That's Not Morality, That's Sexism

Below the Belt: A Biweekly Column by NOW President Kim Gandy

August 15, 2006

Last week, Connecticut Democrats went to the polls and voted against George Bush.

Actually they voted for Ned Lamont and against Joe Lieberman, whose progressive voting record had earned him respect and kept him in the senate for 18 years. But the last few years he hasn't lived up to that record. What has Lieberman done to offend women? Let's start with his facilitating the confirmation of both of George Bush's anti-woman, anti-civil-rights Supreme Court justices, and depriving his Senate colleagues of the only way to defeat John Roberts and Sam Alito.

His role in the "Gang of 14" was directly responsible for the confirmation of three of the most Neanderthal circuit court judges in history: Bush appointees Priscilla Owens, Janice Rogers Brown, and William Pryor. And Lieberman's gang was also key to ensuring there could not be an effective filibuster of either Roberts or Alito. Already their votes on the Court have shown them to be the hard-right justices their past records portended.

And Lieberman's blanket support of George Bush's conduct of the war in Iraq went far beyond merely casting votes—he all but challenged the patriotism of anyone who dared to question Bush's plans, saying "It's time for Democrats who distrust President Bush to acknowledge that he will be the commander in chief for three more critical years and that in matters of war we undermine the president's credibility at our nation's peril."

He also voted for bankruptcy legislation that was a multi-billion dollar giveaway to big financial institutions while making it harder for women to collect past due child support, and harder for families struck by catastrophe to make a new start. Meanwhile, huge corporations (like Delta Airlines) are permitted to walk away from their debts—their employee pensions for example.

Perhaps the final blow was Lieberman's blithe "short ride" comment about access to the morning-after pill (also known as EC) that would keep a rape survivor from becoming pregnant by the rapist. You might think that providing actual treatment to a rape survivor would be a no-brainer, but when asked by reporters whether Catholic hospitals should be allowed to refuse EC to rape victims in the emergency room, he agreed, saying that "in Connecticut, it shouldn't take more than a short ride to get to another hospital." That is just so wrong in so many ways that I can't begin to count them.

Feminists in that state and nationally have reason to celebrate and hope for a near future when candidates who are unquestionably for women's rights take the lead. Ned Lamont is one of these candidates, and he is not afraid to say so: "I absolutely support women's right to complete and appropriate health care and to reproductive freedom. I will fight to make the morning after pill available over the counter, to make emergency contraception available to all rape victims, and to support the nomination and appointment of pro-choice judges."

Those are words of respect—something that is hard to find these days among our nation's leaders.

Sexist Restrictions

Every time a doctor refuses to prescribe emergency contraception, and every time a pharmacist refuses to distribute it, and every time a member of Congress condones those refusals, women are denied the respect and dignity they deserve.

That doctor, that pharmacist, and that member of Congress are not being "moral," they are being sexist.

A few weeks ago a doctor in Lebanon, Pennsylvania refused to prescribe EC to a rape survivor, deciding that that a woman who had been raped should do what he wants her to do for the next nine months of her life—bear a child. His refusal is an assault on this rape survivor's ability to control her life—and the right of women to control our own lives is absolutely necessary if we are to be equal participants in our society.

However, doctors like the one in Pennsylvania and legislators like Joe Lieberman don't make the mental leap to connect access to reproductive healthcare to women's equality. Instead they say, hail a taxi and find someone who isn't sexist to give you that legal and safe contraception you so desperately need.

We need tolerant leaders who serve their constituents, not their campaign consultants and big business contributors. Too many progressive candidates and elected officials on the left have been duped into "moving center" (translation: becoming conservative), but, in doing so, they move away from values like responsibility, opportunity, and equality.

In electing Ned Lamont, Connecticut Democrats started us down the road toward creating a Senate that stands for those values.

There are other crucial senate races where voters have the opportunity to move us closer to that goal. In a Minnesota open seat, pro-women and pro-equal marriage candidate Amy Klobuchar (D) is running against Rep. Mark Kennedy (R), and the latest poll shows Klobuchar leading 50% to 38%. To give you a sense of where Kennedy stands on the rightwing scale, he has a 100% rating from the Christian Coalition, an A+ from the NRA, and a 93% rating from the US Chamber of Commerce. We have high hopes that Minnesota voters will choose Klobuchar, who promises a very different agenda.

Last week in Missouri, Claire McCaskill and Rep. Jim Talent won their respective primaries and are the Democratic and Republican nominees, respectively, for the senate race. Recent surveys show the two candidates polling only a few percentage points apart. McCaskill is, like Amy Klobuchar, a women's rights supporter; her GOP incumbent opponent has consistently voted against our interests. In a state where polls show over half of Missouri voters disapprove of Bush's job performance, the stage is set for a candidate like McCaskill to replace a GOP pet.

The same goes for the senate race in Ohio, where Democratic nominee Rep. Sherrod Brown faces two-term incumbent Sen. Mike DeWine. Brown, whose House voting record shows him to be decidedly pro-women's rights, is leading DeWine in recent polls by a couple of percentage points.

It's been a tough few years, but finally prospects are looking positive for candidates who will promote a culture of respect and dignity and equality. Feminist activists have hit the ground running in support of these candidates, and Lamont's primary nomination in Connecticut is just the beginning of a winnable fight for a Congress that respects and protects women's rights, and everyone else's, too.

There are life and death issues at stake for women, and for the country, in this election cycle. Stay tuned for a look at notable House races in the next Below the Belt.

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