Men Dominate Cable News Birth Control Talk | Sister Carol Keehan of US Catholic Health Assoc Supports Compromise
/Daily French Roast
Anne is reading …
Karen Handel says Planned Parenthood launched “a vicious attack.” John BazemoreRecently-resigned Komen head of public policy Karen Handel does a boo hoo with The Daily Beast, calling Planned Parenthood a “gigantic Bully, using Komen as its own personal punching bag”. Handel is furious, saying that Planned Parenthood had agreed to keep quiet about losing their funding. It was a ladies agreement that Planned Parenthood would keep quiet, saying Handel without considering for one moment why they would do that. Several Beast commenters write that Handel sounds delusion, and we agree. Planned Parenthood is viciously under attack and Handel thinks they should graciously roll over and not make a ruckus.
“Two dozen Catholic bishops were saying not to support Komen,” she (Handel) continued. “We needed to find some options for moving to neutral ground. I was tasked with doing that.” She added, “An inordinate amount of staff time was spent trying to manage the controversy. We should be able to focus on our own mission and not be distracted by the controversy of another organization.”
Planned Parenthood sees the issue differently, countering that the news of the Komen defunding was first reported by “anti-choice outlets”. This is our sense of the evolution of events as well, although facts must be checked. Bottom line, at least Handel admits that the Catholic bishops were really on Komen’s case, telling parishioners not to support the charity because of its relationship with Planned Parenthood.
Silent Majority Goes Social
Republicans apparently launched the term ‘silent majority’ when Richard Nixon was president. He misguidedly believed that the majority of Americans supported the war in Vietnam and his administration’s infamous Deep Throat shenanigans.
“And so tonight—to you, the great silent majority of my fellow Americans—I ask for your support.”
Writing for Forbes, Peter Himler reminds us that Nixon got it wrong. The silent majority wasn’t on his side. Himler goes on to cite three recent events that have changed the political landscape: the Komen reversal, the SOPA defeat & BofA’s withdrawal of it $5 debit credit card fee.
In each case the ‘silent majority’ wasn’t so silent at all. Republicans joined Democrats, young and old, male and female, moms and no kids, progressive and liberal — not sure about conservatives — in an Internet roar, forcing 180-degree changes in policy.
One of the biggest questions stemming from the Komen backlash, heading now straight into the wall of America’s Catholic bishops and their permanent war on contraception is: will women rise up again? It occurs to me that women — and the men who support them, minus the Catholic women who embrace the Catholic patriarchy — could change church doctrines in a heart beat. It’s about the money, honey.
Related: Apple’s Brand Is at Stake as Customers Demand Better Labor Practices GOOD
More DFR
Sister Carol Keehan, President of US Catholic Health Assoc supports Obama accommodation on birth controlToday the Obama Administration shifted access to fully-paid birth control for employees in religious institutions to health care insurers and not the religious institution.The Catholic Church’s position is that use of contraception is a mortal sin, although the majority of Catholic women use birth control.
“Religious liberty will be protected, and a law that requires free preventive care will not discriminate against women,” Obama told reporters in the White House briefing room as he sought to put the political furor to rest. via Reuters
Aetna Inc said it will comply with the policy but needs “to study the mechanics of this unprecedented decision before we can understand how it will be implemented and how it will impact our customers.”
The US Conference of Catholic Bishops called it a “first step in the right direction” but is reserving judgment.
Sister Carol Keehan, president of the Catholic Health Association of the United States, welcomed the move, saying she was “pleased and grateful that the religious liberty and conscience protection needs of so many ministries that serve our country were appreciated.”
On Contraception, Cable News Says Men Know Best
Out of a total of 146 guests who discussed contraception, the cables invited 91 men compared to 55 women as commentators. In other words, males comprised 62 percent of the total guests who commented on contraception. Fox was the most gender stratified network – on the Business network, 10 of 11 guests were male; on the News side, male pundits took up 65 percent of the guest lineup (28 men vs. 15 women). Sixty percent of MSNBC’s lineup was male (44 men vs. 31 women). And while CNN was more evenly balanced, it was still slightly tilted in favor of male perspectives (9 men vs. 8 women). via ThinkProgress
Elle’s Women in DC Power List
Lovely & Amazing: The Women in DC Power List interviews Savannah Guthrie; Kathleen Parker; Dana Perino; Maureen Dowd; Stephanie Cutter; Debbie Shore; Michelle Rhee; Linda Daschle; Lisa Jackson and Jaci Reid.
Anne of Carversville
Eva Mendes | Txema Yeste | Marie Claire US March 2012 | Hot & Bothered
AOC Private Studio
Ilva Hetmann | Stefan Milev | Derzeit Magazine #6 Winter 2011/12 | ‘Apocalypse Postponed’
Mariacarla Boscono | Patrick Demarchelier | Vogue Italia February 2012
Leelee Sobieski | Michael Donovan | Bullett Winter 2011 | Never Been Kissed
Rooney Mara | Glen Luchford | Dazed & Confused January 2012 | Who’s That Girl
AOC Style
Josefine Nielsen | Sean McMenomy | Dansk Spring/Summer 2012
Sensuality News
SN Living
Lydia Hearst | Yu Tsai | Glamour France March 2012 | Skin Tonic
Lydia Hearst | Yu Tsai | Glamour France March 2012 | Sensuel Pastel
Lydia Hearst | Yu Tsai | Glamour France March 2012 | ‘Bombe Baroque’
Won Kyoung Kim | Ji Yang Kim | Dazed & Confused Korea February 2012 | Self Mosaic
SN Provocateurs
Georgie | Karla Majnaric | Factice Magazine #10 | ‘Georgie’
Eliza Sy | Yiorgos Mavropoulos | Xenia | The Creatives
AOC Apple Valley
Europe’s largest urban mall will convert energy from people’s footsteps in time for London’s summer Olympics, writes CNN. It’s hoped that the 20 tiles will supply half of the mall’s outdoor lighting needs.
The recycled rubber “PaveGen” paving slabs harvest kinetic energy from the impact of people stepping on them and instantly deliver tiny bursts of electricity to nearby appliances. The slabs can also store energy for up to three days in an on-board battery, according to its creator.
