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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWomen Appear To Be Losing Reproductive Right Fight. Where Are They?
With the GOP effort to enslave women and make the second class citizens with NO control over their reproductive rights women seem to be moving toward GOP. Too many women still vote for them. So what the hell is up. The poll numbers reported are really puzzling.
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RKP5637
(67,108 posts)absolutely amazing. A constant WTF to me. I seriously just do not understand it ... voting to be smeared, enslaved and belittled.
StarlightGold
(365 posts)are easily intimidated by their religious betters. They have been strong armed into believing that they will get an extra scoop of ice cream in the afterlife if they obey whatever deity they subscribe to. No matter whom it hurts or how much.
I am almost past feeling bad for this state of affairs, though. Democratic turnout in 2010 was horrid, so who let this happen?
RKP5637
(67,108 posts)have an opportunity to change things they sit on their asses. I really get disgusted with it all. I am getting so fed up with it all I too "am almost past feeling bad for this state of affairs ..." It's the same old sh** over and over again. Hell, no wonder the republicans win.
StarlightGold
(365 posts)and I don't think that it's blaming the victim by pointing the finger at Democrats in these states, the huge number who didn't turn out to vote. Sometimes people have to learn the hard way.
Le Taz Hot
(22,271 posts)by the churches that teach them that their Bible confirms they are second-class citizens. They've been indoctrinated in this crap from birth and they're too afraid to question it for fear of going to hell.
RKP5637
(67,108 posts)
riversedge
(70,215 posts)have taken the edge off the issue for many. But clinics are being shut down. The 5th PP one in Fondulac just closed in WI. I know some women who will now have to drive 4o-50 miles for an appointment.
CrispyQ
(36,464 posts)two years ago when the repub men were mouthing off about legitimate rape & shutting that whole thing down, a friend of mine called & ranted, "Who the hell are these men who think they are going to take away my birth control & my daughters birth control?" and then two weeks later she 'liked' Romney & Ryan on Facebook. 
TreasonousBastard
(43,049 posts)in some areas (like around here) women outnumber men as Democrats by up to 2-1.
That they still often vote for regressive Republicans simply means that men do not have a monopoly on stupidity.
TheMastersNemesis
(10,602 posts)And there are a lot of personhood initiatives coming up. We have one in Colorado now that is worded in a way that it is a lie. It claims to protect women and is presented in such a twisted way that makes the initiative seem like if is NOT personhood.
cali
(114,904 posts)And every personhood amendment has, to date, been voted down- including previously in Colorado. Also, the SCOTUS turned down a proposed personhood amendment that was called unconstitutional by the OK Supreme Court:
OKLAHOMA CITY — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to take up an Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling that said a proposal to grant "personhood" to human embryos would be an improper ban on abortion.
The proposed constitutional amendment, which was never considered by voters, would have given human embryos the rights and privileges of citizens in Oklahoma and was called "clearly unconstitutional" by the state Supreme Court in an April ruling.
The measure was challenged by the American Civil Liberties Union and the New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights on behalf of several Oklahoma doctors and residents before it could be placed on the ballot.
"Today's rejection by the highest court in the nation is yet another resounding message to the opponents of reproductive freedom that such extremist assaults on our fundamental rights will not stand," Nancy Northrup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights said Monday.
<snip>
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/supreme-court-rejects-okla-personhood-appeal-article-1.1194847
The successful attacks on reproductive freedom have been TARP attacks which are the equivalent of "shrinking government until it's small enough to go down the drain".
Autumn
(45,082 posts)They think abortion is wrong, they are fine with a woman having to get permission from the father before getting an abortion ( that one blew my mind) if they want birth control they will buy it, companies should be able to decide what insurance they provide to their employees and tax dollars should not go to Planned Parenhood, because tax dollars should not fund abortion 
Out of 6 girls, only one thought women should have control over their reproductive rights, and it made me sick that that one girl wasn't my Grand daughter.
I'm just puzzled as can be
TreasonousBastard
(43,049 posts)the propaganda is working.
If that's representative of their generation, it's as though the last 50 years didn't happen.
Autumn
(45,082 posts)We live in a conservative area and I hope that they just have conservative parents. But only one thought that reproductive issues are between a woman and her Doctor and no one else. Only one.
seabeyond
(110,159 posts)without guilt.
it entailed a conversation from me, asking my boys look beyond their limited vision, to the whole of the issue. the same with two nieces. they both, automatically, kneejerked to abortion is wrong. i got that. and allowed them to start at that point, with consideration of the larger points. and all of them easily came round to how this decision cannot be theirs, that we must protect the right of choice
i think it is almost an automatic reaction when kids are young. and mine had to address the issue to young. before age appropriate, simply for the fact they had learned to read.
bumper stickers and flyers, in front of their eyes, demanding we NOT kill children.
that is how it is stated. and that is the point i had to address with all. of course no one is stating anyone should be allowed to kill a child. that is the duh. but, that is also not the issue
then to have to discuss something like this, with an 8 yr old? anyway.
it has been evident to me, that our young, with tender hearts, have not processed all the information. that is why we discuss.
ZombieHorde
(29,047 posts)Yes!! Thank you. If you want to give someone directions, then you need to start at their location. Too many people want to give directions starting at their own house, metaphorically speaking.
hifiguy
(33,688 posts)I have ever read on DU. Wow.
hamsterjill
(15,220 posts)Girls seem perfectly fine with other young girls having babies, too.
I think we need to put a dose of reality back into sex education. Oh, wait...do they even still HAVE sex education??? Probably not. I'm in Texas.
Ash_F
(5,861 posts)
progressoid
(49,990 posts)
leftyladyfrommo
(18,868 posts)I would have thought just the opposite.
Those girls never experienced what it was like when abortion was not available. They have no idea of the reality of what they are saying.
TBF
(32,060 posts)I'm almost 50 and grew up with parents who were in labor unions. Working women who could earn a living out of high school and fought for the right to have birth control and gain entrance to the work force.
Their environment is so different now. The factory jobs are gone making it much harder to get decent jobs out of high school. Young women are not as able to leave the house as I did at 17. Young people are relying on their parents longer and may not have the dreams we had (or feel they can attain them). Also, the differences in technology are striking. In some ways technology broadens world view, but it can also be stifling if you're constantly exposed to right-wing propaganda.
It's scary - and they won't realize how trapped they are until it's too late.
StarlightGold
(365 posts)uber Christian teens and women actually think they will get something extra in their goody bag in the afterlife if they allow menfolk to run roughshod over them. That's what their pastor's wife told them, anyway, and who are they to question their deity?
I do not feel bad for them anymore; they will learn the hard way. Abortions will continue with or without them; it's just the poor women who will really feel the brunt. But...where were all the Democrats in 2010?
warrant46
(2,205 posts)to the 15th Century
seabeyond
(110,159 posts)the men in the supreme court make the decisions.
it is clear... what the hell is up
Initech
(100,070 posts)
Response to TheMastersNemesis (Original post)
Post removed
cali
(114,904 posts)it's about their abysmal record and rhetoric on many issues that are important to women. Reproductive rights have been virtually eliminated via TARP laws for millions of women, endangering their health in a very real way. And then there's the infantilization and humiliation of women with GOP sponsored laws that force women to view ultrasounds before having an abortion, that make them wait for days, or travel long distances.
Your story about your granddaughter is evidence of absolutely nothing. And just because YOU make more money than many men you know, you think that's evidence that that's generally true? bzzzt. wrong.
I find your attitude repugnant on a progressive site.
warrant46
(2,205 posts)on a site that at one time welcomed a variety of opinions.
The amount of snark lately here is becoming overwhelming. There certainly is nothing progressive in resorting to name calling. The woman has a point of her own, I don't agree with her either but to say she has a repugnant attitude is certainly not going to win awards from many of us here either. Name calling is a form of anti-intellectual bullying, kind of like calling a kid FAT on the playground.
If you don't agree, point out your point by using logic, respect and facts.
cali
(114,904 posts)and I've been here a long time. there was NEVER ever a more genteel time. that's called historical revisionism- or a faulty memory
Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)been put in front of women in state after state?
They can't make their individual choice if there are too many barriers, now can they?
Texasgal
(17,045 posts)Glad you make more money that "most" men you know, do you have any idea what the national stats are?
And I really don't care about your anedotal story regarding the birth of your grand daughters mothers wife or whatever. Why you felt the need to add that I have no idea.
strawberries
(498 posts)by repubs, but you could talk me into ISIS for waging a war on women.
Sorry to upset your thinking, but we will never lose the right to vote. I remember life before Roe vs wade and people were still having abortions, as my mother did. The government did the right thing by stepping in and making abortions available to all.
It's a law, unless the SC changes that it is the law
It's all about personal choice, not this boards choice as to what women do or don't do.
Women have their own values and they may not coincide with your value, but again it is a personal choice that a woman makes.
sometimes I do wonder why repubs seem to be leading in our mid year elections and then I read the anger that some have on the board. We don't work together we are divided. How unfortunate for us.
Progressives worked hard to give us women choices. They didn't work hard for you to shove them down anyones throat.
We used to educate and help those who were in need. We didn't spew hatred at them. Times they have changed
Texasgal
(17,045 posts)about fighting for choice? The GOP is blocking every effort they possibly can to shut down resources for Women. What do you mean there is no war on Women? Choice is choice. Stop trying to reinvent the movement. it's about MY RIGHT to MY BODY as a WOMAN. It's not all this "individual" blah, blah word salad.
And you know what? This little Woman here will stomp her fucking feet and fight like bloody hell to make sure that MY right to to MY body and my reproductive health is protected for my self AND future generations. If that's "shoving" hate down someones throat than so be it!
Skittles
(153,160 posts)there's the codewords right there: shove them down anyones throat.
why do republicans always say that, when it is THEM shoving THEIR sanctimonious garbage down our throats?
theHandpuppet
(19,964 posts)This is America. If you still have the right to tell people "No Muslims Allowed" at the gun range and you've been denied access to a just a few "Men Only" clubs then what are all these boob boots whining about, other than the fact that they'll still be able to get their back-alley abortions when the laws are rolled back? It's time to stop all this generalization about Republicans!
Oh, wait... I think I'm posting to the wrong thread. I got distracted reading through some posts from the last six weeks. My apologies.
Autumn
(45,082 posts)them or want to use them. NO ONE is forcing them down anyones fucking throat.
cali
(114,904 posts)do you completely fail to grasp that already MILLIONS of women have effectively lost the right to abortion? TARP laws have shut down dozens of clinics, making it virtually impossible for women without means to get an abortion. period.. there is no dispute about that.
there damn well is a republican war on women.
and YOU are on the wrong board. and the wrong side of the issue. PERIOD.
TheMastersNemesis
(10,602 posts)In case you haven't noticed men's wages have fallen in many areas.
progressoid
(49,990 posts)And goodbye.
TBF
(32,060 posts)"It's not about your choice it's about the individual choice."
WTF does that even mean? Individual choice is "your choice".
You make no sense whatsoever. Is that you Ann Coulter?
kestrel91316
(51,666 posts)and I am done fighting for people who don't appreciate my efforts enough to pick up where previous generations have left off.
It'll get fun. We may even lose the right to vote.
LiberalLoner
(9,761 posts)
Brickbat
(19,339 posts)theHandpuppet
(19,964 posts)I've been watching that happen for years. Maybe some women are just tired of trying to motivate activism when threads about reproductive rights garner not a peep because folks here would rather look at (and rec) pictures of puppies and kittens. Look at this thread -- it's getting a healthy response because it's a thread about what women are NOT doing. Say, how about the hundreds of threads before this that have tried to bring attention to these issues? Articles about the women who are fighting (and sometimes dying) for these rights?
When I post now about reproductive rights I post to the Women's Rights & Issues group. It took me years to finally give up in frustration on GD from working my ass off to keep threads about women's rights, poverty and hunger on the front page or to get even a single rec. But by all means let's have 40 threads on the same subject or better yet, some more chat about Honey Boo Boo or a pet album.
Bitter much? Yes, I am.
Brickbat
(19,339 posts)It's a hard fight -- and doubly frustrating because much of it is over ground already won.
Orsino
(37,428 posts)Puritanical views of women are again in ascendancy, with media eager to shame women who dare stand up for what were once acknowledged rights.
La Lioness Priyanka
(53,866 posts)that should be the real question.
Liberal_Stalwart71
(20,450 posts)them. So they will vote Republican, anyway. They are more likely to blame Obama, which is why I get so upset with white liberals in particular who do the same--they should know about the Southern Strategy.
So, here's how the power structure remains intact:
The power elite convinces some struggling white, middle and working classes to blame blacks via the Southern Strategy.
Some high- and middle-class blacks blame lower-, working-class and poor blacks for not "lifting themselves up by their bootstraps".
Some working- , lower-, and poor blacks are convinced that it's Hispanics and immigrants who have taken low- and semi-skilled jobs from them because some believe that Hispanics/immigrants are willing to accept lower wages for those jobs.
All of this division is perpetuated by the Top 1%--the Power Elite--who are in bed with those in government, whose interests are in aligned. Their #1 priority is to keep the power structure intact and the only way to achieve that is through race/class division and strife.
Now the GOP believes that if they can convince enough Hispanics that they are more acceptable than black Americans and share the same values as the GOP, many of them will vote Republican. You hear Republicans say this all the time: "Hispanics share our values!" Whether this is true or not, they really believe that they can capture the Hispanic vote. Problem is that the GOP is so racist that they reject anyone who is not white.
La Lioness Priyanka
(53,866 posts)is not questioned as often as a minority (ethnic/religious/sexual) or a woman is.
i find that irritating.
Liberal_Stalwart71
(20,450 posts)....it's "feminist talk". You're immediately shut down! Immediately!
stevenleser
(32,886 posts)LGBT. And I am not sure all of those are fully engaged against the GOP.
Liberal_Stalwart71
(20,450 posts)Don't believe me?
Go here:
Somehow, this movement is convincing women to go against their own best interest to the extent that if we complain about street harassment, being mistreated, dare to bring up unequal pay, etc. we are then accused of being a "feminist," and that's the worst thing to be accused of--in the same vein as being called a liberal. So, this redefinition of "feminism" into something horrible--that we hate men and want to subjugate and rule over men; that we're lesbians, etc. has some single women, especially so freaked out that they'll offend men, thus remain single forever, that they're starting to put their needs aside. I'm afraid that this movement could become even bigger to the extent that women's issues will no longer matter. Maybe some women feel that when the SCOTUS stripped away some reproductive rights (e.g., access to contraceptives), they were defeated.
TheMastersNemesis
(10,602 posts)We are now going backward. Thanks to fundy churches in particular.
Liberal_Stalwart71
(20,450 posts)40-50 years ago?
Why are we still talking about birth control and abortion?
And now it's back to feminism.
As a black woman, I see that this hostility spilling over into the black community where black men and women are divided--angry at each other and misunderstanding one another. Some black men feel that they've gotten a raw deal (and they have!) and claim that some of that is due to "feminism". Some black women feel that black men resent them for being successful so they must suppress or downplay that success in order not to emasculate the man or make the man feel "lesser than". Often black women but race issues above women's issues--that has almost always been the case, anyway.
I think it's a mess.
TheMastersNemesis
(10,602 posts)Labor standards and minimum wage are another one just as crucial. I am now convinced we are completely out of our collective minds at least GOPPERS are. Even those workers who vote GOP will now lose just like women who go along with GOP doctrine. When we will start stoning women for having unapproved sex.
Liberal_Stalwart71
(20,450 posts)as well. And even so-called progressive managers have become very hostile towards unions. We thought they were on our side. Wrong.
Since this thread is about women, I was going there first, but yes these battles apply across the board when it comes to the disenfranchised.
jeff47
(26,549 posts)The Democratic party is weakly saying "no. don't. stop." to Republican efforts to eliminate abortion and birth control.
Who's actually fighting to expand access to abortion? Who's actually fighting to expand birth control access? It ain't the Democratic Party.
You don't win votes by weakly fighting for the status quo. You win votes by fighting to move it forward, possibly settling for the status quo. While there's a small number of Democrats doing that, it definitely isn't what the party is fighting for.
TheMastersNemesis
(10,602 posts)the media has deliberately undermined the Democrats constantly and suppressed their message. And their message has been weak in a lot of way. And their sheepishness bothers me. They have been playing defense since Reagan when they should have jumped him when they still had the power.
My sense is that they should have been more militant on the women's issue. And they should have brought up legislation that the GOPPERS hate. They should have brought up EFCA, stronger labor laws, expanding social security and just started big ass fight. They should have come out attacking the Kochs and other billionaires openly. You never gain any territory playing defense.
And this reaching out to GOPPERS by Obama was just terrible strategy. He should have been more like FDR even if he did not the Congress FDR had. He should have come out with nationwide speeches like FDR hammering the GOPPERS right between the eyes with a rhetorical ball pean hammer. Let those bastards go berserk.
I keep hearing that Obama is not a street fighter like Teddy Roosevelt was. That he is more intellectual and measured. Start a godamned verbal war with these bastards. Look at how he backed off of FOX noise. I would ask any of their reporters a single question ever nor would my press man.
Call these racist bigoted bastards out for what they are. Call the the liars they are directly. The problem is that all this oblique political speak is useless. If they get personal get personal back.
leftyladyfrommo
(18,868 posts)I graduated from high school in 1966 in Utah. There were no legal abortions. I had a friend that went to Mexico and one that went to Oregon.
Getting an illegal abortion was extremely risky. One it was illegal. Two, a lot of the abortions were done by hacks. A whole lot of women ended up sterile when they almost died from infection. Other women died from perforations. Back alley abortions were common.
One difference between then and now is that women couldn't have children out of wedlock. Pregnant young women were sent away to group homes where they stayed until the baby was born. It was always given up for adoption.
Young women now just have no inkling what making abortion illegal does. The awful damage it does to hundreds of women who unfortunately find themselves pregnant.
I give them some slack because of this. But they are wrong on t his issue. The problem is by the time they realize what a mistake they are making it may be too late to turn back the tide.
TBF
(32,060 posts)Geraldine "Gerri" Santoro (née Twerdy) (August 16, 1935 – June 8, 1964) was an American woman who died because of an illegal abortion in 1964. A photograph of her after death, published in 1973, became a symbol of the pro-choice movement.
Graphic photo at the wiki link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerri_Santoro
And here is the journal entry from her DAUGHTER here on DU:
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/dancingAlone/4
Le Taz Hot
(22,271 posts)when I sought out my first abortion (I've had 2). That was July 1973 and the county paid for it (thank goddess because I could never have afforded it on my own). Thank you Los Angeles County for that. I didn't click on the link because that image will never leave my head. Every woman under the age of 40 needs to see that image.
ZombieHorde
(29,047 posts)Translation: I won't listen to you so you shouldn't listen to me.
Translation: I won't listen to you so you shouldn't listen to me.
Translation: I won't listen to you so you shouldn't listen to me.
This rhetoric pushes people into a corner. That is what is up.
Nuclear Unicorn
(19,497 posts)having a man explain to me what's best for me in the name of feminism seems a tad self-contradicting.
No, that's not to say I'm voting GOP, I'm not; but the OP seems oblivious to his own tone.
One_Life_To_Give
(6,036 posts)It is hardly surprising that all 170million women in this country do not agree on what priority number 1 is. They may just rate some other things as slightly more important than what your or my choices might be.
Liberal_in_LA
(44,397 posts)davidn3600
(6,342 posts)The Gallop poll shows nearly half of women are pro-life. And that number hasn't changed much in years.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/162548/americans-misjudge-abortion-views.aspx
I dont have a problem with a woman who says she will never get an abortion because she thinks it is murder. That is her belief. That is her choice. The problem happens when someone who is pro-life tries to make that decision for someone else.
Abortion is one of those things where I'm not so sure will ever be put to bed. Because what's happened is the issue has become so polarized between the political parties that it has become a litmus test.
Adrahil
(13,340 posts)I'm not comfortable posting about women being irresponsible in protecting their rights, but after the thread about the DUer whose daughter won't vote, I'm left flabbergasted. The right is rolling back women's reproductive rights, opposing the Violence Against Women Act, opposing equal pay laws, and we have young women saying it doesn't matter who you vote for, so why vote.
What. The. Fuck?
TheMastersNemesis
(10,602 posts)If you are kept economically and even socially handicapped you have to depend on a man. That situation is what the churches and the GOP want. It is paternalistic and misogynistic. But that is what they want. With an amendment like ERA and these other laws like equal pay and anti violence laws women do not need to depend on a man and the man cannot call all the shots.
To the GOP "family values" are about keeping women in their place and in the home like the 50's. In a way they become prisoners to the system. These values are little different and Islam and particularly radical Islam where women are pretty much owned. To be brutal the men who believe this garbage are like pimps who own their prostitutes. And ultimately it is all about taking care of the man. In the end the GOP believes that women should not vote either.
If you force them to be honest about their hypocrisy then what I have just explained is the reality of why they are apposed to laws that allow women freedom. The stance they take is really about driving women out of the work force altogether.