In Virginia: Women’s Strike Force forms to fight anti abortion legislators

MoonHowler

Spurred on by David Albo’s silly, tiresome anecdote about his wife cutting him off because of trans-vaginal probes attached to his name, influential Virginia woman have sprung into action and formed a new pac called the Women’s Strike Force. Enough is enough. Leslie Byrne is one of the founders.

From the Women’s Strike Force website:

The Women’s Strike Force is a Virginia PAC dedicated to recruiting and supporting all candidates opposing any elected official who supported the “personhood” or mandatory ultrasound legislation in the Virginia General Assembly.

All funds raised will be used to beat every Virginia Legislator who voted in favor of HB1 or HB462/SB484.

Donations may be made at www.womenstrikeforce.org

They take credit cards and pay pal.

The women  strike back.  May the force be with them.

Rachel Maddow does post-mortum on McDonnell’s about face

MoonHowler

UPDATE:  VA SENATE SHELVED PERSONHOOD AMENDMENT THIS EVENING.

Rachel Maddow sticks the skewer in Right Wing Virginia zealots one more time as she examines the ultra-sound bill once again.  The bill sponsor has pulled the bill.  Republicans met with Governor McDonnell this week to discuss the problem he had, being painted into a corner.  Some legislators simply blew him off.  When it was decided to ‘reword’ the bill, they all decried that they knew not what they did.  Rachel calls them out as liars. Of course they knew.  They were told by women’s groups and the Democrats that ultra sound involved trans-vaginal ultrasound.

This week we will be gathering information on the vote.  You might want to examine if you want to cast your ballot in the future for someone who would mandate that a woman be probed without her consent just to undergo a medical procedure. 

Making a list and checking it twice.  Gonna find out whose naughty or nice.  Woman control tried to come to town.

McDonnell back-pedals on the ultrasound bill

MoonHowler

Richmond Times Dispatch:

After days of unrelenting criticism, the House of Delegates today passed a weakened version of the ultrasound mandate after consultation with Gov. Bob McDonnell, amending it so that women could reject a procedure if it must be done vaginally

The bill would still require that all women having an abortion undergo an ultrasound to determine the gestational age, but women subject to a transvaginal procedure would be able to decline.

Oftentimes, the procedure must be performed that way, versus on the abdomen, early in a pregnancy.

Because the House made changes to a Senate measure — Senate Bill 484, sponsored by Sen. Jill Holtzman Vogel, R-Fauquier — it must go back before the Senate with the changes.

But this afternoon, Vogel indicated she will try to strike her bill.

Apparently Del. Vogel felt the altered bill made things even worse.  This was abviously a bill that should have never been.  Make no mistake, it wasn’t about informed consent.  It was about guilting women not to have an abortion.  The hope was that if the woman seeking an aborton saw the ultrasound, she would change her mind.

Read More

Santorum–a dodge and a miss

MoonHowler

Rick Santorum wanted to be anywhere but in that interview.  Mitt Romney looks like a smooth talker compared to this guy in the hot seat.  First he tried to throw his benefactor under the bus.  Then he tried to blame Obama, followed by taking a few shots at the media and saying they were playing ‘gotcha.’

His worse offense, however, was trying to turn the discussion to kids and to talk about the sex habits of young people.  The Foster Friess comments have nothing to do with young people.  That is an entirely different issue. 

What prompted the Friess remarks was the debate on health care covering contraception for grown working women.  Grown women do not have to justify their sexual behavior to anyone.  How dare Rick Santorum try to deflect a question about grown women by bringing up teenage girls?  Is he implying that grown women are really just older teenagers?

Read More

Foster Friess: Gals, Jihadists, and Aspirin.

MoonHowler

Yes, that guy is an A-hole of the rankest order. 

A little background however.  Today Elena called me from her car, sucking air.  She was horrified and told me this story.  She had her radio on so she only got the audio portion.  I sort of shrugged it off.  I thought she was going to come through the phone and neuter me without anesthesia. 

Why was I not horrified?   That stupid, moss-backed comment was something I heard when I was a kid.  People snickered and thought they were being horribly clever.  Kids, girl type kids, rolled their eyes and yawned.  It was something men said and thought they were cute or something your grandmother said.  It was a short cut, and in those days, a less crude way  for telling girls to keep their legs together.  No mention of flies zipped. 

However, we are a long, long way from me being a kid and this jerk should have known better.  If anyone allows you near a microphone, you should know better.  His remark was stupid, ignorant, inappropriate, and lots of other things.  The horrifying fact is, the poor dumb ass thought he was being funny.  He is so out of touch with reality out in the real world that he actually thought he was adding some levity to the conversation by being dismissive.  He has no idea that millions of women will hear the name Foster Friess and his life will no longer be his own.  He is now a laughing stock and an object of derision.

 The real jihadists he is speaking of are here amongst us in the form of him, Rick Santorum and those like them.  He was born in 1940 so he is about 72.  He is filthy rich and involved in conservative Christian initiatives.  He has also donated to Scott Walker’s campaign as well as lots of money to Rick Santorum.  All that money and still socially inept. 

 When does it end?  Each days brings about another  assault.  Andrea Mitchell wasn’t kidding about catching her breath.  She was dumbfounded at his poor social skills. 

Sadly, Foster-baby thinks that “GALS” are thinking about sex. Wrong. They are thinking about de-sexing him.

Rick Santorum: Birth Control not a healthy thing for our country

MoonHowler

Just when you thought you had escaped the Dark Ages:

Virginia is on the brink of legislating a Personhood Bill, HB1, that effectively could outlaw hormonal birth control. It has gone to the Virginia Senate.  Fertility specialists and OB/gyn specialists have expressed medical concerns over a bill this drastic.  Of particular worry is treating ectopic pregnancy should this bill become law.    Virginia is the laughing stock of the nation because of the spate of anti abortion laws.  

Virginia isn’t the only hub of embarrassment.   Now video had turned up from 2006 where presidential candidate Rick Santorum says that he feels birth control is harmful to society.   He didn’t stop there, he elaborated that birth control really created a license where people could do anything they wanted.  He seemed to equate contraception with premaritial sex.  There was no mention of married couples. 

Most people do not share his views. We live in a western society, not some banana republic or theocracy. People may believe what they want, for themselves. There has been an all out war for the past several years on Title X funding, in particular, Planned Parenthood has come under direct fire on the national and state leve and is in constant danger of defunding.  l. Many of the same people who want to outlaw abortion also want to make contraception difficult to get hold of.  This kind of thinking makes absolutely no sense. 

Read More

Todd Gilbert: Lifestyle convenience???

MoonHowler

Deputy House Majority Leader C. Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah) said Tuesday night that he “regretted” his “insensitive comments”earlier in the day about abortion being a “lifestyle convenience.”

“Abortion is a sad and deeply serious occurrence,’’ Gilbert said in a statement. “Individuals on both sides of this issue agree that it is tragic for all involved. I recognize that few women undergo the procedure lightly. It leaves scars, both mental and physical, that can last forever. I regret that my comments earlier today on the House floor were insensitive to that reality.’’

What was that Elena said about a war on women?  What further proof do we need?  How dare this arrogant man speak of “Lifestyle Convenience?”   How  dare he! 

I feel so betrayed tonight.  My grandfather’s family were Virginians back in the mid-1700’s.  My grandmother was a member of the DAR, her family were Virginians.  My people were here before there was a United States.  Yet tonight I sit here, as a grandmother myself, wondering what has happened to my state.  Who are these men who came marching in here and decided what they thought was best for the women of Virginia?  These dumb asses will be vanquished.  Sic semper tyrannis

 

Sideshow Bob’s Personhood Bill: Beware of unintended consequences

MoonHowler

Bob Marshall must be in his glory.  After years of thwarted attempts, he has finally gotten his personhood bill out of committee and onto the floor of the General Assembly. 

The bill comes to us as a wolf in sheep’s clothing.  Ostensibly introduced as a means to punish fetal wrongful deaths such as in the Lacy Peterson case, nothing could be further from reality and the bill’s actual purpose.  Marshall’s intent is to have the bill in place ready should  Roe vs. Wade to be overturned.   Should that happen, abortion of any kind would be illegal in Virginia.  Many people say that will never happen.  Don’t bet the ranch. 

The 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution clearly spells out personhood: 

Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

This seems pretty clear to me and to other people possessing the ability to read. 

Personhood to a couple wanting a child probably begins before the child is even conceived.  This projection is emotional personhood.  I remember when we decided it was time for the first little Moonhowler to be brought into the world.  She had several names probably before she existed in a cellular state.  That’s just how we are when we want children.  Pregnancy sometimes comes when least expected and sometimes when it  is very  unwelcome.  Sometimes pregnancies are troubled and there are problems with the fetus.  Problems change the emotional playing field.  These are the gray areas and times that cause a great  emotional conflict to women always and often to the men in their lives.  No legislation in the world really touches any of the above scenes, nor should it.

The inherent danger in a personhood bill is legally defining a zygote in the same terms as your five year old, your wife, or your husband.  Zygotes are not sentient beings.  Embryos are not people. 

These are areas best left for theologians.  HB 1 is fraught with flaws and danger.  For starters, it will outlaw most hormonal forms of birth control (another extreme goal  freely acknowledged by Bob Marshall.)

Bob Marshall needs to put his bill back in his pocket and go peddle his religious ideas elsewhere.  As his constituent, I am tired of his religion being shoved down my throat.

HB1 Personhood Bill

 

Council of Bishops reject latest contraceptive plan

MoonHowler

It appears that the very conservative  Council of Bishops has rejected the latest contraceptive plan issued by the White House.   Are we surprised?  I doubt if they will be satisfied.  I speculate that if all contraception were forbidden from insurance policies, they might crack a smile. 

Meanwhile, our post on this subject has been one of favorite brawl places.  In the interest of all sides being aired (and yes, it is killing me to be the least bit egalitarian on this topic), Mika and Joe had an interesting discussion going on Friday.  Cardinal  Wuerl, the Arch Bishop of Washington is their guest. 

 

The Cardinal seems to have an analogy for everything rather than dealing directly with an issue.  The fact that he compares contraception to pornography says it all.

Two concepts, health care as it pertains to women  and religion seem to be on a collision course. 

 

Ron Paul’s view on abortion

MoonHowler

Ron Paul has enough flaws in his views on abortion that you could drive a truck though them. Life begins at conception but….so if someone is raped a shot of estrogen is ok.  Then why isn’t the morning after pill a good thing?  This guy is a medical doctor.  If I listened to him, I would be so confused.  

I have never met a single person who believes abortion is exceptable  acceptable [sorry about that, gang] at 9 months.  I doubt I ever will.  No one does.  Surely they mean a life or death of the mother situation.  I am tired of that even being part of the discussion.  Roe v. Wade does not find that acceptable either.  But the lies and confusion continue.

Mr. Libertarian sure wants to put some restrictions on women. His logic is non-existent.   Perhaps he isn’t really a libertarian.  It seems like behind the scenes this entire election is about abortion, contraception and planned parenthood rather than about recovery and jobs.

The anti-abortion onslaught continues…..

MoonHowler

Richmond Timnes Dispatch:

Social conservatives emboldened by Republican gains in the General Assembly in November suffered a major setback Thursday when a Senate committee deadlocked on a bill to prohibit women from having an abortion beyond 20 weeks of pregnancy.

But today, the House of Delegates appears ready to pass a bill to defund state-paid abortions for low-income women expecting a child with “gross and totally incapacitating physical deformity or mental deficiency” after the chamber advanced the measure Thursday.

The vote was 7-7 on Senate Bill 637 sponsored by Sen. Mark D. Obenshain, R-Harrisonburg. Republicans hold an 8-7 majority on the committee, but Sen. Harry B. Blevins, R-Chesapeake, abstained, deadlocking the measure.

Read More

Hypocrisy: Too big, too expensive, too intrusive

MoonHowler

Yes, Big Brother is watching.   Next time you hear Republicans complaining about government being too big, too expensive and too intrusive, remind them of what happened in Virginia this week.

This is perhaps the most offensive law passed since Roe vs Wade was decided.
The government needs to stay out of women’s wombs.
This is intimidation of the worst sort.

SB 484 passed 21-19.

Here is how the senators voted. Notice the one Democrat over in the list. Ours. Shame on Senator Colgan.

YEAS–Black, Blevins, Carrico, Colgan, Garrett, Hanger, Martin, McDougle, McWaters, Newman, Norment, Obenshain, Puckett, Reeves, Ruff, Smith, Stanley, Stosch, Stuart, Vogel, Wagner–21.

NAYS–Barker, Deeds, Ebbin, Edwards, Favola, Herring, Howell, Locke, Marsden, Marsh, McEachin, Miller, J.C., Miller, Y.B., Northam, Petersen, Puller, Saslaw, Watkins–18.

RULE 36–0.

NOT VOTING–Lucas–1.

Senator Howell was featured on the Rachel Maddow Show tonight.

Virginia is for Probing

 

Susan G Kohmen Organization Will Never Recieve Another Dime From Me

Elena

Critical update!  Susan G Komen clarifies policy to exlude organization found guilty of criminal offense to be exluded from funding.   They will now continue funding critical services to at risk women through Planned Parenthood.  I hope they can recover from the media damage they inflicted upon themselves.

 

I take this story very personally. My mother is a breast cancer survivor, both my grandmothers died from breast cancer. I am at high risk for carrying a specific breast cancer gene. I use to be a huge supporter of the Susan G. Kohmen Foundation. That support  has ended as of today. Apparently their leadership has made a choice to cut off the most at risk women who require low cost health care from their funding.

Furor Erupts Over Susan G. Komen Halt Of Grants To Planned Parenthood

The reaction has been intense this evening to the news from The Associated Press that “the nation’s leading breast-cancer charity, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, is halting its partnerships with Planned Parenthood affiliates.”

Much of it is highly critical of the charity, such as this message from Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif.:

“Komen’s decision hurts women — it puts politics before women’s health. @komenforthecure should be ashamed.”

Or this tweet from political satirist and Daily Show co-creator Lizz Winstead:

“I am crying in a cab at this Komen decision. Tomorrow we will rally. Who is in this fight with me! You can no longer sit idly by.”

Read More

Anti-Choice crusaders mandate an ultra sound

MoonHowler

The Richmond Times Dispatch:

A bill that would require a woman seeking an abortion to have an ultrasound took another step toward passage in the Virginia Senate Monday — but not before outnumbered Democrats rose to express their opposition in clinical terms.

Sen. Janet D. Howell, D-Fairfax proposed an amendment — that any man seeking prescription medication for erectile dysfunction must first submit to a digital rectal exam and cardiac stress test.

Howell told colleagues on the Senate floor that she was proposing the amendment because Senate Bill 484 requires women “to have an unnecessary medical procedure, it’s adding to the cost and it’s opening them up for emotional blackmail.”

“I think we should just have a little gender equity here,” Howell added.

Read More

Gingrich declares war on stem cell reseach and in vitro fertilization

MoonHowler

 


Washington Post:

Speaking at a Baptist church in Winter Park on Saturday, the former speaker received a standing ovation when he declared that embryonic stem-cell research amounts to “the use of science to desensitize society over the killing of babies.”

And in a news conference Sunday, he said he would ban all embryonic stem-cell research, including that done on discarded embryos created by in vitro fertilization.

Gingrich added that he would also create a commission to study the ethics of in vitro fertilization, which has involved the creation of hundreds of thousands of excess embryos stored or discarded by fertility clinics.

“I believe life begins at conception, and the question I was raising was what happens to embryos in fertility clinics, and I would favor a commission to look seriously at the ethics of how we manage fertility clinics,” Gingrich said at a news conference outside another Baptist church here. “If you have in vitro fertilization, you are creating life; therefore, we should look seriously at what the rules should be for clinics that are doing that, because they are creating life.”

Read More