In Arizona, Life Begins Before Conception

Posted on April 14, 2012 at 11:34 am by Bob Cesca

Ashby mentioned this in a cartoon thread the other night but it’s worth noting again. According to a new law in Arizona, life begins on the first day of a woman’s last menstrual period. That’s right — life begins before life begins.

Life starts earliest in Arizona, which now defines gestational age as beginning on the first day of a woman’s last period, rather than at fertilization. In practice, that means the state has banned abortions after about 18 weeks (20 weeks from the last menstruation) except in the case of medical emergencies. While that provision has been much discussed, abortions after that point account for only about 1 percent of the procedures currently performed.

Jan Brewer signed this into law. In Arizona, you’re considered a person before your parents have even had sex — or in some cases before they’ve even met!

While, yes, they’re only saying that life begins at that point if there’s a subsequent conception later on. But still. This is seriously bending the laws of physics and nature in order to subjugate and oppress women.

I’ve said a gazillion times. Arizona is now ground zero for far-right insanity. Sorry, Kansas, Alabama and Texas. Arizona is the King of the Cuckoo’s Nest.

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  • sherifffruitfly

    Mississippi is still in the running!

  • Virginia Lantry

    Does that mean that every time menstruation begins, the woman is aborting?

    • http://drangedinaz.wordpress.com/ IrishGrrrl

      Actually, the medical term for a miscarriage is “spontaneous abortion”….yep, you read that right. According to the loons that run AZ the woman’s body can reject a fetus but the woman actually living in that body, she cannot.

  • LK3

    What’s next, if a woman dreams about a baby but then wakes up…she is ending a life? Good grief, Jan Brewer should be committed. I do not think I can even visit AZ. (no offense to the non crazies that live there)

    • Victor_the_Crab

      What psychiatric hospital would take in Jan Brewer’s radioactive brand of crazy?

    • desertflower1

      No offense taken. I think that everyone, for their own safety and sanity, SHOULD stay out of AZ.This place has gone off the end of the flat earth they think we have. This is what happens when the population is dumbed down and hears nothing but fear mongering.This is what happens when facts play no part in decisions. This is what happens when ALEC owns politicians.This is what happens when stupid is rewarded as a great idea.This is what happens when people do not have critical thinking skills. This is what happens when republicans in this state still think that being a republican means Barry Goldwater…he’s spinning in his grave right now. This is what happens when these same people can’t even own their own mantra of “small govt” . I could go on and on. Stupid rules the day here.They seem to be so proud of fighting the “Big bad intrusive govt” Except for the parts they are ideologically opposed to inflicting on everyone else. If I could, I would run far, and fast from this place!

      • http://drangedinaz.wordpress.com/ IrishGrrrl

        Me too! I’m stuck in Arizona because of my daughter. I am counting the next 7 years until she graduates high school down like a person in prison. I swear I am going to her graduation in a packed U-Haul and then hitting the road.

  • http://www.facebook.com/NickSantrizos Nicholas Santrizos

    What this is i dont even.

  • Brutlyhonest

    Every woman who is between puberty and menopause is pregnant!

    • agrazingmoose

      No wonder we are tired all the time!

  • mrbrink

    I heard about this on Dick Kay today. It’s heartbreaking to read if you’ve got one.

    The conservative Republicans commenting on his Facebook page are calling her and her doctor liars and murderers, or invoking “God’s will” as an excuse to impose state-forced pregnancy. The state gets to speak on behalf of God’s will, apparently, a lot like little Moses’s with a whole new set of twitter-friendly updated commandments to obey. God’s will is never factored into the health, freedom, and safety of women, though. Your choices couldn’t be God’s choices because God believes in the absolute power of states’ rights. The arrogance and hypocrisy of these nutjobs is the epitome of criminal insanity and their coordinated legislative weapons of religious subjugation should be treated as state-sponsored terrorism. These right wing conservative legislatures passing these rape and rights pillaging bills are psychopaths who should all be physically restrained and dragged from power and civil society without further delay. Give them all the coloring books and broken crayons they need to pass the time in between their schizophrenic rants and R.P McMurphy shock treatments until they are no longer a threat to women, science, and religious freedom.

  • muselet

    Righties really do think they can create their own reality, don’t they?

    Idiots.

    –alopecia

    EDITED for subject-verb agreement. Folks, always read before you click on ‘Post’.

  • Iain Henry

    While I hate that I’m actually defending Arizona…defining the start of gestation as the first day of a woman’s last period is actually very common practice in healthcare. It’s part of Naegele’s Rule, which is what Obs-Gynies use to calculate your due date.

    On paper it sounds silly…but this law doesn’t really change anything. When your doc says your about 20 weeks pregnant, it’s taken those two extra weeks into account.

    • http://drangedinaz.wordpress.com/ IrishGrrrl

      Iain, doctors use that date to predict a delivery date window and because they can’t nail down the precise date of when implantation occurred. That doesn’t mean women are actually pregnant and Bob’s point is still accurate.