

5. Thank you for posting this.

and a :kick: in the balls to those who voted for the bill.

[girl_interrupted]

6. K&R

[bertman]

7. Thank you for one of the most rational explanations of the extremism of the religious

hypocrites who are driving these agendas and how they impact people in their daily lives.

REC.

[GreenPartyVoter]

17. Yes, this was very well written.

[47of74]

8. Women, poor, and minorities are 2nd class citizens in the GOP mind, at best

Especially women.

[AverageJoe90]

9. "What ever happened to our Constitutionally protect right to life and liberty?"

They don't really believe in it............fuck 'em all.

[dmr]

10. Thanks for posting this. n/t

:hi:

[TBF]

11. K&R nt

[sinkingfeeling]

12. I feel like we're being surrounded by the insane. Those who believe the 'lives' of the unborn are

more worthy of saving than those of living, breathing, working, loving people are insane.

[defendandprotect]

38. Granted elites do get nuts to do their dirty work for them ... but it's the same old elitism which

depends upon exploitation and control over others for profit --


PATRIARCHY -- and its underpinning =

ORGANIZED PARTRIARCHAL RELIGION -- and its economic system =

CAPITALISM =

THE UNHOLY TRINITY


"Manifest Destiny" and "Man's Dominion Over Nature" were merely license to elites

to exploit nature, natural resources, animal life and even other human beings according

to various myths of "inferiority" --- i.e., gender, race, sexual orientation.


Without that ability to exploit nature and humans profits are limited!


Capitalism is a system intended to move the wealth and natural resources from the many

to the few --

Takes thuglike people to work for the elites --

We also see from the GOP line up that they are at the bottom of the barrel!


As we see with the GOPs/"Pro-life" resurrecturing new restrictions on aboriton it's both

a distraction from OWS which is hurting them -- and another way to keep control over females

and reproduction -- their war on females continues on -- and children!

[w0nderer]

13. when religion interferes with doing the job

either switch career or moderate your religion

freedom of religion doesn't mean freedom from doing the job

if you are a hindu (cows are sacred) and apply for a job in a beef slaughter house...
don't expect sympathy when you whine about 'religious issues with task'


all other jobs have to moderate their opinions
tech supporters consider 99 percent of callers to be idiots (and they are right)
they just can't let on

retail workers consider the majority of their customers to be rude pri**s and they are
but they don't let on, they smile and say 'sir' when they mean 'fsck you di**wad'

why should medical workers get around that?
switch career or moderate your religion on work time
or at least register doctors as 'religious' and 'professional'
or possibly 'quack' and 'professional'

(yes, i'm aware that last sentence is provoking ...tough)

[barbtries]

14. it will never be law.

fortunately we still have a majority in the Senate.

by the way this was a hard post to read. my daughter was killed by a drunk driver.

[PotatoChip]

21. Oh my gosh.

I am SO sorry barb.

[barbtries]

22. thanks potatochip

welcome to DU :hi:

[PotatoChip]

27. Thank you for the welcome :-)

and :hi: back at you.

[Eyerish]

15. K&R

[malaise]

16. An excellent OP

Rec

[saras]

18. No way.

There is one doctor on duty. The doctor has recently become a Jehovah’s Witness, and he says that he can not (in good conscience) write an order for a blood transfusion. While the hospital desperately searches for a replacement physician, your daughter dies. You clutch her cold hand and weep.

Nope. I kill the fucking doctor and I accept the consequences. Call it civil disobedience. Just like he sent a message to my whole family to not trust doctors and hospitals, I'll send a message to Jehovah's Witnesses to stay the hell out of the medical profession if they are incapable of doing it.

No particular smear against Jehovah's Witnesses, but you chose the example. Actually I think they have the sense to not get themselves into these positions regarding others. It's fundies that I'm worried about - the ones who will actually gloat over doing the wrong thing, simply because it's wrong.

[PotatoChip]

19. Another possible scenaro...

Ectopic pregnancy (aka 'tubal pregnancy'). It happens when the fertilized egg fails to move down into the uterus, and instead implants itself in the fallopian tube. The embryo will NOT survive. Period. If caught early enough, a woman must have surgery to remove the implanted embryo, otherwise the tube will rupture since the embryo eventually grows too large for the tube, causing it to rupture.

A ruptured tubal pregnancy is a serious event. Fatal for the woman if not dealt w/immediately. It happened to my sister. Her tubal pregnancy was not detected early enough. She had to be transported to the hospital by ambulance, was wheeled in to emergency surgery to stop the massive hemorrhaging, was given 4 blood transfusions, spent 3 days in intensive care and 4 more in a regular hospital room.

That is why the embryo MUST be removed from the tube in a simple day surgery if detected in time. But under this bill that the Pukes passed in the House, it sounds as if some hospital (or doctor) could refuse. :grr:

[McCamy Taylor]

29. You are correct. Even though a tubal pregnancy is not viable, this law allows a hospital to say

"Sorry, this is between you and God" and send the woman on her way to some other hospital. Which opens up a big can of patient dumping worms. What about the woman who shows up at 12 weeks with an inevitable miscarriage---cervix dilated, passing tissue? If she lacks health insurance, the "religious" hospital or doctor can say "No D&C for you. Get lost."

[Tsiyu]

20. When I was a young woman

Women seemed able to view themselves as worthy and deserving of respect. And they began to demand that respect.

Lately it seems women are timid and just letting their rights disappear with nary a whimper.

Maybe it's the year after year of seeing Republicans subjugate women combined with the media's relentless demand that women meet some ridiculous standard.

I hope young women find their energy and lift their voices so they can continue the Good Fight in these interminable battles the Right Wing wages.

[Ragrum]

23. Boggles the Mind how the majority of Humans in this USA

I used to say I wished women ruled the world because men have not been particularly good stewards. With this and the continued religious assaults on women, it Boggles the Mind how the majority of Humans in this USA allow this to happen. Where is the hew and cry? I'd think there would be one voice on this if there ever was a time.

[Tsiyu]

25. I think people are just so damned exhausted

trying to make it, they aren't paying any attention. And the Rightwingers are only advertising their treachery through church phone trees and teabagger forums. The media doesn't notice either.

Heaven help the Righties when women do finally wake up.

[Kaleko]

50. The yound women I know are doing very well in the self-respect department.

[Deep13]

26. The problem with all three examples is an third party has to bear the cost of the doctor's religion.

If someone wants to allow herself to bleed to death or persist in a brain dead state or or be killed by her own fetus, let her. No one has a right to force his or her religious views onto someone else. I would include ones own children in that.

In Ohio, it is an absolute defense to a charge of killing ones child because he or she believes in faith healing rather than medicine.

[totodeinhere]

28. You and I both know that this will never get though the Senate and become law.

And the House Republicans know that too. They are doing this to try to make their extreme right wing base happy. Instead of trying to do something to help the economy and job growth, they are wasting their time on things like this. But the point is that your dire scenario is not going to happen. It makes a good story but unless the GOP wins the presidency, gets 60 votes in the Senate, and keeps control of the House, it won't happen.

[McCamy Taylor]

31. What if your "if" comes true? I.e. GOP sweep in 2012. It will be too late then to cry.

[totodeinhere]

34. If that happens there will be a lot more than that to cry about. It will pretty much

be the end of this country. But I doubt if it will happen. Chuck Shumer just said the other day that he is sure that the Dems will keep control of the Senate in 2012. But even if he is wrong it is quite a stretch to think that the GOP could go from a minority to a 60 seat majority, even given that the Dems will have more seats to defend.

[wryter2000]

49. In that case

This will be a major disaster, but it wouldn't be the only one. They could push through any damned thing, and the Axis of Evil on the Supreme Court would rule it all acceptable.

[alfredo]

30. Why do they hate women so much?

[McCamy Taylor]

32. The major motivator is money. Women are the serf labor of this country. They work for less,

even though they need their jobs more (since they often have kids to support, sometimes by themselves). They get passed over for promotion on the grounds that biology makes them "bad" employees. They can be discriminated against on the grounds that they might get pregnant.

As to why some folks on the right hate women so much, I think they are probably mad at their mothers, and so they project their anger on the whole female gender. If you think your mother did not love you enough, then the idea of "punishing" a woman by forcing her to bear a child must feel pretty good. If you felt your mother was too domineering, then the urge to control women must be fierce.

[FailureToCommunicate]

33. Just when you think you can't despise Repubs more...

[geardaddy]

35. K and R

Excellent post!

[geardaddy]

36. Looks like BS Bachmann was a co-sponsor, but didn't bother to vote. n/t

[DeSwiss]

39. K&R n/t

[ChadwickHenryWard]

40. This is the importance of the seperation of church and state.

Religious views should be kept strictly out of politics, because they have no relation to reality, or to what is right.

[truebrit71]

41. Case number one = Doctor gets beaten to death

Case number two = Doctor gets beaten to death
Case number three = Doctor gets beaten to death

[stlsaxman]

55. "bludgeoned" has a much nicer ring to it... and that's from a pacifist!

maybe it's more "poetic"...?

:shrug:

[a2liberal]

42. K&R (n/t)

[lbrtbell]

43. Doctors need to practice medicine or GTFO

I'm sick of them wanting to pick and choose procedures, based on their "religion" of hating women. Go work at McDonald's if you don't like doing your job!

[annabanana]

44. This is everywoman's fight

and every son's and husband's and father's fight too...

[nolabear]

45. Thank you very, very much. This should be in front of every GOP supporter.

[DFW]

46. Well, fortunately, no, it's not

Not for the younger one, anyway. She moved back to Germany a year ago, and as she is a German
citizen, her life is not in the hands of the GOP, the Teabaggers, Roger Ailes, or God.

[totodeinhere]

52. Nobody is "in the hands of the GOP." That law has not been passed by the Senate

let alone singed by President Obama. That headline is misleading.

[Scuba]

47. Exactly the reason I'm marching in the streets tomorrow. n/t

[wryter2000]

48. The last one is even worse than you've written

According to this law, the hospital can refuse to transfer her, so there is no helicopter. She simply dies on a gurney without anyone doing anything to try to save her.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that's what I heard on O'Donnell last night.

[McCamy Taylor]

53. If she asks to leave the hospital, they can not keep her. And if she leaves, then she will get

transportation. It is true that the hospital could elect not to call an ambulance or helicopter for her and make her family do it. However, in the scenario above, only the doctor is motivated by religion. The hospital is neutral---and desperate to save itself from a civil lawsuit, which, if I read this law right, can still happen.

I have heard of cases in which hospitals have gone to court and won the right to confine a woman against her wishes, because she is pregnant, but I believe that can only happen after the fetus is viable. If anyone knows of a case in which a mother with a nonviable fetus was confined to a hospital involuntarily, please let me know.

[Dont call me Shirley]

51. Get out of my body and stay out of my body! GOP mind is disease!

[alp227]

54. Some including Ron Paul are MDs

BUT...the goal of hospitals is to commit the most appropriate treatment for injured people.

[RainDog]

56. k&r n/t