Earlier this week, I reported in the article The War On Woman on GOP efforts to redefine rape, cut all funding for Planned Parenthood, and even deny medically necessary abortions to women who's lives are in danger due to complications from their pregnancy. However, since posting that article I've come across new information about legislation Republicans are attempting to pass that would not only destroy a woman's quality of life, but her access to medical care, childcare, and undermine her ability to prosecute stalkers, rapists, and perpetrators of domestic violence.
According to MoveOn.org, an online website dedicated to civic action and raising awareness of elected officials attempting to restrict or oppress American citizens, there are ten legislative processes currently before Congress who's sole purpose is to take a pick-axe to women's health and rights. Three of them were covered in The War On Woman, but the remaining seven are indicative of the direction the self-proclaimed religious right and moral majority wish to take this country over the next five to ten years. An opportunity they will undoubtedly seize upon should one of the top Republican presidential candidates (Romney, Palin, etc...) ascend to the White House.
Consider Rep. Bobby Franklin of Georgia who is trying to pass legislation requiring police in his state to investigate all miscarriages, whether they occur at home or in a hospital, in order to certify they were natural and spontaneous. If the cause of death cannot be verified, or the woman can't tell how it happened then the police have the right to interrogate family, friends, and even take legal action against the woman to the tune of infanticide. Under his new bill, HB 1, abortions even in cases of rape, incest, or when it's a choice between the life of the fetus and the mother would be illegal even if there is overwhelming medical evidence to support the necessity of the procedure.
So much for the Hippocratic oath to "do no harm".
This comes on the heels of Franklin's last legislative endeavor, reported earlier this month on The Huffington Post, to introduce a bill mandating that state criminal codes identify women who are victims of rape, domestic violence, and stalking as "accusers" instead of "victims" until the perpetrator is convicted. An interesting step since Georgia is 11th in the nation for incidences of forcible rape, and the change in the language would undermine the credibility of the plaintiff by calling into play old myths that accusations of rape and domestic violence are little more than fabrications. This would also place an additional barrier between the victim and the justice system since according to RAINN (Rape and Incest National Network), 60% of rapes/sexual assaults are not reported, and only 6% of rapists ever serve a day in jail.
Yet, Franklin wants to create language that would further reduce a victim's ability to prosecute her attacker/abuser/stalker even though he is the representative of a state that is currently 11th in the nation for sex crimes.
Interesting.
If that's not crazy enough for you, Rep. Phil Jensen of South Dakota issued a bill, HB 1171, that would make it legal for the relatives of a woman seeking an abortion to kill the provider performing the procedure under the pretense of justifiable homicide. According to the language of the document, the act would be "permissible if committed by a person while resisting the attempt to harm that person's unborn child or the unborn child of that person's spouse, partner, parent, or child". Proponents of HB 1171 says the language has nothing to do with abortion, but Jensen supporters like Iowa anti-abortion activist David Leach have praised the bill stating -
"There may be something I'm overlooking, but from all appearances, this bill would certainly justify an individual taking the life of an abortionist in order to save human lives."
As of February 19, state lawmakers have shelved the measure, but given the climate of the political arena regarding women's reproductive rights it's likely to return. What's interesting is that the people putting forth these bills are members of the so-called moral majority, and base a great deal of their campaign platforms on their ability to embody and live up to the edicts of Christian theology. Yet, they're calling for the murder of physicians, the deaths of women from complications during pregnancy, the forced pregnancy of victims of incest and rape, and the denial of justice to victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. All of this from individuals following the teachings of a Jewish holy man whom history identifies as being a "defender of women", and commanded those who followed Him to show mercy and provide aid to the poor.
About that last part, the House Appropriations Committee has proposed to cut $758 million dollars from programs providing food assistance to low-income women, children, and infants. This doesn't come as much of a surprise since according to individuals like Commissioner C. Paul Smith and Robin Delauter, Republican officials who voted to slash funding to their county's Head Start Program an organization that provides preschool services to children of low-income families (not just single mothers), their decision is "right" because women should really be married and at home with their children which would make the program unnecessary.
I see, so the higher cost of living, the fact that the majority of families cannot survive on a single income necessitating both parents participation in the work force, and everything else that makes childcare a necessity is just utter bunk?
Then again, if GOP party members truly wanted to prevent the incidence of unplanned pregnancies requiring the use of public funds to support these non-traditional families, then they should reconsider their efforts to defund programs like Planned Parenthood and Title X which provides family planning for low-income Americans. The proper use of condoms and oral contraceptives goes a long way for preventing pregnancies and STDs, yet Congress wants to completely eliminate funding for family planning programs.
Of course these anti-choice proponents are simply looking out for the human condition, the sanctity and value of human life, which is why they're opting to defund these programs, and instead follow in the footsteps of Rep. Dan Burton of Indiana who is working to introduce an amendment to the spending bill to promote contraception for wild horses.
It's nice to know that today in American, much like in the days of Ancient Greece, a horse has more value than the health and well-being of a human woman.
***
Top GOP's Top Ten Attacks On Women's Health and Rights
http://pol.moveon.org/waronwomen/?rc=fb
Georgia Representative Wants Police To Investigate All Miscarriages for Criminal Activity
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/02/17/946257/--GALegislator-Wants-to-Create-The-Uterus-Police-to-Investigate-Miscarriages
Rep. Bobby Franklin's Anti-Abortion/Miscarriage Bill In Its Entirety
http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/en-US/display.aspx?Legislation=31965
Georgia Representative Wants To Change "Victim" to "Accuser" for Crimes of Rape, Domestic Violence, and Stalking
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/04/georgia-lawmaker-redefine-rape-victims-accusers_n_818718.html
Reporting Rate Statistics From RAINN
http://www.rainn.org/get-information/statistics/reporting-rates
Rep. Phil Jensen of South Dakota's "Justifiable Homicide" I
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2011/02/15/south_dakota_abortion_killing_bill
Rep. Phil Jensen of South Dakota's "Justifiable Homicide" II
http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/02/south-dakota-hb-1171-legalize-killing-abortion-providers
South Dakota Lawmakers Shelve Jensen's Bill
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/17/south-dakota-shelves-homicide-bill_n_824566.html
House GOP Cuts Funding to "Sacred Cows"
http://nationaljournal.com/house-gop-proposes-cuts-to-scores-of-sacred-cows-20110209
Women Should Be Married and At Home with Their Children Instead of Working
http://thinkprogress.org/2011/02/16/gop-women-kids/
Smith and Delauter's Remarks Regarding Women In The Workplace
http://www.gazette.net/stories/02092011/frednew175041_32611.php
GOP Targets Family Planning Funds for Title X
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2011/02/09/gop-spending-plan-x-ing-out-title-x-family-planning-funds/
Contraceptives for Horses Instead of Humans
http://www.blogforchoice.com/archives/2011/02/birth-control-f.html
MoveOn.Org
http://www.moveon.org/
According to MoveOn.org, an online website dedicated to civic action and raising awareness of elected officials attempting to restrict or oppress American citizens, there are ten legislative processes currently before Congress who's sole purpose is to take a pick-axe to women's health and rights. Three of them were covered in The War On Woman, but the remaining seven are indicative of the direction the self-proclaimed religious right and moral majority wish to take this country over the next five to ten years. An opportunity they will undoubtedly seize upon should one of the top Republican presidential candidates (Romney, Palin, etc...) ascend to the White House.
Consider Rep. Bobby Franklin of Georgia who is trying to pass legislation requiring police in his state to investigate all miscarriages, whether they occur at home or in a hospital, in order to certify they were natural and spontaneous. If the cause of death cannot be verified, or the woman can't tell how it happened then the police have the right to interrogate family, friends, and even take legal action against the woman to the tune of infanticide. Under his new bill, HB 1, abortions even in cases of rape, incest, or when it's a choice between the life of the fetus and the mother would be illegal even if there is overwhelming medical evidence to support the necessity of the procedure.
So much for the Hippocratic oath to "do no harm".
This comes on the heels of Franklin's last legislative endeavor, reported earlier this month on The Huffington Post, to introduce a bill mandating that state criminal codes identify women who are victims of rape, domestic violence, and stalking as "accusers" instead of "victims" until the perpetrator is convicted. An interesting step since Georgia is 11th in the nation for incidences of forcible rape, and the change in the language would undermine the credibility of the plaintiff by calling into play old myths that accusations of rape and domestic violence are little more than fabrications. This would also place an additional barrier between the victim and the justice system since according to RAINN (Rape and Incest National Network), 60% of rapes/sexual assaults are not reported, and only 6% of rapists ever serve a day in jail.
Yet, Franklin wants to create language that would further reduce a victim's ability to prosecute her attacker/abuser/stalker even though he is the representative of a state that is currently 11th in the nation for sex crimes.
Interesting.
If that's not crazy enough for you, Rep. Phil Jensen of South Dakota issued a bill, HB 1171, that would make it legal for the relatives of a woman seeking an abortion to kill the provider performing the procedure under the pretense of justifiable homicide. According to the language of the document, the act would be "permissible if committed by a person while resisting the attempt to harm that person's unborn child or the unborn child of that person's spouse, partner, parent, or child". Proponents of HB 1171 says the language has nothing to do with abortion, but Jensen supporters like Iowa anti-abortion activist David Leach have praised the bill stating -
"There may be something I'm overlooking, but from all appearances, this bill would certainly justify an individual taking the life of an abortionist in order to save human lives."
As of February 19, state lawmakers have shelved the measure, but given the climate of the political arena regarding women's reproductive rights it's likely to return. What's interesting is that the people putting forth these bills are members of the so-called moral majority, and base a great deal of their campaign platforms on their ability to embody and live up to the edicts of Christian theology. Yet, they're calling for the murder of physicians, the deaths of women from complications during pregnancy, the forced pregnancy of victims of incest and rape, and the denial of justice to victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. All of this from individuals following the teachings of a Jewish holy man whom history identifies as being a "defender of women", and commanded those who followed Him to show mercy and provide aid to the poor.
About that last part, the House Appropriations Committee has proposed to cut $758 million dollars from programs providing food assistance to low-income women, children, and infants. This doesn't come as much of a surprise since according to individuals like Commissioner C. Paul Smith and Robin Delauter, Republican officials who voted to slash funding to their county's Head Start Program an organization that provides preschool services to children of low-income families (not just single mothers), their decision is "right" because women should really be married and at home with their children which would make the program unnecessary.
I see, so the higher cost of living, the fact that the majority of families cannot survive on a single income necessitating both parents participation in the work force, and everything else that makes childcare a necessity is just utter bunk?
Then again, if GOP party members truly wanted to prevent the incidence of unplanned pregnancies requiring the use of public funds to support these non-traditional families, then they should reconsider their efforts to defund programs like Planned Parenthood and Title X which provides family planning for low-income Americans. The proper use of condoms and oral contraceptives goes a long way for preventing pregnancies and STDs, yet Congress wants to completely eliminate funding for family planning programs.
Of course these anti-choice proponents are simply looking out for the human condition, the sanctity and value of human life, which is why they're opting to defund these programs, and instead follow in the footsteps of Rep. Dan Burton of Indiana who is working to introduce an amendment to the spending bill to promote contraception for wild horses.
It's nice to know that today in American, much like in the days of Ancient Greece, a horse has more value than the health and well-being of a human woman.
***
Top GOP's Top Ten Attacks On Women's Health and Rights
http://pol.moveon.org/waronwomen/?rc=fb
Georgia Representative Wants Police To Investigate All Miscarriages for Criminal Activity
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/02/17/946257/--GALegislator-Wants-to-Create-The-Uterus-Police-to-Investigate-Miscarriages
Rep. Bobby Franklin's Anti-Abortion/Miscarriage Bill In Its Entirety
http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/en-US/display.aspx?Legislation=31965
Georgia Representative Wants To Change "Victim" to "Accuser" for Crimes of Rape, Domestic Violence, and Stalking
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/04/georgia-lawmaker-redefine-rape-victims-accusers_n_818718.html
Reporting Rate Statistics From RAINN
http://www.rainn.org/get-information/statistics/reporting-rates
Rep. Phil Jensen of South Dakota's "Justifiable Homicide" I
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2011/02/15/south_dakota_abortion_killing_bill
Rep. Phil Jensen of South Dakota's "Justifiable Homicide" II
http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/02/south-dakota-hb-1171-legalize-killing-abortion-providers
South Dakota Lawmakers Shelve Jensen's Bill
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/17/south-dakota-shelves-homicide-bill_n_824566.html
House GOP Cuts Funding to "Sacred Cows"
http://nationaljournal.com/house-gop-proposes-cuts-to-scores-of-sacred-cows-20110209
Women Should Be Married and At Home with Their Children Instead of Working
http://thinkprogress.org/2011/02/16/gop-women-kids/
Smith and Delauter's Remarks Regarding Women In The Workplace
http://www.gazette.net/stories/02092011/frednew175041_32611.php
GOP Targets Family Planning Funds for Title X
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2011/02/09/gop-spending-plan-x-ing-out-title-x-family-planning-funds/
Contraceptives for Horses Instead of Humans
http://www.blogforchoice.com/archives/2011/02/birth-control-f.html
MoveOn.Org
http://www.moveon.org/