On Monday, March 19, 2012, The Idaho State Senate approved a measure (23-12) to require women who elect abortion to undergo mandatory ultrasounds within 24-hours of the procedure. The bill now moves to the House. Chuck Winder, the bill's primary sponsor, had this to say as arguments were winding down and in response to criticism that the law makes no allowances for women who are pregnant due to incest or rape:

“Rape and incest was used as a reason to oppose this," Winder said on the Senate floor. "I would hope that when a woman goes in to a physician with a rape issue, that physician will indeed ask her about perhaps her marriage, was this pregnancy caused by normal relations in a marriage or was it truly caused by a rape. I assume that's part of the counseling that goes on.”

The implication being that not only do women lie, women who are raped are lying about the rape in order to escape the mandatory ultrasound and the only proper response by a physician would be to redirect the woman's energies, challenging her assertion of whether what she claims to be rape actually was indeed rape (or maybe, more likely, according to Winder, the pregnancy was a result of relations with her husband...or who knows?)

The bill's primary sponsor would hope that part of the counseling which will occur is the challenge to the rape victim's story of rape; forget emotional counseling that should occur for any rape victim, especially a woman who now must undergo additional emotional and humiliating steps in the process of attempting to do what she feels is right for herself and her family.

There is a Louisiana saying, "There's a tree stump in a Louisiana swamp with a higher IQ." These old dodgers... who knew they never left power and that they continued to carry that sickness and resentment about women with them throughout their days in politics, just waiting to double down on women's rights and women's issues?

According to the FBI's Forcible Rape statistics, Idaho reported 33.5 forcible rapes per 100,000 persons in 2010 (which is higher than the national average of 27.5). Someone is being raped in Idaho. And some of those women are now going to have to endure ultrasounds, listen to read-outs of "information" supplied by a governmental agency and then try to convince their physicians that the rape actually occurred (after, we can assume, a criminal investigation that did much the same thing)...all prior to an abortion.

First, I'm married to a surgeon. Every year, we receive letters and pledges and calls for money to support these medical organizations because these organizations champion the rights of doctors and patients.

Yet, I have not received one e-mail from any of the leading medical organizations challenging any of these state bills which threaten a physician's and a patient's right to determine the best course of medical treatment for the patient without governmental interference.

Doctors and the organizations who represent this medical group may feel comfortable allowing politicians to surpass their medial authority and expertise, but I'm not.

Medical organizations, such as the AMA, need to release statements about these measures. These organizations need to be on the record against or for these laws. And if there are doctors supporting these measures then I believe patients are entitled to that information, just as we are entitled (in many states) to their malpractice history; their history of employment; and other legal history in their backgrounds.

Second, while there are many great groups raising the alarm on these types of bills, their voices seem drowned out by the many other great organizations doing the same thing. I receive e-mails and Facebook requests daily from organizations such as Planned Parenthood, NARAL, Ms. Magazine, NOW and others.

It's time women joined under one umbrella to stamp out these antiquated attacks on women's health issues and women's rights. Imagine if every member of Planned Parenthood joined with every member of NARAL and with every member of NOW to create a list of objectives and each individual member went forth with those goals. Imagine if every member of these organizations got together and planned a rally in Washington....this is a lot of women.

And as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said at the annual Women in the World Summit, "We must be fearless."

Third, men who disagree with these types of bills must stand alongside their mothers, their wives and their daughters. Their voices need to be heard as well.

Ladies, this isn't going away. These men are determined to determine our fate.

Recently, a group of women bombarded Rick Perry's Facebook page with questions about menstruation; the idea being that since Governor Perry has presented himself as an expert on women's health by closing Texas's Women's Health Program in protest of Federal dollars which are sent to the Planned Parenthood clinics in Texas, he should be able to answer some simple questions on the matter of a woman's body and her menstruating cycle. Perry's people have taken down the comments, but you can still find a few (for a laugh) on the web.

By the way, Chuck Winder's Website Page reads, "Your Opinions Matter. Let's Stay In Touch."

I think we should...Winder's Twitter Page and Winder's Facebook Page. Well, I'd give you Winder's Facebook page, but he doesn't allow the public to post to the page; so, it doesn't look like he really wants to keep in touch.

And ladies, here's another Southern saying, "Well, go to war, Miss Mitchell!"