SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Michigan Lawmaker Banned From Speaking After Saying 'Vagina' in Abortion Legislation Debate
Censored Rep. Lisa Brown: “I look at it as a war on women when our voices aren’t being allowed to be heard.”
Jun 15, 2012
Michigan state Rep. Lisa Brown (D) has been blocked from speaking on the House floor in an apparent attempt to punish her for using the word "vagina" on Wednesday during a debate on legislation on reproductive rights.
Speaking out against anti-abortion bills on the floor, Brown said "I'm flattered that you're all so interested in my vagina," she said on the House floor. 'But no means no.'"
"I was either banned for being Jewish and rightfully pointing out that HB 5711 was forcing contradictory religious beliefs upon me and my religion," Rep. Brown said in a Thursday press conference. "Or is it because I used the word 'vagina,' which is an anatomically, medically correct term?"
Rep. Barb Byrum was also banned from speaking.
A spokesman for House Speaker Jase Bolger stated, "Majority Floor Leader Jim Stamas has informed Minority Floor Leader (Kate) Segal that Reps. Brown and Byrum will not be recognized to speak on the House floor today after being gaveled down for their comments and actions yesterday that failed to maintain the decorum of the House of Representatives."
Brown added speaking to TPM today, "I look at it as a war on women when our voices aren't being allowed to be heard."
Republican fear of the word is not limited to Michigan. "What she said was offensive," said Rep. Mike Callton, R-Nashville. "It was so offensive, I don't even want to say it in front of women. I would not say that in mixed company."
Sarah Ditum writes in New Statesman, "As the Michigan incident tells us, those who want to control women's bodies also want to treat that body as an obscenity."
* * *
Video uploaded from ProgressMichigan June 13, 2012: Rep. Lisa Brown speaks out against House attack on women's health
* * *
The Rachel Maddow Show: Female legislators silenced after speaking out against Michigan abortion bill
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
* * *
* * *
* * *
MLive.com: Rep. Lisa Brown questions whether her Jewish faith led to being banned from House floor debate
LANSING, MI - State Rep, Lisa Brown says she's wondering if stating her Jewish faith led to her being banned from speaking on the House floor - or whether it was her use of the word "vagina."
Brown, D-Bloomfield Hills, and state Rep. Barb Byrum, D-Onondaga, ripped state House leaders, who prevented them from speaking on the House floor after comments made during debate Wednesday on a series of bills concerning abortion.
"I was either banned for being Jewish and rightfully pointing out that HB 5711 was forcing contradictory religious beliefs upon me and my religion," Brown said in a Thursday press conference. "Or is it because I used the word 'vagina,' which is an anatomically, medically correct term?" [...]
"These lawmakers, predominantly men, have no problem passing legislation about my vagina. But I say its name, and they get outraged. I'm outraged that this legislative body wants to dictate what I can do, but what I can say."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Michigan state Rep. Lisa Brown (D) has been blocked from speaking on the House floor in an apparent attempt to punish her for using the word "vagina" on Wednesday during a debate on legislation on reproductive rights.
Speaking out against anti-abortion bills on the floor, Brown said "I'm flattered that you're all so interested in my vagina," she said on the House floor. 'But no means no.'"
"I was either banned for being Jewish and rightfully pointing out that HB 5711 was forcing contradictory religious beliefs upon me and my religion," Rep. Brown said in a Thursday press conference. "Or is it because I used the word 'vagina,' which is an anatomically, medically correct term?"
Rep. Barb Byrum was also banned from speaking.
A spokesman for House Speaker Jase Bolger stated, "Majority Floor Leader Jim Stamas has informed Minority Floor Leader (Kate) Segal that Reps. Brown and Byrum will not be recognized to speak on the House floor today after being gaveled down for their comments and actions yesterday that failed to maintain the decorum of the House of Representatives."
Brown added speaking to TPM today, "I look at it as a war on women when our voices aren't being allowed to be heard."
Republican fear of the word is not limited to Michigan. "What she said was offensive," said Rep. Mike Callton, R-Nashville. "It was so offensive, I don't even want to say it in front of women. I would not say that in mixed company."
Sarah Ditum writes in New Statesman, "As the Michigan incident tells us, those who want to control women's bodies also want to treat that body as an obscenity."
* * *
Video uploaded from ProgressMichigan June 13, 2012: Rep. Lisa Brown speaks out against House attack on women's health
* * *
The Rachel Maddow Show: Female legislators silenced after speaking out against Michigan abortion bill
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
* * *
* * *
* * *
MLive.com: Rep. Lisa Brown questions whether her Jewish faith led to being banned from House floor debate
LANSING, MI - State Rep, Lisa Brown says she's wondering if stating her Jewish faith led to her being banned from speaking on the House floor - or whether it was her use of the word "vagina."
Brown, D-Bloomfield Hills, and state Rep. Barb Byrum, D-Onondaga, ripped state House leaders, who prevented them from speaking on the House floor after comments made during debate Wednesday on a series of bills concerning abortion.
"I was either banned for being Jewish and rightfully pointing out that HB 5711 was forcing contradictory religious beliefs upon me and my religion," Brown said in a Thursday press conference. "Or is it because I used the word 'vagina,' which is an anatomically, medically correct term?" [...]
"These lawmakers, predominantly men, have no problem passing legislation about my vagina. But I say its name, and they get outraged. I'm outraged that this legislative body wants to dictate what I can do, but what I can say."
Michigan state Rep. Lisa Brown (D) has been blocked from speaking on the House floor in an apparent attempt to punish her for using the word "vagina" on Wednesday during a debate on legislation on reproductive rights.
Speaking out against anti-abortion bills on the floor, Brown said "I'm flattered that you're all so interested in my vagina," she said on the House floor. 'But no means no.'"
"I was either banned for being Jewish and rightfully pointing out that HB 5711 was forcing contradictory religious beliefs upon me and my religion," Rep. Brown said in a Thursday press conference. "Or is it because I used the word 'vagina,' which is an anatomically, medically correct term?"
Rep. Barb Byrum was also banned from speaking.
A spokesman for House Speaker Jase Bolger stated, "Majority Floor Leader Jim Stamas has informed Minority Floor Leader (Kate) Segal that Reps. Brown and Byrum will not be recognized to speak on the House floor today after being gaveled down for their comments and actions yesterday that failed to maintain the decorum of the House of Representatives."
Brown added speaking to TPM today, "I look at it as a war on women when our voices aren't being allowed to be heard."
Republican fear of the word is not limited to Michigan. "What she said was offensive," said Rep. Mike Callton, R-Nashville. "It was so offensive, I don't even want to say it in front of women. I would not say that in mixed company."
Sarah Ditum writes in New Statesman, "As the Michigan incident tells us, those who want to control women's bodies also want to treat that body as an obscenity."
* * *
Video uploaded from ProgressMichigan June 13, 2012: Rep. Lisa Brown speaks out against House attack on women's health
* * *
The Rachel Maddow Show: Female legislators silenced after speaking out against Michigan abortion bill
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
* * *
* * *
* * *
MLive.com: Rep. Lisa Brown questions whether her Jewish faith led to being banned from House floor debate
LANSING, MI - State Rep, Lisa Brown says she's wondering if stating her Jewish faith led to her being banned from speaking on the House floor - or whether it was her use of the word "vagina."
Brown, D-Bloomfield Hills, and state Rep. Barb Byrum, D-Onondaga, ripped state House leaders, who prevented them from speaking on the House floor after comments made during debate Wednesday on a series of bills concerning abortion.
"I was either banned for being Jewish and rightfully pointing out that HB 5711 was forcing contradictory religious beliefs upon me and my religion," Brown said in a Thursday press conference. "Or is it because I used the word 'vagina,' which is an anatomically, medically correct term?" [...]
"These lawmakers, predominantly men, have no problem passing legislation about my vagina. But I say its name, and they get outraged. I'm outraged that this legislative body wants to dictate what I can do, but what I can say."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.