Congress, Constitutional Law, Justice, Politics, Religion, Supreme Court

The Right’s War on Women

Submitted by Lawrence Rafferty, (rafflaw), Guest Blogger

 
I don’t think Barry Goldwater would recognize Conservatism or his Republican Party if he was alive today. Conservatism used to mean belief in safe and sound economic spending and freedom for all from governments getting too large and too restrictive on personal freedoms. Recently we have seen Republicans offer up a brand new and dangerous definition of rape in an attempt to restrict abortions and to restrict government money being used to pay for them. Now we are seeing another Republican attempt to restrict the use of contraceptives under the guise of ending the alleged use of Federal funds to pay for abortions.

A recent article outlined the legislation proposed by Rep. Mike Spence of Indiana to eliminate the entire $327 million dollar budget for Title X. Title X is a program that provides funding for women’s health and family planning costs. “The measure would eliminate all $327 million in funding for Title X, a family planning program that began 40 years ago under President Richard Nixon. And while Planned Parenthood receives millions of dollars from the program, Title X funds cannot be used for abortion services. The money is to be used for noncontroversial family planning services, mostly for low-income families.”

Rep. Spence and his fellow Republicans are trying to defund Planned Parenthood because it receives millions from Title X funds to assist women in their family planning and health matters. In order to try to end abortions without testing the strength of Roe v. Wade in the courts, the sponsors and backers of this bill don’t care if low-income women suffer by not getting the health care that they so desperately need. Many of these same legislators also backed the repeal of the Affordable Health Care act which would also assist low-income women get affordable health care.

The proposed legislation would end all monies from Title X and the effects of those funds drying up could be catastrophic for women. “The pro-abortion-rights group NARAL said the legislation would lead to more unwanted pregnancies by cutting funding for contraceptives. “The new anti-choice House leadership now wants to take away birth control and cancer screenings from millions of American women and men,” said Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL. “While these politicians attack abortion coverage from every angle, they now want to deny funding for birth control, even though that’s the best way to prevent unintended pregnancy. Americans will not stand for this blatant hypocrisy.” ‘

Is it just me or do I detect a pattern here?  What do these mostly male Republicans have against women? I was thinking of writing an article asking when America will have its own “Egyptian” moment, but maybe I should ask when will American Women have their “Egyptian” moment?

Source: Raw Story

Submitted by Lawrence Rafferty, (rafflaw), Guest Blogger

360 thoughts on “The Right’s War on Women”

  1. Jason,
    First of all, if we could have stayed out of WWII we could have stayed out of Afghanistan after being attacked. You can’t have it both ways.
    Iraq was more than a bad idea, it was started over lies and oil. Lies from a Republican President.
    Kosovo is not even close to being considered a war since we did not lose one single life in combat. We lost more brave souls in Grenada under Reagan, but I don’t consider that a “war” either. The mention of advisors in Eisenhower’s time was to give you perspective. Nixon wasn’t trying to get us out of war in his first term even though he ran on a peace platform both times. He increased the bombing and started student riots when he expanded the War to Cambodia. As to WWI, Wilson kept us out of the war during his first term, but after repeated German u-boat attacks on our merchant ships and their proposed alliance with Mexico, Wilson had no political choice but to declare war on a country that was attacking us already.

  3. ‘Although it is still a radical idea in our day (which accounts for the stalking of patients, bombing of Clinics and the killing of medical personel)these women realized that control over one’s reproductive system was essential for survival. Women who found themselves pregnant had very limited options (there were no laws against firing pregnant workers or dismissing students and child support payments were very lax in enforcement by modern standards)and Jane sought to change that system. ‘ ~ http://www.amazon.com/review/R3PPV431U8OQF9/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt#R3PPV431U8OQF9

    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60KFGypGUn0&w=480&h=390]

  4. Chan,

    And how would you define “alarmist?” As a professional who studies alarms…a person who is interested in alarms? Maybe as one who follows a system of belief in using alarms?

    😉

  5. Bertram Scudder (B.S.): Why not answer the question? Was [Kant] religious or not? Seems to me he was.

    First, what’s the relevance? Whether or not he was religious does not alter his metaphysics of morals. Second, if he was religious, he sure did spend an incredible amount of time attempting to find proof for the non-existence, and existence, of God.

    B.S.: “Would he be against abortion or not? Seems to me he would be against it.”

    Perhaps, but he’d still have to reconcile his view within the confines of the social compact and his distinction between duties of virtue and duties of right. And unfortunately, without an immense amount of intellectual dishonesty, he wouldn’t be able to do so without preserving the first trimester as a duty of virtue zone.

    B.S.: “So why would you use a religious philosopher to argue against abortion?”

    You obviously never read Kant have you.

    B.S.: “Seems to me you are underscoring my point.”

    Come back when you’ve read the Critique of Pure Reason.

  6. rafflaw:

    neither are yours. We didnt start Afghanistan. Iraq was a bad idea. What about Kosovo?

    Nixon was trying to get us out of a bad situation. As for WWII, we could have stayed out of that war as we could have stayed out of WWI.

    A few advisors is not 500,000 troops.

  8. Bob Esq:

    Why not answer the question?

    Was he religious or not? Seems to me he was. Would he be against abortion or not? Seems to me he would be against it. So why would you use a religious philosopher to argue against abortion?

    Seems to me you are underscoring my point.

  9. women need their rights….so their 10 year old daughters don’t become fodder for the loins of self-deceiving men.

    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBlyaQpZAwE&w=640&h=390]

  10. Jason Roberts,
    Most of our wars are started by liberals?? Let’s review with the most current ones first, Iraq, AFghanistan, Republican.
    Of course you would have to confirm how you are defining war since we haven’t had a declared war since WWII. World War II wasn’t started by the US and we responded after being attacked, so that one would not be a Liberal who started it. Korean War which was a police action by the United Nations that we were involved in as a member of the UN. Vietnam is a little trickier because we actually started sending “advisors” to Vietnam during the Eisenhower administration, but our involvement increased under both Democratic and Republican regismes. (Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon…you may recall that Nixon ran twice for president as a so-called peace candidate but he increased the bombing and made the incursion into Cambodia during his adminstration)
    As you can see from this quick review, your claim is not accurate.

  11. Raff, you are a front pager here. How about doing a diary on it? Tincture of sunshine is the best medicine.

  12. OS,
    I did see that article. It is amazing. The Religious Right has gone off the deep end on this one. This is a group that claims that they respect life, but it is ok to murder a doctor who is doing his/her job! This is an example of what the American Taliban looks like.

  13. Mike Spindell:

    I am a conservative and I have served. But correct me if I am wrong, most of our wars were started by liberals and then the rank and file liberals ran to Canada. Or they get jobs and send civilian/military technology to our enemies. Think GE and Clinton.

    Not all conservatives are chicken hawks.

  14. Bertram Scudder (B.S.): “Why would you quote a religious mystic who would have been horrified with the idea of abortion in defense of abortion? That doesn’t seem rational, but that isn’t surprising since Kant doesn’t care much for reason.”

    Kant was a religious mystic? Sounds like the ravings of an Ayn Rand junkie.

    Try refuting the argument in lieu of defaming the man.

  17. Bob Esq:

    “The man who . . . closed the door of philosophy to reason, was Immanuel Kant. . . .
    Kant’s expressly stated purpose was to save the morality of self-abnegation and self-sacrifice. He knew that it could not survive without a mystic base—and what it had to be saved from was reason.
    Attila’s share of Kant’s universe includes this earth, physical reality, man’s senses, perceptions, reason and science, all of it labeled the “phenomenal” world. The Witch Doctor’s share is another, “higher,” reality, labeled the “noumenal” world, and a special manifestation, labeled the “categorical imperative,” which dictates to man the rules of morality and which makes itself known by means of a feeling, as a special sense of duty.”

    Why would you quote a religious mystic who would have been horrified with the idea of abortion in defense of abortion? That doesn’t seem rational, but that isn’t surprising since Kant doesn’t care much for reason.

  18. W=C: “another question….when a governing body refuses to enforce the existing social compact in favour of an as yet unagreed upon one….what is that called?”

    Tyranny.

    W=c: “and what can we expect to happen in it’s occurrance?”

    Hopefully nothing violent.

  19. Chan,

    Speaking as a woman, I’d prefer to have a man who treats me as an equal and respects my opinion than a man who holds doors open and pulls out chairs for me.

    I wonder why your girlfriend thinks liberal guys are too feminine…because she believes no liberal men hunt and fish??? Is that what she thinks makes a man a man…hunting and fishing? Is that how your “brilliant” girlfriend judges men?

  20. “She thinks liberal guys are too feminine”~Chan

    bwaahahahahahaha!

    …did she say this to you?

    bwaahahahahahaha!

    …did you buy it?

    bwaahahahahahaha!

    ……….oh, I needed that……………….

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