Wasting Time, Again
Unbeknownst to me, the US Senate is about to engage in its annual rite of time wasting this week by bringing up the partial birth abortion bill, according to this. I don't think it matters where you stand on the issue of abortion (I am pro-choice), this is a sham issue and a phenomenal waste of time. It is petty symbolism designed to throw some red meat to the ultra-right wing of the Republican Party. No one can seem to give an exact definition of the procedure, in terms of at what point it is performed, or compelling evidence that it is not the best medical alternative in some cases. I am sure that there are not legions of women in America who wait until just before childbirth to decide on whether or not to have an abortion. And I am equally sure that if even if there were some, that there are not many doctors willing to engage in such late stage birth control.
Here is a novel idea- why doesn't the US Senate figure out a way to reduce unwanted pregnancies? Maybe they could fund research into more effective birth control or better sex education or easier access to birth control. Wouldn't that be a novel idea? Imagine, a world in which we actually treat the problem (unwanted pregnancies) rather than the outcome (abortions). But given the short-sightedness of politicians, such a world is utopian fantasy. Maybe some day polticians will stand up for rational policies rather than pandering to the right wing moralists and anti-sex Catholics.