Let’s begin all this by considering the simultaneous and of course “coincidental” pile on from all of these Republican-run states on crushing women’s control over their own bodies. They are trying to outdo each other in having the most oppressive government crackdowns on the independence of women…including legislating mandatory cruelty against young girls who are victims of rape and incest (you know, the real guilty parties in a rape).
Some of these laws declare that it is a crime, once the mother just knows she is pregnant, to have an abortion, even in the early weeks. Some laws, like the Alabama law, state that a doctor who performs and abortion can be imprisoned for 99 years…while the rapist of an 11 year old girl spends just a little time in prison before he gets to claim his parental rights and entwine himself in the life of his 11 year old rape victim and mother for the rest of her life. Ah, the smell of Alabama justice!
Even spraying a crate of air freshener wouldn’t help.
By no means do these white male legislators (notice the two things that these anti-women voting Alabama legislators in the image above have in common?), who would never personally accept government restricting their freedoms, represent everyone in Alabama. But as in Missouri, Ohio and the other states now pouring their residents’ tax money into taking away women’s rights aren’t concerned in the least that they are steering their state’s focus and resources away from helping existing citizens with their many issues (Alabama is at the bottom of the list in education, infant mortality, health care, standard of living, poverty, etc…but at least child molesters can be assured of being rewarded with fatherhood there!).
It’s clear that this is a coordinated Republican war on Roe v. Wade, to bring it down as soon as possible. Mitch McConnell has abused his office to shove two right wing Supreme Court justices onto the court and give the extremists a 5-4 majority they are anxious to take advantage of.
But why is this such a high priority not just for Republican politicians and the Right Wing power brokers but for the corporate Right Wingers like the Koch brothers? Why has this issue been so persistently a top cause?
Plainly, it is an emotional issue that provides a sense of outrage and moral superiority for their base voters. However, it is interesting to explore the politicians’ motivations. Let’s begin by testing out the proposition of whether this is about an earnest moral value for Republican politicians. Because if it isn’t, then there has to be another motive.
The view they present is that they are pro-life because all life is sacred. Proving that proposition false takes little effort. These same politicians refuse to pass gun safety laws because it would “infringe on the rights of gun owners” despite between 30,000 to 40,000 “sacred lives” of innocent Americans being taken every year and that number is rising. And somoe of these victims are pregnant women and young children. Why aren’t these same Republican outraged by this ongoing loss of sacred life ad limiting gun rights the way they’re limiting women’s rights, to supposedly save lives?
These Republican politicians also oppose and do their best to cut benefits to provide food and health care to children in poverty. In Washington DC, they try to slash the nominal income and health insurance keeping the elderly alive through Social Security and Medicare. They support the death penalty and military conflicts where not only are their own residents killed in conflicts but innocent men, women and children (including pregnant women) are murdered. We don’t see a “pro-life” principle applying in any of these cases. Apparently, there is an unseen but big asterisk on their “pro-life” label.
If, for a moment, you put aside the abortion issue for Right Wing Republican politicians (which is nearly all of them at this point), what you see is pretty consistent support for allowing the deaths of others. Their “pro-life” position on abortion is an anomaly…and that’s because to them, this issue isn’t really about core beliefs or empathy, it’s about something else far more crass and cynical.
It is about power.
Plain and simple, these Republicans embrace anti-abortion fights so aggressively because it is such a perfect con job for them to benefit from. What could be better cover for those primarily chasing more power for themselves and their party and wanting to payback those wealthy people who fill their pockets with money? What could be better for them than exploiting abortion for personal gain and being able to hide behind the fake morality of standing up for a defenseless fetus? Of course, once it’s born, these politicians run into a conflict with taxing the rich to help pay to sustain that life so then it suddenly isn’t really that “sacred” anymore when life competes with campaign contributions (if newborns donated to politicians, that could change things…how about an infants’ lobbying group/SuperPAC, “Babies Urging Reproductive Parents”…BURP?).
And the motivation for power doesn’t stop there. The chauvinism that gushes out of the mouths of these RW Republican politicians is a reflection of the other power-related issue driving them. They have claimed that rape is consensual, that a woman can’t claim rape if it’s her husband, that women share responsibility for rape because of how they dress or if they drink alcohol and they even claim that women can’t get pregnant from rape if they simply decide they don’t want to.
The insecurity of these men at witnessing the empowerment and equality of women has been an ongoing threat to them. They do not want to see women as being equal to them, as being as competent and powerful and being an equal competitor in the career arena.
They liked it better when women were seen as second class citizens who served the man and could be patted on the head and told “how cute she is” when she tried to do things that of course only men can do well.
So there is another power-related benefit for these RW Republican men as they enthusiastically pursue their anti-abortion agenda, it knocks women back and away from them. Women lose and that’s what they want, men get to decide for women what they can do with their own bodies and what they specifically can’t do. In this pursuit, women have no control over men’s bodies while men take control of women’s bodies and affirm them to be lesser, just helpless vessels for a man’s reproductive use.
The comparisons to A Handmaid’s Tale have been well made and don’t need to greatly expounded upon here but as so many Trump voters have expressed, they really want to see America return to a time when white male Christians had supremacy over all other Americans, when women were considered inferior and had less power…along with minorities of course.
The old saying applies here, “Be careful what you wish for, you might get it.” If these selfish, power-minded men eventually succeed in having the SCOTUS tear away the rights of a woman over her own body, legally making women the only class of citizen whose body the state has authority over, the political landscape changes.
No longer will the abortion issue energize the Republican base, once you get what you want, you’re not motivated to go out to protest against something that’s not going on anymore (at least not in clinics but in more dangerous, secret places again by people who aren’t doctors). At the same time, women and those who respect them, who represent a majority of voters, will gain an intensity of righteous enthusiasm to reclaim their equality and independence from government control when they’re pregnant. This is likely to become a force and a movement rarely seen in politics, in terms of scope and power.
Support for abortion rights grows as some U.S. states curb access: Reuters/Ipsos poll
Americans have become more supportive of abortion rights over the past year, even as a wave of Republican-controlled state governments have imposed new restrictions, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Sunday.
The poll found that 58% of American adults said abortion should be legal in most or all cases, up from 50% who said that in a similar poll that ran in July 2018.
For these craven politicians, if they win in the short term, they will lose eventually, one way or another. That’s the way it often works out in politics for those who would harm the many to profit themselves. This is ultimately a losing issue for these Right Wing Republican politicians, at least on a national scale. Around 60% of Americans think abortion should be legal, at least in some situations like first term, in the case of rape or incest and when the life of the mother is at stake. Many of these recent state bills fly in the face of what the majority wants.
The American people and women in particular, will in time, make their will the law of the land. Those Right Wing Republican politicians who are showing such spite towards them to benefit themselves…may be made to wish they’d never been born.
“Pro-life” seems to be a term used by some to control something that cannot exist outside the womb. I would argue the term should apply to the over 400,000 children that are in foster care. They’re actually living outside the womb, but in need of a loving family and home. Women should have the right to determine what happens to their bodies instead of white male legislators trying to control their reproductive rights.
Much of this is framed as a love of life, but it is not. The right has done everything possible to shred the social safety net. This is a direct hit to a single parent, especially when they are paid 80 cents on the dollar. There is a lack of affordable housing snd a lack of paid maternity leave. The much maligned Planned Patenthood provides low / no cost pre-natal care, or can help women to locate local programs. They also offer access to birth control and reality based sex ed. Why would those who hate abortion, be so unsupportive of those they would force to carry a pregnancy to term?
It becomes clear that life is not a blessing, but a weapon to punish a woman for what the right perceives as promiscuity. They care not about the woman, the child is but a weapon.
Life is a blessing for the women who are ready to have child or for the men and women who planned together to produce a child. Pregnancy is a way for white males that are in power to control women for fear of genetic annihilation. They do not care about the child or woman once the child is born. This is why there are so many children left in foster care.
Planned Parenthood is a great facility for women of all ages, especially those that are of low income. Our current society wants us to believe their primary focus is on abortion, when it is to ensure women has the proper care throughout life. For centuries white males worked to co trip women and their reproductive system. Now is the time to put it to an end.
There are times, when it endangers a woman or her living children. No paid maternity leave, exorbitant child care costs…… I couldn’t blame a wonan for terminating her pregnancy A child of rape ot a young unprepared girl. It isn’t a choice made lightly, but it must exist for so many reasons.
Some or most of these obstacles could be removed, but it seems that some are more invested in punishing the woman as well as her children, for daring to have sex, consensual or not.
That goes back to my initial point. “Life is a blessing for the women who are ready to have a child or for the men and women who planned together to produce a child.” For me it’s all about women’s right to choose. Pro-life is about taking care of the lives that are already here and preventing people from dying prematurely.
Pro-life is a lie, they don’t care to support the living, only the unborn. If anyone doubts me, all they have to do is take a gander at the border and the orphans the sane bunch of “pro-life” {sic} neo-cons have purposely created.
I disagree, I am pro-life. You’re referring to people that are anti-life anti-women’s choice.
I am referring to the movement as they define it. I consider myself pro-life, as i also support the living and the breathing. I am sure those in their movement would disagree.
In my opinion the Conservative Pro-Life Movement doesn’t exist because they abandon the mother and child after birth.
I don’t doubt their existence, as I’ve had my share of back and forth with them over the years. Whether they’re actually women or even human , is another matter.
How could one be pro-life, if they want to take away a woman’s right to choose and fail to adopt the living. Also, if they are pro-life, why come they haven’t found a way to prevent miscarriages?
No clue, and no they can’t seem to do anything about miscarriages, other than attempt to assign blame, which is beyond cruel.
That’s why I don’t consider them pro-life.
Rashaad, yes, that’s how it appears to me, that Lizzeee is referring to the phony pro-lifers who only claim to be that to hide their chauvinist agenda.
These men seem intimidated by women having independence and self-determination. Of course they want to “Make America Great Again” because in their minds, America was great when white men were accepted as being the superior members of society and women and POC were second-class inferiors.
It’s no fun when someone takes your Burger King crown away, they want it back and the way of returning women back to being lessers, is for men to use government to take their equality and control away.
It’s pretty sick when you think about it, this perversion of religion and democracy so some men can again dominate and control women, reduce them from equals to helpless birthing vessels. Even for rapists. Pretty sick.
I understand Lizzeee’s position, I am off the belief that Conservatives are phony as well. It’s hard for one to be pro-life if they are willing to abandon them after birth or focus on those that are in foster care.
Lizzeee, it always seems to be the case that those who are loudest about their beliefs are often the most insincere. The ones protesting most aggressively about being pro-life are also the ones cheering on Trump to deprive poor children of food and medical care and make immigrant children suffer, even die in government custody.
There are many who are truly concerned about life holistically which one can respect. But hypocrisy and conditional beliefs that some lives are sacred and others are not, based on personal opinions and/or prejudices, proves one is not genuinely pro-life but using that label as a morally superior facade to hide the genuinely immoral thoughts inside them.
The vast majority of women see abortion as a choice of desperation. Mich of that desperation could be avoided, but many of the ones that squawk the loudest are the same ones that do nothing to change the situation.
Couldn’t keep reading the article once the racism and sexism of the author became evident. There is no room in civil conversation for such hate based on a person’s skin color or gender.
So it is against your principles for someone to call another person racist or sexist? You may want to re-read your comment and reconsider your own efforts in conducting civil conversation.
The author is using the individuals race and sex to say they are bad. I simply don’t think anyone who has such beliefs is worthy participating in a civil discussion. Unless they want to discuss how their racist, sexist beliefs are bad. I would be glad to talk with them about that.
How it appears is that the moment you saw the words “white” and “male”, and criticism, the switch flipped in your head to shut down and take refuge behind the false charges of racism and sexism.
This is a familiar syndrome, blaming the ones who point out racism or sexism as the true racists or sexists because they identified it.
That is not how thoughtful people deal in civil discussions with opinions they don’t share. If you are secure in being a white male, you shouldn’t be so fragile at the mention of criticism of other white males who are clearly in positions of power over women and minorities, that you need to respond in such a knee jerk and inappropriate way.
If you genuinely question the domination in this country by those who are white and male, I invite you to point out one woman or one person of color in the photo above of the Alabama politicians who voted to take away women’s rights.
You may believe that white men should not be criticized for how they dominate our government and force women and minorities to be controlled by oppressive laws that exclude white men. That may be representational government to you but it is not to a majority of Americans.
And what you continue to be oblivious to is that you keep accusing someone else of being uncivil while hurling the identical charges of racism and sexism that you claim is not what people should do in a respectful conversation. Is this another white male privilege? White males can call other people racists and sexists but anyone who does that to white males is a racist and sexist. Really? You sure you want to stay with that?
Hypocrisy is not the best argument for trying to claim the moral high ground. You might want to try something else…like practicing what you preach.
I am not saying it is wrong to call people who are acting in a racist or sexist way that, I am saying that we should judge people by the content of their character, not the color of their skin, or their gender. The author judges by skin color and sex. I find that to be illogical and racist and sexist. If you can’t see that using skin color and gender to judge/group people as wrong and not appropriate then I don’t know how to fix you. Treat people as individuals, stop being divisive and racist and sexist.
It seems to me, that adlib is being specific about the right wing POV of those who feel entitled to restrict the reproductive rights of American women..
Do we not have the right to judge those who feel entitled to make such personal decisions for others, without representation or consideration?
Your defense of racism and sexism by white men is kind of comical. First, that you feel the need to protect them at all simply because you appear to see it as your “clan” being under attack.
Second, your choice of defenses is the five-year-old’s game of “I know you are but what am I?”.
Third, you are at least appearing to be completely oblivious to the hypocrisy of doing exactly what you are trying to condemn someone else for doing.
All together, they illustrate the absurdity and unflattering subtext of your responses.
So the thin reed you are trying to hang onto, to excuse the racism and sexism of a group of your fellow white men is that you can’t judge a group by its actions.
Then here’s a tough one for you…are members of the KKK racist? Or is “the author” again exhibiting racism for suggesting such a thing?
I can only imagine how exercised you will be for my calling this group of white men racists too:
And what about neo-nazis? Is deflection needed for them too since they are mostly white and male?
Your flimsy blanket defense of racists and sexists because you share skin color and gender with them isn’t quite as effective as you imagine.
Are all white males racists and sexists because some are? Of course not. But is it principled to excuse other white men when they are exhibiting racist and sexist motivations, simply because one is also white and male? Simply put, no.
Still, you’re welcome to defend all groups of white men like neo-Nazis and Klansmen just as unintentionally comically as you feel you must.
BTW, here is a group of white men who were marching in Detroit today. But you say that it’s racist to call a group of white men racist…so on which side would that leave you?
What a load of gibberish. Republicans support prolife policies because the overwhelming majority of the base are church goers, and churches are almost uniformly against abortion. Abortions are seen rightly or wrongly as intentional killing of a baby.
On the subject of “power” and the quest for, its the democrats who want more and more control over the population. Are democrats pro choice on the subjects of:
School choice?
Owning and carrying a firearm?
Having or not having health insurance?
Who you do or don’t do business with?
How you treat the environment?
Union membership?
See the pattern? The only thing that liberals want the folks to be able to choose, is sex and if you want to murder your kid.
A few points to consider: The allegedly “pro-life” GOP is quite happy with the death penalty. If “all life is sacred,” that’s inconsistent to say the least. They also haven’t met a war yet that they haven’t fallen in love with.
The GOP is all about keeping the “dam guvmint” out of our lives when it comes to gun control (after 12 more people were killed in Virginia Beach over the weekend). But welcomes government control over women’s reproductive organs. Possibly because women are not viewed as equal citizens?
The role of males in causing pregnancy is completely ignored by the Republican party. Perhaps when there are legal penalties (including heavy fines and mandatory prison time) for males who refuse to use birth control, people on the left will take their “pro-life” rhetoric a little more seriously.
That rhetoric would also be taken more seriously if people on the left EVER saw anti-choice Republicans adopting the handicapped and/or biracial babies they are forcing to be born. Neither I nor anyone I know has ever met a Republican who has adopted one or more of the children who result from their anti-choice policies. Not one.
Those “church-goers” in the GOP base should take a look at the verse in Matthew that states that hypocrites “place heavy burdens on the backs of others that they would not bear themselves.”
To your point about adoption, kes.
A woman who grew up in foster care explains why the ‘adoption not abortion’ argument doesn’t fly.
https://www.upworthy.com/a-woman-who-grew-up-in-foster-care-explains-why-the-adoption-not-abortion-argument-doesn-t-fly
A bunch of misinformed white guys deciding the reproductive fate of millions of women is a very unchristian thing to do. As is the judging of others through your own beliefs.
The American Taliban practicing Sharia Law is what I call it when so-called Christians legislate based on their religious beliefs. It’s unconstitutional, morally wrong and as Jesus himself said, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone”.
Excellent points, Kalima! Especially the idea that making laws based on one sect’s religious beliefs is contrary to the intentions that the Founders express in the Constitution. These SCOTUS “Originalists” are anything but original if they cooperate with this agenda.
Kalima, I meant to add as well: thank you! For this excellent article. As the author says: “A life is not saved just by letting it be born.”
It goes far beyond that.
RWNJ’s only support pro life policies because they use it as a campaign tool every election. Most church types and RWNJ’s I’ve come across are flaming hypocrites and then some. Those people have a different face for every side of every issue.
Speaking of controlling people I don’t see RWNJ’s giving people the choice between medicare for all, instead they want everyone to have to choose between which insurance company will screw them the least.[power]
Using taxpayer money to fund for profit schools isn’t about choice it’s about taking care of your big money donors{power}.
I don’t see the democrats using election fraud/voter suppression tactics to keep everyone from voting they can they know won’t vote for them, it’s your party of criminals who is doing it. [power]….This is exactly why this country has such a worthless piece of white trash installed in the white house.
I could go on but to be honest with you, you right wingers are not worth wasting any more time on. Your views are still not based in fact or reality.
BTW, watching faux news “fox” isn’t fact or reality or neither is right wing hate radio.
Nelson, it is not an actual argument or effective to claim something as “gibberish” then play the tired “What about Dems?!” card.
We are talking about the hypocrisy of those claiming to be pro-life, the factual assertion that many of those claiming to be “pro-life” support the death penalty, defunding food and health care for poor children and are pro-war which kills so many innocent lives.
Do you dispute this? Here’s a link to the Right Wing group Focus on the Family where they try to defend their pro-life/pro-death hypocrisy in a very lame way. Essentially saying that if a court says someone deserves to die, they support killing…even though it could later turn out that he was innocent. And innocent people have been killed using the death penalty. So de facto, they have supported the killing of innocents.
Why don’t they support fully funding the feeding and healthcare of newborns and children born into poverty. Innocent children die because of a lack of health insurance. Why wouldn’t a “pro-life” supporter want to protect the life of the born?
If something doesn’t make sense, it’s probably not the truth. This fanatical obsession with controlling women, mainly orchestrated by men. is not so mysterious to those who look at it in total.
You miss characterized my response. I assume because you have no counter argument. I didn’t just say gibberish, I explained in detail why.
There is no hypocrisy in wanting to defend innocent life, and killing the worst of the worst murderers who are clearly not innocent.
Conservatives are not pro war. They are pro strong national defense, which reduces the incentive for evil regimes to test us. It actually reduces the loss of innocent life.
As far as your expectation that group A should bail out group B from their decisions. That just reinforces the bad behavior. And in the long run, causes more poverty and human suffering. Not less. Even if government could make the lives of the current crop of poor, better, it just causes more people to stop trying. That is the road to hell.
If liberals actually wanted to help the poor, they would support private charity and businesses who do a much better job of helping people get their lives on track.
Nelson, we may have to just agree to disagree. I’ve presented a very linear proposition in my article and your responses don’t address it.
Here is the core hypocrisy I see, those who claim to be pro-life and claim that all life is sacred when wanting laws to prevent abortion, but turn around and justify the taking of life in other situations when it comes to people already born.
So here’s the one proposition that pro-lifers never answer, if all life is sacred, then the lives of prisoners being executed are sacred, the lives of toddlers dying in Immigration facilities are sacred, the lives of innocent victims of wars are sacred…so why do many if not most pro-lifers also support death in these and other instances?
The only conclusion from a factual standpoint is that all life isn’t sacred to pro-lifers, it’s only in the case of when women are pregnant and want control over their pregnancy.
And have these pro-lifers worked to promote contraceptives to reduce abortions? No, just the opposite. You can see people’s true objectives from their actions, not their words.
And through their actions and their conditional assertions about life being sacred only when it comes to a woman having determination over her own pregnancy, it is clear to the majority of Americans who believe women should have the right to control their own bodies and not continue a pregnancy if they so choose (which includes Republicans), that this isn’t really a matter of “all life is sacred”.
So that assertion is not true or legitimate. Just as you can’t be a little preganant, you can’t be a little bit pro-life. Either all life is sacred or it isn’t. The Catholic Church is at least consistent (even though I disagree with it), opposing abortion, war and supporting care for the poor.
Calling oneself pro-life then being hateful towards poor children seems more like self-satire than reason.
Hi Nelson. So, our first fight in the new place…
I do not understand this statement:
“There is no hypocrisy in wanting to defend innocent life, and killing the worst of the worst murderers who are clearly not innocent.”
So the issue is not that all life is precious, but that it’s an innocent life? That is radically different from what I understood the pro-life position to be. It’s actually a pretty weak position, because those judgments sound very subjective, if not arbitrary.
Are you sure that is what you mean to say? Or did you just get caught up in trying to defend your position against the accusations that, to use the current meme, that you are more accurately characterized as pro-fetus than pro-life? Please clarify.
Good points, misapope. It’s a shaky bridge to try and cross, to claim that killing is okay as long as a government convicts someone of a capital crime.
So in countries like Russia where political opponents of Putin are charged and convicted of crimes, executing politicians in opposing parties and journalists exposing unpleasant truths about Putin deserve to die because the government tried and convicted them?
Closer to home, what about the many convicted people who were wrongly convicted due to prejudice? Killing them is sanctioned by “pro-life” people because a court wrongly declared they weren’t innocent?
So as you say, it is a very slippery slope if the “right to life” is taken away of people who aren’t judged by these faux Christians to be innocent.
If I have the view that many of these pro-lifers aren’t innocent because of the hatred and hypocrisy they exhibit, should I see their lives as disqualified from protecting?
“If I have the view that many of these pro-lifers aren’t innocent because of the hatred and hypocrisy they exhibit, should I see their lives as disqualified from protecting?”
Let me cut to the chase and date myself at the same time, That’s heavy! It points out the emptiness behind the fine sounding slogan, “pro life,” when not applied consistently. And it illustrates the dangers that can creep in when life is defined so narrowly.
I have no problem with someone being against abortion. I have a problem when they try to impose those beliefs on everybody else. I think that is a different America than what the FFs had in mind.
Agreed misapope, having a conditional view of which life is sacred and which life isn’t, purely on personal prejudices, is a very slippery slope…and a dangerous one.
What if Trump declared that anyone who doesn’t support him, is an enemy of America and gave the wink to his followers that they would be justified in getting rid of people who “threatened” America?
The moment an alleged principle becomes conditional, it is no longer a principle.
Free expression is proven to be genuine every time Nazis march, every time someone uses a right to do something we dislike, it proves that principle is legit.
But having all kinds of exceptions to “All life is sacred”? Not possible, with even the smallest exception, it’s proven to be a fraud.
As you say, I don’t have any problem with people believing that abortion is wrong. And if they feel the death penalty, wars and gun proliferation are also wrong because they kill so many innocent lives, I would fully respect their position.
But those who don’t show that same consistency prove that their high moral ground is just quicksand.
It’s difficult to be pro-choice in the areas described when the legislators are taking them off the table. Democrats can choose their schools when it’s available. Sometimes vouchers are need to facilitate it. They choose to own or not own guns, while many actually have them.
Democrats choose to carry or not carry healthcare. many times that choice is dictated by their employment and or income. When it comes to business, I don’t think most business owners are honestly willing to share their political affiliation with the country. If they do, it helps people to choose whether or not to do business with them.
Everyone regardless of political affiliation makes a conscious choice regarding how they will treat the environment based upon the products they purchase. Democrats can opt out unions, which is a choice. So can Republicans.
Yes, I think in general, Democrats believe in the freedom of people to choose for themselves what they want or don’t want in their lives though the limitation on that is when it affects the freedoms, rights and/or well being of other human beings.
The abortion issue is a very clear cut case of that, where Republicans are passing religious-based laws to deny women the ability to make choices for themselves about their own bodies, even at 6 weeks when the embryo is nowhere near a human being.
When it comes to other rights, such as proliferating military rifles in the hands of citizens and mass killers, polluting the air, land and water and worsening Climate Change disasters, promoting racism and the violence that follows, Republicans wail about “freedom” from government intrusion in people’s lives while many Democrats draw the line because the choices to do these things infringe on the safety of their lives and their pursuit of happiness…which is guaranteed in the Constitution.
Freedom to choose for one’s own life is very important and should be protected but when those choices can harm the lives and futures of other human beings, they can’t be unlimited.
That was one heck of a good read.
I enjoyed it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmMvsAjCkog
The main reason for the rush of new state laws led by Republican dominated state legislatures across the land is the current make-up of the high court. They see now–with the imbalance of the court in their favor–as an opportune time to overturn Roe V. Wade. Trump having put two, more, conservative white males on the court, the misguided party of fools have visions or restoring America’s image to one of their own reflection and making again.
Conservatives use abortion as a cause and political weapon because of its religious overtones. Many of the faithful believe that terminating a pregnancy is equal to malice murder. Is ungodly. Tying their political causes to the faith of many Americans is another of the schemes extreme measure conservatives use to push their covert desires (America needs to be redeemed and good men like us returned to power) and win over faith based voters in the process. It is soul stealing for a political purpose.
The men who vote for such fool hardy laws are at war with the souls of men (good and evil, them against us and God), the ideal of a certain order is their wish. To that end they are using pregnancy as a storm-front.
True but all of this has been orchestrated. From preventing Obama from filling the SCOTUS seat to forcing through anti-Roe trolls Kavanaugh and Gorsich to pushing through all these anti-choice laws at the same time. It is an organized assault on our justice system, the Constitution and of course, women.
It is easy to manipulate people through their faith but those who do aren’t men who believe in that faith, they are treating religious people as sheep that are easily herded.
As for the small minority of Americans supporting these laws, Christianity also espouses loving thy neighbor, condemns the wealthy and raises up the the nobility of “the meek”. Yet these so-called Christians couldn’t be bothered with all the morals of Christianity (“Caging toddlers and causing their deaths, works for me!”), just the ones which gives their religion political power to force everyone else to adhere to it.
Jesus would not approve.
Well said!
Yes, it most definitely has been orchestrated. Controlling the courts is a means of assuring their ongoing efforts to affirm the wisdom of the Southern strategy put in place by Republicans some 50 years ago to stymie liberals, women and blacks. And they have been “preaching” fear ever since, and the sheep have been so stirred they defecate on themselves and blame others.
Good point, recognizing how this stems from the Southern Strategy. Which also reflects that there is a white racist aspect to this as well, even though there are some black voters who support this theocratic campaign.
When viewed from the aspect of power and control, this campaign to make the extremist religious views of their voters into laws that everyone of all religions must obey (I thought Republicans didn’t want Big Government in people’s lives…let alone their private health decisions), mirrors laws that forbade mixed race marriages and criminalized being gay.
These are the unevolved people trying to drag society backwards into darkness, ignorance and tribalism. Some Dems running for president think these people should be courted for their votes, I think they should be seen as the adversaries of a better society and energies should instead be spent on generating greater turnout by those most likely to want change from Trump and the RW.
I’ll start off with the superficial. Why do they always have names like “Garlan Gudger” and “Shay Shelnut”? (Yes, those are real names up there in the image.) Is that essential to winning an election in these states? Are these guys even real? Or are they less than successfully programmed bots? I think we need an investigation into their DNA…if they have any. And if morality is hard-wired into us, someone fell asleep on the assembly line.
Years ago, my kids and I were talking about the abortion issue and each of them made a good point. My daughter said: “Even when Republicans who have campaigned heavily on making abortion illegal, once they get elected, never actually then do anything about it. They never follow through on that promise.” My son said: “Of course they don’t. They can’t afford to “solve” the abortion issue once and for all. Because then they’d lose the most valuable tool they have for manipulating lower income voters. Why else would many of these people ever vote GOP?”
This is the point you also made, AdLib. Once the majority of states pass laws like the ones in Ohio, Alabama and elsewhere, they’re screwed. They’ve killed the goose who laid the golden eggs (thus aborting many goslings in the process).
And as you and others have also noted — the fact that they are in love with the death penalty, and with endless war, and with denying babies health care proves that they don’t have the slightest notion of what moral consistency looks like. I think voters are starting to figure this one out already.
Which is one reason why I hope they will stand up to Mitch McTurtle when he tries to ram through another Kavanaugh-like SCOTUS nomination in an election year, even though that was “totally impossible” when Obama was President.
I have to wonder if some of these men in the AL legislature are just stooges put in place to vote as they’re told. I just get this feeling in my Gudger that could be the case.
I’ve told you this before but your children are amazing people (wonder where they get it from?). They nailed it concisely. But in the Trump era, there is no such thing as long term thinking, that either legally or de facto ending abortion in states will have so many terrible consequences for their residents, their state, their party and their political futures. It’s all about breaking store windows and grabbing all you can carry. Republicans are so lousy at thinking about blowback.
So AL, a very poor state among the worst in child mortality, uninsured people, poverty, etc., wants to start having a baby boom that they can’t afford, won’t take care of and will be a huge burden especially to the poor and society as a whole? That’s called “winning”? And in the process chase away the better educated and skilled workers who don’t want to be oppressed like this or live in a deteriorating state?
Same goes for the other Repub led poverty-stricken states. They want to turn their states into bigger disasters? They don’t even think about it because moving the ball forward on theocracy is all that matters (they know End Times are coming anyway so why worry, I suppose).
As the roof falls down on the GOP over this, the greedy tax cuts, increased pollution, Climate Change enhanced natural disasters, greater economic inequity, I hope McConnell is buried in the rubble along with Lindsey Graham and the worst of the GOP. They offer nothing but a dysfunctional apocalypse and that may be fine for the GOP cultists supporting them, but the majority is going to shut them down in 2020.
“Are the right wing Republicans really against abortion?”
“If so, then why don’t they support giving out free birth control to men and women?”
Key point not mentioned: If contraception was provided free of charge, a 2017 report said that would save the govt about $12B/yr. So it is not the money–which could be used to build a WALL.
The following explains why the right is opposed to abortion:
Doing *anything* to interfere with “God’s will” is contrary to their *religious* beliefs. Have all the sex you want with your wife–so long as there is NO attempt at contraception. If *God* does NOT want another child, then there will NOT be another child. You see the fallacy (LOL !! or would that be phallusy?) of their *purely religious* argument. No matter how it is put, it is an argument based on RELIGIOUS beliefs.
Thus, their argument fails the basic test of the First Amendment. There are other major religions that do NOT support those same beliefs. Adopting ANY law that prevents adults from doing as they choose in this area would violate the First amendment because it would be establishing a religion for the US.
So, if the govt establishing and promoting a religion is allowed, start by imposing *strict* Sharia law on the right–and then watch the sparks fly.
The RIGHT WANTED A RELIGION–but they did NOT get the one they wanted (TOO BAD !!!).
Excellent points, jerryab! And they prove not only that these insincere Repubs don’t really want to reduce abortions because they also oppose providing contraception but that they are frauds on the issue of deficits and spending too. Instead of saving billions as you describe, imagine the costs that forcing poor women to give birth will drive, not to mention how their hero Trump and their party are now overseeing massive deficit spending that will get exponentially worse.
Nope, Repubs have no sincerity or principles left, they are all about power and money and doing whatever it takes to can get them the most of both.
Heh! I can only imagine the shrieks of these RW Repubs if they got a theocracy but it flipped to a Muslim one with Sharia law. These extremist “Christians” want their version of Sharia to be the law of the land while trying to enact meaningless anti-Sharia legislation around the country.
These fanatics are our ISIS, they want to take over our system and have the US become their caliphate.
But like ISIS, they will fail because the majority of people are against them.
I am not unsympathetic to people who truly do believe life begins at conception, ends at death, who, in the middle support the “least and the lost”, who uphold support for families in need, who oppose the death penalty, and who live their beliefs in positive ways. I, a very prochoice woman, have a number of beloved friends like that.
They are NOT GOP politicians.
NOTHING about the main “prolife” movement is pro life. It’s merely anti abortion. It seeks control of women despite the OBVIOUS fact that men, not women, are 100% responsible for all pregnancies. Hey guys – we can’t do it without you.
How we move on from here is through highlighting these issues. The MAJORITY of people nationwide want abortion legal and safe for women. This has to be tied to the cuts in supports for the children already here, the disregard for tiny kids in cages, the cold blooded willingness to execute felons, even those with developmental disabilities, to show the anti life drumbeat that is today’s GOP.
We will win this. The people of America WANT us to win this. So vote out the women hating curmudgeons and vote IN people who are supportive of those for whom abortion is unthinkable as well as for those who are OK with it. Support for women and children is paramount. THEN we will win this argument because we have taken the high ground for life in all its varied and wonderful forms.
Very good points, CL. I didn’t refer to those who truly and universally have these “pro-life” beliefs because I think the number of legit ones are a tiny subset. Most of the “pro-life” Republicans that I’m aware of also support the death penalty, slashing funding for food and health care for children in poverty and support wars. So it’s like a gimmick, in my eyes, they cling to that issue to claim moral superiority while most of their beliefs are in stark conflict with what Jesus preached.
You can’t be conditional on “life” being precious if that’s your reason for oppressing women and ending some health care for them in a state.
Yep, men are just as absolutely fully responsible for a baby as the mother but because it’s the woman who gives birth, these regressive and male Repub pols feel so comfortable having government control the person who gives birth…because it ain’t a man.
You listed just a fraction of the inhuman, hateful policies that these same “pro-lifers” support. 6 children have died in US immigration custody, no outrage from these alleged lovers of children’s lives. That’s why I think it’s high time to strip this issue of it’s fake morality and expose it and the Repub men in states voting in these horrible laws to make women suffer, as the devious schemers and hypocrites they are.
This is not about morality, that alleged high ground should be taken away from these zealots. The majority of Americans are pro-choice and each day, especially because of these extremist laws, more are joining them.
No question, we will win this in the end. Even if it takes having the SCOTUS take apart or fully eliminate Roe v. Wade. In the end, those who are dishonestly hiding behind morality to hold onto and gain power, will be brought down by the majority.
From many years on the streets helping women get access to clinic services, I got to see what “pro life” means, and it’s nothing about life at all. It’s anger, control, dominance by those we rightfully call Dominionists. They have zero morality, worship power and money, and could not care less about babies, children, or any human beings once born. I never met a body of people more devoted to evil than those folks.
Trump is their savior – his plans and court appointments seek to give Dominion over the rest of us with their evil and vile ideology. It won’t prevail, BUT it will require absolute fidelity from us all to make sure that we win in 2020. We will have ONE task at that point – regaining democracy and the rule of law via the Constitution. Whoever wins has ONE task – restoring it all. We cannot be looking primarily to new issues. We have to repair what was damaged, shore up Constitutional rights, regain world credibility, calm the waters of hate and extremism. Whoever does that will be unpopular, will be a fixer not a promoter of new ideas, will take time and won’t be hasty. And probably will be a one term president because of it all.
But this is ESSENTIAL work. The RW has seen power and won’t give it up. They are willing for us to die so their vision of “life” prevails. That cannot be allowed to happen. It’s on us all to assure it does not continue.
CL, knowing your experience with the Dominionist, anti-choice extremists out there, I take your views on this very much to heart.
We are agreed that this campaign is really about power, about corrupting our government into a cruel, oppressive theocracy. The lives of other people are actually inconsequential to them (not “sacred”).
As for the 2020 election, you’re right, we have to be dedicated to rescuing our democracy and future by supporting whoever the Dem nominee is. Trump and these extremists can’t be allowed another 4 years with deteriorated checks and balances or we won’t recognize what this country becomes.
As much as I’m with you that the Dem who wins the WH in 2020 needs to be focused on repairing and reversing the profound damage Trump has wrought, I do think voters want to see a bigger vision in the Dem nominee, how they will approach the big problems causing them difficulty in their day to day life.
Unfortunately, many Americans are not keeping up with all the destruction Trump and Repubs are engaged in, they just have their hands full coping with rising costs of food and medicine and a declining standard of living. When you really consider that 40% of Americans don’t even have enough in the bank to cover a $400 emergency and consider all the Americans hit by Climate Change intensified natural disasters, you know how potent the other issues are too to a Dem campaign in 2020.
I don’t know that the Dem that beats Trump would be more likely to be a one termer just because she/he spends a lot of time on repairing the Trump damage. I actually think a majority of voters will be grateful for having a sane president and a more functional and less corrupt government after Trump. And if Trump is hopefully on trial for his crimes after that, the stink he’s left on the GOP should take a very long time for them to escape.
I agree – the vision is ours to uphold family stability, restore reliable economic and justice rights to people. Repair IS the work of reminding people that their peace of mind rests on wise policies we once had. We can have far better regulation of corporations. We can take up Hillary’s tax plan to give cuts to any company that shares PROFITS with those who made those profits. We can provide solid funding for police, firefighters, teachers, infrastructure. We can have peace of mind crossing bridges and safety in eliminating potholes and poor road surfaces. We can emphasize community policing rather than militarization, good screening of candidates so there are no rogue cops anymore. We can make sure our teachers have substantive information, not just test oriented plans.
We probably can’t restore a lot of manufacturing, at least not quickly, but we can most decidedly change the tax laws that make it more profitable in the very short term to close factories for the tax money obtained in write downs and instead encourage staying in business with expanded hiring as the goal for tax benefits. We can encourage employee ownership – ESOPs or cooperatives – to prevent closures. All of that requires, first and foremost, that we end the massive tax cuts for the rich and corporations that do nothing for our nation and for only themselves. We can roll back taxes on the middle class, restore the employee oriented tax deductions plus those for state and local taxes, charitable deductions.
Restoration IS the future if we give details on how much people are being hurt now and how much better off they CAN be with a return to family and community oriented policies, not those for the 1%.
Those are visions both of a better past AND an excellent future.
And anyone pitching M4A DAMNED better well have facts in hand about cost and coverage because I’ve worked on single payer far too long not to know how details matter. I see no one doing the research on what system actually works best: Canada? UK’s national health system? Many EU nations’ multipayer systems? ACA with a public option? Let’s do the MATH and compare benefits and find the hell OUT before jumping off that cliff, no parachute.
We can do these things. We can show that the promise to “Make America Great” has failed the people. We can do this.
I totally agree on your points about Dominionists and it is frustrating that people still cannot see these people spread out all across government right now. I keep thinking about the book I read about how things changed with people like them in government and I think we might know with the 2020 election. Even if other takeovers are not religious-type coups, they think alike and will persecute anyone who disagrees with them. I also saw an interview with Angela Merkel where she talked about the rise in extremism in Europe. We also see it in South America. They are not all Dominionists but their ideas meld with Dominionists especially when it comes to people who disagree or are not “like them”.
It sounds mixed up because it is. We have a mixture of evil people asserting their dominance in countries all around the world.
Good piece for discussion. While I agree this is mainly about power, since any Republican would run their mistresses to an abortion doctor as soon as the line turned in to a plus sign, it is also about overturning Roe v. Wade. Elections have consequences and all those people who thought Hillary was just not good enough, have only themselves to blame for what is now going on. The very same people who call Republicans corp pigs are the same people who helped to make it all possible. They could not see the big picture or just plain did not care and took their toys home. I lost respect for a lot of people in 2016.
Thanks Sue!
Absolutely, the urgent goal for them is overturning Roe v. Wade, no question. But what kept rolling around in my head was, “Why is this the one issue that they are so obsessed with winning?”
There are so many other issues that Republicans could make their priority but they have chosen this one…because it is the one that works best to rally their voters to get them re-elected and donating to them. It’s the issue that keeps them in power and they do not want to lose power.
So overturning Roe v. Wade is indeed their top goal but not because they’re true believers in “every life is sacred”. What I wanted to explore in my article is how they have found the most potent weapon to use politically and are intentionally manipulating the core Republican voters by pursuing it. This is a game to them, a con job that their criminal hero, Trump, could really appreciate.
As for Hillary losing in 2016, there were so many factors involved, including third party voters and Dem voters not turning out in swing states but it’s difficult to say that alone was the factor. Comey’s sabotage of Hillary just days before the election, the Russian hacking, disinformation and social media manipulation, the Trump campaign’s whipping up of and thumbs up to racists, Mitch McConnell’s refusal to alert the public that the election was under Russian invasion…so many factors were involved to hand the electoral votes to Trump.
But even so, Hillary won by over 2% in popular vote so there wasn’t an issue with Dems turning out for her nationwide. One could also make the case that if the voters in just a few swing states weren’t micro targeted by Trump and Russia, voter suppression wasn’t enforced AND some hadn’t voted 3rd Party or not voted, Hillary would have rightfully won.
That’s why I think it’s harder to single out any one aspect of this disgusting but perfect storm that gave the WH to an obviously deranged man.
Adlib
I agree, they were all factors, but the one that really gets me is the people who passed on the fake news and then either did not vote, or only voted for a 3rd candidate out of spite. I actually saw supposed Democrats passing along information that Ted Cruz’s father was involved in the Kennedy assassination, based on a story in a gossip rag from one of Trump’s allies, then him making reference to it in a speech. WTH? It has always bothered me that people who bitch the most, don’t get out and vote. 2018 was my kind of election, where you saw people obviously out voting, but I wonder why it has to come to a crisis to motivate people.
You know the old H.L. Menckin quote:
We’d like to think that people who are Dems aren’t suckers like Repubs are but what Trump being in the WH taught me is that there are far more clueless and easily manipulated people on both sides of the fence than we used to assume, there’s just more on the Repub side.
I too had trouble understanding the strident purists and hypocrites who would vote for Jill Stein because they’d claim they were sick of how corrupt both parties were…and Stein was going to dinner with Putin! Some would say how Trump was a threat to our future but didn’t vote because they didn’t like Hillary either. But did they see her as a threat to our future?!
Yes, they were fools but at the same time, they were only one component of a complex situation that led to a madman being in power. And the fact that 40% of the country still supports him? How does that not scare us more about those people than the far smaller number who didn’t vote for Hillary?
There are a lot of ignorant people out there, a scary amount.
That is so true, Adlib. I am amazed at the number of ignorant people out there. Also the people who look at you funny when you mention some new atrocity the Republicans have dished out and say, “oh they can’t do that”. No? Well they just did.
I think that’s another category of people, those who don’t want to think about things. They don’t want to believe bad things are happening or that they might have to do something about it so they fall back on skepticism. They’re a passive part of the problem, citizenship means taking responsibility for your society and democracy.
Yes and I have heard some say, oh you are so political, like it is a dirty word lol. If being involved in the process or caring what happens makes me political, well I proudly claim the title. I also think, like was the case with me, they feel they don’t know anything so how can they comment? I learned the answer to that one real fast.
It’s like hearing a response from someone, “You’re so educated.” Yes, we are “political”, that is, we are informed. That’s their responsibility too but by dismissing it that way, they cover for their lack of knowledge in politics as if it’s a good thing. Like the “Know Nothings” following Trump who shun “experienced” people (and people who can spell). They want to feel justified in being ignorant. But they’re not. Like their cult leader.
Bingo, like we should be embarrassed at our depth of knowledge. When did knowledge lose it’s importance? How sad that people are like that.
It’s basically sour grapes with the grapes being knowledge and experience. Aside from that, what could go wrong? Oh yeah…
Hey Sue =- Well said! Good to see you, and great to read your views!
Hey, long time no hear from, good to see you here!
I couldn’t agree more. We all had the opportunity to vote for a well qualified, thoughtful, intelligent candidate. Most Americans did. At least 3 million more Americans, did just that, by voting for Hillary. I am still not convinced that he won the votes they said thar he did.
Water under the bridge, jt wasn’t enough. It remains unclear what “enough,” would have been, “enough.” Sometimes, “enough,” keeos me up at night . As for the corporate pig bunch, i can only assume they only recently slithered out from under some God forsaken baseboard as I heard nothing from them in the previous three elections that I have been online.