Slog - Comments on The "Health" of the Mother http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/the_health_of_the_mother McCain used air/scare quotes when he tried to throw "health" of the mother back in Obama's face—because, hey, who gives a flying fuck about the "health" of the mother, right? Oh, and speaking of the "health" of the mothers... Anti-choice activists insist, per McCain, that "health" of the mother has been stretched to mean "almost anything," and blandly assert that abortion shouldn't be a choice available to women unless their lives are in peril. Unless a woman's life is in danger—imminent danger—she shouldn't be able to choose to terminate a pregnancy. I don't know how making that clear helps McCain,... Copyright 2008 Thu, 16 Oct 2008 07:35:31 -0800 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 00:36:43 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by thecatnextdoor Not to mention each time the mother looks into the childs eyes she sees the man who raped her. And when the child asks about his father what is she going to say? That he was created violently, without love or respect? Awesome Palin, fucking awesome. Keeping children first.

]]> thecatnextdoor http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/the_health_of_the_mother#c1176179 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/the_health_of_the_mother#c1176179 2008 Thu, 16 Oct 2008 08:02:39 -0800 Comment by Matthew All sex is violence. What's the difference?

N00b.

]]> Matthew http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/the_health_of_the_mother#c1176183 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/the_health_of_the_mother#c1176183 2008 Thu, 16 Oct 2008 08:07:15 -0800 Comment by Julie in Chicago I thought it was a little stupid that McCain didn't actually talk about why he thought the health of the mother exception was BS. I mean, if that's your position, defend it, don't just briefly mention it and move on. From a strictly "debate performance" perspective, that was a loss for him...

]]> Julie in Chicago http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/the_health_of_the_mother#c1176197 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/the_health_of_the_mother#c1176197 2008 Thu, 16 Oct 2008 08:19:30 -0800 Comment by monkey Let's not forget that Sarah and Todd thought about it a lot before decided to go ahead and have Trig AND was also proud of Bristol for making the CHOICE to keep her baby.

PS by the way, shouldn't Bristol be showing?

]]> monkey http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/the_health_of_the_mother#c1176210 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/the_health_of_the_mother#c1176210 2008 Thu, 16 Oct 2008 08:29:08 -0800 Comment by elenchos http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/obama_clarifies_abortion_stance

]]> elenchos http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/the_health_of_the_mother#c1176213 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/the_health_of_the_mother#c1176213 2008 Thu, 16 Oct 2008 08:30:34 -0800 Comment by joygrenade "All sex is violence. What's the difference?"

Hmm, let's see...consent?

]]> joygrenade http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/the_health_of_the_mother#c1176248 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/the_health_of_the_mother#c1176248 2008 Thu, 16 Oct 2008 08:48:35 -0800 Comment by w7ngman #4, she is.

]]> w7ngman http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/the_health_of_the_mother#c1176296 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/the_health_of_the_mother#c1176296 2008 Thu, 16 Oct 2008 09:16:46 -0800 Comment by Levislade Yeah, he did the same scare quotes thing when talking about how kooky Obama thinks nuclear power should be "safe." What a nut!

]]> Levislade http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/the_health_of_the_mother#c1176305 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/the_health_of_the_mother#c1176305 2008 Thu, 16 Oct 2008 09:19:29 -0800 Comment by Travis This was the most infuriating moment of any of the last 49 debates. The "HEALTH" of the mother?? WTF??

That is outrageous.

]]> Travis http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/the_health_of_the_mother#c1176344 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/the_health_of_the_mother#c1176344 2008 Thu, 16 Oct 2008 09:33:29 -0800 Comment by V With those nasty air quotes, McCain demonstrated that he is not qualified to be President of the United States. We already know that Palin is not qualified to be VP.

]]> V http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/the_health_of_the_mother#c1176398 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/the_health_of_the_mother#c1176398 2008 Thu, 16 Oct 2008 09:55:12 -0800 Comment by Charm I'm sorry, but is this 1960? Are we seriously still talking about abortion like there is any way to stop it? This ship has sailed, people, let it go. Women will continue to have abortions when they feel it is the right CHOICE for them. Legal or not.

So now, we can make it medically safe for them to do so, or we can let them die in a back room in an alley somewhere.

]]> Charm http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/the_health_of_the_mother#c1176488 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/the_health_of_the_mother#c1176488 2008 Thu, 16 Oct 2008 10:40:37 -0800 Comment by Karey While it is of course important to ensure rape victims can have abortions, is it really helping us to focus on those cases? I'm really rather tired of the rape double standard as an ok for abortion. It just proves that abortions aren't really about the baby's right to life at all, what people are really interested in is punishing those who have consensual sex.

]]> Karey http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/the_health_of_the_mother#c1176510 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/the_health_of_the_mother#c1176510 2008 Thu, 16 Oct 2008 10:56:03 -0800 Comment by David An exception for rape and incest seems inconsistent to me.

If you believe that aborting a fetus is murder and should be outlawed, then saying "but it's okay to kill them if it was rape" doesn't make sense.

Really, the normal anti-choice position is strange, since it's based on "abortion is murder" but supports exceptions and doesn't want to penalize people who get abortions illegally.

]]> David http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/the_health_of_the_mother#c1176597 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/the_health_of_the_mother#c1176597 2008 Thu, 16 Oct 2008 11:51:50 -0800 Comment by Barbara People who defend the legality of abortion should be called anti-criminalization, not pro-choice, or pro-abortion. As has been said, legal or not, abortions will take place. Making them illegal will make having one a criminal act.

If we put the rights of the fetus (who is basically a parasite in it's mother's body) above the rights of the woman whose womb that fetus is occupying, what comes next? Do we make it a criminal act if a pregnant woman takes drugs, or doesn't eat properly? What do we do then? Do we imprison them so we can force them to stay clean and eat nutritional meals?

]]> Barbara http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/the_health_of_the_mother#c1176706 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/the_health_of_the_mother#c1176706 2008 Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:00:08 -0800 Comment by Madashell When McCain did this, I wanted to reach through the TV and punch him. My first pregnancy was very complicated and in trouble, and to avoid prolonging the inevitable - a later miscarriage or stillbirth - I had the pregnancy terminated. It was one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do, but I will go to my grave knowing I made the best decision. There was a chance that I could have lost my uterus with this pregnancy. If that had happened, I would not have had a second pregnancy and my beautiful son would not be here.
My blood boils when politicians think they know medicine, women's bodies, and what is "best" for the mother. Take that and "shove" that up your "rear end", McCain!

]]> Madashell http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/the_health_of_the_mother#c1176715 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/the_health_of_the_mother#c1176715 2008 Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:05:20 -0800 Comment by Beentheredonethat @16, I second that emotion. I've been practicing obstetrics for 20 years and the "life and health of the mother" issue is NOT trivial. I've seen more than one mom with an overwhelming uterine infection have to terminate her pregnancy or face death from sepsis. I've had more than one woman get a cancer diagnosis in early pregnancy and face the tricky algebra of making decisions when all choices are miserable, all outcomes uncertain. I've seen a mom die from a treatable cancer because her beliefs would not allow her to terminate her pregnancy or take fetotoxic chemotherapy. No one, but no one, has the right to tell these women how to make their choices. Right to privacy? Hell, doesn't the Emancipation Proclamation hold sway here? Are we slaves to our uteruses and to the wise and wonderful fundamentalists who want to make our decisions for us?

]]> Beentheredonethat http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/the_health_of_the_mother#c1176755 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/the_health_of_the_mother#c1176755 2008 Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:23:37 -0800 Comment by beentheredonethat (oops! I meant "@15" of course)

]]> beentheredonethat http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/the_health_of_the_mother#c1176880 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/the_health_of_the_mother#c1176880 2008 Thu, 16 Oct 2008 14:34:08 -0800 Comment by cranky i get really pissed when the criminalize abortion crowd starts their states' rights shit. why does no one ever ask them:

in what way are all 50 state governments more capable of making this decision FOR a woman than the federal government?

the states' rights thing is a giant fucking lie, and they need to be publicly cornered on it, a lot more often than they are.

]]> cranky http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/the_health_of_the_mother#c1177176 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/the_health_of_the_mother#c1177176 2008 Thu, 16 Oct 2008 17:54:43 -0800 Comment by redwulf25 By "just fine" do you mean "drowns her unwanted baby in the tub and commits suicide"?

]]> redwulf25 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/the_health_of_the_mother#c1177312 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/the_health_of_the_mother#c1177312 2008 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 00:36:43 -0800