With the Virginia state legislature now locked in a battle over the budget, Virginia Democrats seem to have figured something out about this politics thing. Namely, the budget battle is boring. But that mandatory, state-ordered vaginal probe thing initially backed by Governor Bob McDonnell and his Republicans -- that's really, really interesting.
Yesterday, long after Republicans backed off the vaginal probe part of the bill, Virginia Senate Democrats renewed their call to at least have the state pay for the unnecessary belly ultrasounds. From their letter (pdf), which is pointedly addressed to McDonnell:
Not only does this legislation seriously impinge on a doctor’s authority and undermines the doctor-patient relationship, it imposes, through government fiat, an unnecessary financial cost on women.
In our budget priorities, we have sought to remedy this situation by mandating insurance coverage of the ultrasounds and/or having the Commonwealth pay for the ultrasounds. While this will not change the inappropriateness of the legislation, it will, at least, ameliorate the financial burden.
Back in February, when the Virginia Senate passed the bill, Republicans voted down a string of amendments that would have dealt with how women would pay for the test which the state now mandates they have. Word out of the Virginia Capitol is that Democrats may have lost on the ultrasound bill, but they're not about to let this issue go.
See also: Democrats in Pennsylvania, where Republican Governor Tom Corbett said that state's mandatory ultrasound bill is no big deal as long as it's not one of those probe things. And even though the screen would be pointed at the woman, she wouldn't have to look at it, Corbett said. "I don't know how you make anybody watch," he told reporters. "You just have to close your eyes."
(Video above: Virginia Democratic Party)
Leave a Comment:
This bill just allows VA to join 23 other states that disrespects women.
Finally, democrats are learning how to play hard-ball politics! Go dems start forcing these more draconian issues on the voting public!! Let US see the back peddling begin.....
Hard ball would be "it is totally unacceptable," not haggling over who is going to pay for it. Once you start talking details, you've given in.
C'mon this is dems, and they're learning - this is hard-ball for them.......
Gov. Rick Perry spokeswoman Catherine Frazier says that the Doonesbury strips on trans-vaginal sonograms are not funny. True, the Doonesbury strip is not funny, it's tragic. I once helped carry a banner through the streets of Washington, DC. It said, "Never Again!" And now we fight this battle all over again. A first trimester fetus is not a person and cannot be murdered. It can become a person only with the efforts of the woman who carries it. No man, and it seems not all women, can know the pain of having to choose abortion. The Republican war on women is totally political, but like all wars, it inflicts horrendous pain and even death. That Republicans choose to do this to women is unconscionable! I would like to see all Democratic politicians enlist in this war -- on the side of the angels! That is, in defense of women's rights.
h thats because she has no sense of humor just a firm desire to controll someone else
Actually, Frazier attempts to spin the strips into a series of jokes about abortion. "The decision to end a life," she says, "is not funny." But she's dishonestly trying to deflection attention from what the strips are really doing: skewering the Texas ultrasound law, which has nothing really to do with abortion. Frazier is only fooling herself if she thinks she's deceiving anyone.
Tom Corbett and Republican He Man Women Hater's Club in Pennsylvania are on a roll, not only did they get the mandatory rape of women law approved, they got a good voter suppression bill signed, gave away Pennsylvania's environment to the frackers for free, gutted programs for the poor, the disabled and the elderly, and manage to coverup the Penn State child sex scandal for more than 10 years, they have also managed to turn Pennsylvanians against one another in ways that I haven't seen in all of my 64 years on this planet. This used to be a state where republicans and democrats worked together, lived in the same neighborhoods, and could civilly disagree with one another. Today our work places, neighborhoods, and meeting places are as politically segregated as they are racially segregated. If we don't talk to one another in the course of the day, how can we have a civil conversation about politics? Losing this sense of community is dangerous to our society, this separation politically is what causes violence.
Unfortunately you are so right. I do believe he covered up the Sandusky/Penn State scandal and continues to do so. He took away the low cost health care that people did pay a premium for and was funded by funds from a tobacco lawsuit. Now the state is paying more as people are forced to turned to emergency rooms instead of seeking treatment from their doctors early. He tells our youth to seek lower cost education, community college and trade schools and avoid going to higher cost universities. As a disabled person, I am appalled that after working for over 30 years in this state, he signed this bill that is trying to deter me from voting. This blatant lack of compassion and concern for community is creating deep divides that may never totally heal.
well the people of PA need to put a stop to it in november!
I am surprised there is not broader coverage of the wider offensive.
What about a segment on the Violence against women Act? (You must have seen the NYTimes story today). GOP legislators formerly in favor now feel they will alienate the misogynistic base if they vote in favor.
Fine. Give them more rope to hang themselves with. Bring it to a vote and let the cowards vote according to whatever drivel comes from the mouths of the Angry White Guys on AM talk radio.
By the way, Cantwell is very sharp and kind. She would be a great guest to have on some time. You guys do know there are two coasts on the continental US, and that interesting people live outside of NYC, right?
Just close your eyes...
Clothes pins for your noses might be appropriate when approaching republican policies!
Clearly the democratic 'talking point' should continue be the GOP's War on Women.
That narrative has been pushed forward by the GOP's broad and continued religious driven roll back of women's rights as a whole.
This War on Women can be framed as a single front in the GOP's strategy of separating subgroups and attacking them. These groups consist of pretty much all groups except rich white males.
Of all the separate groups attacked by the GOP women are by far the largest single block of the electorate. By siding with women the democrats get the most effective messaging. (I almost typed bang for their buck but decided that might remind some of Rushes comments :)
I can't decide if it's because they're bad with math or don't trust science. Someone should have realized attacking over half the population is probably not a smart idea. Maybe it's their short attention span and they think all these individual attacks won't add up on the offend-o-meter.
Jon,
Zealots don't reason. Once they reach certainty of conviction (when they are sure they know what God wants) reason departs and all means are on the table to reach the goal.
The Taliban and Al Qiuda know that God wants them to do and they think nothing of killing innocent children to reach their goal.
The American Taliban hasn't quite gone that far but they are on that path. Look at the party of No closely and see the zealots for what they are.
http://youtu.be/UA75-PY5muk
Right-wing Texas Rep. Wayne Christian admits goal is to outlaw birth control. I haven't yet found what this was a part of but this is scary. It feels like watching the Handmaid's Tale come to life...
Is the allegedly 'mainstream media' in Virginia covering this in a way that the casual watcher or reader of news is aware of what is going on about women's rights? I tried to Google media coverage of this in VA and could find nothing since 2/24/12. Are you allowed to say vaginal on t v news in Virginia?
I live in SE Virginia and have not once seen this covered on the local news. "Vagina" and other words like it are probably banned with the swear word laws that we have. It's a sad miserable place here.
It is being covered in this part of the state. I'm in Franklin County. It is troublesome though to have to continually fight for common sense. Call your local newstations and demand coverage. Remember, the woman who pestered the unjust judge finally got justice.
I live in Franklin County and it HAS been covered here, but at a less than acceptable amount. Call your local news agencies and demand covereage...repeatedly! Remember, it was the persistent woman who finally received justice from the unjust judge.
It is a shame we have to keep fighting for common sense.
"See also: Democrats in Pennsylvania, where Republican Governor Tom Corbett said that state's mandatory ultrasound bill is no big deal as long as it's not one of those probe things. And even though the screen would be pointed at the woman, she wouldn't have to look at it, Corbett said. "I don't know how you make anybody watch," he told reporters. "You just have to close your eyes." " -- quoted from above
"Just close your eyes..." Doesn't that sound like what a rapist would say -- 'keep your eyes closed!' (So that the woman who is raped can't give a description...)
And isn't a compulsory vaginal-probe ultrasound no different from being raped?
According the WHO it is most certainly defined as rape, and shame on the legislators who have deemed this worthy of their time in office.
Strange how the word extremist has shifted from the left to the right. When all these draconian laws start being implimented on a large scale, there will be a lot of 'I didn't support that' or 'I never voted for that guy' and "when did this happen?'. My favorite will be, 'I need what? An official photo ID?'
Anybody asking George Allen what he thinks of the ultrasound law? We definitely want to get him on the record while he's still got a primary to win in the race for Virginia's open Senate seat.
I don't mean to be crude or offensive, but I think McDonnell should take that vaginal probe and stick it where the sun don't shine! It's invasive and humiliating and he is evil. And Corbett says that a regular ultrasound is nothing; all she has to do is close her eyes? Why not tie her to the table with whips and chains? People, we have to really know for whom we're voting! This is a very uncomfortable (no pun intended) state of affairs!
This maybe juvenile, but I hope McDonnell ends up with a Google problem, like Santorum.
Google bob mcdonnell vaginal probe and some of the hits are pretty interesting.
this war on women's rights has got to stop -- let our voices be heard
Find a United Against the War on Women Rally on April 28, 2012 near you
http://www.wearewoman.us/p/facebook-page-and-groups.html
I sure hope you women will not mind my participation. This is my country too and it deserves protection from these idiots.
Welcome, Paul S. Campbell. This is not only a women's issue, it is an issue for all of humanity. Tell all your friends to stand up with all of us!
Agree! Men have plenty invested in women's reproductive freedom, too.
Women's reproductive freedoms make men a lot happier in the long run, as well. And any man who recognizes that is more than welcome to fight alongside us.
Corbett said. "I don't know how you make anybody watch," he told reporters. "You just have to close your eyes."
I've had surgery. Informed consent for surgery only requires that you be told the risks of complications or even death. It does not require that you watch a video of the doctor slicing you open and sticking his hands among your bloody organs. If it did, how many of us would go through with it?
Tell me the risks, answer my questions, then LEAVE ME ALONE. This isn't informed consent, it's intimidation and scare tactics pure and simple, and, to borrow some of Newt's favorite words, is outrageous and despicable.
Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell has been quoted as saying"Virginia will have a strong women's right-to-know bill, to provide the information necessary to make a fully informed decision."
"Right-to-know." You gotta love it. This is a perfect example of a twisted, misleading Frank-Luntzism. How about "forced-to-look?" Women already have a right to know. All they have to do is ask.
BTW, meanwhile, where are the doctors, you know, the ones who have sworn an oath?
Can anyone explain to me how this abortion/women/contraception thing ever got to the top of the agenda of a national political party? I remember many years ago when I first heard the rumblings of the war on abortion, and my response was "huh?" I could not figure out then and surely cannot figure out how in this 21st century age of enlightenment this can be a party plank. Am I missing something?
Because the larger democratic machine rested on it's laurels figuring "you can't put the toothpaste back in the tube." That with Roe v. Wade, women's reproductive rights were secured and unassailable. They were wrong. Since abortion was legalized, the right-wing has launched several waves of attack against reproductive freedom and feminism writ large that have been shrugged off by the dems as "not a threat" because Roe v. Wade was a done deal. But the attacks became more refined and have successfully eroded the foundation that Roe v. Wade has rested on: Removing access to abortion even if it's still technically legal, waging a war of terror against women's physicians to further limit the availability of procedures, and a very successful propaganda campaign that has divided women against each other by pandering to our desire to be better than one another, which is why so many women are so eager to blurt out how "they're against abortion personally" even if they believe it should be legal. By waging letter-writing campaigns against entertainment industries to make sure that the rare depictions of abortion in the media are shown as either Slutty Girls Who Are Later Punished or as Good Women Who Make The Last-Minute Decision to Do the "Right" Thing (which is what these ultrasound laws are basing off of -- that no good woman would choose abortion).
And all the while, the feminists who care about reproductive freedom have been trying to raise awareness of these issues with the Democratic base have been rebuffed, treated as hysterical fringe elements of the party. And the fact that our party has given us so little support as the far-right of the republican party has been working to dismantle reproductive rights in this country has emboldened that fringe, and now they feel that they've got enough of a foundation that they can start making the moves that even 5-6 years ago wouldn't have flown. And because the republican party is so completely reactionary right now because *ZOMG BLACK MAN IN THE WHITE HOUSE* they're willing to tolerate a lot more all-around thrashing because they see it as all symptomatic of the culture that put him there.
If you hooked up with the Doctor and visited me even two years ago to tell me that we'd now be relitigating contraception of all things, I'd find that much more unbelievable than the Time Lord standing next to you. This was supposed to be settled ages ago, and I think that for most people it is.
As terrifying as the current situation is, I do think that the right has miscalculated. While I agree that Democrats have been overconfident and have allowed Republicans to get as far as they have done, the general public I think has probably come to a place on these issues where the right may as well threaten to take away from us fire and the wheel. Elections are usually decided by very narrow margins. The Republicans may well be alienating too many women (and men) with these laws, and they show no sign of relenting. There's toothpaste, and then there's toothpaste.
I must have missed the fact that Roe vs. Wade was overturned. As far as I know that Supreme Court decision is still the law of the land. Last night I read a summary of the Roe vs. Wade decision. It seems that most of the legislation now being proposed and/or enacted in the states is contradictory to Roe vs Wade, and should be ruled unconstitutional. In 2011 in the 50 states combined, more than 1100 reproductive rights provisions were introduced. As of 12/11 135 had been enacted in 36 states. 92 of these in 24 states restricted access to abortion. Now, the latest trend is to restrict access to contraception and family planning.
Most of our representatives and senators seem to think it will take a constitutional amendment to reverse the Supreme Court ruling that corporations are people. Why wouldn't take an amendment to over turn Roe vs. Wade. I urge anyone distrubed by all this anti abortion, anti contraception legislation to read the Roe vs. Wade decision.
The PA law is written in such language that would require the physician to use the method that acquires the highest resolution - which means in most cases it would be a transvaginal ultrasound. Additionally, the woman would be required to hand carry 2 copies of a photo to the physician that performs an abortion. Also, while a woman is not required to look (as in she can close her eyes even if the screen is shoved inches from her face), it will be noted in her permanent medical record whether or not she looked at the screen.
Here is a link to a most interesting essay written by a physician in Chambersburg, PA: http://www.publicopiniononline.com/opinion/ci_20140251/po-guest-essay-questions-minds-pa-women-given
I love how she uses their language "Woman's Right to Know!!!" Especially like her suggestion on a reciprical male version of The law. I'd vote for that!
You GO Dr. Stephanie!!!
How can this procedure be performed on a woman since Federal Law defines any penetration of a female's vagina without a women's consent is Rape???
Campaign for McDonnell neologism? Anybody? Governor Transvaginal we wont forget this.
Wife got a bun in the oven? Gee, I dont know. Better give her Bob Mcdonnell.
So can we say that every woman who is forced to undergo this procedure has been "McDonnelled?"
Stop the war on women. Vote the devils back to hell.
I believe that the Republicans know they dont have a ghost of a chance of winning the presidential election, so all they can do is inflame the right wing nutjobs, rednecks, and fanatics who will re-elect them into office and keep them in control of the House. Then they can continue to throw a wrench into any attempts to fix our country by making decisions and passing laws for the good and the benefit of the middle class and the poor. That is the only explanation for the terrible decisions they have been making that I can think of. I mean, they cant really all be that stupid, right?.......Right???