Oy. I think the record is pretty clear that the Left is responding to the GOP's obsession with a woman's uterus, from forced mammograms to banning abortions to not including contraception as something health insurance should cover. Honestly, I think women would prefer not having their "below the waist" being politicized, but as long as the GOP wants to treat women … Read More
Dear India
Dear India, You really don't want to start a discussion about which country degrades women, do you? Love, Ken
A Few Things Need To Be Said
(1) I recognize that many believe that the Steubenville Rape matter technically didn't involve rape. I recognize that the story of what happened is complicated, and I recognize (although I don't agree) that some feel that the "rapists" are now the victims. I know there are two sides of the story, even though I'm fairly sure that one side is … Read More
Say WHAT?!?
It's an anonymous allegation in a civil rights complaint, so keep that in mind. Still, if it's true, it's pretty shocking: The University of Southern California is facing a federal civil rights investigation after students filed a complaint that alleged the school ignored campus rape and failed to prosecute attackers even after they confessed. One anonymous USC student involved in the complaint … Read More
As Intended
The busiest abortion clinic in Virginia has been forced to close because of stringent new state regulations. Coming soon to your red state.
More GOP Hanky Panky With NC Abortion Laws
Last week, while much of the country was focused on the July 4th holiday, Republicans in North Carolina's state Senate launched a legislative ambush – they took a bill related to Sharia law, of all things, amended it to include sweeping new restrictions on reproductive rights, and then rammed the bill through a day later on July 3rd. With the bill pending … Read More
Ohio Budget Bill, Signed Into Law, Is Darconian on Wonen’s Health and Rights
* Rape crisis centers will operate under a state-imposed gag order — rape-crisis counselors will face new restrictions when telling impregnated rape victims that they can legally terminate their pregnancy. * The budget effectively defunds Planned Parenthood clinics in the state. * There's a provision to require women seeking legal abortions to undergo a state-mandated, medically-unnecessary ultrasound — even if … Read More
Republican Legislatures Still Stupid About Women’s Bodies
On Sunday night as the Texas legislature pushed through a series of stringent restrictions on abortion and women’s health. Typical of conservative state legislatures, the event was filled with myths about abortion and women's health. One of the most egregious examples? One state representative tried to argue on the State House floor that rape kits are a form of abortion. Texas … Read More
Plan B Attack on Plan B
Now that Plan B is available to all women, conservatives are going to try to limit it at the state level. In Arkansas, for example, abortion opponents are already pushing the legislature to consider imposing either an age limit or a total ban on Plan B sales next year. Jerry Cox, the director of the state’s conservative Christian Family Council, told … Read More
GOP Priorities
In the constant internal GOP tug-of-war between "tone it down to appeal to sane voters" and "ramp it up for the wingnut base", guess which side is winning? The Republican-led House on Tuesday sought to shore up their support from conservatives with a vote on one of the most far-reaching anti-abortion bills in years. The measure to restrict abortions to the … Read More
Supreme Court Refuses To Hear Planned Parenthood Appeal
This is good news. Indiana passed a law attempting to strip Planned Parenthood of all of its Medicaid funding because it performs abortions among its medical services. The courts, including the Seventh Circuit, said this was unconstitutional because the federal-state Medicaid health program for the poor is for general health services including cancer screening. The state appealed to the U.S Supreme … Read More
NC Legislature Wants To Teach Children Lies
If the Republicans in the GOP-dominated legislature get their way, students in North Carolina sex education classes will be taught that abortions are a cause of future pre-term births. You know who says that is true? Me neither. You know who says that's not true? The World Health OrganizationThe CDCThe American College of Obstetricians and GynecologistsThe American Academy of PediatriciansThe … Read More
Right Outrage, Wrong Target
26,000 unreported sexual assults in the military-only 238 convictions. What did these geniuses expect when they put men & women together? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 7, 2013 What a monumental douche. The problem isn't putting men and women together. Does Donald have separate areas in his casinos — one for women, one for men? The problem is the … Read More
NC Legislature Can’t Keep Its Hands Of Womens’ (and Young Girls’) Bodies
Think Progress: A measure advancing in the North Carolina legislature would require teens to obtain notarized, written parental consent in order to access a range of health services, including testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, birth control prescriptions, pregnancy care, mental health counseling, and substance abuse treatment. HB 693 seeks to amend the state’s existing parental consent law — which already prevents … Read More