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nashville_brook

(20,958 posts)
Sun Apr 19, 2015, 02:15 PM Apr 2015

KILLING US SOFTLY On abortion we’re one compromise away from third world status

KILLING US SOFTLY On abortion we’re one compromise away from third world status
The Florida Squeeze
by nashville_brook

http://thefloridasqueeze.com/2015/04/19/killing-us-softly-on-abortion-were-one-compromise-away-from-third-world-status/

This week I traveled to Tallahassee to “tell my abortion story” to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Along with two other women, we went to make women’s voices heard as the fate of the Mandatory Wait Bill (SB 724) was “considered.” 

I put “considered” in scare quotes because we all know that there’s no “consideration” in these matters. And, the fact that I was the only one of the three of us who was able to tell my story proves they never intended to deliberate. They hid behind a procedural rule to cut off testimony, because what could women possibly add to a debate that’s already been decided? The suppressed testimony of the two other women can be found below. They had a lot to add, as you’ll learn when you watch these videos, and it’s outrageous that they weren’t permitted to be heard. 

Diane's unheard story:


Barbara's unheard story:



My own testimony focused on the fact that while our stories are different, we share the opinion that we don’t need Tallahassee politicians inserting themselves into our lives to remind us of the seriousness of our decisions. Everyone knows that mandatory wait laws are impediments made in bad faith by snickering opponents of reproductive rights. 

It’s clear to me that the only way to fight back is to step out of the shadows, so let the headlines read “Local Woman Has Abortion 25 Years ago: Still Doesn’t Regret It.”

In the 40-plus years since Roe v. Wade, we’ve lost so much ground that reproductive freedom barely exists anymore, and this threatens our basic human rights as women. I believe that if we don’t put a human face on it we’re ceding another victory to our opposition.

It was a mistake we made in the 90s. We thought that finally having a Democratic president after 12 years of Reagan/Bush meant we could rest easy on this issue of women’s rights. The rising tide would float all boats. We were wrong. 

This is precisely when things went haywire. Political thinkers and Democrats in Congress began asking, “Where can women compromise?” And the answer was ‘late term abortion,’ which is a procedure that’s used only under the most extreme circumstances when the life of mother or child is at stake. People needing this procedure aren’t seeking birth control. They’re fighting for their lives. And yet this seemed a “reasonable” place to cede ground — and it was the camel’s nose under the tent.

Once you abandon the foundational premise that we’re equal members of society with full agency over our healthcare decisions, the forces that desire to “keep us in our place” are empowered on all levels. Forget equal pay, or the right to seek healthcare without discrimination. We’re all “daddy’s little girls” now.

more at link --> http://thefloridasqueeze.com/2015/04/19/killing-us-softly-on-abortion-were-one-compromise-away-from-third-world-status/
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KILLING US SOFTLY On abortion we’re one compromise away from third world status (Original Post) nashville_brook Apr 2015 OP
+++ Three women spoke for all of us on Florida's latest attack on abortion rights. DirkGently Apr 2015 #1
one drove 6+ hours from South FL to be turned away. nashville_brook Apr 2015 #5
Ugh. How's that for "listening to your constituents?" DirkGently Apr 2015 #9
We can't afford to lose this battle Novara Apr 2015 #2
what's eternally galling is how some Dems (even) have lost sight of this. nashville_brook Apr 2015 #4
Welcome to DU! DirkGently Apr 2015 #6
And these are the same folk that love to send live children to war and kill those who have libdem4life Apr 2015 #3
they are anti-woman, and probably aren't even aware of it. nashville_brook Apr 2015 #7
I looked at the massive lineup of R candidates...pretty much all look the same. One or two libdem4life Apr 2015 #11
Thanks for the welcome! I have a theory. Novara Apr 2015 #8
on of the most promising things i've seen is the cross-pollination nashville_brook Apr 2015 #13
Yep. No concessions. Period. Novara Apr 2015 #19
ALL of this ^ /n.t. DirkGently Apr 2015 #26
Thank you for this.. haikugal Apr 2015 #10
Thank you for your fierce advocacy. PeaceNikki Apr 2015 #12
Yes. It's a class issue, too. DirkGently Apr 2015 #14
In my little dream world, Russ Feingold gets her seat. PeaceNikki Apr 2015 #15
Whoa! now there's a thought! nashville_brook Apr 2015 #24
Ha! A worthy dream for sure. DirkGently Apr 2015 #43
to be honest, i was in the shadows on this for too long nashville_brook Apr 2015 #25
THANK YOU! bettyellen Apr 2015 #16
K & R!! jen63 Apr 2015 #17
I stand with you strongly on this, Jen. PeaceNikki Apr 2015 #18
I still can't believe jen63 Apr 2015 #20
i've decided anger can drive my engagement. the more stupid encountered from fellow Dems (esp) nashville_brook Apr 2015 #34
Yep! n/t jen63 Apr 2015 #36
A new third-rail in American politics. DirkGently Apr 2015 #21
That DirkGently jen63 Apr 2015 #22
just this week Oregon DEMOCRATS (super-majority, btw) killed a bill to expand abortion rights. nashville_brook Apr 2015 #30
I read this yesterday jen63 Apr 2015 #35
+100000 nashville_brook Apr 2015 #44
Watch for "moderates." DirkGently Apr 2015 #46
AMEN! single-issues are always part of a larger vision. nashville_brook Apr 2015 #28
Yep, jen63 Apr 2015 #31
KICKING jen63 Apr 2015 #23
Kick jen63 Apr 2015 #27
We need to make them send us all to jail. Ilsa Apr 2015 #29
I'm in! n/t jen63 Apr 2015 #32
STUDY: Abortion Waiting Periods Cause ‘Excessive’ Emotional And Financial Hardships For Women nashville_brook Apr 2015 #33
Exactly as intended. DirkGently Apr 2015 #38
Absolutely insulting! Novara Apr 2015 #40
precisely. nashville_brook Apr 2015 #42
K&R Jefferson23 Apr 2015 #37
these kinds of news stories redruddyred Apr 2015 #39
+1000 smirkymonkey Apr 2015 #41
well, it would have been unfair to pin Thomas down on his abortion stance in Biden's hearings reddread Apr 2015 #45

DirkGently

(12,151 posts)
1. +++ Three women spoke for all of us on Florida's latest attack on abortion rights.
Sun Apr 19, 2015, 02:27 PM
Apr 2015

THANK YOU, and please thank them, for us, for traveling to testify. The fact they cut off testimony before you all could speak suggests that something -- you, maybe? -- made them fear the fixed game they had planned out would be exposed.

This is a huge issue for all of us, and Republicans have been running the table for far too long.

DirkGently

(12,151 posts)
9. Ugh. How's that for "listening to your constituents?"
Sun Apr 19, 2015, 02:53 PM
Apr 2015

No surprise the people without big checks in their hands are swiftly booed from the agenda.

But we are all listening to her. And to all of you.

And no amount of cutesy rules-trolling will be enough to silence everyone.

Novara

(5,754 posts)
2. We can't afford to lose this battle
Sun Apr 19, 2015, 02:28 PM
Apr 2015
In the 40-plus years since Roe v. Wade, we’ve lost so much ground that reproductive freedom barely exists anymore, and this threatens our basic human rights as women.


This, and it scares the hell out of me. Who ever imagined we'd re-fight the entire BIRTH CONTROL battle?

nashville_brook

(20,958 posts)
4. what's eternally galling is how some Dems (even) have lost sight of this.
Sun Apr 19, 2015, 02:31 PM
Apr 2015

it's been treated like a "niche" issue, but it's a cornerstone of equal rights.

DirkGently

(12,151 posts)
6. Welcome to DU!
Sun Apr 19, 2015, 02:40 PM
Apr 2015

We DID win this battle, decades ago, but have not fought hard enough to keep it.

It seems like women's rights have been determined to be a "soft target" for people obsessed with controlling the lives and health of others.

We're not just fighting for abortion and birth control, but to keep women from going to prison for "suspicious miscarriages" and the like.

We have to take it all back, and require our Democratic candidates to be fully and vociferously onboard.

 

libdem4life

(13,877 posts)
3. And these are the same folk that love to send live children to war and kill those who have
Sun Apr 19, 2015, 02:28 PM
Apr 2015

sinned...Death Penalty.

Even on their Pet Project on anti-abortion, once the child is born...hey girl, been nice knowing you...good luck.

Cretins and Hypocrites.

nashville_brook

(20,958 posts)
7. they are anti-woman, and probably aren't even aware of it.
Sun Apr 19, 2015, 02:49 PM
Apr 2015

anti-woman themes are culturally encoded and reinforced.

 

libdem4life

(13,877 posts)
11. I looked at the massive lineup of R candidates...pretty much all look the same. One or two
Sun Apr 19, 2015, 02:55 PM
Apr 2015

women, maybe? Then there is the D side: A woman and possibly a Tejano (not Cubano) Hispanic. That's a Wide Gulf there.

Novara

(5,754 posts)
8. Thanks for the welcome! I have a theory.
Sun Apr 19, 2015, 02:52 PM
Apr 2015

Since the right is losing their war on LGBT people, they're turning to women as their next target. See, they know they can't stop the LGBT progress that's steamrolling through America (and will be finalized with the SCOTUS decision this summer, I'm sure). They've mostly lost the racial wars with the Civil Rights Movement, so they know they can't revisit that, even though they've been trying all throughout Obama's presidency. Women make a convenient target for them - and I'd say their last real chance at remaining powerful. Their entitled white male patriarchy is threatened and they're desperately fighting back with all they've got. They've lost the war against the races and they're losing the war against gays. Now it's women's turn.

I think it will take a Women's Liberation Movement 2.0 to re-take what we've been losing since the 80s and since Reagan Ruined Everything.

I'm ready for it. Are you?

nashville_brook

(20,958 posts)
13. on of the most promising things i've seen is the cross-pollination
Sun Apr 19, 2015, 03:05 PM
Apr 2015

between our Planned Parenthood and Equality Florida (LGBT) groups -- and you are correct, they ARE coming after women b/c they're losing the battle against LGBT rights.

their political strategy requires the creation of outcasts because they have nothing to offer without "evil ones" that can be railed against.

we have to circle the wagons on this. in the past it's been all too easy for Dems to go soft on women's issues. we have to make everyone understand that equal rights are the third rail that cannot be touched.

Novara

(5,754 posts)
19. Yep. No concessions. Period.
Sun Apr 19, 2015, 03:13 PM
Apr 2015

No talk about "abortion should be safe, legal, and rare." Nope, it needs to be safe, legal, and readily available.

No talk about religious exemptions for goddamn birth control. My body; my choice whether to have children and how many.

No more $0.77 for every goddamn dollar a man makes. I want equal pay, dammit.

It's time to bring back the ERA.

PeaceNikki

(27,985 posts)
12. Thank you for your fierce advocacy.
Sun Apr 19, 2015, 02:57 PM
Apr 2015

People keep using a phrase first coined when flight pants were all the rage, here's a quote from RBG a few months ago:

In an interview with ELLE last month, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said that she thought that the country would "wake up" and realize that the state-by-state restrictions on abortion were untenable and that we "can never go back" to the situation before Roe, when abortions were only "for women who can afford to travel to a neighboring state." Yet it seems to me that we have gone back to that time; right now poor women are in effect being denied abortions because they can't afford them, or can't afford the gas to get to a clinic that is hundreds of miles away—or can't afford all that and to stay overnight in a hotel to comply with a 24-hour waiting period.
From: http://www.elle.com/life-love/society-career/the-abortion-choice

DirkGently

(12,151 posts)
14. Yes. It's a class issue, too.
Sun Apr 19, 2015, 03:05 PM
Apr 2015

The powerful always have options. Can always protect their privacy; find financial and social support. Barriers to others are small inconveniences to them.

But a waiting period or mandatory counseling, or a six-hour drive is enough to put a procedure out of reach for many. Which is clearly the goal, illegal though that goal may be.

And Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a national treasure. I worry what will happen when she is no longer there to hold the fort.

nashville_brook

(20,958 posts)
25. to be honest, i was in the shadows on this for too long
Sun Apr 19, 2015, 03:39 PM
Apr 2015

i basically created my political identity on abortion in high school in the 80s. i learned debate and rhetoric so i could win arguments. did women's rights work in college, and *attended* demonstrations and rallies all thru the 90s and aughts.

BUT it wasn't until very recently that i had the ability to really engage. part of that is living in FL where we have a solid progressive infrastructure to do these things...part of it is simply having more time and personal space for engagement. it's a privilege in the fullest sense of the word.

jen63

(813 posts)
17. K & R!!
Sun Apr 19, 2015, 03:11 PM
Apr 2015

I hate to be a one issue voter, but may have to become one; that's how important this issue is to me. I'm way past the childbearing years, but this country is looking more like the Handmaid's Tale with every passing election. I want my DIL and grand daughters (if I have any) to have the same rights I had 30 years ago. It was hard enough for we rural people to access then. Sometimes it's hard for me to believe that this is the same country I grew up in.

jen63

(813 posts)
20. I still can't believe
Sun Apr 19, 2015, 03:15 PM
Apr 2015

that this country is voting in these nut jobs, PeaceNikki, some of whom are in our own party! It's almost crazy making! Ugh.

nashville_brook

(20,958 posts)
34. i've decided anger can drive my engagement. the more stupid encountered from fellow Dems (esp)
Sun Apr 19, 2015, 04:38 PM
Apr 2015

the more work that's required.

hell, the fact that we've got so many in our own party who don't get it shows how much ground we've lost.

DirkGently

(12,151 posts)
21. A new third-rail in American politics.
Sun Apr 19, 2015, 03:15 PM
Apr 2015

You stand against abortion rights -- or for ridiculous compromises like insisting it should be "rare" -- YOU LOSE, period.

It ought to have always been that way, and it's way past time to make sure it is in the future.

jen63

(813 posts)
22. That DirkGently
Sun Apr 19, 2015, 03:17 PM
Apr 2015

will be me. No compromising on this issue is acceptable. Women are totally able to make these decisions on our own, without ANY interference.

nashville_brook

(20,958 posts)
30. just this week Oregon DEMOCRATS (super-majority, btw) killed a bill to expand abortion rights.
Sun Apr 19, 2015, 04:13 PM
Apr 2015


http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2015/04/15/oregon-democrats-kill-reproductive-health-bill-included-abortion-provision/

An Oregon bill that would have codified the right to affordable, full-spectrum reproductive health care was killed by the state’s Democratic leadership last week because of a provision that would have increased access to abortion.

(snip)

The proposal would have required all health insurance plans to cover a wide range of reproductive health services, including contraception, abortion, prenatal care, childbirth, and postpartum care, at low costs. It would also have allowed pharmacies to dispense a 12-month supply of birth control at one time, and reduced cost sharing and deductibles for abortion care.

But the language on abortion proved a sticking point even for the Oregon legislature, which has a Democratic super-majority and a track record of supporting abortions rights. Senators in the health committee failed to even give the bill a hearing date, killing it by default.

Health committee chair Sen. Laurie Monnes Anderson (D-Gresham), who was also a sponsor of the bill, “did not schedule it because she didn’t think she could get the votes from her caucus, and it was absolutely because of the inclusion of abortion in the bill,” Aimee Santos-Lyons, director of programs for Western States Center, told RH Reality Check. The Western States Center backed the bill. “Senators didn’t want to be asked to vote on abortion and have that on their record. They find it a difficult issue to go public on.”

jen63

(813 posts)
35. I read this yesterday
Sun Apr 19, 2015, 04:45 PM
Apr 2015

and I was in disbelief! "Reaching across the aisle," is going to be deadly for women.

DirkGently

(12,151 posts)
46. Watch for "moderates."
Mon Apr 20, 2015, 12:54 PM
Apr 2015

There's nothing to compromise here, but we will hear there is some reasonable "halfway point" to human rights for women; that it's radically "leftist" to demand full respect and dignity.

nashville_brook

(20,958 posts)
28. AMEN! single-issues are always part of a larger vision.
Sun Apr 19, 2015, 04:02 PM
Apr 2015

we expect to live in a society that views us as equals. it might be a singular concern, but it encompasses a world of political action.

jen63

(813 posts)
31. Yep,
Sun Apr 19, 2015, 04:15 PM
Apr 2015

it isn't just about abortion, it's about all of our rights. Restricting access to abortion is a symptom of what this country's government, i.e. men and religious fundies, really think about women and it's up to us to stop them.

Ilsa

(61,675 posts)
29. We need to make them send us all to jail.
Sun Apr 19, 2015, 04:10 PM
Apr 2015

Let them show how unreasonable they are: handcuff all of us who have had D&Cs or abortions. Not just last week, but EVER. And the doctors who performed them. We need a number. A headcount.

nashville_brook

(20,958 posts)
33. STUDY: Abortion Waiting Periods Cause ‘Excessive’ Emotional And Financial Hardships For Women
Sun Apr 19, 2015, 04:19 PM
Apr 2015
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/03/06/1682671/abortion-waiting-excessive-hardships/


STUDY: Abortion Waiting Periods Cause ‘Excessive’ Emotional And Financial Hardships For Women


Forcing women to wait a 24-hour period between consulting with an abortion doctor and legally terminating their pregnancy can cause “excessive hardships,” a new study finds. The Texas Policy Evaluation Project, a three-year research project studying the impact of the restrictive reproductive health laws that Texas passed in 2011, surveyed over 300 women who sought an abortion in Texas last year — the majority of whom reported that the state’s mandatory waiting period put an emotional and financial burden on them.

Many women struggled to get to a clinic for the required counseling session the day before their abortion. The study’s participants traveled an average of 42 miles to visit the nearest clinic, but some were forced to travel as far as 400 miles away from their homes to comply with the law. And nearly half of the women incurred additional costs from the 24-hour waiting period — $146 on average — because making multiple trips to a clinic required them to pay for extra transportation and child care on top of the cost of the abortion procedure. Ultimately, nearly one third of the respondents said the waiting period negatively effected their emotional well-being.

Dr. Daniel Grossman, the vice president for research at Ibis Reproductive Health and a researcher with the Texas Policy Evaluation Project, said in a statement that the waiting period is an ineffective policy for multiple reasons: it clearly puts a strain on women, and it doesn’t actually change their minds about whether to have an abortion. “We found that the requirement to visit the clinic at least twice was burdensome for some women and created logistical barriers to scheduling the abortion. Women also reported being equally confident about their decision after seeing the ultrasound and hearing its description,” Grossman explained.

That falls in line with previous research that demonstrates the barriers to abortion care favored by the anti-choice community — such as waiting periods, counseling sessions, and mandatory ultrasounds — don’t do anything to sway women’s decision about terminating a pregnancy. In fact, they’re simply emotionally manipulative tactics to shame women and make them feel guilty about making their own decision about their body.

DirkGently

(12,151 posts)
38. Exactly as intended.
Sun Apr 19, 2015, 06:09 PM
Apr 2015

It's obscenely insulting to begin with to suggest a woman needs a legislature to "help" her her remember to consider carefully whether she needs a medical procedure or not.



Novara

(5,754 posts)
40. Absolutely insulting!
Sun Apr 19, 2015, 07:40 PM
Apr 2015

We're not stupid. These laws treat us like we're too damn dumb to know what we're doing. And we're not getting angry enough about it. Too many have bought into the shame narrative, which is exactly playing into their hands.

They slut-shame us and we let them do it because to defend oneself is responding from a point of weakness. We have to make it a position of strength. First, erase the shame. Refuse to be shamed.

 

redruddyred

(1,615 posts)
39. these kinds of news stories
Sun Apr 19, 2015, 07:08 PM
Apr 2015

make me think thrice abt heterosexual sex.
my conclusion rounds one two and three: no thanks.

 

reddread

(6,896 posts)
45. well, it would have been unfair to pin Thomas down on his abortion stance in Biden's hearings
Mon Apr 20, 2015, 09:46 AM
Apr 2015

what difference does it make replacing Thurgood Marshall with a serial EOC harrasser?
its all good. up there.

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