I didn't see this diaried anywhere, so I'm putting up something about it. It appears that Lieberman's fall to the dark side is complete.
I think we all know how much Lieberman has turned into a Bush-worshipping neocon when it comes to foreign policy. But it appears that he has now become comfortable with the theocon element of conservatism as well.
I knew he supported the Iraq war, but I didn't know that he also supported rapists' rights. More below the fold.
At issue is a proposed bill in Connecticut that would require hospitals to provide emergency contraception to rape victims.
One would expect that emergency contraception would be one of the first things on the mind of a hospital that is treating a victim of rape, but the New Haven Register reports that fully one-fifth of the hospitals in Connecticut refuse EC to rape victims.
So what's Lieberman's take on the bill? As quoted by the Register:
Lieberman said he believes hospitals that refuse to give contraceptives to rape victims for "principled reasons" shouldn't be forced to do so. "In Connecticut, it shouldn't take more than a short ride to get to another hospital," he said.
That's right. Good ol' Joe thinks we should force victims of Bill Napoli's wet dream to either drive themselves, or be driven, if our morally upstanding religious hospital is kind enough to give the poor girl a ride, to the nearest hospital where they actually can get the medical treatment they need to stop themselves from conceiving the child of their savage attackers.
For the record, the current Republican governor of Connecticut opposes the bill, while her Democratic challengers all staunchly support it.
This bill isn't about denial of religious freedom. It's about ensuring medical care that a decent respect for the opinion of mankind would consider sensible, appropriate and expected.
The Register also has an interesting quote concerning Lieberman's opposition to the bill:
This fight isn't exclusively being drawn along party lines.
Unfortunately, the Register has it wrong. You see, Joe Lieberman is a Republican in every sense. I can't believe I actually voted for this man to be Vice-President. And I can't believe Al Gore picked him.
Regardless, we all know what we can do: NED LAMONT!! And if you feel like contributing to Ned, here's my ActBlue page.
[Cross-posted at Far-Shooting Politics]