I am reading the Crashing the Gate. I am rereading You Have the Power by Howard Dean. I am trying to make peace with the fact that our party has taken womens’ issues off the table. I am trying to understand. I am perusing the NARAL website, and sure enough what I heard was right. Ten states, including Rhode Island, are planning to join South Dakota in outlawing abortion.
I began to wonder, just how long are we supposed to not be single issue people. I know we are supposed to ban together with other single issue people, I know that. But we don’t have a leader. When someone speaks up on that issue now at most progressive forums, it is not popular.
Our Democrats understandably are being cautious on this issue. So I am putting my armor on and pointing out just what trying to compromise with these guys is getting us.
Here are the ten states:
Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
You can verify it all here at the map of states at the NARAL website.
Just for an example, Rhode Island will amaze you with the vast amount of anti-choice legislation it has going. I never thought of Rhode Island as being so conservative. Take a look.
Abortion Bans Throughout Pregnancy
Affiliation Ban
Anti-Choice License Plates/Anti-Choice Clinics
Biased Counseling and Mandatory Delay
Counseling Ban/Gag Rule
Insurance Prohibition for Family Planning Coverage
Physician-Only Requirements
Protection Against Clinic Violence-Anti
Public Facilities and Employees Restriction
Refusal to Provide Medical Services
Restrictions on Low-Income Women’s Access to Abortion
Separate Legal Status for Embryos and Fetuses
You really need to go through a lot of the states. Amazingly one of the best is Florida. There is quite a bit of pro-choice legislation pending, and no anti-choice.
And there is more. I read at another forum just how bold some of the extreme religious right in some states are becoming. It is alarming. I don’t think our Democrats, who are trying to stay neutral on this, truly get it. We have no one on our side on this issue. And the other side is not about to compromise. They have been planning this for years.
I will just post the links and the topic.
At the DFA blog I saw an article posted about an article/opinion piece written by a woman in Kansas. Here is the link. It is just unbelievable.
Birth Control Prevents God’s Work
By using contraception, you prevent God’s creative power in bringing forth new life. Sex is a complete self-giving love you pledge to your spouse within marriage, and contraception destroys the unitive and procreative qualities of sex. Pleasure is not the purpose of sex — it’s the motive or consequence.
And I saw this at Democratic Underground, about a Tennessee Democrat, a woman, with a bill to ban…..well just read the article.
The Dire Problem of Dildos in Tennessee
I have tried to believe that if these people so far on the right of the religious spectrum just kept on being more and more outrageous that they would self-implode. It does not seem to be happening.
And since there is more important stuff going on like the selling off of America, and the caving in on the Patriot Act renewal, I guess issues like this come last. Not really being too critical, I do understand that our Democrats are trying not to allow these issues to be issues at all. The intent is just not to address them.
Trouble is, the other side is just keeping on. And they don’t seem to be slowing down.
Thank you for your post, floridagal. Absolutely recommended.
“Democrat Steve Holland introduced a banning bill in Mississippi, still in committee.
…and this: Democrat Julie Bartling introduced the banning bill that has now been signed in South Dakota.”
That is really a shock. I don’t see why Democrats are doing this.
Bartling is Catholic. Of course, not all Catholics are anti-choice, but it’s common to find legislation against abortion in states (e.g. recent stuff in Rhode Island) where there are Catholics in large numbers.
If I’m reading this correctly, it doesn’t apply to anal stimulation as this would not fall under “genital organs”. It seems the simplest solution is to do what I
m told they do in Texas: market them as novelties or generic massagers. (Where’s that Hello Kitty “neck and shoulders massager” …)
This is not intended to make light of the serious issues, I mean, Rhode Island? Has it come that far?
Support the state-level groups that will be fighting against these bans. A wave of support from us could make a real difference:
South Dakota: Grassroots South Dakota
Alabama: Your suggestions welcome
Georgia: Georgia for Democracy; and Georgians for Choice;
Indiana: Indy for Democracy; and Indiana Progressive PAC;
Kentucky: Kentuckians for the Commonwealth; and University of Kentucky Progressive Coalition;
Mississippi: Your suggestions welcome
Missouri: Pro-Choice Missouri; and Planned Parenthood St. Louis;
Ohio: Democracy for Ohio; and Blue 88;
Rhode Island: NOW Rhode Island;
South Carolina: South Caronlina Progressive Network;
Tennessee:Democracy for Tennessee;
West Virginia: Your suggestions welcome
We can rant and rave all we want. But retaking our nation will require grassroots power on the state and local levels. The above mentioned groups could do the trick with enough support and given some time. NO STATE is so red we should write it off. Consider the above yet another piece in the 50-state stratetgy.
I am equally concerned but I don’t believe that this necessarily helps abortion opponents. If the intent is to test and overturn Roe, then abortion opponents are looking at potentially 50 separate fights in 50 separate state legislatures rather than one centralized (federal) struggle. I actually did a diary about this some time ago. It would better serve opponents to chip away and narrow the application of Roe and keep centralized federal control than to outright overturn it. Overturning will lead to the aforesaid 50 separate fights, many in places where Republicans/opponents don’t have a clear edge like they do federally. What this says to me is that oponents are somewhat less organized and less well advised than I had assumed.
These are important developments and I thank you for this diary. Recommended.
What this says to me is that oponents are somewhat less organized and less well advised than I had assumed.
That’s funny. What it says to me is that Democratic voters had better start counting their RC politicians.
You’re right, but then not all RC’s agree on this.
Well, one of the reasons I seldom participate anymore over at the other place is precisely this issue. The Democrat establishment likes to think of women’s rights, gay rights, minority rights, and so on as “single issues”.
They’re not.
They are all particular instances of the very broad issue of human rights. And I, for one, do not intend to shut up and tow the party line so we can win some token victories while the very underpinnings of our civilization are dismantled by the religious wrong.
My vote for any candidate is contingent upon, at a minimum, support for unfettered access to reproductive health services, including abortion. And I have called my representatives (and their primary opponents) to make sure they know that.
Certain blogs overestimate their importance. For politicians, when it gets down to it, phone calls from constituents carry more weight than anything else, often including campaign contributions.
I don’t know about the national party, but I never stopped worrying about human rights. They obviously intend to “keep their powder dry” until they are purged in the primaries. Let’s make it so.
… what do they not consider “single issues” if those are ?
(I’m not being retorical, I just don’t understand the mindset that will ignore all those things.)
Protecting their own wealth and privilege. The stuff that keeps the power structure intact and inviolable is never dismissed as a “single issue.”
Thanks, that’s cleared that up.
(Not being cynical enough, I guess.)
The Rhode Island business is particularly ugly and somewhat puzzling. They aren’t doing this because the voters in RI are enthused about their government being co-opted by right wing fundies, Catholic or Protestant and we know this because fully 2/3rds of the population does not wish to see Roe overturned. I’ve seen Democrats hide their sweating faces and run like scared mice when the polls were 2 points in their favor and within the MOE and here they are defying, by a huge margin, community norms.
I never believed that the folks who reduced reproductive rights or poverty to a single issue best ignored were being sincere, anyway. It’s just that modular explainations are so appealing when you’re trying to string a bunch of stupid voters along.