NYT's Rosenthal Compares Pre-Abortion Ultrasound to Rape, But It's the Counterarguments That Are "Deranged"?
New York Times Editorial Page editor Andrew Rosenthal reliably delivers demonstrations of snugly (and smugly) cocooned leftism. His latest appeared on his "Loyal Opposition" blog Tuesday, “Government-Mandated Medical Procedures," on a Virginia bill that would require women seeking an abortion to undergo an ultrasound the mother could then look at before making her decision. Rosenthal thinks he has a "gotcha" against the right.
One common right-wing argument against President Obama’s policy requiring insurance coverage for birth control is that institutions should not be forced to pay for what they consider morally objectionable. It’s not about contraceptives, they say, it’s about government coercion.
In that case, these same right-wing groups should, theoretically, express even more outrage about a policy that goes beyond coerced payment – a policy that actually compels physicians to provide, and women to undergo, an unwanted and unnecessary medical procedure.
And yet, so far, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Republican candidates for president, and the Republican leadership in Congress have kept mum regarding a Virginia bill that does just that.
Both houses have passed a bill that requires women seeking an abortion to undergo an ultrasound. Whoever performed the ultrasound would then have to offer the patient a chance to look at the resulting image.
As if to prove how snugly nestled he is in his liberal cocoon (a trait noted by Mickey Kaus at the Daily Caller), Rosenthal bolstered an argument by leftist Slate writer Dahlia Lithwick, by linking to a post by left-wing Mediaite writer Tommy Christopher, while dismissing the counter-argument as “deranged”:
As Dahlia Lithwick noted last week, since most abortions take place in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, most women will be forced to submit to trans-vaginal ultrasounds, a coerced penetration that in other circumstances would constitute rape under Virginia state law. (Some of the arguments against the rape comparison are so deranged that I don’t want to repeat them. You can read about them here.)
The “rape” comparison is pretty deranged itself. And Hot Air’s Tina Korbe points out that the Virginia League of Planned Parenthood conducts ultrasounds before they perform abortions. So why the outrage over ultrasounds?
Rosenthal concluded:
People who support these bills argue that they help woman understand what they’re about to do – as though women arrive at the decision to have an abortion lightly. This line of thought is degrading and contemptuous; the implication is that women cannot think for themselves. But then, I suppose that’s not so different from the anti-abortion, anti-birth control movements as a whole.
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Comments
Intrusive ultrasound?
Submitted by pockets64 on Thu, 02/23/2012 - 10:14am.
If you think it's intrusive being prodded with an ultrasound, just wait until you have the actual abortion. An ultrasound is nothing compared to a D&C.
It is the NYTs
Submitted by John21 on Thu, 02/23/2012 - 10:17am.
It is the NY Times so far left they have to pipe O2 and light into the building. A place where no original thought has occurred in the past 2 decades.
Understand, if it does not mean the DNC talking points the political support agency commonly referred to as the NY Times will condemn it most of the time without even trying to understand it. The propaganda media only understand the liberal agenda everything else is wrong.
They are convinced they are the elite and there for smarter that you. Facts, evidence, truth mean nothing unless they can be twisted to meet their agenda item.
Heard this argument
Submitted by ThatDude on Thu, 02/23/2012 - 10:38am.
The dailykooks have been harping on that line for the past week. Anything the republicans do to encourage responsibility is immediately tagged as sexist, racist, homophobic, etc by this group. If the supposed middle ground here is that both sides want abortion to be rare and to keep the government out of our bedrooms, why do the lefties keep trying to force us to pay for and condone the actions of others? Privacy only works when you don't make it other people's business.
Ultrasound is classified as non-invasive
Submitted by c5then on Thu, 02/23/2012 - 10:43am.
Are you calling the AMA liars?
Since most abortion centers first use ultrasound to diagnose and confirm the gestational age of the baby, all that is being "forced" is that the patient is shown the images so that they can see what it is they are planning to "get rid of". Since most women do not realize they are pregnant until the 4th to 6th week of pregnancy, that means that most abortions occur in the 6th to 12th week (using your statistics which I have no confidence in at all).
The ultra sound images will be fairly clear that the baby is much more than just a lump of cells as the lie goes today at the abortion centers. They will see a clearly defined head and arms and legs and depending on the position, maybe even little fingers.
This is the image that the abortionists wish to hide from the mothers.
Madison and Jefferson and Franklin built a Republic - Roberts killed it!
What about mortgages
Submitted by WingletDriver on Thu, 02/23/2012 - 10:55am.
I forgot who I heard this point from, but it was perfect. Some MSM program had on the typical right v left screamfest about how women and minorities were most effected by foreclosures and it was the industry's fault. The industry preyed on women and minorities inability to read a mortgage contract, which apparently, according to the MSM argument, non-minority men had less trouble understanding.
After letting the left go round-and-round on how women were victims, the conservative leaning guest pointed out that women apparently can make life-and-death decisions with no information, but they can't read a contract.
Ultrasound like rape?
Submitted by iamsaved on Thu, 02/23/2012 - 11:08am.
I believe a more apt description of an ultrasound would be that it is giving a woman who considering an abortion another option to ponder before making that fatal, irreversible, decision. The left fears it because the resulting image may convict the woman with so much guilt at the murder she's about to commit of an unborn child, she might change her mind.
What kind of people are these liberals where abortion (murder) is preferred over abstinence?
This is typical leftist fear mongering. Everything they are against is usually narrowed down to the one-in-a-million, extremely rare example in order to evoke a strong emotion. Or they will use exaggerated hysterical type words to create a sense of shock. We've become immune to their charges. The word racism has run out of steam and now they're trying others to replace it.
Speaking of crimes...
Submitted by nkviking75 on Thu, 02/23/2012 - 11:09am.
The abortion clinic will require the patient to hand over some money in order to have the procedure. Each time this happens the clinic commits robbery.
It makes as much sense.
“Always love your country — but never trust your government!" -- Bob Novak (1931-2009)
When you put the clowns in charge, don't be surprised when a circus breaks out.
An "unwanted" abortion?
Submitted by CobraMan on Thu, 02/23/2012 - 12:02pm.
Rosenthal speaks of an "unwanted medical procedure." Is he speaking of an abortion? The ultrasound is just a part of that procedure, like the administration of tranquilizers. If the abortion is "wanted"' then why the wouldn't the ultrasound be "wanted" as well?
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States. The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus. The US Supreme Court
Or Anwar al-Awlaki.
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
Submitted by liberalsarefunny on Thu, 02/23/2012 - 1:31pm.
Just another typical liberal "man"...