Jezebel 
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New York, 7:55 AM
Mon Nov 9
19 posts in the last 24 hours
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03:57 AM
11/08/09
11/08/09
And yes, Rachel Maddow, we should revolt. Women should revolt, poor people should revolt, men who give a shit about women should revolt, everyone who isn't poor but believes in de facto reproductive freedom or collective responsibility to care for the less fortunate should fucking revolt. #rachelmaddow
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Now, I don't think that "mental distress" qualifies as the health of the mother. I think it has to be a serious physical issue that arises in pregnancy, where there are real, significant problems to the mother carrying that child to term. Otherwise, as long as there is such a medical exception in place, I think we can prohibit late-term abortions.
This for me is problematic whether it's about third trimester or first. I can't beleve that as a former constitutional law professor, he wasn't clear on the meaning of all this, either.
Obama's done a lot of waffling and fence sitting on women's rights in his career. I think he'll sign any health bill if it *only* sells women down the river, because he wants to get that victory. I can only hope that he proves me wrong this time. #rachelmaddow
11/08/09
However, I just meant that my understanding from what I have seen him say was that he felt this way specifically about late term abortions and that his view was that the government should stay out of the decision earlier in the pregnancy. I could be wrong about this though.
Regardless of any of this, I also have a sneaking suspicion that the entire Democratic Party (Obama included) will view any health care reform as a victory - even if they had to sell out a woman's right to choose to get it. I also hope I am wrong. #rachelmaddow
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Please see if there is anything that you can do to get the Stupak amendment out of the health care bill. That amendment is a denial of health care to women, especially low-income women, who will need publicly assisted healthcare the most. Abortion is a legal medical procedure that all women should have safe, affordable access to if they want. I don't get to choose where my tax dollars are spent and they are most definitely used on programs and issues I do not want funded (wars, abstinence only sex-ed). A small but vocal group should not be allowed to run away with women's health. #rachelmaddow
11/08/09
And I hadn't heard about Goldman-Sachs getting the vaccine, but I would LOOOOOVE to hear the CDC's reasoning behind it. I go to school with 30,000 people under the age of 24 (a high-risk population) and we can't find any vaccine, but some rich fucks on Wall Street get it? REALLY? #clips
11/08/09
My crappy insurance currently covers abortion for those reasons (and sluttly slut sex) -- but you're telling me I'm a slatternly whore for having procreational sex within the bonds of marriage and don't deserve coverage of that facet of my health anymore?
Motherfuckers indeed. #rachelmaddow
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That's right. And if you die in the meantime, don't worry! God says your husband should marry your sister and make her raise your kids. So it's all good. #rachelmaddow
11/08/09
It's sad but that actually passes as valid and intelligent political discourse today. You can refuse medical treatment for your child and allow them to die a slow painful death, but underage rape victims can't get an abortion in many states without their parents consent, even if it was a case of incest. #rachelmaddow
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His view is that if it needed to happen to get this bill passed, so be it. Of course, he couldn't leave it at that (I can begrudgingly get behind that) and had to add that the government shouldn't have to pay for that procedure.
Now, the dude is pro-choice all the way, I just don't think he gets it. What about all the other bullshit the government pays for? What about the fact that this amendment will disproportionately impact women with lower incomes?
"Does the government pay for abortions now?" he asked.
WTF? Fuck, how am I even dating you??? #rachelmaddow
11/08/09
He quickly changed his tune. #rachelmaddow
11/08/09
When he asked me if the government pays for abortions now and I said no, and he got that smug look on his face, I just shut down. I was done.
Who the fuck cares? The government doesn't pay for a lot of shit they should be paying for now. Of course, at least 50% of my taxpayer dollars are funneling into shitty wars and bailing out companies run by assholes, but I suppose that's moot?
He thinks that because PP offers abortions, the ladies are A-OK.
He is so on my shit list right now. #rachelmaddow
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What makes me even more angry is that he just likes to argue, and I think he knows he's probably blowing smoke out of his ass. I wish his sister (a doctor) had been around. #rachelmaddow
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It sounds like the general direction his mind is going in is "The government getting directly involved in funding abortions might create more problems than it solves". Not so much directly opposed, but focusing on all the ways full government coverage might backfire. There are some good reasons to be wary; this will give pro-lifers a new 'endless battle' to fight, one that's far more feasible than overturning Roe v. Wade and ultimately shifts our politics in a more pro-life direction.
There's also a big difference between the restrictions on how you spend your medical insurance subsidy (which will likely not survive the conference committee) and restrictions on how the 'government plan' operates, in terms of how agnostic the federal government is on a very thorny question.
Also, considering that on its face this won't restrict abortion access for those who already have it, it's pretty fair to argue it was 'worth' these provisions (Which, again, likely won't last) to get the bill passed (On a very, very narrow vote), with all the good it'll do.
That's just his side of things, or at least, the points it sounds like he's sort of 'getting at' but not really expressing fluently.
From your side of things, you've got a number of excellent points, and I'm guessing you two have more common ground than you think; it just sounds like both of you struck an initial tone that has you rubbing each other the wrong way, and just sort of jumping around from one "Well what about ______, *huh*?!" to another. Sounds like a day off from arguing it, and then both of you approaching it in a less confrontational way, will go a long way toward restoring your boyfriend's pro-choice bona-fides in your eyes.
Or I could be completely wrong! #rachelmaddow
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The point is that if the government is going to fund health care in this country, it should be comprehensive -- and that includes covering abortions. I mean, I'm sure I could think up a lot of things that I think are unnecessary that will be covered by a gov't run health care plan. And it may be that I find some of those things morally problematic. But I also have a big enough brain to understand that a gov't run health care plan has to cover a lot of people besides myself and that my morality cannot dictate who or what that plan covers. #rachelmaddow
11/08/09
Abortion is still legal in this country. What restrictions on federal funds (even the ones now in place) now does is essentially make abortions inaccessible to many different women, even though they are still legal. That should not be the goal of this health care plan. Just because there is no federal funding for abortions now does not make it ok to continue banning federal funds for abortions. I don't see the logic of your boyfriend's thinking.
I certainly hope that Rachel Maddow is right, and that this amendment is removed from the bill when the time comes. #rachelmaddow
11/08/09
There are some serious problems with this statement.
For example, my sister is a modern dancer and choreographer. She's an artist. In my opinion, artists are necessary for any culture to be considered worthwhile; without the artists, America would basically be less a country and more a landmass full of people who follow the same rules. Without artists, we're just animals with guns.
But my sister has to work at a shitty restaurant so she can have health insurance, which fucks her art up (because of scheduling conflicts, mostly). If she could work at, say, a small yoga studio or a dance school, she'd be a lot better off in terms of her dancing, but most of those places don't have health insurance coverage. If she could get insurance from the government, she could spend her time working at something far more worthwhile. But she couldn't get abortion coverage (which she has now). So, besides the ethical issues involved with the fuck 'em attitude our government has towards women and their bodies and their health, there are actual material consequences as well. Now my sister has to continue working at a shitty chain restaurant with a cadre of men who constantly harass her, and deal with shitty managers who give her hell about scheduling her work hours around her performance schedule. #rachelmaddow
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It's also so cute, she reminds me of my really super tall and lanky friend Kaitlin when she was in high school, like she doesn't quite know how to stand or handle her body yet. So adorable. #clips
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I thought she did a great job last night. It was definitely the best episode this season. #clips
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On another note: Kenan makes an incredibly beautiful woman which is always a good option. Also, I think I would by the Bunny Business CD. #clips
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P.S. I had always thought that the tabloids had made up her relationship with one of the Jonas Brothers or I at least thought it wasn't very serious one. Basically, last night I discovered that I'm completely out of touch with the tweenage gossip. After she mentioned that she's dating "the hot werewolf from Twilight" I was like, "There was a werewolf in Twilight?!" #clips
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