Arizona Knows Best

              Dear Jan Brewer and Arizona Legislature,

       It has come to my attention, that once again, you have made our state the laughing stock of the nation. If you are confused about what it is you have done this time, let me refresh your memory. You have recently passed three ridiculous bills into law here, in what was once the great state of Arizona. If you are confused as to what I am talking about, it does not surprise me, as you pass so many incredibly ridiculous laws on a regular basis. However, the ones that I speak of today are the laws pertaining to abortion.  

            Now, before I begin, let me state for the record, that I believe that abortion, as a form of birth control is abhorrent; however, there are circumstances under which an abortion could be deemed morally responsible.  Although, my opinion doesn’t really matter, as the Federal law provides women the right to choose under Roe vs. Wade. At least it is supposed to.  However, you Arizona have joined the ranks of the radical right who choose to legislate religion and morality when it is not your place to do so. Personal opinions are not supposed to take precedence when it comes to matters of law. So prepare yourself for another lawsuit.

                First, I am amazed that you, a group of individuals comprised of the non-medical and non-scientific community were able to determine when life begins. Science has yet to figure this out, yet you have managed to do so. Although, I guess it is not that confusing how you would not need science to determine the beginning of life, since you have gone outside the realm of all scientific possibility. Yes, in Arizona, life begins two weeks before conception. Amazing, so according to Arizona law, the life has been created before the life creating act of sex has actually taken place.  

                The next fascinating tid-bit that you, our state government, has implemented, is that doctors in Arizona can no longer be sued for wrongful birth if the doctor fails to disclose health information about the unborn fetus that may have led to an abortion. Now, lets take a closer look at why this is wrong:

1.        a woman’s doctor can now withhold medical information from parents of unborn children.

2.       A doctor can withhold medical information because their belief system may differ from those of their patients.

3.       A doctor can now force their religious and moral convictions on their patients without the patient even knowing.

4.       The patient has no legal recourse for this.

Now, let’s pretend for a minute that this had nothing to do with abortion. If this bill was about any other health issue, this would not fly; the people would not stand for it. What if a doctor was allowed to withhold the fact that you had terminal cancer from you? Thus not allowing you time to get your affairs in order? This wouldn’t stand for a second and neither should this law. Doctors have no business inflicting their beliefs on their patients. Their job is to provide medical services, if a doctor is against abortions, well, they do not have to provide anyone with an abortion and nor should there be. 

Once this law goes into effect, a doctor would not be required to tell you if your child had a condition such as Down syndrome. This could be very useful for parents to know. Not just for those who would choose abortion, but what about those who would choose to have the child anyway? It might be useful to have this information ahead of time so that the parents could prepare. This is a very large undertaking and there is much that the parents need to learn about before trying to raise a disabled child. But now, doctors get to decide whether or not they feel you should know this information.  

And the last nugget of joy from our omnipotent legislature is that schools are now to be teaching our children that they shouldn’t be having abortions. This from the same group of people that do not want sex education taught in our schools. The school system I now legally required to guilt and shame a young woman who is already facing what may likely be the most difficult decision of her life. It is not a school’s responsibility to teach opinions. It is their job to present students with facts, teach them how to think and reach conclusions on their own. The only exception to this being religious schools; they are free to teach as they wish.

So what has Arizona done for us lately?

1.       Determined that pregnancy begins before sex has actually taken place.

 (Yes boys and girls, holding hands will get you pregnant!)

2.        Given your right to choose to raise a disabled child to your doctor.

3.       Taken away your right to know about any potential medical conditions of your unborn child.

4.       Given your doctor the right to impose their religious/moral beliefs onto you.

5.       Forcing schools to shame young woman in an already difficult situation.

Arizona may have made the mistake of voting you in, but hear me now when I tell you we will not make the same mistake again! You will be voted out of office.  You have once again overstepped your authority and the people will not stand for this.

Sincerely,

 Not Yours in November!

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