Good ol’ Old White Dudes making everything equal for everyone, eh?
Let’s just get right down to it. Indiana Republican Eric Turner is attempting to pass a bill that would make abortions illegal after the 20th week, which is more or less after the fetus appears. Now, Democratic congresswoman Geil Rieckman went before the House and asked that, you know, women be allowed to make the choice about what goes on in their vaginas.
Like any sensible person would do, right? I mean, do a group of old white ladies govern what goes on with my balls? No. They don’t. But this is what happens in America. Old white men who believe in an invisible man in the sky get to say what goes on in all women’s vaginas. The last time I tried to make anything happen inside a woman’s vagina I didn’t even get passed the whole “taking her to dollar-beer and bingo night at the bar by my house” thing. Swing and a miss, there. And hey – that was just one vagina. In their case, they are trying to control ALL OF THE VAGINAS. Who do they think they are? Prince circa Purple Rain?
Anyway, Eric Turner – the self-indited Pope Of Pussy that he is – came back with this clever retort:
With all do respect to Rep. Riecken, I understand what she’s trying to do. But as you know that when the federal health care bill was going through Congress there was a lot of discussion whether this would allow for abortion coverage and of course we were all told it would not. And the bill, my house bill 1210, would prevent that for any insurance company to provide abortion coverage under federal health care bill. This [amendment] would open that window and I would ask you to oppose this amendment.
I just want you to think about this, in my view, giant loophole that could be created where someone who could — now i want to be careful, I don’t want to disparage in any way someone who has gone through the experience of a rape or incest — but someone who is desirous of an abortion could simply say that they’ve been raped or there’s incest.
Ok, look, to soften the blow, allow me put this in silly language lest I throw a brick at the nearest dude in a Brooks Brothers suit jacket: this dude is insinuating that every woman who needs to get an abo-bo due to Daddy-diddlin’ is crazier than a soup sandwich. Thanks a lot, folks! Try the veal! Uuuuuuuuuuuuugh.
You can watch the full exchange here. It’s as awkward to see him stand up there believing that he has control over vaginas like some misaligned Lord Of The Rings thing, standing up there like an awkward weirdo just shrugging when he says “Hoosiers don’t want to pay for abortions” (he uses the word Hoosiers, I mean, really). Then Democratic Congresswoman Linda Lawson gets up and delivers an amazing response. Sadly, this was not enough to stop the bill from getting sent to final vote later this week in the Tea Party overrun House, before moving on to the Senate, where I can imagine it’ll get dismissed due to, well, human rights. Right? It’s like we’re living in the last five fucking minutes of Easy Rider. Feels weird. Take a gander at the exchange below.
Oh, and if you want to call Eric Turner’s office and let him know how outraged you are, call (317) 232-9750, or email him at h32@in.gov
Just a thought. Anyway, here’s the video.
April 06, 2011 at 10:32 pm, oh4foksake said:
Hmmm. So this chitheel can deny a woman’s rights REGARDLESS of her circumstances? Let me think. Yeah, that’s the ticket.
April 06, 2011 at 10:32 pm, oh4foksake said:
Hmmm. So this chitheel can deny a woman’s rights REGARDLESS of her circumstances? Let me think. Yeah, that’s the ticket.
April 07, 2011 at 12:19 am, CC said:
Stay out of my Vagina Eric Turner…
April 07, 2011 at 12:19 am, CC said:
Stay out of my Vagina Eric Turner…
April 07, 2011 at 4:23 am, Chris Sia said:
This is why I’m elated that this generation of politicians have one foot in the grave. I take solace in knowing that our children, our future, are intelligent enough to “stay out of women’s vaginas.”
April 08, 2011 at 4:30 am, Confusioncloud said:
As if teenagers of any generation could stay out of each others’ pants, that would be the day.
May 20, 2011 at 7:08 am, stephanie said:
And if they were properly educated about safe sex, contraception, and the realities of teen pregnancy, I’m sure they would stay out of one another’s pants a lot more. Or at least do so more responsibly.
July 18, 2011 at 8:14 pm, Anonymous said:
I’m a teen and I’ve never even been kissed (by choice). I’m asexual and have asexual friends. Our pants stay on and nobody gets in them beside the owner.
April 07, 2011 at 4:28 am, Chris Sia said:
This is why I’m elated that this generation of politicians have one foot in the grave. I take solace in knowing that our children, our future, are intelligent enough to “stay out of women’s vaginas.”
April 07, 2011 at 2:16 pm, Greg L said:
>It’s like we’re living in the last five fucking minutes of Easy Rider.
True! And I’m reminded that at the time Paul Schrader wrote in his pan of the movie in the LA Free Press that Hopper/Fonda tipped their hand, in their depiction of the psychotic American yahoo. If only he could’ve foreseen our caricature, Bizarro America coming…And this was of course many years (about 3 decades) before James Byrd, Jr. was dragged to death in Texas…
But, hey – once we’re past the denouement of Easy Rider, is it safe to say that – in our Cultural Regression Double-Feature – we’re now at the start of The Handmaid’s Tale?
April 07, 2011 at 4:32 pm, john charles webb jr said:
There are TWO primary issues in this entire abortion matter :
1) Women’s Rights regarding their bodies
and
2) The rights of the unborn child
These issues MUST be balanced , not in any ‘religious’ way , but rather , according to the dictates of The United States Constitution .
It is quite reasonable for a woman to decide whether or not to take a pregnancy to full-term by her 20th week (5 months) of carrying a fetus . (quite reasonable) .
The general public seems , quite often , to be ‘persuaded’ by emotional issues rather than by the complications of legal issues ( as stated above #1 and #2 ).
The primary issue , regarding the unborn fetus/child , is @ what point in the pregnancy does the unborn child obtain protection (Right to Life) under The U.S. Constitution ? . . . . and to determine a time-line that gives our women a ‘reasonable opportunity’ in which to make a decision regarding the termination of pregnancies .
These are highly-charged emotional issues complicated by ‘religious beliefs’ . We MUST BE REASONABLE with both mother and child and find an optimal solution .
April 07, 2011 at 4:42 pm, john charles webb jr said:
My proposed solution mirrors the present U.S. (suggestion) approach to this matter :
abort a pregnancy , ON DEMAND , up until the fetus becomes “VIABLE” (able to live , unassisted , outside of the mother’s womb). After the child becomes “VIABLE” then the unborn child gets his or her “RIGHT TO LIFE” .
A DILEMMA FOR KING SOLOMON …..
solved .
April 07, 2011 at 11:06 pm, Res_Ipsa said:
So when, exactly, does viability occur? Would it be different for each child? What percentage of accuracy for the answer would be legally correct? Or would we go with the current approach and just draw an artificial line that would apply regardless to the individual-specific nature of this question? In which case, why not put the artificial line somewhere else? And how many babies can live, TRULY unassisted, outside the mother’s womb? How many one-year-olds can? Wouldn’t they die of disease, hunger, unless they get assistance?
As appealing as that solution sounds, it’s impossible to implement. We must either resort to artificial standards drawn by fallible humans, or go with one of the two only bright lines nature has given us–birth or conception. That’s one of the reasons why this debate is ongoing.
April 09, 2011 at 4:37 pm, Aaron Berlin said:
I think this is generally what guides limits on late term abortions. The problem with viability is that it’s basically a probabilistic guess up until week 30 or so, with 50% viability at about week 24. So you set a number. Maybe 20 weeks is to low, but in most European countries, abortion on demand is only available until weeks 12-18, after which women have to rely on a health exception.
April 07, 2011 at 7:23 pm, guest said:
It just sickens me to live in Indiana and have this going on. Attending university at IU, I get to see this debate all the time and it makes one think that there’s progress. But Bloomington is an island in a sea of backwater politics that is Indiana.
April 12, 2011 at 10:17 am, 404 said:
http://save-our-sperm.org/
February 17, 2012 at 3:32 pm, Get Out Of My Uterus « Female Gazing said:
[...] Hepburn of Death and Taxes magazine sums up the situation in Indiana, where all abortions past 22 weeks were [...]