Guess what word gets you banned from participating in a debate on an abortion bill in Michigan. Vagina. Yep, you aren’t allowed to mention vaginas when opposing an abortion bill.
State Reps. Lisa Brown, D-West Bloomfield, and Barb Byrum, D-Onondaga, were told today that they wouldn’t be recognized to publicly speak on any matters before the House because of comments they made Wednesday during an emotional debate on a bill that puts new restrictions on abortion providers. Brown, who voted against the legislation, told supporters of the bill, “I’m flattered you’re all so concerned about my vagina. But no means no.”
Freedom of Speech is great, huh.
H/T to @jamesjdominguez on Twitter
Oh, why not just come straight out with it and ban women from speaking?
And they also frown on daring to compare the Blessed Vasectomy with abortion!
I’ve been rather enjoying the ensuing hashtag pileon: #vaginamovietitles and #vaginatvtitles
So “civility and maturity” are apparently defined in the House Speaker’s worldview as not joining in with the pretense that abortion restrictions are about protecting tinypreciousbabies, and not treating women as abstract in comparion.
Surely Andrew Bolt and other usual suspects will come out swinging for these women? After all, aren’t they all about Teh Freedom of Speech? …Andrew?…
According to Shakesville, he’s saying the objection wasn’t to the “vagina,” but to the “no means no.” Ie, he found it offensive that abortion obstacles are compared to rape. Sorry, Speaker, but there are reasons for that comparison (one of them being that one particular obstacle the Republicans are fond of right now literally is rape).
Yeah, same as people not liking having their bigotry pointed out. There was an article at Pandagon.net suggesting that the right wing meaning of “offense” is “hurt feelings”, so maybe “I find no means no offensive, because you’re trying to stop me doing or saying things”
I wonder if those ‘gentlemen’ would be more comfortable with c*** or p**** ? Perhaps they have never heard the word ‘vagina’ before ?