this ain't livin'

Health of the Mother

So there’s a section of the debate that I wanted to address in a more in-depth fashion, because I think it was pretty important. It’s the part where the moderator asked about Supreme Court justices, and the discussion devolved into a conversation about Roe v Wade. (Which, while an important Supreme Court decision, was far from the only decision, although it is on the line.)

Specifically, let’s take a look at this selection of quotes from John McCain (I was going to excerpt the whole section, except that it’s very long. To see the quotes without editing, here’s the debate transcript.)

I would never and have never in all the years I’ve been there imposed a litmus test on any nominee to the court. That’s not appropriate to do…I would consider anyone in their qualifications. I do not believe that someone who has supported Roe v. Wade that would be part of those qualifications.

Let me talk to you about an important aspect of this issue. We have to change the culture of America. Those of us who are proudly pro-life understand that. And it’s got to be courage and compassion that we show to a young woman who’s facing this terribly difficult decision..I don’t know how you align yourself with the extreme aspect of the pro- abortion movement in America…Just again, the example of the eloquence of Senator Obama. He’s health for the mother. You know, that’s been stretched by the pro-abortion movement in America to mean almost anything. That’s the extreme pro-abortion position, quote, “health.” But, look, Cindy and I are adoptive parents. We know what a treasure and joy it is to have an adopted child in our lives. We’ll do everything we can to improve adoption in this country. But that does not mean that we will cease to protect the rights of the unborn. Of course, we have to come together. Of course, we have to work together, and, of course, it’s vital that we do so and help these young women who are facing such a difficult decision, with a compassion, that we’ll help them with the adoptive services, with the courage to bring that child into this world and we’ll help take care of it.

So, there are a couple of issues going on here. The first paragraph I excerpted above is part of his discussion of “litmus tests” for the Supreme Court. He actually went a whole long thing about how you can’t use a “litmus test” to judge qualifications, yet states that support of Roe v Wade would make someone’s qualifications questionable. Doesn’t that kind of mean that you are, uhm, imposing your ideology onto your choices for the Supreme Court?

The second paragraph has a whole lot of things going on, and all of them need to be talked about. First, he says that he wants to give women “courage” to make a hard choice, yet he actually supports abrogating that “choice” altogether by making abortion impossible to obtain. How is that a choice? How it is courageous to be forced to keep a baby you don’t want? Including, yes, a baby that threatens your own life, which is when we get into the health of the mother issue.

You don’t see it in the transcript, but in the debate, McCain put the word “health” in quotes, scare quotes, with a huge sneer on his face, as though women’s health isn’t something which needs to be protected. He blathers on about the rights of the unborn, and apparently has no respect for the already born. He belittles the horrible situations in which being pregnant is, in fact, a health threat, and a woman must indeed have the courage to make a difficult choice. An incredibly difficult, awful choice. Women do not wake up and decide not to be pregnant when they get late term abortions.

How is it compassionate to belittle women’s health? How is supporting women’s choices not compassionate? How is encouraging women to think about all of their options lacking in compassion? You know what’s not compassionate? Forcing rape victims to have babies. Forcing young girls who have been raped by their fathers to carry the results of that rape to term. Telling women that, in a time of medical crisis, the life of the very much wanted and loved baby inside is worth more than theirs.

To say that caring about women’s health is “extreme” or that the pro-choice movement is “pro-abortion” is awful. Caring about women’s health, or anybody’s health, is a great, natural, human thing. It’s a good thing. We should be all about caring about women’s health. And, as someone who is very proudly pro-choice, let me tell you that I am most certainly not pro-abortion. I think that abortion is a very difficult, awful, and ultimately personal decision, and I would never tell a woman that she should or shouldn’t get an abortion. I’ve accompanied women on abortions, supported women during abortion recovery, and talked with women about their options, but I don’t promote abortion. And most people in the pro-choice movement feel the same way. Abortion is just one choice on the table.

Which made it all the more awful that when Mr. Obama said that both sides could probably agree that reducing unwanted pregnancies was a good thing, McCain interrupted and was incredibly snide and rude. Because, you know what? We should be reducing unwanted pregnancies. I think that this is something both sides of the movement should be able to come together on. I would love to live in a country where there were no abortions except in cases where the pregnancy threatened the life of the mother because all babies were wanted babies, and women were never raped, and women were never victims of incest. That’s probably not going to happen, but we could at least try. Hey, we’ve reduced the number of unwanted dogs and cats radically, why not do the same for people?

And I would like to note that abortions declined during the Clinton Administration, and rose in the Bush Administration. Why? Because Clinton focused on women’s health, sexual education, and benefits for low-income pregnant women. Bush took that all away and replaced it with shrill rhetoric about abortion.

And yes, by all means, let’s provide the support for women who want to carry their children to term. Let’s overhaul the foster system so that it actually works, allow gay and lesbian couples to adopt, provide pre-natal care for all women for free, support post-partum care and benefits for women who want to keep their babies. Let’s promote healthy babies, and adoption as an option, and healthy mothers. Let’s provide all those benefits you and your cronies regularly deny, Mr. McCain, and make women’s health a priority.

McCain, and his radical anti-choice running mate, are not pro-woman. As Obama rightly pointed out, McCain opposes equal pay for equal work. His running mate believes that abortion should be banned, even in cases of rape and incest. Mr. McCain thinks that women’s health is “radical.” His running mate thinks that being pregnant as a teen makes you “grow up real quick,” and that women should throw their potential and lives away to fulfill some sick, twisted religious belief.

The McCain campaign thinks that working for equal rights is working for the “liberal feminist agenda.” Feminists have an agenda all right, but it’s not liberal or conservative. The desire for equal treatment under the law, equal rights, and equal access transcends partisan lines. I would fight to the death for a woman’s right to vote Republican, carry an unwanted baby to term, and put it up for adoption, just like I’d fight for a woman who votes green and sues her employer for equal compensation.

You might not agree with me on the abortion issue, but I’d like to imagine that you can agree with me on these poits:

1. Women deserve equal pay for equal work.
2. Women’s health is not a “radical” issue, but in fact a very basic right.
3. Reducing unwanted pregnancies is a good thing.

Tags: feminism, health, politics