The anti-choice movement in America has a long history of violence, radical extremism, and hypocrisy. Over the years, GOP politicians and the media have nurtured this dysfunction, giving it support above and beyond the small group of religious extremists for whom this cause has been central to their political outlook for decades. At its core, however, the anti-choice movement is a thinly-veiled attempt to shame and punish women for their moral choices by trying to dictate their medical decisions. It’s the closest thing American Christianity has to the notion of Sharia Law, and it remains an embarrassment to this nation that we continue to take it seriously.
So when the recent videos purporting to show Planned Parenthood engaging in illegal activity surfaced, I didn’t even pay attention. The history of the anti-choice movement very clearly pointed to the likelihood that these videos were selectively edited and dishonestly presented. But after about a week, I decided that just because someone was bullshitting me the last 200 times, maybe they’re on to something in the 201st. So I took a deep dive into the controversy.
Nope, still full of shit. And maybe even more ridiculous than they’ve ever been.
The videos purport to show Planned Parenthood employees engaging in the sale of discarded fetuses for profit. This sounds like a horrible thing and one that could lead to perverse incentives on the part of an abortion provider. But it’s total nonsense. Instead, Planned Parenthood is simply taking advantage of a law (passed by many anti-choice Republicans!) that allows women to donate an aborted fetus for scientific research and allows abortion providers to charge for the costs of preserving and delivering the cells without making a profit.
Even beyond the basic level of idiocy involved here, the tax dollars that the anti-choice extremists want to strip from Planned Parenthood don’t even go to abortions in the first place (that’s actually illegal). They go towards a wide variety of women’s health care and contraception efforts, many of which make a huge difference in reducing the number of abortions that occur. So if your goal is to eliminate abortion, it would be difficult to conjure up a more counterproductive way to do it than what these lunatics are demanding in the name of eliminating abortion.
News from the last two weeks…
An Iraq veteran in Virginia writes about being the victim of an overzealous police raid and the parallels to the raids he conducted on homes in Iraq. Shannon McMahon writes about another vet who’s trying to overturn the federal ban on prescribing medical marijuana for PTSD.
Jim Rutenberg writes about the long history of disenfranchising black voters and the efforts to undo the Voting Rights Act. Ari Berman talks about his book on the subject. This week, The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Texas’ voter ID law violates the Voting Rights Act.
Jamiles Larity looks back at the many deadly police encounters from July.
The American Psychological Association is moving to prohibit members from being accomplices to national security efforts.
David Dayen writes about Malaysia’s human rights record and the politics behind whitewashing it for the sake of Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deals.
John Oliver takes a long look at mandatory minimums. Mark A.R. Kleiman, Angela Hawken, & Ross Halperin write about the challenges in reducing the number of people behind bars and successfully reintegrating them back into society, while Shaila Dewan writes about the perils of probation. Beryl Lipton looks back at the year-long effort to find out more about private prisons through Freedom of Information Act requests. The New York Times ed board explains why spending money to reintegrate prisoners back into society is fiscally responsible.
German Lopez looks at the effort to stop solitary confinement for juveniles.
Molly Redden looks at the travails of wrongly imprisoned women.
Two California Congressman are battling the DOJ over the interpretation of last year’s legislation that prevented federal money from being spent to override state medical marijuana laws.
Leaders in the high tech world are urging governments to ban autonomous weapon systems.
Senator Ron Wyden is sounding the alarm over a provision in an upcoming bill that would require tech companies to report vaguely-defined “terrorist activity” occurring on their networks.
The NSA is still collecting our telephony metadata in bulk for the duration of the 180 day transition period specified in the USA Freedom Act.
John Dunn looks at surveillance and spyware being used around the globe.
Jason Leopold looks at the CIA’s letter from 2009 about ending its torture practices.
Glenn Greenwald writes about the hypocrisy of certain governments when it comes to free speech.
TSA is planning a rebooted approach after previous tests have shown that their security screening doesn’t work.
Jack Hitt writes about how police departments create tension by using their authority to shake down poor people.
Radley Balko discusses the problems with drug-sniffing dogs and finds a law enforcement trainer in Alaska with a better understanding of policing and civil liberties.
Last year, 679 people died or were killed in California in police custody. Erica Goode writes about the continued use of solitary confinement in a California prison.
Charles Davis writes about the efforts to use the criminal justice system to deal with the homeless problem in Los Angeles. Jeff Sharlet provides a disturbing update on the execution of homeless man Charly “Africa” Keunang, whose family sued the police this week.
The Santa Ana police officers who were caught on tape making fun of a disabled person and possibly eating marijuana edibles after a dispensary raid are claiming that the video is a violation of their privacy.
A Colorado jail has seen 4 deaths of inmates in just the last 3 months.
A Native American mother in South Dakota died in a jail cell after being told to quit faking an illness.
In Minneapolis, charges were dropped against some “Black Lives Matter” Mall of America protestors.
The family of Sandra Bland is suing over the arrest and detention that led to her death in a Texas jail.
In Mississippi, another Native American died while in police custody over the failure to pay a traffic fine.
A police officer in Alabama still has a job after threatening to murder a black resident.
A sheriff’s deputy in Georgia is being charged in the drug raid that led to a toddler being seriously injured by a flash grenade.
Another police officer in Georgia was indicted after video revealed that he lied about slamming a 69-year-old black man’s head into the pavement as he was trying to move into his new home.
An off-duty Orange County, FL deputy is accused of using excessive force in an arrest at a neighborhood pool.
Police officers in Miami entered a yard and shot a beloved family dog without providing any explanation.
Spencer Ackerman and Zach Stafford discover more disturbing details about Chicago’s Homan Square detention center.
A 7-year-old in Indiana was punished in his public school for saying that he didn’t believe in God.
A 19-year-old in Indiana spent 90 days in jail and could be on a sex registry for decades after having consensual sex with a girl who admitted to lying about her age. A judge this week postponed a re-sentencing decision.
The parents of two elementary school students are suing after their Kentucky school handcuffed them.
A University of Cincinnati officer shown on body camera footage to have shot and killed a man during a routine traffic stop has been indicted.
Police in Cleveland were caught on video pepper spraying activists as they were protesting the violent arrest of a 14-year-old boy on a bus.
Also in Cleveland, another person died under questionable circumstances in police custody.
A 19-year-old in South Carolina named Zachary Hammond was shot and killed after driving a friend to what turned out to be a marijuana sting operation. An independent autopsy confirmed that the police account of the shooting was inaccurate.
A man in Virginia who was killed when allegedly threatening officers with a gun was actually shot in the back of the head.
Dominic Holden reports on a court ruling against a transgender student in Virginia.
Officials in Baltimore considered social media activity by activists to be threats in an effort to criminalize their efforts to organize protests.
The disgraced but acquitted Philadelphia narcotics cops are now trying to sue Philadelphia city leaders for defamation.
The grand jury transcripts in the Eric Garner case are still being hidden from the public.
A gay man in New York is accusing NYPD officers of using anti-gay slurs during a beating that was captured on video from across the street.
The city of Worcester, MA is paying a settlement to a man who was beaten in a jail cell by an officer who has since been charged.
Officials in Alberta are being accused of moving too slowly to implement effective harm reduction techniques to deal with its heroin health problems.
Nina Lakhani reports on the dangers of being a journalist in Mexico.
Justin Salhani writes about police violence in Brazil.
Ian Birrell writes about the slow reform of drug laws in Britain. Duncan Campbell writes about his history reporting on Britain’s secret surveillance.
A man originally from Sierra Leone died in police custody in Scotland.
Two German journalists are under investigation for treason after publishing the details of leaked documents showing plans for an expansion of Germany’s surveillance capabilities.
A Turkish prosecutor is threatening 18 journalists with long prison sentences for allegedly propagandizing for terrorists.
The United States and Turkey are attempting to set up a “safe zone” in Northern Syria as the United States steps up air attacks.
Amnesty International accuses Israel of war crimes in last year’s war against Gaza. Israel approved another expansion of settler homes in the West Bank. After a settler arson attack killed a Palestinian baby, IDF forced killed two Palestinian protesters. Charlotte Silver writes about how Israel uses water to maintain its control over Palestinian lives.
In better news from Israel, pharmacies there will soon be allowed to dispense medical cannabis.
In Egypt, security forces use sexual violence as a way to suppress dissent, while the United States continues to support the regime.
Laetitia Bader writes about the crackdown on Ethiopian journalists under their anti-terrorism laws. Two Swedish journalists who were held by the government have written a book about their ordeal.
Mathieu Aikins reports on the conflict in Yemen. Samantha Andrews writes about America’s role and responsibilities in supporting the Saudi airstrikes in Yemen. Ryan Cooper asks why. Meanwhile, pro-Houthi forces are accused of indiscriminately bombing residential areas.
In Central Asia, angry citizens and activists are using dash cams to expose police corruption.
Pakistan has executed over 200 people since lifting a moratorium on the death penalty last year.
India is moving to ban pornography on the internet. In Tamil Nadu, people who haven’t studied their history are protesting to enact alcohol prohibition.
Maya Wang reports on the recent Chinese crackdown on human rights lawyers and activists.
Indonesia is considering a law that would make it illegal to criticize the President.
Meanwhile, “family values” Republicans keep on making their moral choices …
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/re.....ir-report/
Last night’s debate reaffirmed the GOP as a party of warmongers and torturers that hates women and the poor. For purposes of this comment, I’ll skip over their determination to scuttle the Iran deal, leaving them with no implementable policy except war, and Dr. Carson’s belief that we should torture people and tell the world it’s nobody else’s business. Merely mentioning it is enough to define the moral tone for their approach to poor women and health care.
What I saw last night was a gaggle of politicians eager to defund the 98% of Planned Parenthood’s health services for mostly poor women that are not abortions out of spite over the other 2%.
There’s a very high probability these videos are a premeditated and scripted attempt to manufacture a fake scandal, in which case the Republican attack on Planned Parenthood can only be described as low, mean, and vicious.
But let’s suppose one of more instances occurred in which Planned Parenthood sold fetal tissue in violation of federal law. In such a case, if we accept as a given the need to enforce the law, a responsible leader would think about (a) how to punish the guilty (b) while protecting the innocent. This isn’t too hard. You accomplish the former by prosecuting the individuals who broke the law, and bringing about their removal from the Planned Parenthood organization. You accomplish the latter by working with Planned Parenthood’s management to bring about improved procedures and oversight to make sure it doesn’t happen again, without interfering with Planned Parenthood’s provision of legal and non-violative health services to poor women.
But that’s not what the Republican Party or its presidential candidates have opted for. They’ve opted for taking a low road that is immoral, lacks compassion, and hurts people. That’s not the kind of people I’m willing to put in charge of our government.
South Carolina cops are now making efforts toward achieving racial equality in their policing practices …
http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/06/.....index.html
@1
Holy crap, that’s such a crazy story.
@4 Given that the “holy crap” moments never stop coming, the question we should ask is, why does the GOP still exist? How much bad behavior must the public endure from a political party, a bank, a business, or an organization before it’s sent into oblivion?
@5
The GOP still exists because the super-wealthy in this country need a mechanism to buffer themselves from the mild efforts to force them to be more egalitarian within our economic system. And the GOP is crazy because the need the votes of the 20% or so of Americans who are batshit culture warriors to even come close to doing so.
@6 No, I think it still exists because we need a storage locker in which to stash the people the Democratic Party will never accept.
The real lie is calling them “pro-life”. There has seldom been a more bloodthirsty bunch of reptiles than today’s Republican party.
@8. That is funny. Made me laugh.
It’s always been about slut shaming. Always. Never ever about human life.
Which is why I think it may be time for Americans to get this out in the open. I’m absolutely in no position myself to make demands about how women should talk about this either publicly or privately. But the statistics tell the story. Each and every one of us has at least one friend, professional colleague, neighbor, and/or family member who has elected to medically terminate a pregnancy. About half of all women will experience an unintended pregnancy.
We should absolutely do a whole hell of a lot more to reduce unplanned pregnancy. It would be trivially easy and it simply makes sense from a public health and social policy perspective. But the reality is that unplanned pregnancy is just a whole lot more common than we pretend. And that one common way that women choose to deal with an unplanned pregnancy is through elective medical termination.
Right now its just far too easy for the Xtian Taliban to use coded language and paint abortion as something that really only has to do with “those” people, whoever they are.
Well, they are us. All of us. We need to start talking about that.
This sounds like something conservative right wing republicans would do – JADE HELM 5
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141170033
“There has seldom been a more bloodthirsty bunch of reptiles than today’s Republican party.”
“That is funny. Made me laugh.”
A comic strip called Animal Nuz which appears over at Dailykos depicts Republicans as dinosaurs and calls them Gopasaurs. It’s become my favorite comic strip.
We need more abortions, particularly in the minority community, as a way of poverty avoidance. Having a kid or two out-of-wedlock is like volunteering for a life of poverty. Republicans are on the wrong side in the abortion debate.
Hmmmm. “Poverty avoidance”.. That line of reasoning can’t get through trolls like the babbling jackass’ dense skulls..
To idiots like that “more abortions” means hastening the liberal timeline for black genocide.
Yeah it’s absolutely as crazy as it looks.
Say what you will, but having a few out-of-wedlock kids definitely increases the likelihood of poverty.
@13 having a kid or two out of wedlock is sinful.
But we hush hush on that kind of sin, like all the rest of the others, except for that big big one, that we need religious liberty from.
@14
Pretty typical of brain dead thinking on this issue. Anti-choice nuts imagine that pro-choice people must like abortion as population control or some other nefarious reason.
Pro-choice people actually just oppose unwanted pregnancies. And we recognize that things like birth control and better sex education achieve that goal much better than trying to shame and castigate women who choose to have an active sex life.
Maybe the biggest difference between this constituency of insecure jackasses from the 80s to today is that the ones today seem to wear their sexual insecurities on their sleeves. I’m just floored by the virality of the term “cuckservative”.
Now that I’m 40, I can start using the expression “Back in my day,” so here it goes…
Back in my day, anti-choice folks would openly commit terrorist acts and harass phsyicians and patients, but holy shit, they kept the weird sexual stuff they were struggling with under their hats.
Crazy.
“shame and castigate”
When they say they will deny abortion for rape, incest or to save the life of the mother, they go a lot farther than shame and castigation.