THE PERSONAL IS POLICTAL
AOC talks about her choice of birth control to make abortion debate ‘uncomfortable’ for Republican menDave Goldiner, New York Daily News
Thu, September 29, 2022
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is talking about her IUD — and she doesn’t care if it makes men feel uncomfortable.
The progressive firebrand disclosed her preferred birth control method during the House Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing on Thursday about the impact of new GOP restrictions on women’s right to choose.
“Since Republicans are forcing this conversation in uncomfortable ways, then I will meet them to it,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “I have an IUD. I’ve had one for years.”
Ocasio-Cortez was seeking to shed light on the possibility of pregnant women being denied critical medical care due to new laws banning abortion care in red states.
“Would (you) have to wait until I was in the process ... of actively dying before you could effectively treat me?” Ocasio-Cortez asked a doctor who was a witness at the hearing chaired by Rep. Carolyn Maloney. (D-N.Y.).
She called abortion rights a “profound economic issue” for women, saying that only men could neglect to consider the life-changing impact that being forced to go ahead with an unwanted pregnancy could have.
To not consider the financial implications of a woman’s right to choose “is certainly something that’s (a perspective of) someone who’s never had to contend with having a child,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
The second-term lawmaker representing parts of Queens and the Bronx further explained the devastating toll the lack of choice has on women.
“When the powerful force people to give birth against their will, they trap millions into cycles of economic setback and desperation,” she said. “Especially in a country without guaranteed healthcare.”
Since the Supreme Court ruled in June to nullify the constitutional right to an abortion, GOP candidates in battleground districts and states have tried to play down the issue while Democrats nationwide have made it a central part of their bid to retain control of Congress. Republicans still say the November elections will be fought on a political terrain focused on the economy and Biden’s standing with the public, although Democrats believe their voters, fueled by anger over abortion, are far more motivated to cast a ballot this fall.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who recently proposed a federal ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, has repeatedly argued that his plan is good politics for Republicans and that his party should tell the public that Democrats support few, if any, restrictions on access to the procedure.
SHE DRIVES THE RIGHT OUT OF THEIR TINY MINDS
AOC: Abortion is an economic issue because giving birth 'conscripts' parents to work ‘against their will’
Peter Kasperowicz
FOX NEWS
Thu, September 29, 2022
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., argued Thursday that access to abortion should be treated as an economic issue because policies that force women to have children also force them to work so they can afford to raise those children, which she said was a form of economic conscription.
"Abortion is an economic issue," Ocasio-Cortez said in a House hearing called by Democrats to discuss restrictions on abortion
FOX NEWS
Thu, September 29, 2022
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., argued Thursday that access to abortion should be treated as an economic issue because policies that force women to have children also force them to work so they can afford to raise those children, which she said was a form of economic conscription.
"Abortion is an economic issue," Ocasio-Cortez said in a House hearing called by Democrats to discuss restrictions on abortion
.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, listens during a House Financial Services Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 8, 2021.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, listens during a House Financial Services Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 8, 2021.
Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images
"Forcing poor and working-class people to give birth against their will, against their consent, against their ability to provide for themselves or a child, is a profound economic issue and it’s certainly a way to keep a workforce basically conscripted to large-scale employers and to employers to work more against their will, to take second and third jobs against their desire and their own autonomy," she said.
Ocasio-Cortez was responding to comments from Rep. Jake LaTurner, R-Kan., who criticized Democrats for focusing on abortion instead of economic issues like inflation and energy policy.
She said it’s "disappointing" to hear that point of view from someone who has "never had to contend" with bearing a child, and said abortion is a "profound and central economic and class issue."
Ocasio-Cortez also replied to another Republican lawmaker who sparred with a Democratic witness when he asked whether biological men can get pregnant. The witness, a doctor who is director of trans care for Planned Parenthood, said men "can have pregnancies, especially trans men."
Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., argued back that "men cannot get pregnant," and asked why Democrats would call up a director of trans care to the hearing.
Ocasio-Cortez accused Clyde of dismissing the needs of trans people.
"The same folks who… told us that COVID’s just a flu, that climate change isn’t real, that January 6 was nothing but a tourist visit… are now trying to tell us that transgender people are not real," she said. "And I would say that their claim is probably just as legitimate as all their others, which is to say not very much at all."
"Forcing poor and working-class people to give birth against their will, against their consent, against their ability to provide for themselves or a child, is a profound economic issue and it’s certainly a way to keep a workforce basically conscripted to large-scale employers and to employers to work more against their will, to take second and third jobs against their desire and their own autonomy," she said.
Ocasio-Cortez was responding to comments from Rep. Jake LaTurner, R-Kan., who criticized Democrats for focusing on abortion instead of economic issues like inflation and energy policy.
She said it’s "disappointing" to hear that point of view from someone who has "never had to contend" with bearing a child, and said abortion is a "profound and central economic and class issue."
Ocasio-Cortez also replied to another Republican lawmaker who sparred with a Democratic witness when he asked whether biological men can get pregnant. The witness, a doctor who is director of trans care for Planned Parenthood, said men "can have pregnancies, especially trans men."
Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., argued back that "men cannot get pregnant," and asked why Democrats would call up a director of trans care to the hearing.
Ocasio-Cortez accused Clyde of dismissing the needs of trans people.
"The same folks who… told us that COVID’s just a flu, that climate change isn’t real, that January 6 was nothing but a tourist visit… are now trying to tell us that transgender people are not real," she said. "And I would say that their claim is probably just as legitimate as all their others, which is to say not very much at all."
AOC Says Abortion Fight Is ‘Class Struggle,’ Claims Pro-Lifers Want ‘Conscripted’ Workforce
Isaac Schorr
Isaac Schorr
NATIONAL REVIEW
Fri, September 30, 2022
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) argued in a congressional hearing on Thursday that the disagreement over abortion rights is a “class struggle.”
“Forcing poor and working-class people to give birth against their will, against their consent, against their ability to provide for themselves or a child, is a profound economic issue and it’s certainly a way to keep a workforce basically conscripted to large-scale employers and to employers to work more against their will, to take second and third jobs against their desire and their own autonomy,” argued Ocasio-Cortez, who went on to call “abortion access… a profound and central economic and class issue and class struggle.”
Many of America’s largest corporations — including Amazon, Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Goldman Sach MasterCard, Microsoft, Paypal, Disney, and Tesla — added an offer to pay for the travel costs associated with seeking out an abortion to their list of employee benefits in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
A number of corporations that employ a high proportion of blue collar workers — including CVS Health, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Starbucks, and Target — also said they would cover those costs for employees.
Polling conducted by Pew Research and Statista show that lower-income Americans are less likely than their more highly paid peers to believe abortion should be allowed in most or all cases.
Fri, September 30, 2022
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) argued in a congressional hearing on Thursday that the disagreement over abortion rights is a “class struggle.”
“Forcing poor and working-class people to give birth against their will, against their consent, against their ability to provide for themselves or a child, is a profound economic issue and it’s certainly a way to keep a workforce basically conscripted to large-scale employers and to employers to work more against their will, to take second and third jobs against their desire and their own autonomy,” argued Ocasio-Cortez, who went on to call “abortion access… a profound and central economic and class issue and class struggle.”
Many of America’s largest corporations — including Amazon, Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Goldman Sach MasterCard, Microsoft, Paypal, Disney, and Tesla — added an offer to pay for the travel costs associated with seeking out an abortion to their list of employee benefits in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
A number of corporations that employ a high proportion of blue collar workers — including CVS Health, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Starbucks, and Target — also said they would cover those costs for employees.
Polling conducted by Pew Research and Statista show that lower-income Americans are less likely than their more highly paid peers to believe abortion should be allowed in most or all cases.
AOC rebukes anti-trans rant from GOP lawmaker during abortion rights hearing
Alex Woodward
Thu, September 29, 2022 at 2:44 PM·3 min read
During a congressional hearing on the fragile state of abortion care in the US, Democratic US Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez admonished a Republican congressman’s attempt to undermine the idea that transgender people can become pregnant.
Republican US Rep Andrew Clyde asked a physician on the witness panel a series of transphobic questions and repeatedly interrupted his answers.
“The same folks who tell us … that [Covid-19] is just a flu, that climate change isn’t real, that January 6 was nothing but a tourist visit, are now trying to tell us that transgender people aren’t real,” congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez told the House Oversight Committee hearing on 29 September.
In the aftermath of the attack on the US Capitol, the Georgia congressman claimed during a committee hearing that there was “no insurrection” and that images of rioters resembled a “normal tourist visit.” He was barricaded inside the House of Representatives as the mob breached the halls of Congress. He also has called the climate crisis “fake news”.
“I would say that their claim is probably just as legitimate as all their others, which is to say, not very much. At all,” Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez said.
Abortion providers and advocates testifed to the committee about the far-reaching consequences of state-level anti-abortion laws that have advanced in the weeks after the US Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned precendents affirming the constitutional right to abortion in the cases of Roe v Wade and Planned Parenthood v Casey.
Dr Bhavik Kumar – the medical director for primary and trans care with Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast – practises in Texas, where three overlapping anti-abortion laws include severe criminal penalties for providers, including life in prison.
Transgender men and transgender nonbinary people who have a functioning uterus and ovaries can become pregnant and often face unique and pervasive barriers to abortion care, exacerbated by state-level bans and restrictions.
During Thursday’s hearing, Mr Clyde appeared to repeatedly deny that transgender people exist or could become pregnant.
“Are you saying that a biological female who identifies as a man and therefore becomes pregnant is, quote, ‘a man’?” Mr Clyde asked. “Is that what you’re saying?”
“These questions about who can become pregnant are really missing the point,” Dr Kumar replied. “I’m here to talk about what’s happening in Texas.”
“No, no, no – this is me asking a question and you answering. I’m asking the questions, sir. Not you,” Rep Clyde said.
“Right, and I’m answering the questions. Somebody with a uterus may have the capability of becoming pregnant, whether they are a woman or a man,” Dr Kumar said.
Rep Clyde interrupted him: “OK, we’re done.”
“Not every person with a uterus has the ability to become pregnant,” Dr Kumar added. “This is medicine.”
Following the hearing, Dr Kumar posted on Twitter that “Trans people exist. Trans people have abortions. Abortion is essential healthcare and so is gender-affirming care.”
“I will not let bullies who are out of touch with reality silence or stop me from advocating for people who need trans and abortion care,” he wrote.
Alex Woodward
Thu, September 29, 2022 at 2:44 PM·3 min read
During a congressional hearing on the fragile state of abortion care in the US, Democratic US Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez admonished a Republican congressman’s attempt to undermine the idea that transgender people can become pregnant.
Republican US Rep Andrew Clyde asked a physician on the witness panel a series of transphobic questions and repeatedly interrupted his answers.
“The same folks who tell us … that [Covid-19] is just a flu, that climate change isn’t real, that January 6 was nothing but a tourist visit, are now trying to tell us that transgender people aren’t real,” congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez told the House Oversight Committee hearing on 29 September.
In the aftermath of the attack on the US Capitol, the Georgia congressman claimed during a committee hearing that there was “no insurrection” and that images of rioters resembled a “normal tourist visit.” He was barricaded inside the House of Representatives as the mob breached the halls of Congress. He also has called the climate crisis “fake news”.
“I would say that their claim is probably just as legitimate as all their others, which is to say, not very much. At all,” Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez said.
Abortion providers and advocates testifed to the committee about the far-reaching consequences of state-level anti-abortion laws that have advanced in the weeks after the US Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned precendents affirming the constitutional right to abortion in the cases of Roe v Wade and Planned Parenthood v Casey.
Dr Bhavik Kumar – the medical director for primary and trans care with Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast – practises in Texas, where three overlapping anti-abortion laws include severe criminal penalties for providers, including life in prison.
Transgender men and transgender nonbinary people who have a functioning uterus and ovaries can become pregnant and often face unique and pervasive barriers to abortion care, exacerbated by state-level bans and restrictions.
During Thursday’s hearing, Mr Clyde appeared to repeatedly deny that transgender people exist or could become pregnant.
“Are you saying that a biological female who identifies as a man and therefore becomes pregnant is, quote, ‘a man’?” Mr Clyde asked. “Is that what you’re saying?”
“These questions about who can become pregnant are really missing the point,” Dr Kumar replied. “I’m here to talk about what’s happening in Texas.”
“No, no, no – this is me asking a question and you answering. I’m asking the questions, sir. Not you,” Rep Clyde said.
“Right, and I’m answering the questions. Somebody with a uterus may have the capability of becoming pregnant, whether they are a woman or a man,” Dr Kumar said.
Rep Clyde interrupted him: “OK, we’re done.”
“Not every person with a uterus has the ability to become pregnant,” Dr Kumar added. “This is medicine.”
Following the hearing, Dr Kumar posted on Twitter that “Trans people exist. Trans people have abortions. Abortion is essential healthcare and so is gender-affirming care.”
“I will not let bullies who are out of touch with reality silence or stop me from advocating for people who need trans and abortion care,” he wrote.
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