Europe vs. Texas: Trimesters sans context.

And in so many other ways, too.

Do American Anti-Choicers Really Want to Live With Europe's Abortion Laws?
Smacking down the the latest anti-abortion fallacy, by Katha Pollitt (The Nation)

When it comes to abortion, is Europe like Texas with fresher fruit and topless beaches? ... Here’s what’s really different about Western Europe ...

GOP buffoon Todd Akin: What's next, "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion"?

I really loved this Todd Akin fellow on "BJ and the Bear."

What's that? Oh, right. Claude Akins. Dead since '94. Never mind.

But seriously, while we all know that today's typical Republican "leader" favors turning back the clock, setting the timepiece in the 13th century is impressive, indeed.

Next stop: Pleistocene.

'Legitimate rape' – a medieval medical concept; The idea that rape victims cannot get pregnant is a very old medical theory, by Vanessa Heggie (Guardian)

 ... The idea that rape victims cannot get pregnant has long roots. The legal position that pregnancy disproved a claim of rape appears to have been instituted in the UK sometime in the 13th century.

"Think Before You Breed."

In an entirely unrelated note, Patticakes & Pies reminds us that a canning permit and state certification is required to vend Calico Pickles at the farmers market.

Think Before You Breed, by Christine Overall (NYT Opinionator blog)

(The Stone is a forum for contemporary philosophers on issues both timely and timeless.)

As a young woman in my 20s I pondered whether or not to have children. Is there a way, I wondered, to decide thoughtfully rather than carelessly about this most momentous of human choices? ...

... In fact, people are still expected to provide reasons not to have children, but no reasons are required to have them. It’s assumed that if individuals do not have children it is because they are infertile, too selfish or have just not yet gotten around to it. In any case, they owe their interlocutor an explanation. On the other hand, no one says to the proud parents of a newborn, Why did you choose to have that child? What are your reasons? The choice to procreate is not regarded as needing any thought or justification ...

... Choosing whether or not to have children is therefore the most significant ethical debate of most people’s lives.