US Women: 'Yo! Obama! Pay-back Time!

After throwing women's rights under the clichéed bus, Obama owes Merkin women BIG TIME.

For the next spot on the Supreme Court he should appoint the most pro-abort candidate he can. And Jeffrey Toobin, legal analyst for CNN and The New Yorker, is betting on Elena Kagan.

In an exclusive Fresh Dialogues interview, Jeffrey Toobin reveals his No. 1 pick for Stevens' replacement: Elena Kagan. The Supreme Court expert says of her: "She's very much an Obama type person, a moderate Democrat, a consensus builder..."

He also comments on her likely environmental leanings and the future of the Supreme Court...

"If you start to have an energized liberal group of young Justices...the wind could be at their back and if Obama gets re-elected you could see more appointments, so it's a big deal."

Well, hell, somebody has to help drag the Excited States into the 21st century as far as women's rights are concerned. And Kagan looks like the gal to do it.

Beyond all the impressive academic cred, she's got one very important advantage -- the fetus fetishists loathe her.

Senate Republicans responded to the retirement of pro-abortion Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens by saying one of the top potential replacements Obama may look to would cause a significant battle. GOP members of the Senate Judiciary Committee indicated a nomination of Solicitor General Elena Kagan, an abortion advocate, would spark opposition.

Mr President, we humbly submit -- if you want a second term, it's time to pay back progressive women. Appoint a pro-choice justice or just sign the fucking Freedom of Choice Act.

Well, what do you expect from people who believe in sky faeries?

From TIME: 'The Catholic Crusade against a Mythical Abortion Bill'.

The Catlicks got their tighty-whiteys all twisty-wisty. They're preaching and screeching. They're mounting postcard and letter writing campaigns. They're in a Facebooking frenzy.

Over what, you ask?

Over the Freedom of Choice Act that the 'most radically pro-abortion president evah' promised to sign.

Small problem however.

In the midst of all this activity, the fact that there was no Freedom of Choice Act before the 111th Congress went largely unnoticed and unmentioned.

A Freedom of Choice Act was first introduced in the 108th and 110th Congresses (from '03 to '05 and '07 to '09, respectively), by Rep. Jerold Nadler, a New York Democrat. It was developed at a time when the future of Roe was in doubt because it was unclear if George W. Bush would have the opportunity to appoint another justice to the Supreme Court. But FOCA had a hard time gaining traction — even under Democratic control of Congress, the bill was not only never voted on but never made it out of committee. And now abortion rights advocates are breathing easier with Obama in the White House — so much so that when a coalition of 63 organizations sent the Administration its top 15 priorities for reproductive rights and health, FOCA did not even make the list. (emphasis mine)

Ah, but a little truthiness can't stop a well-oiled propaganda machine.

James Salt, director of organizing for the progressive organization Catholics United, thinks the USCCB has been prodded into focusing on FOCA by misinformation from right-wing groups. "These right-wing organizations are deliberatively misleading people in order to stoke the culture war," says Salt. "They're using this as a fundraising tool, as a way to gin up their relevancy. And unfortunately some of these groups have the ear of certain bishops."

I like that: 'gin up their relevancy'. Relevancy is just what they're down a couple of quarts of at the moment, what with these nutters on their side.

But I digress.

The e-rumours are swirling: Catholic hospitals will be shut down or forced to perform abortions.

Some versions of the e-mail even claimed that FOCA could "result in a future amendment that would force women by law to have abortions in certain situations — and even regulate how many children women are allowed to have."

Ooh, does that remind you of anything? Oh yeah. The recently rebranded gang at Signal Hill/Pro-Life BC, who, in their own efforts to fundraise gin up their relevancy, asked people to agree or disagree with this statement, 'The government should dictate how many children a woman can have'.

SHRIEEEEEK! 93% disagreed!

So there! That proves, um, something.

Fetus Fetishist Fun

Despite the resounding loss of all abortion initiatives in the recent US election, a new legislative season means the fetus fetishists are gearing up again.

LifeShite has a round-up of efforts in Kansas, Texas, and South Dakota. In Kansas and Texas, they're going with the tried-and-traumatic trick of forcing women who want to terminate a pregnancy to view an ultrasound of the inside of their own uteruses.

The sneaky shits legislators in South Dakota have come up with a new wrinkle on an old ploy. Not content with mandatory counselling:

The proposed legislation would require that a doctor performing an abortion in the state be available for a two-hour period on the day before the scheduled abortion for consultation with the patient in the same city where the abortion will be performed. Under the bill, failure to do so would be a Class 1 misdemeanor.

You see, in lots of places in the US, abortion providers are perforce peripatetic. They hold clinics in various cities and various states, travelling widely to offer women care. But in this proposal, the very doctor who is to perform the procedure must be available in person the day before. Not a trained counsellor, the doctor her- or himself. Another burden, another obstacle, another waste of time makes the fetish fetishists moist.

But our friend matttbastard* alerts us to a yet another new one, again targetting the doctors. From Utah:

Under current state law, abortion is allowed only in cases of rape or incest, if the fetus cannot survive outside the womb or is unlikely to survive, or to save the mother’s life or preserve her health. . . . Under House Bill 90, sponsored by Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clinton, physicians who perform illegal abortions could be charged with second-degree felony criminal homicide.

Parental notification, mandatory counselling, mandatory ultrasounds, mandatory waiting periods, fetal homicide laws. Now homicide charges for doctors. On and on it goes.

But, hey, let the fetus fetishists have their fun. For now.

When the Freedom of Choice Act is passed and President Obama signs it into law, all such pissant restrictions will be swept from the books.

Oh my, the shrieeeking that will ensue. We're looking forward to it.

*Lots of good links at mattt's place.

The Shrieeek We Want to Hear

Today is the 36th anniversary of the US Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade and the fetus fetishists are taking to the streets of Washington to protest. Again.

But as that link points out, they're not going to get much support from President Obama.

In fact, pro-choice supporters are expecting Obama to mark this anniversary by rescinding the Mexico City Policy, or Global Gag Rule today.

This will be a good thing but what we're really looking forward to is his signing of the Freedom of Choice Act, which will nullify all the pissant little rules, regulations, and restrictions various states have instituted to impede women's reproductive rights.

The shrieeeeking will be thunderous. And delightful to pro-choice ears.