Rachel Maddow: Missouri GOP Now Forcing Women To Have ‘Medically Unnecessary’ Pelvic Exams
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Rachel Maddow revealed on Thursday that the Republican-led government in Missouri is now forcing the last abortion clinic in the state to conduct mandatory and medically unnecessary pelvic exams before allowing women to have an abortion.
According to the MSNBC host, “As of last week, every woman seeking a legal abortion in Missouri is being told by the state that she must have a mandatory, medically unnecessary vaginal examination by order of the state of Missouri.”
Maddow added that the move appears to be a push by the state government to get the final abortion clinic in Missouri to shut down.
“This is the latest thing the state of Missouri is doing as of this week as they’re trying to force the last clinic in the state out of business,” the MSNBC host said.
The Republican-led state government in Missouri has decided that as long as they’ve got the state down to one last clinic and as long as they’ve got the clinic on the ropes as they try to yank its license and shut it down, the state government in Missouri has decided that maybe this is an opportunity for them to do something else to women that they’ve never tried before. This is what’s brand-new. You ready? What we have discovered is that as of Thursday last week, as of a week ago today, we can now report that every woman seeking a legal abortion in the state of Missouri is being subjected to a mandatory, medically unnecessary pelvic examination by order of the state government. I’m just going to say that one more: As of last week, every woman seeking a legal abortion in Missouri is being told by the state that she must have a mandatory, medically unnecessary vaginal examination by order of the state of Missouri. Now, doctors at this Missouri clinic, they do perform pelvic exams right before they do an abortion, which is standard medical practice, which is fine, but now as of this week, what the state has started doing, what the state government is now doing, is that they’ve told the doctors at that one remaining clinic that they must do a second medically unnecessary invasive pelvic exam on every woman before she is allowed to start the punitive three-day waiting period that is required of all women who need an abortion in Missouri. … You must, by order of the state, take off your clothes and submit to an intrusive, vaginal inspection that you do not need and that your doctor does not want to give you. This is the latest thing the state of Missouri is doing as of this week as they’re trying to force the last clinic in the state out of business.
Medical professionals in Missouri are speaking out
By forcing the last abortion clinic in Missouri to conduct traumatic and medically unnecessary pelvic exams on any woman seeking an abortion, Republicans in the state are hoping to pressure the final clinic in the state to shut down.
But as Maddow pointed out on Thursday, the new order from the GOP-led government might be putting more unnecessary pressure on doctors and patients, but it so far hasn’t achieved its goal of closing the final Missouri abortion clinic.
Instead, doctors and medical professionals in the state are speaking out in hopes of shining a national spotlight on the GOP’s brazen attack on women’s rights – before it’s too late.
By continuing to escalate their attacks on women’s rights all across the country, from Missouri and Ohio to Alabama and Georgia, Republicans are guaranteeing that women will be as motivated as ever to vote against them in 2020.
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Opposition to late term abortions is not a religious issue.
And who is saying the exam is unnecessary?
What is the medical necessity then? It should be the doctor who decides if it's necessary or not, not the State forcing themselves into a woman's vagina. Just more evidence of how rabid and disgusting the anti-choice crowd has become. Next stop, 'Handmaidens Tale' unless we kick these fascist idiots off the train.
Most opposition seems to be. But no one is advocating for late term abortions anyway.
That would be a doctor's call to make. not some politician.
Umm....DOCTORS!!
Apparently, the requirement to have a physical/pelvic exam prior to an abortion isn't a GOP/partisan issue ... except to Rachel Maddow and other partisans. A pelvic exam and other tests are medically accepted and routine SOP.
Notice the term ultrasound
Notice the word and
Im looking for the word PELVIC EXAM!...
Physical examination and pelvic exams are two different things!
I see you didn't read the information stated in the links I provided in comment 2 .
Apparently, you didn't read the article.
JFC, it is a totally UNNECESSARY medical procedure. Since when does a goddamn politician get to tell women what medical procedures they must get (who the fuck is paying for that?) And by the way, it is NOT for health purposes. It is to put another road block and expense in women's paths to reproductive healthcare. Why do you and others feel so entitled to stick your nose up vaginas to prove you still have control over them? Somehow the followers of christian sharia feel the need to subjugate women through fertility.
How is it possible to safely perform an abortion without a pelvic exam?
It's not, and anyone who says differently doesn't know what s/he is talking about. Please read the links in comment 2 .
“As of last week, every woman seeking a legal abortion in Missouri is being told by the state that she must have a mandatory, medically unnecessary vaginal examination by order of the state of Missouri.”
I fail to see why a woman would be forced to get a vaginal exam if she was requesting an abortion pill.
How effective is the abortion pill?
The abortion pill is very effective. The effectiveness depends on how far along you are in your pregnancy when you take the medicine.
As stated in the links I provided, there are many reasons for a vaginal exam prior to an abortion, no matter what the abortion method is.
If my first 3 aren't good enough, here's another link:
This should be a decision made between the woman and her doctor, not between a handful of religious conservative legislators and a woman's doctor. If her doctor feels it's necessary, then they will discuss the need with their patient and ask for her consent. I find it rather shocking how deep some religious conservatives desire the governments hand to be shoved into a woman's privacy, literally forcing her to undergo a manual vaginal exam, which, without consent, would be considered sexual assault and rape in virtually every civilized nation on the globe.
Regardless of any reason, the decision if a pelvic exam is necessary or not resides with the physician.
and Gordy 3.1.4 ...
All of my comments solely focused on medically accepted pre-abortion practices, and none of them stated that an abortion decision should not be made between a woman and her medical practitioner. In addition, none of them were political.
That pretty much goes along with what I said: the decision if a pelvic exam is necessary or not resides with the physician.
Really?
Well that kind of sounds like you're saying there aren't any safe abortions performed without a pelvic exam. It seems that should be a decision between the doctor and their patient, not between you and the patient. This article isn't about what is "medically accepted", it's about what the State is attempting to force on women without their consent when they try to access their right to a safe and legal abortion. A colonoscopy to look for colon cancer is "medically accepted", but I think that should be something the patient gets to discuss with their doctor, not the State enforcing a "medically acceptable" procedure on a patient without their consent.
For the final time - all of my comments were based upon medical sources and were not my opinion.
Thank you. As my medical links have stated, gestational age is the factor in a medical provider's decision as to which abortion method should be used, and this can only be determined via pelvic exam and/or ultrasound.
So it's not your "opinion" that there are no safe abortions without a pelvic exam, it's a researched fact? So why are there doctors who do not require all women, especially those early in a pregnancy, to get a physical exam when they are prescribed the abortion pill? Nothing you listed said a physical exam is "medically necessary", thus it is optional and the decision lay between a doctor and their patient. That means it is merely your opinion that there are no safe abortions without a physical examination.
The problem is, there are politicians and law makers who want to intervene in the physician and patient's decisions by requiring procedures that may not be necessary. We've seen this before when lawmakers wanted to make it a requirement for all women to have an ultrasound when they choose to have an abortion, even if it's not necessary.
Perhaps you didn't read or understand the link in comment 3.1.2 . I'll post it again:
Please keep in mind that many girls and women aren't medically trained in determining gestational age. That's why they rely on medical professionals.
From the medical data I've read, medical providers advise a pelvic examination and/or ultrasound prior to deciding which method of abortion they should use. I've already given medical links to support my comments, and there are more.
Again, the necessity of a pelvic exam is within the purview of the physician. They may recommend an exam or they may not. But a lawmaker should not make unilateral medically based decisions on his own for the medical community. Especially if the lawmaker is not a medical expert.
Again, I have never said that it wasn't. Have a good weekend.
Read and re-read your link, still see nothing that says it's a medical necessity. It is a choice made between the patient and their doctor. I see "usually adequate" and "recommended" and "may be used", but not a single mention of "medical necessity".
I know that. But I am also pointing out that law makers want to force women to undergo pelvic exams, regardless of physician and/or patient opinions or expertise. Therein lies the problem. Otherwise, I think we are generally in agreement on the matter.
Who gives a shit what any doc besides your own says? Maybe if women had a problem with this we'd ask for help. We don't, stay the hell out of the decisions of others and live your own beliefs.
Most abortions can be done pharmacologically. Pop a pill, no exam necessary. For more invasive procedures, an ultrasound will suffice.
A pelvic exam 72 hours before the abortion is not necessary! Its not going tell you anymore than what ia already known about the pregnancy that the initial pelvic exam did!...
Without weighing in on whether this particular exam is medically necessary in any or all circumstances, I will note that there are many required exams in our lives. Employers, insurers, schools, military all have required exams. Licensing agencies require them. You may need one for traveling. Pretty much any jurisdiction will have medical exams they require before other procedures are done or medicine is prescribed. It's just not that unusual for authorities of some type to require a medical exam before allowing you to do something you generally have some level of "right" to do.
Tell me when you want me and Nancy Pelosi forcing you to undergo and pay for unnecessary medical procedures. I've got a few I'd like to require and assume you (not personal, tacos, all plural yous) all would be willing to allow a little penile penetration to get the medical help you need to raise that dick. It is hard to believe how many people who scream 'get the government out of our lives' want to force this on women trying to maintain their health. But there we are.
Um, not to give TMI, but doctors have been grabbing my junk since I was a teen, probably because some government licensing authority told them they should. I very much doubt that absent any actual symptoms of hernia or prostate cancer that it's "medically necessary" to perform such an exam. By the way, because I have a commercial driver license, I am required to get a medical exam like that every two years. I'm pretty sure that whatever is going on with my balls doesn't have anything to do with my ability to drive safely.
So stay the hell out of women's business, its that freaking simple. This has nothing to do with employment either, this is personal.
It's really not. That should be obvious to even the most casual observer of this debate over time.
I've yet to see one point made why one religious belief usurps personal rights. We don't accept the christian taliban, where ignorant strangers force their religious beliefs on women. There is no acceptable explanation for some men (who don't even know what happens during any of this) to feel they have that power over women's bodies. I can tell they think they do and they are trying, but no way in hell women will let those assholes assert control. That should be obvious to even the most casual observer of this debate.
christian taliban are here. Prepare.
The same guy that led the push in N. Carolina to say that coal ash in the drinking water was safe is the same guy leading this crap in Missouri. And, he is GOP.