James O'Keefe, the mastermind behind the fake videotape used as "evidence" in the Congressional destruction of ACORN, is back with a brand new piece of "incriminating footage". You would think, given the fraudulent nature of his last work, this charlatan would have lost any and all credibility, but he hasn't, and his latest "sting operation" involving employees at Planned Parenthood has inspired Congress to take action to strip the organization of any and all federal funding.
First reported by Bob Cesca, courtesy of The Huffington Post, O'Keefe and his associates once again donned the fake pimp and prostitute personas, and went to a Planned Parenthood clinic where he asked employees if he could acquire STD treatment, birth control, and possible abortion services for "underage prostitutes". Again, you would think that given O'Keefe's background, including his very public admission to purposefully deceiving the media in order to destroy his former foe ACORN, that no one would give this individual the time of day, but his antics have whipped the Republicans into enough of a frenzy that they are now trying to strip Planned Parenthood of all its funding.
I kid you not.
If that's not bad enough, this would prevent Planned Parenthood from providing other services in the communities where they operate. Abortions is not the only thing physicians employed by the organization perform. They also provide cancer screenings, PAP smears, birth control, STD treatment, and other medical procedures to impoverished women who would otherwise go untreated. Alaska's own Shannyn Moore, host of Moore Up North and talk radio personality, had her breast cancer diagnosed by Planned Parenthood, and credits the organization with saving her life.
Yet, according to those in Washington D.C., if a woman can't afford medical services without the aid of Planned Parenthood then, basically, she doesn't need them to begin with even if going without any form of treatment would cost her life. If that's not bad enough, Congress, under pressure from the political arm of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, is also trying to pass legislation that would require religious hospitals to deny abortions to women even if their life is in danger. That's right, if you are dying from pre-eclampsia, a rare and life-threatening condition for pregnant women, and you go to a religious hospital they will let you and your child die right there in the emergency room. Why? Because abortion is against their religious beliefs. So is murder, but I suppose they would rather justify their non-intervention as "the will of God" even though said God has some very specific and unpleasant things to say about people who stand idly by, and allow the death of another rather than interfere.
About that parable of the Samaritan and the guy in the ditch.
Then again, what do you expect from a religious organization that has spent innumerable decades covering up instances of child rape by clergymen, and even going so far as to pay off victim's families in order to prevent a "scandal". God-fearing, indeed. However, Congress wants to take this bit of legislation one step further, and make it illegal for all hospitals to provide abortions in cases where it is a choice between the mother's life and the fetus'. Up until this point, abortion for cases of rape, incest, and prevention of maternal loss of life have been permitted, but thanks to O'Keefe and the Catholic church they're wanting to do away with any legislation whatsoever that grants a woman the right to chose this option as part of her medical program.
Yet, this doesn't surprise me.
If anything, the government of this country and those abroad seem reluctant to pass any form of legislation that gives women any form of legitimate and equal control over their sexuality, and ability to reproduce. Why? Quite simply because we are a resource, specifically one that can incubate and birth new human beings, and therefore because we are a classified as a resource those in charge are disinclined to legalize any act that could potentially damage that resource (i.e. abortion or sterilization).
At this time, any man can go to Planned Parenthood, so long as they are the age of majority (18), and for $500 receive a vasectomy. However, women under the age of 30 are typically denied a tubal ligation (tube tying) by physicians out of fear that the patient may change her mind. A belief based upon the stereotype that women are emotional and indecisive, thus incapable of making a long-term decision about her reproductive health. Yet, this concern is invalid because new advances in microsurgery can reverse 70% of tubal ligations, regardless of how it was performed, and thus reverse this form of medically-induced infertility. Although, how many women are aware of this information, and how many of their physicians have provided it in lieu of trying to convince them that this surgery isn't what they really want?
I mean, after all it's common knowledge that all women want to have babies, right?
However, this attack on women's right to chose their sexual destiny isn't just part of a patriarchal agenda. There are women who support these restrictions as well, regardless of the circumstances of conception. Sharron Angle, a member of the religious right and former Republican Senatorial candidate for Nevada, drew criticism early last year for her statement encouraging victims of incest as young as 13 to "make lemons out of lemonade" if impregnated by a male family member - including their own father.
I'm sorry, but as a Christian, I happen to read the Bible, and last I checked in both the Old and New Testament God called incest and adultery a "sin" and an "abomination". What I would like to ask Mrs. Angle is the following -
When that mother of that raped young daughter reaches Heaven, do you actually believe that Jesus is going to tell her, "Congratulation on not prosecuting your husband who committed incest and adultery with your daughter, and allowing him to continue raping and molesting your daughter without consequence to the point of fathering children with her."?
If her answer is yes, then she needs to take remedial Bible 101, and also consider just how "Christian" it is to tell a victim that under the law she must endure a forced pregnancy rather than be able to make a medical decision, a private medical decision with her physician, and choose to discontinue a pregnancy resulting from two acts that are both identified as a sin in Mrs. Angle's religion.
Although, I'm sure she would cite that while the act is sinful, the child is an innocent, and therefore a victim of murder. However, let's see what the Bible says about that, hm?
The Book of Exodus (Chapter 21:22-23) NIV:
"...If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman, and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman's husband demands and the court allows... "
So, if a pregnant woman is caused to miscarry an unborn child through external forces, the most that's supposed to happen is the payment of a fee. No eternal damnation, no cries of murder, nothing. I'm sure critics could argue the circumstances that, unlike abortion, this is a case where the miscarriage is not induced for the sole purpose of ending a pregnancy, but the point remains that according to the Bible this isn't viewed as an act of capital murder. Also, I will agree, to an extent, with Pro-Life proponents that abortion should not be a means of birth control. There are millions of infertile couples in this nation who would love to adopt a child, and do so in cases where the mother does not wish to retain custody of the child.
If anything, in those cases there should be programs in place to support the mother, encourage her to retain the pregnancy, and aid her in finding a suitable surrogate family to care for her offspring. However, to prohibit abortion in cases of rape, incest, or where the mother's life is in danger is a direct contradiction of Christian edicts which calls for justice for those who have been victimized, and undermines the value of human life. A woman has been raped! While my insight may be considered subjective by some, I have had the opportunity to speak with women who were severely discouraged from having an abortion following sexual assault, and felt as though they had been raped a second time from being forced to continue the pregnancy. The idea that their violator's child was growing inside of them severely retarding their recovery from the initial trauma, and for two of the women led them to spend years in self-destructive behaviors before finally reaching a point where they could begin to heal from their ordeal. Now, imagine how much more traumatic it would be for a young girl who has been impregnated by her father, and must continue the pregnancy because the law tells her she doesn't have any more control over her body than what she had in her parent's home.
How very Christian, indeed.
Then again, Angle is part of that same Republican religious right and moral majority to the tune of 173 Congressmen who just tried to redefine rape in order to prevent the use of federal funds to pay for abortions. Yes, you heard me correctly, they tried to redefine rape in order to further eliminate a woman's access to abortion in case of incest or rape.
H.R.3 would have altered the longstanding exemptions for abortions for victims of rape to only apply to cases of "forcible rape", and what exactly is "forcible rape"? Well, if a woman were a victim of date rape, where the perpetrator would drug her into submission, that wouldn't have counted under H.R.3. Nope. Raped by a close male friend? Nope. Rape of a mentally-challenged woman? Nope. Raped by Dad or Uncle Bob? Maybe, so long as they're under the age of 18, and even then it's questionable. In fact, given the vague nature of the language, pretty much no act of rape would have counted! Thankfully, pressure from women's groups were able to keep H.R.3 from being passed, but after doing some research out of the 7.4 million women covered by Medicaid in 2006 only 85 of them received abortions that were paid for with federal funding.
85.
Yet, Congress feels that they need to eliminate this procedure to prevent the millions and millions of babies being killed annually through abortion. Somewhere, there's a Carl Sagan joke in all of this, but the absolute insanity of our elected officials has destroyed my sense of humor. Then again, I have to point out the fact that maybe NCLB (No Child Left behind) is a good thing, since we have politicians who think that somehow out of 85 women we managed to have millions and millions of abortions in the span of one fiscal year.
With figures like that, maybe we do need to hold schools accountable for turning out morons who can't read statistics, and then try to pass laws legislating what women can and can't do with their uteruses, and give men a free pass to rape anything with a pulse.
Just a thought.
***
Tubal Ligations Denied To Women Under Thirty
http://nsrc.sfsu.edu/article/tubal_ligation_denied
Reversal Success Rates for Women With Tubal Ligations
http://www.advancedfertility.com/tubalreversal.htm
Quote from Exodus
http://bigchurch.com/p/bible/read.cgi?cv=21&version=niv&book=Exodus
Sharon Angle Says, "Turn Lemons Into Lemonade"
http://news.change.org/stories/raped-by-dad-just-turn-lemons-into-lemonade
Congress Tries To Redefine Rape
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/asher-smith/how-173-congressmen-are-t_b_815977.html
Congress Attempting To De-Fund Planned Parenthood Based On Phony Tape
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-cesca/the-republican-war-agains_b_821720.html
Shannyn Moore Tweets About Planned Parenthood Saving Her Life
http://twitter.com/shannynmoore/status/35448093247938560
Congress Wants To Prohibit Hospitals From Providing Abortions Even If The Mother's Life Is In Danger
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nancy-northup/new-bill-would-allow-reli_b_822168.html
First reported by Bob Cesca, courtesy of The Huffington Post, O'Keefe and his associates once again donned the fake pimp and prostitute personas, and went to a Planned Parenthood clinic where he asked employees if he could acquire STD treatment, birth control, and possible abortion services for "underage prostitutes". Again, you would think that given O'Keefe's background, including his very public admission to purposefully deceiving the media in order to destroy his former foe ACORN, that no one would give this individual the time of day, but his antics have whipped the Republicans into enough of a frenzy that they are now trying to strip Planned Parenthood of all its funding.
I kid you not.
If that's not bad enough, this would prevent Planned Parenthood from providing other services in the communities where they operate. Abortions is not the only thing physicians employed by the organization perform. They also provide cancer screenings, PAP smears, birth control, STD treatment, and other medical procedures to impoverished women who would otherwise go untreated. Alaska's own Shannyn Moore, host of Moore Up North and talk radio personality, had her breast cancer diagnosed by Planned Parenthood, and credits the organization with saving her life.
Yet, according to those in Washington D.C., if a woman can't afford medical services without the aid of Planned Parenthood then, basically, she doesn't need them to begin with even if going without any form of treatment would cost her life. If that's not bad enough, Congress, under pressure from the political arm of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, is also trying to pass legislation that would require religious hospitals to deny abortions to women even if their life is in danger. That's right, if you are dying from pre-eclampsia, a rare and life-threatening condition for pregnant women, and you go to a religious hospital they will let you and your child die right there in the emergency room. Why? Because abortion is against their religious beliefs. So is murder, but I suppose they would rather justify their non-intervention as "the will of God" even though said God has some very specific and unpleasant things to say about people who stand idly by, and allow the death of another rather than interfere.
About that parable of the Samaritan and the guy in the ditch.
Then again, what do you expect from a religious organization that has spent innumerable decades covering up instances of child rape by clergymen, and even going so far as to pay off victim's families in order to prevent a "scandal". God-fearing, indeed. However, Congress wants to take this bit of legislation one step further, and make it illegal for all hospitals to provide abortions in cases where it is a choice between the mother's life and the fetus'. Up until this point, abortion for cases of rape, incest, and prevention of maternal loss of life have been permitted, but thanks to O'Keefe and the Catholic church they're wanting to do away with any legislation whatsoever that grants a woman the right to chose this option as part of her medical program.
Yet, this doesn't surprise me.
If anything, the government of this country and those abroad seem reluctant to pass any form of legislation that gives women any form of legitimate and equal control over their sexuality, and ability to reproduce. Why? Quite simply because we are a resource, specifically one that can incubate and birth new human beings, and therefore because we are a classified as a resource those in charge are disinclined to legalize any act that could potentially damage that resource (i.e. abortion or sterilization).
At this time, any man can go to Planned Parenthood, so long as they are the age of majority (18), and for $500 receive a vasectomy. However, women under the age of 30 are typically denied a tubal ligation (tube tying) by physicians out of fear that the patient may change her mind. A belief based upon the stereotype that women are emotional and indecisive, thus incapable of making a long-term decision about her reproductive health. Yet, this concern is invalid because new advances in microsurgery can reverse 70% of tubal ligations, regardless of how it was performed, and thus reverse this form of medically-induced infertility. Although, how many women are aware of this information, and how many of their physicians have provided it in lieu of trying to convince them that this surgery isn't what they really want?
I mean, after all it's common knowledge that all women want to have babies, right?
However, this attack on women's right to chose their sexual destiny isn't just part of a patriarchal agenda. There are women who support these restrictions as well, regardless of the circumstances of conception. Sharron Angle, a member of the religious right and former Republican Senatorial candidate for Nevada, drew criticism early last year for her statement encouraging victims of incest as young as 13 to "make lemons out of lemonade" if impregnated by a male family member - including their own father.
I'm sorry, but as a Christian, I happen to read the Bible, and last I checked in both the Old and New Testament God called incest and adultery a "sin" and an "abomination". What I would like to ask Mrs. Angle is the following -
When that mother of that raped young daughter reaches Heaven, do you actually believe that Jesus is going to tell her, "Congratulation on not prosecuting your husband who committed incest and adultery with your daughter, and allowing him to continue raping and molesting your daughter without consequence to the point of fathering children with her."?
If her answer is yes, then she needs to take remedial Bible 101, and also consider just how "Christian" it is to tell a victim that under the law she must endure a forced pregnancy rather than be able to make a medical decision, a private medical decision with her physician, and choose to discontinue a pregnancy resulting from two acts that are both identified as a sin in Mrs. Angle's religion.
Although, I'm sure she would cite that while the act is sinful, the child is an innocent, and therefore a victim of murder. However, let's see what the Bible says about that, hm?
The Book of Exodus (Chapter 21:22-23) NIV:
"...If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman, and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman's husband demands and the court allows... "
So, if a pregnant woman is caused to miscarry an unborn child through external forces, the most that's supposed to happen is the payment of a fee. No eternal damnation, no cries of murder, nothing. I'm sure critics could argue the circumstances that, unlike abortion, this is a case where the miscarriage is not induced for the sole purpose of ending a pregnancy, but the point remains that according to the Bible this isn't viewed as an act of capital murder. Also, I will agree, to an extent, with Pro-Life proponents that abortion should not be a means of birth control. There are millions of infertile couples in this nation who would love to adopt a child, and do so in cases where the mother does not wish to retain custody of the child.
If anything, in those cases there should be programs in place to support the mother, encourage her to retain the pregnancy, and aid her in finding a suitable surrogate family to care for her offspring. However, to prohibit abortion in cases of rape, incest, or where the mother's life is in danger is a direct contradiction of Christian edicts which calls for justice for those who have been victimized, and undermines the value of human life. A woman has been raped! While my insight may be considered subjective by some, I have had the opportunity to speak with women who were severely discouraged from having an abortion following sexual assault, and felt as though they had been raped a second time from being forced to continue the pregnancy. The idea that their violator's child was growing inside of them severely retarding their recovery from the initial trauma, and for two of the women led them to spend years in self-destructive behaviors before finally reaching a point where they could begin to heal from their ordeal. Now, imagine how much more traumatic it would be for a young girl who has been impregnated by her father, and must continue the pregnancy because the law tells her she doesn't have any more control over her body than what she had in her parent's home.
How very Christian, indeed.
Then again, Angle is part of that same Republican religious right and moral majority to the tune of 173 Congressmen who just tried to redefine rape in order to prevent the use of federal funds to pay for abortions. Yes, you heard me correctly, they tried to redefine rape in order to further eliminate a woman's access to abortion in case of incest or rape.
H.R.3 would have altered the longstanding exemptions for abortions for victims of rape to only apply to cases of "forcible rape", and what exactly is "forcible rape"? Well, if a woman were a victim of date rape, where the perpetrator would drug her into submission, that wouldn't have counted under H.R.3. Nope. Raped by a close male friend? Nope. Rape of a mentally-challenged woman? Nope. Raped by Dad or Uncle Bob? Maybe, so long as they're under the age of 18, and even then it's questionable. In fact, given the vague nature of the language, pretty much no act of rape would have counted! Thankfully, pressure from women's groups were able to keep H.R.3 from being passed, but after doing some research out of the 7.4 million women covered by Medicaid in 2006 only 85 of them received abortions that were paid for with federal funding.
85.
Yet, Congress feels that they need to eliminate this procedure to prevent the millions and millions of babies being killed annually through abortion. Somewhere, there's a Carl Sagan joke in all of this, but the absolute insanity of our elected officials has destroyed my sense of humor. Then again, I have to point out the fact that maybe NCLB (No Child Left behind) is a good thing, since we have politicians who think that somehow out of 85 women we managed to have millions and millions of abortions in the span of one fiscal year.
With figures like that, maybe we do need to hold schools accountable for turning out morons who can't read statistics, and then try to pass laws legislating what women can and can't do with their uteruses, and give men a free pass to rape anything with a pulse.
Just a thought.
***
Tubal Ligations Denied To Women Under Thirty
http://nsrc.sfsu.edu/article/tubal_ligation_denied
Reversal Success Rates for Women With Tubal Ligations
http://www.advancedfertility.com/tubalreversal.htm
Quote from Exodus
http://bigchurch.com/p/bible/read.cgi?cv=21&version=niv&book=Exodus
Sharon Angle Says, "Turn Lemons Into Lemonade"
http://news.change.org/stories/raped-by-dad-just-turn-lemons-into-lemonade
Congress Tries To Redefine Rape
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/asher-smith/how-173-congressmen-are-t_b_815977.html
Congress Attempting To De-Fund Planned Parenthood Based On Phony Tape
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-cesca/the-republican-war-agains_b_821720.html
Shannyn Moore Tweets About Planned Parenthood Saving Her Life
http://twitter.com/shannynmoore/status/35448093247938560
Congress Wants To Prohibit Hospitals From Providing Abortions Even If The Mother's Life Is In Danger
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nancy-northup/new-bill-would-allow-reli_b_822168.html