The Author Of New Anti-Choice Bill Was Asked Why Women Have Abortions. His Answer Was Horrifying
The Republican war on American women and their rights rages on and women have just lost a major battle. This past Tuesday, the state of Ohio set women back decades by passing the oppressively anti-choice “heartbeat bill.” Under the so-called “heartbeat bill,” if a woman is pregnant and the heartbeat of the fetus is detectable, regardless of circumstance – including instances of rape and incest, she cannot have an abortion. This usually occurs around six weeks of gestation, long before most women are aware they are pregnant – effectively banning abortion entirely.
Republican Representative Jim Buchy was instrumental in passing the “heartbeat bill” because he felt it encouraged “personal responsibility.” Buchy dismissed rape (“by the way”) and took away accountability by men, with his comments to Ohio Public Radio regarding the bill, saying, “What we have here is really the need to give people the incentive to be more responsible so we reduce unwanted pregnancies, and by the way, the vast majority of abortions are performed on women who were not raped.”
Buchy has made it a career goal of his to destroy a woman’s right to choose. In 2012 he went on record, telling Al Jazeera that taking away women’s agency over their own bodies is his ultimate goal. The reporter then asked him something he has never once considered, despite his life-long crusade against women.
She asked, “What do you think makes a woman want to have an abortion?”
Buchy was caught so off-guard by this, that he couldn’t even answer the question. He stuttered, paused and stammered. He tried to laugh her off.
In all of his years acting as an agent to undo women’s rights, and strip half the nation of being on equal standing with men, he has never even considered what would make a woman want in abortion in the first place. His response, after a long stop, is disgraceful:
“Well, there’s probably a lot of reas— I’m not a woman.” He chuckled. “I’m thinking now if I’m a woman why would I want to get … Some of it has to do with economics. A lot of it has to do with economics. I don’t know. It’s a question I’ve never even thought about.”
Republicans are so hell-bent on depriving women of their right to choose that they don’t even consider why women have abortions in the first place. There are many reasons why a woman would choose to end a pregnancy, but the bottom line is it doesn’t matter because it is her body and she has a constitutional right to make that decision herself, without the input from old white men who have never considered her circumstances but simply stutter and laugh at the fact that, no, they are not “a woman.”
The bill now sits with Republican Gov. John Kasich, who can either, sign or veto it. If he does nothing within 10 days, the bill passes. To stop the bill, a veto by three-fifths or the state House and Senate would be needed. There is a chance for a court battle, with the ACLU vowing to not take this loss of constitutional rights quietly. However, even if the bill is overturned, a 20-week ban is more than likely to pass. Senate Bill 127, the ban on abortion after 20-weeks, has already been passed by the senate and the House will most likely vote on it within the next week, as well. Other states already have a 20-week ban incorporated into their legislation.
However, even if the bill is overturned, a 20-week ban is more than likely to pass. Senate Bill 127, the ban on abortion after 20-weeks, has already been passed by the Senate and the House will most likely vote on it within the next week, as well. Other states already have a 20-week ban incorporated into their legislation.
The “heartbeat bill” has been brought up before but never before made it to the Senate. The reason for this newfound confidence in tackling women’s rights? The election of Donald Trump. Ohio Republican and Senate President, Keith Faber, spoke on the vote, naming Trump as the leading driver for the bill, “One, a new President,” he told the media, continuing, “new Supreme Court justice appointees change the dynamic, and that there was a consensus in our caucus to move forward.”
And these men are not only misinformed, they haven’t even bothered to even consider what it would be like to be a woman facing the harsh dilemma of an unplanned pregnancy.
Watch it here:
