Papa Don’t Preach, by Martha Thomases – Brilliant Disguise
After last week’s political dust-up about access to birth control, we have moved on, as we inevitably must when access to birth control is limited, to abortion rights.
(And, by the way, if we’re going to have Rick Santorum and other Catholic lawmakers insist that what they call “religious liberty” requires them to promote the values of their so-called faith, can they at least be consistent?)
In Virginia, where they apparently believe that women are too stupid to understand the great wisdom of their Republican lawmakers, they recently passed two new abortion laws. As the news story cited notes: “On a 63-36 vote, the House passed a bill that requires women to have a transvaginal ultrasound before undergoing abortions.”
In other words, this.
Let’s think about this. The party that apparently thinks government is too intrusive when it suggests that perhaps we should have environmental safety regulations thinks its perfectly okay to force women to have a doctor shove things into her lady parts. As a commenter noted in this article, “Hmmm, if only there was a word for vaginal penetration without a woman’s consent…”
Republicans are quite obsessed with lady-parts. If you missed it, I can’t recommend this segment of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart highly enough.
As always, Dan Savage has the best idea, to send Virginia legislators pictures of vaginas, since they are so intent on discovering what goes on in them. As soon as I meet with my stylist, I’m sending mine.
Personal circumstances remind me that, if we’re very lucky, we will live long enough for our bodies to fail. Disease isn’t fun, but it’s better than random (or not-so-random) violence. All we have are our bodies, and it should be up to us to take care of them to the best of our abilities, according to the best advice we can get from research and medical professionals.
I don’t want to have to drag my uterus from some Republican’s cold, dead hands.
Martha Thomases, Media Goddess, can only hope the GOP has to run on a platform of forcible vaginal examinations. Unless they win.
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February 18th, 2012 at 7:57 am
Martha, you are cooking today!
February 18th, 2012 at 8:57 am
As soon as I read about that involuntary transvaginal ultrasound law I thought, “Sounds like rape to me.” Man, I hope the ACLU is all over this craziness QUICK!
February 18th, 2012 at 9:57 am
First of all, “As soon as I meet with my stylist, I’m sending mine” is the best line I’ve heard all year. Maybe the best line I’ve heard since George Carlin died.
And your graphic gives expanded meaning to the phrase “cock block.”
February 18th, 2012 at 4:58 pm
It just never ceases to amaze me how much attention lawmakers pay to the bodies of women–forever attempting to define one biological function or another and relate it to law. With them being so narcassistic and all, one would think this trait would kick in at times like these…oh wait, there’s a big election on the horizon. A primary in my adopted state of Michigan in 10 days. Can’t escape them on the boob tube. If it was a choice–more boob tube. Less fallopian tube. As mcu as I can’t stand the commercials, I’d settle for that.
February 18th, 2012 at 6:16 pm
Pennie sez “It just never ceases to amaze me how much attention lawmakers pay to the bodies of women.”
Hot damn, You’re right. I’m jealous.
I mean, the day will come when I run out of shit to get pissed off about.
February 19th, 2012 at 2:44 pm
The only good thing is that means the economy must be doing better for the social-issue rants to start up again.
February 19th, 2012 at 4:19 pm
Mike sez:
“I mean, the day will come when I run out of shit to get pissed off about.”
I’m seriously betting the under here.
};>)
February 19th, 2012 at 4:21 pm
Hiding the children and (younger) women—Rick Sanatarium is visiting my neighborhood tomorrow.
Donning earmuffs, night eye covers and double hoodies.
February 19th, 2012 at 4:22 pm
Men, you’re on your own here.
February 19th, 2012 at 6:03 pm
“the values of their so-called faith”
So-called faith? You may accurately criticize individuals for hypocrisy, (there are very few can meet that standard, myself included), but there is nothing “so-called” about the Catholic faith. It is very real and I can’t even discern how such a disparagement is cogent
February 19th, 2012 at 6:34 pm
George, if you look at my link, you will see an article listing quite a few tenets of the Catholic faith that Santorum ignore, not the least of which is charity. Hence, I described his PERSONAL faith as so-called because, you know, he’s a hypocrite.
February 19th, 2012 at 7:41 pm
Martha, I hoped that was what you meant, personal faith and not a swipe at all Catholicism.
Yes I read that article last week from a link on Mark Evanier’s blog but that is not a list of Catholic dogma. Eight of them are items of US politics that the US bishops promote. The first one, opposition to the Iraq War was John Paul II’s opinion. Opposition to the death penalty is part of the Church’s “seamless garment” teaching, of which opposition to abortion is an incontrovertible and critical part.