This afternoon, the Rhode Island House Judiciary Committee will be hearing seven "pro-life" bills. We are unpleasantly surprised that Rhode Island's representatives cannot find better uses of their time and energy than attempts to limit access to reproductive health care. Instead of addressing the economy, unemployment or homelessness, Rhode Island legislators will be considering bills like HB 7182, which "would authorize the division of motor vehicles to issue special license plates in recognition of 'Choose Life.'" These efforts are not only a waste of time - they are also inappropriate, manipulative intrusions on a woman's right to choose.
HB 7009, which "would prohibit any woman from being forced to have an abortion against her will," may seem intended to protect women, but that in itself assumes that women are not capable of making decisions independently. If HB 7009 passes, a woman would be made to wait an additional 24 hours "if it was determined that there was reason to suspect coercion." This vague language is problematic - and a 24-hour waiting period can be a serious obstacle for women who do not live near the provider. Most do not: One study found that in 2008, 87 percent of all U.S. counties lacked an abortion provider, and 35 percent of women live in those counties.
Most troubling, however, are the bills that seem constructed around "personhood," a concept recently deployed by pro-life legislators attempting to have the fetus considered a person with full rights from the moment of fertilization. Several bills being considered in Rhode Island invoke this idea of fetal rights, such as HB 7006, which would "define and impose penalties for acts of violence upon an unborn child," and HB 7010, which "would make assault on a pregnant woman which causes her to suffer a miscarriage or stillbirth punishable by up to thirty years imprisonment, and life imprisonment if the fetus is 12 weeks or older." As the American Civil Liberties Union stated on its website, the editorial page board supports a "woman's right to obtain redress under civil law for an injury to her fetus, and we support society's right to punish criminal conduct." But the implications of these bills could be used as precedent. That is, if these bills are passed, "personhood" for fetuses could be established next, which could be used to challenge the constitutionality of Roe v. Wade.
The University recently announced that Gloria Steinem, a key player in the feminist movement in the 1960s and someone who remains active in the movement today, will be visiting Brown at the end of the month. In an online video to show support for the Obama campaign, Steinem pointed out that "whether or not a woman can determine when and whether to have children is the single biggest element in whether we're healthy or not, whether we're educated or not, how long our life expectancy is, whether we can be active in the world or not." The stakes are high, which raises the question: Why are Rhode Island legislators willing to gamble with women's lives to score political points?
Editorials are written by The Herald's editorial page board. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.
