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My personal musings about anything that gets on my radar screen--heavily dominated by politics.

2005-03-30

Urging A Veto

I join the Rocky Mountain News editorial page in calling for Gov. Owens to veto House Bill 1042, which would require hospitals to provide information about emergency contraception to rape victims.

Mind you, I don’t think providing such information is a bad idea—in fact, rape is one of the few exceptions I allow in my personal stance regarding abortion. And emergency contraception, which prevents implantation of the fetus in the uterine lining if taken in the first 120 hours (with varying degrees of certainty), seems to me a much less violent, intrusive means to allow a woman to retain her legitimate “choice” with regard to her body.

My problem is that this bill REQUIRES that information be given out. And given the number of hospitals that are run at least in part by the Catholic Church, the likely effect of this bill would be to compel a health professional to give out information on how to obtain a means to murder. Even with the conscience provision of the bill, allowing individual care providers to pass the responsibility for this on to another, there is a likelihood that someone will get pinned in a situation where their own rights of speech and privacy are infringed upon. This is clearly an overreach on the part of the legislature.

Rewrite this law to allow a different means of achieving the same end, and I would have no problem with it.

By the way, here's how hard the spin is coming out from those on the far left in support of this bill, in the form of a poll question:

Should Governor Owens allow victims of rape to receive information to avoid an unwanted pregnancy?

When the spin is that far removed from the truth, you know the truth must be a little disturbing.
Posted by: Michael / 3/30/2005 03:06:00 PM

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