Wendy Davis (cc photo: David Weaver)
Everyone heard about the one state senator in Texas who stood up–literally–for a woman’s right to choose. But there was little commotion after recent abortion-restricting legislation in Ohio was passed.
The budget bill Ohio Gov. John Kasich signed late last month had numerous anti-abortion provisions in it. Similar laws are starting to be enforced this month in a number of states, including Alabama, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi and South Dakota (ABC, 7/2/13).
The Ohio budget bill will make it difficult for family planning groups to receive funding (Washington Post, 7/1/13) and can suspend public assets for rape crisis clinics if they counsel victims on abortion options (Reuters, 6/30/13). One of the most intrusive sections of the budget mandates that mothers seeking an abortion must undergo a fetal ultrasound, whether or not the doctor recommends it, and requires doctor’s to inform them of their unborn child’s heartbeat (Mother Jones, 7/1/13).
NBC host Rachel Maddow pointed out on her show (7/1/13) that these lawmakers actually changed the definition of pregnancy:
Now by decree, from Republican Gov. John Kasich and the Republicans in the Ohio state legislature, your pregnancy begins even before implantation of a fertilized egg in the uterine lining.
Wendy Davis’ remarkable filibuster in Texas was mentioned in a total of 737 stories in the U.S. between June 23 to June 29, according to the Nexis news database. She was reported across the globe in 179 newspapers, 116 newswires, 102 web-based publications and 59 news transcripts.
Male politicians gather round to watch Ohio Gov. John Kasich sign restrictions on abortion into law.
The abortion restrictions in Ohio’s budget was reported 72 times in the U.S. between June 28 and July 3–16 of which were in newspapers, three in Web-based publications, 22 newswires and eight news transcripts around the world.
These stories are similar, but the Texas legislation received far more coverage because there was a strong figure trying to prevent it in a dramatic fashion. No one would deny the importance of Davis’ stand, but the media’s reliance on character and drama allowed Ohio’s abortion restrictions to slip under everyone’s noses.
The media is supposed to serve as a check on government power by educating the citizenry on legislation that will affect them. By taking a pass on the Ohio story because there wasn’t a heroic figure to tell a story about, journalists let the public down.
And, of course, it doesn’t hurt that she’s blond and “pretty”, does it?
Yes, I am sure if Wendy had been “Old and Ugly” they wouldn’t have bothered to a story.
However, it is long past time when we should have take the old watchdog out and put it to pasture. The old media Corps are nothing more than old watchdogs with no teeth, and no desire to chase the weasels out of the hen house. In many cases, I think the old mutt has personally agreed with the Weasels and is letting them steal the eggs, in exchange for a hen now and then.
I do notice that we didn’t see any mention of the Bill that Walker (Son of Cocks Brother) passed with his “god like decrees and powers” given him by the Cock brothers.
The Cocks as concealed weapons are clear as day, but the pronunciation is coke, as in snort.
I will be intersted in seeing how both Texas and Ohio handle all of the children that could be born.Where will these children go if the parent, or parents have no money or skills or places to take care of them?
Are these states going to set up state orphanages? How will these be built, and how much of taxpayers money will go to this per child? Will the state raise them to age 18, and if so, after 18 are the children provided training or something to support their future lives?
Will Texas and Ohio be the go to places for non-American parents who would like to adopt American babies? Could an overseas family use the American adoption to provide citizenship for the rest of the adopting family members? Will state run orphanages create a new kind of involuntary servitude? I have so many questions and I bet that’s a lot more than either Texas or Ohio legislators have thought of asking.
I think these are pretty important questions , exspecially for Texas, since their abstinence classes have produced the highest teen pregnancy rates of all the states.
Doug Latimer is right about the “blond and pretty.” Remember Fox “News” breaking the story that she was less attractive when she was younger? Good to know, Fox “News.” Rachel Maddow is the only tv news show I have seen consistently addressing the issue of abortion restrictions in all these states. And I don’t think she’s even mentioned our state, where our governor suggested women be forced to endure two transvaginal ultrasounds before she could have an abortion; or the huge cuts to Planned Parenthood and other providers of healthcare to the poor.
Republican Virginia is the ironical case, what with its governor and attorney general both under intensive state and federal investigation for accepting gifts and money from corporate interest. Ironical because while both these men push for laws that mandate Trans/Vaginal Ultra-Sounds, each himself has presented clear symptoms evincing an ethical need for a Trans-Goober-natorial probe.
A friend had sent me this response to the Texas Reds:
http://www.alternet.org/tea-party-and-right/will-texas-try-pass-erectile-dysfunction-laws-next-it-would-be-only-fair?akid=10668.206450.9ADRBz&rd=1&src=newsletter865559&t=21&paging=off
This was primarily a factor of how it was passed in Ohio. Many of the provisions were first slipped into the state budget bill — essentially hiding them in an unrelated bill — on a Tuesday. There were no hearings or public discussions at all. The vote was taken Thursday, less than 48 hours later. Since it was not a freestanding bill, as it was in Texas, and there was no testimony, as there was in Texas, and the Ohio legislature does not have a provision for filibuster, as they do in Texas, there was no opportunity to cover this and no event or person to hook a story onto.
I seldom write remarks, however i did a few searching and wound up here No Hero, No Coverage:
Restrictive Abortion Provisions in Ohio Budget.
And I actually do have 2 questions for you if you don’t mind. Could it be only me or does it give the impression like a few of the responses come across as if they are left by brain dead individuals? :-P And, if you are writing on additional sites, I would like to keep up with anything new you have to post. Would you make a list of every one of your social sites like your linkedin profile, Facebook page or twitter feed?
Gloriana Im going to give you the other side of the coin.We have a huge shortage of babies up for adoption.Many people go to Russia now and pay 30K to adopt there.So this idea that there is no one to adopt these children is not completely true.
Also it has been theorized that if we could bring back those millions and millions of babies aborted that,the math indicates THAT is where the full funding of SS would of come from.So it does seem that our moral relativism may be the death of all our safety nets,as our population growth dwindles,and our workforce drops.
As far as making the mother listen to the heartbeat or view pics of the babies development.I think it is harsh but just.When a life(a soon to be American citizen) is to be terminated .We need to be responsible for that decision.
Oh, michael e, if only pro-life people were consistent, you might be right about there being a larger population; although you’re completely wrong about that being the problem for our social safety nets. If you’re actually pro-life, you would restrict access to guns, because approx. 30,000 people every year die due to gun violence (including suicide, homicide, accidents, and “self-defense”). Around 20,000 abortions are performed per year. Hmmmmm, which is the bigger number? Additionally, if you’re worried about abortion, do you support fully funding birth control and sex education, so that we can reduce the potential need for abortions? Do you support ending wars in areas where we do not need to be at war, so that we can stop the killing? Or is it just the poor “innocent” unborn that you care about? Of course, you probably don’t care about it enough to encourage your Congressional representatives to fully fund the programs that take care of the baby after it’s born. Cuz’ that costs money, and the Tea-liban doesn’t want to spend any money on anything except the things they see a direct benefit for themselves.