Republicans show ignorance, insensitivity on issues of reproductive, women's health
In recent weeks, the Republican Party has made a compelling case for improving the quality and breadth of sex education in this country — not intentionally, of course, but rather by demonstrating their own incredible cluelessness. On issues involving birth control, abortion and women’s reproductive health, generally conservative lawmakers have made it clear that they have no idea what they are talking about. Yet they have also made it clear that they intend to keep legislating about it.
Gov. Bob McDonnell of Virginia backed off, albeit slightly, from his support for a bill that would force many women seeking abortions in Virginia to first submit to a medically unnecessary transvaginal ultrasound, the sort of practice the phrase “invasive procedure” was invented to describe. This coming from the party of “small government.” Explaining his newfound reluctance to support state-mandated penetration, McDonnell pleaded ignorance. He says he hadn’t realized how invasive the procedure was, despite national media having explained it as explicitly as is allowed. It seems hard, at first, to believe that he is really that clueless, but maybe he just never asked himself what it was that he was advocating.
In the Virginia legislature last week, one of McDonnell’s fellow Republicans, Delegate Dave Albo, took to the floor to deliver, to much laughter and applause, a monologue about how his plans to have sex with his wife one night were frustrated by the appearance on television of one of his colleagues discussing the transvaginal ultrasound bill. Albo demanded an apology from that colleague, apparently believing it was hearing the word “vaginal” on the news that killed his wife’s libido that night, and not the fact that her husband was backing state-mandated penetration. All the while, Albo is unable to actually say the word himself, abbreviating it instead to “v.” Is it too much to ask that people who are too embarrassed to say the name of a thing aloud not try to legislate what goes into it?
But the most glaring example of Republican cluelessness on matters of reproductive health has to be the hearing held by the House Oversight Committee on the subject of birth control access, to which no women were invited as witnesses on the first panel. Only two were present on the following panel. Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has pointed to this hearing as clear proof that conservatives simply aren’t interested in considering women’s health issues from the perspective of women.
“Duh,” said Pelosi at one point. “I may at some point be moved to explain biology to my colleagues.”
I kind of hope she does.
Certainly there is nothing wrong with men discussing women’s health issues. I’m doing so myself right now. But as with any topic, and especially topics where one lacks personal experience, it’s important that we know what we are talking about, and these Republican men clearly haven’t a clue.