Tell The House Judiciary Committee: Don't imprison doctors for following the law.
- by: Dawn Hanson
- recipient: House Judiciary Committee
Bill H.R. 803 and its sister bill S404 (introduced to the Senate) will put doctors in prison for violating the laws of a different state from the one in which they operate. Every state has the right to make its own laws and to have those laws respected. Interstate travel to obtain a specific medical procedure is NOT a crime, but this bill will make it so. H.R. 803 (and S.404 in the Senate) is an attempt to strip states of their rights and to harrass citizens and doctors into following the laws of someone else's state.
Please sign this petition and tell the House Judiciary Committee Bill H.R. 803 is a violation of states rights and human rights.
This petition is in response to bill H.R. 803 to criminalize the transportation of a minor across state lines in circumvention of parental consent laws. This bill is a clear violation of states rights and human rights. We ask you to oppose this bill. Each state has the constitutional right to make laws regarding the welfare of their citizens, which includes healthcare. Doctors must follow the laws of the state where they are licensed and practice, not the laws of surrounding states. Imprisioning doctors for performing a medical procedure that is deemed legal within the state they practice is nothing short of atrocious. During the healthcare debate your party was in favor of interstate commerce/travel when it came to insurence companies, but now you want to put doctors in prison for performing legal medical procedures based on the residency status of the patient. It is unpresidented to even suggest sending someone to prison for following the law, but that is exactly what bill H.R. 803 is proposing.
This bill hides behind the false notition of protecting parental rights. What this bill is really about is harassing and imprisoning doctors for performing safe medical procedures inline with the laws of the state in which they are licensed and practice, criminalizing citizens for providing assistance to minors in need, ignoring the rights of individual states to make laws regarding healthcare access and practices within its own boarders, and forcing minors to bare children.
If bill H.R.803 were about gun rights it would be dead on arrival. This bill is a Pandora's box you will not be able to close. No state has the authority to arrest law abiding citizens in other states. Using gun laws as an example, the state of Washington allows 15 round clips but California only allows for 10 round clips. If a California resident decided to travel to Washington for the express purpose of using a 15 round clip at a gun range, at no point would it be acceptable for California to put the gun range manager in prison for allowing an out-of-state man/woman to use a clip that is only illegal inside California.
Make no mistake, this bill will result in the death of states rights. Once something like this becomes law it will set a dangerous presidence of a single state having the right to override the laws of every other state, making it effectively federal law. And while it may please your party to put an end to abortion all together, this will only start a race for the most restrictive state laws (including gun laws, banking laws, and more) to become the defacto federal law. This bill is a violation of states rights and human rights. H.R.803 will send law abiding citizens and doctors to prison for something that is not a crime in the state the action/event took place.
I urge you to oppose bill H.R.803 as it is a violation of states rights and of human rights. We are not a country ruled by religious zealots who ignore human rights and imprisons innocent citizens and doctors; we are not Iran. Don't allow bill H.R.803 to strip this country of what makes us great, our respect for personal rights and states rights.
Thank you for your consideration.
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