Nice McCain link. This could be his campaign motto:

"I don't know what I voted," McCain said.

Please provide some links to the usual male bloggers  finally getting the idea that female bodily autonomy matters. I know of some who are consistently anti-feminist, but I don't want to have to go prowling around and around looking for the gems.

I read some "mommy blogs" written by Christian conservatives (there is a left-meets-right phenomenon in the natural parenting world), and they've been very disillusioned with Bush's failure to do more than talk the Christian talk. They were for Ron Paul or Mike Huckabee, the "principled" Republicans (less often for Sam Brownback, because he had the bad judgment to convert to Catholicism).

These bloggers will occasionally debate whether all birth control is bad, or whether only "abortifacient" birth control is bad (and they do include regular birth control pills in this category, not just IUDs and morning-after pills).

Maybe Bush is just trying to shore up support for the GOP among these religious conservatives. Lord knows they are not enthusiastic about John McCain.

Bush, still living in the 1950s...This can't make McCain look good, 95% of the country uses contraception and won't take this lightly, I'd also wager a lot of anti-abortion people are going to be offended at the suggestion that they are engaging in abortion by using birth control.

This further underscores the need for a Democratic president.  Federal agencies exist within the Executive Branch and as a result high level agency officials are political appointees.  Because an agency can generally repeal its own rule, a Democratic appointee could presumably repeal any such rule shortly after its adoption, if it gets to that point.

OR-Sen candidate Jeff Merkley just put out a petition about this issue urging his supporters to speak out against Bush.

http://www.jeffmerkley.com/petition/righ ttochoose

We all need to make a big stink about this.

What still puzzles me is that the HHS is taking this move, relying on polling data.  Yes, polling data to verify a medical definition.

So why aren't they using the polling data that shows most Americans support choice?

Who can tell us that waterboarding isn't torture but using contraception is abortion?  McBush, that's who.

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/ro ll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?con gress=108&session=1&vote=00045#p osition

McCain (R-AZ) NAYs ---47

Statement of Purpose:     To improve the availability of contraceptives for women.

http://www.ppaction.org/ppvotes/pr-03052 008_mccain.html

"John McCain represents more of the same extreme Bush policies on women's health," said Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. "They both oppose commonsense preventive health services for women. It's clear voters want a change -- a president who supports access to basic health care, including family planning, affordable birth control, and appropriate sex education for young people. After eight years of George Bush, John McCain is simply more of the same."

McCain opposed allocating $100 million to prevent unintended and teen pregnancies.  In 2005, McCain voted NO to allocate $100 million to "expand access to preventive health care services that reduce unintended pregnancy (including teen pregnancy), reduce the number of abortions, and improve access to women's health care." Funding could be used for programs such as family planning services, teenage pregnancy prevention programs, and public education about emergency contraception.  [Appropriation to expand access to preventive health care services; Senate Amendment 244 to S Con Res 18 ; vote number 2005-75, 3/17/05]

McCain opposed legislation to provide funding for comprehensive and medically accurate sex education, including teaching about abstinence. McCain voted NO on legislation that would help reduce the number of teen pregnancies by providing funding for programs to teach comprehensive, medically accurate sexuality education and other programs to prevent unintended teen pregnancies. [Lautenberg/Menendez Teen Pregnancy Prevention Amendment, S.Amdt. 4689 to S. 403, vote 214, 7/25/06]

McCain opposed legislation requiring abstinence-only programs be medically accurate and scientifically based. McCain voted NO on legislation that would help reduce the number of teen pregnancies by requiring that abstinence-only programs be medically accurate and scientifically based and providing funding for programs to teach comprehensive, medically accurate sexuality education and other programs to prevent unintended teen pregnancies. [Lautenberg/Menendez Teen Pregnancy Prevention Amendment, S.Amdt. 4689 to S. 403, vote 214, 7/25/06]

McCain opposed Title X family planning program. In 1990, McCain voted NO on legislation to extend the Title X federal family planning program, which provides low-income and uninsured women and families with health care services ranging from breast and cervical cancer screening to birth control. [Motion to Invoke Cloture; Family Planning Amendments of 1989, S.110, 9/26/90]

McCain opposed requiring insurance coverage of prescription birth control. In 2003, McCain voted NO on legislation to improve the availability of contraceptives for women and would have required insurance coverage of prescription birth control. [Murray Amendment, S.Amdt 258 to S. 3, vote 45, 3/11/03]

McCain opposes comprehensive sex education. In an interview aboard the "Straight Talk Express," McCain struggled to answer a question about comprehensive sex education, stating that he supported "the president's policy."

   Q: "What about grants for sex education in the United States? Should they include
    instructions about using contraceptives? Or should it be Bush's policy, which is just
    abstinence?"
    Mr. McCain: (Long pause) "Ahhh. I think I support the president's policy."
    Q: "So no contraception, no counseling on contraception. Just abstinence. Do you think
    contraceptives help stop the spread of HIV?"
    Mr. McCain: (Long pause) "You've stumped me."
    New York Times The Caucus blog, 3/16/07;

McCain is unsure where he stands on government funding for contraception. "Whether I support government funding for them or not, I don't know," McCain said about contraceptives. washingtonpost.com, 3.16.2007;

McCain opposed repealing the "global gag rule," which restricts access to contraception and abortion services in poorer countries. In 2006, McCain voted NO on legislation to overturn the "global gag rule" which bars foreign non-governmental organizations from receiving U.S. family planning assistance if the organization (using its own, non-U.S. funds) provides abortion services or information or advocates for pro-choice laws and policies in its own country. [Boxer Amendment to S.600, vote 83, 4/05/05]

McCain supports overturning Roe v. Wade. In February 2007, the AP reported, "Republican presidential candidate John McCain, looking to improve his standing with the party's conservative voters, said Sunday the court decision that legalized abortion should be overturned. `I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned,' the Arizona senator told about 800 people in South Carolina, one of the early voting states." [AP, 2/18/07]

McCain says Roe v. Wade was a "bad decision." In May 2007, during an appearance on Meet the Press, Sen. McCain reiterated his support for overturning Roe v. Wade, saying, "I have stated time after time after time that Roe v. Wade was a bad decision, that I support a woman -- the, the rights of the unborn." He went on to say, "My position has been consistently in my voting record, pro-life, and I continue to maintain that position and voting record." [NBC Meet the Press, 5/13/07]

McCain would have signed the 2006 South Dakota abortion ban. In February 2006, the Hotline reported, "According to a spokesperson, McCain `would have signed the legislation, but would also take the appropriate steps under state law -- in whatever state -- to ensure that the exceptions of rape, incest or life of the mother were included.'" As the New York Times' Paul Krugman points out, "That attempt at qualification makes no sense: the South Dakota law has produced national shockwaves precisely because it prohibits abortions even for victims of rape or incest." [National Journal's Hotline, 2/28/06; New York Times, 3/13/06]

McCain touts "pro-life" credentials at Family Research Council conference. At a speech at the Family Research Council Voter Values Summit in October 2007, Sen. McCain said, "I have been pro-life my entire public career. I believe I am the only major candidate in either party who can make that claim."

As the late Henry Howell said, in Virginia a liberal is someone who believes in life after birth.  Unsaid but meant is that the religious believed in life after death; then others believed in life before birth. but only the liberals seemed to care about the life in between.

They don't want people to breed more, they want to stop people from having sex. They want people not to talk about sex in public. More importantly, they want people to feel ashamed and afraid of sex. Just as ashamed and afraid as they feel about it.

on that letter with Murray and Clinton; I guess he's going to focus on equal pay, rather than the choice issue, as indicated in a politico article.

We're becoming more like a Monty Python skit every day.  Pretty soon John McCain's going to be leading a rendition of "Every Sperm is Sacred" on the Senate floor.

Within their fucked-up moral framework, where a clump of eight cells that can barely be seen with the naked eye is a full person deserving of every right accorded to human beings, I can possibly see the argument against the morning-after pill and birth control pills.  In both cases, there is potential fertilization of the ovum, but it is prevented from implanting on the uterine wall.

But the sad fact is, they do oppose the use of contraceptives that don't even allow fertilization, such as condoms, and for no honest reason except that God struck down Onan in the Old Testament.

I am so glad that these people's days are numbered.  The Pill is one of the greatest things to happen in the struggle for female equality in recent decades.

My 1st date with the woman I married took place at an ERA rally in Denver..
She made the sign I proudly carried...

"If men could get pregnant
abortion would be a Sacrament."

I would hope that all women and men
who supported Sen. Clinton see what at stake.

birth control?
McCain..(and yes he voted against it)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNQxxV2nr Zo
("I haven't thought much about it")

It's just Bushs way of helping Obama out.  Any remaining Clinton holdouts get nudged a little closer to Obama when they are reminded just how bass-ackwards the GOP leadership is on reproductive choice.

The only way McCain can benefit from this is to full-throatedly come out to be anti-abortion and anti-contraceptive.  Up until now he has kept a conspicuous ambiguity on the subject so as not to "offend" any dissilusioned Clinton supporters who may have been eyeing him.

My 1st date with the woman I married took place at an ERA rally in Denver 1973..
She made the sign I proudly carried...

"If men could get pregnant
abortion would be a Sacrament."

I would hope that all women and men
who supported Sen. Clinton see what at stake.

birth control?
McCain..(and yes he voted against it)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNQxxV2nr Zo
("I haven't thought much about it")

pretty good article on it..
http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/arc hives/16152.html

There is our hero. While Hillary is fighting for rights of women.. what is Obama doing? giving a speech on parenting and abortions? Geez!

Just when I thought I couldn't hate Bush anymore than I already do....

This man is scum. He and the religious right can go straight to hell - except I'm an atheist so I don't actually believe in hell. :-)

Once again, Hillary Clinton shows us why she's one of the best we've got.  It's nice to see a strong advocate like her on the forefront of this issue.

Ooooh! Another strongly worded letter. I bet they are shaking in their boots. Or laughing their asses off.