Arizona has become the first state in the nation to make it illegal for a doctor to "perform an abortion based on the sex or race of the fetus." Critics say the law is founded on a phony premise, because there is no statistical evidence that such abortions are even occurring. Besides, they say, abortion is legal, so lawmakers have no right meddling in the thought process behind a woman's decision to have one. Is the Arizona law a reasonable restriction, or an invasion of privacy? (Watch an MSNBC discussion about the new law.)
This is a massive overreach: We can all agree that the idea of having "sex-based or race-based abortions is bad," says Jeanne Sager at The Stir. But Arizona's anti-abortion politicians are trying to "police women's thoughts," which you just can't do in a free country. "As long as a woman can legally get an abortion, the government has no business marching into her brain and asking her why."
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