The Long Arm of the Law

There are some days when nothing lawmakers do (or try to do) surprises you. Then there are days like this. In Virginia, state senator Mark Obenshain has introduced Senate Bill 926, a bill that is not only an insult to each and every female in the Commonwealth, but also, if passed, an insane intrusion into the right of privacy that every individual has. In a nutshell, the bill seeks to mandate that within 24 hours of a miscarriage, law enforcement officials must be informed of the incident, if medical professionals were not present at the miscarriage. In addition, the remains must be saved until law enforcement professionals give their permission for the disposal.

What?!?

First of all, 20 to 25% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage. And I would venture a guess that a large number of those miscarriages do not conveniently occur with medical professionals in attendance. That would be a large number of incidents that would need to be reported to and investigated by law enforcement. Given the budget shortfalls occurring across the nation in light of the recession, is that really an effective use of investigative resources?

Second, the majority of miscarriages occur before the end of the 1st trimester. Any remains of the fetus can be hard to discern at that point. Are women really supposed to hang on to every bloody toliet paper strip and maxi pad? Are they not allowed to flush the toliet? No showers during the loss, because blood and tissue could go down the drain? I mean, honestly? I hate to say it, but only a man -who could never have personally experienced a miscarriage - could write such an inane bill.

Third, many miscarriages are the loss of a very much wanted and hoped for baby. For the mothers (and yes, the fathers as well) who experience them, there is very real grief over something that is still poorly understood by medical science. There are few answers for the woman who is - or has - suffered a miscarriage, and as a result, women will often times blame themselves for real or imagined mistakes that they made during the pregnancy. To have to deal with law enforcement personnel at that time, rather than spending that time and energy dealing with the emotional and physical aftermath of the pregnancy loss, is an unconscionable mandate.

The bill is an affront to the rights of every woman - not just those of childbearing age. Should this bill become law, it would set a dangerous precedent as to when and how government can intervene in the private medical matters of women. I mean, what's next? A government inquest every time a woman gets her period?

Give me a break.