Representative Pettengill,

It has cone to my attention that you have cosponsored a bill, HF 58, that tries to put government directly between a woman and her Doctor by requiring the Doctor to perform an ultrasound and force the woman to view it prior to deciding on having an abortion.

You, essentially, are telling women they are not smart enough to decide what is best for them and their families in dealing with their specific situation. After consulting with her Doctor and loved ones she alone is best able to make an informed choice, without government intrusion.

The cornerstone of this countries foundation is freedom and this means freedom from government imposing it’s will on the people. You are trying to destroy that freedom.

The Women’s Suffrage fight was was about giving women the right to vote and recognizing that all Americans are equal.

Now HF 58 is telling women that their fight for equality was folly and they are second class citizens. I can’t believe the majority of your constituents support this.

Please reconsider your support for this bill.

Respectfully submitted,

Jim Hessenius.

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RB March 11, 2015, 12:51 pm Very well stated. It\'s interesting that many on the \"right\" are against government intrusion except when it involves women\'s health issues.
BG March 11, 2015, 2:12 pm Did you know that the majority of abortions are performed on unborn FEMALE babies? I would argue that the conservatives are absolutely on the right side of this. The murder of babies does NOT qualify as healthcare...
RS March 12, 2015, 3:13 pm Bethany,

Where did you get your information? In the information below it states that the CDC who tracks stats on just about anything does not track the gender of fetuses aborted in the US. (I tried to find information from the CDC stats and as the writer says could not find them. Wonder how you can be so sure you know if the CDC doesn\'t track that stat or are you just picking it out of thin air?)

http://www.in-gender.com/XYU/Gender-Preference/#Abortion
\"Abortion Statistics and Gender Preference
I recently read an anti-abortion article stating that, since U.S. parents prefer boys, girls were aborted disportionally more often. When I contacted the author, he couldn\'t substantiate this statement, but assured me that he read it somewhere. What he probably read was that worldwide, far more females than males are aborted -- but there is no evidence that this is true in the U.S. In fact, since the legalization of abortion, the birth ratio of girls has increased relative to boys.
Sex Selective Abortion is Rare in the United States
In the U.S., the gender of an unborn baby is rarely a factor in the decision to have an abortion, because most abortions happen too early in pregnancy to detect gender.
Abortions in the U.S. by 10th Week of Pregnancy
Gender is definitely unknown at this point.
77%
Abortions in the 11th through 12th Week of Pregnancy
Possible, but extremely unlikely, that gender is known.
12%

Abortions in the 13th through 15th Week of Pregnancy
Some will know gender by this point, but not most.
6%

Abortions in the 16th through 20th Week of Pregnancy
Gender is usually determined by ultrasound around 20 weeks.
4%

Abortions after the 20th Week of Pregnancy
Gender is probably known by now if an ultrasound is performed.
1%
Only 5% of abortions in this country are even potentially gender related, because only 5% occur when it is likely the mother knows the gender.
The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention tracks and publishes extensive data on abortion, but information about the gender of aborted fetuses does not seem to be available.\"
JH March 13, 2015, 2:06 pm Dawn Pettengill, I SUPPORT your decision on this HF.
I agree that broadly referring to abortion as \"health care\" and a \"womens\' rights\" issue is really is not a option for me. After conception, the fetus has it\'s own DNA, distinct from it\'s mother\'s and father\'s. It is a baby, a separate life, to be protected by people and our government. Oh yeah, and not too often does anyone mention the rights of the father when he wants to keep the baby. Should not our laws protect his rights too?
Because a person\'s stance on abortion can be based on religious beliefs vs. ethical convictions vs. scientific measurements, it makes debates such as here hard to match up.
SL March 17, 2015, 9:16 pm Thank you Rep. Pettengill for cosponsoring this bill. At this point in time all Americans aren\'t equal. The American in the womb has no voice. We need to be the voice for it and try and protect it. If one life can be saved by your bill that would be a blessing. Keep up the good work!
RS March 20, 2015, 9:46 pm Yes indeed. Very well said. Precisely why Pettingill lost my vote, not to mention respect.
DW March 25, 2015, 9:03 am What would God say about this.......abortion is fine? Attempts to stop it are wrong? It\'s okay because an unborn child is not a person? I think we all know the answers, now it\'s up to you....