Women in Utah May Face Prosecution Following Miscarriage
Last week I read the news that the government of Utah is proposing a new law against miscarriage. The bill states that women who cause themselves to miscarry through reckless behaviour could face prosecution.
At first it struck me as risky, but surely these people had done their research? The more I look at this case, the more I think they've actually jumped into this decision way too fast, and all because it's the 'easy option'.
This legislation seems to have been prompted by the case of a young woman who paid a man to beat her, so that she would intentionally miscarry. What I want to know is why the reaction to this has been disgust and outcry, when surely it should be 'why did this happen and what can we do to stop it in the future?'. It's quite clear to me that the woman was in trouble, she really didn't want to be pregnant and because she lived in Utah (a predominantly Mormon state) she could not have an abortion.
Personally, I think Utah really need to look at what causes women to become addicted to drugs or alcohol in pregnancy, or what makes them not care for their unborn child and educate them so as to stop it happening. They also need to provide free contraception in droves to get the message across that it's not hard to use during sex and can become a way of (happy) life.
Instead, they make abortion illegal, frown upon sex before marriage (when they know it's never going to stop), and finally strip away every ounce of autonomy a prospective mother has left. Governing our actions through threatening prosecution means we don't know what's right or wrong any more. We can lean mindlessly on the law and avoid doing what the state says we are not to do, leaving the matter of parenthood out in the wilderness. Yes, these women will know it's wrong to get drunk in pregnancy, but when their baby is born will they know not to spoil him or her? "There's no legislation that says spoiling is wrong, so perhaps it's okay!"
Quite apart from that, women who miscarry quite innocently are highly likely to avoid getting the essential after care they need. Would you really go back to hospital if you faced an interrogation after losing your baby and then having to give birth to it? Many women would not, especially if they living in poverty and have other children to care for. They will be terrified of prosecution for something that wasn't their fault, and having their children taken away.
This legislation will breed fear in the innocent, and ignorance in the guilty. Please, Gary Herbert, do not sign this bill!
