Class A Felony miscarriage--

will the real culprits get the slammer?

Recently, our Iowa legislature has been concerned about miscarriages. But read on. The concern is misplaced.

This isn’t new. In 2019, a man introduced a bill to make miscarriages and causing them illegal--or at least subject to investigation. The new bill, also introduced by men, makes causing a miscarriage a Class A Felony. (It’s now a class B Felony). The bill also contains unmedical terms because as we all know, these jokers aren’t doctors.

Miscarriages happen in around 20% of all pregnancies. I've never had one but I’m sure if I had, I’d be filled with questions and possibly, blame, Miscarriages used to be thought of as a natural part of life but now, with the increased political focus on pregnancy, people want answers. It’s common to blame the woman but let’s look at all the reasons it’s not her fault.

We can’t blame COVID, which is good news for our governor who said, “We can’t prioritize Iowan’s lives over their livelihood.” Yes, she pretty much said, “Eat shit and die” to the people most vulnerable to the virus and was enthusiastically re-elected.  The most vulnerable were older, sicker people and I guess they aren’t really people anymore in her eyes.

For those who chose to be smart about it, the vaccine seems to be safe and not cause miscarriages.  The disease disrupts pregnancy and may cause a slight uptick in miscarriages and premature births, but nothing significant. Without some pushback, should the bill become law, the crazies would no doubt make laws against vaccines anyway.

Most miscarriages happen in week 7 of a pregnancy. Being a black woman increases the risk of a miscarriages. No doubt most Iowans won’t care about that since the racist ad didn’t have much effect on the governor’s popularity.  We know if the bill goes through, these women will go to jail and be charged disproportionally unless the wording of the bill exempts the woman. (And we know it won’t.) My goal for this post is to list the many ways a miscarriage isn’t the woman’s fault.

If the blame-it-on-the-woman part of the bill gets dropped, things would be more interesting. At last, environmentalists could have their day. For starters let's put those who pump out air pollution--and politicians who vote to deregulate it--in jail. Yes, air pollution is associated with miscarriages. Yes indeed it is highly correlated with miscarriage, premature birth, and still birth. Exhaust and fumes from fuel burning causes miscarriages. Why aren’t these concerned men pushing for EVs and alternative energy? One of the first people who should be put in jail for ignoring the dangers of air pollution for a long time is Charles Grassley. Thankfully, the Biden-Harris EPA is stepping in to help.

Low blood oxygen as seen near Confined Animal Feeding Operations and areas of fossil fuel combustion can cause miscarriages and numerous problems for developing children. Not only do the pollutants use up oxygen, they can bind to maternal hemoglobin and starve the woman and the embryo of oxygen! The same goes for nitrates, ubiquitous in Iowa waters. Terry Branstad has long been outspoken about doing nothing to solve this problem, even when solutions are abundant. One easy solution is prairie grass buffer strips. Guess who proposed implementing on of the solutions—Iowa Democrats.

Speaking of agriculture, let’s look at pesticides. A pregnant woman should not be exposed to pesticides because they cause miscarriages. As this article from a prestigious science journal says, pesticides are designed to kill things, small things, and women living near farms have an increased risk of having a miscarriage or a stillbirth. An up to 40% higher risk! Pesticide bombers and creators in Iowa need not worry. They can cause all the miscarriages they want and Iowa Republicans will give them a pass. That’s right. If Iowa bill 646 passes, they get immunity from any damage they do.

Let’s not forget plastics. They’ve been associated with preterm birth. Also guilty of causing miscarriages are endocrine disruptors. At least Biden is doing something about them, unlike the Iowa Republicans.  

Fracking causes air and water pollution associated with miscarriage, low birth weight, and also contributes to low sperm quality.

Pollution in general raises miscarriage risks Ever notice how this is not a part of the anti-abortion platform? When it comes to caring about life in general, the family leader types have enough hot air to give the entire state more hypoxia than the Gulf Dead Zone.

Next, we must screen all men for faulty sperm. Faulty sperm is associated with a high rate of repeat miscarriages.

If a man has faulty sperm, he needs to be castrated to prevent miscarriages, right? And what causes faulty sperm? Pollution.

Radiation, environmental toxins, and aging contribute to faulty sperm. The jury is still out but there is evidence that being fat can cause faulty sperm. Time to toss the fast-food joint owners in jail for life!

And being an older father contributes to "miscarriage, birth defects, poor neurodevelopmental outcomes, and childhood cancer." In fact, bearing the child of an older man can increase the mother's risk of diabetes. Additionally, the chances of offspring born with additional sex chromosomes increases.

To avoid jail time, men above the age of 40 should not reproduce.

Let's send the felons to prison! And I’m not talking about the women.