Playing the Race Rape Card

The Visible Conservative:  Christians Unleashed show
Pro-Life Friday Monologue - February 24, 2012

This week we saw the latest example of how the pro-abort community can only tell lies and make moot arguments about pro-life legislation that threatens to take away all their tools of ignorance. The Virginia state legislature is (or maybe was) about ready to pass a bill that requires women seeking abortions to obtain an ultrasound signed off by a doctor prior to getting an abortion.  And up until Tuesday, the Governor of VA, Bob McDonnell, was going to sign it. That is, until pro-deathers like Dahlia Lithwick started telling the public that ultrasounds are the equivalent of rape.

Honestly, that is the last gasp of a dying argument right there. The type of ultrasound that she is referring to is the kind that is done with an internal probe used for accurately viewing a baby in the womb early on his/her development, as early as 4 1/2 to 5 weeks. This is where Dahlia Lithwick is sounding off about rape--that this procedure is done internally through the vagina. This is a canard like no other. The Bill does not mandate this particular method of ultrasound, so if a woman does not want the transvaginal ultrasound, she doesn't have to have that one.

What is mandated is that a woman have an ultrasound. Period. If the pregnancy is too early, before 4 1/2 weeks, no method of ultrasound tech will give a proper reading. And if she chooses not to have a TVU, all a woman has to do is wait.

Of course, this is where it gets difficult for the pro-deathers to hold their ground, because waiting only means a greater the risk of complications when aborting. That is why abortionists want the best information possible before performing an abortion -- they want to know accurate gestational age, size, and location within the womb. And in order to do that, they need to do an ultrasound.  Redstate.com reports that Commentary Magazine called up the Virginia League of Planned Parenthood's abortion hotline and received this following recording:

“Patients who have a surgical abortion generally come in for two appointments. At the first visit we do a health assessment, perform all the necessary lab work, and do an ultrasound. This visit generally takes about an hour. At the second visit, the procedure takes place. This visit takes about an hour as well. For out of town patients for whom it would be difficult to make two trips to our office, we’re able to schedule both the initial appointment and the procedure on the same day.


Medical abortions generally require three visits. At the first visit, we do a health assessment, perform all the necessary lab work, and do an ultrasound. This visit takes about an hour. At the second visit, the physician gives the first pill and directions for taking two more pills at home. The third visit is required during which you will have an exam and another ultrasound.”

So.....women who want abortions from Planned Parenthood in Virginia get one, possibly two, ultrasounds anyway? Please, just take a moment to let the realization of a sweet little lie wash over you. A VA bill that mandates that women obtain an ultrasound that they are going to have anyway is called rape on account of a method of ultrasound they don't have to get?  Read the Bill.  It's not in there!  Like I said, women can have the transabdominal ultrasound done if they don't want the transvaginal ultrasound; if they are too early in their pregancies, all they have to do is wait. 

This argument that having a TVU is comitting rape is dumber than a bag of hammers. Ms. Lithwick isn't crying rape to try and help women; the pro-death industry wants pregnant women and the public to remain ignorant so that they can continue to make irrelevant arguments like hers.

Let me round this out by pointing out that the lying itself is not the sad part--all I did was expose the lie of Dahlia Lithwick. The sad part is that lying worked and is muddying the waters of a fairly straightforward bill. The pro-abortion industry got all wee-wee'd up calling something rape that isn't rape. And now, Gov. Bob McDonnell, who was supporting this bill, has now as of Wednesday pulled his endorsement and seems to be bowing to the dragonhead of personal political gain, maybe! The speculation is that McDonnell is on Mitt Romney's short list for VP picks, and you know how politicians hate to let the truth get in the way of stepping up in the world. On the Governor's website, you can find his statement calling to amend the bill to state explicitly that doctors may not rape pregnant women with ultrasound machines...seriously!  This is a totally unecessary delay of what should be a slam dunk for the state of Virginia.  As Redstate.com is correct to point out, VA is looking like it will snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.  You can call Gov. McDonnell at (804) 786-2211.