We can all agree that the right wing has a few problems understanding contraception. And conception. And women all around. But, did you know we can prove it? Over the past few years, right wing politicians and pundits have made some of the most ignorant statements regarding everything from the Pill to vaginas in general to abortion to rape. When it is pointed out how incredibly wrong they are, they just double down. This is a level of stupidity rarely seen anymore.
For example, in February of last year, a rather interesting fundamentalist Christian radio host made the assertion that birth control pills turn women’s wombs into “graveyards.” While interviewing author Kevin Peeples about his book, “Birth Control: How Did We Get Here?”, Kevin Swanson said:
I’m beginning to get some evidence from certain doctors and certain scientists that have done research on women’s wombs after they’ve gone through the surgery, and they’ve compared the wombs of women who were on the birth control pill to those who were not on the birth control pill. And they have found that with women who are on the birth control pill, there are these little tiny fetuses, these little babies, that are embedded into the womb. They’re just like dead babies. They’re on the inside of the womb. And these wombs of women who have been on the birth control pill effectively have become graveyards for lots and lots of little babies.
We would be remiss if we did not share the comments of Rep. Jodie Laubenberg (R-Texas) (I know, you’re surprised) about rape kits. During soon-to-be governor Wendy Davis’s filibuster last summer, the lovely and delightful Rep. Laubenberg compared a rape kit to a D and C. The reasons we know this to be false are many, but here’s what PolitiFact had to say about her claim, here’s a fact sheet from The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and here’s an interview with a trauma nurse who administers rape kits.
Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich have all stated Plan B (emergency contraception) causes abortions. And who can forget Rush Limbaugh, who thinks the Pill works the same way his illegal Viagra does?
What do all these statements have in common? Obviously, they’re dead wrong, complete and utter fabrications, and proof that many people immersed in right wing politics and punditry have no clue about so many things. If you dig down, you will find a common motivation for every single misleading comment and belief: personhood. Yes, these right wingers are desperately trying to assign a fetus the same rights as a child. Sort of.
The truth of the matter is, the right wing ascribes more value to a fetus than they do to an actual child. Proof can be found in the Tea Party-led congress’s recent vote to cut food stamps for almost 4 million people. Pediatricians came out in force against the cuts, but since pediatricians are actual doctors, their opinions don’t matter.
Republicans (now known as the Tea Party/fringe/that crazy uncle no one invites to Thanksgiving) are obsessed with uteri, contraception, abortion and fetuses. They’ve never read the Hyde Act, they believe Planned Parenthood does nothing but perform abortions, women who use contraception are “sluts”, women who exercise their right to choose are “murderers”, and feminists are Nazis hellbent on destroying America, one womb graveyard at a time.
Let’s do this one more time, just for the hell of it. Hey, right wing? Congress? Fundamentalist Christians? Contraception is not the same thing as an abortion. In fact, statistics (those are numbers) show, contraception prevents abortion. Welcome to the real world.
Oh. Just out of curiosity, where’s all the outrage over condoms? They prevent pregnancy too; why aren’t right wingers attacking condoms? It can’t possibly be because men use them, can it? Nah.
edited by Kyla Davis
