Fuck! Bush is at it again!

[joft]

Contraception, abortion foe to head family-planning office (http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/17/family.planning.ap/index.html)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Bush administration, to the consternation of its critics, has picked the medical director of an organization that opposes premarital sex, contraception and abortion to lead the office that oversees federally funded teen pregnancy, family planning and abstinence programs.
...
Keroack currently is medical director of A Woman's Concern, a Christian nonprofit. The Dorchester, Massachusetts-based organization runs six centers in the state that offer free pregnancy testing, ultrasounds and counseling.

It also works to "help women escape the temptation and violence of abortion," according to its statement of faith. And it opposes contraception, saying its use increases out-of-wedlock pregnancy and abortion rates.

"A Woman's Concern is persuaded that the crass commercialization and distribution of birth control is demeaning to women, degrading of human sexuality and adverse to human health and happiness," its contraception policy reads in part.

Keroack's appointment as deputy assistant secretary for population affairs does not require Senate confirmation. He is expected to start work in the next several weeks

:mellow: :huh: :banghead: :banned:

Being opposed to contraception implies this guy believes sex should only be engaged in for reproductive purposes, making him one of the most rare and extreme kinds of religious nutjobs.

[Rajah]

I can't say I disagree everything the organization does. There's always this:


The Dorchester, Massachusetts-based organization runs six centers in the state that offer free pregnancy testing, ultrasounds and counseling.

Though I'm highly suspicious of the "counseling" provided. Anyway, now that we've found the one (1) positive, let's get to my favorite line:


And it opposes contraception, saying its use increases out-of-wedlock pregnancy and abortion rates.


This is when I weep for the direction of our country.

[Ghost-Girl]

Canada is looking better and better.

[joft]

http://plannedparenthood.org/birth-control-pregnancy/abortion/patient-alert.htm

this isn't his hometown but it's only 1 letter off, goddamnit:

In Worcester, Massachusetts, an anti-abortion counseling center posted a sign on its door saying "PP Inc." to imply that it was the Planned Parenthood clinic. It then positioned its counselors in the corridors to harass women who were trying to reach the real Planned Parenthood facility. These practices were eventually stopped by court injunctions.

In San Francisco, a staff member of an anti-abortion counseling center is being sued for attempting to hide a pregnant teenager from her parents until she gave birth. The parents were told that the young woman was going to Europe on a special scholarship. Illegal arrangements for the adoption of the child were also being set up before she was reunited with her parents.

Some centers have been reported to go beyond abortion prevention as far as harassing a woman for months after she obtains her abortion. Some go to the length of informing the woman's parents or employers and make threatening, late night phone calls. They have called women on the date they would have delivered to point out their babies would have been born on that day. They then tell these women that they are baby-killers.

They offer free pregnancy tests but give ambiguous answers about the results. In fact, the Pearson Foundation manual, HOW TO START AND OPERATE YOUR OWN PROLIFE OUTREACH CRISIS PREGNANCY CENTER, urges anti-abortion counselors to give deceptive answers. For example, it cautions, "Do not tell the client that she is or is not pregnant." Instead, counselors are advised to only say whether test results are positive or negative. In California, two weeks after a woman was led to believe by an anti-abortion counseling center that she was not pregnant, she had to undergo emergency surgery and could have died when her undiagnosed tubal pregnancy burst.

They show shocking and deceptive films or slide shows that include pictures of mutilated fetuses and stillborn babies; the testimony of distraught women who claim that abortion caused them emotional disturbances and physical ailments; and distorted statistics about the medical and psychological consequences of abortion. Such films are shown as part of a half-hour "counseling" session which takes place while waiting for pregnancy test results results, which should be available within three minutes.

They make exaggerated promises of financial assistance, medical treatment, prenatal and postpartum care, adoption or child-care arrangements, and/or psychological counseling all in an effort to induce women to carry their pregnancies to term.

you might be justified in your suspicion of their "counseling"

incidentally, isn't it nice how christians are always claiming abortion leads to emotional problems, guilt, flashbacks, etc. their claims are baseless, no psychological studies show these effects (most women report being relieved after having an abortion), but in the few cases where it does happen might it possibly be because of all their hounding? the stupidity is awe inspiring

[joft]

feminist blog entry (http://feministing.com/archives/006084.html)

He has said that "pre-marital sex is really modern germ warfare," that "sexual activity is a war zone," and that women "die emotionally" from having abortions.

That's bad enough, but the pics that Alternet has from his abstinence presentation (http://www.alternet.org/rights/44411/) make me completely convinced that Keroack is actually a ten year-old boy posing as a doctor. This would explain his comparing women to cars, the fact that he finds sex icky, and the strange obsession with cartoons and drawing his scientific explanations out with crayons. (Seriously, check the presentation out.) The only thing it doesn't explain, in fact, is his mustache.

http://www.alternet.org/images/managed/storyimage_popeyeoxytocin.jpg

Here's his whole presentation (http://www.abstinence.net/pdf/contentmgmt/EricKeroackPresentation2003.pdf) if you want

[joft]

Bush Hires Latest Sacha Baron Cohen Character (http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2006_11_01_digbysblog_archive.html#116376698633801895)

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7744/146/320/dreric.jpg

Y'gotta hand it to Sacha Baron Cohen. He really is as brilliant and daring a comic as everyone says he is. Fresh off the spectacular success of "Borat," Cohen posed as an utterly deranged abstinence-only rightwinger and managed, apparently, to get himself hired by the Bush administration to oversee the only federal program that oversees family planning!

I haven't laughed so hard since I saw "Borat" last week. It seems according to "Dr. Eric Keroack," that when women have sex with too many men, they deplete their oxytocin

[AMDG]

I can't say I disagree everything the organization does. There's always this:



Though I'm highly suspicious of the "counseling" provided. Anyway, now that we've found the one (1) positive, let's get to my favorite line:




This is when I weep for the direction of our country.

Yeah... it's when I understand the vehemence of the American atheists I come across... stuff like this would get laughed out of town in England by christian and non-christian alike... nobody would get anywhere in our government except the lunatic fringes, if he stood up in public and talked about doing God's will for the people or Iraq, etc etc...

[CasaK]

This makes me really really mad. Now I realize that all Christians aren't like this, but why can't the ones that are just keep all their fucking morals to themselves and leave everyone else alone. If we want help we'll ask for it, leave our rights alone.

Guess they want more babies to be found in dumpsters.

ETA: Don't they realize that people are still going to have sex anyway no matter what laws they pass? The countries with the lowest teen birthrates are the ones that teach safe sex, not "don't do it".

[Jennywocky]

While I agree with the concerns here and think they need to be dealt with (and while I'm not a Bush fan in the least), I think you'd all do well to talk to a variety of Christians who might share these values you're cutting down here, to find out why they believe what they do and what that means personally in terms of how they actually do interact with others.

An extended dialogue would be more productive in the long run than these character-hack jobs where all we do is get more polarized and potentially miscast the opposition.

I don't say this to be rude, but simply as a blunt, point-of-fact comparison; you don't sound much different than the fundies who bitch about all the "left-wing atheist immoral secularists who want to run this 'godly country' into the ground."

It's just surreal to listen to each side bitch about how heinous the others are. They all sound alike after awhile. It's no wonder nothing gets resolved.

[joft]

I have no moral imperative to reach a common ground of understanding with people who are convinced of delusional beliefs. However, I do remember that one of their delusional beliefs is that it's actually up to them to do the compromising/understanding, the whole "all things to all men" and "love your enemies" bits. So I'll leave it up to them to start the dialogue- I can hear it already: "Why are you so obsessed with having sex and ruinning your life?" "Do you really think hell is worth it?" "How do you handle all the guilt for those millions of unborn souls who were murdered because of your inability to take responsibility for your actions?" "Don't you understand we're only doing this because we love you and want to assimilate you into our collective and stop you from destroying society and our nation and prevent natural disasters from hitting our region?"

I can see this initiative going somewhere fast!

[AMDG]

I agree Fortunato - except that it's very difficult to have an objective and reasonable discussion with someone who not only opposes your view (which alone is easy enough to handle), but who strongly believes that they have the right to deprive you of your own freedom and choice, based on their view, or to impose their view on you not just by persuasion or choice, but by law.

[Deckard]

Bush Hires Latest Sacha Baron Cohen Character (http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2006_11_01_digbysblog_archive.html#116376698633801895)

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7744/146/320/dreric.jpg

Y'gotta hand it to Sacha Baron Cohen. He really is as brilliant and daring a comic as everyone says he is. Fresh off the spectacular success of "Borat," Cohen posed as an utterly deranged abstinence-only rightwinger and managed, apparently, to get himself hired by the Bush administration to oversee the only federal program that oversees family planning!

I haven't laughed so hard since I saw "Borat" last week. It seems according to "Dr. Eric Keroack," that when women have sex with too many men, they deplete their oxytocin
So...that's not really Sacha, right...?

[Randomnity]

First I'll go off on a tangent:

While I agree with the concerns here and think they need to be dealt with (and while I'm not a Bush fan in the least), I think you'd all do well to talk to a variety of Christians who might share these values you're cutting down here, to find out why they believe what they do and what that means personally in terms of how they actually do interact with others.

An extended dialogue would be more productive in the long run than these character-hack jobs where all we do is get more polarized and potentially miscast the opposition.

I don't say this to be rude, but simply as a blunt, point-of-fact comparison; you don't sound much different than the fundies who bitch about all the "left-wing atheist immoral secularists who want to run this 'godly country' into the ground."

It's just surreal to listen to each side bitch about how heinous the others are. They all sound alike after awhile. It's no wonder nothing gets resolved.

Actually I have discussed these issues at length with quite a few Christians who strongly support those views (abstinence-only education, no abortions, the extremely graphic "counselling", etc, etc). In fact, my grandfather has written multiple letters and petitions to his MP demanding that these views be considered. He's doing his best to try to get those things criminalized.

Obviously I don't have anything personal against these people (many of them are family, after all, and I feel they are good people) but I strongly disagree with what they're trying to do. I know that all of these people (all the ones I have met, at least) genuinely believe in what they are doing. They think they are fighting evil. Extended dialogue does nothing with these people, because when someone thinks something is evil, no amount of logic or debate will change that.

The intentions are good. This doesn't change the fact that the results can be devastating, which is why I oppose these views.

Now to return to the OP: Scary news, but sadly it doesn't surprise me at all. In fact, I'm surprised this wasn't the case already. As ever, I'm very glad to be in Canada.

[Meliora]

So...that's not really Sacha, right...?

Nope.

[Nighthawk]

Two more years and the nightmare will be over. I think we can hang on that long ... I hope.

[AllAboutSoul]

Two more years and the nightmare will be over. I think we can hang on that long ... I hope.



Amen to that. I hardly recognize my country anymore. :ph34r:

[ptGatsby]

Ah, I'm all for it.

See, I want to test the Freakonomics theory to see if abortion and crime are actually related. That way there is another argument for it that isn't based on some elusive moral stance... and that goes both ways.

[inspectorgadget]

While I agree with the concerns here and think they need to be dealt with (and while I'm not a Bush fan in the least), I think you'd all do well to talk to a variety of Christians who might share these values you're cutting down here, to find out why they believe what they do and what that means personally in terms of how they actually do interact with others.

An extended dialogue would be more productive in the long run than these character-hack jobs where all we do is get more polarized and potentially miscast the opposition.

I don't say this to be rude, but simply as a blunt, point-of-fact comparison; you don't sound much different than the fundies who bitch about all the "left-wing atheist immoral secularists who want to run this 'godly country' into the ground."

It's just surreal to listen to each side bitch about how heinous the others are. They all sound alike after awhile. It's no wonder nothing gets resolved.

Feh, it's a practice in futility -- besides, we don't need to do that to win. Their views regarding sex are more and more often viewed as nonsense to people. Pretty much everyone knows abstinence only sex education is causing us issues - in another generation, I think, we will see them in only the most backwards of communities in the US... but that most school districts have changed their policies...