Thursday, October 25, 2012

The Time Warp of Women's Rights

It's election season again and as we all know mud has been flying around every which way but Sunday.  But the mud that's being slung at women for the past couple of months is some of the most vile and disgusting around.  These attacks are coming from only ONE political party- the GOP.  Republicans like Todd Aiken, Darrell Issa, Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, Rush Limbaugh, Richard Mourdock (just to name a few) have all played their part in the relentless attacks against women.  Here's what each of these MEN have contributed to their anti-woman cause....

*Todd Aiken
  "Well you know, people always want to try to make that as one of those things, well how do you, how do you slice this particularly tough sort of ethical question. First of all, from what I understand from doctors, that’s really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. But let’s assume that maybe that didn’t work or something. I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be on the rapist and not attacking the child."
Aiken then stated his words were "taken out of context".  Whatever you say but...that's not how the female reproductive system works, if a sperm fertilizes an egg the woman will most likely become pregnant REGARDLESS if she's raped or not.   

*Darrell Issa
  Issa held a congressional hearing on birth control (regarding the Obama administration making birth control accessible/free for students attending religious affiliated universities)  but was missing one thing....he didn't allow any women to talk, only men.  A young law student by the name of Sandra Fluke wasn't able to testify because Issa said she was "not qualified for appropriate"....and all the men you're talking to are?!  

*Rick Santorum
   Does not believe that "right to privacy" isn't part of the Constitution, he's critical of Griswold v. Connecticut, he also said that contraception is "a license to do things in a sexual realm this is counter to how things are supposed to be."  He thinks birth control is harmful to women and harmful to our society, believes sex is only for procreation.   He also thinks sexual freedom has led to "the debasement of women, mental illness, and an epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases, causing infertility, cancer and even death."  He thinks that the women's rights movement has damaged "traditional family values", doesn't support having women on the front lines during war....

*Mitt Romney
   Romney is a weird case...first he says he's for women's rights then he backtracks THEN he picks a running mate who is trying to get legislation passed that would re-define the definition of rape.   My personal opinion is that this guy has a hard time relating to anyone who isn't a rich white man.  Apparently those "binders full of women" didn't help.  

*Paul Ryan
   Mitt Romney's running mate- He has co-sponsored 38...yes 38 measures in congress that would restrict abortion no matter if the woman was raped, incest or endangers the mothers life.   He voted against the Lilly Ledbetter Pay Act,  thinks fertilized eggs should be considered people,  opposes selling emergency contraception over-the-counter, wants to cut federal funding for Planned Parenthood,  and like I stated earlier wants to change the definition of rape...because apparently there's differences between "forcible rape" and "legitimate rape".  

*Rush Limbaugh 
   I don't think I need to remind anyone on how much of a worthless-useless-racist-sexist pile of human waste this guy is.  But in short he has NO IDEA how birth control works and I'm pretty sure most of these guys don't.  

*Richard Mourdock 
   The newest member of Club Scumbag!  He recently said this about women who become pregnant after being raped- 
"I know there are some who disagree and I respect their point of view but I believe that life begins at conception. The only exception I have to have an abortion is in that case of the life of the mother. I just struggled with it myself for a long time but I came to realize: "Life is that gift from God that I think even if life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen." 
And like Todd Aiken he offered an excuse about how the words he spewed without thinking were twisted around.  


 I along with every self respecting woman (and not just American women) find these attacks offensive, disgusting, sickening, untrue and most of all...scary since it's usually men who decide what a woman can and can't do with her body.  It's also evident that we still live in a male dominated society and the clues are everywhere.   They also never have to worry about having their reproductive rights taken away nor are they CONSTANTLY under attack.  

Of course there have been even more outrageous things said like "If I thought that a mans signature was required...required in order for a woman to have an abortion, I'd have a little bit more peace of mind."  and there was that bullshit law about how if a woman needed an abortion she would be required to be probed against her will, THEN there are laws where rapists can get shared custody of children of the woman he raped (double whammy!).  

In closing I would like to say this:

I may not always necessarily like having a Uterus or what comes along with it but the simple fact is, is that it's MINE.  If I choose to get it removed, keep it in a jar of formaldehyde and carry it around with me or use it as a coin purse I HAVE THAT RIGHT.  It's not yours to decide what I do with it and I'm sure as shit not going to let one, much less a man, tell me "No you can't have birth control or an abortion."   

I know the men in the GOP have this thing about how women have a hard time making decisions because they're too "emotional" and NEED men to help them sort things out because we're "the weaker sex" but enough is enough and the damage has been done and I think women are going to remember this and playing nice in the sandbox is out of the question.