Saxton takes out the Right to Life garbage
Kari Chisholm
In politics, Friday is garbage day. As in, "the day you take out the garbage."
Have news you gotta put out, but you really, really don't want to? Bad news? Unpopular news? Or, the toughest kind: news that your most extreme supporters need to hear, but you're afraid that most voters won't like?
You put it out on Friday.
And if it's really, really bad... you put it out on a Friday before a holiday weekend.
I'm a week late on this -- mostly because I was having a holiday weekend (!) -- but last Friday... the Friday before Labor Day weekend... Oregon Right to Life and the Saxton for Governor campaign had a little announcement, per the Oregonian:
[Oregon Right to Life] says its political action arm last week voted to "recommend" that Oregonians vote for Saxton. Technically, the group says it falls short of a full endorsement, which can only go to pro-life candidates.While Saxton won't get any money from the group, according to Gayle Atteberry, the group's executive director, he will get some useful under-the-radar help. She said the group will mail out voter guides praising Saxton to some 200,000 anti-abortion voters. ...
"He's open to all of our agenda," said Atteberry, noting that Saxton also supports a 24-hour waiting period for abortion, bans on late-term abortion and parental notice for minors seeking an abortion.
Note that most important phrase... "last week voted". In other words, they held the news until the precise moment when Oregon voters just wouldn't be paying attention.
And if you need another hint that they're running a stealth campaign... check out Right to Life's website and the Saxton website. Look far and wide, you won't find the announcement anywhere. Not here. Or here.
Of course, it makes perfect sense for Saxton to hide his right-wing anti-choice extremist supporters. But it's a little surprising to see Right to Life allow him to get away with it. They've gotta be real desperate for a win. Who knows what deal Saxton made - to convince them to keep things quiet.
Here's your weekend to-do item. Don't let Saxton get away with it. Email everyone you know - especially any pro-choice women who might need a reminder to vote. Make sure they understand what's at stake this year.
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Sep 8, '06
ORTL is an extremist group? Just a little over the top don't you think? So in your view being pro-life is an extreme position, but supporting on demand ending of fetus' lives is mainstream.
I see.
8:55 a.m.
Sep 8, '06
ORTL is indeed a drastic group. Eliminating all safe venues for women who need a medical procedure is drastic. Not supporting the methods to prevent women from becoming pregnant in the first place is extreme. Picketing in front of clinics, yelling at women and their escorts, partners, family, friends, etc., is offensive and hurtful. Never once mentioning a man's reponsiblity in prevention, pregnancy, and the choices that come with that is irresponsible.
Pro-choice is exactly what it says; let women make their own choices - adoption, abortion, or having a healthy pregnancy. I support pro-choice candidates. Making abortion legally unsafe doesn't mean it stops - it means women who can afford a safe procedure will get one, women who can't will come face to face with a past many won't soon forget. And any politician who can see the realities of that gets my vote.
Sep 8, '06
Perhaps "extremist" is the wrong word. Since a Pew poll taken in July shows just 11% of people favor making abortion illegal under all circumstances, a better word might be "fringe." And, since the movement is willing to bomb buildings and kill people, I think the word "terrorist" also applies.
Perhaps Kari should change "extemist supporters" to "fringe terrorist supporters."
Sep 8, '06
Stealth campaign? They wouldn't have even made the announcement if it was a stealth campaign. They would have gone straight to their members and ignored the media completely. What you ignore is that while legal abortion may have majority support in Oregon, things like parental notification, bans on partial-birth abortion, and protecting pregnant women from violence -- all topics ORTL and Saxton agree on -- do as well. Next time, don't let your personal feelings in favor of abortion cloud your political analysis, as you've done here.
Sep 8, '06
They would have gone straight to their members and ignored the media completely.
Not if they are smart, which they are. That would just make it a bigger story and they lose completely control over when it gets reported. There is no way their support of Saxton was going to disappear without being noticed.
As for ORTL, I think it is unfair to call them terrorists. They have certainly made common purpose with the terrorists in the right to life movement, but then so has the Republican party. The Oregonian reported that the vice-Chair of the Oregon Republican Party openly praised Shelly Shannon as "one fine lady", to loud applause, at a Republican gathering right after she was arrested for shooting a doctor who provided abortions. She was also connected to several bombings of clinics in Oregon.
Sep 8, '06
"don't let your personal feelings in favor of abortion cloud your political analysis, as you've done here."
That is a huge mis-statement and I personally find it offensive. I am pro-choice, I am not pro-abortion. Young women and men can and should be educated that there are alternatives to pregnancy instead of abortion. By increasing the awareness of using protection, or using PlanB if a spur of the moment situations leads to unsafe sex, and making it available OTC, many unexpected pregnancies could be reduced.
Making abortions illegal, or adding layers of burdeon a woman must jump through in order to have an abortion, WILL NOT REDUCE THE NUMBER OF ABORTIONS IN AMERICA. It will increase unsafe and unsupervised abortions. It will force women to become victims of shady clinics that ask no questions before performing an abortion. It will lead to women being more likely to experience violence from the hands of unlicensed doctors and uneducated support staff.
With the amount of money groups like 'right to life' spend on trying to make laws restricting or stopping all abortions, they could provide support to so many women that get an abortion because they feel helpless, lost, and fear societal repercussions from being an unwed mother, a teenager in school, or born to religious parents who might disown her if they find out not only is she sexually active, but also pregnant.
Sep 8, '06
"Saxton takes out the Right to Life garbage"
it's good to be back. Burning Man was great once again.
and, I really hope that we move past this topic in our world some day soon. I don't want to be having a debate about whether abortion should or should not be allowed for decades. I look forward to the tide turning on this, and "pro-lifers" being relegated to the trash bin of history. It's just time for our world to make all reproductive health care a woman's choice and move on.
ready? 1, 2, 3 - click your heels!
Sep 8, '06
Steven - Every time I see it, I gotta correct it: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A PARTIAL BIRTH ABORTION. IT IS A MADE UP TERM.
Sep 8, '06
Bert Lowry:
The "movement" is willing to bomb clinics? Have you ever heard ORTL do anything but condemn violence done in pursuit of their cause?
The Unabomber was a liberal. Therefore the liberal movement supports terrorism. That is the quality of your "analysis."
You are a dope. Thanks for putting it up there for all to see.
Sep 8, '06
Steven - Every time I see it, I gotta correct it: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A PARTIAL BIRTH ABORTION. IT IS A MADE UP TERM.
So what do you call it?
The proceedure where you grab the 8 and a half month old fetus by her legs, pull her mostly out of the birth canal, insert a tube into the fetus' head and suck the brains out, then finish the job by removing the fetus completely out of the birth canal?
Kinda long winded, isn't it?
Sep 8, '06
I'm a right-winger, but I agree that Saxton is not being very open about where he actually stands. I am disappointed in ORTL for actually supporting Saxton at all.
But, as Jim Pozey implied in his comment, being pro-life is the mainstream position. For you other people who don't mind killing the young and old: If life is also relative, then what is wrong with someone taking your life?
Sep 8, '06
Mary? As in Mary Starrett????? Hahahaha! What are you doing on BlueOregon?
Sep 8, '06
Mary Starrett (that's funny!), The term partial birth abortion is not a medical term, sorry. The procedure you refer to is a D&X - done only when the life of the mother is in danger. Can I ask you why the (potential) life of a fetus is more important to you than an actual woman?
Sep 8, '06
. . . right-wing, anti-choice, extremist . . .
(Sigh) . . . see my comments in The death of "moderate"
Is it possible any more to have an adult discussion of important public policy issues without labeling those with which we disagree as "extremists"?
Never mind; unfortunately, I know the answer.
2:15 p.m.
Sep 8, '06
Intelligent discussion is possible, I'm a believer. But when there are no eyes to look back at you, it's easy to go to our lowest common denominators.
Reproduction is a choice, not a mandate. Unfortunately its a forefront issue when there are much more pressing Oregon issues. But it's so important to me that I get the decisions over my body, my own mind, and those of the children I hope to have. Whatever governors or presidents come down the pike, no law will stop abortions from happening. The argument should not be right versus wrong, but the safety and protection of women versus infection, bleeding, and death of the living person in a car, alley, strange office or in her own bathroom. I don't pretend to know the right answer and I assume that we all will have that conversation with our own God when that time comes. Until then, my drive is to protect the living and their greatest gift - free will.
Sep 8, '06
It is interesting how on an issue like this that only concerns women, Men are the first to get uptight about it. Men should stay out of the fight and let only women take care of it. Men should leave the ballot blank on this one.
Sep 8, '06
If men were the ones who got pregnant there's no question abortion would be legal (and safe).
Sep 8, '06
It is interesting how on an issue like this that only concerns women
But that isn't really true is it? Many men have mothers, sisters, daughters, friends and lovers who are women.
For anyone who came of age before abortion was legal there are personal stories of young women whose lives were lost or destroyed because abortion was illegal.
But more importantly, the combination of birth control and abortion gave women absolute control over whether and when they would become mothers. That transformed our society. It is no accident that women moved into professional schools in large numbers following the Roe v. Wade decision.
Before the decision was entirely up to a woman, some states would simply would not admit married women to their medical school under any circumstances. Married women were assumed to be sexually active. Sexually active woman could become pregnant and either drop out of the program or waste the very expensive education they received.
In short, before roe v wade women becoming full partners in our society couldn't happen. They always had the threat of pregnancy interrupting their choices in ways that men could not. It was n inherently unequal relationship that was reflected in society in thousands of ways unimaginable any more.
We have all benefited from that change, men and women. And we all have a responsibility to defend it.
5:56 p.m.
Sep 8, '06
According to the CDC, only 1.4% of all abortions happen at 21 weeks or greater (5+ months) [CDC, Abortion Surveillance, 2002-- the most recent year available, although this number has held steady for about a decade].
Overwhelmingly these are cases where the mother's health is in danger, the fetus will not survive (such as those with major organs missing), or the fetus no longer has a heart beat.
I just don't understand why a 15-17 year-old can make medical decisions about everything else in their life, but shouldn't be able to decide whether or not they have an abortion. And contrary to what people may say, 15-17 year-olds can indeed make all their own medical decisions here in Oregon. That's why they're having to use the examples of parental permission needed for aspirin in schools and ear piercings to contrast with no notification for abortions. They don't want to have to admit that this would be the only medical decision they couldn't make without their parent knowing.
Sep 8, '06
Lets be clear. ORTL is opposed to ALL abortions equally. They support parental notification for abortion, but not of the pregnancy, because because they think it will pressure some kids into not having an abortion. They support anything they think will eliminate abortions except providing kids with birth control or information on how to avoid pregnancies beyond telling them not to have sex.
Sep 8, '06
Netroots by Ore. candidates Reference Friday News...
Are any Oregon candidates or legislators making any Friday News (or any news) as bloggers or citizen journalists?
How involved are netroots tools (blogs, podcasts, e-newsletter) as a part of Oregon politics by candidates or legislators?
Who are these bloggers?
Sep 9, '06
Kari,
I'll tell you why the (potential) life of a fetus is important to me.
Sixteen years ago, my mom was pregnant with my little brother. There were complications with her health and the doctor recommended that she abort. She's pro-life, but I remember it was a hard decision for her. There were two little kids at home already - what would happen if something did happen to her and dad was left with two kids and a newborn?
She chose to keep the baby - and I can't imagine the family without my brother.
That's why the baby's life is so important to me. Because it's not just any old fetus. It's someone's child, or grandchild, or neice or nephew or cousin - or my brother.
red.
8:55 p.m.
Sep 9, '06
if you remember what kind of decision it was for your mom, how do you not imagine what the family was like without your brother? You lived it. You cain't miss what you ain't never had...
Sep 10, '06
I can't imagine the family without my brother.
Can you imagine it without your mother?
That's why the baby's life is so important to me. Because it's not just any old fetus. It's someone's child, or grandchild, or neice or nephew or cousin - or my brother.
National Library of Medicine:
"It is estimated that up to 50% of all fertilized eggs die and are lost (aborted) spontaneously, usually before the woman knows she is pregnant."
So its likely you have a fair number of "brothers" you don't know about. If your mother had had an abortion, your parents may have chosen to have another child later. Another potential sibling you have never met.
<h2>But lets be clear. The public debate is mostly about who gets to decide, not what choice women like your mother should make. She chose to risk her life because she wanted another child. The question is whether she should have been forced to make that choice.</h2>