abortion

Yesterday, News 14 reported that Federal Judge Catherine Eagles heard arguments from lawyers on both sides arguing for and against a temporary injunction to all or parts of the new law as it makes its way through the courts.  Today, AP is reporting that the judge issued a ruling in the case.

So I took a bit of a break this past month, and I figured by the time I came back y’all would have things sorted out: people would be surely by flying around with jet packs by now, God would have sent fires and floods to smite the unrighteous, and, if I really got lucky, Barack Obama would have “grown a pair”.

And now that I’m back, debt negotiations are about to commence between that same Barack Obama and the Republican Congressional Leadership, things like Social Security and Medicare cuts are apparently on the table in order to protect tax cuts for the rich, and certain quarters of the Republican Party aren’t even trying anymore to hide their racism.

All of which suggests that I shouldn’t be looking for a jet pack anytime soon.

But there is some good news: God is apparently working hard, and states like Oklahoma and Arizona and Florida and Georgia and Texas have been alternately aflame or aflood, apparently as a result of their unrepentant behavior…and on the economic front, New York City’s Stonewall Inn is going to make a ton of money this summer hosting weddings.

That gives us a lot to talk about…so let’s get right to it.

So Arizona Senator Jon Kyl went and did a stupid thing the other day by claiming on the floor of the Senate that 90% of what Planned Parenthood does is related to abortions, and that, by God, we need to cut that Federal funding for abortions, and we need to cut all Federal funding for Planned Parenthood—and we need to do it today.

Of course, that 90% claim was total hooey; it turns out that only 3% of Planned Parenthood’s work relates to abortions. (The Federal funding for abortions part is, too; the Hyde Amendment made such funding illegal decades ago.)

When confronted, Kyl’s office released a statement claiming the Senator’s comments were “not intended to be a factual statement”.

Sir Rev. Dr. Stephen T. Colbert, DFA, decided to have a bit of fun with Kyl, and he challenged his audience to Tweet their own “Not Intended To Be A Factual Statement” about Kyl.

I decided to compose a Tweet of my own…and then another…and before I knew it I had an entire story’s worth; that’s why, today, we’ll be taking a taking a short break from the daily grind to have a bit of fun with a man who truly deserves it: Jon Kyl.

NC Speaker-elect Thom Tillis has gotten a lot of media coverage lately talking about his plans to reduce abortion when he takes control of the NC House today.

Just to be clear, when he says, “reduce abortions”, he is not talking about reducing unintended pregnancies—the number one reason why women have abortions in the first place. He’s definitely not talking about greater access to birth control, comprehensive sex education or preventive healthcare in general—all proven ways of reducing unwanted pregnancies.

Instead, Speaker-elect Tillis says he’s going to reduce abortions through “informed consent,” which strikes me as odd.

Most health providers I know view “informed consent” as an ethical way of providing patients with unbiased, non-directive information so that the patient can make her own choice about a particular medical procedure.

If Speaker-elect Tillis and his new majority think they are going to reduce abortion through informed consent then perhaps they are talking about a different kind of “informed consent” than what most of us receive when we go to see our doctor.