Contradicting Tennessee Governor Bill Lee On Abortion
Posted by Warm Southern Breeze on Sunday, January 24, 2021
Bill Lee is the 50th Governor of the State of Tennessee, a Republican, and is serving his first term in office, having been elected in 2018.
Vice President Kamala Harris two days ago Tweeted:
“On the 48th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we recommit ourselves to ensuring that everyone has access to care—including reproductive health care—no matter their income, race, zip code, health insurance status, or immigration status.”
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee included the Vice President’s Tweet with a response of his own:
“Abortion isn’t healthcare.”
I’d like to address this entry to Governor Lee, and to every other person who, for whatever reason, opposes abortion – though opposition to the procedure is mostly religious-based, and that itself presents a Constitutional problem, insofar as our nation is not established upon any religion, and I mean specifically to refer to the “Establishment clause” of the First Amendment. I am NOT going to argue religion, that is for theologians, and I am not making a theological argument.
First, it is a very dangerous precedent to write a law that not only eliminates one’s ability to make an independent, and informed decision (about that, or any other private matter), but mandates that the government tell you (or anyone) what to do in your private life. That is the essence of what is happening with this type of argument. Proponents are: 1.) Forbidding exercise of Constitutional rights and freedom to make a free-will decision, and; 2.) Essentially forcing the pregnant woman to give birth to the child.
Regardless of whether one agrees, or not, that abortion should be discouraged, or even made illegal, the essence of what is happening is that, when government gets involved in a personal, private matter, there is no longer just a woman, and her physician, in that private treatment room, but 535 other people – 435 Representatives, and 100 Senators. And that’s just too many people in one small room.
Whenever government steps in and makes decisions for you, you no longer have freedom, you no longer have liberty. And whether they realize it, or acknowledge it, or not, that’s what the anti-abortion activists want – for government to make your decision, or more accurately, to deny you the ability to make a decision… one with which they disagree with upon religious grounds. Not only is that is the VERY antithesis of so-called “smaller, less intrusive” government (something about which GOP types have clamored about), but it is “Big Brother” government, another thing about which most right-wing, and GOP-type folks complain.
Second, contrary to the claims made by anti-abortionists, and, contrary to what Governor Lee Tweeted, abortion IS healthcare. It’s certainly NOT like getting a haircut, or manicure, which is what Governor Lee’s tweet would seem to suggest, that an abortion is like a haircut, or manicure.
Here’s why abortion IS healthcare:
First, it’s performed by a physician – NOT by a cosmetologist, not by a barber, and not by a manicurist – using FDA medically-approved devices.
Second, there is an ICD-10 code for abortion – XV-Pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium; O0̷4.9 Medical abortion : complete or unspecified, without complication – and an entire array of complications of pregnancy, some of which will be addressed herein. ICD-10 is the medical coding system used for billing purposes (International Classification of Diseases). There is no ICD-10 code for haircut, shampoo and set, or manicure.
Third, there are a variety of conditions which affect pregnancies, that are themselves, life-threatening to pregnant women.
However, few – if any – ever talk about it.
I will.
Contrary to what many claim – on both sides of any issue – things aren’t always “cut and dried,” nor “black and white,” nor are they always easy to understand. And in the following few paragraphs, I’ll make it as easy-to-understand as possible – and cite real-life examples – why Governor Lee, and others who take a similar stance, are wrong. Medically wrong. Logically wrong.
And just remember: Denial is not just a river in Egypt.
Not too long ago, I’d written to the Director of an “anti-abortion clinic” and asked a few questions, in a polite, respectful, even professional, manner. No one was courteous enough to reply.
I had little doubt that it was a religiously-funded and motivated group, and, that’s quite alright by me. At least that’s the conclusion at which I arrived after reading on their website that they had “Post-Abortive Bible Study.” I found that somewhat curious, especially since I’d never seen “Post-Diabetic Amputation Bible Study.”
And, based also upon noticing that, I made the presumption that the clinic is a religiously-centered operation – again, even though, other than that solitary reference, there was no other religious citation, or affiliation mentioned.
I have no objections, morally, ethically, or even religiously, to those who put their faith into practice by meeting the unmet needs of others, in fact, more power to them for putting their faith into practice… without placing “guilt trips” or undue pressure upon others to do, act, or behave in ways that such an individual would not generally, typically, or normally do. In other words, any decisions that a pregnant woman makes should not be made under duress; they should be free-will, and fully-informed decisions. But the gist of the matter is that, such individuals are doing more than merely putting their faith into practice – they want to deny others their freedoms and rights under law… simply because they have a disagreement with them on matters pertaining to religion – and, for that reason, want government to ensconce into law the edicts of their religion – the dogma.
That is NOT the purpose of government, nor has it ever been.
In that letter to the anti-abortion clinic’s director, I cited instances, and real-life cases, about which I had direct, first-hand knowledge, in which a therapeutic abortion was indicated.
Because I had no idea if the Director was a healthcare professional, or not, I “erred on the side of caution” and took the approach that the director was a licensed healthcare professional, and used medical terminology to describe healthcare conditions and complications of pregnancy. For the benefit of readers who may not know those terms, and their definitions, the terms which I used in the letter are defined as follows:
• anencephalic – without a head, brain, or spinal column
• ectopic – a pregnancy occurring outside of the uterus, often in the Fallopian tubes, though not always, and sometimes in the abdomen, though rarely
• spontaneous abortion – often incorrectly called “miscarriage”
• malformed – not formed normally, naturally, or correctly, an abnormality
• foetus – the British spelling of “fetus” referring to the unborn, still-developing young of animals that give live birth (which includes humans), which is differentiated from the
• embryo – referring to a much-earlier stage of conception, not too long after the egg has been fertilized (conception has occurred)
• therapeutic – having healing, or curative ability of a disease, or from a sickening medical condition
• OBGYN – abbreviation for obstetrician/gynecologist, referring to a physician whose area of specialty is caring for and treating women while pregnant, and shortly after birth (obstetrics), and women (gynecology)
• malignant – cancerous, tending to cause great harm, and threatening to life
• not conducive to life – conditions found in the human organism, at any stage of development, which cannot support independent life
• hydatidiform mole – also called a “molar pregnancy,” an abnormality during pregnancy in which the embryo/foetus has ceased developing normally, and has been transformed into a cluster of fluid-filled sacs, which if not removed, often become cancerous
The pertinent except of the letter follows:
What I’d like to ask is based upon actual experience.
Recently, a longtime and dear friend found herself upon the horns of a dilemma – she was pregnant (her 2nd, they have 1 child), and they desired another child. Her pregnancy didn’t turn out as planned. The foetus was grossly malformed, and found with conditions that are not conducive to life (anencephalic), and was not ectopic.
By her own admission, her OBGYN did not do a good job of explaining to her what was happening to the still-growing foetus, and she turned to me. In easy-to-understand terms, I explained what was going on – that sometimes, the natural process does not occur with malformed foetuses, i.e., spontaneous abortion – what she could expect, and what options were available to her.
It was a heart-wrenching decision she and her spouse had to make, and they decided that a therapeutic abortion would be best.
She later fretted that if she became pregnant again, that she would suffer a repeat of the previous condition and circumstances. I reassured her that, based upon evidence, it was not worth worrying about.
She is now pregnant again, this time with a healthy and flourishing foetus… and with a new OBGYN.
Second, in the case of a hydatidiform mole, which can be malignant, and invasive, it is among the conditions in which a therapeutic abortion is advised. Another close female friend, some years older than the aforementioned case, found herself in such a situation, and underwent the procedure.
Please discuss these situations, and ectopic pregnancies, with me as they apply to the practice at the clinic, and what advice is given such women.
Fourthly, though I did not mention it in the letter, women who are unusually, or abnormally small, such as dwarfs, and midgets, are at significant risk for death with normal pregnancies, simply because the growing foetus has little-to-no room to develop, and full, normal development to normal size would almost certainly result in the abruption (rupture) of the uterus, and quite possibly result not only in the death of the woman, but almost certainly in that of the foetus, as well. It is a “classic” high-risk pregnancy, meaning a high risk for death of the pregnant woman if it occurs.
Fifthly, and finally, while there are other conditions, and circumstances, which exist in women of childbearing age, pregnancy itself is fraught with complications… like it, or not. To deny that those complications exist – and others not mentioned herein – by simply claiming that they don’t exist, is like claiming the moon is made of green cheese, just because you say it is. And that, my dear friend, is the utter height of lunacy, because it is so dissociated from reality that it almost defies description.
So, the long and short of it is this:
Warm Southern Breeze 
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