The Assault on Womens Sexual and Reproductive Rights

[Soon]

http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=LegitimateRape

[Soon]

as some articles and this tweet point out:

Another disturbing facet of the #legitimaterape argument is the implied converse; if you DO get pregnant, you must've actually wanted it.

[Jess]

Virginia VS Vaginas


http://vimeo.com/47825539

[Soon]

Chris Matthews is doing a piece on Akin right now on MSNBC.

[Soon]

I just keep getting more enraged as the day moves on...

Anyway, NARAL has a lot of good Take Action strategies on their home page if you feel inclined to stop this war on women's bodies.

http://www.naral.org/

[Soon]

The former Arkansas governor and onetime GOP presidential contender suggested a couple of cases in which he suggested that rapes, though “horrible tragedies,” had produced admirable human beings.

“Ethel Waters, for example, was the result of a forcible rape,” Huckabee said of the late American gospel singer. One-time presidential candidate Huckabee added: “I used to work for James Robison back in the 1970s, he leads a large Christian organization. He, himself, was the result of a forcible rape. And so I know it happens, and yet even from those horrible, horrible tragedies of rape, which are inexcusable and indefensible, life has come and sometimes, you know, those people are able to do extraordinary things.”

Huckabee to Akin: 'Horrible' rapes created some extraordinary people

[Kobi]

Originally Posted by Soon

The former Arkansas governor and onetime GOP presidential contender suggested a couple of cases in which he suggested that rapes, though “horrible tragedies,” had produced admirable human beings.

“Ethel Waters, for example, was the result of a forcible rape,” Huckabee said of the late American gospel singer. One-time presidential candidate Huckabee added: “I used to work for James Robison back in the 1970s, he leads a large Christian organization. He, himself, was the result of a forcible rape. And so I know it happens, and yet even from those horrible, horrible tragedies of rape, which are inexcusable and indefensible, life has come and sometimes, you know, those people are able to do extraordinary things.”

Huckabee to Akin: 'Horrible' rapes created some extraordinary people

Rape is rape.

Seems to me, masculine persons have this need to add an adjective to rape and other violence against women to explain or justify their behavior and the consequences of it. It is deeply rooted in the patriarchy, and the sexism and misogyny it breeds.

Anyone remember the Clayton Williams campaign gem...."Bad weather is like rape. If it's inevitable, just relax and enjoy it".

Or, the controversy stemming from a rape back in 1993 when the victim convinced the rapist to use a condom? "The case had attracted widespread publicity when the first grand jury investigating the assault refused to indict Mr. Valdez because some jurors felt the use of condoms provided by the victim may have suggested her complicity in the encounter. The defendant maintained that use of condoms during the Sept. 16 sexual assault implied the woman's consent." http://www.nytimes.com/1993/05/15/us...-40-years.html

Rape is rape.

[Soon]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908...show/#48732520

[Kobi]

Thought for today:

Exactly when did the word "misspoke" become the euphemism for my ism is showing?

[UofMfan]

Please watch and share!

[Kobi]

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court ruled on Tuesday that Texas can cut off funding to affiliates of Planned Parenthood for a state women's health program because the network of clinics provides abortions.

The decision is a blow to Planned Parenthood, which is the nation's largest abortion provider and has been under attack from conservatives across the country. Some conservatives oppose any state government money going to support abortions.

Planned Parenthood denies the money to some of its affiliated clinics supports abortions and said it was for cancer screenings, birth control, and well-woman examinations, which focus on health histories and reproductive healthcare.

Texas is the most populous of a number of states with Republican majorities that have mounted a campaign to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood. A group of Planned Parenthood clinics earlier this year filed a federal lawsuit to stop Texas from cutting off the funding.

The ruling on Tuesday reversed a lower court decision that had temporarily allowed Planned Parenthood to continue receiving funding from the Texas program.

After the appeals court decision was announced, Texas said it would immediately stop providing money to Planned Parenthood under the Women's Health Program, which provides services to poor women.

"We appreciate the court's ruling and will move to enforce state law banning abortion providers and affiliates from the Women's Health Program as quickly as possible," Texas Health and Human Services Commission spokeswoman Stephanie Goodman said.

Planned Parenthood said that the decision puts the health of some 52,000 Texas women in jeopardy. The state program covers more than 100,000 women and Planned Parenthood has said the eight clinics suing Texas stand to lose $13 million a year.

"We are evaluating every possible option to protect women's health in Texas," Planned Parenthood Action Fund president Cecile Richards said in a statement.

The dispute erupted after Texas said that it would enforce a law that had been on the books for several years barring funding for abortion providers and affiliates.

The battle has also pitted Republican-dominated Texas state government against the administration of Democratic President Barack Obama because 90 percent of the funding for the Texas health program comes from the federal government.

The Obama administration has said it will not renew federal funding for the Texas program because the state was violating federal law by restricting the freedom to choose health providers.

But Texas Governor Rick Perry, a Republican, said in a statement on Tuesday that the state would continue to run the program despite the federal government decision not to renew funding Texas.

http://news.yahoo.com/appeals-court-...50.html?_esi=1

[Kobi]

The comments of Todd Akin are bringing scrutiny, goosed by Democrats and the Obama campaign, to the views on social issues of the GOP ticket.

Yesterday we saw the Obama campaign blast out an email from women’s health care activist Sandra Fluke referring to “Akin, Romney and Ryan”; over a Paul Ryan rally in Pennsylvania yesterday, Moveon.org flew a banner referring to “Romney, Ryan and Akin” being bad for women; and when the Republican party reaffirmed its anti-abortion plank yesterday, making no menion of exceptions for cases of rape or incest, the Obama campaign repeatedly referred to it as the “Akin Amendment.”

This morning brings the latest example — attention to that “forcible rape” language in legislation co-sponsored by Akin, Ryan (and 225 other members of the House). The legislation, the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act,” restricted the exceptions to “an act of forcible rape or, if a minor, an act of incest” for federally-funded abortions. That language was changed.

In an interview to air this morning in Pittsburgh on KDKA,Ryan refused to even engage in a discussion of what “forcible” rape — as opposed to other kinds, such as statutory rape — meant.

Ryan said that Akin’s “statements were outrageous, over the pail. I don’t know anybody who would agree with that. Rape is rape period, end of story.”

KDKA Political Editor Jon Delano asked: “Should abortions to be available to women who are raped?”

Ryan opposes abortions in all cases except for when the life of the mother is at stake, which is different from Mitt Romney’s position — Romney would also carve out exceptions for rape and incest.

“I’m proud of my pro-life record,” Ryan said. “And I stand by my pro-life record in Congress. It’s something I’m proud of. But Mitt Romney is the top of the ticket and Mitt Romney will be president and he will set the policy of the Romney administration.”

“You sponsored legislation that has the language ‘forcible rape,’” Delano noted. “What is forcible rape as opposed…”

“Rape is rape,” Ryan interrupted. “Rape is rape, period. End of story.”

“So that forcible rape language meant nothing to you at the time?” Delano asked.

“Rape is rape and there’s no splitting hairs over rape,” Ryan said.

Ryan scoffed at Obama campaign suggestions that he and Romney would restrict access to birth control. “Nobody is proposing to deny birth control to anybody,” he aid, arguing that voters are not “going to take the bait of all these distractions that the President is trying to throw at them.”

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics...e-gop-ticket/#

[Kobi]

Kind of amusing to see Paul Ryans, moment by moment, political development as his record, his words, and his behavior comes back to bite him in the butt. Notice how many times he mentions how "proud he is of his pro-life agenda". Im not even gonna mention pro-life might be a euphemism for anti-woman.

----------------
In Flight Between Roanoke, Va., and Raleigh, N.C. - Although Paul Ryan has taken the position that all abortions, even in the case of rape and incest, should be outlawed, the Wisconsin congressman supports Mitt Romney's softer position now that he shares the GOP presidential ticket because it's a "good step in the right direction," he said today.

Romney believes abortion should be legal in cases of abortion or incest, or when the mother's life is in danger. Ryan's previous position only extended exceptions to protecting the mother's life.

"Look, I'm proud of my record," Ryan said at a brief news conference on his plane. "I'm proud of my record. Mitt Romney is going to be president and the president sets policy. His policy is exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother. I'm comfortable with it because it's a good step in the right direction."

He wouldn't say he regretted abortion legislation he co-sponsored with Rep. Todd Akin of Missouri, explaining that he is "proud of my pro-life record I have."

"That bill passed, I think, by 251 votes," Ryan said. "It was bipartisan. I think HR-3 is the one you are talking about. I think we had 251 votes, 16 Democrats, I am proud of my pro-life record I have."

The legislation was co-sponsored by Akin and Ryan and also 225 other members of the House. The measure would have ensured no federal funds even indirectly supported abortions performed nationwide.

An earlier version of the measure had sought to redefine rape for purposes of exemption of the funding ban under the Hyde Amendment, drawing sharp criticism from women's rights groups and Democrats. The language would have allowed for subsidized abortions only in cases of "forcible rape," and limited exempt cases of incest to only those involving minors, although that provision was dropped from the bill.

Meanwhile, Ryan called Akin earlier in the week to try to persuade him to get out of the Missouri Senate race after his controversial comments about rape and abortions. Ryan said he wanted to keep their conversation "between us."

"But I agree with Roy and Jack Danforth [the former U.S. senator] and the rest of the people from the Missouri delegation, current and former, that he should have dropped out of the race," Ryan said. "But he is not, he is going to run his campaign and we are going to run ours."

He said he has "no plans" to talk to Akin again.

Obama campaign spokeswoman Lis Smith today said that as a "Republican leader in the House, Paul Ryan worked with Todd Akin to try to narrow the definition of rape and outlaw abortion even for rape victims. He may hope that American women never learn about this record, but they deserve an answer to why he wanted to redefine rape and remove protections for rape victims."

http://news.yahoo.com/paul-ryan-soft...-politics.html

[Nomad]

Todd Akin - Member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology - Doesnt Know Where Babies Come From?

[Kobi]

Originally Posted by Nomad

Todd Akin - Member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology - Doesnt Know Where Babies Come From?

"In asserting that women have the superpower to repel rape sperm, Akin ratcheted up the old chauvinist argument that gals who wear miniskirts and high-heels are “asking” for rape; now women who don’t have the presence of mind to conjure up a tubal spasm, a drone hormone, a magic spermicidal secretion or mere willpower to block conception during rape are “asking” for a baby."

[Kobi]

It is the delineation of the strategy being used that is so amazing and scary about this article.

-----------------------------------
From transvaginal ultrasounds to attacks on Planned Parenthood, Americans United for Life is targeting reproductive rights one state at a time.

AUL's mission is to end all abortions in the United States. Founded in 1971 by a Unitarian minister from Harvard Divinity School, AUL first focused on reversing Roe v. Wade flat out, but in the 1990s it turned its attention to rolling back reproductive rights incrementally at the state level.

Lately, it's been chipping away at abortion access at an ever-faster pace. Its team of lawyers has written dozens of model bills, which are collected in a playbook, Defending Life, and delivered to every state and federal legislator.

All told, 92 anti-abortion restrictions were passed throughout the country last year, an all-time record; AUL can claim credit for 24 new laws. So far in 2012, 17* laws promoted by AUL or based on its model legislation have been passed. Invasive vaginal ultrasounds in Virginia? That was AUL's bill. Trying to shut down all the abortion clinics in Kansas? That was AUL, too.

"Our model legislation enables legislators to easily introduce bills without needing to research and write the bills themselves," AUL's website boasts. The organization's foes see it as the pro-life equivalent of the American Legislative Exchange Council, the corporate legislation mill. "It's troubling when you see the same bill language introduced in 27 states that you know came out of an anti-abortion think tank in Washington instead of coming from the concerns of the sponsor or that particular state," says Jordan Goldberg, a lawyer at the Center for Reproductive Rights, which is trying to block AUL-backed laws in Arizona, Kansas, and Texas

Yoest says her focus is on a "post-Roe nation" in which states will again be the sole arbiters of when, where, and whether women can get abortions. "The real question is what do the states do," she says. "And so in a sense, we're leapfrogging over [Roe]." She believes AUL's growing body of state laws will set precedents with the potential to eventually change federal abortion law. As she explained to National Catholic Register, "We don't make frontal attacks. Never attack where the enemy is strongest."

The Supreme Court opened a critical avenue in its 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision, which upheld Roe while giving states greater leeway to regulate abortions. Echoing AUL's women-centered approach, the group's bills often cite the court's finding that the government "has legitimate interests from the outset of pregnancy in protecting the health of the woman." Its Women's Ultrasound Right to Know Act clearly aims to prevent women from terminating pregnancies. But its framing—that a woman deserves to know what's inside her body and must give her "informed consent"—centers on the mother rather than the fetus. A controversial version of this prefab legislation was introduced in Virginia this spring. Only after abortion rights supporters pointed out that it could effectively require doctors to stick a wand in pregnant women's vaginas did its Republican sponsors amend it to require abdominal ultrasounds.

Then there's AUL's bill for banning abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy—often performed when tests that can only be done at this stage reveal severe birth defects. Though bans on late-term abortions are often pitched on the medically dubious premise that a fetus can feel pain at 20 weeks, AUL's model bill, the Women's Health Defense Act, emphasizes the potential harm to women, citing the health risks as well as potential "emotional complications" such as depression and anxiety. Arizona passed a version of the bill earlier this year; AUL consulted on a similar law passed in Georgia.

Another AUL bill, the Women's Health Protection Act, places tight restrictions on the physical offices in which abortions are performed, asserting that abortions are "distinct from other routine medical services" due to their potential health and psychological effects. The version of the law that passed in Kansas in April 2011 was so onerous (it even mandated specific room temperatures at clinics) that it threatened to shut down every abortion provider in the state. (A court has blocked it.)

When I ask Yoest about her favorite model bills, she promptly mentions telemed abortions. In 2010, AUL first proposed banning such abortions, wherein a physician prescribes the drug RU-486 via a video connection. Since then, eight states have passed laws prohibiting doctors from remotely administering RU-486; never mind that there were no clinics actually doing this in those states at the time (PDF). "This is Planned Parenthood's new business model, because they're having such a hard time finding doctors to do abortion, for all kinds of good reasons," Yoest says.

Indeed, AUL's greatest success may be its push to take down America's largest abortion provider. In July 2011, AUL released "The Case for Investigating Planned Parenthood," a 174-page report detailing dozens of alleged abuses, ranging from poor patient care to the misuse of federal funds. Two months later, the House Energy and Commerce Committee started looking into Planned Parenthood's "compliance with federal restrictions on the funding of abortion." A spokesman for Rep. Cliff Stearns, the Florida Republican heading the investigation, confirmed that the AUL report was a contributing factor in the decision to launch the probe. (AUL's legislative arm gives Stearns a 100 percent pro-life vote rating.) Stearns' investigation, in turn, inspired Susan G. Komen for the Cure to cut funding for breast cancer screenings at Planned Parenthood clinics.

Komen reversed its decision amid public outcry, but the cumulative impact of AUL's efforts has abortion rights advocates worried. In 2000, the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive-health research nonprofit, rated 13 states as "hostile" to reproductive rights; in 2011, it gave 26 states that designation. "We're seeing states that go in and make their laws worse, and we're seeing states that are adopting more extreme, more onerous, and more creative laws," says Elizabeth Nash, Guttmacher's state issues manager. By putting up more hurdles for women who want abortions and the doctors who provide them, "at some point, someone will cry uncle."

But making abortions all but impossible is only half the battle. Ultimately, AUL would like to see the Supreme Court legally enshrine its restrictions—all in the name of protecting women. "It's really, really critical that we start establishing this in the legislative record," Yoest tells me. "Repeatedly, the Supreme Court has turned away from the threat that abortion poses for the baby, because the Supreme Court has said repeatedly they're concerned about the woman. So we basically want to say to the court, 'We share your concern for women. You need to look at the fact that abortion itself harms women.'"




http://www.motherjones.com/politics/...nal-ultrasound

[lusciouskiwi]

This whole thing scares me, like "The Handmaid's Tale" scared me. It's seriously creepy and I'm sure there are idiots in other countries following what's happening really closely.

[Soon]

Originally Posted by Nomad

Todd Akin - Member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology - Doesnt Know Where Babies Come From?

That was a great article by Maureen Dowd. Love her. Thanks for sharing.

Also, some fantastic readers' comments.

[Martina]

Loved it. Thanks for posting the link. OMG I didn't know he was on the House Committee on Science and stuff. Lord. *chuckling*

My favorite quote from the article:

Paul Ryan, who teamed up with Akin in the House to sponsor harsh anti-abortion bills, may look young and hip and new generation, with his iPod full of heavy metal jams and his cute kids. But he’s just a fresh face on a Taliban creed — the evermore antediluvian, anti-women, anti-immigrant, anti-gay conservative core. Amiable in khakis and polo shirts, Ryan is the perfect modern leader to rally medieval Republicans who believe that Adam and Eve cavorted with dinosaurs.

[Martina]