Akin, Republicans, Women, Elders

If you listen to people like Ryan, Santorum, Akins, etc., for two minutes, you realize that their convictions aren't really about fetuses/babies, but rather about the behavior of women. In their minds, since the woman had sex, they don't "deserve" an abortion; they should have to pay for their behavior by being forced to bear a child. The cruelty of considering a child as being a punishment is lost on them.

And Akin refuses to withdraw from the race.

You, my dear Ronnie, are never wishy washy on any issues. Bravo.

I thought that you would appreciate knowing that the GOP made it part of their party platform today to make abortion illegal, including for rape and incest victims.
This is exactly what Akin stands for and also what Ryan stands for, who has been the co-sponsor on multiple bills outlawing abortion including for rape and incest victims.

Whilst the GOP is making a lot publicity over distancing themselves from Akin, they just made Akin's views their party platform, so you are left to wonder how genuine this distancing act is. Apparently not very.

I am frankly horrified for my two daughters!! Both are young mothers of child bearing age and one, years ago, had an abortion. I supported that decision and took her to the clinic. These Republican MEN have no clue.

And then there is this from Sharon Barnes, a member of the Missouri state Republican central committee, regarding Mr. Akin’s statement that very few rapes resulted in pregnancy.

“at that point [after being raped], if God has chosen to bless this person with a life, you don’t kill it. That’s more what I believe he was trying to state,” Ms. Barnes said. “He just phrased it badly.” SOURCE

Does this women really think she cleared things up or the better?

We are allowing ourselves to be side-tracked by this parsing of abortion law, breaking it down into which abortions are "okay" and which ones are not.

Abortion is a legal medical procedure. The decision to continue or not continue a pregnancy for whatever reason is no one's business except the pregnant woman.

Ronni, I agree with you that we elders are the only ones who can testify as to what life used to be like before the advances of the last half-century in women's health care and family planning.
I will admit, though, that the thought crosses my mind -if I speak up, do I have the courage to take the chance that some nut will shoot me or picket my home or harass me? Even if TGB set up a way for elders to anonymously contribute their own stories, you could be subject to harassment and even legal attempts to access your emails or records.

HuffPo had a blog post from a rape victim with over 2,000 comments: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eve-ensler/todd-akin-rape_b_1812930.html

The name calling isn't appropriate. It does not promote civil discource. We all have our opinions, Our opinions may differ, that does not make us stupid.

Regarding the Newsweek article. I believe it failed the "fact check" test.

I am so disgusted with the Republican party and I can recall when there was still an iota of sanity on their side of the aisle. Ike et al have to be rolling in their graves. Then again, if Ike was alive today, he'd be a Democrat. Has anybody but me noticed that no one on the GOP side ever invokes any of the sane Republicans who actually really did care about this country back when common sense and common decency and honor meant something. I keep trying to figure when those fine concepts left the building.

I was told yesterday, by my landlord, that Bill O'Reilly was a great rational thinker -- and I nearly bit my tongue off 'cause I can't afford to move.

I can't understand why anyone with an iota of common sense or common decency can support the Romney/Ryan ticket. Their election could be a death sentence for many of us.

The three I's (ignorance, insanity,ideology) and the three R's (Republicans, Romney and Ryan) are a very dangerous mix for this country. Please, if it is possible, take at least one person to get their ID card and drive them to the polls if they have no way to get there.

No election in my lifetime has been as important as this one. We cannot let the bigotry, intolerance and sheer stupidity of the Republican party win,.

Part of what makes these powerful crusaders even more repugnant to me is the knowledge that their legislative constraints simply make obtaining abortion a bit less convenient for women with "resources." But for women without resources, abortions become completely unobtainable.

These powerful men (and their rich wives) are comfortable with this knowledge, of course. The hypocrisy is stunning.

Thank you for this post. It is chilling and also heartbreaking to consider the effects of the Republican party's position on human rights.

LZ Granderson reminded us in his Tuesday opinion at CNN.com that we should make no mistake - it's not just Akin. "... they never shy away from using this same conversation to fire up their base, or hurl attack ads or raise funds." He cites the following:

Republican Kansas state representative DeGraf - "suggested women should plan ahead for rape the way he keeps a spare tire."

Republican Indiana state representative Turner - "said some women might fake being raped in order to get free abortions."

And - "Former presidential hopeful Rick Santorum suggested doctors who perform an abortion on a woman who becomes pregnant from an attack should be thrown in jail and this year suggested rape victims who become pregnant from an attack should be forced to keep the baby and 'make the best out of a bad situation.' "

And what else in our lives would they control?

WAKE UP CALL....WOMEN everhere,every age!
They can run,but they cannot hide.
No female should support the current GOP Romney-Ryan or Congressional candidates.
Check his record,Paul Ryan's positions on women' reproductive, and health issues, are extrreme!
I can't believe the Republican party wants to return us to the back alley/clothese hanger days; we owe it to our young women coming up to really understand the consequences of their vote.
Wake Up Women! Never forget what it was like.
Thank you for leading the charge Ronni.

I try desperately to refrain from labeling and name-calling, to interest with thoughtful commentary those thinking differently from me who I most want to read what I write -- as I will listen to their point of view -- but there are some issues that stretch my skills at doing so to the very limit.

Yes, I'm well past the child-bearing years, but it wasn't always so. That woman I was and the woman I am now screams with anger for my children and grandchildren -- all others, especially women.

Who are these people who not only presume, but believe they are entitled to think they can make regulations, laws that govern what I can and cannot do with my body, including whether or not I have a child -- or even under what circumstances?

It comes as no surprise to me that there are so many people (especially some men, but tragically some women) who covertly harbor the views and lack of basic science knowledge that Akin expressed.

Frankly, I'm glad he said what he did -- overtly verbalizing what so many of us knew was the truth about what those who lead the Republican Party truly believe. The excuse that he misspoke one word does not ring true in this instance.

I've been sick to death of the double-speak, outright lies that can now no longer be denied, but that too many people seemed to not question.

Well, the gauntlet is down. Now, there should be no question what everyone's position is on this issue.

I would think any self-respecting Republican candidates and Party members would leave that Party in protest -- whether or not he does.

There does not seem to be any hope of reforming the Republican Party to reflect the viewpoints of some of the sensible, rational, reasonable members their Party once embraced.

Ex-Republicans don't have to join any other existing Party, but maybe they could form another Party - one that embraces humanity-respecting values. This nation needs and deserves a two-Party system composed of such people.

To describe the current batch of Republican politicians, I recently used the word baroque (among other less kind words). Then I decided I had better go look at the precise definitions and senses of the word at Merriam-Webster:

"Related to BAROQUE
Synonyms: excessive, devilish, exorbitant, extravagant, extreme, fancy, immoderate, inordinate, insane, intolerable, lavish, overdue, overextravagant, overmuch, overweening, plethoric, steep, stiff, towering, unconscionable, undue, unmerciful"

Happily, I chose the exact meanings I was intending -- except for 'fancy.'

I left the Republicans years ago over this very issue. My dad was a lifelong Republican and also an ob/gyn and co-founder of the Planned Parenthood chapter in our city. He saw no conflict whatsoever between being a Republican and being a compassionate human being who educated lower income women about their health and birth control. I'm sure he could never have imagined what the GOP has become today.

It's beyond my comprehension that any woman would vote Republican these days and deny any other woman the right to make her own decisions about her own body. Pro-choice is not and never has been "pro-abortion." It simply means I'll make my decision and you make yours.

We were women before we were Republicans, Democrats, or independents. We were women before the economy crashed and we'll be women after it recovers. Control of our own bodies is a much more personal, immediate, important concern than the economy or any other national issue, despite what any political candidate says. This is and always will be my number one benchmark issue.

Were my body to have been able to shut down...I just didn't know it could.

Thank you for this column, Ronni.

It inspired so many great comments..

I especially liked what Kay said. Good for you, Kay. You kept your mouth shut,you kept your apartment,and now you can keep that appointment you have to vote against those bastards in November.

I wonder if many of these men are not, in fact, mentally ill, as are the women who support extreme measures against women.
The way they talk about rape, abortions, fetuses, the idea of shoving things up vaginas; well, it makes me think they have repulsive ideas. They sure love to talk about all that stuff "down there," don't they?
Sickos.

I simply cannot believe that there is a threat of going backwards like this. Voting will be so very important.

I wonder if those women who are wasting tons of money on fertility treatments knew they could just WILL themselves to get pregnant ;) Wow! The power we have! Who knew?

Seriously, I am, like Hattie, incredibly creeped out by the amount of energy these guys spend thinking up pseudo-scientific theories for female reproduction and/or sex crimes.

Whenever something like this comes up (like Rush Limbaugh and the "slut" comment), it becomes chillingly clear that these guys spend WAY too much time ruminating on Gynecology for Dummies.

Let's give them even more time to think up whacked-out sex theories by relieving them of their dull government responsibilities in November!

My hope is that all except one) who commented will send their thoughts to every woman they know.

What I don't understand is why these men think they have the right to control women's bodies in this way. Isn't this approach exactly what the Taliban is enforcing in some Mid East cultures?

What's next for the Grand Old Party...saying women can't work outside the home and must stay covered?

What if a woman president and her party decided that male erections outside of the home are illegal? Can you imagine the outrage?

For me, the issue is one of sovereignty for women... freedom from external control. And I think between your writings with this blog and Eve Ensler's recent article (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eve-ensler/todd-akin-rape_b_1812930.html?utm_hp_ref=yahoo&ir=Yahoo) We progressive minded women must rise and unite!

Even here in Australia I read about the stupid and insane comments Akin made about rape. It horrifies me that people think like this and it horrifies me that people would vote for someone like this, or the party he represents.

Of course the name calling is appropriate. There's a perfectly good name for men who want to control women -- misogynist.

Do a quick search on the countries where abortion is illegal. Sobering reading. I can't think there is a woman alive who would make having an abortion part of their bucket list. I have always believed that the choice should be there. Is this the dawn of the new dark ages?

If the Romney/Ryan ticket happens to win, the answer is YES. We are in the dawn of the new Dark Ages--big time! At 75 I probably won't live to see how far back our country will go before there's another social revolution. We don't seem to learn much from history, do we? Thus, we are bound and apparently determined to repeat our mistakes.

I don't know about Missouri women voting against Aiken. They may admit that what Aiken said was inaccurate and stupid but because they are Republican will vote for him anyway as oppose to voting Democrat/Obama. Voting against ones own interest seems to be a disease in this country along with sheer stupidity and illogical thought processes.

"Passive-aggressive horseshit" is hands down the best definition I've heard of this Republican doublespeak. My writing is based in a time when women did not have the rights they do now. Life was not better then.