Chip, Chip, Chip...

The Florida Senate has passed an amendment that would not only require women seeking abortions to get an ultrasound, but to pay for them:

With two days left in the legislative session, the Republican-held Florida Senate passed a controversial amendment 22-17 Wednesday requiring women who are seeking abortions to pay for ultrasound exams, using legislative manuevering to deliver an election-year victory to religious conservatives.

The ultrasound requirement would apply to first-trimester abortions, which make up more than 90 percent of abortions in Florida. Ultrasounds are already required in late-term abortions that are performed after the first trimester.

Women could refuse to view the ultrasound image after filling out a form. Exceptions to the ultrasound requirement are provided to victms of rape, incest and domestic violence — but they would have to provide proof.

Oh, so nice to see you again, Exceptioneers. You're just as full of absolute shit as you were the last time I saw you.

"It's actually, to me, the ultimate insult to women," said Sen. Nan Rich, D-Weston. "It's saying women can't make up their own minds, can't use their own judgment, as to what they want to do with their bodies. The Legislature is making a medical decision for women."

Well, at least there's still one person with some sense left in the Florida Senate.

Supporters of the amendment noted that the decision to have an abortion is very serious and said the ultrasound mandate would simply provide women with more information.

And again I will note, as I do each time one of these mandated ultrasound bills is passed and the justification is inevitably "providing women with more information," that if an altruistic helpfulness were the authentic motivation, then women would be offered a choice as to whether they wanted to get the ultrasound. I'll also note that if these paternalistic fuckwits were genuinely certain that women need this information to make a totally informed decision, patients would not be offered the choice to refuse viewing the images. But because all of this is bullshit based on the notion that ultrasound images will convince women not to terminate a pregnancy—because ALL'S THEY NEED IS TO SEE A PICTURE OF THE BEHBEE AND THEN IT WON'T MATTER THAT THEY DON'T WANT OR CAN'T AFFORD A CHILD!—none of it makes any sense, except in the Bizarro World of Totally Mendacious Codswallop in which Republicans live.

"What we're talking about is not an appendectomy, we're not talking about cancer treatment," said Sen. Steve Oelrich, R-Gainesville. "What we're talking about is ending a human life."

Yes, that is indeed what you're talking about, but that doesn't magically turn abortion into murder. I could spent the next three years calling Matilda a unicorn; she'd still be a goddamn cat.

Ironically, senators put another amendment on the same bill that says government can't compel Floridians to purchase health services. Senators did just that with the ultrasound requirement, but supporters said the ultrasound mandate wouldn't count because abortion is an optional procedure.

Just LOL. I can't even respond to that with anything but contemptuous laughter.

"To you ladies, I really respect your point of view," said Sen. Alex Villalobos, R-Miami. "However, I just don't see the problem with having somebody have a little bit more information before they make a decision."

More disdainful howling.

And now if you'll excuse me, I have to go finish baking a giant cookie that I'm sending to President Obama for protecting Roe.

[H/T to Shaker SamanthaB.]