Once again, the wingnut reality has jumped the shark of our satire. I'm sure you all remember this:
Well, for wingnuts in Colorado and other states, every sperm truly is sacred, and of course, so is every egg.
In 2008, a ballot measure in Colorado declaring that a zygote is a person was defeated by a 3 to 1 margin. Apparently, the anti-choice crowd isn't interested in Democracy. They don't want to hear what the voters have to say on this issue - they want to force vote after vote after vote on this until they get their way. They're starting now and shooting for those 2010 ballots.
Wendy Norris has all the details at RH Reality Check.
The proposed 2010 constitutional ballot language - "the term 'person' shall apply to every human being from the beginning of the biological development of that human being" - was submitted Thursday for initial review by the Colorado Legislative Council.
The new tack avoids previous efforts to redefine person as "any human being from the moment of fertilization" - phrasing that rankled even its supporters as too polarizing.
If you're wondering what that means, you're not alone. What exactly do they mean by "from the beginning of the biological development of that human being"?? Well, they want to leave it vague because they believe the courts will "define" it more specifically, but they also go on to say things like this:
Jones, a conservative Catholic, said he welcomed a debate about a contraception ban as an effect of the personhood cause:
"What this amendment does is protect all human beings," he said. "Something that is erroneously referred to as contraception causes the early human to die because they cannot develop in the uterus. And, then yeah, this would prohibit it. We're more than happy to talk about that."
No, apparently we aren't done debating legalized birth control, so if you thought that was a battle that was won in 1965, you were wrong. But this group of anti-choice activists aren't only interested in personhood for zygotes and eliminating legal birth control - oh no! They have other ideas too!
Now they have plans to deploy platoons of "personhood" activists in 17 states to effectively ban abortion, oral/device contraception, in vitro fertilization, and embryonic stem cell research should they prevail to win civil rights for fertilized eggs. And if Jones' press briefing comments are any indication, they may take on disability advocacy groups and the burgeoning end-of-life care movement, as well.
Back in February, the North Dakota House passed "Egg as Person" legislation. In many ways they are trying to play dumb about the consequences of such legislation, but:
... many legal experts agree that defining life as beginning at conception would affect access to birth control and emergency contraception as well as affect in vitro fertilization. "I'm not sure if this is naivete or if this is sincere," Stanley said. "The bottom line is that our attorneys have looked at this and are extremely concerned."
I'm sure no one here will be shocked to learn that the Zygote personhood movement tied to violent anti-abortion groups. Norris illustrates that further in her post today. The connections are quite interesting - and just in case you're wondering how crazy these folks are, apparently they're so anti-choice that James Dobson isn't even anti-choice enough for them!
So I guess I'm left to wonder - when my period starts tomorrow (as it is scheduled to do - TMI? Oh well.) - am I guilty of murder? I'm sure glad this bill is being introduced in Colorado and elsewhere because now we'll be able to have that public debate! There's nothing women love more than debating their anatomy and their medical procedures in public - and we especially love it when groups of white men dictate to us which contraceptive methods we can and cannot use (it's NONE, just in case you were wondering). And there's something to be said for the "traditional family values" that force women to give birth to their rapists babies. It's so important to value life - you know, like when these men decide that women who are ill should be forced to carry "persons" to term because you know, clearly that zygote/person is more of a person than that woman is.
Please be informed about the ballot initiatives in your state - get informed about the various state laws so you know how to go about challenging petition signatures, etc. Back in 2006 Equality Illinois was able to stop an anti-marriage measure from getting on the ballot because they organized volunteers throughout the state to verify the signatures submitted by the Illinois Family Institute and found that most of them were not legally valid. Let's try to get out in front of the crazy this time and do our best to prevent this stuff from even getting ON the ballots.
Update: This could create quite a conundrum for these folks!! British scientists say created sperm from stem cells.
Today's Top Comments:
From Mdmslle:
Not sure if this diary warrants even a second look but the comment, by TooFolkGR, literally had me in stitches.
From DudleyMason:
A great healthcare comment by high5.
From Laura Clawson:
Too many commenters to name give us Washington, DC, Sarah Palin style.
"Best thread I've read in ages", says Elise.
From Phonegery:
FuzzyDice has a comment on Martha Stewart and her most recent plot.
From MooseHB:
zett asks a valid question, in response to the Rove depo and Senatorial Spine bursting forth today.
From Land of Enchantment:
Three cheers for Gooserock!
From Elise:
Collideascope has a good response to Upstatedem's latest doom and troll diary. sancerre2001 provides ideas for the next troll diary. Repubsoncrack outlines what we actually hope to see happen in 2010 elections.
Not a Top Comment, but an action item for you - click here, enter your zip code, and write a letter to the editor of your local paper about the need for real health care reform. Your local paper isn't the only one to come up, you can choose from many nearby as well as the national papers. This is effective activism on health care. This site gets something like over 1 million hits per day. Can you imagine what would happen if every person reading DKos wrote a letter to their local paper? Activism on the local level is what gets the attention of your Reps, so get to writing!
Top Mojo will be posted as soon as it arrives! Tips to sardonyx please!!!
Top Mojo (cskendrick/sardonyx-style) excluding search-identifiable tip jars, first diary comments, and Cheers and Jeers:
1) SAY IT LOUD SAY IT PROUD by ultrageek — 177
2) My thoughts will be with you, and I wish you the by MinistryOfTruth — 176
3) Al's Smackdown of Reagan's faux libertarianism by FishOutofWater — 169
4) I Alway Read This by webranding — 167
5) OK, fine! by Colorado is the Shiznit — 129
6) Atheist that I am... by Shadan7 — 127
7) Imagine if Pres. Obama calls on Dan at a by byteb — 126
8) Thank God for Sanders and Dean. by MrSandman — 113
9) Some of us, from the first moment we ... by understandinglife — 110
10) And as I am too, I will by Eileen B — 110
11) The truly awesome thing by MBNYC — 108
12) It's okay hon. by DawnG — 107
13) The insurance companies by MadRuth — 104
14) . by buhdydharma — 104
15) Damn. by Crashing Vor — 104
16) My Wife Puts In 5-10 Hrs a Week Doing Health Ins. by Gooserock — 99
17) Especially if Dan doesn't pay $25K for access :) by cskendrick — 97
18) Read the funny stuff by llbear — 95
19) Not everybody, including some doctors ... by Meteor Blades — 91
20) Elections Have Consequences by JekyllnHyde — 91
21) Obama has confirmed his support multiple times by askew — 85
22) Internet taking over from the WaPo and NYT by MD patriot — 81
23) You will be missed and never forgotten by Something the Dog Said — 77
24) Those crazy Vermonters... by willy mugobeer — 76
25) Losing Wellstone and getting Coleman was by RFK Lives — 75
26) RIght by ramfar — 74
27) LOVE YOU SENATOR AL by realwischeese — 74
28) Do your best. by ek hornbeck — 71
29) I don't think that Rahm was off the reservation by Kitty — 69
30) His constituents? by Crashing Vor — 69
31) I don't know you very well, by Colorado is the Shiznit — 69
Top Mojo with No Exclusions:
1) Tip Jar by ImpeachKingBushII — 927
2) Tip Jar by Al Rodgers — 755
3) Tip Jar by Keith Pickering — 516
4) Tip Jar by ramfar — 411
5) Tip Jar by Drdemocrat — 352
6) Tip Jar by byteb — 335
7) Tip Jar by MsLibrarian — 296
8) Tip Jar by pronin2 — 283
9) Tip Jar by Detroit Mark — 212
10) Tip Jar by Sprinkles — 206
11) Tip Jar by calchala — 186
12) SAY IT LOUD SAY IT PROUD by ultrageek — 177
13) Tip Jar by lenlarga — 176
14) My thoughts will be with you, and I wish you the by MinistryOfTruth — 176
15) Tip Jar by 1BQ — 172
16) Tip Jar by nyceve — 171
17) Al's Smackdown of Reagan's faux libertarianism by FishOutofWater — 169
18) I Alway Read This by webranding — 167
19) Tip Jar by jimstaro — 151
20) Tip Jar by Valtin — 133
21) OK, fine! by Colorado is the Shiznit — 129
22) Atheist that I am... by Shadan7 — 127
23) Imagine if Pres. Obama calls on Dan at a by byteb — 126
24) Tips for music by droogie6655321 — 120
25) Thank God for Sanders and Dean. by MrSandman — 113
26) Tip Jar by The Anomaly — 111
27) Some of us, from the first moment we ... by understandinglife — 110
28) And as I am too, I will by Eileen B — 110
29) Tip jar! Good to see you today by it really is that important — 109
30) The truly awesome thing by MBNYC — 108