Okay, This post is very dated. My outrage has been on full tilt for months. But as I've made clear, I'm an amateur crank, with a day job. I'm busy, I've got hobbies...I rarely have time to rant apart from the hours I spend shouting at my windshield. Anyway...
Why am I cranky? Why am I taking valuable drinking time to sit at a laptop and spill?
Because the Republicans have declared a war on birth control. Their leading presidential candidates are on board with this war.
No...seriously...in the 21st Century, the Republican Party is running their 2012 campaign, and is legislating in government, on an anti-birth control platform.
In case you've been living under a rock, the President was ready to put into place regulations that would require religious affiliated organizations, like a Catholic hospital or a Methodist school, to include birth control as part of their health coverage. Well, the Catholic church, and others, lost their shit. How DARE this (black, and probably Muslim) President infringe upon their religious freedom?!?!
The President (get ready to NOT be shocked in the least) came to a compromise. He changed the regulations so that these religious organizations need not pay, insurance companies will. And, they are happy to because the birth control costs so much less than a bunch of births. And I get why this President did this - women get the preventative care, and he gets to avoid a fight with conservatives, which is his proclivity.
But the Republicans doubled-down. They put forth the Blunt Amendment in the Senate. The Blunt Amendment would allow ANY employer to deny benefits on ANY religious or moral grounds.
But I don't get the politics. Republicans use this kind of issue to motivate their shrinking base to show up in the elections. But this is over the cliff. They will turn off almost ALL independent voters if the Democrats fight on this. And, this is an issue that Democrats could use to beat the shit out of Republicans with. They should bring it up every chance they get: "did you know that John Boehner is against birth control?" "Did you know that Mitch McConnell wants to keep women from getting birth control?" Make those fuckers answer this question over, and over again.
(Actually, Harry Reid finally did do this. After some Republicans realized what a disaster this issue could become, they tabled the Blunt Amendment. But Reid brought it back, and forced a vote on it. This was nicely done - all but one Republican voted for it, and now have to explain the vote to women.)
But not the White House, and not many other Democratic politicians. The President's people will say that they want no part of this because the Republicans have framed this as a religious freedom issue. Really? You Democrats are the biggest bunch of fucking pussies I have ever seen! (How's that for a sexist reference in a rant that rails against the sexism and misogyny in current legislation and politics?) You know, you all have access to microphones too! I know, a shock. You Dem lawmakers can also frame an issue. Taking birth control away from millions of women versus a much more muddled argument over religious freedom. C'mon, how BADLY would the Republicans lose?
Besides, Dems have just as strong of an argument in the First Amendment. Government is not supposed to get into the business of the churches, but it can regulate things like health care (Article One, Section Eight). Furthermore, institutions, government or otherwise, may not infringe upon the religious liberties of the people. How can a Catholic hospital be allowed to enforce Catholicism upon a Jewish janitor on the night shift via their health care plan? No, no, no...the First Amendment is there to protect the rights of the people, not the large, wealthy institutions. It is the antithesis of religious freedom for a large institution to be allowed to dictate religious doctrine to employees of many, or even no faiths.
In several states, including mine, Democrats have allowed pharmacists to refuse to fill certain prescriptions based on their particular religious beliefs. These beliefs are all against the freedom of women to make choices about their own bodies, and their own family planning. In other states, like Kansas and Texas, it gets a hell of a lot worse.
Here is possibly the worst yet. According to a bill proposed in the great state of Virginia (or, is it a commonwealth?), women seeking an abortion in the first trimester will be required to have a trans-vaginal probe. This probe is a device that is inserted into the vagina to take an ultrasound picture of what's inside. This is mandatory - not by consent. And, this penetration and probing is NOT IN THE LEAST BIT MEDICALLY NECESSARY.
What's the legal term for penetration without consent? Oh yeah...rape! The state of Virginia wants to rape women with a probe if they choose to seek a 100% legal medical procedure!
(UPDATE - This bill has been tabled, and the Virginia Republicans have issued a statement: "Oops!")
Now, there has been blowback. But I still say that Dems are letting the Medieval Republicans frame these issues, and then reacting to the framing. Every Democratic lawmaker of the Venus gender should be blocking all business until these draconian bills are done away with. From now on, every bill in the Virginia legislature should contain a Democratic amendment to anally probe every man who asks for a viagra prescription. I mean, it's not medically necessary, but neither was the other rape law.
Over 90% of American women use some form of birth control. Over 90% of Catholic women use birth control. I know that up to 20% of Americans are religious zealots, who will act upon whatever their rabid pastors tell them to do. And that includes women. But that means 80% of the country's women, at least, will be on your side if you fight these anti-women laws and regulations.
And ladies - I haven't heard your voices at nearly the volume required. The White House compromised because it is sure that the issue will quietly fade away. But it will not. Conservatives are passing more and more egregious laws in the states to force a lawsuit that will make it to this right-wing Supreme Court, and overturn Roe V Wade.
Get loud! Get ultra-angry! Get ultra-angry at the Democrats.
Why? Because the Republicans don't care about you. The Dems do, at least about your votes, but they won't fight for average folk unless we make them. And I know what you will say - "men should get angry too." And we are. But we follow your lead on these issues. If we are pounding our fists, you need to be burning your bras (70s reference).
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