New Republican Theme Song: Thank Heaven For Little Girls
Since this bill had nothing to do with abortion let’s just call it what it is: Republicans are okay with young girls being forced into marriage. Sorry, if that sounds harsh, but that’s what their vote says.
Via Steve Benen:
FAILING TO PROTECT GIRLS FROM CHILD MARRIAGE…. As Jodi Jacobson explained the other day, “An estimated 60 million girls in developing countries now ages 20 to 24 were married before they reached the age of 18. The Population Council estimates that the number will increase by 100 million over the next decade if current trends continue.” In many instances, girls are forced into marriage through force or coercion.
For about six years, policymakers in Washington have crafted efforts to use U.S. influence to combat this trend. The result is the International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act. In the Senate, where obstructionism and gridlock are the norm, the bill was approved unanimously. In the House, the bill enjoyed the support of 112 co-sponsors, and it was expected to pass easily.
But House Republicans, in the 11th hour, balked. The bill was on the suspension calendar, so it needed a two-thirds majority to pass. On the floor, it had 241 supporters (nearly all of them Democrats), and 166 opponents (nearly all of them Republicans), which meant the legislation died.
And, why did it die? Lies about abortion.
Time for the facts. First of all, S. 987 is short — the body of the bill is around ten pages long — and does not mention abortion (“family planning” isn’t in there either). A quick read suffices to show that the bill is not dealing with abortion.
Second, as I noted yesterday, it does not appropriate any additional funding. It requires that the President and the State Department make child marriage a core part of American international development strategy. One more time: this means that this bill can’t provide funding for abortion. It’s not an appropriations bill. Nonetheless, some Republicans appear determined to showcase their conservative credentials at all costs — even when the facts make it unnecessary, even when the world’s most vulnerable children bear the bill.
More lies to polish their anti-abortion street cred – and the Tea Party (The “I see dead people aborted fetuses” crowd) will fall for it. Hook, line and sinker.
Tags: National Republicans, sexism
Sad to say, I’m not surprised. It’s all about abortion with the GOP now. They have devolved into a one issue party full of religious nut jobs who think that a woman needlessly dying during child birth is the best thing for the woman.
God’s punishment for having sex while poor.
It is a bad bill. A child in America can get married at 16 why not in other countries where the culture is different? There is nothing magical about 18. It is arbitrary. Throughout history marriage has often been younger. There is nothing wrong with it.
There is something wrong with trying to run the world on an arbitrary whim. We want international planned parenthood to say that teens should have sex. contraceptives, and abortions. If they choose to get married in consultation with their family, that is bad. What we should do is press to insure minors have the right not to marry.
There is an argument that we are on the wrong track by encouraging the delay of marriage from puberty. We are in a unique experiment in human history. I think it is right for us, but in much of the world, marriage could be what saves some teen girl from having to get her food from a garbage dump. It could be a new life for her. Our interference can only hurt her.
Stop Colonial Imperialism! Lead by example not pressure. I think that would help our standing in the world if we did it in a lot more areas including foreign policy.
David – so when are you selling off your daughters?
Are you offering? You are strange one. There may be a third world teen in Nicaragua whose family lost everything in the latest flood who is living on a garbage dump and may be dead in six months who would entertain your offer. My family is just fine.
No, just pointing out how much of a sick hypocritical fuck you are.
I think all too often when we try to impose our lifestyle on these issues when we don’t even impose them in parts of the U. S., it doesn’t work. The unintended consequences are far greater than any good that could come. It is a different world outside of the U. S. and Europe and we should be humble enough to walk softly not just on this issue, but crime and punishment, child labor (better to work in decent conditions than die), and a thousand other issues. We have enough things wrong here. We need to let others solve their problems and be willing to help them see a better way, but not impose it.
Cultural assumptions are just as valid that have a different expectation of marriage. Our obligation is to advocate for basic human rights like life, self determination, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of the press, the right of property, strong families, and support movement to universal education. We need to lead by example and charity.
We can lead the world, but we must lead not by intervention but by being a shining city and engaging through enlightened commerce and cultural and religious exchange. Try it, again. It made us the most respected nation on earth. We are losing that respect because we are arrogant.
We must lead by being a shining city and bombing the fucking shit our of all them muslim mothefuckers.
Amiright?
Only the ones that won’t leave us alone. Muslims have every right to their culture and religion. Part of our problem is we have not respected it and some resent it. Our cultural imperialism fueled the Islamic fundamentalist backlash. The moral depravity we exported, abortion, sexual depravity, and substance abuse was destroying their culture. They decided to protect it. They went way too far the other way,but it didn’t happen in a vacuum. you can’t understand what is happening without looking at it from their perspective.n You can’t stop them unless you understand their appeal.
Dialog is better than war. Unfortunately, that train left the station when they repeatedly attacked us. We should have been more sensitive to heading this off. We can’t put the fizz in the bottle. Still
I knew it.
“Our obligation is to advocate for basic human rights like life, self determination” – Delusioanal David.
If you believe in this, how can you seriously go on our blog or yours and rail against equal rights for gays and lesbians?
Part of our problem is we have not respected it and some resent it. Our cultural imperialism fueled the Islamic fundamentalist backlash. The moral depravity we exported, abortion, sexual depravity, and substance abuse was destroying their culture. They decided to protect it. They went way too far the other way,but it didn’t happen in a vacuum. you can’t understand what is happening without looking at it from their perspective.n You can’t stop them unless you understand their appeal.
Everyone, read that again.
David, what happened to they hate us for our freedom?
Cultural assumptions are just as valid that have a different expectation of marriage.
Unless you’re gay.
David, your sudden tolerance in reference to child brides is confusing, and a bit disturbing.
Disturbing reading from the United Nations. (xls) But I’m sure Republicans won’t let facts get in the way of their needs for a child bride.
“Throughout history marriage has often been younger.” Fact.
“There is nothing wrong with it.” Opinion.
Learn the difference.
“Our cultural imperialism fueled the Islamic fundamentalist backlash.”
Opinion. Unless you consider stationing troops in Saudi Arabia “cultural” rather than “economic” imperialism, in which case you’d be wrong.
“The moral depravity we exported, abortion, sexual depravity, and substance abuse was destroying their culture.”
They had their own moral and sexual depravity to deal with — why do you think they make their women cover up head to toe? There is no significant rate of abortion or substance abuse in most poor Middle Eastern cultures.
“They decided to protect it.”
No, they decided to repel invaders, and not cultural ones — military and economic ones.
Until you understand what we did that they considered wrong, you’re never going to understand how to fix it.
Geezer, asking the delusional one to understand anything is a tall order. He just likes to cite his version of “Rushisms” and claim they are facts.
Much research has shown that the way for a country to get out of poverty is to empower girls and women. Part of that empowerment is to get education for girls. Another big part is more control over reproduction and you don’t even have to allow abortion for this. You can allow girls to marry later. It’s not rocket science.
What disturbs me is that the thought of theoretical abortions is more important to the GOP than actual living, breathing girls.
UI, don’t you know that, in the minds of the GOP, women are just vessels to carry babies? Sad, but true.
So i guess since Bristol is impure, Willow will be the poster girl for teh future of america. “vote republican and get your own 16 year old white girl who wont say no!”
“Our obligation is to advocate for basic human rights like life, self determination” – Delusional David.
And not only does he hold out an exception to this if you are gay or lesbian, but apparently you aren’t entitled to this if you are a girl. Because these young women being coerced and sold into marriage certainly aren’t determining anything about their own lives.
self determination as a basic human RIGHT? I think you meant to say “trait”.
David, have you given us a glimpse of the new packaging for the old conservative slogan, “screw you, do it yourself”?
How very christian of you
Cassandra – my guess is he searching the commodities market to see what kind of price his daughters can fetch on the open market in Dubai.
While David has a valid point that these marriages are a way for some of these girls to find a better life, often that better life includes child rape. Sure, her family might get enough money to eat for a while based on some sort of dowery deal, and yes she might get to live in a nicer place. But what about the young girl (sometimes not even through puberty yet) who’s suddenly expected to provide for her husband (who is often MUCH older)sexually? I’d argue that the “better” life is not better when you’re a pre-teen submitting to your middle aged husband every night.
Geezer, you need to study the rise of Islamic Traditonalism. You should go to translations of Khomeini’s tapes and writings. Why do you think we are the Great Satan? We are the main enemy not Israel–they are despised because they are a Western Outpost–Little Satan.
His Big splash came in reaction to the White Revolution inspired by American reforms. He condemned the cultural imperialism in the 70’s. The Islamic Brotherhood has similar complaints as well as political ones. Look at other movements. The straw that broke the camels back was having 10 years of foreign troops in the land of Mecca for Bin Laden.
Geezer read pages 12 -14. http://www.iranchamber.com/history/rkhomeini/books/velayat_faqeeh.pdf
My opinion just happens to be fact so you may want to study up and revise your table. Good opinions are interpretations of truth.
V obviously having intercourse with a prepubescent girl is unnatural and natural law should prevail. Marriage by natural law is the union of the sexes for the continuation of the species in a way which builds stable families which serve as the foundation of civilization. That cannot occur with a 6 year old and a 40 year old.
Even in countries that allow an arraignment to be made at 8 or so the marriage does not occur until later. There are already local laws and international covenents govering that in most lands. As I said we should work to encourage ensuring that people are not forced to comply. I am sure you skipped that.
The above “conversation” certainly does demonstrate the moral highground of those promoting this “ACT”. If politics were not the ONLY concern of your discussion, and you were truly concerned about these young girls, it would be reflected in your responses, but to any halfway perceptive person it is clear that this is pure politics for you Delaware Liberals. What David has said, whether he is a Republican or not has a lot of good sense in it. It is absolutely true that our country has lost any moral high ground that it might have had at one time.
It is our wholesale export of pornography, our lack of personal discipline, our rampant debt and fiscal irresponsibility, our uncontrollable media spouting our moral degradation for all the world to see, our economic imperialism, all of these things and more negate any possibility of our having a good hearing in the nations of the world. Yes, it is time to clean house in our own country and hope that maybe that amazing change will have an impact elsewhere. It’s time to put up or shut up. Politics be damned!
Delusional David’s preoccupation with little girls is bordering on pedophilia. Another skeleton in your closet, David?
“our uncontrollable media spouting our moral degradation for all the world to see”
Goodbye First Amendment, I suppose.
David, I’m well aware of Iran’s problems with our cultural imperialism. I am also aware that it matches up quite well with your movement’s critique of American culture. What always puzzles me is that you can’t see their extremism in your own.