

Republican presidential candidates Scott Walker and Marco Rubio are not doctors, but both insisted during the Aug. 6 Republican debate that they oppose abortion with no exceptions, not ever, including to save the life of the mother. These two guys — Walker, who never graduated from college, and Rubio, an attorney — have decided that they are experts on women’s health. “It’s a false choice,” insisted Walker, the Governor of Wisconsin, talking about the abortion exception to save the mother’s life. “I’ve said for years, medically there’s always a better choice than choosing between the life of an unborn baby and the life of the mother. Medically, that’s just a non-issue.”
Marco Rubio, a senator from Florida, wholeheartedly agrees. “I don’t say it’s easy, but when asked to make a decision between the two very hard circumstances, I personally reached the decision, if I’m going to err, I’m going to err on the side of life.” In addition, he questioned on the TV show Meet The Press whether medicine has advanced so far that there are “any circumstances in which only an abortion could save a mother’s life”.
Rubio also insisted during the Republican debate that he’s “never advocated” for an abortion exception for rape or incest, either: “What I have advocated is that we pass law in this country that says all human life at every stage of its development is worthy of protection.”
However, what’s clear in the “no abortion, not ever, no exceptions” stances of Scott Walker, 47, and Marco Rubio, is that the life of a woman, “the mother”, is not worthy of protection. They are obsessively protective of any and all fertilized eggs, and of fetuses, no matter how viable, but when it comes to a woman’s life…uh, not so much. Or, not at all.
Question: Would you want these men deciding whether you would live or die if you ever suffered from any of the very real, life-threatening conditions that could happen if you were pregnant? Obstetricians and other doctors are understandably appalled that politicians would legislate away their ability to save a woman’s life. “Abortions are necessary in a number of circumstances to save the life of a woman or to preserve her health. Unfortunately, pregnancy is not a risk-free event,” the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists explained in a recent statement.
Here’s a list of several life-threatening conditions that pregnant women can face, and that can require an abortion in order to save their lives: Severe infections, cancer, ectopic pregnancy — in which a fertilized egg implants outside the uterus — septic pregnancies, molar pregnancies — in which the tissue becomes a tumor, not a fetus — and preeclampsia, in which a woman develops such high blood pressure that she can have a stroke.
Downton Abbey viewers will recall that Lady Sybil died from eclampsia because she wasn’t able to end her pregnancy asap. And for the 1 in 50 women who develop ectopic pregnancies, in which the fertilized egg is implanted in the fallopian tube, there is almost never an option to not end the pregnancy. Do you want Scott Walker or Marco Rubio deciding that your life isn’t really threatened by any of these or some of the other conditions, and then forcing you to continue a pregnancy until you die?
Is there any other medical condition that exists for either men, women or children, in which politicians are demanding that they have the power of life or death over everyone, ignoring doctors’ expertise?
FYI, Republican Congressman Joe Walsh also told reporters on Oct. 18, 2012 that “advances in science and technology had eliminated any need to save the lives or health of women…health of the mother has become a tool for abortions anytime, for any reason”.
Now, Walker and Rubio, 44, have been the most outspoken of the Republican candidates about their “no exception” view on abortion, but most of the GOP Presidential candidates oppose abortion also for rape and incest victims. Mike Huckabee, the former Governor of Arkansas, believes that denying an abortion to a 10-year-old girl in Paraguay, who was raped by her stepfather, was the right thing to do. “I wouldn’t pretend it’s anything other than a terrible tragedy. But let’s not compound the tragedy by taking another life,” he explained. Huckabee insisted that an abortion would have saddled the girl with “extraordinary guilty”, which apparently is something worse than saddling her with a baby at 11 years old.
Jeb Bush, who some think is less extreme in his anti-abortion views, once tried to force a 13-year-old who was 13 and a half weeks pregnant to carry the baby to term when he was Governor of Florida. A judge overruled him and allowed the girl to have a much-wanted abortion. Ted Cruz opposes an abortion exception for rape and incest, and called the 40th anniversary of the historic Roe v Wade Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion “a dark anniversary”. GOP Presidential candidates Rand Paul, Bobby Jindal, Rick Perry and Rick Santorum also all oppose abortion for rape and incest victims, with some even advocating that doctors who perform abortions on rape victims should be jailed! GOP candidates Donald Trump , New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Ohio Governor John Kasich, are all opposed to abortion and Kasich also supports outlawing certain forms of birth control including the IUD.
Even the sole female GOP Presidential candidate, Carly Fiorina is staunchly anti-abortion.
Of course, these are the same politicians who believe there should be less government in every other aspect of life, besides your womb. FYI, 51% of U.S. adults say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, versus 43% who believe it should be illegal in some circumstances, according to the Pew Research Center.
Hollywoodlifers, what do you think? Should you have a right to choose or should politicians choose for you? Let me know.
— Bonnie Fuller
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