What is going on with the contraceptive debate in the GOP!?

Until quite recently, conservatives knew better than to take on reproductive rights so directly. During Bill Clinton’s presidency, remember, the right focused its attack on so-called partial-birth abortion, a late-term procedure that even many pro-choice advocates find disturbing, if sometimes tragically necessary. The strategy then was to erode abortion rights around the edges, without alarming women in the center. Now several Republican presidential candidates proclaim a desire to ban abortion even in cases of rape and incest, and we’re having a nationwide argument about whether women deserve contraceptive coverage in their insurance plans.

This argument shows no signs of abating. At a hearing on Thursday, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) assembled an all-male panel to discuss the birth-control mandate, leaving many women apoplectic. (Then he sent a tweet comparing his witnesses to Martin Luther King Jr., apparently unaware that the civil-rights hero was once a member of a Planned Parenthood committee, or that he described a “striking kinship between our movement and Margaret Sanger’s early efforts.”)

The same day, in a now-infamous MSNBC appearance, Foster Friess, the wealthy patron of the pro-Rick Santorum super PAC, dismissed the idea that birth-control coverage matters. “On this contraceptive thing, my gosh it’s such [sic] inexpensive,” he said. “You know, back in my days, they used Bayer aspirin for contraception. The gals put it between their knees, and it wasn’t that costly.” His message was clear: ladies, keep your legs closed!

This is probably going to come back to hurt them in November, we think.

[Photo: Brendan Hoffman / Getty Images]

1. alexaserotica likes this
2. brofei likes this
3. n1ranjan reblogged this from treklocktechie and added:

   What is going on with the contraceptive debate in the GOP!? Until quite recently, conservatives knew better than to take...

4. jaeisla reblogged this from newsweek
5. samurai08 reblogged this from jacony and added:

   What is going on with the contraceptive debate in the GOP!? Until quite recently, conservatives knew better than to take...

6. picono likes this
7. jacony reblogged this from newsweek
8. skeevy-stevie reblogged this from newsweek
9. corymarquis reblogged this from newsweek
10. screamed-the-dustspeck reblogged this from tattooposer
11. cornellnotetakingsystem reblogged this from newsweek
12. clairevo reblogged this from newsweek and added:

    I don’t like to comment much, politically, but this whole mess is ridiculous. How many mothers/sisters/daughters/wives...

13. tattooposer reblogged this from newsweek and added:

    My boyfriend and I were talking about this yesterday. He said it’s like we’re going back a whole century, I think it’s...

14. styro reblogged this from newsweek and added:

    Yeah, because women are going to show up in droves and put them all out of jobs. Sisters! Giant Robot Formation!

15. shanalama reblogged this from newsweek
16. tijuanatoby likes this
17. teaandcrumpets reblogged this from newsweek
18. qbnscholar likes this
19. elodiedreams reblogged this from newsweek
20. elodiedreams likes this
21. 312trifecta reblogged this from newsweek
22. starry-dreamer likes this
23. megankcollins likes this
24. phroyd reblogged this from questionall
25. phroyd likes this
26. questionall reblogged this from newsweek
27. questionall likes this
28. notime4yourshit reblogged this from newsweek
29. thenewhotness likes this
30. hungry-skin-vacant-meat reblogged this from newsweek
31. erikajayne likes this
32. icopythereforeiam reblogged this from newsweek and added:

    Stop letting our government dictate the sexual lives of women. Rick Santorum must have forgotten what kind of world we...

33. praise-is-rising likes this
34. astro--box reblogged this from fluffmyb0ner and added:

    Dudes, if you don’t like giving birth, then just don’t do it. And if others (maybe women?) don’t want to do it either,...

35. tjoyo likes this
36. ellenbergener likes this
37. blahhahahahaharg likes this
38. chelebelleslair reblogged this from newsweek
39. fluffmyb0ner reblogged this from revyyourengines and added:

    lol. Republicans. Is this what passes for an issue to you? Your priorities are truly in order. Fucking idiots.

40. emmaemmerichdanziger likes this
41. purgeparty reblogged this from newsweek and added:

    American conservatives are actually unintelligent.

42. revyyourengines reblogged this from lady-wonder and added:

    -rages- Why is it a woman’s responsibility to keep her legs closed? Why can’t men keep it in their pants? You know why?...

43. kaytaygritz likes this
44. dantime reblogged this from newsweek
45. phinasaurus likes this
46. thisisheffner likes this
47. lynnsanity214 reblogged this from newsweek
48. -pacifictime reblogged this from newsweek and added:

    Responding to the bolded: what the fuck. Just… I don’t even know what to say. How can people this ignorant function in...

49. fluffmyb0ner likes this
50. lady-wonder reblogged this from newsweek
51. Show more notesLoading...