Dean Altman
Lawmakers in Alabama have voted to effectively ban abortion in the state in what is the U.S.’ most restrictive abortion legislation (so far). The legislation makes it illegal for doctors to perform the procedure, punishable by up to 99 years in prison.
In Georgia, abortions are basically illegal after six weeks. Many women have no idea they’re even pregnant until after six weeks. That’s actually the earliest that the fetal heartbeat can be detected.
The Republicans’ goal, of course, is to overturn Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court case legalizing abortion. We’re well on our way to the U.S. turning into an actual Handmaid’s Tale situation.
In response to Georgia’s “heartbeat bill,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted that “6 weeks pregnant” could equal just “2 weeks late on your period.”
And in response, conservative commentator and pundit Liz Wheeler sent a picture of a fetus (with absolutely no size scale) and wrote “This is ‘two weeks late on your period.’ Two weeks late has arms & legs forming, fingers & toes, & a heartbeat!”
This is “two weeks late on your period.” Two weeks late has arms & legs forming, fingers & toes, & a heartbeat! pic.twitter.com/5tN7JYxf19
— Liz Wheeler (@Liz_Wheeler) May 8, 2019
But Wheeler was promptly shut down by a woman going by Emily M on Twitter (@emilynm41) who replied to Wheeler with some cold hard science facts.
It does not, however, have a brain. It has not developed a cerebral cortex & therefore is still ~8 weeks from even being able to breathe or swallow. It is at least 6 weeks away from the development of the frontal or temporal lobes of the brain.
— Emily M (@emilynm41) May 12, 2019
At 6 weeks, the electrical activity in what would develop into a brain is less developed than the nervous system of a shrimp. Six weeks is 17 weeks from having brain processing power to react to adverse stimuli.
— Emily M (@emilynm41) May 12, 2019
“It is starting to form legs!” isn’t relevant. You don’t need legs to be living or a human. You do, however, need a brain and the ability to breathe. Two weeks after a missed period, what the body has created is an embryo (not even a fetus yet) that is less developed than shrimp.
— Emily M (@emilynm41) May 12, 2019
People on Twitter loved Emily’s response (except for the right-wing trolls who showed up in her mentions to explain…who knows what).
Talk that shit sis ! pic.twitter.com/QVpgv4t8wl
— Afrodite 👑 (@iiaarraamm) May 12, 2019
The exchange was also posted in the subreddit “Murdered By Words.”
The restriction of women’s reproductive rights is terrifying and abhorrent. Even if abortions are illegal, women will still get them, only they’ll be putting themselves in danger. And it’s not like the Republicans seem particularly interested in providing any financial support that it would make it easier for some of these women to raise their kids. These are our bodies, the choice should be ours, too.
h/t: Twitter: @emilynm41, Reddit, CNN
