Stop House Republicans from blocking abortion access for raped soldiers (Full Version)

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kalikshama -> Stop House Republicans from blocking abortion access for raped soldiers (6/16/2012 5:34:15 PM)

If a female employee of the U.S. State Department is raped while serving abroad in Afghanistan, her federal health plan will pay for an abortion should she become pregnant. However if a woman serving abroad as a member of the U.S. military is raped, her military health plan will NOT provide for an abortion if she becomes pregnant as a result of that violent and reprehensible act.

According to a recent report from Mother Jones, the Pentagon has an even more drastic policy on access to abortion than the Hyde Amendment which bans the use of federal funds for abortion care unless a woman has been the victim of rape, incest or she could literally die unless she her pregnancy is terminated.

This disparity is so unsettling that the Senate Armed Services Committee recently passed a proposal that would fix this loophole in federal law on a rare bipartisan vote. But the extremists in Congress will almost certainly strip this proposal from the National Defense Authorization Act when it comes up for a vote in the House. The only way we can hope to stop it is with massive public pushback.

Click here to sign the petition: http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/military_choice/

According to Kate Sheppard's report in Mother Jones,2 there are 200,000 women serving on active duty in our military and in 2011 alone there were 471 reported instances of rape. But with the Pentagon itself estimating that only 13.5% of rapes are officially reported, that means around 3,500 service members are raped per year.

Women who are serving on military bases abroad can't simply go to their local Planned Parenthood should they seek an abortion after finding themselves pregnant as a result of rape. And if there hasn't been a formal finding of rape, a rape survivor in the military can't even pay to have the procedure done in the medical facility on base. Many women serving in our armed forces are stationed in foreign countries where safe abortion care is not easily obtained outside our military bases. And it may not be possible or affordable for a raped woman soldier to travel to the United States in order to receive the care she needs. Our policies need to be reformed to ensure that women in the military who have been raped have access to the medical care they need.

As Senator Jean Shaheen who introduced the proposal change to this heinous policy explained to Mother Jones, "Most of the women affected here are enlisted women who are making about $18,000 a year. They're young, they don't have access to a lot of resources. Many of them are overseas."

Click here to sign the petition: http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/military_choice/



subrob1967 -> RE: Stop House Republicans from blocking abortion access for raped soldiers (6/16/2012 9:45:47 PM)

FR Here we go again... This shit is getting old. Have you read the fucking Mother Jones story? It's full of projection, and unnamed staffers.[8|]

quote:

But despite bipartisan support in the Senate, Shaheen's proposal may not make it into the final version of the 2013 defense authorization bill—because House Republicans oppose it.


Now how the fuck does the author know how the House will vote? The fucking bill hasn't even been voted on in the Senate yet.

quote:

The NDAA still needs a vote on the Senate floor. But for Shaheen's amendment, there's a bigger problem: the Republican-controlled House.

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/06/shaheen-amendment-military-rape-abortion

Again, how does she know this... Oh yeah, and unnamed staffer told her, and the rest of the story?

quote:

That appears likely. A GOP staffer "familiar with defense issues" told Army Times last week that the Shaheen amendment "stands little chance of surviving" when the House and Senate meet to work out their differences on the defense bill. "Historically, social provisions that are not reflected in both bills heading into conference don't survive," the staffer said—conceding that the House version of the defense bill will not include anything like Shaheen's proposal.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/06/shaheen-amendment-military-rape-abortion

So there is precedence here, it's not the the GOP just decided to block this amendment, it happens ALL THE FUCKING TIME.

That should lead one to wonder what the Senator's real agenda is? I mean, the current policy removes pregnant military personnel from the theater within 14 days of learning of the pregnancy. My guess is that Senator Shaheen wants the military to START providing abortion services, because the military doesn't provide them now. However the military DOES remove the pregnant woman from the AO, and allows them to go off base and pay for their own abortion.

Now to add an additional twist to the story... There's ALREADY an abortion bill added to the Defense Spending bill, authored by Senator Roland Burris (D-IL)
But here's where we get to Senator Shaheen's real motives...

quote:

Sen. Roland W. Burris, Illinois Democrat, ushered the proposal through the Senate Armed Services Committee in May, tacking it onto the Defense Authorization Act, which the Senate is slated to consider Tuesday.

Mr. Burris‘ plan would require women to pay for abortions upfront and without government funds, but would allow doctors at military hospitals to perform the procedures if those conditions are met. It would overturn a policy established by congressional Republicans in the mid-1990s that restricted abortions at military hospitals only to cases of rape, incest or when the woman’s life is in danger.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/sep/19/bill-would-lift-military-abortion-ban/

To continue, if you were a woman, would you really want an abortion in a field hospital in Afghanistan, only to be pressured to return to duty ASAP? Or would you rather catch a nice flight back to Germany, and quite possibly back to the states to be with your family during this time of immense stress?



hlen5 -> RE: Stop House Republicans from blocking abortion access for raped soldiers (6/16/2012 11:18:04 PM)

I have a verifiable story for you Subrob. I saw it happen.

1982, I'm stationed in Berlin. My roommate got pregnant. The USA Doctor gave her a list of 6 German Dr.s to choose from, since the military Dr.s were prohibited from performing abortion. Bad Choice. Her incomplete abortion and sepsis landed her in the US Army hospital for a week. Thank goodness there was no permanent damage.

As a service member, her legal right to an abortion was denied.

I was listening to a podcast of Real Time with Bill Maher (I'll try to find a link). His round table discussed a service member's charge of rape dropped due to rape being "an incident of service". So, if any woman you know signs up, let her know rape is considered part and parcel of her service.



Lucylastic -> RE: Stop House Republicans from blocking abortion access for raped soldiers (6/17/2012 5:42:40 AM)

Hlen, He doesnt care...
quote:

ORIGINAL: subrob1967

Actually, couldn't care less, I can't get pregnant.

http://www.collarchat.com/fb.asp?m=4145051




hlen5 -> RE: Stop House Republicans from blocking abortion access for raped soldiers (6/17/2012 8:29:21 AM)

Lucy, I should have known better, I guess?



Lucylastic -> RE: Stop House Republicans from blocking abortion access for raped soldiers (6/17/2012 8:30:20 AM)

theres a lot of it about Hlen, sadly



subrob1967 -> RE: Stop House Republicans from blocking abortion access for raped soldiers (6/17/2012 9:34:30 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: hlen5

I have a verifiable story for you Subrob. I saw it happen.

1982, I'm stationed in Berlin. My roommate got pregnant. The USA Doctor gave her a list of 6 German Dr.s to choose from, since the military Dr.s were prohibited from performing abortion. Bad Choice. Her incomplete abortion and sepsis landed her in the US Army hospital for a week. Thank goodness there was no permanent damage.

As a service member, her legal right to an abortion was denied.

I was listening to a podcast of Real Time with Bill Maher (I'll try to find a link). His round table discussed a service member's charge of rape dropped due to rape being "an incident of service". So, if any woman you know signs up, let her know rape is considered part and parcel of her service.


Is rape not a weapon that an enemy might use against female military personnel? How can you on one hand fight for the right to be on the front lines, and on the other deny that capture and rape is possible?
Were you or your roommate conscripted, or did you volunteer for service?
Now that we established that military service is an all volunteer service, show me where the us Military has to provide abortion services. It was decided over twenty years ago, when women fought for equal rights in the military, that abortions in military hospitals, performed by military doctors were off the table.

Now shouldn't your ire be aimed at the DoD, and not the GOP? Why do women expect the military, or the government in general be responsible for abortions? especially since you volunteered to serve in the first place.

Lucy, I'm a man, you're a Canadian, we both have the same dog in this fight... None.



Musicmystery -> RE: Stop House Republicans from blocking abortion access for raped soldiers (6/17/2012 9:53:18 AM)

quote:

we both have the same dog in this fight... None.


And yet...here you are.



PeonForHer -> RE: Stop House Republicans from blocking abortion access for raped soldiers (6/17/2012 10:01:37 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: subrob
It was decided over twenty years ago, when women fought for equal rights in the military, that abortions in military hospitals, performed by military doctors were off the table.


If that's true, it should obviously be un-decided.



subrob1967 -> RE: Stop House Republicans from blocking abortion access for raped soldiers (6/17/2012 11:06:57 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Musicmystery

quote:

we both have the same dog in this fight... None.


And yet...here you are.


Setting the record straight, getting the whole story out there, instead of the spin... Something real journalists stopped doing...

You should be shouting my praises from the rooftops, for I am the bringer of truth, the light that shines in the darkness... But alas, your the typical progressive that only wants to hear your spin on the truth.



subrob1967 -> RE: Stop House Republicans from blocking abortion access for raped soldiers (6/17/2012 11:08:50 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: PeonForHer


quote:

ORIGINAL: subrob
It was decided over twenty years ago, when women fought for equal rights in the military, that abortions in military hospitals, performed by military doctors were off the table.


If that's true, it should obviously be un-decided.




Again, take it up with the DoD, the House of Representatives can't vote on an Senate amendment that hasn't even been voted on in the Senate yet, at least not here in the US.



Lucylastic -> RE: Stop House Republicans from blocking abortion access for raped soldiers (6/17/2012 2:00:49 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: subrob1967



Lucy, I'm a man, you're a Canadian, we both have the same dog in this fight... None.

You dont decide for me, what my dog can or can NOT fight for
I was merely responding with what you said about abortion previously.



subrob1967 -> RE: Stop House Republicans from blocking abortion access for raped soldiers (6/17/2012 2:30:20 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Lucylastic


quote:

ORIGINAL: subrob1967



Lucy, I'm a man, you're a Canadian, we both have the same dog in this fight... None.

You dont decide for me, what my dog can or can NOT fight for
I was merely responding with what you said about abortion previously.



Where have decided anything for you? I pointed out the FACT that you are a Canadian citizen. and therefore your opinion on US military matters pertaining to rape have absolutely zero bearing on the topic. Did I say you couldn't post an opinion? No, only that it didn't count.



kalikshama -> RE: Stop House Republicans from blocking abortion access for raped soldiers (6/17/2012 3:49:18 PM)

quote:

I was listening to a podcast of Real Time with Bill Maher (I'll try to find a link). His round table discussed a service member's charge of rape dropped due to rape being "an incident of service".


Susan Burke Talks Military Rape with Bill Maher

Comedian/talk show host Bill Maher has occasionally met with some well-deserved, withering criticism from feminists for sexist remarks he’s dropped on his provocative weekly show.

But Maher has also managed to tackle some significant issues of concern to women without trivializing them. And this Friday night, one of his guests on HBO’s Real Time With Bill Maher will be attorney Susan Burke, featured in the new issue of Ms. magazine for her tireless legal work on behalf of military women who have been sexually assaulted.

Burke has now filed three separate lawsuits, charging current and former top military brass with having a “high tolerance” for the crime of rape but “zero tolerance” for those who report it. As the Ms. story, “Court-Martialing the Military,” by Molly M. Ginty, points out,

Congress has been holding hearings for years about the problem of rape in the military, and the DOD [Department of Defense] has attempted to improve the protocol for training, reporting and prosecution. But victims too rarely find justice, while perpetrators commit assaults with impunity. If the military brass realizes they can be successfully sued for damages, though, says Burke, ‘They would be forced to take responsibility, prosecute rapes and at long last clean up their act.”

Nearly 1 in 3 women are raped during their military service, according to a Veterans Affairs Administration study–double the risk faced by civilian women.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNnnz5OcWBE

...Rape Victim: I was charged with adultery. I wasn't married he [the rapist] was.

...Maher: The clip we saw where the woman was accused of adultery - sounds exactly like what the Taliban do.






kalikshama -> RE: Stop House Republicans from blocking abortion access for raped soldiers (6/17/2012 4:12:13 PM)

http://invisiblewarmovie.com/

From Oscar®- and Emmy®-nominated filmmaker Kirby Dick (This Film Is Not Yet Rated; Twist of Faith) comes The Invisible War, a groundbreaking investigative documentary about one of America's most shameful and best kept secrets: the epidemic of rape within the U.S. military. The film paints a startling picture of the extent of the problem-today, a female soldier in combat zones is more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire. The Department of Defense estimates there were a staggering 19,000 violent sex crimes in the military in 2010. The Invisible War exposes the epidemic, breaking open one of the most under-reported stories of our generation, to the nation and the world.



erieangel -> RE: Stop House Republicans from blocking abortion access for raped soldiers (6/17/2012 4:46:24 PM)

quote:

Is rape not a weapon that an enemy might use against female military personnel? How can you on one hand fight for the right to be on the front lines, and on the other deny that capture and rape is possible?


Who said anything about capture and rape by enemies? This is US female service members by US male service members.



subrob1967 -> RE: Stop House Republicans from blocking abortion access for raped soldiers (6/17/2012 8:01:32 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: erieangel
Who said anything about capture and rape by enemies? This is US female service members by US male service members.



If it's such an epidemic, why haven't these women banded together and filed a class action lawsuit, or approach one of the female members of Congress?


One would think they would want to get their story out, as a warning for any female thinking about enlisting.



DomKen -> RE: Stop House Republicans from blocking abortion access for raped soldiers (6/18/2012 3:07:32 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: subrob1967


quote:

ORIGINAL: erieangel
Who said anything about capture and rape by enemies? This is US female service members by US male service members.



If it's such an epidemic, why haven't these women banded together and filed a class action lawsuit, or approach one of the female members of Congress?


One would think they would want to get their story out, as a warning for any female thinking about enlisting.


For someone who claims to know so much about the military you sure don't know much.

It is impossible for a group of servicepeople to file a class action lawsuit against the government and it is illegal for them to lobby any elected officials.



Lucylastic -> RE: Stop House Republicans from blocking abortion access for raped soldiers (6/18/2012 3:28:33 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: subrob1967


quote:

ORIGINAL: Lucylastic


quote:

ORIGINAL: subrob1967



Lucy, I'm a man, you're a Canadian, we both have the same dog in this fight... None.

You dont decide for me, what my dog can or can NOT fight for
I was merely responding with what you said about abortion previously.



Where have decided anything for you? I pointed out the FACT that you are a Canadian citizen. and therefore your opinion on US military matters pertaining to rape have absolutely zero bearing on the topic. Did I say you couldn't post an opinion? No, only that it didn't count.

I posted and will continue to post...It seems I give more of a shit about women in the US being raped than you do, wether they are in the military or not.I thought you supported the military, or is that JUST the men?
While my opinion may not count to you, that isnt my problem.suck it up, cos it isnt gonna stop.
You cant get pregnant, so you dont care, is STILL my MAIN point.



subrob1967 -> RE: Stop House Republicans from blocking abortion access for raped soldiers (6/18/2012 7:18:56 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Lucylastic
I posted and will continue to post...It seems I give more of a shit about women in the US being raped than you do, wether they are in the military or not.I thought you supported the military, or is that JUST the men?
While my opinion may not count to you, that isnt my problem.suck it up, cos it isnt gonna stop.
You cant get pregnant, so you dont care, is STILL my MAIN point.



And you're a Canadian who cannot legally vote in the US... That's MY point.



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