When liberals legislate abortion

When Democrats are in charge of statehouses they pass laws to protect women's health which both sides of the aisle support. As SteveM put it:

What do you get in a situation like this in a state where Democrats control the governor's mansion and both houses of the legislature? You get a reasonable set of regulations intended to address the real problems. What do you get in states with Republican governors and legislatures? You get legislation intended -- solely intended -- to make liberals furious and women seeking abortions miserable, while making right-wingers pump their fists and do a victory dance.

The difference couldn't be more stark. Liberal Democrats only legislate women's health services to improve safety. Liberal Democrats don't abridge women's freedom of choice.

Objections on monitor may be closer than they appear

I get really pissed off at the Big Daddy Theocrats for their vagina control obsession on the one hand.


[Nick Anderson cartoon]

On the other hand I want to believe their overreach is going to generate a backlash among women voters of every ideology come 2014 that will surprise all the pundits. So there's that...

Lying, cheating, SOBs GOP

Apparently having seen what happened when the Big Daddy theocrats tried to ram through a vagina control bill in Texas, our homegrown crackpot conservatives in Raleigh figured they would sneak through a similar anti-choice bill in North Carolina on the eve of a long holiday weekend.

The Senate met for much of the day, handling a variety of bills in other committees and on the floor. Just before 5:20 p.m., Senate Rules Committee Chairman Tom Apodaca, R-Henderson, announced a recess and said the Judiciary 1 Committee would meet at 5:30 p.m.

Until then, the committee's calendar listed only House Bill 695, which prohibits the recognition of foreign law, such as Islamic Sharia law, in family courts. That measure was controversial when it cleared the House in May, with opponents fearing it could interfere with recognition of U.S. law in foreign courts.

However, when the committee convened at 5:30 p.m., it quickly took up an amendment to revise the bill to include the regulations on abortion.

Chairman of the Senate Judiciary 1 Committee, Buck Newton (R-BigFatLiar) claimed this was pushed through so suddenly because they reached a surprising consensus just at that hot minute. Which totally explains why:

Lobbyists with nonprofits that have religious or moral purposes, including the Family Policy Council, Christian Action League and North Carolina Values Coalition, were in the room for the committee debate and the subsequent Senate floor debate. Senators noted that those lobbyists were given notice of the bill and its contents ahead of time.

Yet shockingly no one thought to alert the opponents of the odious amendments which will effectively shut down all the low cost women's health clinics that provide many more services than just abortions.

Their devious ploy didn't work as intended. Thanks to the NC media, a sizable group of women's rights supporters were alerted in time to attend today's hearing on the bill. And in a stunning display of the Republican's version of democratic governance, they were told to STFU.

"The gallery is to remain silent. The senators on the floor are the only voices that matter."

-- North Carolina Senate Pro Tempore Phil Berger (R), quoted on Facebook, to women in the Senate gallery protesting surprise abortion legislation passed last night.

These guys need to be reminded who they work for and 2014 isn't that far off. One hopes the voters will reward them appropriately at the ballot box by voting these arrogant SOBs out.

Standing with Texas women

Bless the women of Texas who continue to pour into the Statehouse to keep the people's filibuster going and the men who stand with them. Maybe Gov Goodhair was hoping they would lose interest. It was a fool's hope. Tweet of the day suggests the motto of this movement is "Never Surrender."

@mcbyrne: List is 1900 hundred long to speak. #StandWithTXWomen

Kind of wish I could go down there and personally thank every one of them individually.

Deep in the heart of Texas

The Texas legislature opened its second special session this morning and as the song goes, women rights supporters have a message for the crackpots trying to ramrod their theocratic wet dream through -- you ain't seen nothing yet.

Last week we saw hundreds of protesters. Today, an estimated 5000 are demonstrating for women's rights in Austin.



They're jamming the grounds.



Of course the Big Daddy theocrats pretend it's about protecting children, but this is all about controlling women and punishing them for having sex. Which is not only none of their damn business but also codifying their personal morality increases government spending and raises deficits. They're talking federal programs here, but the effects are the same on the state level.

In general, attacking women’s health choices costs taxpayers. Family planning programs save the federal government $3.74 for every dollar spent by providing women with access to contraception and avoiding unplanned births. Providing women who seek an abortion with the services they need doesn’t just avert government spending on unwanted births. A recent study found that women who were unable to obtain an abortion were three times more likely to fall into poverty in the subsequent two years than those who succeeded. That likely means more women who need to access federal programs.

Yet these same Big Daddy theocrats who insist every pregnancy must be brought to term -- because, Jesus -- are the first in line with the machetes to slash assistance for children born into poverty as a result of these damn nanny state moralists and their anti-choice laws. Bless every single person standing out there in the Texas sun trying to stop them. They stood them down once. Here's hoping they can do it again. [Livestream of the speakers outside the statehouse here.]

Addendum: One more photo of the crowd that gives a better sense of just how many people are massed outside the Statehouse. This makes me so happy I could weep with joy.

Women beat down GOP on Texas abortion bill

It's a very good day to be a liberal. The days long people's filibuster at the Texas statehouse culminated in an epic 11 hour filibuster on the Senate floor delivered by Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis.

Senator Davis was shooting for 13 hours but fell short when the Republicans successfully challenged her on procedural grounds, at which point the people in the gallery took over again and created enough noise to delay the vote until just past the mandated close of the special session.

Apparently hoping to take advantage of the confusion, Republicans tried to pull a fast bit of trickery and failed.

Initially, Republicans insisted the vote started before the midnight deadline and passed the bill that Democrats spent the day trying to kill. But after official computer records and printouts of the voting record showed the vote took place Wednesday, and then were changed to read Tuesday, senators retreated into a private meeting to reach a conclusion.

They concluded there were too many witnesses to get away with lying and the bill was deemed officially deceased. Chalk up a win for the forces of good and check out the numbers to fully appreciate how big a victory this was for women's rights.

Of course, this isn't the end of it. Hearing rumors Gov. Goodhair will call a second special session and Republicans are already working on redistricting Wendy Davis out of office, a revenge made so much simpler yesterday by the SCOTUS VRA decision.

Nonetheless, to have won even this temporary victory in Texas is inspiring. Between this and the ongoing Moral Monday protests in North Carolina, I haven't had this much hope for our future in a very long time.

The good fight goes on in Texas

[Photo Credit: AP/Ricardo B. Brazziell via Think Progress]

As I said last night, the women's rights side has only a slim chance of victory in the fight against the Big Daddy Theocrats seeking to control their choice over their own bodies, but the protesters are still storming the Statehouse. The women are going to fight to the end despite the setbacks.

But around four in the morning, Republicans cut off the ongoing debate so they could finally force a vote, a decision that the Associated Press characterized as a “highly unusual and partisan move.” SB 5 won preliminary approval with a 97-33 vote. The bill still needs final approval from the House, and then it will head to a Senate vote before the special session comes to a close on midnight on Tuesday. There’s still a chance that it can be blocked if Senate Democrats successfully filibuster the vote on Tuesday.

Last I heard, the only reason there's even a chance the Dems could filibuster is because the protesters bought them another 12 hours of time by delaying the vote. So there's that.

The People's Filibuster

The Republicans may yet ram through their Big Daddy Theocrat bills through but not without a fight. The wimmen are storming the Statehouse in Texas to defend their right to make their own choices without interference from vagina obsessed conservatives. [PPofGreaterTX photo]

The rush to Plan B

I'm totally on board with the point that any "moral" argument about Plan B is bogus. Those preaching about teenagers being unable to understand how to take the drug safely are really just vagina police who are all about denying any form of birth control to teens and oftentimes even to adults. Likewise, I'm sympathetic to the argument that putting up barriers to access to any form of birth control are mainly about controlling women's choices. Nonetheless, I have this nagging concern about Plan B that I can't shake with dispassionate logic. My problem is I can't bring myself to completely trust the science.

I was about eight years old when I first saw photos of thalidomide babies in the sort of tabloids sold in checkout lines. That was supposed to be a safe drug. In fact it's still on the market for many conditions where it's useful. But it turned out to be unsafe for pregnant women and tens of thousands of deformed babies and their parents suffered greatly from that mistaken trust in the science.

Granted we're stricter now about testing pharmaceuticals before they get to market, but the system can certainly be gamed. And even if the studies aren't deliberately skewed for profit, often the adverse effects of drugs don't become apparent until they've become so widely available that enough people are harmed. There's at least ten current class actions suits against drugs that were approved by the science right now.

Not saying access to Plan B shouldn't be eased exactly. Just worrying out loud. The old saw, "be careful what you wish for" keeps playing in my mind like a persistent earworm.

Women caught in conservative TRAP in Virginia

Conservative Virginia lawmakers vote for stealth rules to shut down women's access to reproductive health services.

The vote stems from legislation that cleared the legislature two years ago and has been slowly making its way through implementation.

The General Assembly voted in 2011 to impose stricter building codes on clinics, calling for costly physical renovations, such as wider hallways and doorways, expanded parking and entrance awnings. Supporters said the ­changes ensure the safety of women undergoing abortions at the clinics. Opponents said the measure was a veiled attempt to shutter them.

Actually, you don't have to be an opponent to see the agenda here. Couldn't be more obvious. Besides it's no secret. The theocrats have publicized their plan to the boss of all our lady parts.

The regulations — part of a nationwide anti-choice campaign to adopt so-called Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers, or TRAP, laws...

Friday’s vote represents the latest skirmish in an ongoing conservative war on abortion clinics. In the past three months, states have proposed an astonishing 694 provisions restricting or rolling back women’s reproductive rights. Efforts to shutter local abortion clinics disproportionately impact low-income women and significantly increase the incidence unintended pregnancies.

The theocrats assure us they only have the best of intentions:

“We need to be assured that a Kermit Gosnell-type practitioner is not operating in Virginia,” said Janet Robey, state director of Concerned Women for America.

Which of course has it ass-backwards. It's exactly this kind of restriction on responsible health care providers that leads to "Gosnell-type practitioners" who are more than willing to prey on low income and otherwise desperate women.

Social cons and the new back alley abortions

If the story wasn't so impossibly horrible, it would be amusing to see the half the internet claim Kermit Gosnell's illegal abortion mill is being ignored in the media. Even more bizarre is the accusations are coming from social cons who see some dark cover-up by the "right to choose" lefties. What makes this especially stupid is the trial is being widely covered locally. Moreover, the anti-choice cons didn't say a word when right to choose feminists were reporting on this story in 2011 when it first broke.

Not seeing why the anti-choicers think is a winner for them. Sure the gory details about brutal late term abortions, like near term babies being killed with scissors are appalling, as are the accounts of women left to die in filthy operating rooms. But it's an indictment on social cons insistence that responsible women's health care providers like Planned Parenthood be defunded and abortion be banned again. Gosnell's illegal abortion mill is where poor and desperate women seek treatment for unintended pregnancies they can't afford when there are no other options. Just as they did before Roe v. Wade. Maybe Gosnell didn't actually use coathangers, but this is future if the social cons dearest wish to repeal Roe is granted.

Republicans never resign

Sure people make bad choices all the time and can be forgiven for it. But. as always, this is about the hypocrisy. Tennessee Tea Party pol's past comes back to haunt him:

CHATTANOOGA — U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais said Wednesday that he never intentionally misled voters about his past and stressed that he has no plans to resign over recent revelations that depict a private life starkly at odds with his public image as an anti-abortion, family values congressman. [...]

But DesJarlais said he is not the same man who supported his first wife's decision to have two abortions. The physician-turned-congressman said he also deeply regrets sexual relationships with multiple women, including two patients, three co-workers and a drug company representative while he was chief of staff at Grandview Medical Center in Jasper. [...]

In the newspaper interview, DesJarlais said the charges of hypocrisy are unfair because, he said, his anti-abortion views have evolved over time but had not been formed when his wife aborted her pregnancies.

How convenient. His views evolved just as he needed fundie votes to get elected. But it's not even about reproductive choice. Haven't checked his voting record but feel reasonably sure as a Republican he votes against any social program that helps the already born overcome either bad choices, or bad luck while he votes for every corporate giveaway on the books. That's the real hypocrisy. Voters shouldn't reward him for it.

He says he'll run again. Have to hope he loses to someone whose moral values are rooted in principle and actual concern for their fellow Americans instead of convenience.

Rhymes with Morlock

Richard Mourdock, a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate doesn't think a pregnancy caused by rape is the final victory of a brutal rapist. He tells us after much thought and prayer he's realized it is a gift from God. Apparently he believes a woman should consider it a blessing to be forced to carry this daily reminder of a vicious assault on her body to term, no matter what the damage to her emotional health or her life plan. Because it's his God's will that she do so. And Mr. Mourdock doesn't think health plans should cover contraception at all. (I don't suppose I need to mention Mr. Mourdock will never have to deal with an unwanted pregnancy himself.)

Mitt Romney has done a video ad endorsement of only one Senate candidate. Yes, that would be the same Richard Mourdock. And although Mitt claims he doesn't agree with his views, Romney fully supports Richard Mourdock's candidacy and will not ask him to take down the endorsement ads. Nor apparently, will Mr. Romnesia's face be removed from the Mourdock website. [graphic via]

Since he's already said it all, outsourcing the outrage to Charlie Pierce:

Mourdock didn't come to these views over the weekend. He held them when he announced. He held them when he beat Richard Lugar in the Republican primary. He held them when he was up in the polls over Joe Donnelly. And he held them before, during, and after Romney endorsed him. And the way I know this is that, a) Romney has yet to unendorse him and that, b) the Republican senate campaign hierarchy is still behind Mourdock and what he believes.

Mourdock did receive support Wednesday morning from a key Republican leader — Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. "In fact, rather than condemning him for his position, as some in his party have when it's come to Republicans, I commend Congressman Donnelly for his support of life,'" Cornyn said.

Tell me again that I don't have to worry about Romney's having two or three Supreme Court appointments to make, or about a Senate full of Richard Mourdocks passing judgment on them.

I'd only add Paul Ryan's PAC gave Mourdock thousands and he's not the only GOPer who is backing their fellow troglodyte. Mourdock has received thousands more from other sitting members of the Senate. And let's not forget this position is part of the Republican party platform. They removed the rape exception.

Romney may well disagree with that position, but he's proven time and time again that he's willing to do anything politically expedient to advance his personal ambitions. Whatever the context, when he said he would delighted to sign a bill supporting that position, he meant it. Mark my words, if Republicans take control this time, Roe will be overturned. And like the song says, you don't know what you got till it's gone...

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Never forget.

Facebook find of the morning. Conveys much in one simple image.



I still remember reading the NYC newspapers as a young kid. Every week there were stories of women who died alone in dirty alleys from botched coat hanger abortions. I'm long past the concerns of unwanted pregnancy but I fight for women's reproductive rights because I don't want to return to those days again.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Whatever you do, don't say vagina

The Republicans in my virtual home state of Michigan, living exemplar of GOP dominance in government, got a little too arrogant with their power today, drawing well deserved national mockery. In the Statehouse, Michigan GOPers forbid Democratic women Representatives from speaking, about any pending legislation for the offensive use of anatomically correct identification of lady parts and suggesting men be subjected to the same indignities that these Neanderthals want to inflict on women.

I did the polite, long form blogging at Detroit News so all I'll say here is if men were the ones that got pregnant from sexytime for fun, we wouldn't be having this conversation at all. [More at Think Progress.]



[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Fighting for women

With the "women's vote" becoming the new holy grail of this election, much attention is being paid to "women's issues." A lot of posturing going on, but this Equal Pay Act is a solid move for women's rights being undertaken by Democratic women Senators:

Five female Democratic senators talked up the bill Wednesday afternoon during a Capitol briefing — and made clear they intend to hammer Republicans as anti-women if they stand in its way. “As I look at the record of Republicans on women, it is not good,” said Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA). “Personally I say it’s a war on women, and the more they protest it the more I say it. Because I really, truly believe it. They filibustered the Paycheck Fairness Act before. They left millions of women out of the Violence Against Women Act. They launched repeated attacks on women’s health including denying affordable access to birth control. They want to criminalize a woman’s right to choose. And they tried to repeal health reform, which prohibits discrimination because of gender — not to mention, makes investments in prevention.”

All kinds of stats being floated around the internets about equal pay today. Most striking being the disparity in pay for equal work over a woman's lifetime is enough to feed a family of four for 37 years or something like that.

Contrast that to the Republican women in the House, who put together a video featuring all 24 GOP Congresswoman this week, for the express purpose of countering the claims that Republicans are waging a War on Women's Rights.

This is to mark the formation of GOP Women’s Policy Committee and no, I'm not linking to the video, you can watch it at the embedded link, but it's hardly worth the time. They offer no policy prescriptions, only the usual tired platitudes:

“As mothers, grandmothers, daughters, wives and sister, women often see things in a different context,” said the caucus’s chairwoman, Mary Bono Mack of California. “As Republican women, we have some really unique ideas for moving our nation forward, and we’re excited about working together to find solutions.”

It ends with Crazy Eyes Bachmann telling us that GOP women are mothers, small businesswoman and important politicians, who know how to balance a household budget and collectively have a deep concern for women's rights. They all have a burning desire to “make America great again.” Conspicuously missing is a tally of their votes on the bills addressing women's rights that have come before them so far. If memory serves, they have almost unanimously voted against every bill that would protect or advance them. Would have been helpful if someone mentioned that in the coverage of the video launch. But if anyone did, I didn't see it.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Gotta start all over again

I've been saying for the last ten years that it feels like we're fighting the culture wars of the 60s all over again. The last two have made it all so tragically true. But we won the first time and we can do it again.

this >> #WOW twitter.com/liberalease/st…

— liberalease (@liberalease) March 21, 2012

Never underestimate the power of a bunch of pissed off women...

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Women fight back against the theocrats

Trying out this new embed twitter feature. In theory, you should be able to see and interact with it just as if you would be if you were actually crazy enough to spend your time on twitter.

Woah hey. This is happening at the Capitol right now. #wisconsinwomen twitter.com/khomuz/status/…

— Daniella Echeverria (@khomuz) March 13, 2012

Taking the clues from Daniella's twitter account it seems this is a women's protest in support of Planned Parenthood. Which is not to be confused with the even larger protest this weekend in Wisconsin marking the anniversary of Gov. Walker and the Wisconsin Republican's opening assault on workers rights. Which in retrospect could be credited for birthing the whole populist protest movement that culminated in the Occupy Movement and is still growing many offshoots.

On a somewhat related note, the estimable Gary Trudeau has been a great supporter of women's rights for as long as I can remember. Which is a pretty long time. This week's Doonesbury takes on the odious transvaginal ultrasound laws that are springing up like dandelions in GOP held statehouses. Apparently there's quite a number of editors who won't print the comic strip this week because they think talking about this state sanctioned rape of pregnant women would offend their readers. I certainly hope these media gatekeepers are also equally offended by the law itself and editorializing against it, but not holding my breath. In any event, in case you somehow can't find Doonesbury on line, here's the whole week of Doonesbury panels in one place. Fair warning it's in pdf. If you hate that, just go over to Slate and see the daily postings.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Bum's Rush

CNN posted and op-ed today from the Women's Media Center co-authored by Jane Fonda, Robin Morgan, and Gloria Steinem. They want the FCC to take legal action against the toxic gasbag Limbaugh since his bosses won't do it.

If Clear Channel won't clean up its airways, then surely it's time for the public to ask the FCC a basic question: Are the stations carrying Limbaugh's show in fact using their licenses "in the public interest?"

I'm afraid revoking the licenses of the stations over one show is a bridge to far for me to cross. In the first place, I don't want the government to be in the business of adjudicating which speech is allowed. In the second, this line of reasoning only reinforces the con's censorship defense of Limbaugh which is taking root in Greater Wingnuttia. Exhibit A: Doug M at OTB pleads, "don't make me defend Rush" on just those grounds.

His argument is, of course, bogus and selective. He's very concerned about the concerted effort of the lefty hoi polloi to get Rush fired. Because, you know, the right would never do that. I don't know he was even blogging then, but as I said in comments there, I wonder what Scott Beauchamp thinks about this. Or that kid working for minimum wage at Walmart who got fired because he wasn’t properly deferential to the words “Merry Christmas.” Or that kid working the phones at whatever station who made the joke about the X briefly appearing over Cheney’s face and got fired? Or the photographer who took the pictures of Cheney’s estate, with his permission? Or Graeme Frost?

And no, Bill Maher and Keith O and every liberal politician who ever made an offensive reference to Palin or Bachmann is not analogous. If there was any major liberal voice who defended their ugly remarks, I didn't see it and neither did I see anyone disputing their suspensions for going over the line of civil discourse. Neither have I ever seen any leading Democrats hastening to ask their forgiveness on bended knee for disagreeing with their wrongful speech.

In any event, I'll support the vile Limbaugh's First Amendment right to spew his hateful tripe on the air. I don't think it's the FCC's place to shut him down. Especially not when it would shut down other useful voices in order to take away his soapbox.

Let Limbaugh alone be judged in the court of public opinion. And his vile imitators too. It appears to be working quite well.

They used to love her, but it's all over now

Lisa Murkowski is very sorry. Sure she voted for the Blunt amendment but she didn't really mean it:

Murkowski called the Blunt Amendment a “messaging amendment” that “both sides know is not going to pass” and said “Republicans didn’t have enough sense to get off of it.” She also condemned Rush Limbaugh’s deragatory comments about a Georgetown law student testifying in favor of greater access to birth control. “I think women when they hear…mouthpieces like that say things like that they get concerned and they look to policymakers,” she said. “That’s where I feel like I have let these women down is that I have not helped to give these women the assurance they need that their health care rights are protected.”

Maybe she could have thought about that before she made her obligatory lockstep vote with the GOP opportunists and theocrats. Of course she would never do something like that again.

“If you had it to do over again, having had the weekend that you had with women being upset about the vote, do you think you would have voted the same?” I asked.

“No,” she said.

Oh had she only realized how pissed off the women whose write-in votes saved her from political annihilation at the hands of the Tea Party darling at the time. Everything would have been different.

We now turn the commentary portion of this post over to Kay at Balloon Juice who already said what I was thinking.

The amendment she voted for would have gutted federal (and state law) guarantees people in her state have now, regarding mandated health insurance coverage. She took people in Alaska backward, to less health care security. There is absolutely nothing in that amendment that would have barred any employer from declining to cover a whole range of health care services to a whole range of people. When Blunt was questioned on this, his one and only “assurance” was that federal courts would sort out what was a religious or moral objection. That’s an admission that the amendment itself offered no protection, and, again, these are protections people have now, under current federal and state law.

Murkowski regrets her vote because she’s finding out it’s politically unpopular. Did she not read and understand the amendment? What happens the next time she wants to “send a message” and actually passes a law?

The problem is, they don't read the bills. Senate votes, especially within the GOP, are preordained. They just say three Hail Marys and press the mandated button. Or else...

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]