Shakesville

The Year: 2012

Today, US Representative Darrell Issa (R-Ancid), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, is holding a hearing called "Lines Crossed: Separation of Church and State. Has the Obama Administration Trampled on Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Conscience?"

photo of hearing; all the people ready to testify are men

Actual photo, via Echidne. As you can see, the entire front row of "experts" are men. Thomas: "The hearing will feature 10 witnesses—eight of whom are men; none of them is testifying in support of contraceptive coverage. [Issa] refused to let a female law-school student testify about the importance of birth control. I guess women who use birth control just don't know as much about it as men who are against it."

It's such a stupendous joke that Democratic Representatives Eleanor Holmes Norton of the District of Columbia and Carolyn Maloney of New York have walked out.

I don't even know what to say anymore.

I Could Be Great

Iain and I spent Valentine's Day evening watching the Westminster Dog Show, because nerdz. One of the show's primary sponsors is Purina, and their new advert for Purina Pro Plan ran like 97 million times during the show, and I blubbed my face off every time. It's just such a sweet and moving homage to the many ways dogs can and do enrich humans' lives.

I've since gotten a few emails about the advert, so here it is (with my thanks to everyone who emailed):

Video Description: A series of video clips of dogs set to Tony Rogers' song "Great."

The lyrics used in the advert are: To a point I was good / Tried to do stuff that I should / Tried to do what you said / Tried to sleep in my own bed / But my bones wouldn't rest / 'Til I put me to my test / And I remembered what you said / I could be great / So so great...

The clips are, in order (having made a good-faith effort with breed identification, I dearly hope this thread does not turn into a pedantic nitpicking session about my description): A brown shepherd-mix wagging its tail and grinning; a black and white Boston Terrier sitting on a couch like people; a black and white Chihuahua walking across the back of a couch; a grey and cream Husky (or maybe Malamute) puppy laying half in a water bowl; a tan and silver Yorkie perking up its ears; a red Shiba Inu playing with a ball; a white Maltese puppy in a pink bed; a fawn and white English Bulldog sleeping on its back; a golden-mix pawing at a Frisbee (I think) on a hardwood floor; another Yorkie cuddling up for a nap; a black and tan Dachshund-mix looking out a window; a black Scottish terrier retrieving a ball from the water; a tan terrier-mix leaping through the snow; a black and white and silver Australian Shepherd running in the grass; a lab-mix long-distance diving at a competition; a black and white Border Collie catching a Frisbee; a red and white terrier-mix leaping a fence; a white Labradoodle play-bows in the grass; a Vizsla puppy runs with floppy ears; a brown and white English Bulldog on a surfboard; a black shepherd-mix in a wheelchair goes for a walk; a black Newfoundland rescue dog jumps out of a helicopter into the ocean; a black and tan German Shepherd search and rescue dog walks through building wreckage; a yellow Lab search and rescue dog digs through snow; a white Silken Windhound therapy dog stands calmly being pet by an older woman; a Yorkie lies beside a man in a hospital or hospice bed; a black Lab guide dog walks with its person down the street; a yellow Lab high-fives its owner in an agility competition; a Husky welcomes home a servicemember by enthusiastically licking his face. Text onscreen: Inside every good dog is a great dog.

[Note: Even though this is an advert for a specific dog food, posting the ad is not an endorsement of Purina, and, in fact, I do not use Purina dog food. Please note that discussions of Purina's corporate practices and advocacy for specific pet diets, while worthy discussions, are off-topic for this thread.]

Two-Minute Nostalgia Sublime

Josie Cotton: "Johnny, Are You Queer?"

Obama Jokes Again About Violently Protecting His Daughters' Sexuality

[Content Note: Misogyny; rape culture; violence.]

I've written previously about my contempt for the President's repeated "jokes" about violently defending his daughters' sexuality, and now I am again grinding my teeth as he used another campaign appearance to "joke" about how he will lock up his daughters and how happy he is that they're protected by "men with guns." (Bonus barf for the old "boys are smelly" gag.)

It is wonderful to be at MasterLock. I have to say, though, it brought back some memories. I was thinking about, uh, my gym locker in high school. [laughter] And, you know, if you go into the boys' locker room in high school, um, sometimes it's a little powerful, the odor in there. [laughter] So I was thinking about the fact that, uh, yeah, we weren't washing our stuff enough. [laughter] And then I was thinking about, as I got older, and I kept on using MasterLocks, I became an even better customer because I couldn't always remember my combination. [laughter] So I'd end up having to have the lock sawed off, and buy a new one, so I was giving you guys a lot of business. [laughter and cheers] And now, as I was looking at some of the really industrial size locks, I was thinking about the fact that I am a father of two girls who are soon gonna be in high school, and that it might come in handy to have these super-locks! [laughter; Obama laughs] For now, I'm just counting on the fact that [Obama laughs] when they go to school, there are men with guns with them, so. [laughter]

This is A Problem. Despite the fact that the opposition party has, on both the state and federal levels, endeavored to undermine access to abortion, to contraception, and even to woman-centered healthcare providers, and despite record numbers of anti-choice legislation being passed across the nation, and despite increasing incidents of anti-choice terrorism, our ostensibly pro-choice president has not only failed to give an address centering reproductive rights, failed to give even a passing mention to reproductive rights in his "Women's Equality Day" proclamation, failed to acknowledge this onslaught of state-sponsored terrorism in defense of an inherently violent ideology in his State of the Union address, failed to prioritize science over religion, failed to prioritize healthcare over religion, and failed to be generally clueful, but the only time he does publicly speak about women's reproduction (aside from bragging about ceding ground to anti-choicers to pass legislation, while insisting it's "not an abortion bill") is when he's making "jokes" about how his daughters' unsullied cunts are something he must tenaciously guard because their sexuality doesn't belong to them.

This is, suffice it to say, not someone who is an ally on reproductive rights. This is someone who is more deeply entrenching anti-choice (and rape culture) narratives, who thinks, in the midst of a monumental backlash against feminist principles regarding bodily autonomy, agency, and consent, that it's funny to joke about locking up his daughters and violently preventing any expression of their sexuality.

He's not just failing to be an ally. He's actively working against feminist ideals.

And then there's this: For a father who quite rightly has drawn boundaries on behalf of his daughters regarding their privacy from photographers, he seems rather shockingly unconcerned about violating boundaries regarding public discussion of their sexuality. Even if it weren't politically inappropriate to make such "jokes," he's appropriating something deeply personal that belongs to his daughters to get a laugh at national campaign events.

Of course, if he recognized their ownership of their sexuality, he wouldn't be making the "joke" in the first place.

Top Chef: Texas Open Thread

Robocop and Pee-wee visit Top Chef

Guest judge Jimmy (A Unicorn) is no fan of crinkle-cut fries.
I thought this was the finale. It wasn't. But! It is months later and now they are someplace with snow because that is very un-Texas. I bet this is Vermont. They may have said where they were but I was only half (maybe even a third) paying attention. There were way too many absurd challenges. I did catch that much. Like what is the point of cooking in a ski lift making occasional stops to pick up surprise ingredients from the same little canisters I store my cat food in?

Then there was some über-weird shooting competition. Whut?! Tru-fact*: The Biathlon was introduced at the 1936 Olympics when Germany basically just wanted to scare the shit out of everyone. "Hey, look at what we can do! We can shoot while skiing!" Good job, German Olympians, you made Leni Riefenstahl proud. So the cheftestants shot rifles to win oregano. Or something. Oof.

Hey, Top Chef, you know what would be a good way to determine if someone is a really top chef? Put them in a kitchen with a fully-stocked pantry for a few hours and see what they can come up with. Best meal wins! Or not. Or just give them ice picks and see who can dig a pork loin out of a block of ice the fastest. That's just as valid.

* This may no be true. I'm not Dr. History, you know.

Primarily Disastrous

image of Mitt Romney looking downtrodden at a campaign event, with added text reading 'How did it all go so wrong?'

That is literally the smartest thought Mitt Romney has had during this entire campaign, and it is a thought that I inserted into his fictional brainpan through the magic of Photoshop.

What a terrible time for poor Mitt Romney, who has been dreaming HIS WHOLE LIFE of losing an election to Barack Obama! He is slipping in the polls, he's running out of campaign money, he's under attack for his church's anti-Semitic practices, that doggone animal cruelty story just won't go away, he can't even get the good endorsements, and now a bunch of dirty hippies are fixing to meddle in the primaries to make sure he loses.

And when people start looking at his actual policies, it's gonna get EVEN WORSE!

Poor Mitt Romney. I would feel soooooooooooooo sad for him if he weren't a garbage nightmare of a candidate whose definition of presidential stewardship weren't to usher in a corporatocracy as quickly as possible!

Newt Gingrich is still in the race! He has not dropped out yet! And he is getting GREAT press these days. Like this tremendous piece in the Washington Post: "Newt Gingrich: The most disliked politician in America." Ha ha TERRIFIC!

Something something Ron Paul. Liberty, freedom, liberty, freedom, forcible pregnancy, honest rape. It's in the Constitution! Look it up.

Now it's time for another Rick Santorum FUN FACT! In 1999, Rick Santorum's wife Karen sued "a Virginia-based chiropractor for half-a-million dollars for allegedly bungling a spinal adjustment." [H/T to Shaker phillypheminist.] This story is being reported as some evidence of hypocrisy, because Rick Santorum supports tort reform limiting awards to half for that which Karen sued, but, hey, his wife doesn't necessarily agree with his position on tort reform, and he doesn't own her, so whatever. I also believe that Karen Santorum was entitled to be awarded the reimbursement of medical care related to the alleged injury, missed work, and other associated costs. However! I find the testimony in this case about how they were hurt very interesting!

A significant part of what the Santorums were concerned about at the time of the lawsuit was that Karen would not be able to help the senator's re-election campaign, as she had done in the past.

Roll Call reported on Jan. 10, 2000, that the senator had testified that his wife had "trouble walking, bending and lifting and has suffered humiliation from weight gain associated with her injury."

"We have to go out and do a lot of public things. She wants to look nice, so it's really difficult," said Santorum, according to the 1999 Roll Call piece.

Oof. Because looking nice and being fat are mutually exclusive, of course. And it wasn't enough to just state the facts of her injury limiting her physically; he had to really drive home how TRULY AWFUL the injury was by detailing how it had made her unattractive. (And why was it him testifying to her alleged upset at her changed appearance and not her?)

Also: "In addition to the pain and suffering of his wife, the injury forced the senator to do more work around the house. 'When I get home at night—and I have long hours—she's exhausted. I have to do more stuff around the house—which I am happy to do,' Santorum testified." He's happy to do it, OBVIOUSLY, but they really need some money to compensate a husband and father who works long hours having to do more work around the house.

I wonder which of them suffered a more devastating humiliation: Her, for gaining weight, or him, for having to do housework. OH THE HUMANITY!

image of Rick Santorum making what looks like a monster face and hand gesture, with text added reading 'Rrrrrowwwwwrrrr! I am your worst nightmare! (No, really. I am actually your worst nightmare.)'

image of Rick Santorum making what looks like a monster face and hand gesture, with text added reading 'Rrrrrowwwwwrrrr! I am your worst nightmare! (No, really. I am actually your worst nightmare.)'

^ Also a fun fact.
In other Santorum news, borrowing a page out of the Bush-Cheney playbook, Rick Santorum is warning North Dakotans that "their state's booming oil industry positioned the region as a prime target for terrorism."

"Folks, you've got energy here. They're going to bother you. They'll bother you, because you are a very key and strategic resource for this country," the Republican presidential candidate said. "No one is safe. No one is safe from asymmetric threats of terrorism."

He then went on to use that as justification for why we need to intervene in Iran. What a good idea! He is so full of good ideas!

Finally: If you want to get a better understanding of the kind of people who support Rick Santorum (lol there are people who support Rick Santorum! ha ha nervous laughter OMG!), check out these heroes.

In totally related news, President Obama's approval rating is back to 50%.

Talk about these things! Or don't. Whatever makes you happy. Life is short.

Open Thread

A sticker showing an LP record and the words

Hosted by licorice.

Question of the Day

What would you say if you had hir in front of you?

Undoubtedly, people will wonder: Who? That's the beauty of the question. An ex-lover, a former boss, a dead friend, an estranged parent, that asshole who picked on you in 8th grade gym class, that poor kid you picked on in 8th grade gym class, a person you admire but have never met.... Who? That's up to you.

Identify hir or don't. All you've got to answer is what you'd say, given the chance.

[Thanks to Shaker Rachell for the suggestion.]

I Would Like to File an Official Complaint

...that the Official Complaint I filed four years ago about "baby bump" body policing still has not been satisfactorily addressed—and, if anything, the scrutiny has only intensified.

Now I'm off to call the complaint line.

Number of the Day

25%: The number of children globally who experience malnutrition.

Despite global efforts to address food security, chronic childhood malnutrition has been largely overlooked, putting almost half a billion children at risk of permanent damage in the next 15 years, Save the Children said in a new report released Wednesday.

"Malnutrition is a largely hidden crisis, but it afflicts one in four children around the world," said Carolyn Miles, President of Save the Children. "It wreaks lifelong damage and is a major killer of children." Every hour of every day, 300 children die because of malnutrition, according to the report titled "A Life Free from Hunger: Tackling Child Malnutrition."

"It's time for a paradigm shift. The world can no longer afford to wait until visibly emaciated children grab headlines to inspire the action these children need and deserve," Miles said in a statement.

While addressing food security, world leaders have galvanized much-needed support to boost agricultural productivity, but they have yet to make nutrition central to their efforts. In 2009, President Obama helped spearhead the L'Aquila Food Security Initiative, which inspired $22 billion in pledges at the G8 and G20 meetings. According to Save the Children, only 3 percent of these pledges and less than 1 percent of pledges fulfilled to date have targeted nutrition.

"Investment in agriculture is clearly important to making sure production keeps up with a growing population," said Miles. "But let's not forget, right now the world produces enough food to feed everybody, and yet one third of children in developing countries are malnourished. Clearly, just growing more food is not the answer."

Fuck.

So what is the answer? Well, there are some prescriptions in the report (pdf), but let's face it: The biggest need is a contagious willingness to do something to change this reality.

It can feel overwhelming when you read a number like half a billion children, because what can any one person do? Save the Children has plenty of different ways you can help, besides or in addition to donating.

[Note: I am not affiliated with Save the Children in any way.]

Iowa Rep Intro's Legislation to Ban Abortion Entirely

So in Iowa, legislation was just introduced that bans abortion. Full stop. No exceptions. It likely won't go anywhere at all because hello court challenges and injunctions and Roe v Wade and it lacks the sneaky run-around of the chipping away strategy anti-choicers are so fond of (and it has not yet gone anywhere, even to committee). So since it probably--though you can never know with this GOP--won't go anywhere, I think it's a ploy to get the bill author's name into the news cycle near to election time (and so I'm not going to give her the publicity, though it's easy enough to find). Still, people should know what these people are proposing.

Here is the some of text of this asshattery (all strike outs, and underlining [text additions] is that of the author):

Sec. 3. Section 144.29A, subsections 1 and 2, Code 2011, are amended to read as follows:
1. A health care provider who initially identifies and diagnoses a spontaneous termination of pregnancy ~~or who induces a termination of pregnancy~~ shall file with the department a report for each termination within thirty days of the occurrence. The health care provider shall make a good faith effort to obtain all of the following information that is available with respect to each termination:

[...]

2. A health insurance program provided by an employer may exclude coverage of abortion, except where the life of the mother would be endangered if the fetus were carried to term or where medical complications have arisen from an abortion.

[...]

707.7 Feticide.

1. Any person who intentionally terminates a human pregnancy, with the knowledge and voluntary consent of the pregnant person, ~~after the end of the second trimester of the pregnancy~~ where death of the fetus results , commits feticide.
Feticide is a class ~~“C”~~ “A” felony.
2. Any person who attempts to intentionally terminate a human pregnancy, with the knowledge and voluntary consent of the pregnant person, ~~after the end of the second trimester of the pregnancy~~ where death of the fetus does not result , commits attempted feticide. Attempted feticide is a class ~~“D”~~ “B” felony.
3. Any person who terminates a human pregnancy, with the knowledge and voluntary consent of the pregnant person, who is not a person licensed to practice medicine and surgery or osteopathic medicine and surgery under the provisions of chapter 148 , commits a class “C” felony. For the purposes of this section, “termination of a human pregnancy” means the use of any means to terminate the pregnancy of a woman known to be pregnant with the intent other than to produce a live birth or to remove a dead fetus. “Termination of a human pregnancy ” does not include a fetal death as defined in section 144.1 or the spontaneous termination of pregnancy as defined in section 144.29A.
4. This section shall not apply to the termination of a human pregnancy performed by a physician licensed in this state to practice medicine or surgery or osteopathic medicine or surgery when in the best clinical judgment of the physician the termination is performed to preserve the life or health of the pregnant person or of the fetus and every reasonable medical effort not inconsistent with preserving the life of the pregnant person is made to preserve the life of a viable fetus. Section 703.1 relating to aiding and abetting and section 703.2 relating to joint criminal conduct shall apply to persons knowingly participating or concerned in the commission of feticide or attempted feticide under this section.

Or, if you didn't quite get it:

EXPLANATION

This bill relates to prohibiting abortions.

The bill makes conforming changes throughout the Code to eliminate any reference to allowing abortions or terminations of pregnancy. The bill amends the termination of pregnancy reporting section (Code section 144.29A) to only include the reporting of spontaneous terminations of pregnancy.

The bill amends a Code section relating to unfair employment practices (Code section 216.6) to eliminate references to disabilities caused or contributed to by legal abortion. The bill amends a Code section relating to discrimination relating to health insurance abortion coverage (Code section 21 216.13) to eliminate the reference to abortion coverage.

The bill amends Code section 707.7 (feticide) to provide for application of the elements of the crime of feticide at any point in the pregnancy rather than only after the end of the second trimester. The bill also increases the penalty from a class “C” felony to a class “A” felony for the intentional termination of a human pregnancy with the knowledge and voluntary consent of the pregnant person when the death of the fetus results. (A class “C” felony is punishable by confinement for no more than 10 years and a fine of at least $1,000 but not more than $10,000; and a class “A” felony is punishable by confinement for life without possibility of parole). ....

PRIORITIES! This GOP legislator has 'em--and they are not about the life or welfare or autonomy of the pregnant person.

You Know...

I'm seeing an awful lot of arguments from progressive men (and some women) positing that birth control is a good wedge issue for Democrats to use against the GOP. Like this article, conveniently titled "Why birth control is a good wedge issue against the GOP."

And I respond to every one the exact same way: Sure, great wedge issue, except for how it concedes the extremely anti-choice (and, not coincidentally, the pro-rape culture) position that the bodies of women et. al. and the governance thereof are subject to public debate, ownership, and exploitation as a political tool.

Am I really supposed to give a fuck that Democrats can turn denial of contraception into a "winner" if I have to negotiate away the concept of absolute autonomy over my body in the process?

Fuck that. I'd rather see Democrats, including and especially our President, take a firm line, never concede a goddamn inch, and respond to every Republican attempt to turn any aspect of reproductive rights into a wedge issue with: "I refuse to engage with any position that treats bodily autonomy as a negotiable item. I support choice, without qualification. Next question."

Anything less is losing ground.

If you think I'm wrong, consider this: Conciliation to the anti-choice terms of the debate has us now debating birth control access. In the year two thousand and fucking twelve.

Bonus Two-Minute Nostalgia Sublime

a-ha: "Take On Me"
I didn't post this earlier today because I was positive I had done this one before, but I can find no indication that is true. So. Enjoy!

Santorum Clinches Thrash Metal Vote

Okay, metalheads, you can stop worrying about who you're gonna vote for: Dave Mustaine has spoken!

"I'm hoping that if it does come down to it, we'll see a Republican in the White House... and that it's Rick Santorum."

\m/

Awesome, Rick Santorum! Way to grab the youth vote. Or something. Dave Mustaine is definitely someone people listen to. He's like the E. F. Hutton of metal. And instead of money, politics. Which are like the same thing now anyway. So there's that.

But, don't think that Dave Mustaine hasn't considered all the options.

"I've got to tell you, I was floored the other day to see that Mitt Romney's five boys have a $100 million trust fund. Where does a guy make that much money?"

I dunno. Being in Metallica maybe? I kid! No, I don't. Those guys are soooo rich.

"Watching Newt Gingrich, I was pretty excited for a while, but now he's just gone back to being that person that everybody said he was – that angry little man."

Awww... Poor Newt. "I still like him, but I don't think I'd vote for him." Oh, okay, no worries, Newt, Dave Mustaine still likes you! That's way better than most everyone else in the country feels about you!

"I like Ron Paul because he knows how to excite the youth of America and fill them in on some things. But when he says that we're like the Taliban ... I'm sorry, Congressman Paul, but I'm nothing like the Taliban." Oh, Ron Paul. Even professional metalheads thing you're too extreme. How is that even possible? Well, it is. Sucks to be you and all that.

And what is it that Dave Mustaine likes about Rick Santorum? "When the dude went home to be with his daughter when she was sick, that was very commendable." Okay, I can't even really argue with that. Every father should have compassion for his children. It is my belief, however, that a president needs to have compassion for people outside his family. Santorum seems incapable of that.

So, headbangers, you heard it here first (unless you didn't)! And if Rick Santorum wins, maybe Dave Mustaine can be Secretary of Thrash.

Photo of the Day

I have been MUCH MALIGNED (oh the humanity!) over the years for my futile defenses of Keanu Reeves in many an "overrated/bad actors" thread in this space, lol, but I cannot help that I have a huge soft spot for him and find him ridiculously endearing. (Also: NEO!) But, seriously, just look at this guy promoting a documentary he produced at the Berlinale film festival this week:

image of Keanu Reeves on a red carpet, caught mid-gesture, wearing a snazzy suit and filthy sneakers

Look at his manky shoes! How can you not love him?! Also: He is a wizard. True Fact.

Daily Dose of Cute

Last week, Shaker itchbay noted that I don't post a lot of pictures of the dogs and cats together. The truth is, most of the pictures of the cats and dogs together aren't very interesting, because they're just either napping in proximity or begging for food in proximity, lol. They spend the most time together in the evenings, when all five of them have to be crawling all over Iain and me.

This is a good example of the sort of crap picture I usually get that includes both the kittehs and the puppehs:

image from my perspective of Zelda lying next to me on the couch, Dudley lying beside her, using her roundy butt as a pillow, Olivia standing on the end table next to Dudley, and Sophie standing on Iain's lap on the loveseat

And while Zelda was lying on me, Dudley was lying on Zelda, Olivia about to lie down next to Dudz, and Sophie sitting on Iain, Matilda was on the arm of the couch immediately beside me:

image of Matilda sitting on the arm of the couch, surveying the room

image of Matilda sitting on the arm of the couch, surveying the room

That's pretty much the scene, in various configurations, every night at Shakes Manor, in the hours after dinner but before bedtime. (Unless we're out, obviously.) Which makes for suuuuuuuuuuuuuper boring photographs, but a very lovely home. At least for us.

Btw, Dudz using Zelly's roundy butt as a pillow is pretty much the cutest thing I've ever seen.

Dudley resting his head on Zelda's bum

Dudley resting his head on Zelda's bum

Quotes of the Day

[Content Note: Reproductive rights, including discussion of proposals for mandated transvaginal ultrasounds.]

Yesterday I posted about how the Virginia state congress was all about abortion. Because nothing else in the state needs any attention. Our two quotes today come from the same person and are in regards to yesterday's VA legislative session.

“In the vast majority of these cases, these are matters of lifestyle convenience.” -- Del. C. Todd Gilbert (who is the House Deputy GOP leader), generalizing on abortion and in support of mandatory ultrasound.

Del. David Englin (who proposed an amendment that would require a person's consent to be given before having an ultrasound--an amendment the VA delegates said "Um. Nope!" to) tweeted in response:

Va. House GOP Dpty Ldr: Abortion "a matter of lifestyle convenience" thus transvaginal ultrasound regardless of woman's consent is fine. Wow

"Wow" is one way to put it.

"Abortion is a sad and deeply serious occurrence. Individuals on both sides of this issue agree that it is tragic for all involved. I recognize that few women undergo the procedure lightly. It leaves scars, both mental and physical, that can last forever. I regret that my comments earlier today on the House floor were insensitive to that reality." -- Del. C. Todd Gilbert, later yesterday after receiving a lot of criticism.

Well, Del. Gilbert, your "apology" is horseshit. Shall I tell you why?

Abortion is not tragic. Abortion is neutral. In this context, abortion is simply a medical procedure (as opposed to spontaneous abortion, which is induced by the body). Circumstances around an individual abortion may or may not be "tragic". "Tragic" is subjective.

As far as your "scars" nonsense, abortion is a safe medical procedure. It does not increase the risk for breast cancer; it does not affect future fertility, increase the risk of future miscarriage or preterm delivery in subsequent pregnancies, nor cause or increase risk of birth defects. There is more associated risk with abortions done later in pregnancy because it requires more invasive aspects. However, that does not mean abortions are unsafe or outright dangerous.

There is no evidence that abortion causes long-term mental health problems in the vast majority of people who have abortions. Scientific study has proven this time and again (.pdf).

Another comprehensive review of the scientific literature, conducted in 2008 by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, likewise found that “the highest-quality research available does not support the hypothesis that abortion leads to long-term mental health problems. Lingering post-abortion feelings of sadness, guilt, regret, and depression appear to occur in only a minority of women.” (p. 449)

The most common feeling after an abortion is relief. And about those potential longer-term negative effects:

There is evidence that stigma around abortion, rather than the abortion itself, can have negative mental health consequences. A woman may have negative emotions after an abortion because she thinks her partner, family or community will condemn or exclude her for deciding to have an abortion. According to the APA, the “most methodologically strong studies...showed that interpersonal concerns, including feelings of stigma, perceived need for secrecy, exposure to antiabortion picketing, and low perceived or anticipated social support for the abortion decision, negatively affected women’s postabortion psychological experiences.”

"That reality" you speak of, Del. Gilbert, is one you've made up to justify legislatively-mandated ultrasound, which you do not support a person being able to consent to, in order to access a separate safe, legal medical procedure. Your remarks were not "insensitive", they were offensive, willfully ignorant, and specious.

Wednesday Blogaround

This blogaround brought to you by shoelaces.

Recommended Reading:

Pam: Moral Objections, Forced Confessions, and Senator Blunt's Amendment from Hell

Kevin: Trying to Catch His Breath With a Hole-Ridden Safety Net

New Black Woman: Diane Von Furstenberg: "All Women Should Have Children"

Resistance: "I Love You" [Content Note: The post at this link discusses the racism and xenophobia associated with English supremacy.]

Fannie: The Egocentrism of Anti-Autonomy [Content Note: The post at this link contains discussion of body policing and privilege.]

Scott: Keep Chuckin' Those Facts!

Letters of Note: I Love My Wife. My Wife Is Dead.

Leave your links and recommendations in comments...

Two-Minute Nostalgia Sublime

a-ha: "The Sun Always Shines On T.V."

More of This, Please!

Igor at Think Progress reports that Rep. Nancy Pelosi is "calling on the Democratic party to include marriage rights for gays and lesbians in its 2012 party platform."

Pelosi's backing comes in response to Freedom to Marry's new 'Say I Do' campaign, which is pushing Democrats to become the first major political party to adopt the policy:

The proposed plank states: "We support the full inclusion of all families in the life of our nation, with equal respect, responsibilities, and protections under the law, including the freedom to marry. Government has no business putting barriers in the path of people seeking to care for their family members, particularly in challenging economic times. We support the Respect for Marriage Act and the overturning of the federal so-called Defense of Marriage Act, and oppose discriminatory constitutional amendments and other attempts to deny the freedom to marry to loving and committed same-sex couples."

Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill tells Metro Weekly, "Leader Pelosi supports this language."
The Democrats' 2008 platform opposed the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which the Obama administration is no longer defending in court, but took no position on marriage equality. Obama has said that he is still "evolving" on the issue, even as a growing number of Democratic lawmakers now support marriage.

You know, this "evolution" bullshit was craven enough when Democrats had some reason to think that supporting marriage equality on principle might have undermined their electability, but a majority of USians now support marriage equality, and I find it extremely unlikely there are vast numbers of voters who will support President Obama only if he continues not to support marriage equality, or even enough voters whose abandonment wouldn't be more than made up for by the people who would get their asses to a voting booth for a candidate who took an unabashed stand for equality.

The Democrats might be pleasantly surprised if they stopped making policy via focus groups of likely voters, and instead gave currently unlikely voters a reason not to stay home.