Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 11:17 am
Mitt Romney is pallin’ around with transvaginal ultrasound pushers.
The Republicans are making this sooo easy. Mitt Romney’s top surrogate in Pennsylvania is the man who told women to “just close your eyes” during a transvaginal ultrasound. You want some painful, small government up your vagina and in your doctor’s office? Vote Romney!
Mitt Romney shares a lot of Governor Tom Corbett’s “ideas” about women’s rights and today, Romney is “proud” of Corbett’s endorsement.
Just close your eyes.
The Obama campaign came out shouting on this issue tonight. All they had to do was put Romney’s quote of being so proud of Corbett’s endorsement next to a quote of Corbett’s and they were done. That’s it. That’s the ad (see above).
No need to lie, no need for fancy spin. They reminded voters, “President Obama, however, said of the GOP’s assault on women’s rights: ‘When it comes to what’s going on out there, you’re not going to close your eyes. Women across America aren’t closing their eyes. As long as I’m President, I won’t either.'”
Those aren’t just words, because this President has done more for women’s rights than any president in modern history, starting with his first few days in office, signing the Lily Ledbetter Act. Obama chose Joe Biden as his VP, and Joe has a strong history defending women’s rights and advocating for bills that protect women from domestic violence. Obama chose Hillary Clinton as his SOS, and she takes her advocacy for women’s rights and freedom around the world as she represents the United States.
They have a Council on Women and Girls, so that all federal agencies take into account women’s issues on policies and legislation. “Within months of taking office, President Obama created the White House Council on Women and Girls with the explicit mandate to ensure that every agency, department, and office in our federal government – with the policies they draft, the programs they create, and the legislation they support – takes into account the needs and aspirations of American women and girls. Over the past three years, the Obama Administration has worked tirelessly to promote equality; enhance women’s economic security; and ensure that women have the opportunities they need and deserve at every stage of their lives, from obtaining training and education, to succeeding in the workforce and supporting their families, to retiring with dignity and security.”
This administration is an historically pro-women’s rights administration, and that ain’t just talk. It’s in the policy.
You can read up on the Obama administration’s work for women here, where the efforts are discussed in detail, for example: Keeping America’s Women Moving Forward, Equal Pay Task Force Accomplishments, American Jobs Act: Impact for Women, Women and Girls in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math and the Obama Administration Record on Women and Girls.
Corbett is the man who thought that forcing the screen to face the woman during the state-mandated rape by transvaginal ultrasound would be super freedomish because we could always “just close your eyes.” Back in February of this year, I wrote the following regarding Corbett’s state’s bill:
(T)his fight is far from over. Right now, a similar but even worse bill is poised to strike Pennsylvania women courtesy of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (HB1077). This one mandates that the image screen be turned toward the woman’s face, though she will be allowed to avert her eyes (so kind). 113 of the 203 representatives have already signed on to the bill. There are several alarming factors involved here:
One, the men clearly have no idea what they’re talking about but this doesn’t seem to stop them on any other issue and certainly isn’t stopping them now.
Two, they’re supposed to be for small government and yet they are pushing for Vaginal Panels mandated by the state (I see your imaginary Death Panels and raise you Real Vaginal Panels – now tell me who is the Nanny State?).
Three, it’s clear that the desire is to shame women seeking an abortion and to inflict pain upon them deliberately (as if abortion were not painful enough both physically and mentally).
Four, our vaginas are not public space and not open for business, no matter what Republicans wish was the case.
Five, this all stems from Republican belief in their own version of the Bible and is akin to me declaring that my God inferred that jock itch was immoral, hence all men who have jock itch must be subjected to not just the pain of jock itch, but say the threading of a camera up their urethra (that is basically what the t-v ultra sound does) so they can see the results of their misdeeds and feel bad (not for any medical purpose) about themselves.
Six, not once in all of the legislation across the nation has a Republican introduced any sort of bill designed to get men to stop having sex with women or control themselves or take responsibility for the result, and yet they continue to punish women for having the ability to make a baby.
Seven, apparently these boys know so little about the female reproductive system and the usage of birth control and the definition of abortion as should shame them. FYI, birth control is often used for other medical conditions like hemorrhaging and all pregnancies that end prior to birth are medically referred to as abortions. Some are elective procedures and others are spontaneous. (See the women in jail in America right now for having a miscarriage).
Defending this bill that mandated that the ultrasound screen be facing the woman’s eyes, Governor Corbett said, “I don’t know how you can make anybody watch, ok? Because you just have to close your eyes.”
I warned Republicans then that we would not forget. “American women will not be shamed out of our power. We will not allow you to define the boundaries of our medical care. We will not allow you to inflict your perverted religious beliefs onto our bodies in the form of what amounts to rape by state. We will not allow you to use our bodies to humiliate us just because you have power and control issues coupled with vast insecurities and psychological impotency issues. You have messed with the wrong group of people. We have the power, we are the majority, and we will not accept even the possibility that you wanted us to be subjected to such invasive, unnecessary medical treatment.”
We do not forget, we do not forgive and we will do everything in our power to make sure our voices are heard this November. We demand that Mitt Romney denounce Corbett and his “just close your eyes” transvaginal ultrasound, but knowing Mitt Romney, he won’t give a hoot what women have to say. So how about Mr Romney and all Republican men take their wives for an unnecessary transvaginal ultrasound, you know, to give it a spin since it’s so non-offensive to them? That way, at least they’ll have some idea what they’re talking about.
We will not “just close your eyes” while Republicans abuse our personal liberty, and Mr Romney might not think it’s any big deal to pal around with hostile, cruel men like Mr Corbett, but it’s a big deal to women. Mr. Romney just took the endorsement of a man who advocates forcing women to watch, and whose grand gesture of appeasement for shoving a state-mandated wand up our vaginal canals is “just close your eyes.”
Thanks, but no thanks, boys.
Sarah has been credentialed to cover President Barack Obama, then VP Joe Biden, 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and exclusively interviewed Speaker Nancy Pelosi multiple times and exclusively covered her first home appearance after the first impeachment of then President Donald Trump.
Sarah is two-time Telly award winning video producer and a member of the Society of Professional Journalists.
Connect with Sarah on Post, Mastodon @PoliticusSarah@Journa.Host, & Twitter.
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