The U.S. House of Representatives made it even clearer yesterday that it makes political sense to enact an unconstitutional bill that strips women of their rights, and every one of the congressmen from Arkansas voted for the bill.

The “Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act” passed the House 242 to 184 yesterday. In its original version, even Republican women couldn’t go with it, and successfully had amended from the bill a provision that would have required women who’ve gotten pregnant through rape to report their assault to authorities to be eligible for an abortion after 20 weeks. However, the bill would still require women to receive counseling at least 48 hours before the abortion. See, when a woman decides she wants to have an abortion, she just hasn’t thought it through. Or so the misogynists who are taking control over our lives believe.

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If you live in the 2nd District of Arkansas, the last bastion of Democrats (though not as many as we need to save us from such folly) in Arkansas, give Congressman French Hill a piece of your mind — if he’ll answer the phone. (Or post to his Facebook page.) Tell him women are smart enough to know when abortion is the best choice for their well-being. Too, the fetal pain issue is far from settled, with the preponderance of the evidence indicating that the fetus does not recognize pain until the third trimester. (Evidence? Panderers don’t need no sticking evidence. Who cares what the Journal of the American Medical Association says? It’s showtime, folks.) 

Call if you’re in the 1st, 3rd and 4th districts too, of course, though you may feel you are the lone she-wolf in your district.

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Speaking of pain-capable: Republican Rep. Matt Schaefer of Texas introduced an amendment to the 20-week abortion ban in Texas that would require women to carry fetuses with a “severe and irreversible abnormality” to term despite the risk that would pose to the woman’s health. Why make women suffer? His retort: That suffering is “part of the human condition, since sin entered the world.” See, it’s wrong for fetuses to feel pain. Women, not so much. 

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