MACOMB -- Much has been written and spoken about the recent attacks on women's rights by Republican majorities in the US House of Representatives and elsewhere.
They're attacking contraception, equal pay for women, and most especially abortion, a basic liberty for women, who must control what happens to their bodies.
The abortion issue is crucial. Abortion is under attack in the (barely) Democratic Illinois General Assembly, which is only a few votes away from making abortions more expensive and difficult to obtain, even though they are a legal and necessary part of women's health care.
Macomb's Republican state Representative Norine Hammond of the 94th District is a co-sponsor of two anti-abortion bills, which could come up for a vote at any time:
House Bill 4117 would require any place where surgical abortions are provided to become the functional equivalent of a small hospital. No other medical procedure in the state is regulated in this way. Its purpose is to make abortion more expensive and difficult to obtain.
House Bill 4085 would require doctors to offer an ultrasound exam before an abortion, allow the woman to opt out only in writing, then send the form to the state. Its purpose is to intimidate women and make abortion more expensive and difficult to obtain. It also will create new costs for the state to manage the paperwork.
There are no valid medical reasons for either of these bills. Abortion is one of the safest medical procedures performed in the US. Pregnancy is much riskier for a woman.
The abortion clinic in Peoria already charges up to $450 for a first trimester abortion, a huge amount of money for a low income woman. A second trimester abortion costs over $1,000 and requires travel to Chicago or Granite City near St. Louis, a terrific financial burden for a low income woman.
These bills are playing politics with women's lives. They make choice and personal control of a woman's health even more difficult for poor women.
They would result in more unwanted births, adding to Medicaid costs, which the state is trying to cut. Half of all Illinois births are already paid for by Medicaid.
So why is Hammond sponsoring these bills?
She has been contacted by many of her constitutents in Macomb, urging her to drop her sponsorship. She claims her constitutents want these bills passed, but refuses to say how many have contacted her to favor them.
She is a Republican drone, doing whatever the state party wants, and they want these bills to appease and motivate their anti-choice voters.
She has no opponent in the November election. Yet.
The Democratic party can slate an opponent until the end of May. Who in a university town will step forward to run against Hammond?
Congress: Macomb is now in the 18th Congressional District. The member of Congress for the 18th District is Aaron Schock, Republican from Peoria, of the topless magazine cover, who has voted to defund Planned Parenthood.
He is strongly anti-choice.
He is also a Republican drone, doing whatever the national party wants.
He has a pro-choice opponent in November, Democrat Steve Waterworth.
Why is this happening? Abortion is a 'wedge' issue, designed to wedge away voters who otherwise might support Democrats. These are often religious voters who have heard in churches that abortion is wrong, when loaded and inaccurate language is used. (As if a collection of fetal cells is a 'baby.')
They are not content that tax money does not pay for abortions, they want to make abortion illegal, and even send women and doctors to jail. Amazing, really.
So women are in a serious and deadly fight for their basic liberty, as well as adequate health care.
It ends at the ballot boxes in November. Spread the word.
-- Elaine Hopkins
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