There’s sneaky, and then there’s flat-out dishonest.

Conservative lawmakers in the North Carolina House have managed to push through anti-abortion legislation under the guise of a motorcycle safety bill that would make it tougher for abortion clinics to continue to provide services and prohibit abortion coverage for women with government-run insurance plans.

The shady measure, titled S.B. 353, prompted dissenters to create the Twitter hash tag #vaginamotorcycle. According to the Huffington Post, the bill has 123 words on abortion and only 17 pertaining to motorcycles. Following is a portion of the bill:

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT TO MODIFY CERTAIN LAWS PERTAINING TO ABORTION, TO LIMIT ABORTION COVERAGE UNDER HEALTH INSURANCE PLANS OFFERED UNDER A HEALTH BENEFIT EXCHANGE OPERATING IN NORTH CAROLINA OR OFFERED BY A COUNTY OR MUNICIPALITY, TO PROHIBIT A PERSON FROM PERFORMING OR ATTEMPTING TO PERFORM AN ABORTION WHEN THE SEX OF THE UNBORN CHILD IS A SIGNIFICANT FACTOR IN SEEKING THE ABORTION, TO DIRECT THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN 8 SERVICES TO AMEND RULES AND CONDUCT A STUDY PERTAINING TO CLINICS CERTIFIED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TO BE SUITABLE FACILITIES FOR THE PERFORMANCE OF ABORTIONS, TO AMEND THE WOMEN’S RIGHT TO KNOW ACT, AND TO INCREASE PENALTIES FOR UNSAFE MOVEMENTS BY DRIVERS THAT THREATEN THE PROPERTY AND SAFETY OF MOTORCYCLISTS.

The measure now heads to the North Carolina state Senate for approval. Governor Pat McCrory (R) has threatened to veto any anti-abortion legislation, but he could possibly be overridden by the conservative-controlled legislature.

This isn’t the first time elected officials have attempted to do some deceitful lawmaking, but the brashness with which some in the North Carolina legislature carried out this duplicitous legislation is, for lack of a better word, slimy. If these so-called leaders want to promote anti-choice laws and limit healthcare access to women, then they should have the courage of their convictions to stand up and say so.

And to assume the public isn’t smart or savvy enough to notice underhanded tactics like this is shameful in it’s own right.

Hiding political moves in obscurity only makes these legislators look like frauds.

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Ed: Bryonie Wise

{Source: http://americabymotorcycle.tumblr.com via Amy on Pinterest}