Rachel Maddow tried to explain where babies come from to the busybodies busy legislating women's bodies, illustrating down there lady parts in her Man Cave. Unfortunately, explaining women to men historically often results in men trying to control how women go about the world. Read some of the analyses of the good ol' days back 5,000 years ago when matriarchs ran the world, and you may find that it took about 2,500 years for men to sort out that the birds and bees thing was what delivered babies. Not prayer, a dance around the campfire, hunting things with clubs; oh, you mean, that. Precisely. And here we are 2,500 more years later, and - deja vu all over again - women have to explain how women work to men one more time. The 112th Congress and its minions at the state level are back trying to get a grip - not on their zippers and their thinking processes - but on women's bodies. And by all means, let's please drag the Catholic Church back into the discussion. And while we have a few months left in the 112th, let's reverse all those nasty property laws, get rid of credit scores for women, hell, let's get rid of money for women altogether. Bring back silencing, gaol, rewriting history, the stock in the public square, and perhaps, oh yes, those old stand-bys, the scaffold and the fire.
Showing posts with label reproductive rights. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reproductive rights. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
The Birds & The Bees in Government
Rachel Maddow tried to explain where babies come from to the busybodies busy legislating women's bodies, illustrating down there lady parts in her Man Cave. Unfortunately, explaining women to men historically often results in men trying to control how women go about the world. Read some of the analyses of the good ol' days back 5,000 years ago when matriarchs ran the world, and you may find that it took about 2,500 years for men to sort out that the birds and bees thing was what delivered babies. Not prayer, a dance around the campfire, hunting things with clubs; oh, you mean, that. Precisely. And here we are 2,500 more years later, and - deja vu all over again - women have to explain how women work to men one more time. The 112th Congress and its minions at the state level are back trying to get a grip - not on their zippers and their thinking processes - but on women's bodies. And by all means, let's please drag the Catholic Church back into the discussion. And while we have a few months left in the 112th, let's reverse all those nasty property laws, get rid of credit scores for women, hell, let's get rid of money for women altogether. Bring back silencing, gaol, rewriting history, the stock in the public square, and perhaps, oh yes, those old stand-bys, the scaffold and the fire.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
100 Years of International Women's Day
In 100 years, women in the United States have gained the right to vote, personal control of our bodies, positions in government, private enterprise and churches, advancement in education and fields of study. On this centennial, some of these advances are threatened. The 112th Congress with H.R.3, H.R.358, H.R.217 is working to take control of our choices about our own bodies. State legislatures, with the support, and often at the behest of, the governor in Wisconsin, South Dakota, Nebraska are taking safe health and reproductive choice from women. Some legislation is criminalizing miscarriage. Undoing history also are Arizona, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah. The Senate in Michigan is wasting taxpayers' time and money with redundant SB 160 impacting women's safe health, too. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in her anniversary speech said, "The United States continues to make women a cornerstone of our foreign policy." We need to keep women safe, secure sovereignty of our own bodies, reclaim our civil rights, and prioritize women in our domestic policy first. We have no right to counsel other countries when our government is busy eradicating women's access to safe health, violating our legislated freedom, and prosecuting women with ideological agendas.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Get Pregnant = Get Court Martialed
Major General Anthony Cucolo has added pregnancy to the list of offenses punishable by court martial and possible imprisonment. The male responsible for the pregnancy will face court martial too. This ban includes married Army personnel. Gen. Cucolo commands the Multi-National Division-North in Iraq.
This edict applies to "all United States military personnel, and to all civilians, serving with, employed by, or accompanying" the military in northern Iraq. Wonder how Gen. Cucol thinks he's going to court martial civilians?
As one servicewoman veteran notes - emergency contraception was removed from Basic Care Formulary under pressure from the Bush administration, even though Dept. of Defense approved its use in 2002.
Senators Al Franken and Olympia Snowe this week (re)introduced the Compassionate Care for Servicewomen Act. This bill, originally introduced by Rep. Michael Michaud (D-Maine) as H.R.2064, was shot down in 2006. The current version is H.R.4386. The Senate bill doesn't have a number yet.
Review: DoD approved emergency contraception in 2002. Bush administration removed it from BCF. Bill introduced in 2006 got nowhere. Next bill - still nowhere so far. General Cucolo makes pregnancy a court-martial offense, November, 2009. Franken-Snowe introduce Compassionate Care for Servicewomen Act, Dec. 2009.
Why not just put the meds. back in the BCF? Is that too easy, General Cucolo?
This edict applies to "all United States military personnel, and to all civilians, serving with, employed by, or accompanying" the military in northern Iraq. Wonder how Gen. Cucol thinks he's going to court martial civilians?
As one servicewoman veteran notes - emergency contraception was removed from Basic Care Formulary under pressure from the Bush administration, even though Dept. of Defense approved its use in 2002.
Senators Al Franken and Olympia Snowe this week (re)introduced the Compassionate Care for Servicewomen Act. This bill, originally introduced by Rep. Michael Michaud (D-Maine) as H.R.2064, was shot down in 2006. The current version is H.R.4386. The Senate bill doesn't have a number yet.
Review: DoD approved emergency contraception in 2002. Bush administration removed it from BCF. Bill introduced in 2006 got nowhere. Next bill - still nowhere so far. General Cucolo makes pregnancy a court-martial offense, November, 2009. Franken-Snowe introduce Compassionate Care for Servicewomen Act, Dec. 2009.
Why not just put the meds. back in the BCF? Is that too easy, General Cucolo?
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