Who Killed REAL Women’s Healthcare?
House Democrats played tricks, redefined language, used shrill rhetoric, and killed REAL women’s healthcare!
One of the saddest things about political discourse is how the Left has been able to manipulate the language and redefine even the most elementary words. Most prominently, abortion on demand has been twisted into “women’s healthcare.”
So, while abortion on demand legislation has flown through this year’s General Assembly and reasonable restrictions have been coldly killed, the rhetoric has become shriller and true women’s healthcare reform has been derailed. During a floor speech on February 12, Delegate Candi Mundon King (D-23, Prince William County) claimed three times “that women will die because they don’t have access to healthcare” and that “this bill will KILL women,” in a debate over restricting taxpayer funding of abortion. She then claimed Republicans, in the minority and with few weapons in their quiver, of playing legislative tricks. But when REAL women’s healthcare was before the House of Delegates, Speaker Don Scott was the one who engaged in the political games Delegate Mundon King excoriated in her speech.
First, he and Delegate Mark Sickles (D-17, Fairfax County), chairman of the Health and Human Services Committee, had HB 217 sent back to that committee despite its 20-2 vote in favor. The bill would have required the informed consent of a patient before doctors could perform a hysterectomy or oophorectomy while performing surgery for another purpose. This actually happened to a constituent of the bill’s patron, Delegate Bobby Orrock (R-66, Carolne County), who previously had her other ovary removed, leaving her sterile and in menopause in her mid-30s.Then, once back in committee, Sickles refused to take it back up, leaving it to die for lack of action. We were told the Democrats could not approve of a bill allowing “informed consent.”
Next, Speaker Scott played a deadly legislative game with SB 331, a similar bill introduced by Senator Richard Stuart (R-25, Montross), that passed the Senate 39-0. (The woman also is Senator Stuart’s constituent.) Speaker Scott delayed the bill’s committee assignment to run out the calendar. Then Delegate Sickles canceled the last HHS meeting so the bill got no hearing. Who’s playing political games? Who truly cares about women’s health and who truly cares about their lives?
These disturbing events are part of a pattern established by the Left. From the howls of “Waging war on women” to the hypocrisy of the “My body, my choice” mantra as exemplified in its treatment of this legislation; to “women’s health,” meaning abortion on demand, to the demeaning re-phrasing of mothers to “birthing people,” (in actual legislation that has passed the House), to even the ultimate disrespect of girls and young women by letting biological boys take their spots on sports teams, the Left has hijacked the language in order to reverse not only public policy, but decency and age old norms. Now it has blocked a vote on a bill preventing life ruining surgery. Who’s REALLY waging war on women?
As dark as it can be in legislative life, we also know that the cracks appear in what the Left believes is its protective shell. Through those cracks appear light -- the light of decency, the light of human norms and instinct and the light of Truth. We will always work not only to shine that light, but to broaden it until legislators see it, are bathed in it and use it to end the misdirection and mischief of the Left.
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