Tuesday 18 June 2013

That fetus is doing WHAT?

As predicted, RAPEublicans can be funny about abortion, just not intentionally.

Get a load of this.

As the House of Representatives gears up for Tuesday’s debate on HR 1797, a bill that would outlaw virtually all abortions 20 weeks post fertilization, Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX) argued in favor of banning abortions even earlier in pregnancy because, he said, male fetuses that age were already, shall we say, spanking the monkey.

“Watch a sonogram of a 15-week baby, and they have movements that are purposeful,” said Burgess, a former OB/GYN. “They stroke their face. If they’re a male baby, they may have their hand between their legs. If they feel pleasure, why is it so hard to believe that they could feel pain?”
A former OB/GYN?

The jokes, as they say, just write themselves.






UPDATE: The Science of Masturbating Fetuses.

10 comments:

Beijing York said...

Makes you wonder about those last trimester kicks, or tugs/spanks.

ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said...

You KNOW what!!!
~

Godel Noodle said...

Oh man, I feel like SUCH a late bloomer now! I totally wasted my gestation period on a pointlessly acetic, pre-birth lifestyle. Sigh... I thought I was fun person. And then I waited 12 boring years after I was born to start... experimenting with such things.

I love the "asking for a friend" tweet!

Anonymous said...

Can you guys tell me anything about Toronto neuroscientist: Dr Paul Ranalli

I have been debating forced birth advocates over the subject of fetal pain, and they love quoting from Ranalli's papers that fetuses feel pain.

I can't find anything that specifically debunks this guys work (and it has to be flawed).

Lastly, I do believe that he is associated with 'Canadian Physicians for Life' but can't be sure.

My 'google - fu' is not very good, so if anyone here can help me in finding information that either shows this guy is biased or just doesn't know what he is talking about I would be grateful.

I want to shut those forced birthers up.

fern hill said...

Oh yeah, Paul Ranalli is a BAD (bad, agenda-driven) scientist. He's associated with the de Veber Institute.
http://scathinglywrongrightwingnutz.blogspot.ca/2012/01/anti-choice-suckers-for-scientists-for.html

He seems to have done no original research, just cites the work of others.

Here's a PDF of his 'statement'.
http://www.kfl.org/siteresources/data/files/FetalPain-DrRanalli-brainexpert.pdf.pdf

And here he is being all christiany.
http://www.cogforlife.org/fetalresearch.htm

Who are you on Twitter? I'm @fernhilldammit.

Sorry for the raw URLs. Google won't accept them as links for some freaking reason today.

fern hill said...

Here's an older blogpost with some links refuting claims of fetal pain.

http://scathinglywrongrightwingnutz.blogspot.ca/2010/02/do-nebraskan-fetuses-feel-more-pain.html

fern hill said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

I'm not on twitter.

Thanks though, I will check it out.

Apparently Ranalli has a 'rebuttal' up regarding the Royal College of Obsetetricians study. I bet that's a load of bullshit.

Another thing I have learned is that the 'Anand' study often cited by forced birthers doesn't really support their cause at all - but they twist it sound like it does.

I often cite the article you pasted, months ago (can't find it now) on extreme neonates and their low rates of survival coupled with disability - a majority of pro birthers seem to believe that a 20 week fetus is identical to a newborn in every way.

deBeauxOs said...

Extreme neonates link.

Anonymous said...

Thank you fern!

I did some more research while trying to find that article, and apparently the young woman who was born quadripalegic is so depressed she wants to die :(

One thing I hate about pro-lifers (and I use that term, because they are anti euthanasia also) is that they think that LIFE AT ALL COSTS is the only way there is, and that suffering is somehow noble and compassionate, as long as those suffering 'get the chance to LIVE.'

Sometimes, life isn't worth living, and should not be imposed on people, if said people are not going to have any sort of 'life' at all. They don't look at the flip side of their argument - a fetus did not ask to be created, therefore we should not kill it - can be turned around to - a fetus did not ask to be created, therefore we should not impose the suffering that life brings on it. Doubly so for extreme neonates and those with severe and profound disabilities.

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