SUZY ALLCAPSLOCK has this screen shot on her blog
http://www.bigbluewave.ca/2012/02/ad-from-orlando-abortion-clinic-website.html
and finds it 'ridiculous'.
A three minute pain-free abortion, and you can drive yourself home.
Plus a free pap smear!
Is that a way to perform and market abortion?
The ability to drive oneself home would be a real plus for many women. First, this is Asshole Florida, where there is NO public transportation to speak of, so somebody gotta drive. Plus, in many states, there are Fetus Lobby rules about visiting a clinic multiple times (mandatory waiting period between consult and procedure, or between mandatory ultrasound and procedure). In many USian states, there just aren't very many abortion clinics and women have to travel a loooong distance. Again, maybe multiple times.
Also, being able to drive oneself frees up a partner or friend to look after children at home. 61 per cent of women who have abortions have at least one child.
Driving oneself means that only the woman herself misses work and pay. Many of these asshole states are 'right to work' states, which may mean many things, but usually entails rotten workers' protection.
Aside: Did you know that the US is in exalted company in having NO maternal or parental leave law?
Only four countries have no national law mandating paid time off for new parents: Liberia, Papua New Guinea, Swaziland, and the United States.
Next, the free pap test: While SUZY admits that she's Canadian and so perhaps has no fucking clue about medical costs, maybe SHE should look into how much money a free one would save.
The cost of a Pap smear varies among doctor's offices. The cost can range from $50 through $200. Some offices have a discounted price for uninsured women, while others have a standard rate.
Even if one is insured, there could well be an out-of-pocket charge.
Look at costs for mammograms, a subject in the news lately over the Kolossal Komen Katastrophe:
For an uninsured patient, typical full-price cost of a mammogram ranges from $80 to $120 or more, with an average of about $102, according to Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina. Some providers charge more, and some offer an uninsured discount. For example, at the Kapiolani Medical Center in Aiea, Hawaii, where the full price is about $212, an uninsured patient would pay about $127 to $148.
For women covered by health insurance, some plans require no out-of-pocket expenses, while others charge a copay, generally between $10 and $35.
And, as every woman knows, these painful dealies sometimes have to be repeated (ouch, ouch), as do Pap tests.
In so many ways, SUZY is the poster-girl for fetus fetishism. White stay-at-home mother with fabulous health insurance (Canadian universal style).
With ZERO empathy for people not like HER. But with plenty of sneering contempt.
