On Thursday, March 3, 2011 , Chaille Jolink posted, on the Burnt Orange Report website, The Sonogram Bill is Back- Government Intrusion on Full Display by Texas Republicans. Jolink, available to anyone, primarily liberals, provides an informative blog, as well as an alternative point of view, for an audience of any ideology, to make their own decision regarding the Sonogram Bill debate.
The basic argument of Jolinks blog is over her disappointment towards a revised and stricter version of the Sonogram bill, which requires a woman to have a sonogram between 72-24 hours before an abortion procedure is performed, that is back up for debate on the House Floor Thursday night. Jolink states the bill will also have additional requirements, such as: The Department of State Health Services (DSHS) must come up with a form for the doctor to administer to the patient requiring her signature and initials at least three different times to make sure that doctor described specific areas, provide a list of abortion alternatives to the patient after the sonogram is administered, the DSHS will take on the budgetary cost of the bill, a 72-24 hour timeline is for the women to have enough time to reflect on her decision, it also states the clinic providing the sonogram is not allowed to receive a payment, or that there even be an agreement on what the price of the abortion will cost, the same time they meet to do the sonogram. Jolinks values that are held about what is important and what government should do are described as “there is a difference between the personal politics of this bill and the actual policy the bill enacts. This is exactly why it is wrong to try to legislate these kinds of personal decisions. It creates an unprecedented scenario of what the government can do and you have nothing short of a public policy disaster. I personally do not see how state republican lawmakers can be for this kind of legislation where there is a practically script in the bill for the doctor to administer to the patient, and in the same breath rail against the chokehold federal government has on our health care system.”
Jolink provides a copy of the bill (HB 15 by Sid Miller R-Erath), the bill analysis, and a copy of a letter to the Texas Senate State Affair’s Committee Chairman, Robert Duncan (R-Lubbock) from the Texas Medical Association, as support with facts and evidence for her blog.
Ms. Jolinks blog is very successful; however, it does not convince me. I believe all woman need to have a more informative appointment, which includes the sonogram, before the decision to have an abortion should be made. It does not change my mind regarding my beliefs I held before reading this blog.
The political significance of this argument is that Ms. Jolink believes republicans, especially men, is trying to legislate personal decision, which takes away the freedom of citizens. The difference this argument does make to my understanding of the way the political world works, is it provides me with a more detailed understanding of what the new law will enforce and how the government is trying to take over more of our personal freedoms. The new bill will affect who gets what scarce resources, and how they get them; because it states, the budgetary cost of the bill to the State of Texas