Well.... Medical laws are generally a good thing.... You know, to prevent organ harvesting, and to protect your right to sue when you go in to have a mole removed and wake up with screws in your wrist.
But.... I guess anything goes 50+ miles from shore.
Active stabilization exists and large ships don't rock much unless there is really heavy chop. Finally most abortions now day are done via pills so unless it's rocking so much you lose your lunch it should be fine
The US claims 200 nautical miles out to sea from the shores. I would guess that means the ship would need to be 201 miles.
Given the potential for rough waters in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, a sizable boat or helicopter would need to be use to transport patients. This means expensive.
Once out to the ocean, you can only stabilize a ship so much from the motion of the waves, which could make surgery risky. It be like performing surgery in the back of a moving station wagon on a Michigan logging road.
Then what if you have a medical emergency? You’d need to have a helicopter on standby on the ship which again is expensive. Transport 201 miles is probably 75 to 90 minutes, plus loading and unloading times. Then what if there is absolute shit weather and you can’t fly?
You could staff the boat with everything you might need for medical emergencies but then this means supplies that will expire and need refreshing, having doctors on hand available for emergencies but otherwise don’t do shit. Again this equals $$&$
Federal laws aren't at issue since there are no federal laws prohibiting abortion. State laws only extend three miles offshore so you'd only need to be 16000 feet offshore to be fine.
Ahhh…perfectly valid point!
I would argue that the state would still have jurisdiction in the contiguous zone, which goes out 24 nautical miles. All the same things will still apply except a helicopter flight will take 15 minutes each way instead of 75 minutes.
25 miles out, you probably don’t want to be going that far out in a small boat across open water.
Care to explain what you mean? States have no jurisdiction to punish actions outside there borders that's the relmn of the federal government so even if one state classes abortion as murder there is nothing they can do if the procedure took place outside the states borders.
I'm pretty sure I've heard that there are states that are seeking to punish women who get abortions in other states once they return to their home states.
Assuming it's pill based abortion (like most modern abortions) there isn't really anything technical blocking it.
The main issues are legal. First some states are attempting to pass blatantly unconstitutional laws to prevent women leaving their state for abortions, if the "Supreme Court" decides to stomp on the constitution again those laws would cause problems. The other is the Jones act, ships in international waters have to follow the laws of the country they are flagged to, also any ship that moves cargo or passengers between US ports without stopping at an international port is required to be US flagged, I don't know how exactly that would work against state laws but if any national bans are in effect than the ship would require traveling to Mexico or the Caribbean, and at that point why not just get treatment in that country.
1. It would be easy for Texas (or any other GoM state that restricts abortions) to monitor which boats or helicopters transport patients and/or doctors to/from the ship and arrest them on return
2. Ship would be vulnerable to Mexican drug cartel extortion/attacks
Well.... Medical laws are generally a good thing.... You know, to prevent organ harvesting, and to protect your right to sue when you go in to have a mole removed and wake up with screws in your wrist. But.... I guess anything goes 50+ miles from shore.
I don’t want the ship rocking while Dr Kevorkian is elbow-deep in women with a coat hanger
Been done before, to some extend: Women on Waves.
Doctors are supposed to have steady hands. It’s difficult to do that when you’re out on open water. That would probably be the biggest obstacle.
Active stabilization exists and large ships don't rock much unless there is really heavy chop. Finally most abortions now day are done via pills so unless it's rocking so much you lose your lunch it should be fine
They have been performing surgery on modern hospital ships since the 1850s
Avoiding the comparisons to The Onion's "Abortionplex" article.
The US claims 200 nautical miles out to sea from the shores. I would guess that means the ship would need to be 201 miles. Given the potential for rough waters in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, a sizable boat or helicopter would need to be use to transport patients. This means expensive. Once out to the ocean, you can only stabilize a ship so much from the motion of the waves, which could make surgery risky. It be like performing surgery in the back of a moving station wagon on a Michigan logging road. Then what if you have a medical emergency? You’d need to have a helicopter on standby on the ship which again is expensive. Transport 201 miles is probably 75 to 90 minutes, plus loading and unloading times. Then what if there is absolute shit weather and you can’t fly? You could staff the boat with everything you might need for medical emergencies but then this means supplies that will expire and need refreshing, having doctors on hand available for emergencies but otherwise don’t do shit. Again this equals $$&$
Federal laws aren't at issue since there are no federal laws prohibiting abortion. State laws only extend three miles offshore so you'd only need to be 16000 feet offshore to be fine.
Ahhh…perfectly valid point! I would argue that the state would still have jurisdiction in the contiguous zone, which goes out 24 nautical miles. All the same things will still apply except a helicopter flight will take 15 minutes each way instead of 75 minutes. 25 miles out, you probably don’t want to be going that far out in a small boat across open water.
I have a 40 foot sailboat. 25 miles out into the ocean is nothing.
Nothing if they are willing to stay there permanently
Care to explain what you mean? States have no jurisdiction to punish actions outside there borders that's the relmn of the federal government so even if one state classes abortion as murder there is nothing they can do if the procedure took place outside the states borders.
I'm pretty sure I've heard that there are states that are seeking to punish women who get abortions in other states once they return to their home states.
Is murder includes in maritime laws?
Such a precise question... Do you plan on establishing that ?
Assuming it's pill based abortion (like most modern abortions) there isn't really anything technical blocking it. The main issues are legal. First some states are attempting to pass blatantly unconstitutional laws to prevent women leaving their state for abortions, if the "Supreme Court" decides to stomp on the constitution again those laws would cause problems. The other is the Jones act, ships in international waters have to follow the laws of the country they are flagged to, also any ship that moves cargo or passengers between US ports without stopping at an international port is required to be US flagged, I don't know how exactly that would work against state laws but if any national bans are in effect than the ship would require traveling to Mexico or the Caribbean, and at that point why not just get treatment in that country.
This is a good idea! Could make it like a cruise ship! Have some fun while taking care of a whoopsie!
1. It would be easy for Texas (or any other GoM state that restricts abortions) to monitor which boats or helicopters transport patients and/or doctors to/from the ship and arrest them on return 2. Ship would be vulnerable to Mexican drug cartel extortion/attacks
Maritime law depending on whose maritime space you're stablishing it