Too Many Chumps and A Whole Gaggle of Champs
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This week’s champ and chump is a bit different than usual — by that we mean there are a lot more of them. Our champs are all the women, men, and families who have come out to support the Women are Watching bus tour in the past six days. Our chumps? All of our lifetime chumps whose record is just like Todd Akin’s — dangerously out of touch on women’s health.
Let’s begin with the chumps. This past week has been dominated by talk about the Republican Party’s position on abortion. Just two days after the nation expressed outrage over the offensive comments made by Todd Akin, the Republican Party Platform committee moved forward with an anti-abortion plank that includes no exceptions for rape or incest. One thing is clear, the leadership of the party is out of touch with the majority of Americans. If that isn’t chump-worthy, we don’t know what is.
Todd Akin, Ann-Marie Buerkele, Dennis Rehberg, Steve King, Joe Walsh, Allen West, and vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan all voted for H.R. 3 — a bill, which in its original form would have narrowed the definition of rape to make it harder for women to receive coverage for abortion.
As the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said in a statement, “There are no varying degrees of rape. To suggest otherwise is inaccurate and insulting and minimizes the serious physical and psychological repercussions for all victims of rape.” (Fitting that this statement comes from a medical association.) Most Americans believe that politicians have no business getting between a woman, her family, and her doctor on these intensely personal decisions.
For supporting such out-of-touch legislation, all of these chumps deserve this week’s undignified crown.
On to the good news…
When the Women are Watching bus tour kicked off this past Saturday, we had no idea of the sheer amount of support we would see on the ground. Women and men of all ages turned up at our rallies to promote and protect women’s health.
The week started in Concord at the State House and has since made stops in Syracuse, NY; Rochester, NY; West Chester, PA; Canton, MI; Lincolnshire, IL; Des Moines, IA; Columbia, MO; and most recently Columbus, OH. At each and every one of these stops we’ve heard from patients, elected officials (special shout-outs to Reps. Tammy Duckworth, Dan Maffei, Louise Slaughter, and Senator Shaheen), women’s health activist Sandra Fluke, and even a few college students. They know that politics has no place in women’s health and that’s why they will be voting for the candidates who will let women make their own health care choices.
These powerful women and men were truly inspiring! They all are our champions of women’s health.
Check out some of our videos from our events so far!
