By Pat McDonald
As someone who has always been pro-choice, I have talked to many Vermonters about Prop 5/Article 22, the constitutional amendment on the November ballot. They are supportive because all they hear is that it’s about a woman’s right to do with her body what she will, and how can you say no to that?
But they have second thoughts when they find out that it allows for an on-demand abortion up to and including nine months.
Pat McDonald
Nine months — think about it a minute. When is a fetus a baby? I don’t know the answer, but I would think that at nine months at the very least it can be referred to as an unborn baby. All systems are a go — heart, lungs, brain, limbs etc. All the unborn baby needs is one breath of air and it’s off to the races – a new living, breathing member of the human race.
I asked someone from Planned Parenthood about Prop 5 and she assured me that no one in Vermont would have an abortion at nine months. So I asked her why they wrote the amendment to include on-demand abortions through the entire pregnancy. I said, if you wrote the amendment with reasonable limits, more of us would support you. She chose not to answer my question. I took that to mean that this is what Planned Parenthood wanted — just because they could. And you and I know that if it’s available and legal someone will take advantage of it.
Don’t misunderstand me. I support a woman’s right to have an abortion, but only during the first trimester, with some exceptions after that — such as, of course, if the woman’s life is in danger or other tragic circumstances. For those who say, “it’s a woman’s right,” I remind you that with every right comes responsibility. You and your partner are responsible for ensuring you do not get pregnant.
There are before, during and after-methods that both you and your partner can take advantage of. Yes, sometimes life plays tricks on us and women find themselves pregnant.
But you wouldn’t know by reading Prop 5/Article 22 that it is allows on-demand abortions up to and including nine months. Its language is deceptive because it only focuses on individual rights. I’m not sure in this day-and-age of transparency why it’s worded the way it is — but here we are. I cannot imagine that Vermonters would support this amendment if they knew what the language allows.
Many are upset about the Supreme Court’s decision to reverse Roe v. Wade and leave it up to the states to regulate abortion. But is this really what Vermont wants as part of its constitution?
I am hoping that Vermonters vote against Prop 5/Article 22 and require the Legislature to go back to the drawing board and create a more reasonable proposal — one that mirrors Roe v. Wade. I have always supported Roe v. Wade. When it became law, I was glad that women would be able to get a safe abortion because we all know that women are going to get abortions with or without the law being on their side.
Please consider the impact of Prop 5/Article 22 and vote no. I know many of you consider this a woman’s right — but remember as noted above, with every right comes responsibility. Be responsible and have the Legislature create a proposal like Roe v. Wade that includes appropriate exceptions.
Pat McDonald is a former state representative and in addition to six other appointed positions served as Commissioner of Human Resources for the State of Vermont. She lives in Berlin.
Article 22 doesn’t even mention abortion. It’s about “reproductive autonomy,” which includes sterilization. Mark my words: If this thing passes, it will be used to justify the sterilization of children who identify as transgender. “Well, it’s their constitutional right to be sterilized.”
Interesting, they might sterilize those who want to remain “cis” gender in the name of saving the planet.
This has nothing to do with abortion, it is far, far eviler than anyone could ever imagine.
Your child wanted to save the planet, so they requested to be sterilized, and you are going to jail as a parent in your attempt to prevent this.
Great insight…..I”m sure there is more deviousness than any normal person could imagine about this. We have to be smarter than snakes and more innocent than doves.
This is all a sign of the times; where common decency has been replaced by a ‘woke’ ideology that takes no prisoners.
Proposition 5 (which would become Article 22 of our Vermont Constitution if it passes) is about government control. Period. Whereas before this proposed amendment, reproductive rights fell squarely on the shoulders of the people to decide for themselves, this amendment authorizes the removal of those decisions from the people and grants full rights to the state of Vermont’s Legislature and/or executive branch.
You will no longer have a choice: your choices will be mandated by State law or maybe even executive order.
According to the 10th Amendment to the US Constitution: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”
If you vote yes, you will be allocating this freedom to the State. Period. Anything the state decides about your sexuality, reproduction, children…will be given to the state to decide.
I am 100% with you on this Pat.
Choice is one thing at early stage. Late term abortion is horrific. \
Tboy is correct, Planned Parenthood is making money off late term abortion fetal parts and tissues. Many people do not know this.
They didn’t answer you, because if this law passes, what is in a woman’s womb is no longer a
BABY
Then they can do what they want with the POC (product of conception)
You don’t understand how utterly evil and completely ON PURPOSE what they are doing. It’s nothing about abortion. It’s all about the definition of what is in the womb.
No more prenatal care – saves money, not a baby.
No more preemie care.- saves millions, it’s not a baby.
No more family – it’s not a baby.
Complete population control and control of womb – because it does’t produce babies.
No more responsibility on any side, it’s not a baby.
It becomes a completely narcissistic, no responsibleness, soulless understanding of sexuality and of intimate relationships. It fosters utter decadence and lustfulness, making the take down of the most basic understanding of human relationships, spiritually, historically, anthropological, biological and evolutionary and throws it out the window.
Makes for real easy subversion…..it’s written in their plan, one only has to open up their cook book and see.
There is a local sing that says…
Pregnancy starts with a Penis, regulate that!
But the Penis is regulated heavily.
Unlawful entry jail
Exposure to the public jail
Unwanted pregnancy – child support for 18 years
This whole conversation is so orchestrated and one sided, completely unfair and divorced from reality.
Fair?
How about in divorce 50% of women and 50% of men get custody, same for child support, that way 50% of the men get to raise the children and get child support from women.
50% of women get to raise their children and get child support from men.
How come women are pushing for equality? Huh?
Have this be the same for pregnancies outside of wedlock?
How about men being only responsible for the cost of an abortion? Because it’s not a baby by their definition, it’s only a product of conception (POC). Yet any 4 year old could tell you that a 3 month old fetus was a human baby.
This whole conversation is being framed to foster division and hatred, not for finding the truth or common ground. It is COMPLETELY ORCHESTRATED…
And everyone follows in lock step.
We only need to expose what the ruling says, the complete meaning. And like the Libs of Tick Tock the house of cards will collapse under the light of day.
We have to stop being tools for the Uniparty, they do not have our best interests at heart.
What I’ve learned after living 6+ decades is, that people don’t give a dam about most things until it affects them. Most voters are lethargic, uninformed and lazy. Out of 630,000 people, only 131,000 voted in this primary. The media plays a large role in the dumbing down the voters by emplying censorship by omission. If it doesn’t promote the prevailing dem/prog orthodoxy, they don’t print it or say it on the news. The pro-choice crowd should already know that abortion is alive and well in the Green Mountain state. Roe vs Wade didn’t change anything here. But then most will have to prove how virtuous they are by voting for something that doesn’t mention abortion, women or any particular right to be placed in our already perfect constitution. This is a sad state of affairs. And the whole unborn baby in some places is seen as dollar signs for perfect organs and tissue. It is much easier to be a useful idiot for the party.
And the majority does NOT know the baby “parts” are sold for a profit. P.P. Was exposed by a whistleblower recording their “luncheon-meeting” discussing the profits of the late term abortion…the later the more the profit!