Oh, lookee here: While America certainly has much larger issues at hand, House Republicans are busy holding a hearing on birth control. (Err, do you hear that? That's the sound of the rest of the world laughing their asses off at us.) The worst part: There was not one female "witness" involved in the hearing. The GOP even prevented Sandra Flake, a Georgetown University law student who supports the Obama administration's new birth control policy, from testifying. She would have been the only female voice on behalf of millions of women who seek safe and affordable coverage for preventive health care. But instead, the entire panel was made up of male religious leaders answering questions from ... male lawmakers. Totally ... wackadoo!
Female members of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee walked out of the hearing (good for them!), but House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi also had some choice words for the men involved in this political embarrassment.
Pelosi pointed out the lunacy of the situation, stating in a press conference:
I think it's really curiouser and curiouser that as we get further into this debate, the Republican leadership of this Congress thinks it's appropriate to have a hearing on the subject of women's health and can purposely exclude women from the panel. What else do you need to know about the subject? If you need to know more, tune in, I may, I may at some point be moved to explain biology to my colleagues.
Ha! For real, Nancy! Given the situation, the woman could have been a lot harsher. In fact, I almost wish she had been. We all know that the GOP is bound to paint her as that "crazy Pelosi lady" again for her on-point, logical reaction, but anyone who thinks she's crazy should take a long, hard look in the mirror.
Also, this turn of events means we all need to ask ourselves some hard questions: Since when did it become okay in this country to debate and make decisions with input from only one side of the aisle? One gender? One race? Is one-sided representation really what we want? Is that what the Founding Fathers would have wanted? Hell no. What's going on in the House is simply shameful. Makes me feel like the GOP would be perfectly happy with a totalitarian state run exclusively by men. Heh, well, at least when it comes to something as "dangerous" as birth control coverage -- gasp!
Here's the testimonial by Flake. Hers is just one voice that should have been a major part of this disgraceful, embarrassingly one-sided birth control hearing.
How do you feel about women being completely excluded from a hearing about women's health?
Image via Nancy Pelosi/Flickr
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Comments 19
"The hearing was to discuss whether President Obama had hurt religious freedoms by a recent mandate that health insurance companies cover contraception" (Washington Post) For those of you media followers that want to spin this into a women's health issue, the actual issue is that the Government was forcing Religion Institutions to follow government rulings they found morally opposing. I know the majority are unable to separate the fact of Religion freedom and Women's health issue - but there actually is a difference.
Unless you live under a rock, you should know that the Catholic church is against birth control. You should also know that several leaders of major Christian Churches (i.e. Southern Baptist) joined this meeting. THIS IS NOT ABOUT WOMEN'S RIGHTS it is about RELIGIOUS FREEDOM!!!!!!!!!!! BTW Nancy Pelosi is crazy.
If these organizations do not want to abide by national standards they need to just stop taking government money. They can't be paid for by the taxpayers and yet make up their own damn rules. They want to exclude stuff, then they should fund it themselves.
Male religious leaders would like things to be run entirely by men, as there's no religion that places women in equality to men.
Male lawmakers want to do whatever is best for their paycheck, which means being constantly re-elected, which means appealing to those with the biggest and most powerful lobby groups...aka the religious groups. They wouldn't give a damn if birth control got banned in the entire US as long as they got to keep their jobs.
While I dont agree with this meeting of religious leaders I think Nancy Pelosi is an idiot and looks like a Yorkshire Terrier.
This is getting to be absolutely ridiculous.
"If these organizations do not want to abide by national standards they need to just stop taking government money."
YES. Exactly.
To Kay: That is an oxymoron.
MomIWant - What is an oxymoron?
The Catholic Church may be against birth control, but a recent study found that 97% of Catholic women have used birth control. And the Catholic Church get billions of dollars a year from the Federal Government...if they want to insert themselves into politics and people's private lives, then maybe it's time they started paying tax on that money.
Oh and MomIWant, I have a question for you. Does religious freedom only apply to men? If it's your position that this meeting was only about religious freedom, then why weren't there any women in the meeting?