Planned Parenthood demands that Karen Hughes apologize for 9/11 comparison

[Cocoa]

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=137-04272004

Planned Parenthood Demands Karen Hughes Apologize for 9/11 Comparison; Feldt to Hughes: 'An insensitive and divisive Overreach;' Hughes Invokes 9/11 to Defend Bush Anti-Choice Policies
4/27/2004 1:21:00 PM

To: National Desk
Contact: Joel Lawson of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, 202-973-4880
WASHINGTON, April 27 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Planned Parenthood Federation of America President Gloria Feldt today demanded that Karen Hughes apologize for invoking 9/11 in her attempt to defend President George W. Bush's anti-choice policies.

"(This) was an insensitive and divisive overreach," Feldt wrote in a letter to Hughes today. "It is outrageous to suggest that those of us who challenge this administration's attacks on reproductive rights and access do not value life and human dignity. Indeed, it is because we value life and human dignity that we support a woman's right to choice," Feldt said today.

Hughes made her comments Sunday on CNN. Speaking in reaction to the more than one million women and men gathered for the March for Women's Lives, Hughes said:

"I think after September 11, the American people are valuing life moreand I think those are the kind of policies the American people can support, particularly at a time when we're facing an enemy, and really, the fundamental difference between us and the terror network we fight is that we value every life."

In her letter to Hughes, Feldt said such comments also conflicted with the stated goals of U.S. military action in Afghanistan and Iraq.

"Your friends in the administration have repeatedly stated that our troops are fighting for freedom: to allow people to control their own lives and make their own decisions. Yet this administration and this Congress are working to take away American women's rights to make their own decisions."

"If anyone has an understanding gap regarding women's rights at this troubled time in our history, it is not those of us who oppose anti-choice, anti-women policies," Feldt wrote to Hughes today.

"The horror of 9/11 has been used inappropriately too many times, and this is clearly such an incident," Feldt wrote.

[proud patriot]

1. Damn Straight

Good for them I demand an apology too ...

[Useless in FL]

13. Valuing Life - except the "brown" skins

Yeah, you "value every human life" except the brown skins whom you prefer to bomb to smithereens!

[Just Me]

46. Naw,...they don't value "white" skins like "Just Me", either.

Their policies really don't discriminate. If you are outside their rigid, elite, special circle of right-wing extremist buddies,...you can be thrown into the ocean to drown. They represent the epitome of "elitists" who really do not discriminate against anything except affluence and money.

Hence, they are the first to bring up the "class war" crap,...because they know what war they ignite.

[djeseru]

2. Who here is getting tired...

...of them playing the 9/11 card? It's an excuse for anything to them...

[4_Legs_Good]

48. OMFG YES!

I've been sick to death of it since New Year's Day 2002.

Guh, anyone who can't see that they're using the terrorist attacks of 2001 as political capital has got to be BLIND. Why the heck else are they having their damned convention in NYC???

Absurd.

david

[Ediacara]

3. Two peas in a pod

Karen and Rod.... Anyone remember him not appologizing for calling the NEA a terrorist organization?

Or has that incident fallen out of everyone's collective memory?

[maddezmom]

10. yeah, I remember the half-baked apology

so I googled:

Rod Paige, the secretary of Education, calls the National Education Assn. "a terrorist organization."

After someone slips him the word that this was probably not politic, he would only admit that "in today's context, it was a poor choice of words." Meaning, we're left to assume, that before Sept. 11, it might've been OK for the secretary of Education to equate the NEA with a band of terrorists.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-patt6apr06,1,228737.column?coll=la-util-politics-cal

[Hokie]

4. F#%&* that fat bitch!

F%^$& that f#%$#ing, asshole, moronic, fat, f$%#ing bitch! F#$%@ her!

There, I feel better.

[MaineDem]

7. I know how you feel but

... you didn't have to call her a "fat bitch".

Just a little thing but appearance is not the issue.

The fact that she's apparently off kilter is the main story here. Everything is related to 9/11 I guess. I missed her saying this 'cause I was at the march. I'm angry at her right now more than I'm able to express.

[Catherine Vincent]

72. How about ugly bitch?

She's definitely that!

[mac56]

73. You're right, MaineDem.

There's plenty to criticize on the part of Karen Hughes. No need to take shots at her appearance. It cheapens us.

[Ilsa]

96. I feel better having read your post.. Thanks. n/t

[jdj]

5. So all we have to do is make fetuses into soldiers

in order to keep Bush from sending them into illegal wars?

700 plus dead soldiers and countless Iraqi civilian dead is not "valuing life", neither is holding back generic AIDS drugs from Africa based on intellectual property disputes, neither is denying people basic health insurance, neither is attempting to cap malpractice awards from gynecologists and obstreticians, which the republicans were doing the other morning on C-Span.

Dick Durbin held up pictures of 2 beautiful kids, both of whom died from medical malpractice. Like Randi Rhodes says, love the fetus, hate the child.

Ashley Judd had a great soundbite from the march Sunday, she said she was sick of the right narrowing the issue down to abortion when Planned Parenthood did basic medical care and reproductive education for women as well, she was ON FIRE, and it was the best clip I have seen from the march, aside from Whoopi holding up the coat hanger.

The headline should have read "Planned Parenthood demands apology from Karen Hughes' parents for lack of abortion.

[MaineDem]

8. Welcome to DU!

:hi:

[Just Me]

32. WOW!!! Please send that post directly to Hughes!!!

And a HUGE welcome to DU!!! :hi:

:bounce:

Did anyone tell you that you give great voice *smile*.

[Lefty48197]

6. How did Karen Hughes get to be such a bitch?

Was she abused as a child? Was she the playground bully, who never grew up?

[Chicago Democrat]

21. A slow shedding of all human decency combined with no conscience.

[crossroads]

9. This 'paid' mouthpiece of Bushs administration

must have nightmares when she sleeps! Karma will *harma* and show us some justice!

[Old and In the Way]

11. Why does Hughes support terrorist organizations?

Whose has resorted to violence and shooting doctors? The pro-life side. Seems like the religious totalitarians here are barely differentiated the Taliban and Fundie terrorists.

[yardwork]

12. If Karen values every life, why does she support the death penalty?

"...and really, the fundamental difference between us and the terror network we fight is that we value every life."

[skooooo]

15. Karen Hughes = evil republican slut

I'm so sick of her smiling face.

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

87. Did you all see Kerry on Hardball when he mentioned that Karen Hughes

was born in Paris (when responding to Tweety's comment about how Bush's henchmen talk about how he looks French, etc.)? "Tit for tat" Tweety said.

Karen's such a twat.

[Chicago Democrat]

14. Karen is a WHORE and a TOOL

[skooooo]

16. Wait a minute...you say she's a "whore"...

...and I say she's an "evil Repub. slut". The whole notion of her being a "tool" is a new one for me. How can we sum all this up succinctly??

LOL

[Chicago Democrat]

18. Wretched pile of human filth?

[Chicago Democrat]

20. Excrement from Dung Beetles molded into a human form?

[skooooo]

59. Hmmm..kind of like a Golem?

[Chicago Democrat]

65. Yes its Kabbala, Madonna made her in an experiment gone bad.

[skooooo]

114. Wish someone had explained this earlier...

...now it all kind of makes sense....somehow.

[jmowreader]

39. I say she's an evil Republican bitch

A slut will sleep with anyone.
A bitch will sleep with anyone but you.
An evil Republican bitch will only sleep with Bush, Cheney, Rove and Rumsfeld.

She'd sleep with Ashcroft, if God hadn't made him impotent in an attempt to keep him from contaminating the world.

[skooooo]

58. eeewwww...sleeping with Ashcroft??

Isn't there a law against necrophilia?

[jmowreader]

62. There's a law against lying to Congress, too

And a law against election rigging.

Like they let little shit like "laws" stop them.

[Chicago Democrat]

17. On second thought, that's a insult to Whores and Tools everywhere.

She is like those beetles museums use to eat flesh off old bones.

[Ouabache]

116. oh come on now you are not being fair to whores, tools, sluts and filth

heh.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

19. KKKaren HUGE strikes AGAIN!

I would like to propose a rule change here at DU: "Calling Karen Hughes vicious names should be allowed!"

[jdj]

23. Her appearance is SO an issue.

Women can so relate to her in a way they can't to Coulter or Ingraham or Malkin, etc.

She's not thin, not attractive, comes across as a normal average Jane. Just like Bush.

When I heard she was "coming back", I knew it meant trouble. She's an everywoman type, but a closet sociopath. It's a great GOP marketing strategy.

[yardwork]

24. I dispute the contention that Ann Coulter is attractive.

Hateful bile is never attractive. Karen Hughes is also unattractive, for the same reason.

[jdj]

36. That assumes people are listening to her.

I think the right aims for more instinctual reactions, putting people out there to sell the message before they say a word. Coulter appeals to right-wing men, and Hughes to right-wing women. I think Rove and his crew are aiming to sell instant visual identification, and I'm not sure what either woman SAYS is that important, with Hughes especially, it's how she looks and how she says what she says that is genius, because she doesn't trigger any reaction in your average uninformed person that would go "This woman is a crazy, lying. sociopathic cretin." I despise her, but I have to give her props, she is a master at it.

The best thing would be to be able to discredit her on a personal level, I think, rather than taking on what she says. Like, what if she had an abortion as a teen or something? Or an affair, something like that. They set themselves up as moral arbiters of humanity, so they would have to be de-moralized.

But then we would have to have a forum where we could confront them and rebut the garbage they spew and of course the media is contrived. The whole interview was a set up, and Wolf is the bigger whore.

[maddezmom]

44. have you read this yet?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/articles/04/04/25_coulter.html

[jdj]

47. yes, but she's so gosh-darned photogenic.

An aryan princess with a law degree. So everything she says must be true, right.

Yeah, I read it last night, and most of it except the profiling part I had read before. I'm not directing this at you or anyone else here, but I am just more interested at really trying to understand my enemy's ( and I mean that literally) appeal than I am interested in calling anyone a whore or bitch for saying and doing what they are getting paid to say and do.

[maddezmom]

49. just so I get this straight...Ann and Karen are the enemies, right?

[jdj]

52. Among others.

Ingraham is worse than Coulter IMHO because she's better at it. I thought it was pretty evident where I'm coming from, but I answered anyway so it wouldn't look like avoidance.

I just really hate this level of discourse. Because here we have this march for what essentially amounts to equal freedoms for women and then we have people all over the place going SLUT! WHORE! BITCH!. It's kind of a mixed message, and if posted in an enemy camp it sure looks hypocritical. I want to discuss Hughes and her statements, but not on that level. Although I'm not denying that may be my gut reaction when I hear something like her statements initially.

[yardwork]

61. I dispute the contention that Ann Coulter is photogenic.

As I said above, evil and nasty LOOKS evil and nasty. Attractive means a lot more than long blonde hair and designer clothes. Anyone can fake that.

Real beauty comes from kindness.

[maddezmom]

26. not all women relate to her, regardless of her looks

she is not a "normal" Jane in my book, she's a paid "sociopath" consultant for shrub.

[MaineDem]

27. I'm with you! (nt)

[jdj]

31. I meant uninformed women.

She sneaks up on people with her soft southern accent and her oh so sincere and pious demeanour.

To anyone with half a brain, of course, it is nauseating. But there are alot of uninformed people out there who assume they will be able to tell when someone is lying to them, and the republicans are evil geniuses at using people's preconceived notions and prejudices to catch them unawares. Karen Hughes is one great big whopping pre-conceived notion, and that is her appeal.

[maddezmom]

33. she has no appeal to most women I know

she's a bush apologist, anti-woman, anti-choice, pro-war, pro-death penalty, etc.

[jdj]

37. And fundies will eat her up.

I know what her views are, and I know what my liberal friends think of her.

But the right and moderates are a different story.

[maddezmom]

42. I'm not sure I understand

the fundies will eat her up...as in love her? So won't the right, as in right wingers, eat her up?

[jdj]

45. southern slang. yes, love her, but even more scary

for me watching her, is that she is so subtle, you don't see her coming and she gives nothing away, unless you are a very informed person. She seems to be one of those dyed in the wool sociopaths, there aren't any hints she's what she is, a Ted Bundy type, unlike Coulter who if you halfway listen, you know she's a nut (or an evil genius paid to appeal to people's bigotry).


It's like if someone says something completely irrational to you in such a calm and rational tone that you start thinking maybe your'e the crazy one. I marvel at Hughes' ability to pull this off.

[MidwestTransplant]

22. Can we use the C word when referring to her?

[slinkerwink]

28. no, we can't. that's banned although "bitch" is not

:shrug:

[Malikshah]

51. Cucumber?

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

25. Feldt should have reminded her that sending anthrax and powders to

Planned Parenthood Clinics is far more symbolic of terrorism than demonstrating one's constitutionally protected right to disagree.

[MSgt213]

29. Well good for them, but she is a pathological lyer and she can't and won't

stop doing it.

[Just Me]

30. PP says, "Bring it on, Hughes!!!" heh, heh, heh,...I love it!!! *eom*

[Whoa_Nelly]

34. Does anyone have a link to the transcripts of that Hughes interview?

Have seen only clips of the idiotic statements Hughes made. Would love to read the entire transcript.
Link, anyone?
Thanks

[maddezmom]

35. here ya go

KAREN HUGHES, PRESIDENT BUSH'S ADVISER: Well, Wolf, actually, I think the president gets far too little credit for what he has done for American women. Look at the fact that he has more senior women in his administration than any administration in the history of our country. And I was very proud of that fact. I went to senior staff meetings at the White House where eight of the 18 people present were women. I was one of the three people who helped run his presidential campaign. The other two were men. He paid us all equally. He treated us all equally. So I think this president has a very strong record for women.

I really believe, Wolf, the biggest issue for women this year is the safety and security of our families. And clearly, President Bush is leading the way to making the world safer and more peaceful. And that's the utmost important issue I think for women all across the country this year.

BLITZER: There is a clear difference when it comes to abortion rights between the president and his Democratic challenger, John Kerry. In your opinion, Karen, how big of an issue will this abortion rights issue be in this campaign?

HUGHES: Well, Wolf, it's always an issue. And I frankly think it's changing somewhat. I think after September 11th the American people are valuing life more and realizing that we need policies to value the dignity and worth of every life.

And President Bush has worked to say, let's be reasonable, let's work to value life, let's try to reduce the number of abortions, let's increase adoptions.

And I think those are the kind of policies that the American people can support, particularly at a time when we're facing an enemy, and really the fundamental difference between us and the terror network we fight is that we value every life. It's the founding conviction of our country, that we're endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights, the right to life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Unfortunately our enemies in the terror network, as we're seeing repeatedly in the headlines these days, don't value any life, not even the innocent and not even their own.


http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0404/25/le.00.html

[Whoa_Nelly]

38. Thanks, maddezmom!

:hi:
Much appreciated! O8)

[jdj]

43. Wonder how many fetuses they killed in Falloojeh today?

That is truly a puke-worthy statement she made, I cringed reading it again. Hughes is big brother's little sister.

But when she says "the security of our families", I hope she doesn't mean financial security. And any decent journalist would have confronted her on this. And you can't lower the number of abortions by wrecking the economy and denying poor women the world over access to reproductive education and birth control. If we are to believe the right sees this as a religious war then my guess is that the right wants no women to have access to birth control or abortion, so they have plenty of cannon fodder for their crusades

[JohnOneillsMemory]

55. Hughes once said she wished she could spin the Exxon Valdez disaster.

I read an interview with her where she was waxing on about how much she loved the challenge of the really hard PR battles and wished she'd had a chance at spinning the Valdez oil spill disaster for Exxon.

This tells me she is a power and manipulation worshiper, not at all motivated by principles.

She's a mental mercenary.

Well, she's got her wish - spinning another oil-based disaster while owning the media. She's gonna play that Wurlitzer for all it's worth.

[jdj]

60. Thank you SO MUCH for that post.

A "mental mercenary". Perfect.

This is the stuff we need to use...The woman who wrote "Bushwomen" said in an interview with Buzzflash that it was a tragedy that people jumped on the name-calling band-wagon with Katherine Harris so quickly by criticizing her make-up and calling her names like "Cruella Deville" instead of examining her history and publicizing the fact that she has had a long and sordid history with election fraud. She felt that if people had focused more on Harris' questionable past and brought it out into the light, it might have helped Al Gore's cause. It's like for all our liberalism, on the left we don't want to admit or can't accept that these women are REALLY DAMN GOOD at the jobs they are hired to do.

[JohnOneillsMemory]

93. Agreed. Vocabulary that is effective is crucial to the fight. THEY know it

Getting below appearances and appealing to primal emotions and themes is the most effective way to get heard over the fire hydrant of gushing media messages.

The Dem theme against Bush* s/b: Deadbeat Dad Deserves Divorce.

He broke his presidential oath and we need a divorce from him on grounds of murder, criminal negligence, abuse, adultery, fraud, and irreconcilable differences!

He didn't protect us on 9/11, broke our budget, dirtied our country, made us more enemies, hurts children, hurts women, hurts our troops, lies to us, and has affairs with industry instead of the American People he married. (Granted, it was a court-arranged marriage instead of for love.)

The most important imagery the 'electorate' responds to is the old traditional family with a strong dad and a supportive mom. Yup, TV Nation is ruled by their old lizard brain amygdala where males do the battling for territory and to protect 'their' females. Welcome to voting by chimps.

Leaders must appear to be good 'father' figures:
Strong, protective, decisive, moral, responsible.
You know, Fuhrer Knows Best. That's why Bush's* fascist tone WORKS for him even though he doesn't produce what he promises.

Hitler knew this sad human trait and wrote about it in 'Mein Kampf.'

"The masses of the people prefer the ruler to the suppliant and are filled with a stronger sense of mental security by a teaching that brooks no rival than by a teaching which offers them a liberal choice. They have very little idea of how to make such a choice and thus are prone to feel abandoned. Whereas they feel very little shame at being terrorized intellectually and are scarcely conscious of the fact that their freedom as human beings is impudently abused...physical intimidation has its significance for the mass as well as the individual...For the successes which are thus obtained are taken by the adherents as a triumphant symbol of the righteousness of their own cause; while the beaten opponent very often loses faith in the effectiveness of any further resistance."-Adolph Hitler, 'Mein Kampf'

These are the primal emotional buttons the conservatives have pushed successfully and kicked ass with for the last 60 years while Dems and liberals sputter "but we are right and nice and multi-this and tolerant of that."

So the image of Bush* as a violent below average hard-ass who breaks laws and treaties is applauded as if he were Dirty Harry or any of a zillion other renegade cops who get their man in the movies or NYPD Blue BECAUSE he breaks the rules and does things his way with impunity and no apologies. His dictatorship is our Fallow Merkin's vicarious fantasy in their alternately boring and terrifying lives.

Read linguist George Lakoff's writing about word framing on issues to appeal to family values that work so well for the conservatives. He has advised Dean and Kerry but still says the Dems don't really get this concept but better soon if they want to win anything ever again.

http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2003/10/27_lakoff.shtml

[powergirl]

40. KAREN HUGHES WILL APOLOGIZE WHEN MONKEYS FLY OUT OF MY ASS

Aint' gonna happen. Does the Bush Administration apologize for anything???? :grr:

[AlphaQuack]

66. Last GOPer to Apologize...

Last Republican to apologize, if I remember right was Trent Lott.

His apology cost him the Majority Leader role in the Senate and almost his job.

Open your eyes and change your paradigm for moment...

Democrats apologize for everything... even things they have nothing to with and they are applauded in the NY Times, Washington Post, etc...

Republicans who apologize:
1) Are never taken as sincere. Would you really accept an apology from Karen Hughes?
2) Then their apologies are used against them ad nauseum.

[wickerwoman]

122. Yes, Bill Clinton's apology was so well received by the media

and general public.

Sell it to someone with a shorter than two-minute attention span.

I don't want Hughes apology, I want her resignation. And I don't pretend I want one while drumming up support for the other.

[PaDUer]

115. Make those calls

on the talkshows, say you're a R and demand she apoligize...emails, faxes, whatever it takes...Show what a bi*ch and ignoramous she is~

[koopie57]

41. I'm glad they called her on this

another thing I would like her to respond to is if she values all human life, why doesn't she do something to treat everyone and everything with respect. And if she is so hell-bent on outlawing abortions, then before they work on that they should maybe make sure there is adequate health care for the mother, and adequate care for the child once it is born. That is what is so sickening to me is they shrill for the unborn, and then allow the child to grow up in poverty with no health care, food, care when the mom has to work and the little they do to help it, they piss, groan and complain about every tax dollar that goes to this child.

And another thing that just pisses me off about this is that they don't want abortions to be legal cuz of the value human life bullshit, but as soon as that child is born and becomes a part of the assistance programs, welfare, food stamps, they hate it. Within moments it goes from a valuable human life and the next they hate it and for the next 50 years try to make life for it as miserable as they can. It is just so assinine!

[jdj]

50. This is the republican game plan.

No birth control or abortions mean lots of poor, desperate, unemployed people who have no other options but to join the armed forces.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

[displacedtexan]

53. Yep. The rich have always had access to safe abortion and...

birth control. They just don't want their few non-loophole tax dollars going to poor women (trans. minorities). It's a racist thing. In fact, every one of their issues are racist at heart.

[jdj]

56. I so believe this.

I got confused about Bush's "brown-skinned" people remark the other night, at first it seemed like he was saying that anyone who opposed the war was racist against "brown-skinned people". But I may have heard it wrong, maybe he was showing his own racism.

It's really amazing and revealing how much this admin is trying to use the visual on so many levels, race , gender , class(with the removal of ties and jackets, etc). It's like they think if they can make everything LOOK a certain way, no one will notice their actions or policies. It's so cynical, and I guess time will tell if their lack of confidence in people's intelligence is justified. It reminds me of that Buddhist saying "Don't let your brain get sucked out by your senses."

[maddezmom]

54. on this we agree

:)

[AlphaQuack]

69. GOP Game Plan?

No birth control or abortions mean lots of poor, desperate, unemployed, uneducated people who have no other options but to join the ranks of the handout party.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

[jdj]

77. "Handout party?"

Are you lost?

[mac56]

74. Cheap labor Republicans.

'Twas ever thus.

[AlphaQuack]

68. Poor Stereotype

This is a false stereotype: "The anti-choice crowd doesn't give a bleep about the mother or the baby after the baby is born."

Forgive me, but I am a pro-life person.

Furthermore, I have personally been involved in Crisis pregancy centers where the following occurs:
-) Free pre-natal care for the mother.
-) When shelter is needed, shelter is provided for the mother and baby, before and after the baby is born in a group home setting.
-) Pediatric care is provided.
-) If the mother desires, adoptive parents are sought.
-) If needed and desired the mother is given an opportunity to receive job training. Child care and housing is provided until the mother has the means to support herself an her child.
-) Long term counciling and assistance is provided to help mother and baby live healthy productive lives.

It has been my personal experience, that the individuals who have the heart for these mothers and babies do a much better job at helping them achieve success in life than most faceless government programs. I'd much rather see my federal tax dollars staying in my community to help these people. Most of them just need a few months of extra love, support, and guidance to get on with living.

I know many prefer the quick solution... in the door with the fetus, out the door with an empty womb, and no follow up, no care, no love. And sadly this becomes a revolving door for some very lost and confused women.

Sorry this isn't for me.

[koopie57]

79. That is great!

I was not aware that every woman had access to this and it does sound pretty wonderful provided that is the woman's decision. It sounds so charming and easy with the empty womb and lost and confused women and the counseling and assistance, and adoption for those who desire it. Unfortunately, some women are in an abusive situation. Exp. the man rapes her, finds out she is pregnant, kicks her down the steps, she looses the baby, then he rapes her again and she is pregnant and she is too scared to let him know, scared he'll find out she had an abortion, scared not to have an abortion. This is the reality for some women. What about those women hooked on drugs, or working as a prostitute, have STDs? How will they fit into this plan? What about the daughter of the bank president in a small town? She is scared about what it will do to her father's reputation. What about the girl who chooses suicide cuz abortion was not available to her and there is no special program for her? Reality bites!

[AlphaQuack]

88. Sadly not many do...

Furthermore. I cannot change that. All I can do is impact my little corner of the earth. However, to suggest that everyone who opposes abortion hates women and children betrays the truth.

And to all the situations you listed above, what does abortion change?

The battered woman. Because she has an abortion will she no longer be abused?

The raped woman. Will she find healing in abortion?

The woman addicted to drugs. Will she somehow break her addiction after her abortion?

The insecure daughter. Will the bank president father suddenly provider her the security and warmth she needs, because she has an abortion?

Will the suicidal girl suddenly become optimistic and hopeful about her future, because she had an abortion?

Though it is prescribed all too often, abortion is not a cure.

[koopie57]

119. I wonder

what fairy tale world you live in. Of course abortion doesn't cure anything. How fuckin ignorant are you? Some people just try their best to survive. Just think how wonderful it would be if a woman who was abused had the baby and then the abuse stopped. Do you think that would happen? Do you really? Or the woman who was raped. She had the baby and then no rapes would happen. Or the insecure (Christ insecure...insecure...grow up, look around you ignorant puss) girl had the baby.... How will you help her when her parents abandon her. Abortion is not a cure, but neither is forcing a woman to go through with a pregnancy. You live in your fantasy world, but for crying out loud, let those who live in the real world do what they need to do to survive. Fuckin ignorant people. It just drives me nuts. Oh the world is so pretty, let me help you....fuck you...

[Scairp]

82. Yes, well

Other so-called "crisis pregnancy" clinics are not as caring as you claim yours to be. All of the following deceptive practices have been experienced by woman who were not aware of the true agenda of a "crisis" pregnancy center:

They offer free pregnancy tests but give ambiguous answers about the results. In other words, the test is positive and they do not tell the woman she is pregnant so that the pregnancy will continue.

They show shocking and deceptive films or slide shows that include pictures of mutilated fetuses and stillborn babies; the testimony of distraught women who claim that abortion caused them emotional disturbances and physical ailments; and distorted statistics about the medical and psychological consequences of abortion. Such films are shown as part of a half-hour "counseling" session which takes place while waiting for pregnancy test results results, which should be available within three minutes.

They attempt to induce guilt by engaging women in discussions about their religious views and beliefs.

They refuse or fail to provide contraceptive information. The Pearson Foundation manual explicitly instructs counselors "never to counsel or refer for artificial contraceptives or sterilization." In fact, they advise unmarried women to abstain from sex, presenting abstinence as the only way to avoid further unwanted pregnancies.

They make exaggerated promises of financial assistance, medical treatment, prenatal and postpartum care, adoption or child-care arrangements, and/or psychological counseling all in an effort to induce women to carry their pregnancies to term.

So to you I say "Bravo" if you have truly helped women faced with an unplanned pregnancy and, by their own unambiguous choice, continued it to term and needed assistance, but you would be one of the few who had done so.

[jdj]

84. Did you support the war in Iraq?

are you pro-life in that way too?

That is the contradiction people are commenting on in this thread, the hypcrisy of calling pro-choice people terrorists and at the same time bombing the living hell out of Iraq (today).

And it's your choice if you say abortion isn't for you. But it's not your place to decided whether it is "for" any other women.

And I would respect the anti-abortion crowd a tad (a small tad) more if they didn't cut of ALL federal funds for reproductive health programs for poor women that even mention abortion, and if they didn't promote quack science that abortion is linked to breast cancer and garbage like that.

[AlphaQuack]

95. War in Iraq?

Let's start farther back than Iraq...

I support the War for American Independence fought in the 1770s-80s. How about you?

I also agree with our decision to go to War after being attacked by Japan in 1941. How about you?

Finally, I support the decision to go to war against our enemies on their turf after they repeatedly attacked us abroad and several times on our own soil. In my opinion President Clinton should have taken the initiative in this war the first time the World Trade Center was attacked. The Muslim world leaders declared war on US -- you and me, my friend. More than that, they took actions to kill us. This wasn't just some empty words... they have attacked us repeatedly. It finally took the death of several thousand Americans and foreigners in our country for us to respond to our sworn enemy -- an enemy that proactively seeks our destruction.

Do I support sending our well-trained and well-equipped men and women to fight this battle on the soil of our enemy? YES!

Do I want this battle fought in our cities and in our neighborhoods? NO!

Where do you want to fight this battle -- New York City, L.A., Boston, or Bahgdad, Fallujah, Khowst?

[justjones]

117. =The inherent contradiction between anti-choice and pro-war on display....

Save the unborn but kill the living through war?
Including women and children?

:crazy:

Oh, that's right, as long as it's not on "our" soil.

I guess you see no contradiction in your position. But let me break it down for you....be against abortion all you want. You can even think the women who do it are all going to hell. However, what I or any other woman does with her body is her business, not yours. You have no right to deny any woman access to a safe abortion.

[nomatrix]

125. You have a selfish way of looking at this

A.quack

You support any war that doesn't have your ass in it.

You do not support the troops. Period.

The propaganda you spew will continue to get our soldiers shot.

"The Muslim world leaders declared war on us"?
What the hell are you talking about?

Listening to Savage, Limbaugh, Hannity, you actually believe that. Or maybe you read it in the Moonie Times. Ya, I got the freep newsletter.
You guys need to shut up!

It's not bad enough to have over 700 of our soldiers dead from being showered with flowers and them hating our freedom, no.

You want to instigate a war with a group of people, who clearly outnumber us, and who are surrounding our troops.
Go ahead and poke the bear some more. It won't bite you. You guys are worse than fools. You are terrorists. You get some phony patriotic pleasure spilling someone else's blood, on someone else's land. The blood is on your hands while you brag about "taking the war to them."

I don't see you standing in the desert with a target on you. No, you're here. Shooting your mouth off with lies, while these kids are left out in the open. Arrogant bullies is putting it mild. Do you like kicking puppies too?

How about we send your bulletin to our troops over there?

Wait better yet, when they get home after a long, hot summer, with post traumatic stress. You can mention "how starting a war with a country that NEVER attacked us" was "just bringing the war to them." Just in case they didn't already hate us enough, we thought we'd parade you guys around for target practice. Bait. See who shoots back. (You know because we "support" you getting shot there.)

Then mention how "the Muslim world leaders declared war on us." Do you have any idea what has gone on in the Middle East? You can't even tolerate democrats, imagine years of having your country and people destroyed, by us, for what?

This country should have no use for that kind of thinking. Invade a country, then think global war. Nazi Germany did that.

A country didn't attack us...yet.

You asked what war I supported? How about the civil war. It is still going on in this country. The perimeters have changed, but it is still based on being a slave to the rich, and doing their dirty work so they can get richer. Cheap labor.

Do you know was the "cause" of the war for independence from Britain? Taxation without representation. That's where most democrats stand right now. This country is defaulting because of our imperialist demands, and guess what? We crash. Like Japan, USSR, Germany, etc.

Our biggest fear should be who has their finger on a nuke, and who's stupid enough to use it. You don't have to look far.

[koopie57]

133. Uhm....

just how old are you? And what does the War for American Independence have to do with abortion? You are sort of a gutless wonder I think. Kill other innocents so that we don't have to deal with it, but don't have abortions, and in all actuality, Iraq had nothing to do with 911. If you want to go that route, maybe we should bomb Japan again? And I have no problem with Clinton waiting until he found out who did what before he goes bombing another country and killing 10,000 of their citizens. Any idiot could do that!

[sendero]

57. I just love it...

..... when these sick people open their mouths and let the world know just how effed-up they are.

Go ahead Karen. Make my day.

[AlphaQuack]

63. Apology Obsession

What is the obsession with apologies? Does an apology change anything?

As I tell my little ones... "Don't just tell your sister or brother you are sorry, make it up to them."

This is politics folks... Generally, there are no apologies, unless an apology helps get you elected or keeps you in "office". (ala Jimmy Swaggert, Bill Clinton).

In closing, I apologize if anyone finds this post offensive or if anyone finds this post too bland.

[jdj]

81. Not offensive or bland, just predictable.

[justjones]

118. I'm sure they don't expect an apology....

It's just a rhetorical tactic Planned Parenthood is using to get their message across.

[BillyFromPhilly]

64. SUPPORT PLANNED PARENTHOOD - POSTER AUCTION

I am auctioning the famous, original "WHO DECIDES?" poster from the March on April 25th. It received rave reviews, and as I promised to some fellow marchers, I am selling it on ebay for charity. ALL PROCEEDS SUPPORT PLANNED PARENTHOOD.

let's see what we can raise!

Click Here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3720962499

[Insider]

67. all the required code words

september 11th
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
valuing life
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
facing an enemy
terror network
FIGHT
value every life

frankly, the statement is barely understandable to me. it is another regurgitation of the RDA of code words. my favorite is THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. it does not mean me, for sure. "...the american people understand what the president said/meant..."

disgusting

[Sabriel]

70. Three strikes and you're out?

So....according to Rod Paige, I'm a terrorist because I'm a teacher and support the NEA. According to Karen Hughes, I'm a terrorist because I support and work for women's reproductive rights. What's next? I'm a terrorist because I'm an atheist? I'm a terrorist because I clip coupons and try to avoid buying name-brands? Yeeeeesh. Sometimes I really hate my country...and this is one of those times.
Sabriel

[mvd]

71. Great!

I have had it, just like they have.

[Cnemia04]

75. Sorry, but Hughes was absolutely right on this one

I think since 9-11 occurred, we have a deeper appreciation of the value of human life.

Someone pointed out that with the number of daily abortions performed in this country, each day is like a 9-11. I believe that Heaven mourns the abortions in this country just as surely as you and I mourned 9-11.

I know I am not alone in my viewpoint among Democrats.

[eridani]

76. The terrorists are the people blowing up abortion clinics

and shooting doctors.

[Cnemia04]

80. Those things are wrong, yes.

And besides being wrong, the harm the cause of those of us trying to change the hearts and minds of people on abortion.

[murielm99]

102. Change hearts and minds?? WTF?

If you are anti-abortion, that is your own business. But leave the rest of us alone. We don't want you messing with our hearts and minds, just as we don't want your laws messing with our bodies.

You sure have alot of contrary things to say for someone with such a low post number.

I went to the march. I work hard in my every day life to see that women have CHOICES. You do not offer choices. All your posts here make unwarranted assumptions about fetuses, and ignore the needs of the already born women.

BTW, how many of those unwanted babies have you fostered and adopted yourself? I bet you have a houseful! <not>

I don't come here to listen to anti-abortion trolls. And I did say anti-abortion, not pro-life. That name is a lie. You do not care how many women die, how many children grow up in poverty. You are anti-life.

And I don't believe your clinic is the heaven on earth you describe. I know about those clinics. Most of them tell the women misleading things. They say anything to prevent abortions.

Go to freeperville. They will love you there. You people make me angry. Get out of my face and away from women's bodies and choice.

I don't care if I get warned for this. I am sick coming here and seeing trollish posts.

[maddezmom]

78. I'm sure she is mourning the dead in Iraq

[Cnemia04]

83. War is an abomination as well.

It's just that with abortion, the death toll is so much higher.

[murielm99]

98. Is it! Are you sure?

More women in this country died from illegal abortion than the numbers who died in the Vietnam war, during the twentieth century. Women still die from illegal abortions. Most of them are minors in parental consent states who cannot get judicial bypass rulings.

Did you know that only about 12 women a year are given bypass rulings in Duluth Minnesota?

Yes, the toll is high. So many women die.

[Cnemia04]

104. Isn't this yet another reason abortion is a tragedy?

All the women dying while doing it? In addition to all the babies, of course. Easiest solution? Let's stop having abortions. Period!

[murielm99]

108. They are fetuses, not babies.

Got, it?

If you don't like abortion, don't have one.

Easiest solution? Mind your own business. Period!

[Name removed]

127. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[NickB79]

131. Do you know what an ectopic pregnacy is?

It's where the embryo implants in the Fallopian tube of the new mother and takes hold there, rather than in the uterus. If allowed to develop for more than a few months, the fetus will inevitably rupture the Fallopian tube. The mother would bleed out and die before she ever set foot in an emergency room.

My friend had an ectopic pregnancy a few years ago. Thank GOD they caught it on the ultrasound before it was more than a few months along. Stopping having abortions all together would mean she would be DEAD right now. So sit down and shut the f@ck up, because you don't know what you're talking about!

[Whoa_Nelly]

85. Sorry

But I think stumping for Bush, exploiting Sept. 11 and the war in Iraq, as well as making those who seek to own their own bodies as evil and not worthy of God's love all for the sake of spinning Bush as some kind of hero and lover of life is ludicrous and absolutely wrong. Going back to back alley coat hanger abortions is just not an option. Hughes cares nothing about abortions. She cares to remain with the venal Bush gang.
It was wrong of her to exploit the horror of Sept. 11 and Iraq in equating women with terrorists. I own my body. Bush, Hughes, 9-11, Iraq, and terorrists have no claim on me. I believe all women have the right to choose. It's time for women to stop being objectified and demonized.

on edit:
Creating laws to stop abortion will not stop abortion. Just more women will die while having abortions.

BTW Welcome to DU :hi:

[Scairp]

86. Poppycock

You know what I mourn? All of the children all over this planet who die from starvation, disease, and abuse every single day. You're in love with the fetus and hate the child. Until something is done to help the already-born then the unborn is of no consequence.

[Cnemia04]

89. I mourn starvation, too

But why would you say I hate the child? I love all human life, both the born and the unborn.

[Scairp]

91. Yeah right

Prove it. Put your energy into helping children who are already born, who need food and clothing and education and medical attention. Why don't you go to the Sudan, where even as we sit here in our comfy homes and type on our computers, genocide is being conducted? Lots and lots of children are dying right now over there. You don't give two shits about children, you only want to control women. You have some warped view of what life is and what constitutes a child. Let me clue you in: a child is a being OUTSIDE the body of a woman, not the cluster of cells within the womb.

[Cnemia04]

100. I have adopted three children

from Romania who were near starvation. so there really isn't anything you're going to tell me about compassion for those already born.
Now why don't you tell me about some of your contributions toward the welfare of children. Have you gone to the Sudan? Or do you consider your support of aborting innocent human beings your great contribution to kids?

[Media_Lies_Daily]

103. Since you claim to have such compassion for the unborn,...

...why didn't you try to adopt three starving children born and already living in THIS country? Go to the Appalachians or the inner cities sometime...you'll find plenty of starving people there.

Or did you just get too frustrated with the slower, more investigative nature of the U. S. adoption system?

Or did you try to adopt in the U. S. and were turned down?

[Cnemia04]

106. Oh I get it.

So now I haven't adopted the 'right' kind of child. Does it help that the three were dark-skinned from near the Turkish border? Does that pass your PC test? Or do you think U.S. babies are somehow better or more worthy human beings. Please tell me the nature of your bias.
And since you feel sufficiently worthy to slam someone else's adoptive choices, why don't you tell us you're contribution to the children of the world. Or is the sum of it contained in your support for aborting them?

[Media_Lies_Daily]

109. Well....I must have struck a nerve. Too bad, so sad....

Looks to me like you can dish it out but you evidently have some real difficulties taking it in return. I have three children of my own, thank you very much for asking. All three were born here in this country as Americans, not imported from some other country in the misguided belief that you were somehow helping the poor and homeless of the world by adding three more lives to our own overcrowded country.

By the way, I spent five years in the military to defend and take care of Americans first, regardless of race, creed, or religion. What's your claim to fame...is it similar to AWOL George, your "fearless" NeoCon leader?

[Cnemia05]

126. Dishing it out?

I believe I pointed out some rude behavior at the march, then somebody attacked me about what I have done for children. So I'll tell you what, Skippy. if you're going to attack, you need to make sure you can hang. I doubt you can.
So you spent five years in the military, huh? Why don't you tell me what that did for any child? Huh? You're going to bash me for adopting from abroad, please tell us how you've lifted a finger to help a child.

[Scairp]

113. If that's true

That you have adopted children from Romania, then I salute you. But that has nada to do with the belief that women should have choices if they should find themselves pregnant and don't want to be. We do not surrender our autonomy if we become pregnant. And it's really none of your business what I have done regarding the welfare of children in need. I do what I can for my fellow born human beings. I do not need to defend myself; I didn't come here spouting 300 platitudes about how horrible the people here are for supporting a woman's right to choose. You did that. No one is forcing you to stay here. Feel free to exit anytime. I am sick to death of freepers like yourself who worship the pregnancy as if the woman was merely a vessel and her needs matter not. Anyone who cares about women supports the right to choose. Period.

[Cnemia05]

128. I spouted platitudes? I don't think so.

I commented about the rude behavior my daughter received at the march and was roundly attacked for not only that, but also the fact that I adopted three children.

"And it's really none of your business what I have done regarding the welfare of children in need."

Great. Then it's also none of your business what I have done; therefore, why did you ask?

[wickerwoman]

124. And why were those three Romanian children near starvation?

Because Ceaucesceau made it illegal to have abortions and forced every Romanian woman to produce 5 babies for the state before he realised (Ooops) that they didn't have the resources to take care of them.

Do you honestly want what happened to your three children to happen to tens of thousands more every year? At some point we're going to run out of caring adopters.

Does God want children stacked in warehouse nurseries going blind and lame and psychotic from lack of stimulation and human contact? He sure seems to in your interpretation of his word.

[maddezmom]

130. wow, something in common..

almost, 2 children adopted from the US.

[Kadie]

90. If we have such a deeper appreciation of life

Then why are there thousands of children currently in the foster care system waiting for a home.

Why are there people living on the street because they lost their homes after getting laid off from work.

Why are there children who can't even go to the doctor because health insurance and medical care isn't affordable.

Why are the lines at soup kitchens getting longer and longer because of lower paying jobs and fewer jobs available that people can't afford to feed their families.

I'm sorry, but this has nothing to do with the value of life. This has to do with the government having control and telling a woman what she can and cannot do with her body.

[Cnemia04]

97. Those things you mentioned are terrible, but they will be with us always

because God said the poor will be with us always. Yes, I agree it is our duty to do our best to ameliorate (reduce) these situations.

Abortion, on the other hand, is the active blatant destruction of human life. We are called upon to defend those who cannot defend themselves. Any excuse not to is way way insignificant in comparison.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

105. And you helped solve the problem of overpopulation in the U. S. by....

...adopting three Rumanian children and bringing them into the country instead of adopring three American kids.

Thanks for doing your part to support the hypocrites of the NeoCon Junta as well as the sanctimonious, holier-than-thou Right to Life movement.

[Cnemia04]

107. So you think the US 'overpopulation problem' matters more than

that of some poor foreign country? Glad we aren't thinking of ourselves, here.
And you think we adopted children solely to support the 'right-to-life movement"? Do you realize how absurd that makes you sound?

[Media_Lies_Daily]

111. Oh, I'm much more concerned about the absurdity of your posts...

...this evening. We have millions of starving and homeless people right here in America, many of them children. And yet, you chose to adopt three children from Rumania.

How sadly hypocritical.

We have hundreds of thousands of seriously unwanted babies born in the U. S. every year, but instead of adopting three of THOSE children, you adopted children from overseas.

Again, how sadly hypocritical of you.

Millions of Right-to-Lifers rant and rave about the sanctity of life when 99% of them are unwilling to adopt the unwanted children themselves. They go instead to Rumania, Russia, the Ukraine, South Korea, China and other countries around the world instead of looking in their own backyard.

And that's terribly hypocritical. They talk the talk, but don't seem capable of walking the walk, do they?

[koopie57]

123. than you for saying this

eom

[Whoa_Nelly]

110. Making a law

to stop abortion won't stop abortion. It will only increase back alley, coat hanger and dirty (meaning germs, septicimia, etc.), abortions. Men can make war, kill people, but women have to give birth no matter what? Now, that makes a lot of sense...about as much sense as making a law that is created out of religious righteousness to persecute women as if they have no choices when it comes to giving birth to crack babies, rape babies, AIDS-infected babies, bringing home babies to places where the child will be guaranteed to be beaten, etc. What the issue really boils down to is the question of whether or not women must continue to be demonized for making choices. A woman's body, a person's life and their choices are their own...God involved or not. And really, it's not about God. It's about women having a right to the civil liberty of making choices. IMO, God is not part of the equation, nor is the piousness that comes with the "better than thou" arguments and who's right or wrong. It's about one woman at a time making a personal choice without interference from those who want religious views adhered to or powerful people in government who can jail a woman for her life choices. Gimme a ticket for having an abortion...will take that any day over having to find someone to do it on the sly or just take the risk of killing myself by attempting to abort on my own...dang! those coat hangers are painful...

[dawn]

121. No, you are being judgemental.

Does it make you feel good to judge others? Are you a perfect, moral person?

If you eat meat, there are people who would judge you as a supporter of killing.

[jdj]

92. What? I've had a deep appreciation for human, and

basically all, life for more than the last 2.5 years. It took 9/11 to make people appreciate human life? Would be more believable if it weren't for that little mess in Iraq today (and for the last year).

Like someone else said, the issue here is not abortion, the issue is the exploitation of the dead from 9/11 for every political purpose under the sun by republicans when they just had a woman and her husband fired for photographing a group of coffins of the 700 plus war dead from Iraq. What if this woman gets pregnant now that she and her husband are unemployed, how would she feed this child?

Hughes and her ilk have no shame or decency. They show a coffin of a dead firefighter when it suits them politically (notwithstanding the fact that the firefighters refused to be photographed with Bush) yet throw a fit when someone shows the truth about our war dead.

[Whoa_Nelly]

132. Welcome to DU, jdjkkse!

:hi: and Welcome!

[murielm99]

99. Hughes was not right on this one.

She has no right to call any American a terrorist because they disagree with her.

I noticed alot of Pro-choice Republicans at the march, too.

There were also pro-choice catholics there.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

101. Newsflash: Every day is like 911 for the Iraqis....

...and they did NOTHING to deserve it. Nothing.

Anyone supporting the killing, oozing corruption that currently occupies the centers of U. S. government is despicable, IMHO.

[Whoa_Nelly]

112. I agree, MLD

and it breaks my heart for every death of those innocents and every death of one of own. Am one sad angel in that department. And one angel angry enough to continue working toward stopping the current insanity with the hope that the horror of the Bush administration will never repeat itself again.

[dawn]

120. Every day is like 9-11? What about the Iraqi's we are killing?

Or do those babies not count? Or the kids living in poverty here?

[scarface2004]

94. karen huge is ....

20 lbs of shit stuffed in a 20 oz can!!!!

[gauguin57]

129. that friggin' valkyrie

had better apologize to all of us! Inexcusable! Go back to Texas and "spend time with your family," Bi-yatch!