Victory Tastes Like Defeat

Health Care Reform passed last night, due in large part to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's determination and guidance (yay!). This morning, President Obama signed an executive order applying the Hyde Amendment (ongoing ban on public funding of abortion) to the new legislation (BOO). Initial reports from the feminist front indicate that this is not simply an affirmation of the status quo (which sucked to begin with), but an actual rollback of reproductive rights and expansion of Hyde's influence. And, oh yeah, it's extra disheartening coming from a supposedly pro-choice president, who has continuously denounced Hyde altogether.

Remember this cover of Ms. magazine? I'm not so keen on it now.

And this guy? This Democrat? He needs to fall. off. the face of the earth and take his abortion bargaining chip and all the Republicans who were obnoxious heels throughout this whole process with him.

CBS = Couldn't Be Shittier (To Women & Gays)

This week, CBS rocketed to the top of my network shitlist (And I really didn't expect NBC to get knocked off that quickly, but so far 2010 has been a banner year for networks pissing me off) when they stuck by a Focus on the Family anti-abortion ad set to air during the Super Bowl. If that wasn't bad enough, they also denied air space to a pro-gay dating ad.

Just lovely. Really, really lovely.

So, is this just about the money, or does CBS have a far-right agenda? Complain to the Couldn't-Be-Shittier network here. Or, even better, sign this petition.

Stupak, Schmupak

To those 240 members of the House of Representatives that voted for the Stupak-Pitts amendment last night, including 64 Democrats, you can all kiss. my. ASS.

NARAL agrees:

"The Stupak-Pitts amendment makes it virtually impossible for private insurance companies that participate in the new system to offer abortion coverage to women. This would have the effect of denying women the right to use their own personal private funds to purchase an insurance plan with abortion coverage in the new health system — a radical departure from the status quo. Presently, more than 85 percent of private-insurance plans cover abortion services."

So. Is this what health care reform looks like now? Actually taking rights away from half the population? Limiting our options? Getting between us and our doctors? Wtf?

And by the way, isn't that everything most of these politicians (of both parties) claim not to want?

Right, sure, whatever. Instead, women get thrown under the bus... and it's hailed as triumphant bipartisan compromise? Yeah, you're all collaborative geniuses. We get it.

Grrrrrr. Starting to feel a lot like Maine and California all over this country. However, the Stupak provision can still be removed, and the Senate is yet to have at it.

Posts of Interest

Some stuff I haven't had time to blog about:

Jessica's critique of the virginity movement's continued shaming of hook-up culture on college campuses. Via Feministing.

Both the Vermont and New Hampshire legislatures are very close to legalizing gay marriage. Woot! However, the threat of gubernatorial vetoes loom.

An intense personal story from a woman who has, at different times in her life, given a baby up for adoption and had an abortion. At Shakesville.

And my personal favorite: Dolly Parton as a feminist icon! Love that woman.

The Pope, Argh: Mixed Messages Is My Specialty

Pope Benedict XVI was in Africa this week, thrilling some people by his very presence and infuriating others with a constant litany of theological convictions that seemed to not make much sense when taken as a whole.

First, he said:

"[AIDS] is a tragedy that cannot be overcome by money alone, and that cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which even aggravates the problems."

Wtf does that even mean? This baffling statement now must be debunked by groups/activists worldwide, including the United Nation AIDS Agency, all of whom want to strangle someone.

But we're not done. Next comes:

"Particularly disturbing is the crushing yoke of discrimination that women and girls so often endure, not to mention the unspeakable practice of sexual violence and exploitation which causes such humiliation and trauma."

Okay, so that part was pretty good. But then he follows it up by taking issue with the "irony of those who promote abortion as a form of 'maternal' health care."

And... he loses me again. First of all, it's so great when male leaders (or journalists) put words like women's health care in scare quotes. And second, he's referring to a specific agreement signed by 45 countries in the African Union to allow abortion in cases of rape, incest... and to save the mother's life. Yeah, it's so "ironic" to want to save "women's lives" and call it "health care." What were all these women thinking, that their lives might actually be worth something. Thanks for the lesson in the patriarchy, Benedict, as if it's even possible I could have forgotten.

Pelosi and the Pope meet... there's no picture, but it happened!

Nancy Pelosi met with the Pope on Wednesday and, out of line with usual papal procedure, no picture or video was released by the Vatican. Because pro-choice women leaders are oh, so scary. Back in 1985, Geraldine Ferraro was treated similarly. But since Pelosi is #3 within the U.S. government, something feels off (and predictable) about this particular snub.

Of course, Benedict unloaded his usual "dignity of human life" spheel, though there were no reports that Pelosi was there to talk about abortion at all.

Anyone who's pro-choice has a no-brainer reaction to the "human dignity" argument, as do I, and as I would guess Pelosi does as well: that is, what could be more dignified than having control over your own body and being granted respect for the decisions you make about that body? But that is not the kind of human dignity the rigid belief system of the Catholic Church hierarchy officially endorses.

Coincidentally, this visit happened on the same day a fetal personhood bill passed the House of Representatives in North Dakota. Bills such as these not only threaten abortion rights but contraceptive rights as well. Which is damn scary.

Probably what's most irksome about Pelosi in the Vatican's eyes though, as well as in the minds of many U.S. bishops, is that she reportedly believes her pro-choice stance does not conflict with her Catholic faith on a theological level. *gasp* Her church even allows her to continue to receive communion. *double gasp*

I think it's pretty bad-ass of Pelosi to say these things out loud, especially in terms of her particular parish being okay with her. She's not buying into the argument that religion and liberal politics can't mix, and apparently others in her circle don't either. But to some, this idea is unthinkable (& radical). You mean not all Catholics believe all the same things, exactly as the Vatican tells them to? Are you saying that Catholics might actually think for themselves?

As someone who grew up Catholic around a lot of people who did think for themselves, the answer is, hell yes.