From The Guardian UK: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jun/15/vaginas-arent-dirty-even-in-michigan
A Michigan politician was banned from a debate after saying 'vagina' in a discussion about women's health. Whatever next?
Naomi McAuliffe
guardian.co.uk, Friday 15 June 2012
guardian.co.uk, Friday 15 June 2012
What's
the worst thing you can call female genitalia? I'm guessing Jeremy Hunt
just popped into your mind. Yet for Michigan state representatives, the
most offensive thing you can say when debating the issue of abortion,
is "vagina". In a debate on a bill that would restrict abortion in a
number of ways, state representative Lisa Brown finished her opposition
speech with: "Finally, Mr Speaker, I'm flattered that you're all so
interested in my vagina, but no means no." She was subsequently banned from taking part in a debate on the school employee retirement bill.
Apparently,
when discussing a medical procedure, it's not really appropriate to use
medical words. Well not about lady bits anyway. It makes me wonder what
euphemisms would be acceptable. "Will the representative get his hand
out of the otter's pocket?" "Can the honourable gentleman refrain from
trespassing in the lady cave?"
Delicate little flower,
representative Mike Callton, reacted to Brown's quim quip with: "It was
so offensive, I don't even want to say it in front of women." Well thank
you, Mike, the last thing I want is an informed political debate about
my genitalia that involves the correct anatomical words.
This
comes a month after a woman was thrown off an American Airlines flight
for wearing a T-shirt bearing the legend: "If I wanted the government in
my womb, I'd fuck a senator."
But while both statements may prove
that the pro-choicers have the best jokes, what these clampdowns on
legitimate freedom of speech demonstrate is that the tactic of the
anti-choice movement (euphemistically called "pro-lifers") to airbrush
women's bodies out of the debate on abortion. To be against abortion,
you need to get round the uncomfortable fact that women and girls'
bodies must play host to your ideological opinions. You need to focus on
the foetus and not an actual human being surrounding it.
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