The Republican War on Women: Supreme Court Edition

We're a few days late on this one.  On Tuesday the five male Republican appointees to the Supreme Court ruled that restrictions on abortion clinics in Texas could proceed, pending an appeal to the 5th Circuit that the lower court is likely to hear in January. The restrictions would require doctors who perform abortions in clinics to have admitting privileges in hospitals.  What could be wrong with that? 

"We will take every step we can to protect the health of Texas women. This law is blocking women in Texas from getting a safe and legal medical procedure that has been their constitutionally protected right for 40 years. This is outrageous and unacceptable — and also demonstrates why we need stronger federal protections for women's health. Your rights and your ability to make your own medical decisions should not depend on your ZIP code," [Planned Parenthood's Cecile] Richards said. [snip]


In Texas, 12 abortion providers say they have attempted to obtain hospital privileges for their doctors, but so far none of the hospitals have responded to the requests. That means those clinics can no longer offer abortions, leaving at most 20 facilities open in a state of 26 million people.  (our emphasis)

Greasy carbuncle on the posterior of American justice, Antonin Scalia, wrote the majority opinion.

Today's Cartoon - Mo' Texas Edition

(click to enlarge)

(Nick Anderson, Houston Chronicle, via gocomics.com)

"The Fight For The Future Of Texas Is Just Beginning"

(Photo:  http://EgbertoWillies.com)

Yesterday, the American Taliban Republican Texas legislature passed the onerous bill that will restrict a woman's reproductive health choices dramatically.  Gov. Rick "Oops" Perry (R-Uterus) is expected to sign the bill, which will then be challenged immediately in court.  The human face of the opposition to this march backwards is Democratic State Sen. Wendy Davis:

In closing her own speech late Friday night, [Tex Sen. Wendy] Davis told the groggy lawmakers, those in the gallery and beyond, “The fight for the future of Texas is just beginning.”

And then, minutes after the vote, she spoke again, through a bullhorn, to an immense crowd of supporters in front of the Capitol building. Ms. Davis called out to the orange-clad throng to turn their anger into political change. “Let’s make sure tonight is not an ending point,” she said. “It’s a beginning point as we work to take this state back.”

As one over-reaching Republican-controlled state after another passes medieval legislation designed to restrict a woman's right to privacy and choice, the fight needs to be carried to the courts and, regardless of whether court challenges succeed, the ballot box.  That's why the second front of this fight involves voting rights and countering Republican efforts to suppress voting by Democratic constituencies following the Roberts Court decision in Shelby County v. Holder.  We can't afford to lose that fight either.

The Republican War on Women: Lone Star State Edition

Today, we have an all-Texas edition of the on-going drama, "The Republican War on Women":

Republicans in the Texas House of Representatives voted in the wee hours of Monday morning to cut off a marathon 15-hour debate over a bill that would close nearly all the state’s abortion clinics and ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, overwhelmingly approving the highly contentious measure after Democrats pulled out all the stops to gum up the process.

During the debate on the bill,  Democrats wanted to offer an exception in the case of rape or incest to the 20-week ban.  That was when lady Republican/ Stupid Party State Rep. Jodie Laubenberg "broke the glass stupid ceiling" (h/t Wonkette) by wanting everyone to know that rape exception wasn't necessary 'cause

If a woman is raped… We have hospital emergency rooms... We have funded what’s called rape kits that will help the woman, basically clean her out. And then hopefully that will alleviate that.

That's right, lady!  A kit that's used to collect evidence of a rape will "alleviate" a potential pregnancy resulting from rape!  Also:  "Hopefully!"  She got that straight from Dr. Todd Akin (or was it Dr. Richard Mourdock?)!  Then again, maybe it was "Law and Order:  SUV."