Funerals and Abortions
But optics sharp it needs, I ween,
To see what is not to be seen.
— John Trumbull, McFingal (1782)
What does George Bush have in common with prostitutes? For the answer see the end of the next paragraph.
As was observed in last week’s column, photographs of French president François Mitterand’s funeral, showed his widow, mistress and their daughter, all gazing sadly at the casket. Had Eliot Spitzer died while consorting with prostitutes there would have been no photographs of the prostitutes standing sadly by the coffin with Mr. Spitzer’s wife and daughters. That’s because prostitutes don’t do funerals. Here is the answer to the riddle. Neither does George Bush.
George Bush doesn’t even like to be in the presence of coffins even though it is thanks to him that the sad remains of more than 4000 service personnel have found resting places in coffins.
Unlike other presidents who in time of war have shared the grief of families of fallen soldiers by attending funeral or memorial services as time and location permit, Mr. Bush has avoided such displays of respect for the fallen and has barred the media from photographing the coffins of fallen service people returning from Iraq lest the sad sights create hostility towards Mr. Bush’s legacy war. What the American public doesn’t see or recall, Mr. Bush believes, probably hasn’t happened. That explains the most recent events involving Johns Hopkins University.
The Johns Hopkins episode involves “abortion” something George Bush opposes. That is why, for most of the years of the Bush reign, funding from the United States for family planning clinics in Africa that provided abortion counseling was reduced or eliminated even though the reduction in funding meant the clinics would be unable to distribute condoms, devices that are intended to reduce the need for abortion or provide protection against AIDS. Mr. Bush’s most recent attack on abortion was an attempt to remove information about abortion from a prominent Internet site.
Johns Hopkins manages POPLINE, the world’s largest database on reproductive health. According to Robert Pear of the New York Times, it has more than 360,000 records and articles “on family planning, fertility and sexually transmitted diseases. The database is funded by USAID, an agency that imposes severe restrictions on funds being given to any NGO that performs abortions or actively promotes it in foreign countries as a means of family planning.
As a result of brilliant and thorough research, out of the 360,000 articles in the data base, Sandy Jordan, director of communications in USAID’s Office of Population and Reproductive Health, discovered two articles that, said she, “were one-sided in favor of abortion.” As a result, the organization asked that the articles be removed from the database. Explaining what might otherwise seem like the mindless act of another Bush “You’re doing a great job Brownie”, she said: “We are part of the Bush administration, so we have to make sure that all parts of the story are told. The administration’s policy is definitely anti-abortion and the administration does not see abortion as a part of family planning policy.
Because of Ms. Jordan’s concern, beginning in February, Johns Hopkins programmed its computers’ search engines so that they would treat the word “abortion” the same way they treat the words “a”, “the”, “an” etc. People using that word in searches would get no results. By taking steps that resulted in the removal of the word “abortion” from the POPLINE data base, the Bush administration accomplished the same thing Mr. Bush has accomplished by not publicly acknowledging the deaths of American service personnel in Iraq except on very rare and carefully controlled occasions. The deaths do not go away. Public awareness of them does. By causing “abortion” to be removed from the POPLINE search engine, girls and women could still get abortions. What they couldn’t get, at least from the Johns Hopkins site, was information about abortions. The school told those inquiring about the change in policy that “abortion” was not a valid search term.
Johns Hopkins being an institution of higher education run by people with brains and common sense rather than ideology, is more enlightened than the Bush administration. When the Dean of the Public Health School, Dr. Michael J. Klag, learned of the restrictions in early April, he ordered the restrictions lifted saying: “I could not disagree more strongly with this decision, and I have directed that the POPLINE administrators restore ‘abortion’ as a search term immediately. I will also launch an inquiry to determine why this change occurred.”
The answer is not hard to come by. It changed because the country is run by Orwellian ideologues who believe that the way to control the country is to control the minds of its citizens by limiting information available to them. It has been stunningly successful. One can only hope that in January 2008, the minds of the citizens are restored to their rightful owners.
Christopher Brauchli
brauchli.56@post.harvard.edu
For political commentary see my web page http://humanraceandothersports.com
Liberal citizens are likely to have more success winning the elections of 2008 by focusing more on our government’s recent errors with the wars than on focusing on how the Bush administration has sought to deny information about abortion or availability of abortion. The latter tends to gin up the energy for a “single-issue” election with Republicans portraying themselves as saints against all the other sin-promoters. That’s one of the reasons we lost the last two presidential elections with serious negative consequences—such as the entire Iraq war, for instance.
We needn’t invite the same result again.
Ignorance is not bliss, contrary to the old saying. What you do not know, can and does kill you. Just ask the 4000 dead American military service persons who met their fate in Iraq.
It always amazing me that we as a people hold “informed consent” in high regard and would never deny individuals getting information on cancer, diabetes, heart disease, infertility, dementia, etc the right to be respected in their quest for knowledge. BUT, when it comes to women and their reproductive health, less is more? God forbid, women should have information on which to make a decision! Thank you Dr. Klag for your defense of freedom of information and the right of women to learn about all aspect of OBGYN care, not just the sanctioned info. We need more learned professionals in healthcare and the political arena more than ever. Thank God the Bushies will be gone in January 2009.
Rockerbabe__I don`t know if we can thank God or not for the Bush reign of terror coming to an end. Remember the right wing fundamentalists were convinced that God installed Bush to fulfill Bible prophesy, so maybe he is making plans to install Bush Three (McCain) for another term. Politics is so much easier to understand for the right wingers.
Nixon was hired to keep the Blacks, the Women, the Hippies, & the Protesters in their place. You cannot run a Corporate Plantation Slave society without White Male Supremacy, Gender Slavery, Human Slavery; Massive Child Abuse; Constant War; & Genocide.
As as essential part of a Corporate Slave Plantation, neither men nor women can be allowed to have economic or biological self-determination. At the very bottom, that means the ability to earn a stable living wage and the ability to control procreation. That means the RIGHT to terminate any pregnancy without ANYBODY’S permission, at no cost. Period. Smell the coffee. Gender Slavery. HUman Slavery. The Masters are playing for keeps. White Male Supremacy is the lynchpin that ties the pox eaten males to Master. No matter how degraded they may be in their daily lives by Master through his Overseers, they can “own” a woman, a baby machine that makes free labor. That makes him a “king” in his own castle and gives him a chip “in the larger scheme of things”.
You better start playing just like your very FREEDOM depended on it, because it does. Even if you’re a guy. It is always amazing however just how many Americans, with little training, automatically go down on all fours and kiss the whip…you’d think they were bred for it.
Peace.
There is a candidate for peace, social and economic justice and human rights.
www.carolmillercongress.com
What lucky lefty said. Our liberation, men and women alike, rests with women’s reproductive freedom. I like to believe increasing numbers of those hoodwinked by fundamentalist doctrine are waking up to see what side their bread is buttered. The capitalist system thrives on more meat puppets all the time, desperate for survival. To turn this around, don’t look to the Establishment for help.
Johns Hopkins University runs the Applied Physics Lab, which primarily does military work. That’s why they pay attention to the Bush administration.
Of course, the Bush administration does not oppose abortion any more than it opposes marijuana or cocaine use. It just wants people in prison. Contraception prevents abortion, not laws.
Bush does not have to worry about anything because of:
Excerpt from “Heroes or Dupes?”
by Laurence M. Vance
At his funeral in Lewisburg, Tennessee, the eight-year-old son he left behind was presented with the flag from his father’s casket. This was captured in a heart-rending photograph that has circulated around the Internet. But Golczynski was not the only one who was duped.
Instead of being outraged about his son’s death, his father said that “we owe a debt of gratitude that we will never be able to pay.” And instead of resenting the government that sent the father of her son to fight and die in a senseless foreign war, his wife said that her husband “made the sacrifice for my freedom.”
“One can only hope that in January 2008, the minds of the citizens are restored to their rightful owners.”
This won’t happen because the corporate media is controlled by seven corporations whose CEOs are conservatives. As long as this monopoly is not broken up, we will have controlled news. Examples abound: if you have not see anything about the Downing Street memo, it is because the corporate media does not want the public to know about it.
“Our liberation, men and women alike, rests with women’s reproductive freedom. ”
I strongly disagree with the above statement. Politically, abortion is the blind spot of the left. From my perspective the killing of a baby to justify political liberation is a horror. Abortion, more than any other issue, is responsible for the rise of the Regan Bushies and Fascism in America. Respect for all life is arguably a Progressive issue be it anti-war or anti-abortion. One cannot pick and choose one life issue, exclude another, and rationalize that one is on the side of respect for all of life. From a man’s perspective, mine, the very thought that my liberation rests on the reproductive rights of a woman is hubris. I cannot state this strongly enough.
Doom n Gloom wrote:
“Politically, abortion is the blind spot of the left. From my perspective the killing of a baby to justify political liberation is a horror. Abortion, more than any other issue, is responsible for the rise of the Regan Bushies and Fascism in America.”
I would like to know how you came to this conclusion.
I am 72 year old; old enough to remember when abortion was supposed to be illegal. The law against abortion was used only against the poor. Other than that, it was never enforced. Those who were against abortion did not have one. For others, the rich did as they please (as always), the middle class budgeted for safe (albeit illegal) abortions. The poor either had children they couldn’t care for or has dangerous, unsafe abortions.
Back then, I never heard of a woman being arrested for having an abortion. Some doctors were prosecuted for performing them. But, for the most part, the issue was left alone.
I grew up in a poor area. There, I never heard of abortions. Perhaps people were ashamed of them. Later, when I made it into the middle class, I was dismayed to find it openly discussed, usually in terms of the cost.
Personally, I am anti-abortion - but then I’ve never had that belief tested. What I do object are hypocrites who ignore reality and thereby cause distress to the poor.
Doom n Gloom is right on one thing. I stopped voting Republican when they made abortion part of their party platform and so did a lot of other people I know. The biggest thing I resent on the abortion issue is these people’s inability to respect my view points. If Doom n Gloom chooses to see abortion in the light he does that is his business. I could care less what his belief’s are. But, I have a right to my belief’s too! Where does he have the right to impose his belief’s upon me???????? I do not see abortion the way he does. I personally believe it is criminal and should be punishable by prison time to bring an unwanted baby into this world for any reason. I left the Catholic Church 10 years ago due to my strong belief’s that what the Pope was doing was immoral!!!! I do not believe God wants us to destroy ourselves in the fashion we currently are. We are in a life and death struggle with over-population that’s going to destroy the planet if people don’t educate themselves to the realities of this world.
RuthK wrote: “I would like to know how you came to this conclusion.”
Ruth, the abortion issue caused a strong backlash among Christian people who believe that abortion is killing. Those who would otherwise have voted Democratic chose instead to vote Republican thereby electing Republicans and enabling the rise of extremist Republican policies. Perhaps that did not happen in all parts of the Country but it did happen strongly in the Midwest and South.
Tumbleweed wrote: “Where does he have the right to impose his belief’s upon me????????”
I do not want to impose my beliefs upon you Tumbleweed, nor have I done so in my writing. I simply stated my alternative viewpoint. My viewpoint does not come from Christian beliefs but from American Indian beliefs where there is a strong respect for all life. Nor do I judge others for their beliefs.
D n G — Your perceptive powers are amazing!
We must be careful what we wish for,
and be in constant reflection of what we’ve already created,
to potentially reverse ourselves
when mandated by “unexpected” results
Namaste
Doom n Gloom responded to my comments by saying:
“The abortion issue caused a strong backlash among Christian people who believe that abortion is killing.”
This was not the major point of my comments. My problem was that the law was enforced only against the poor. By that, I mean that the poor had little access to safe, illegal, and expensive abotions. It was also more difficult to obtain for them to obtain information the subject. Upper and middle class people ignored the law if they wanted to. It was an only an inconvenience for them.
Does it matter if killing is done secretly or openly? Yes, it does. We now have to face up to and consider what is done.
Although the dramatic discussion on abortion influenced people, I am outraged that so that there was so few comments on hypocrisy.
If the law is changed again, how will it be enforced. It won’t.
I read an interview not long ago with a Catholic nun in The Sun magazine. She was asked about her view on abortion, to which she responded that as long as Christians do not take a stand against war and capital punishment, they have no ground to stand on concerning abortion.
Here is a little personal story:
I was at the county Republican convention a month or so ago (gasp) and surprise surprise the party platform had an anti-abortion resolution to be voted upon. I sat outside and chatted with some of the good ol’ boys who had very strong anti-choice perspectives. One of them was going on and on about adoption being the best option and how the government should be doing more to make adoption easier. I asked him if he had ever adopted…no. I asked it he’d ever had an abortion…no. I asked if he knew any women who had…no. I said, well, nice to meet you- now you have. He grew very uncomfortable as I described to him the alternatives I faced- painful miscarriage or the possibility of becoming a single parent to a severely disabled child. He said he didn’t want to talk about it anymore and I suggested that if he wasn’t willing to talk about all aspects of the issue, then perhaps he should reexamine his position. When we went inside to vote, I noticed that he voted against the resolution…maybe one person really does make a difference.
oh yeah, and “Doom and Gloom” your name says it all…
Isn’t it about time that men start taking responsibility for their role in abortions. Every abortion is caused by an unwanted pregnancy. Every pregnancy, wanted or not is caused by a man. Until men acknowledge that fact, abortion will be a woman’s issue. I am pro-life and pro-choice. Sometimes abortion, sadly, is the only merciful option. Maybe men have to start choosing to act responsibly to prevent pregnancy. I personally would love to see billboards by Pro-Life America pointing the finger at a man saying, “Only you can prevent abortion–Abstinance works” Or from Planned Parenthood, “We prevent abortions one vasectomy at a time.”
GKL
Thank you for your post! Your line of thought has been missing in this debate too long. Shout it again and again.
Blaming men, not women, for untimely pregnancies is the answer to the issue—and the answer to the bad political fallout we’ve experienced by electing Republican corporatists to run government, all under the mis-defined banner of “pro-life.” We ought to have the Church people out there demanding that men be pro-moral, pro-responsible and pro caring (really CARING.)
Good on you, undercover, for telling your story and making a difference. Keep it up.
I am often stunned by the mindless misogyny that goes hand in glove with “pro-life” sentiments. I overheard a conversation between two male relatives about how abortion was evil. One of them noted that if it were recriminalized, there might be some women who died from unsafe back-alley abortions. He then commented, “But that would be such a small number.” As if there were an acceptable level of maternal deaths!
I think that liberals could actually make common cause with a lot of so-called pro-life folks if three truths became widely known. One is that so-called “pro-life” politicians tend to favor economic policies that actually increase the number of abortions, because when the economy is bad more unplanned preganancies are aborted because the parents cannot afford to raise the child. The number of abortions per capita has increased in the seven years Bush has been president.
The other truth that white middle class males tend to forget is that nobody chooses abortion because it’s convenient. I have heard this assumption preached from the pulpit of my church. Abortion is chosen when it is the best of a bunch of really bad options. Recriminalizing it only punishes people who have already been punished enough.
The third truth is that the people who are actually making the most progress in reducing the number of abortions are those who call themselves pro-choice. That’s because pro-choice people work for empowerment of women and real solutions to poverty. Since sexism and poverty are the engines that drive abortion, addressing these problems gets at the root of abortion. Anybody who calls themselves “pro-life” and is against any of these things - contraception, equal rights for women and girls, an end to sexual harassment and all other kinds of violence against women, early and explicit sex education - is a hypocrite, because these are the things that will ultimately make abortion no longer necessary.
Bobbi Dykema Katsanis: Well said.
RuthK wrote: “This was not the major point of my comments. My problem was that the law was enforced only against the poor.”
Ruth I am not for criminalizing abortion. Nor do I wish to take away a woman’s choice under the circumstances of rape, incest, or serious risk to her own health. That is a judgment that must be made by a woman and should not be judged. What I do oppose is the abortion industry, the organized wholesale termination of life for convenience.
Your point regarding poor women is well taken.
Namaste, I’m just an old Indian trying to live in the good ways that I have been taught. Any inspiration or perception is a gift from Creator. I am under no illusion that my words are superior or more correct than anyone elses. I do believe that we each must walk our own path and respect the paths of others. My thoughts are just one more addition to the mix. I am happy to say that I believe we all benefit from the sincere expressions of our differing thoughts. My ego was tempered long ago by my ignorance, lol.
we all know George bush is an insane bible basher that doesnt think women should choose what happens to there own bodies.
At least abortion information in American can be found. In Australia the situation on it is even worse, all I have found is you have to be 18 to have one without parents permission and in the end its the doctors choice.
So much for democracy
D n G — Your heart sings young warmth and old wisdom, as your ego is hushed
As I know of myself, I am but and egg among many — some of which are
progressivelybecoming hard-boiled.Seeking the purpose that life has chosen for me, I can but yet wonder what could be more profound and auspicious than doing simply as you say
Namaste
… … … … … Mahatma Gandhi … & … ML King … … Inspiration … … … … …
« We must be the change we wish to see in the world »
« There is a sufficiency in the world for man’s need but not for man’s greed »
« We adopt the means of nonviolence because our end is a community at peace with itself » — MLK
“One can only hope that in January 2008, the minds of the citizens are restored to their rightful owners.”
Don’t hold your breath. Cockroaches are very hard to get rid of once you’re infested.
hey doom and gloom, thanks for saying more. i don’t mind your rocking as long as we are in the same boat!
“Kiss the whip”—good phrase.
¿ …” … Turn the other lip … ” … ?
A population of a species increases until the death rate equals the birth rate. The standard of living of a society decreases until the death rate equals the birth rate.
Most of politics seems based on animal instinct which must be why gw isn’t readily percieved as the cancer, he is.
The future ? teens fighting to the death for a chance to be one of the few to raise a family. That, my friend, is animal behavior and human genetic inheritance.
I’m a fu%@ing liberal, but how about trying to pay welfare moms not to have children. With free birth control for all.
You may have your opinion, but there may not be more than one right answer, as Florida and Manhattan soon disappear below the Atlantic ocean. Now if we could just flood Kansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, South Carolina, Idaho, Utah, etc. too; the world might not be such a bad place.
Doom n Gloom
“What I do oppose is the abortion industry, the organized wholesale termination of life for convenience.”
There is no so called “abortion industry.” That is utterly ludicrous. What you think is the truth regarding women who have abortions is so VERY WRONG. There is no “organized wholesale termination of life for convenience.” Women have abortions for a variety of reasons and that very personal decision must remain between a woman and her physician. According to my O.B., med students aren’t even being given the option to learn the procedure to terminate a pregnancy. Hospitals do not want to provide funding for their training. So what is going to happen if there are only a handful of physicians who are able or willing to provide this procedure? Further discrimination will exist between the haves and the have nots. That ought to cheer you up, D & G.
A woman’s body must remain her own no matter her financial status, and her reproductive choices should not be subject to the whims of government regulation. If women are to have REAL equality then you cannot cherry pick which situations merit “abortion rights” and which do not. The reasons for a woman to choose abortion are as varied as the women who have them. And lets please remember that children require love and constant care for many years. I know what I have witnessed during my career–child abuse is the most horrific of tragedies!
You do not have the right to sit in judgement. Your words are nothing more than misogynistic rhetoric.
BTW, my great-great-great grandmother was a Cherokee from Ohio.