Vent. Not about work/relationships/or wedding.

novella1186

I believe I read that there are similar feticide laws in 37 states in the US. 

The laws were originally intended to protect mothers, but they're vaguely worded. In a lot of states, feticide laws were to prosecute anyone who hurt a pregnant mother and caused the death of a fetus, but they've been used to prosecute pregnant mothers. One case that was cited: a pregnant woman fell down the stairs by accident, her fetus died as a result, she was charged with feticide. Really. 

So essentially, they've managed to criminalize pregnancy. 

There was a case in the news last week about a woman who used a Craigslist ad to lure a pregnant woman to her house, held the pregnant woman captive, sliced open her stomach, removed the baby, and the baby died. The pregnant woman survived. They were trying to decide if the psycho could be charged with murder, based on whether or not the fetus would have been viable outside the womb on its own, and they ultimately decided NOT to charge her with murder... but a pregnant woman who accidentally falls down the stairs is a murderer? Or Patel, who delivered a stillborn prematurely is a murderer? 20 years in prison? I know these laws vary a lot by state but come the fuck on. 

The law in Indiana was written to prosecute anyone who performed illegal abortions; NOT the women who got the abortions. But, ya know, vague wording. Religious fanatics. The Tea Party. Immigrants. All a terrible combination. 

southernbelle0915

chibiyui said:

southernbelle0915 said:

Is Indiana in some kind of self-imposed competition to be the most extreme state in the union? What the actual fuck is going on there? 

I always find it ironic that the people who tend to support laws/decisions like Indiana's recent shenanigans are the SAME people who think an Islamic (i.e. religious) state is the root of all evil and ruining freedom. Like, do they really not see the likeness or are they fucking with me?

Nope, it's totally different to them because because they're right and Islam is wrong.

Srsly, that's pretty much what it boils down to. The most vehement of them would consider any kind of critical thinking on the logic of their religion to be a failing of faith or trying to persecute them.

In Internet speak, the thirst is real.

And these are the same people who ruin the image of religion. I consider myself a Christian, but it sucks that these kind of crazies shape this extremist image of the religion in general. 

Kind of like (shocker) there are peaceful Muslims who aren't beheading people and killing people who don't agree with them. 

WinstonsGirl

Dreamergirl - I was talking about very tourist places

FiancB

What I don't get is that abortion is legal but apparently a natural death of your fetus is not? I'm assuming that Indiana has more conservative laws than most and that 20 weeks or whatever she was at is considered too late for an abortion. Still, rapists go free because there isn't enough evidence against them, while they think MAYBE IT'S POSSIBLE she purchased abortificants with no evidence that she did, and that's enough to throw her in jail???

Also in most states if not everywhere you can't bring criminal charges against a new mother for being on drugs, even when the tox screen of the infant shows this.  You can call CPS and have the infant taken away, but the mother will not be in actual legal trouble for this.  It's awful to care for a withdrawing infant, and a lot of people would like to see women jailed for this, but it hasn't happened because that would result in women avoiding care for them and their infants. 

So how the fuck is it that people can see that actual negligence and harm cannot be criminalized but a stillborn birth should???

Ahhhh I can't even.  I'm thankful to have always lived in pretty liberal states and I don't think I could deal with being in a place like that. 

theartistformerlyknownas

southernbelle0915 said:

Is Indiana in some kind of self-imposed competition to be the most extreme state in the union? What the actual fuck is going on there? 

I always find it ironic that the people who tend to support laws/decisions like Indiana's recent shenanigans are the SAME people who think an Islamic (i.e. religious) state is the root of all evil and ruining freedom. Like, do they really not see the likeness or are they fucking with me?

"Fuck individual freedoms AND Daylight Saving Time! Fuck the establishment! Also, WAR ON PIZZA IS COMING UP NEXT."