This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis. It first appeared at The Conversation.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1414474
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1414474
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An 8th-century Sanskrit text instructs women wishing to induce an abortion to sit over a pot of steam or stewed onions.
The 21st century GQP will now try to outlaw onions. And steam.
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Be fair. White onions will still be allowed…
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Dave Barnhart
“The unborn” are a convenient group of people to advocate for. They never make demands of you; they are morally uncomplicated, unlike the incarcerated, addicted, or the chronically poor; they don’t resent your condescension or complain that you are not politically correct; unlike widows, they don’t ask you to question patriarchy; unlike orphans, they don’t need money, education, or childcare; unlike aliens, they don’t bring all that racial, cultural, and religious baggage that you dislike; they allow you to feel good about yourself without any work at creating or maintaining relationships; and when they are born, you can forget about them, because they cease to be unborn. It’s almost as if, by being born, they have died to you. You can love the unborn and advocate for them without substantially challenging your own wealth, power, or privilege, without re-imagining social structures, apologizing, or making reparations to anyone. They are, in short, the perfect people to love if you want to claim you love Jesus but actually dislike people who breathe.
Prisoners? Immigrants? The sick? The poor? Widows? Orphans? All the groups that are specifically mentioned in the Bible? They all get thrown under the bus for the unborn.
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Ha! Not hardly. I hope they weren’t expecting peace from this. The barricades they’ve put up tell me they weren’t.
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If men got pregnant, you could get abortion meds at gas stations and convenience stores.
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If men got pregnant, there wouldn’t be a new land war in Europe, Vlad would be home with the children.
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They’d finally stop trying to outlaw abortions.
Because they’d be way too busy getting abortions.
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Outstanding context, TPM. Thanks!
In the mid- to late-1800s… [p]rimarily motivated by fears about high risks for injury or death, medical practitioners… led the charge for anti-abortion laws during this era.
In every era, there seems to be a different determination led by people with actual concerns, including slaves developing abortafacients.
With that in mind, I’d like reporters to get Republican candidates to explain how they think a ban on abortion will help anyone. What is it supposed to do?
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Save the pre-born children of course. Never mind that there is no such thing as a pre-born child. And nevermind that abortions occur mostly when there is nothing but a clump of cells and heartbeats can be detected in petri dishes.
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For example, enslaved black women in the U.S. developed abortifacients – drugs that induce abortions – and abortion practices as means to stop pregnancies after rapes by, and coerced sexual encounters with, white male slave owners.
Um, wouldn’t “coerced sexual encounters with” suffice to cover both cases?
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…because, how in the heck would they ever be able actually to birth a baby?
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Hey, men have nipples now despite them serving no useful purpose. If a birth canal were needed, I’m sure nature would accommodate.
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Like this?
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The urethra could be made to accomodate, one supposes. 
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Ouch
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Maybe men could have pouches. Kangaroo babies are born very tiny and then they grow to a size where they can support their own weight while in the pouch.
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Well, join the club. hahahahahahaha
Men would never survive childbirth.
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