Hi y'all!
I’m circling back to a reproductive justice story from last week because it
really made me proud of the pro-choice champions we have in the Missouri
Assembly.
Last week the Missouri House wasted the people’s precious
legislative time debating a resolution opposing the Obama administration’s
contraception coverage mandate.
The resolution was yet another overt pander to the powerful Catholic
lobbyists who seem to have more pull under the dome than the majority of
Missourians who support birth control coverage without a co-payment. During the debate several women Representatives
stood up to speak up and…well, represent their districts in support of birth
control coverage and in opposition to the panderfied resolution.
And guess what?
The Rep. presiding over the debate, a certain Rep.
John Diehl of the ‘I fear the voice of reason!!’ Diehls, refused to recognize
the women to speak.
Yep, it seems that those who have an outrageous tolerance
for using the weapon of government to pander to the Bishops are allergic to
hearing valid as hell and thus painfully accurate opposition to their bullshit.
All Missourians, regardless of political beliefs, should be
horrified that women elected to represent their districts in the House were not
allowed to speak on behalf of their constituents.
I’m disgusted and it takes a lot to disgust me after years
of watching similar disgusting behavior under that dome.
But our champions under the dome did not sit back and just
take that public display of disrespect.
Seven of the women, calling themselves the “Silenced Seven”,
and several of their pro-choice colleagues held a press conference outside of the Capitol
– you can listen to it here.
Pause…sip coffee…continue.
There are moments during our legislative sessions when it
seems like trying to plea the people’s case just isn’t worth it…it almost feels
like the Catholic influence a body has to wade through in the halls is waste high
and thick as shit…but then there are moments like the Silenced Seven press
conference, where those elected to represent Missourians actually struggle to
do so, that make the work of citizen lobbyists seem worth it.
So, here’s a belated fluff of the Afro to the 45 Reps
including the Silenced Seven who voted in the people’s interest against HCR 41.
Way to represent!
1 comment:
Shark-fu, encourage everyone to write to these legislators thanking them and encouraging them....paper mail weighs a lot more than electronic mail and folks seem to remember it better when the times get tough.
keep up the good fight.
b.
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