Watching Christine O’Donnell win this the primary in Delaware brought to mind other conservative pro-life women who ran in the primaries, some of whom are now going to be in the mid term elections. But let’s start with O’Donnell. Not only pro life, she goes even farther as an anti masturbation advocate! Insane. Now this clip is from …
..the 90s, when she led an anti-masturbation crusade. She was a leader in the Savior’s Alliance for Lifting the Truth Ministry (SALT) and warned teens that masturbation is adultery. You might say that was then but she is still listed as the contact person on the 2009 SALT web directory…
Other pro-life candidates, hopefully not to the degree of being masturbation phobic, are Senate candidate Carly Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett Packard, Senate candidate Sharron Angle from Nevada, Susana Martinez , candidate for governor in New Mexico, and Nikki Haley candidate for governor in South Carolina.
Jane Norton, lost the race for pro-life Senate candidate from Colorado. But Kelly Ayotte won, and will be pro-life Senate candidate from New Hampshire.
Who else am I missing on the pro life woman candidate to vote against?
I am all for more women at the top levels of government, but not when they are pro-life. A pro-life stance is about taking rights away, in this case taking away rights that have to do with women’s bodies. I just do not understand how a woman could think it is right to deny other women’s ability to make what are personal reproductive decisions and their constitutional rights. As women, we need to respect other womens’ position on this issue, and not take positions that force our stance on them. When it comes to reproductive decisions, it’s not up to anyone to determine what is morally or personally right for others.
I realize that other issues, such as dissatisfaction with the dems with the economy, will drive votes this fall, and they are important to me too. But the right for women to make their own decisions when it comes to their reproductive life will always remain a cornerstone stance by which I cast my vote.
You?
O’Donnell is just another right wingnut who wants to impose her religious beliefs onto those who do not agree with them.
As an atheist who neither believes in god nor the bible (the greatest piece of fiction ever told), I find people like her (and there are many of them out there, some of whom already HOLD political office) very scary.
Laura, have you seen the recent interview between CNN’s Rick Sanchez and Tea Party-backed GOP candidate for New York Governor Carl Paladino? He opposes abortion even in case of rape or incest, and opposes same-sex marriage.
Thankfully, Paladino and O’Donnell will lose big in two months so they better enjoy their 15 minutes of fame which are quickly counting down. Sharron Angle is shockingly in a tight race but as her extreme views are known more and more (now that people are paying attention more) Harry Reid should prevail.
Thanks and agreed, Deegee–I know of Paladino but have not seen the CNN interview..will check out. Thanks~L
I always vote pro-choice. I can understand why someone might not agree with abortion for themselves, but don’t understand why they feel the need to push their beliefs onto everyone else. Pro-life women bother me very much, I see this as a human right, the control of our own reproductive lives. All women, no matter what their beliefs, should agree that taking away these rights is a huge step backwards for us. If the pro-lifers achieve their goals, abortion will still exist (always has, always will), it will just be much more dangerous. Thankfully, I don’t think they will have success, not in this country.
Jacinda, Well said. I hope you are right that pro-lifers will not have success in this country rolling back roe v wade. They certainly try to get laws passed at the state level that will set precedent to take on roe. Different polls suggest that we are still a pro-choice country, but then others show closer to an even split. Hopefully those that may be anti-abortion for themselves personally do not think that should be pushed onto others, which would in effect make them pro-choice. ~L
Look at it this way: We pro-lifers see abortion as murder, plain and simple. Complaining about “lack of choice” over abortion is, to us, like complaining about the lack of legal ability to stab someone to death because they inconvenience you.
I totally respect your belief. This is an issue that has its basis in what a person believes about when life begins, which is essentially a religious issue–a very personal thing. While you see it as murder others (and the law) do not. Advocating “choice” means allowing each person to have his/her own personal religious beliefs and not have others beliefs forced upon them~Being pro choice means having room for both positions–pro and anti abortion. It is saying that when it comes to my reprodcutive life, I know what I believe, but it is not up to me to decide what is right for you. ~L
I understand what you mean. You just mentioned in the post that you don’t understand how women could _not_ be pro-choice, so I thought maybe I’d share the other perspective. This comment especially made me want to clarify:
“Hopefully those that may be anti-abortion for themselves personally do not think that should be pushed onto others, which would in effect make them pro-choice.”
Being pro-life means, by definition, not only not having an abortion yourself, but trying to stop abortion altogether; to use an analogy, it is (to us, obviously, not to the current laws) like telling a policeman that it’s fine for him not to shoot someone, but that he shouldn’t try to tell others not to shoot people.
Obviously the issue is a complex one, and doesn’t have a simple answer. But it is one that’s important to me, and one which makes me feel deeply alienated from the CF community, so it’s nice to be able to discuss it rationally with someone.
It is a complex issue and worthy of rational and respectful chewing, as it were…I guess I don’t see the analogy as the same, as it still boils down to some people believing an embryo is a person and those who do not. We agree that if a policeman kills a person (a huma being outside the womb) it is murder. But if a person does not believe that embryo is a person it is not the same to them. I think, cf or not, what is difficult about the pro-life position wanting to stop abortion altogether is that in effect it is trying to force their version of “when life begins” on to everyone else. To me, it is akin to trying to force people into believing “my god is the right god”–wanting to be right about moral and religious issues where there is just not one “right”answer–only what people chose to believe.
I understand what you’re saying, and that the issue boils down to when a person believes life begins.
On a side note, thank you for allowing me to voice my opinions on your blog, and to try to explain why the pro-life crowd tends to be less live-and-let-live (no pun intended) than the pro-choice one. I appreciate that you took the comments as they were meant, and not as the beginning of a fight.
I appreciate your writing your views and approach from a respectful place. There needs to be more respectful dialogue on issues like this~ Keep visiting and writing in! ~L