Why a 24 Hour Waiting Period?

The Georgia House may be taking up The Woman's Right to Know legislation passed in Senate last week. This is if House Judiciary Chairman Tom Bordeaux (D-Savannah) will let it out of committee.

Roughly 97% of abortions performed in the United States are elective in nature. For every other elective surgical procedure there is a consultation where informed consent issues are discussed and a medical evaluation is made with blood work, a blood pressure check and other relevant screening tests are done. After you have reviewed the issues and given consent, you return to the hospital or surgical center for the procedure.

The opponents argue that a woman's right to choose is being compromised and that it is unfair that her reproductive rights would be violated with this bill. They argue that a woman is being singled out as not being able to make a decision without a waiting period.

The question should be asked, why this elective procedure should be any different than any other elective surgical procedure or any other elective reproductive procedure. If you want to have a tubal ligation or a vasectomy, you have to wait based on the above model. I have to ask what the difference is between an abortion and any other reproductive surgical procedures.

We should make the abortion procedure equal to every other elective surgical procedure. If it is an emergency, the rules change and the access to medical care is immediate. If it is elective, then it should follow the same accepted practices of any other elective surgical procedure.

While I am Pro-Life and believe that except in the case of rape, incest and life of the mother, that abortion is wrong, I have always seen this as a medical care issue. I do not believe that making abortions illegal will stop them and if abortions are performed, the proper medical care should be available.

The President said at the beginning of his term that he did not want to overturn Roe v. Wade. He wanted to change the hearts and minds of the American people. I believe that statement.

The disservice to women comes from performing abortions in abortion clinics. The disservice is taking the discussion out of the doctor's office. One of the other casualties of the abortion debate is adoption. We should celebrate the choice that a woman makes to give her child up for adoption. We should hold fathers accountable and give his rights a fair shake.

We can change the culture of abortion in this state and in the country. The 24 hour waiting period is not the enemy; it is the lack of informed consent on the part of women who seek abortion as the way to terminate an unplanned pregnancy is the enemy. Knowledge is power and the so-called Pro-Choice lobby does not want a woman to have all the facts to make an informed choice.

Martha Zoller can be heard everyday on WDUN Newstalk 550 at 9 AM. She appears regularly on Fox 5 Atlanta's The Georgia Gang and on CNN and The Fox News Channel. You can comment on this and other opinions here at [email protected].