[News] Alabama Republican - "A baby is the largest organ in a body"

[Mr. X]

Alabama state Rep. Mary Sue McClurkin (R) is pushing legislation that would impose restrictions on abortion clinics -- a move that she argues is necessary because the procedure is a major surgery that removes the largest "organ" in a woman's body.

“When a physician removes a child from a woman, that is the largest organ in a body,” McClurkin told the Montgomery Advertiser on Thursday. “That’s a big thing. That’s a big surgery. You don’t have any other organs in your body that are bigger than that.”

A "child" is not a bodily "organ." Indeed, children have organs of their own. The largest human organ is actually the skin. According to National Geographic, adults carry about eight pounds of skin, which is slightly above the average weight of a newborn baby.

McClurkin's argument actually undermines the "personhood" bills being pushed around the country by other like-minded Republican lawmakers. Those pieces of legislation argue that undeveloped zygotes are people too and should therefore be given full legal rights, thus making abortion -- and even certain forms of birth control -- illegal.

McClurkin's bill would impose stringent requirements on abortion clinics that could make it hard for them to keep their doors open. It would, according to the Montgomery Advertiser, "require physicians at abortion clinics to have admitting privileges at local hospitals; require clinics to follow ambulatory clinic building codes and make it a felony -- punishable by up to 10 years in prison -- for a nurse, nurse practitioner or physician’s assistant to dispense abortion-inducing medications."

There are five remaining abortion clinics in the state of Alabama. McClurkin and her allies have argued that the bill is not meant to stop abortions, but rather to make sure that patients who do undergo the procedure are kept safe.

Opponents, however, note that studies have shown that abortion is already safe, and McClurkin's bill would likely shut down clinics.

"The real purpose of this bill is to make safe and legal abortion in Alabama unavailable under any circumstance," Nikema Williams, vice president of public policy for Planned Parenthood Southeast, told the Montgomery Advertiser.

Hospitals, for example, aren't required to extend admitting privileges to doctors at abortion clinics, which would make it impossible for those doctors to comply with the bill's restrictions. According to Williams, Mississippi physicians were rejected at seven hospitals.

In the 2012 elections, the Republican Party stumbled after some of its candidates put forward unscientific claims in order to argue against abortion. The most high-profile, of course, was former Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) -- then a candidate for U.S. Senate -- who said that women are physically able to stop themselves from getting pregnant after a "legitimate rape."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...n_2712812.html

I think someone skipped Biology one to many times.

[Sydian]

Excuse me while I change my location and I also want to point out that Alabama is, if I'm not mistaken, second to last on the US education system rankings.

I kind of get the metaphorical meaning behind saying a baby is a large organ in the body, but I mean...it's more than an organ, if we're gonna compare it to that anyway (I know it's NOT an organ js). It's another human being. Sure, it's mooching your food like some other deformed stomach or something, but it's still a baby! And it will continue to mooch your food in the next 18 years lol.

I am not going to comment on the abortion topic this thread brings in.

[CarcharOdin]

I think someone skipped SCHOOL one too many times.

Whilst avoiding abortion topic one of the biggest timebomb topics in human history, why does it seem like the Republican Party is almost purposefully shooting themselves in the foot at this point? Are they, like, hoping if they humiliate themselves enough times the people might vote for them out of pity?

[Mr. X]

Originally Posted by Sydian

Excuse me while I change my location and I also want to point out that Alabama is, if I'm not mistaken, second to last on the US education system rankings.

I kind of get the metaphorical meaning behind saying a baby is a large organ in the body, but I mean...it's more than an organ, if we're gonna compare it to that anyway (I know it's NOT an organ js). It's another human being. Sure, it's mooching your food like some other deformed stomach or something, but it's still a baby! And it will continue to mooch your food in the next 18 years lol.

It depends on what variables are used to rank them. This, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/0..._n_894528.html, has Alabama at 47th in the nation. My state, Arkansas, isn't much better at 41. Does explain my computer engineering class was filled with idiots though.

Really though, a fetus is closer to a parasite then it is to a organ.

[BlahISuck]

Doesn't calling it an organ make it *less* of a person, and undermines their religious appeal to calling fetuses persons? Organs are so much easier to manipulate - we remove our appendixes and transplant our kidneys (although I don't think we transplant fetuses). Sounds like both bio fail and logic fail to me.

[Mr. X]

Originally Posted by BlahISuck

Doesn't calling it an organ make it *less* of a person, and undermines their religious appeal to calling fetuses persons? Organs are so much easier to manipulate - we remove our appendixes and transplant our kidneys (although I don't think we transplant fetuses). Sounds like both bio fail and logic fail to me.

Fetus transplants happen, abit rarely.

But yes, logic fail.

Edit - Given some of their recent comments, this should be their new logo.

[CarcharOdin]

Blah pretty much nailed it.

Here's how it goes from lowest to highest

Atoms
Molecules
Organelles
Cell
Tissue
Organ
Organ Systems
Organism (aka "Person")

So not only did this dumb puttana make a fool out of herself by incorrectly referring to a baby as an "organ", as Blah said, she also technically referred to it as being less of a person as well. Good job "Mary Sue" (if that is indeed your real name). Way to gather support for your cause.

[BlahISuck]

Originally Posted by CarcharOdin

Blah pretty much nailed it.

Here's how it goes from lowest to highest

Atoms
Molecules
Organelles
Cell
Tissue
Organ
Organ Systems
Organism (aka "Person")

Awesome - Grade 11 Bio XD Did they teach biology like they do now back in the day?

[CarcharOdin]

Originally Posted by BlahISuck

Awesome - Grade 11 Bio XD Did they teach biology like they do now back in the day?

I would imagine so, it's basic knowledge.

Maybe its like the OP said and the woman missed class that day.

Originally Posted by Mr. X

Fetus transplants happen, abit rarely.
Edit - Given some of their recent comments, this should be their new logo.

ib4 FreakyLocz.

She is going to HATE that picture. XD

[Livewire]

>discussion on reproductive rights
>republican
>insert stupid comments

Funny how all the poorest states who rely on the Feds for money are all Republican held or very Red states. Watching the Republican establishment founder has gone from pleasurable to painful.

[Mr. X]

The funniest thing, imo, is that George Carlin was, yet again, absolutely correct.

Republicans don't care about the fetus after its born - Preborn, it's fine, preschool, it's ****ed - but the child becomes their best friend once it reaches military age. They just want live babies so they could become dead soldiers.

[KriegStein]

*Clapping hands* bravo bravo! This is why I love American politics (DO NOT TAKE THAT SERIOULSY) You newer know what kind of funny statements youll find. And these politics who definetly could use some more education. :D Biology classes could prove usefull for them.

[Scarf]

It's a funny situation we have here where politicians aren't quite aware of the fact that we have the internet and anything any one of them says or does is going to be with them (and us) for eternity. The next generation of politicians who've had much more exposure are going to be much more savvy about what they say and do.

But still, I'm crying a little on the inside that people like this can be in any position of power.

[LightningAlex]

You've got to be kidding me... This is one of the stupidest things I've read xD Gotta love the US politicians

[LilJz1234]

Ok really? They have people like that running a state and can't even know something that you're usually supposed to know by grade 4? Someone fire him and hire a person with brains.

[droomph]

Nope, the skin is. Either way you look at it.

And who cares lol I could literally throw my heart away right now and that wouldn't be controversial, would it?

Whatever…stupid people problems don't apply to me.

Originally Posted by Sydian

Excuse me while I change my location and I also want to point out that Alabama is, if I'm not mistaken, second to last on the US education system rankings.

I kind of get the metaphorical meaning behind saying a baby is a large organ in the body, but I mean...it's more than an organ, if we're gonna compare it to that anyway (I know it's NOT an organ js). It's another human being. Sure, it's mooching your food like some other deformed stomach or something, but it's still a baby! And it will continue to mooch your food in the next 18 years lol.

I am not going to comment on the abortion topic this thread brings in.

I feel sorry for the actual smart people in states like yours - the stupid minority that manages to bs their way onto national television embarrass everyone who is sensible and not moronic like him.

Trust me all y'all, probably every pseudo-dictatorial nation (like China!) is embarrassed whenever they come on the news and say they're going to explode fetuses off of a puppy or something.

[TRIFORCE89]

You sure make a lot of stupid politician threads.

We should really require that they pass an intelligence test before they can run for office. :\

[Razor Leaf]

Ugh, I hate it when politicians try to get involved in fields - such as biology, especially medicine - which they know nothing about at all. He's wrong here in more ways than one; as the article pointed out, even if the baby was an organ, it'd not be the largest. That'd be the skin. Pedantic, maybe, but... it just shows that politicians never really get their facts straight yet they're the ones who call the shots at the end of the day.

I don't see in any way how this bill is to help make safe abortion more available to people. Surely it's doing nothing but making it sound more dangerous to everyone involved? Not that the size of an organ (once again, not that a baby is an organ) has anything to do with its value and how dangerous its removal is but still.

[Sweets Witch]

I'm laughing to the point of tears over this because I'm imagining a doctor delivering a baby and then handing it to a nurse before running out of the hospital yelling "OH GOD, WHAT HAVE I DONE?"

Does this mean that the adoption system is one big organ harvesting program?

I can't breathe I can't breathe my sides hurt

[Livewire]

Originally Posted by Livewire

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