Vegetative woman "in condition to have babies"

[pokerfan]

:wtf: :puke:

February 8, 2009
by PZ Myers

Italy is experiencing its own version of the Terry Schiavo case. A woman, Eluana Englaro, was in a car crash 17 years ago that caused catastrophic brain damage — she's been in a vegetative state ever since, and the family has been engaged in a legal fight for many years to pull the plug and allow her to die with a little dignity. They finally won that battle recently, and are easing her off life support and a feeding tube.

Cue the right wing. Silvio Berlusconi, Bush-like Prime Minister of Italy, has rushed to impose an emergency decree blocking the suspension of life support, a decision made after consulting with the Vatican. Here's a good rule: never consult the priesthood of a death cult before making a life-and-death decision. They always give stupid and evil advice.

Berlusconi's rationalization is appalling and repugnant. He claims to be "rescuing" Englaro — not true, since she was effectively dead 17 years ago — and in what has to be the most tasteless and disgusting excuse made yet for the actions of these villains of the right, has further justified it by saying that physically she is "in the condition to have babies".

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2009/02/she_is_in_the_condition_to_hav.php

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Wow! Do they have Mengeles' phone number?

[CrispyQ]

2. I have no words for how angry this makes me.

:grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr:
:grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr:
:grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr:
:grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr:
:grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr:
:grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr:

[BlooInBloo]

3. Italy has become a rather disgusting place, per the stories coming out of there...

Maybe it always has been - don't know.

[LisaL]

4. Oh jeez.

How is she in the condition to have babies? Anyone who would have sex with her would be committing rape.

[and-justice-for-all]

5. This is none of the Governments fuckin' business!!

They have not right to intervene, at all.

[Writer]

6. Isn't that how most anti-woman fundamentalists view women?

Entities that are all-womb, no brains?

I think Berlusconi needs to be able to give birth through his penis before he stipulates the livelihood of a brain-dead woman.

[pokerfan]

8. pretty much

Note the second comment:

PZ, this is the catholic church we're talking about here, of course her ability to have kids is more important than her ability to think.

[Pryderi]

7. Women are merely birthing chambers.

[Captain Hilts]

9. I'm speechless. nt

[Crunchy Frog]

10. They could use her to incubate frozen embryos.

That would be even more "culture of life". That way she could at least earn her keep.

Oh, and for the irony impaired, that's intended as :sarcasm:

[w4rma]

12. Or they could just rape her while she's in her coma. (nt)

:thumbsdown:

[dgibby]

11. So, the new criterion for removal of life support for women should be

Womb Dead instead of Brain Dead? Perhaps someone should withold life support from Berlusconi, since it's obvious that he is definitely brain dead.:mad:

[AlCzervik]

13. so is that what Silvio thinks women are for, making babies?

[pokerfan]

14. Woman: life support system for a womb

:puke:

[Warpy]

15. Patriarchs never consider women as being fully human

and it doesn't bother them that a comatose woman can conceive only through rape.

These men are scum.

[LeftishBrit]

16. Berlusconi is a disgrace to EU countries, a far-rightie and a crook

He'd have been in jail long ago, if not for parliamentary immunity. Oh, and the fact that he owns most of the media in Italy.

[pokerfan]

17. I'd never heard of him until now

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Silvio_Berlusconi_(CS_1).jpg

Nice laundry list of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silvio_Berlusconi#Controversies">controversies.