Crossposted at DemocraticDiva.com
ICYMI, the March 10 Legislative Update on Phoenix Channel 8’s Horizon featured Speaker of the House Andy Tobin (R) and Senate Majority Whip John McComish (R) pontificating on a number of timely topics, one of which was recent abortion legislation. The whole episode is below and at about 7:30 in you can listen to two men – well, three if you include host Ted Simons – opine on the proper restraining of the female chattel as we audaciously insist on making reproductive decisions for ourselves. Watch Senator McComish defend surprise abortion clinic inspections because he and his barber discussed the matter and his barber’s shop is subject to surprise inspections and, by gum, that’s good enough for abortion clinics and their patients too!
http://www.azpbs.org/arizonahorizon/play.php?vidId=6611
Shortly before the 11 minute mark the subject turns to abortion by medication (RU-486), at which time things get really stupid. Rep. Tobin claims that restrictions on prescribing RU-486 are necessary because “some gentleman could get that drug for an underage person as well!” My take on this is that Tobin isn’t deliberately conflating emergency contraception, which can be sold over the counter to anyone, including a man, with the abortion pill, which is a completely different medication that cannot be prescribed to anyone but the patient. I think he’s genuinely confused about it because he’s an ignorant old man who hasn’t bothered to learn a damn thing about how contraception works and that it’s just an ordinary medication and not some dark mysterious witchcraft practiced by women. Plus, learning some facts might interfere with the hours he must spend imagining nubile young girls being seduced by older men. Blecch.
Then McComish weighs in with an insightful comment about how restrictions on abortion drugs don’t burden women because abortion is “a major step” requiring laws that force ladies to “slow down” and “maybe think about it a little bit”.
Ted Simons did push back on Tobin and McComish a bit throughout the segment but did not correct Tobin’s misstatement about RU-486. I’m not of the opinion that men shouldn’t be allowed to say anything about abortion but is it too much to ask that an all-male panel have at least one dudebro on it willing to fact-check?
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I’m am constantly appalled at the ignorance of the legislators in this state. about women’s basic biological functions.
I think they should do surprise inspections of nursing homes, hospice centers, and other such elder-care facilities.
I propose a bill that makes it criminal for legislators to interfere with healthcare.