The Science of Orgasm and the Trial of Scott Roeder

Scott Roeder found guilty of murdering Dr. Tiller. Oprah's confrontation with the Palins is kind of weak. Also: the science of orgasms.

 

Subscribe to RealityCast:
RealityCast iTunes subscription
RealityCast RSS feed

Links in this episode:

STOPP program in South Carolina

Dr. George Tiller on why he became an abortion provider

GQ article on Scott Roeder

Tim Tebow/Sarah Palin advocating choice

Glenn Beck claims women are psycho

 

On this episode of Reality Cast, we'll learn more about the science of orgasms.  Also, Scott Roeder's trial in the murder of Dr. George Tiller begins, and Oprah Winfrey drops the ball in questioning Bristol Palin.

 

RH Reality Check posted a video looking into the success of the STOPP program that helped reduce the teen pregnancy rate in a South Carolina high school. 

 

• stopp *

 

It seems like common sense that you have to validate people's lives and experiences in order to communicate with them, but somehow, that message is implemented less often than it should be.

 

********

Scott Roeder's trial for the murder of Dr. George Tiller of Kansas started on Friday.  Unfortunately, that was also the 37^th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, which hardly seems like a coincidence and has many people worried that the judge in this case is disinclined to treat anti-choice terrorism like a real crime.  We'll see, I guess.  Before I get into analysis of the situation in the here and now, though, I thought I'd play some samples from recently released videos where Dr. Tiller explains why he became an abortion provider. 

 

• tiller 1 *

 

After that experience, the older Dr. Tiller apparently performed abortion quietly and illegally.  When he died in a plane crash and Dr. George Tiller took over his practice, he performed legal ones because his father did.  And apparently anti-choice nuts radicalized him, made him see the serious misogyny in their viewpoint.

 

I wanted to play that, because I think what the Roeder defense team may attempt to do is erase the victim of this crime, his humanity, the fact that he had a family, the fact that he worked out of compassion for women and horror at what can happen if women don't have access to safe abortion. Devin Friedman wrote a long and interesting piece in GQ about the case, and while I think Friedman has a couple of unforgiveable moments of pandering to violent misogynists, overall the piece exposes the vast gulf between the pro-choicers out there fighting for freedom and really for life, and anti-choicers who are battling their own weird demons.  Rachel Maddow had Friedman on her show to talk about what it was like to talk to Scott Roeder, who is open about murdering Dr. Tiller.  You really get an ideal of how much the anti-choice movement really is populated with nutty folks that have a hostile attitude towards reality.

 

• tiller 2 *

 

However, none of this should be taken to mean that Roeder is crazy or that he could use the insanity defense.  Friedman discusses this later on the segment.  There's a big difference between people who are basically sane but have a lot of nutty, self-serving beliefs that they cultivate in order to justify their seething hatred of the world and of life and of reality, and people who are literally insane.  What we should take away from this is that the people who engage in right wing misinformation campaigns and propaganda share the blame.  When mainstream journalists like Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck are willing to stretch the truth in order to serve up a steady stream of hate, it's not surprising that this encourages their followers to get further and further into nutty territory with the fluoride conspiracy theories.  And when one of life's losers like Roeder who is full of hate is encouraged to lash out against an abortion provider like Dr. Tiller, this sort of thing is inevitable. 

 

What really comes across as fascinating about this is that Roeder was open about how much premeditation went into his plan to kill Dr. Tiller.

 

• tiller 3 *

 

What really jumped out at me, and I wish Friedman had taken more time to point this out, is how much Roeder comes across as a coward in this piece.  He planned obsessively on how to get away with this, and when he finally did it, he ran.  Not really the man standing up for his so-called convictions that he'd like to imagine he is, but really more a sniveling coward who lashes out with hatred and hopes to escape responsibility.  Since Friedman contrasted the murderer and his victim in the piece, I wish he'd noted this cowardice, since he is in awe, as most of us are, of how brave Dr. Tiller was to practice even in midst of this constant threat of violence that finally took his life. 

 

Friedman seems pretty sure that Roeder will be paying for his crime.  The pro-choice community is worried that the judge's willingness to allow a voluntary manslaughter defense will mean Roeder gets off with a slap on the wrist, but the extent of the premeditation really means this crime can't qualify, since the manslaughter law requires you to be reacting in a very rushed way, not premeditating for a decade.  So that's good news, let's hope Friedman's right.

 

********

insert interview

********

To no one's great surprise, Sarah Palin continues to use activity in and around her and her daughter's reproductive tracts in order to keep herself on TV and in magazines.  Palin mother and daughter got on the cover of In Touch cuddling their most recent offspring with a headline about how they're glad they chose life.  As I wrote at RH Reality Check, this undermines their claims to be anti-choice, since obviously, if they don't get to make choices, they don't get to be celebrated for them.  Sadly, these finer distinctions seem to be lost on the anti-choice touring Palin baby circus. 

 

But that's to be expected.  What was unexpected was that the producers of the Oprah Winfrey show would let the Palins come on to spout their weirdness on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, which is especially tasteless sexism considering that most of Oprah's audience is female.  And the interview was bizarre from the get-go.

 

* palin 1 *

 

Oprah sounds like she's talking to a crazy person who just accosted her on the street, and who she's trying to escape without being rude or causing a scene.  Things only get worse from here, however, because as you know the Palin baby circus is all about the sex and how evil it is.  I fail to see why Oprah's people think giving air time to anti-sex sentiments is such a good idea.  I've read Oprah magazine, while waiting for doctor's appointments.  I know how much money they make off sex tips, and you'd think they wouldn't want to undermine that message.  And I suppose that Oprah does in fact try to challenge the message that Bristol Palin is a repentant fornicator who is going to stop fornicating.

 

• palin 2 *

 

A fair question, but kind of a shallow one.  Obviously, the narrative the Palins are trying to establish is that sex is naughty, but Bristol got her baby punishment, and that somehow wiped the slate clean.  It should only be your business if you have sex or not, but this whole charade is less about Bristol's personal business and more about sending the message that sex is bad and should be avoided.  Oprah tips her hand a little and implies that Bristol's statements probably have little to do with her actual sex life, which I'm pretty sure is the case.  She'd be doing the abstinence tour even if she was juggling 5 lovers behind the scenes. 

 

So the real question isn't, "What are you doing with your own body, Bristol?", but, "Why are you out there  promoting the idea that sex is bad?  Why exactly is it bad?"  That would have avoided this extremely silly exchange.

 

• palin 3 *

 

But why?  Why should it be a goal for women not to have sex?  What is so bad about sex?   Or what is so bad about women that they can't have sex?  Why can't Oprah ask a real question?  I suppose she's afraid the Palins won't come on her show anymore, but then that means they won't say weird things about Oprah's hair.  Everyone wins under that scenario, except Sarah Palin. 

 

********

And now for the Wisdom of Wingnuts, just bring out the hate edition.  Remember the days when I had to troll YouTube for outrageous misogyny on occasion?  You know, because more mainstream pundits and hosts hadn't really gone off that week?   Me too.  But now we have a steady drumbeat from Glenn Beck. 

 

• beck *

 

Yeah, he really really hates women.  And then wonders why the women in his life are angry.

 

Follow Amanda Marcotte on Twitter, @amandamarcotte