Tom Corbett: Women seeking abortion should just "close their eyes"

[Magus]

As if seeking to cut college education funding by another whopping 30% across the board (which combined with last year's cuts would increase cuts to an astronomical 50% over the last two years), or routinely denying wheelchair-bound people access to elevators in the Capitol building were not enough to put Tom Corbett into the record books as one of the most insensitive, incompetent governors in Pennsylvania history (and this is a group that includes Tom Ridge), Corbett recently said women being forced to receive unwanted ultrasounds (which according to the bill in question, could be either transvaginal ultrasounds or exterior ones, as it makes no assignation in the bill), should just "close their eyes" and take it:

Originally Posted by Huffington Post

During a discussion of a far-reaching mandatory ultrasound bill, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett (R) on Wednesday dismissed off-handedly the insinuation that the measure goes too far, saying, "You just have to close your eyes."

Corbett reaffirmed his support for the "Women's Right to Know" Act, which would require doctors to perform an ultrasound on a patient, offer her two personalized copies of the image and play and describe fetal heartbeat in detail before she can have an abortion -- "as long as it's not obtrusive."

He did not indicate whether or not he considered a transvaginal ultrasound to be an intrusive procedure, which the bill would require doctors to perform on a woman whose fetus is not developed enough to be visible by a regular, "jelly-on-the-belly" ultrasound.

Asked if he thinks the bill goes too far to make a woman look at the ultrasound image, Corbett responded, "You can't make anybody watch, okay? Because you just have to close your eyes. As long as it's on the exterior and not the interior."

Pennsylvania's ultrasound bill, unlike the revised version passed in Virginia, does not specify a type of ultrasound, so the doctor will have to use an "interior" procedure for most first-trimester abortions in order to meet the requirements of the law.

Even if the woman opts to "close [her] eyes," as Corbett suggests, the doctor will have to turn the ultrasound image toward her face, give her two signed copies of the printed image, describe the number of heartbeats per minute and tell her if that's normal or not for a fetus of that age. She then has to wait 24 hours and bring all the signed paperwork and both ultrasound images to her abortion doctor in order to have the procedure legally, and the doctor has to repeat to her the age of the fetus.

The Pennsylvania House postponed a scheduled vote on the bill this week because of "concerns raised by the medical community, among others," according to House Majority Leader Mike Turzai (R).

Patrick Murphy, a Democratic candidate for attorney general, called Corbett's comments "disturbingly offensive" and demanded that he apologize to Pennsylvania women.

"It's bad enough that Governor Corbett wants to force women to get an unnecessary and invasive procedure as a means of getting a government permission slip to undergo legal medical care," he said in a statement. "It's worse yet that he wants to shame them by shoving an ultrasound screen in their face. But it's unthinkable that he would so casually dismiss this by advising women to just close their eyes."

It's been astounding to me how my state has become a bastion of right-wing conservatism so quickly. In only two years Corbett has turned this state into a proto-Atlas Shrugged hellhole. But asking women to just "close their eyes" when forced to receive an unwanted, unneeded ultrasound and be forced to look at the images? That's pretty damn low even for this guy.

And everyone from PA who voted for Corbett over Onorato is at fault for this mess, not to mention voting for Toomey over Sestak. We have to put up with this mess for another freaking two years! Another four with Toomey! I don't know if people here are insane or simply stupid.

Listen, Mr. Corbett. You are a terrible governor. And no, we aren't falling for your B.S., either. Do you really think we believe your crap about "increasing school funding by 2% this year" when you cut it by 6% last year, across the board, in every single school district across the state with zero examination of the individual school districts needs? That we can't take 6% and subtract 2% and realize our high schools are still getting a 4% cut this year from two years ago? That your proposal to cut colleges by 50% is not going to ruin the higher educational system in this state?

And now you want women to just "close their eyes" and take unwanted, unneeded state-mandated vaginal probing? You're a fool if you think we're so stupid we can't see what you're doing.

[Fifthfiend]

Woo, all-out Republican war on modernity!

[Satan's Onion]

See, when they're violating you and rooting around in your vadge trying to make you feel shameful and wrong and horrible and responsible for a tiny clump of cells you can't take care of for any of a number of reasons, the proper response is to just, y'know, tough it out. Grow some balls, ladies.

edit: After all, it's just so hard for him, having to legislate women's bodily autonomy away, don't you understand his plight?

[Fifthfiend]

Just to add, while the fact that they're willing to add casual rape to the package goes to show the deep misogyny on which they're based, but these ultrasound bills are atrocious either way, as they're designed to force women to undertake and pay for an expensive medical procedure that they don't need and extend the time before they can have the actual, lawful procedure which they want to undertake, basically all so that state legislatures can scream BABY BABY BABY BABY into women's ears by proxy.

[Nique]

I am terrified about everything I'm hearing re: women's rights these days.

I guess I'm de facto pro-choice now. Someone throw me a parade or welcome me to the dark side or something.

[Shyria Dracnoir]

Welcome to the baby-eating liberal conspiracy Nique. We got cookies!

[Kim]

And cake!

[rpgdemon]

Originally Posted by Nique

I guess I'm de facto pro-choice now. Someone throw me a parade or welcome me to the dark side or something.

The way I see it, how can you not be pro-choice? Especially as a dude, who will never even have to deal with the legislation. You let them make their decision, since it's not yours to make.

Those who want to not-abort don't have to, and those who want to, can. One side is saying, "Hey, other side, we want to let you do your thing, if that's what you want, so long as you let other people have that same option you had, of choice." The other side is saying, "My choice is the best choice."

I mean, I don't see how you can argue against having a choice, by pushing the choice that you made forward, that you could only have made by having one.

[Fifthfiend]

Originally Posted by Nique

I am terrified about everything I'm hearing re: women's rights these days.

I guess I'm de facto pro-choice now. Someone throw me a parade or welcome me to the dark side or something.

Remember those times I was all "yo really nobody really gives a shit about babbys, its all about punishing women for being fOXY sLUNTZ"

and you were all

"NO WAY, THATS CRAZAY"

[Karrrrrrrrrrrresche]

Originally Posted by Fifthfiend

Remember those times I was all "yo really nobody really gives a shit about babbys, its all about punishing women for being fOXY sLUNTZ"

and you were all

"NO WAY, THATS CRAZAY"

Yeah these people are totally fucking nuts or totally fucking morally reprehensible.
I'm not sure this changes my personal stance on abortion, but it's become far more clear that there's nobody involved in these laws that actually cares about human rights or has any interest in the well being of the people their laws will effect.