I have listened to and read much about the debate on abortion, birth control and other women's health issues over the past year but none of it has been quite as disturbing as this: http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2013/12/03/aclu_v_catholic_bishops_tamesha_means_was_turned_away_from_michigan_s_mercy.html
It is a short article/opinion piece and you should read it but in a nutshell there are hospital in the US, namely Catholic ones, that are refusing to treat women who are having miscarriages basically because they are against abortion.
I can at least understand where the Catholic church and other religious institutions are coming from with not wanting to supply birth control under health insurance because it goes against their beliefs, but this makes absolutely no sense to me.
This story doesn't indicate how far along the woman seeking treatment was but I think it is fair to assume it was in the first trimester because that is when the vast majority of miscarriages take place. The story does, however, say the woman wanted to be pregnant and didn't want to terminate her pregnancy. How does it make sense to risk the life of a woman for the life a baby who wouldn't survive outside the womb anyway?
How can anyone in the medical field refuse life-saving treatment to someone who needs it? How can the "rights" of a fetus be put a head of a those of a living, breathing person whom that fetus can't live without anyway?
I am in no way advocating for abortion and think that abortion, especially late term abortion, should be illegal in most cases with rape and life-threatening situations being the exception. I think abortion has become too easy to get and an easy way to avoid the consequences of poor choices but that doesn't mean there aren't cases where it is warranted and it definitely doesn't mean every woman who has a miscarriage should be prosecuted or refused care. I believe babies should be given every chance to be born and grow-up to live happy, healthy lives but I can't get on board with putting the rights of fetuses that can't live outside the womb ahead of my own.
