Oh damn

Here is your 110th Supreme Court Justice. He's going to be sworn in any minute now. HOORAY! Yes -- that's sarcasm. No, it's not even sarcasm; it's a statement of total bitterness.

How did this happen? How did Bush get elected twice so that this could happen in the first place?! UGH.

Does it strike anyone else as odd that Bush found it impossible to find a qualified WOMAN candidate to replace O'Conner? I mean, let's be realistic, Harriet Miers was a ploy. He knew she would be rejected by both parties. By dems for not being qualified enough and by the republicans for being too "liberal." It was brilliant for Bush, really. Once she was easily defeated, he brought in the staunch, conservative, Christian MALE waiting in the wings.

Now we have an all-male, politically stacked ideologically RIGHT wing court.

I realize not everyone shares my views-- fine, get in line. But it makes me so angry, I don't care who I offend. At the heart of this abortion argument is essentially the idea that women are not fully human, and therefore not fully capable of making the right ethical decision about their body. You hear it in the sneer the way most people talk about abortions.

-- "Well, she should have kept her legs together."
-- "They can't just run around having sex and using abortions as birth control."
-- "If she's old enough to have sex, she's old enough to be an adult and take responsibility for her actions"

Do these people understand how hard it is for low income women to gain access to effective contraception? Let's talk about having fair and REAL sex education in schools, available birth control for women-- and then MAYBE we can condemn women for getting abortions, huh?

Even then-- let's face it. Now and then, the condom breaks, the pill fails and you have a woman who cannot have a baby--for economic or emotional reasons. Maybe she has a father who will pour acid on her for "shaming" the family-- and YES that happens in America. Maybe she will be ostracized from her family, community or church. Maybe her doctor told her to never get pregnant again because "this time the delivery could kill you." Maybe she's a rape victim!

But none of those situations come into play in the debate our country keeps having OVER AND OVER. We're always talking about some little stupid slut who just wants to "murder her child." Well I'm sick of that debate. It's offensive to women. We are not stupid or immoral and we are capable of making decisions about our bodies.

The original Roe V. Wade was supposed to give women the right to an abortion within certain medical timeframes (unless mother's health was at risk). It was NOT set up to be a quickie "vacuum job" (pardon the crudeness). Women don't just have abortions on a whim. It's a very personal, heart wrenching decision and contrary to what you hear from Pat Robertson, polls show that the vast majority if women report feeling “relieved” after it’s over—that’s right RELIEVED. You can never fully appreciate their situation so let them make this decision within the privacy of their doctor’s office.

But now I fear those days are over. There are no women speaking for you on the Supreme Court. In fact, February 1st the U.S. House of Reps is voting on a bill that would cut Medicaid and essentially end coverage for low-income women to seek contraception. I believe Viagra is still covered. Does this show you how MUCH WE NEED WOMEN IN OFFICE!?! What is the logic in saying “men can still get it up, but women can’t protect themselves from unwanted pregnancies!”

As a woman, I am sickened by a court packed with men who choose what decisions and discussions I can and cannot have with my physician.

I learned something important at the public policy seminar I went to in Minneapolis. It's not enough to be opinionated. Women need to vote, run, lead!

Well, I don't know if I have it in me to lead (much less run --campaigning sounds like hell) but I know that women need more representation.

I shudder to think what the next few court decisions will be and how they will shape my country and my rights as a woman.