Excerpt: "Ryan and Akin's personhood bill could render the act of using many forms of oral contraception the equivalent of a homicide crime."
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) with Rep. Todd Akin. (photo: Mediaite)
Paul Ryan and Todd Akin Partnered on Bill Outlawing Abortion and Birth Control Pills
21 August 12
esterday, ThinkProgress reported that Rep. Todd "Legitimate Rape" Akin (R-MO) and GOP vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan both cosponsored the bill that introduced America to the despicable term "forcible rape." As it turns out, this may only be the second most sweeping attack on reproductive freedom that both men partnered on. Ryan and Akin also cosponsored a federal personhood bill, the Sanctity of Human Life Act of 2009, which declares that a fertilized egg is entitled to the exact same legal rights as a human being:
(1) the Congress declares that
(A) the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution is vested in each human being, and is the paramount and most fundamental right of a person; and
(B) the life of each human being begins with fertilization, cloning, or its functional equivalent, irrespective of sex, health, function or disability, defect, stage of biological development, or condition of dependency, at which time every human being shall have all the legal and constitutional attributes and privileges of personhood; and
(2) the Congress affirms that the Congress, each State, the District of Columbia, and all United States territories have the authority to protect the lives of all human beings residing in its respective jurisdictions.
Lest there be any doubt, this bill is unconstitutional. Congress does not have the power to overrule Roe v. Wade by an ordinary statue, only a constitutional amendment could serve that purpose. Moreover, even if Roe were overruled by the Supreme Court, Ryan and Akin's bill still attempts to redefine who "the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution" applies to. Again, changing the meaning of the Constitution can only be done through an amendment, not through an ordinary Act of Congress.
Should Ryan and Akin's personhood agenda take effect, however, it would drastically reduce women's reproductive choice. The bill declares that a human egg obtains "all the legal and constitutional attributes and privileges of personhood" the moment it merges with a human sperm. Thus, a Blastocyst-American would not only enjoy the same constitutional status as a fully grown adult, it would also enjoy any "legal" attributes enjoyed by adults. Because every states' law makes it a crime to kill a human adult, the likely effect of Ryan and Akin's personhood bill would be to treat killing a fertilized egg as the same thing as homicide.
Such an interpretation would not simply ban abortion, it could turn many forms of birth control into the legal equivalent of a murder weapon. Many forms of contraception, including many birth control pills, function in part by inhibiting a fertilized egg from implanting in a woman's uterus. Thus, Ryan and Akin's personhood bill could render the act of using many forms of oral contraception the equivalent of a homicide crime.
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Comments
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p.s. I am not a Democrat.
They want less government interference in business. They want more government interference in our personal lives. In that the Right Wing Nut Cases are totally consistent. They define Businesses as superseding individuals when it comes to issues such as free speech such as Citizen's United. Furthermore when they do claim to be upholding individual rights such as NYC attempting to limit the serving size of HFCS soft drinks, their real agenda is that it inhibits a business from selling a product, and could affect their profit margin.
Their jobs programs are all based on making more money for business; their education initiatives are to outsource our schools to private business. Fund the college education of individuals entirely with high interest loans from private banks. Remove Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as a publicly financed brake on usury mortgage loans, so that private lenders can make a ton of money.
Not a single Right Wing agenda item is designed to protect or help private individuals, and any program they does exist, they always insist on means testing which leads to government interference at every level of the individual's life. And lastly look at how they treat welfare recipients. Now they want to restrict them from using food stamps for buying a pie! True; really!
"Not a single Right Wing agenda item is designed to protect or help private individuals..." You forgot Second Amendment Rights--they are perfectly happy letting anyone have all the guns they want. One of these days you gotta wonder...will gated communities and private security forces be enough to protect the rich from the desperate (and armed) poor? There were a lot more peasants than nobles in the French Revolution.
I'll take the easiest jab first.
With rights come responsibilitie s.
IF a fertilized egg has the same rights as do I, THEN what are that fertilized egg's responsibilities?
Second: IF "the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution is vested in each human being, and is the paramount and most fundamental right of a person," THEN how does that statement logically coexist with warfare, especially the brand of warfare currently practiced by the U.S. which deprives many innocent civilians of the right to life under the euphemism "collateral damage?"
Finally: What right do persons who can never be pregnant (males) have to make laws regulating a "condition" they themselves can never experience? Pregnancy and everything associated with pregnancy is the province of women. If Ryan and Akin had the cognitive horsepower of a well nourished gerbil, the would recognize this and stay out of what is singularly women's business.
That's NOT what the anger is about.
It's about drawing a line between "legitimate" (as in "real") rape, and "all the other kinds of rape" (i.e. "fake" rape where either the "bitch had it coming" or "the bitch just made it up").
I think akin should stay in the race. Afterall, he represents the right-wing of this country very well.
Every once in a while a right-winger is caught in an unguarded moment actually SAYING what they all think rather than relying on the code words they've been taught to hide behind. This is one of those instances.
My only question is this. Men have been getting charged with rape for a long time. How come the attorneys of accused rapists never ask that the alleged victims be tested so if they are pregnant, all charges against their clients can be summarily dismissed?
It is comforting to know that Rep Paul Ryan is in on this heretofore unknown secret too. Together with Rep Akin, he co-sponsored a brilliant piece of legislation that will stop this wantonly criminal act by women who allege they got pregnant by being raped. Since she's pregnant, she must clearly have been asking for more, more, ahhhh... and not need an abortion. [You know how we just love it when a man is strong.]
I also think that women should want to know where these two jerks stand on the issue of vasectomies. Do men then bear the sames standards by withholding their genetic material from the sexual act? Or is this just another bit of social engineering to make men the final say over women? Either way it is stupid in the extreme to stand on the neck of the American Woman.
I think something more than spaying and neutering. I believe the pleasure zone should be cut off after knowing what it is.
I am tired of these Sleazes playing a role in our lives. Let's us see how they like rape, and cleanzing of sorts.
It will happen that their children will be taken advantage of, then what will they do. Funny how it always has to hit home before anyone gives any thought to another. Yep, certainly understand this need for Religion it just brings out the good in mankind, eh?
When zygotes are people they can be sued. Victims of rape and incest will be able to have the government fully responsible for all costs of that zygote until death. That figure would include the income the mom would have earned in the next 20 years as well.
The constant pathetic and redundant lament from the right about the media being left leaning is such a joke.
But what they do not seem to realize is that the male chicks are dumped in a shredder as worthless and killed.
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