To all the men in Washington, raise your hand if you've had a gynocological exam?

Didn't think so.

John and Leah both posted great things about the pro-choice/anti-choice debate. The spinning by the Republican machine (by the way, anyone else thoroughly scared by Tancredo, Brownback, and their never-relenting mission to overturn Roe v. Wade?), the arguments over who was anti-choice first, the desire to rule over women's bodies...it all gets me so riled up I can hardly type this. It's hard not to morph into "scary-stereotypical-feminist-crazy" right now, but I can't help it. I just do not understand why people, men particularly, feel they have a right to decide on what I do with my body. I completely agree with John; look, no one wants to have abortions. They're expensive (too expensive if you ask me) and they don't feel so great. However, especially in cases of rape and incest, a woman should have all options on the table.

A really intriguing question, as expounded upon by the ever wonderful Anna Quindlen in last week's Newsweek, is, if abortion is criminalized, then women who have illegal abortions commit a crime, what is the punishment? Do you throw them in jail? If it's murder, do you punish her for 1st degree? And if you did throw her in jail, how long would the sentence be? Quindlen helps illustrate how no one has an answer for this. It's a really interesting read, highly recommended. She finds her questions off this really incredible video at a Libertyville anti-choice demonstration where a man fields these very questions to demonstrators, who, more often than not, don't have answers.

So next time you men out there get a cervical smear or a speculum shoved up your vagina, let me know, and we'll talk.

Not Pro-Abortion

At the Republican Debate yesterday, Mitt Romney and Sam Brownback went head to head over abortion. Brownback attacked Romney for at one point being pro-choice (Romney now says he is very much pro-life). Romney is a bigger flip-flopper than Sen. John Kerry ever could have been accused of. I believe Mitt Romney would make a terrible president. However, I still feel he will manage to snag the Republican nomination. Anyways, my point in this post is not to discuss the debate but to single out something in a call that Brownback has been making in Iowa to attack Mitt Romney.

In the phone call to voters we hear...

"Mitt Romney pledged to support and uphold pro-abortion policies and passed taxpayer funding of abortions in Massachusetts."

My problem here is the word pro-abortion. It infuriates me. It's the Republican spin machine trying to paint not only Mitt Romney, but also, liberals and democrats as pro-abortion. There is a BIG difference between pro-abortion and pro-choice. They are NOT one in the same. I am pro-choice, the candidates for president on the Democratic side are pro-choice. No one is pro-abortion. No one likes the ideas of abortions. This clever wording is how some Republicans intend to continue to divide the nation and put false beliefs in people's heads.