Straight from our "Stark, raving mad" file, Jen Phillips of Mother Jones is reporting that Georgia State Rep. Bobby Franklin, who last year proposed turning rape and domestic violence "victims" into "accusers," has introduced a 10-page bill that would criminalize miscarriages and make abortion in Georgia completely illegal. Both miscarriages and abortions would be potentially "punishable by death." Any "prenatal murder," in the words of the bill — including "human involvement" in a miscarriage — would be a felony and carry a penalty of life in prison or death.
Under Rep. Franklin's bill, HB 1, women who miscarry could become felons if they cannot prove that there was "no human involvement whatsoever in the causation" of their miscarriage. There is no clarification of what "human involvement" means, and this is hugely problematic, since medical doctors do not know exactly what causes miscarriages.
Miscarriages are estimated to terminate up to a quarter of all pregnancies, and the Mayo Clinic says that "the actual number is probably much higher because many miscarriages occur so early in pregnancy that a woman doesn't even know she's pregnant. Most miscarriages occur because the fetus isn't developing normally."
Can you say "miscarriage of justice"? It is amazing how little men like Franklin actually know about female bodies. It is even more amazing that someone would attempt to criminalize miscarriage, which is a medical condition that can be emotionally devastating for women and men. In the words of Jennifer Aniston, Franklin seems to be lacking a sensitivity chip, not to mention common decency and common sense.
Read more at Mother Jones.
In other news: Female Veterans Face Unemployment and Homelessness.