23 Mar 2012 2:55 pm
Abortion Bill: Arizona GOP Legislator Says Women Should Witness AbortionsA Republican state legislator in Arizona reportedly wrote an email to a constituent saying that women should witness an abortion before having an abortion. The email published on a political blog on the Arizona Republic's website Tuesday is apparently from State Rep. Terri Proud (R-Tucson) and appears to have been sent from a state email, the paper said. The email was in response to a constituent who said she emailed Proud and fellow lawmakers to let them know she opposed the bill pending in the Legislature that would ban abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy. The site reports that the email is unedited. "Personally I'd like to make a law that mandates a woman watch an abortion being performed prior to having a "surgical procedure". If it's not a life it shouldn't matter, if it doesn't harm a woman then she shouldn't care, and don't we want more transparency and education in the medical profession anyway? We demand it everywhere else.Until the dead child can tell me that she/he does not feel any pain - I have no intentions of clearing the conscience of the living - I will be voting YES."An aide in Proud's Phoenix office told The Huffington Post that Proud was performing legislative duties and unavailable for immediate comment. She has not returned a message left with her office. The email is drawing quick criticism from Democratic lawmakers."This is another instance of them going off the deep end on this," House Minority Leader Chad Campbell (D-Phoenix) told HuffPost. "This is a continued attack on women's health care and women's choice. I wonder if Representative Proud would agree with this on every surgical procedure. This is ludicrous."Campbell said he hopes Proud was not serious in her email and would not be proposing it as an amendment to the bill. Rep. Matt Heinz (D-Tucson), a physician, said Tuesday Proud's email shows a misunderstanding of laws and procedures governing medicine and medical education. Heinz said there are laws in place to prevent spectators from watching surgery, which would include abortions.Rep. Matt Heinz (D-Tucson) characterized the email as a "hodgepodge of crazy."I heartily concur.How long before these legislators demand that a guard be present in the room anytime a woman goes to an OB/GYN?