The Rethugs' War on Women

While America's far-right pays lip service to the denial of womens' rights in conservative Islamic countries, here at home they wage war on womens' reproductive choice. One of the more despicable pieces of legislation, H.R. 3, the so called "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortions Act," passed the Rethug-controlled House yesterday. The Washington Monthly's Steve Benen notes in an article this morning:

"Indeed, the closer one looks at the bill, the more odious it becomes. The final version included a provision to ensure that only victims of 'forcible rape' are eligible for federal funding if they seek abortions. It also raises taxes. It also effectively calls on the IRS to conduct rape audits. And how many House Republicans voted for this offensive bill? All of them."

Clearly, the bill is nothing more than a gesture to the religious radical base of the Rethug Party (a.k.a., the American Taliban), since the bill has no chance of passing the Senate or being signed into law by President Obama. This country already prohibits public funds from being used for abortions except in the case of rape or incest (the Hyde Amendment), out of appropriate deference to those taxpayers with religious objections. This is simply a cynical grandstand gesture to further polarize Americans for perceived political gain.