Lord Sleepsworth of Roachingtonshire
Chipping Away at Roe: Missouri Edition
Another day, another setback.
The Missouri Legislature has justed passed new restrictions on access to abortion. The margins weren't even close (121-33 in the state House, and 28-5 in the Senate). This means that even if Democratic Governor Jay Nixon vetoes the legislation, there are more than enough votes to make the bill law anyway.
Missouri already prohibits aborting fetuses after doctors determine they are viable, except to protect the health of the parent. The new legislation takes things further:
State legislators have decided that all fetuses are potentially viable after 20 weeks of gestation (typically fetuses are viable after 22-24 weeks). If a parent is 20 weeks or more into pregnancy, ze'll need to have two doctors sign off that the fetus isn't viable.
Making another medical judgment, the Legislature defined what constitutes the health of the parent. Once the bill becomes law, the only health exceptions after 20 weeks will involve abortions the risk of death or "permanent damage to a major bodily function because of the pregnancy." Once again, the parent will need two doctors to attest to this.
About these two doctors: they can't have a "legal or financial affiliation or relationship [that] is a result of being employed by or having staff privileges at the same hospital as the first physician." This only serves to underscore that this bill isn't about medical professionals' judgments, it's about stopping "big abortion" ("financial affiliation"? really?), the fictitious entity that supports cis women and trans men's bodily autonomy.
Doctors who perform abortions in violation of these restrictions will be felons, potentially going to in prison and paying substantial fines.
Regular readers may know that I have a 3-year-old daughter. At the time of my partner's pregnancy, we:
1) Were both employed
2) Had jobs that allowed us to take plenty of time off during the day
3) Were living in a metropolitan area (with multiple health care options)
4) Had reasonably good health insurance
4) Owned not one, but two cars
Getting to the OB/GYN's office was still a major hassle. Even for a relatively uneventful pregnancy, it seemed like we were always going to or coming from the doctor. Getting an appointment was a major pain in the ass, too. Usually we'd be told the exact date and time to show up, unless we wanted to wait a bazillion weeks, which we were advised against because OMG BABY!
Of course, we didn't need an abortion, which would have been even more of a logistical nightmare.
Now consider the proportion of parents who don't have health insurance that covers abortion (if you recall, that number may soon be going up). For that matter, think of how many people don't have health insurance at all. Then there are the people that live a long ways from one, let alone two different clinics. And so on...
Remember, there's also a time-crunch here. This law accords the 20-week mark with magical powers. If you find out at 18 or 19 weeks that the fetus might not be viable, or that health complications are developing, you don't have very long to make a decision, find a doctor, and come up with a way to pay for an abortion. This is already difficult, and that's precisely the idea.
This time-crunch contrasts nicely with all the legislation requiring parents to wait prior to getting an abortion. Anti-abortion activists want cis women and trans men to take their time in considering whether to have an abortion, but only if they've already decided to have one.
It's transparently obvious that this bill (sponsored in the House by a man who describes abortion in graphic and largely fictional terms) is an attempt to make it harder for anyone in Missouri to get an abortion. Yet there are Democrats in Jefferson City who were willing to talk about "compromise." Given that there 56 Democrats in the state House, it would appear that plenty of Democratic Representatives who voted for the legislation.
As per usual, President Obama is silent.
Number of the Day
[Trigger warning for sexual violence.]
More than 1,100: The number of women raped every day in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Every. Day.
A new study published in the American Journal of Public Health yesterday found that "more than 400,000 women and girls between the ages of 15 to 49 were raped in the war-ravaged country in central Africa during a 12-month period in 2006 and 2007," which "is 26 times more than the 15,000 women that the United Nations has reported were raped there during the same 12 months."
As bad as those of us watching this epidemic of sexual violence rage on, unconstrained, for years, thought this problem was, it is actually 26 times worse.
And these numbers still do not even include the sexual violence done to girls younger than 15, women older than 49, or any boys or men.
"Our results confirm that previous estimates of rape and sexual violence are severe underestimates of the true prevalence of sexual violence occurring in the DRC," Amber Peterman, lead author of the study, said.I quite genuinely cannot begin to put into words the furious rage and the howling sadness I feel.
"Even these new, much higher figures still represent a conservative estimate of the true prevalence of sexual violence because of chronic underreporting due to stigma, shame, perceived impunity, and exclusion of younger and older age groups as well as men," she said.
..."Although the burden of sexual violence among these groups is uncertain, a review of the records of 4,133 women attending Panzi Hospital in Sud Kivu showed that six per cent were younger than 16 years and 10 per cent were older than 65 years," the study said.
"In addition, Human Rights Watch reported that sexual violence in 2009 doubled in comparison with 2008. If this assessment is accurate, then the current prevalence of sexual violence is likely to be even higher than our estimates suggest."
Please, I beg you, lift a teaspoon on behalf of the survivors and potential victims of sexual violence in DR Congo.
USians, contact the State Department and ask Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to direct attention and resources to this devastating epidemic. My sample letter is below, which you are free to borrow.
Dear Secretary Clinton:Also contact your Senators and Representative and make your voice heard: Tell them you are thinking about the women in DR Congo and want them to be thinking about the women in DR Congo, too.
As you are almost certainly aware, the American Journal of Public Health published a study this week detailing the unfathomable scope of sexual violence being done primarily to women and girls in the Democratic Republic of Congo. More than 1,000 acts of rape, and possibly as many as double that number, are committed every single day.
I am aware of and resoundingly support your dedication to addressing the issue of sexual violence worldwide, and I am hopeful that you will commit as much attention and as many resources as possible to the survivors and potential victims of sexual violence in DR Congo.
Although I recognize the US State Department cannot fix every problem with its finite time and resources, I strongly encourage you to take decisive and effective action to support UN efforts to address what can only rightly be recognized as a national terror campaign against the women and girls of DR Congo.
Sincerely,
Melissa McEwan
Indiana
(If you're not in the US, please feel welcome to leave links for contacting MPs or other government officials in other countries in comments.)
Our teaspoons have to be our weapon of war against rape.
[H/T to @Daniel_Moyer. Previously on the DR Congo Rape Epidemic: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven.]
Quote of the Day
You know, normally something this stupid wouldn't bother me, but this story really gets under my skin. If they can try to paint Common as a 'dangerous black man,' what black man is immune? If they think Common is vile, then I know they have no use for my black ass. Common is beyond the pale, Michelle Obama hates whitey, Eric Holder is protecting the New Black Panther Party, Shirley Sherrod is discriminating against white farmers, Barack Obama is giving reparations to black people? Conservatives, do you realize how stupid this sounds to black people? (And I know that black people aren't the audience for that kind of talk, there's no need to point that out to me.) Seriously, you can't find less-threatening black people.—David White, a commenter at Ta-Nehisi Coates' place, on the rightwing shit-fit about First Lady Michelle Obama having invited rapper and actor Common to the White House for a poetry event.
And fundamentally, I doubt if they even think Common's that bad. He's a convenient target for a bit of demagoguing, which is even more repugnant. At least when Lee Atwater used the "Let's dredge up the 'dangerous black man' feelings for a cheap political hit" ploy, he'd choose an actually dangerous black man.
Common, for those who don't know, is a Chicago rapper who is not only talented, but seems like a pretty decent guy. He responded to fans' complaints about his earlier material containing homophobic slurs by vowing not to use them anymore, and responded to criticisms about misogyny in hip hop by noting that pop music as a whole is pretty misogynistic and it's something on which artists across genres should work together to resolve.
No wonder the never-gonna-listen, never-gonna-self-examine, never-gonna-change dipshits of the rightwing hate him.
This is a real thing in the world.
The Obama SEAL Team 6 Action Figure, aka Rambana
Navy SEALs have become national heroes since news broke that they took down Osama bin Laden, so it's fitting that the newest action figure from a Connecticut company is a fierce-looking President Barack Obama as a SEAL.Yikes.
The minute Obama said late on the night of May 1 that the U.S. had found and killed bin Laden, Emil Vicale knew which his action figure company's would make next — Rambama.
On Wednesday morning, Hero Builders released the Obama SEAL Team 6 action figure — a muscular President in fatigues armed with an M1-A4.
[H/T to Iain.]
Seen
On the church sign near my house, which is a never-ending font of "inspirational," punny, and otherwise awesome communiqués:
There's nothing I like better when I'm out walking my dog on a beautiful sunny day than a little friendly eliminationist language.
[Previous Church Signs: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven.]
This Is A Real Thing In The World
For everyone who was swooning over Dagny's bracelet a couple weeks ago:
Proudly made in the U.S.A., this anodized aluminium alloy bracelet is an exact replica of the Rearden Metal Bracelet worn by Taylor Schilling (Dagny Taggart) and Rebecca Wisocky (Lillian Rearden) in Atlas Shrugged Part I.Okay, so I dunno if it qualifies as an exact replica if it's not made of Reardon metal, but I guess it's close enough.
Get yours today, Shakers! (And objectivists!) But beware of knock-offs! Knock-offs? Maybe. Theft of intellectual property is still theft! (And parking in the fire lane when using Redbox is still a shitty thing to do.) Retail price $159.00, which seems pricey for aluminium, but really, can you put a price on freedom? No, you can't: Freedom isn't free. I believe bumper stickers, no doy.
Stay tuned for more Atlas Shrugged: Part I news as it happens.
Question of the Day
Who is your favorite cartoonist? Do you have an example of a favorite cartoon of theirs?
I'm a big fan of "Dick Tracy," so Chester Gould is probably my favorite "newspaper" cartoonist. But my favorite cartoonist of all time would have to be Chuck Jones. "Feed the Kitty" is a work of art for the facial expressions alone.
Marc Antony hides the kitty.
Who, me?
And Now a Word from Newt Leroy Gingrich
[Transcript below, with my commentary in bracketed text.]
I'm Newt Gingrich, and I'm announcing my candidacy for President of the United States because I believe we can return America to hope and opportunity, to full employment, to real security, to an American energy program, to a balanced budget. [That sounds great! Whooooooops too bad I've read your record.]
I worked with President Ronald Reagan [THE President Ronald Reagan?!] in a very difficult period. We got jobs created again, Americans proud of America, and the Soviet Union disappeared. [Magic!]
As Speaker of the House, I worked to reform welfare, to balance the budget, to control spending, to cut taxes, to create economic growth; unemployment came down from 5.6% to under 4; and, for four years, we balanced the budget and paid off $405 billion of debt. [True Fact: He also worked to secure a rainbow-farting unicorn for every tax-paying American.]
We've done it before; we can do it again. I want your help, because no one person in the Oval Office can get this done. We Americans are going to have to talk together, work together, find solutions together, and insist on imposing those solutions on those forces that don't want to change. [Who are also technically Americans, but they can go to hell.]
There's some people who don't mind if America becomes a wreck as long as they dominate the wreckage, but you and I know better. We owe it to our children, our grandchildren, our country, and, frankly, to ourselves. [Mostly ourselves.] Let's get together, look reality in the face, tell the truth, make the tough choices, get the job done. [Think outside the box, color outside the lines, push the envelope, and go big or go home, because we're not here to make friends.]
There's a much better American future ahead, with more jobs, more prosperity, a better health system, longer lives, greater independent living, in a country that is decentralized under the Tenth Amendment, with power once again back with the American people and away from Washington bureaucracy. [So elect me, Newt Leroy Gingrich, to be the most powerfulest and number onest Washington bureaucrat in all the land!]
No one person can accomplish this. [Especially not Newt Gingrich.] It can't be done from the Oval Office. We have to work together. We Americans have to get it done. [Except the Americans upon which we're going to impose our solutions, OBVIOUSLY.] I hope you'll decide to join me. Let's work side by side. Let's get this done for ourselves, [see?] our children and grandchildren, and for our country. And I hope you'll come to Newt-dot-org, see what we're trying to get done, and decide to join us in getting America back on the right track. [Nope!]
LOL FOREVER
@bendimiero: "Newt's website has crashed under the load of people trying to watch his announcement video to make fun of him about it."
Best birthday present ever.
Quote of the Day
by Shaker Moderator Aphra_Behn
Every physician knows that there are many women so constituted, that they cannot give birth to offspring. They also know that some cannot become mothers without fearful peril. Some cannot give birth to living children, Others should not become parents, because, if they do, they transmit confirmed diseases, as Consumption, Syphyllis, Scrofula, etc, and their hapless progeny are doomed to a life of misery and premature death. Again, too rapid increase of family not only breaks down the mother, but is a cause of great anxiety, especially to those in moderate circumstances.—Text from an advertisement for a contraceptive douche, c. 1860s, found in Janet Ferrell Brodie's Contraception and Abortion in 19th Century America.
What woman wishes to be kept in a state of continual pregnancy? How often do we hear a lady exclaim: "I have all the children I want, and am determined to have no more, if I can help it." But alas! she is unable to escape We ask any parent if the control of reproduction would not be an inestimable blessing? Every one will say: "Let my wife and self have this ability, whether we choose to exercise it, or not."...This discovery will do more for Virtue, Morality, and Humanity than all the reformers combined.
One notes with bitter sadness and resounding contempt that Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels is fucking behind the times for the 19th century.
Wow
Reuters: Secretary of Defense Robert Gates says the US military has spent about $750 million on the Libya operation so far.
That's a lotta clams.
Number of the Day
59 Percent. The number of Americans who believe it is time to leave Afghanistan, according to a new poll.
A week after a Navy SEAL team killed Osama bin Laden, a new poll finds that a majority of Americans believe it’s time to end the war with the country that once gave him safe haven. According to a USA Today/Gallup Poll conducted over the weekend, 59 percent of Americans agree with the statement the U.S. “has accomplished its mission in Afghanistan and should bring its troops home.” Only a third of respondents thought the U.S. “should maintain its troops there.” The decade-long conflict in Afghanistan is America’s longest war to date(.)
Judge Denies Restraining Order; Indiana Planned Parenthood Will Be Immediately Defunded
As I mentioned yesterday, Indiana Governor Mitch "World-Class Garbage Legislation Signing Monster" Daniels signed a bill that makes Indiana the first state in the nation to cut off federal funding to Planned Parenthood. Today, a federal judge has blocked Planned Parenthood's request for a restraining order that would block the legislation until they can appeal the legislation:
U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt said in her ruling that the criteria for issuing a temporary restraining order have not been met. The judge said that the ACLU provided information showing the legislation would have a gradual affect on Planned Parenthood as opposed to the immediate harm required for a restraining order.In the meantime, please donate to Planned Parenthood of Indiana and/or the ACLU of Indiana, if you can.
"This ruling should not be viewed as a signal on a future ruling," said Walton Pratt, indicating her decision should not be considered in future legal battles of the legislation.
The two sides will meet in court again on June 6 for an injunction hearing.
I was just watching local (Chicago) news coverage of the ruling and the coverage is, as expected, totally abysmal. It's being (mis)represented as a principled stand against allowing federal funds to pay for abortions, even though Planned Parenthood is already restricted from using those funds to pay for abortions by the Hyde Amendment.
This is going to be a long, ugly, and upsetting fight.
The women (and men) of Indiana have been told by their government that their lives and health and bodies and rights and agency don't matter, and other states are looking to follow suit. All we can do is raise our voices and say, over and over and over again, that we do matter, until we are heard.
[H/t to @scatx.]
Because James Franco
[TW for violence.]
Legendary producer James Franco is adapting Michael Gregg Michaud legendary biography of Sal Mineo for the big screen. James Franco starred in a biopic about James Dean who starred in two movies with Sal Mineo. Synchronicity! Franco, however, will not appear in this film.
Franco has cast relative unknown Val Lauren (see inset) to play Mineo in the film tentatively titled Sal.
Sal Mineo's performance as Plato in Rebel Without A Cause is often cited as one of Hollywood's first portrayals of a gay teenager. Later, Mineo himself came out, one of the first celebrities to do so, much to the detriment of his career. Mineo was murdered outside his West Hollywood apartment in 1976. He was 37.
Filming of Sal is set to begin this summer.
Happy Birthday, 'Liss!
[Image Description: James Franco as Green Lantern.]
Happy Birthday to yooooou,
Happy Birthday to yoooooou . . .
I would have had Franco fighting
a Steampunk Abortion Robotttttt ...
but it would look lousy in all that chartreuuuuusssse ......
I love you and I always will.
Happy Birthday to yoooooou . . .
I would have had Franco fighting
a Steampunk Abortion Robotttttt ...
but it would look lousy in all that chartreuuuuusssse ......
Happy, Happy Birthday, Melissa!
I love you and I always will.
