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WEST VIRGINIA’S LEGISLATURE has passed a sweeping abortion ban with few exceptions, approving a bill that several members of the Republican supermajority said they hope will make it impossible for the state’s only abortion clinic to continue to offer the procedure.
“It is going to shut down that abortion clinic, of that I feel certain,” senator Robert Karnes said on the Senate floor, amid shouts from protesters outside the chamber doors.
“I believe it’s going to save a lot of babies.”
Under the legislation, rape and incest victims would be able to obtain abortions at up to eight weeks of pregnancy, but only if they report to law enforcement first.
Such victims who are minors would have until 14 weeks to terminate a pregnancy and must report to either law enforcement or a physician.
Rape and incest victims would have to report the assault within 48 hours of getting an abortion, and a patient must present a copy of a police report or notarised letter to a physician before the procedure can be performed.
Abortions also would be allowed in cases of medical emergencies.
The bill now heads to the desk of Republican governor Jim Justice, who has signed several anti-abortion bills into law since taking office in 2017.
Legislators resumed debate on the bill after failing to come to an agreement in late July, missing the chance for the state to become the first to approve new legislation restricting access to abortions since the US Supreme Court’s ruling in June removing its protected status as a constitutional right.
The Senate and the House of Delegates speedily approved the bill after several hours of debate.
Legislators inserted several provisions they said were specifically targeted at the Women’s Health Centre of West Virginia, which was the state’s first abortion clinic when it opened in 1976 after the US Supreme Court’s landmark case Roe vs Wade.
It has existed as the state’s sole abortion clinic for years, making it the ever-increasing target of anti-abortion legislators and protesters.
The bill says surgical abortions can only be performed at a state-licensed hospital by a physician with hospital privileges.
Anybody else who performs an abortion, including nurse practitioners and other medical professionals, could face three to 10 years in prison. A physician who performs an illegal abortion could lose their medical licence.
Pregnant people who obtain illegal abortions will not face any form of prosecution under the bill.
Kaylen Barker, spokesperson for the Women’s Health Centre of West Virginia, said the clinic will not shut down, even if the staff are no longer able to provide abortions. Like many clinics, the facility did not offer the procedure daily.
Most days are dedicated to services like gender-affirming hormone therapy, HIV prevention and treatment and routine gynaecological care — cervical exams, cancer screenings — mostly for low-income patients on Medicaid with nowhere else to go.
Democrat Owens Brown, West Virginia’s only black senator, spoke against the bill before it passed the Senate. He said when he looks around at his fellow legislators, he sees a body that is overwhelmingly comprised of white, middle-aged to elderly men who are middle-class or above.
He compared groups of men passing legislation that overwhelmingly impacts women to laws that were passed by white legislators when slavery was legal in the US. He said “all laws are not good laws made by men”.
“That’s somewhat irrational in many ways to be able to apply a law that will never apply to you,” he said. “It’s easy for you to sit there and do that because you will never have to face the consequences of your actions.”
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Freedom of speech as long as I agree with you.
@Eric Gaffney: far right alert!
@Argus Romsworth: Well you’re entitled to your shite opinion, that’s alright.
@Eric Gaffney: you’re triggered lad
@Argus Romsworth: I don’t see why he would be, you strongly reinforced his point by claiming an argument for freedom of speech is “far right” and offering 0 additional context for that opinion.
@JC: only the far right get triggered by the words far right
@Argus Romsworth: take the week off ffs
@Argus Romsworth: “fore roysh” the cry of the simple ton
@Eric Gaffney: You believe in ‘freedom’ to spread dangerous misinformation?
@Brendan O’Brien: Yes Windsock, that’s exactly what I believe. You’re so clever.
@Eric Gaffney: that’s a very far right attitude you have there
@jiminybillybob: ment for that argus person not gaffney
Great Cork names on that bunch of new irish that appeared in Cork Court today. Thanks Roderick our country is racing down the tubes. You just wont listen to the people
@GERRY MURPHY: When crimes are committed by people with Irish names, do you point that out too? It would certainly keep you busy.
If you don’t, you’re just pushing an agenda here.
@Brendan O’Brien: an agenda or stating the obvious Brendan
@Mick O’K: how is it stating the obvious to blame Roderic O’Gorman for the disorder that occurred in Cork last night?
@SYaxJ2Ts: did he not invite the world into our tiny island with no available housing?
@Freda Peeple: No. That’s a distortion peddled by the far right.
@Freda Peeple: you seem to know way more about the alleged perpetrators than me….are you saying that they are asylum seekers? And if so, that Roderic O’Gorman is responsible for their actions?
@Brendan O’Brien: define far right. Then tell us who these far right peddlers are
@Mick O’K: how about you tell us why Roderic O’Gorman is in anyway responsible for the incident in cork last night? That where this started, yea?
@Mick O’K: Check a dictionary. Far-right pedlars like ‘Freda Peeple’.
@Brendan O’Brien: He did & his tweet is widely available online, to state that it’s not true is actually you distorting the truth, you just can’t admit it, as your brainwashed.
@SV3tN8M4: wtf has Roderic O’Gormans tweet got to do with the disorder that happened last night in Cork?
@Ger Whelan: most of those that throw that buzzword/comment around don’t know. The funny thing is they show themselves up by throwing it around like confetti not knowing what it actually is. But sure look, bless them all
@SYaxJ2Ts: Twitter/X whatever you call it yourself will answer that question for you Kev. A government ministers account is exactly where on that platform
@Mick O’K: you are wilfully ignoring the central question here…..why is Roderic O’Gorman to blame for the events in cork last night?
@Mick O’K: you can’t produce any evidence then. Got it
@Ger Whelan: seriously? Having read this thread, that’s the position that you take?
@SV3tN8M4: No: his tweet was to tell people already in Ireland that direct provision would be coming to an end.
@Brendan O’Brien: this right here Brendan is misinformation
@Mick O’K: No, it is the truth
Liberals used to love free speech but now they are desperate to shut you up.
Macron has brought France to the precipice, just like Merkel has destroyed Germany. Fundamentalist terrorist attacks now the norm in Germany & have started here now in Ireland, thanks to our Govts non existent Immigration policy. Macron is clinging on desperately, so desperate he even invited the Communists to form a Left Govt, he will do anything to stay in power. Ironically he & Merkel will go down in history as the two who were responsible for the fall of the EU. Even the Germans have had enough & the attacks this week prior to elections there will result in bad news for the mainstream parties.
The man travelling at 150km on the M50 is a member of some other section of the community, and, as such, should/will be excused from facing any meaningful form of justice. “Justice” is just for ordinary people.
Still nothing on israelis flying genocide weapons through our airspace?
So when will their Government start going after phone companies over scam calls, etc.?
According to Wired magazine, the FBI has repeatedly instructed Telegram to install a “backdoor” so they can spy on Telegram users.
Durov has so far refused.
That may well be why he has been arrested by a staunch US ally.
Does Baguette Boy also deny a political link to his refusal to uphold the results of the recent election and appoint a Prime Minister from the victorious party.
@Ger Whelan:
As President he has a constitutional duty to ask the leader of the party which won the largest number of seats to form a government.
He has refused to do this.
@Garry Coll: Are you sure?
If that were the case, then that party could launch a court case to assert that right.
If they have not done so, or if they were unsuccessful, then that would suggest there is no such obligation on the president.
Anyone who believes you can have free speech without powerful liable laws , has never had thier face busted up for mouthing off to the wrong person
@Robert Halvey: libel laws
@Sheelagh Hanly: thanks for the spelling lesson, but do you get the point iam trying to make , we have had wars based on lies , so anyone spreading baseless lies ,could have thier family’s dna washed from existence,
@Robert Halvey: Historically the problem we’ve had with liars causing wars is that the liars were in power, told lies, then arrested anyone who stood up against that until there was no-one left to stop them. The classic example is 30′s Germany of course but we can see the same pattern in modern Russia or China.
So it appears Niemöller’s post war depiction has become relevant again, nearly 80 years later. Not that I’m surprised, humanity has ever taken a long time to learn lessons and a short time to forget them.
@Ger Whelan: that if you promote violence by lying, like Hitler you and yours die
@Ger Whelan: lad you really haven’t a clue iam a primary patient, a scaffoder that knows how to run a crew ,and a retired gangster stop blaming other people’s for your shit go back to school mightbe a start,
@Ger Whelan: I own my gaff my children have thier own gaff I have always worked on a building site I was 28 before I got my advanced scaffolding ticket and had my own company at 30 , there is on this planet ,if you gave me the right resources I could not give you a safe access to ,you know I used to believe that getting rid of ffg for a few decades was all that was required, but I went to ard school rise and little frightened little boys that blame other people for thier shit need a hug and education , I have given you alot come at me with anything other then respect
@Ger Whelan: iam 58 so I have existed for about half of my country’s existence , and because of my education I can see the benefits and beauty that migration has brought to our country, Correct me if iam wrong, you blame everyone and everybody for the fact that you are a frightened little manboy it probably goes back to your ma but it could honestly be a lover that you believe funked you over and passable involved losing access to children ,
@Ger Whelan: lad I stand by what I said ffg have raped this country for personal wealth since the foundation of the state, why the f do you think all the big building sites in ireland are going to be closed down tomorrow
@Robert Halvey: why the land tax has been suspended even do there are huge estates, owned by wealthy individuals who have never done more then a token bit of farming, but claim every tax break and farming grant , as I said lad go back to school
@Ger Whelan: deflect whataboutry, but in all fairness do you believe a lover funked you over and are you having difficulties relating to your children
Funny to watch the Russians freaking out over this.
@honey badger: go away
Not being a user of Telegram, I do not know what it is like.
Let’s allow the French justice system to run its course. If Telegram has been in breach of the law, then lets hope that those that own and/or run the operation receives an appropriate and meaningful sentence.
Then we can move on to Twitter, and any other platform that propagates hate.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: Hate or the other point of view you don’t want to hear. It seems to be that nobody can have an alternate view or express an opinion now without being shouted down as racist or far right. This will inevitably lead to where France are now & eventually the only way forward will be war.
@SV3tN8M4: Always with the dire predictions of revolution, war, blood on the streets, etc. You really need to lighten up a bit.
I love a good freedom of speech so I do!
Durov is a Putin pawn. Deserves everything he gets.
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