Jill Stanek, a prominent figure in the anti-abortion movement recently wrote an article lamenting the election of Barack Obama for president.

I take issue with almost everything she said (unsurprisingly), but this first line takes the cake:

"Barack Obama was elected president despite the fact he supports abortion into the fourth trimester."

Number one: Barack Obama has said MULTIPLE TIMES that he is AGAINST late term abortions PROVIDED THAT there are exceptions for the life and health of the mother.

Obviously someone like Jill Stanek will not care about this and will still argue that Obama's position is radical, but what irritates me is that right wing ideologues are trying to reach out to people who are moderate on the issue of abortion and telling them that that President Elect Obama supports infanticide and other ridiculous lies.

Number two: "Tri" means three. 

I also happen to take issue with this gem:

"It is your responsibility, pastor and church leaders, to teach your people that abortion is abominable, and before that to teach chaste living. And before that, at the risk of making my Protestant friends flip, to teach that the contraceptive/sterilization mentality, which considers children bad, not blessings, is also a component of the sexual demise of our country."

I am now convinced that those on the far right in regards to abortion are out to ban contraception and this scares the shit out of me. If you are not sure, you need to look no further than the Colorado measure (that thank God failed) that would have defined "personhood" as "the moment of conception." Not only could this measure have had ramifications in regards to miscarriages (i.e. if a woman miscarries would she be investigated for homicide??) but it would have essentially banned all forms of hormonal birth control. This type of birth control works by suppressing ovulation, but it also works by preventing implantation of a fertilized egg onto the uterus in the event that ovulation does occur.

I am certainly aware that there are pro life people out there who in no way want to ban contraception, but I think this movement is growing (as evidenced by the "contraception free" pharmacies that seem to have been popping up recently - luckily those are far and few between - for now) -

But you know what, Jill, just because I am pro choice does not mean that I "consider children bad" or "not a blessing." In fact, I hold children in such high regards that I choose to be RESPONSIBLE by using birth control and I choose to not have a child until I am emotionally and financially ready to do so so that I can provide the best environment possible for him/her.

So if you really do care about reducing the number of abortions in this country, perhaps you should encourage others to do the same.

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4 Comments

November 10, 2008 4:30 PM

[0+]  everybodyever said:

In using the contradictory term "fourth trimester," was she not making an intentional dig at what so many pro-lifers have claimed is Obama's support of "infanticide" in his opposition to those medically ridiculous born alive bills? Because that's how the sentence reads to me.

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November 10, 2008 7:56 PM

[0+]  Kim H said:

I suppose that probably was her intention but regardless it still doesn't make sense, and as you pointed out, it's not medically accurate.

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November 11, 2008 1:53 AM

[0+]  beka said:

the sexual demise of our country

*bursts out laughing*

That would be the highlight of my day, if not for the fact that one sees that kind of hyperbolic tripe in the letters from the local Focus on the Family branch which are published in the paper. Sad.

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November 11, 2008 10:03 PM

[0+]  Rebecca said:

Seconding everybodyever - it's supposed to be a clever joke about that infanticide rumor (started or at least widely propagated by Stanek).

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