Medicine and Government

     It is important for medical personel to be informed with current medical related bills coming into their state's legislature for at least two reasons. One reason is to be prepared to make any necessary changes that the bill requires and  second to be ready to voice your opinion if you think that the bill is unjust or unnecessary. Here I will show you a simple way to interpret the meaning of a bill in just a few questions.

     The following link contains the bill that I will be analyzing.   Kentucky Senate Bill 40 in the link relates to abortion.  The areas that are in bold and underlined have been amended. The bill states that any woman, except in cases of emergency, must have an ultrasound of her unborn child presented to her. 

   Click here to view the bill.

1.  Is this the least restricitve manner for government to address the issue?  No, they could simply not require an ultrsound.  Another option would be to show a video of an unborn child. 

2.  Are there any aspects of this bill, either direct or indirect, which are addressed by the Bible?  "Children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is his reward."  Psalms 127:3  

3.  Does this bill expand or limit government size, power, or intrusiveness?  Yes, it invades the women's privacy to ignorantly kill a child.  It increases our government's power in our personal medical care. 

4.  Does this bill take rights away from people?  Yes, it takes away the right of the mother to have total control over her body, but it does give rights to the unborn child to at least be seen by his/her mother.

5.  Does this bill protect people from themselves?  Yes, it attempts to inform the mother of the consequences of her actions and who is truly being affected by her decision.  There are dangerous psychological side effects to havong an abortion and understanding what she is doing will help her make an informed decision.

6.  Does this bill cost money or increase taxes?  It would depend on who pays for the ultrasound.

7.  Does this bill affect the tax burden on businesses?  No.

8.  Does this bill strengthen or weaken the stability of the family and particularly, the marital committment?  It depends on each individual situation. 

9.  Does this bill encourage personal repsonsibility for actions?  Yes.  It shows the mother what she is doing.

10.  Does this bill limit, control, or destroy a person's right to own and use his property and that which lays above it and beneath it?  No effect.

11.  Does this bill strengthen or weaken traditional moral values?  This bill encourages the sanctity of life and encourages mothers to make a wise decision.

12.  Does this bill promote a positive work ethic?  No effect.

13.  Does this bill foster the traditional family structure?  It strongly effects the family structure as it protects children.

14.  Does this bill discourage free enterprise?  No effect. 

15.  Does this bill restrict the liberty of the law abiding citizen in his peaceful pursuits?  Yes, if you consider abortion a peaceful pursuit.

     These questions should not be used as a complete guide to analyzing a bill, but they are questions you can easily ask yourself to determine your stance on a bill and how it affects other people.