Privacy Sounds Good to Pro-Prop 8 Forces Now
by Terry Cosgrove, Personal PAC
February 20, 2009 - 8:00am (Print)
It was one of those newspaper headlines you read and say to yourself, "Who are they kidding?" I'm referring to the recent International Herald Tribune article titled, "Gay-marriage opponents want to be anonymous." The article discusses how the Mormons, Knights of Columbus and other right-wingers want to protect their "right to privacy" so they are suing the State of California to keep their financial contributions to the recent anti-equal marriage Proposition 8 out of the public view. Secret Santa is one thing, but a secret political contribution is quite another.
Because this latest stroke of hypocrisy on the far right is so stunning, I'll leave the debate surrounding the lawsuit to greater minds. Their legal action contends that the bigots who contributed to the pro-Proposition 8 campaign have suffered "...threats of physical violence, vandalism of personal property, harassing phone calls, harassing emails, blacklisting and boycotts."
Why does all of this sound so familiar? Perhaps because for more than 30 years, the anti-abortion activists on the right, many associated with the Catholic Knights of Columbus and Mormons (both conveniently oppose measures to prevent abortion and HIV), have been invading the right to privacy of millions of American women seeking medical care with physical violence, vandalism of personal property, harassing phone calls, emails, blacklisting, boycotts, etc. In other words, the law should protect anti-abortion and anti-gay activists from threats, boycotts and violence but these same people should be allowed to participate freely in threats, boycotts and violence against women seeking birth control and abortion. You can't even make this stuff up.
For those who haven't read the right-wing playbooks on denying American women their "right to privacy" in medical care, here's some highlights to consider while the anti-abortion/anti-GLBT activists are arguing for same in the California courts. For decades they have:
- Verbally harassed and physically assaulted women entering medical facilities for a range of reproductive health care;
- Attempted to obtain and make public the private medical records of women who have sought abortions;
- Obtained personal information from auto license plates at medical facilities and used that information to inform employers and family members that a woman has sought an abortion;
- Video recorded women entering medical facilities where abortions are performed and passed that video info to others;
- Launched national boycotts against corporations, foundations and others which make financial contributions to Planned Parenthood and other providers of women's health care;
- Harassed, threatened, kidnapped and otherwise injured, and in some cases murdered, doctors and other medical workers who provide abortion services;
- Launched boycotts and pickets of homes and schools of family members of contractors, architects, masons, plumbers, and others who build medical facilities where family planning and abortion is an option;
- Encouraged pharmacists to impose their personal beliefs on patients by refusing to fill prescriptions written by doctors for birth control and emergency contraception; and,
- Hosted websites posting the photos/video of doctors, health care workers and women with the intent of intimidation and encouragement of violence against those providing or seeking reproductive health care.
It would be quite insightful if a judge on the case or attorneys opposing the pro-prop 8 legal maneuver would ask the anti-abortion/anti-GLBT Mormon, Catholic, Evangelical folks some questions I would like answered which would include the following.
How is a boycott of corporations and individuals who give money to Planned Parenthood any different than a boycott of corporations and individuals who give money to the pro-Proposition 8 campaign?
How is sending an email to someone who publicly gave money to the pro-Proposition 8 campaign different than sending an email to the boss of a woman telling that boss that the woman recently visited a medical facility where abortions are performed?
How is picketing a doctor's home and her/his children's school with a sign saying "murderer" accompanied by the doctor's photo any different than picketing a pro-Proposition 8 person with a sign that says "bigot" on it?
Finally, if it's good for the goose, isn't it good for the gander?
These right wing zealot nut cases should be exposed, as they are bullies who intimidate and harass both women and gays!! They should have to suffer and know what it is like in a reversal. After all, these busybodies have asked for it! Maybe once they have walked in another's shoes they will understand!!
Seems both sides of the abortion debate demand privacy for themselves but want to deny it to the other side. But this is off topic anyway, since the issue was gay marriage, not abortion.
It is sad that those the media depict as the leaders of both sides are so inconsistent. There are many prolifers who support gay marriage (see http://www.consistent-life.org ) and many gays who support rights for the unborn (see http://PLAGAL.org ).
By all means complain about violence by prolifers outside the clinics; but is it not also hypocrisy to pretend that the unborn being killed inside the clinics are not victims of violence?
Better yet, why not support development of nonlethal methods for terminating unwanted pregnancies so that freedom from unwanted pregnancies can be protected without denying the unborn the same potential to be whatever they can become (including married) that we want states to stop denying to gays?
you're just pro-fetus.
You're giving him too much credit. He's only pro-fetus inasmuch as it supports his actual cause: contempt for women, whose sexuality he can't control. These people don't care two craps for actual children and would be just as happy to see women die. Do not underestimate their hatred.
PLAGAL consists of 6 Log Cabin Republican males and Camille Paglia. (Remember her, anyone?)
Camille Paglia! Everyone, run in the opposite direction screaming! Jesus lord, I do not care for that woman.
Yes, it is somewhat ingenuous to claim there is much of a movement of pro-life gays, or of pro-gay anti-choicers. They exist, but not in numbers.
Excellent article. Thanks so much for posting it.
You're right, the far right's hypocrisy is stunning and transparent. We do need to expose them for the liars and cheats that they are. Campaign laws and church taxation issues should also be on the table for review. Something's amiss when churches and their attendant support organizations receive tax-free status yet contribute to political campaigns (in other states, no less).
What is even more alarming about their obvious tactics is their utter contempt for people whose sexuality they don't understand or want to control (same thing). Without putting too fine a point on it, the worst of these become the mass murderers in society, their hatred of gays and women is so extreme -- and often encouraged by religious organizations and, of course, on dittohead right-wing rant TV.
We must meet their contempt with honesty and expose them. We can't let them run the country anymore. We don't need an American Taliban trying to dictate narrow ideas of sexuality and identity. But please do be careful as some of them really are dangerously violent and unstable.
You want to talk about hypocrisy?
You know nothing about the Mormons obviously.
Get your facts straight and then try saying that the Mormons are suing the state of California.
You people are all the same..you resort to the media for valid information when really, its far from valid.
Instead of relying on poor information..go straight to the source. Mormons may have donated money to the cause of Prop 8 but only because they wanted to, not because the Church made it mandatory.
Like I have said in one of my comments on an earlier article, this site is truely great work as it addresses a lot of issues that many other sites fear to address. It is doing great. keep it going.
great article, thanks !
sending money to who publicly gave money to the pro-Proposition 8 campaign would be a better strategy to combat Pro-Prop 8.
Johana
Solar Power
The overarching issue in the Prop 8 debate is with regard to the accusation of double standards. The ideal legalese interpretation of the constitution provides citizens with an equal protection of the law. However, the realist interpretation have always erred on who holds power in public office.
