Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Wednesday, July 03, 2013

North Carolina Abortion Bill: State Senate Votes On Restrictive Measure

North Carolina's state Senate voted Tuesday to pass a second reading of a measure placing tougher restrictions on abortion after Republicans in the legislature tacked the abortion regulations on to a bill targeting Sharia law.

The state Senate passed the second reading of the omnibus bill by 27-14. A final vote will be held Wednesday.

The bill, according to the News & Observer, would require abortion clinics to meet the same standards as ambulatory surgery centers. Just one clinic in the state currently meets that standard, according to staffers in the state legislature. The sweeping legislation would also place limits on health care coverage for abortion procedures, require clinics to have "transfer agreements" with hospitals, and require doctors to be present when women take RU486, the drug that induces abortions.

The bill cleared a Senate committtee earlier Tuesday. WRAL reports:

    The measure was unveiled unexpectedly during an unusual late-day committee meeting Tuesday. It combines several bills in different stages of the legislative process into one omnibus measure.

    ...

    Until 5:30 p.m., the measure on the committee's calendar only reflected a bill that dealt with the family law provisions of the bill. That measure itself was controversial when it cleared the House, with opponents fearing it could interfere with recognition of U.S. law in foreign courts.

    However, almost immediately, the committee took up an amendment to the bill that dealt with abortion.

The decision to attach the abortion bill to the measure banning "foreign laws" drew fire from pro-choice advocates.

“It seems to me that they’re trying to pass under cover of darkness legislation that would not otherwise be passed,” NARAL Pro-Choice North Carolina executive director Suzanne Buckley said. “They’re trying to pull a Texas.”

Original Article
Source: huffingtonpost.com
Author: Mollie Reilly

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