Conservative call out

Conservatives have developed a ridiculous habit of endorsing legislation under farcical pretensions, and it is insulting to their constituents to think we don’t see through them.

The latest charade is Senate Bill 292, making its way through Indiana legislature. As the IDS reported earlier this week, this bill requires physicians who provide abortions to obtain admitting privileges from a local hospital and to send proof of these privileges to the state department of health, potentially making them public record.

It will also require supporting physicians to be on call in case of a medical emergency.
Admitting privileges are basically an agreement between a physician and a hospital, which allows the physician to send a certain number of patients to that hospital. The problem with making these privileges public is a lot of people like to harass and attack people and places affiliated with abortion procedures.

The fact that physicians even have to have admitting privileges is what is called a TRAP law, a targeted regulation of abortion providers. These laws are being supported in heavily anti-choice states because they attempt to eliminate abortion by circumventing the landmark 1973 Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade.   

By potentially making physicians names public, these laws ensure fewer physicians will be willing to perform these procedures. Even fewer will be willing to be the supporting physician.

And because of the extreme harassment and violence shown by pro-life activists towards pretty much anyone within 50 feet of a Planned Parenthood, it’s not unreasonable for these physicians to fear for their safety and pull their resources.

Safety should be the number one concern while undergoing any sort of medical procedure. However, less than one percent of women who have this procedure ever need follow up medical attention. Therefore, even the need for admitting privileges is miniscule, let alone the need to advertise to who and where they pertain.

This is an obvious attempt to limit women’s access to procedures they have every right under the law to obtain. Procedures, in some cases, can save lives, and in all cases represent the choice and decision of the women seeking them.

The most disgusting part of this is the condescending cover of concern for women’s health that conservatives use to dress up these TRAPs.

Sen. John Waterman, R-35th District, said he wrote the bill to “provide a safety net for women who have abortions” — a ridiculous claim, because all he has really done is made it that much harder for the women he claims to be helping.  

The bill obviously attempts to decrease abortion accessibility, and it is insulting to continue to pretend otherwise. It is even more insulting to use women’s health as the cause for a politician’s blatant disregard for women’s ability to make their own decisions concerning their bodies.

If conservatives were to call this law what it is — a provision against abortion — it would be illegal, which is a pretty good indicator it’s not a good thing.

Conservatives aren’t fooling anyone here, because if they were really concerned about women’s health, they would be on the other side of the debate.  

­— jordrile@indiana.edu
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