BWHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

"I am the most feminist person I know."

The Rare Time When Tracy and I Agree

I'm in Iowa for the weekend for training. But here's a quickie:

Tracy and I are finally on the same side of something...

Although I still am not a fan of waterboarding...

Seeing Reality

More on the fake abortion/breast cancer link:

(WCCO) To women seeking abortions in Minnesota, doctors are required by law to raise the issue of a link to breast cancer, even if it's not true.

And it's NOT TRUE.

A new Harvard study published this week confirms again there is no greater risk of breast cancer for women who get an abortion compared to women who do not.

IN FACT, the Harvard study looked at data from more than 100,000 women over 30 years, following each of them for 10 years -- documenting abortions, miscarriages and breast cancer diagnoses ... and finding no greater cancer risk for women who have abortions.

Here's what you NEED TO KNOW.

Minnesota lawmakers passed the informed consent law in 2003.

Minnesota is one of 32 states that require women to wait at least 24 hours after deciding they want an abortion. During that time they must be given information about fetal development and abortion alternatives.

And in Minnesota, Mississippi and Texas, doctors are also compelled to mention the questionable abortion-breast cancer link, even if they subsequently tell women not to believe it.

And that's NOT THE WHOLE STORY. The latest Harvard findings add to previous research which shows there is no link between abortion and breast cancer.

That's Reality Check.

The "informed" consent rule needs to be removed.

Why, I didn't even know you closed!

Back when smartie and I were living downtown, we'd often made the trek to the "Little Red Wagon" (for some reason I could never remember the bar's actual name). I was shocked this morning to realize it had closed, but luckily found out it's open again thanks to the Keegan crew:

The Little Wagon is back in the saddle

The Little Wagon (420 S. 4th St., Minneapolis) is back in business. The casual bar and grill, a downtown fixture since the 1930s, closed abruptly in December. New owners Terry and Virginia Keegan and Marty Neumann (of Keegan's Pub, 16 University Av. NE., Minneapolis), hope to cater to the neighborhood -- city hall, the Grain Exchange, the Metrodome -- by restoring Little Wagon traditions, including turkey and walleye dinners, among other all-American fare.

"There's never going to be the Little Wagon of old, but we can open a new chapter," said Neumann. Right now the drill is lunch Monday through Saturday and dinner daily (with a late-night pizza menu to 1 a.m. for Twins fans). Neumann said that breakfast service and live music will be added in the fall.

Of course, the little red wagon of old I remember had strong cheap happy hour drinks. Pizza? Not sure how I feel about that.

Steve Sviggum: "Step Away from the Birthcontrol..."

seriously:

"It includes a change in abortion regulations. Republicans passed legislation that would prevent taxpayer-funded abortions. Democrats are now pushing to greatly increase funding for Planned Parenthood."

A majority of the Planned Parenthoods in Minnesota provide birth control and do not perform abortions. Yes, Mr. Sviggum, a lot of people support that, because it cuts down on unwanted pregnancies.

I'll admit it

I wanna go.

Another One Bites the Dust

So when exactly are we going to overturn the Women's Right To Know Law already?
Abortion and Breast Cancer: No Link

Oh, wait. We enjoy being a state that forces women to listen to inaccurate scare tactics in order to try and intimidate them out of their choice.

One

The number of times an intact D&E has been performed in Minnesota.

What this is really about

from the fantastic women of EE...

This I know: On May 19, 1995 I had a medical procedure known officially as dilation and extraction. I was 26 weeks into a pregnancy (with a son, Dakota) which was never meant to be.

This I know: At 22 weeks I learned the child I so very much wanted suffered from terminal neural tube defects, the worst of which was anencephaly. In the most simple terms, this means the child has no brain… although some have a rudimentary brainstem.

This I know: Some anencephalic children die pre-term, some die during birth, some die a short time after birth. There is no question as to if an anencephalic child will die. The question is when he or she will die.

This I know: Had it not been for the medical procedure known officially as dilation and extraction, I would not be here typing this today. I would be dead after a horrible struggle with infection.

This I know: Had it not been for the medical procedure known officially as dilation and extraction, my husband would be without a wife and my daughter would be without a mother.

This I know: If somehow either of my daughters, or even a future daughter-in-law, has the terrible misfortune of experiencing a similar pregnancy, our family will grieve the loss of not only a grandchild, but a daughter.

This I know: If my daughter suffered an anaphylactic reaction to a bee sting, or any other of numerous potentially life threatening situations, no medical professional would hesitate to provide the needed treatment to save her life.

This I know: No court in our land would uphold the decision of a medical professional to purposefully withhold life-saving treatment – until yesterday.

This I know: If you happen upon an automobile accident and find a victim with a crushed skull, a victim with spurting blood and a victim with a slow oozing wound, you should first seek to help the victim with the spurting blood. There is little, if anything you can do to help the person with the crushed skull. The person with the slow-oozing wound might be in pain and/or shock from the injury, but it isn’t immediately life-threatening. The person who is shooting blood, however, has cut an artery and is most definitely in a life-threatening situation.

This I wonder: Tomorrow will the Supreme Court mandate those of us who come upon an accident wait to see what God’s will has in store for the victims before we act?

The reason the procedure is performed so rarely is because it is nearly always performed when the child is not viable and the mother's health is at risk.

You are not "saving babies". You are murdering mothers.

The luckiest girl in the world

I sure do seem to have a lot of men on this site today telling me what I should do with my body.

They must have been encouraged by this condescending crap:

"Respect for human life finds an ultimate expression in the bond
of love the mother has for her child. The Act recognizes this
reality as well. Whether to have an abortion requires a difficult and
painful moral decision. Casey, supra, at 852–853 (opinion of the
Court). While we find no reliable data to measure the phenomenon, it
seems unexceptionable to conclude some women come to regret their
choice to abort the infant life they once created and sustained. See
Brief for Sandra Cano et al. as Amici Curiae in No. 05–380, pp.
22–24. Severe depression and loss of esteem can follow. See ibid.
...
It is self-evident that a mother who comes to regret her choice to
abort must struggle with grief more anguished and sorrow more profound
when she learns, only after the event, what she once did not know..."

translation: we must protect the women from their own actions - they aren't very bright...

A must read today

In light of what has happened with the Court, please go read this.

I will be writing MUCH more on this issue, especially in about 2 weeks.

And don't forget, everyone who is free, tomorrow is Pro-Choice lobby day down at the capitol

That's Just Swell...

does this mean I should be making my appointments with the court now, since they're medical experts? Cause honestly, they might be easier to get a hold of than my OB right now.

Today I mourn

Breakfast is over.

It's snowing in Iowa, too

Not sure what happened up there, but I'm in day three in Des Moines, and it's snowing. Luckily for me, I don't have to leave the hotel. Which is good, since I didn't bother to bring down a real hat or any gloves.

Yesterday you could hear the wind ripping at the windows of the Hotel Fort Des Moines. Today it's much more quiet, although it's definitely chilly. I'm starting to use my laptop for warmth.

This is just a reminder that there is no Drinking Liberally this week in Minneapolis, although I will be hanging with the lovely DL crew from Des Moines. Let's see if those Iowegians know how to party...

Is it wrong

that I find this Hi-Larious?

I usually consider PZ much smarter than me

and I still think he is.

But this post was dumb.

First, I have to admit I am that rare person who does know Elaine Pagels better than I know Rick Warren. Pagels was a huge influence on my religion degree in college.

Everything that Pagels said in that interview is consistent with her study of Christianity, especially with her works the Origin of Satan, all of her Gnostic Gospel studies, etc. The Gnostic Gospels have huge eastern influence and a sense of finding God inside each believer, and personal relationships with the divine. To compare her in some way to the prosperity gospel crap is downright offensive. It would be like comparing Darwin to one of the Discovery Institute Fellows.

Poor form. Belittling a religious scholar's "quaint twist on dogma," simply because you don't agree with religious doctrine is wrong. There is a huge difference between a religious scholar and a religious huckster, and to present them as the same thing is just lazy and single minded.

Too Lazy to Fool...

Instead, enjoy this Blast from the past...