Focused Like A Laser On Lady Parts

[UPDATE]:

I mentioned this in comments but I think it’s worth an update: this thing is called the Life Defense Act. I mean, just … consider that for a moment, please. How does publishing the names of doctors who have performed abortions “defend life”? Except by putting a target on their back? Or, no I’m sorry, maybe those are “surveyor’s marks.” You’ve kind of tipped your hand there, Rep. Hill.

Jesus. You people just need to be hauled off to the fucking loony bin.

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Remember when the Tennessee Republicans promised to be “focused like a laser” on jobs? Ha ha ha ha ha:

TN bill mandates publication of abortion data

Doctors who perform abortions in Tennessee could see their names listed online, and women who undergo the procedures could be unintentionally identified under a bill pending in the state legislature.

[…]

The Life Defense Act contains two parts. The first would require doctors to have admitting privileges at a hospital near where they perform abortions, while the second would require the Department of Health to release more information on abortions, including the name of the doctor who performed the procedure and demographics about the women who receive them.

The measure’s sponsor, Rep. Matthew Hill, R-Jonesborough, said at an initial hearing on the bill earlier this month that the reporting requirement writes into law a form that the Department of Health already asks providers to fill out whenever they perform an abortion.

“The Department of Health already collects all of the data, but they don’t publish it,” he said. “All we’re asking is that the data they already collect be made public.”

Let’s see. Well, considering how abortion providers are hunted down like stray dogs by the loons in the fetus-fetish cult, I’m going to call this a supremely bad — even dangerous — idea. And considering publishing people’s private medical records is a violation of federal law, it’s probably also unconstitutional. But we all know what this is: just another blatant intimidation tactic by Republican men whose only purpose in life seems to be denying women access to a 100% legal procedure. So, fuck you Rep. Matthew Hill.

Seems like only yesterday we were debating whether the public should have access to lists of gun-carry permit holders. Ever since the Memphis Commercial Appeal published a list of Tennessee’s concealed carry permit holders, the gun loons have been quivering in their britches that someone might wanna steal their guns (this is a perpetual fear among gun loons for some inexplicable reason. Isn’t that why you people have guns in the first place? To protect your stuff?). I can’t remember if House Bill 53 made it all the way through the sausage grinder and became law — I think it ultimately died — but I do remember this being a huge debate in this state, regardless of the outcome. One key part of that law was to make it a crime for a newspaper to do what the Commerical Appeal did. Because … Freedom!

So that’s just so typical: Tennessee Republicans so up in arms about the public knowing who has a gun permit (and yes, there were some convicted felons on that list and people who legally should not have had guns. Woopsies!) But they want to publish the names of abortion providers for some inexplicable reason, when Dr. George Tiller was gunned down in his own church. That is a very real thing that happened, whereas people harassing gun permit holders is some fantasy the perpetually aggrieved conservative right manufactured.

You know, every day it’s some new thing, some new wingnutty indignity that Republicans are throwing at women — at all of us. Some new way of saying, “Hey we think you’re too stupid to know …” (fill in the blank: what a fetus is, what being pregnant means, what happens when you get an abortion, how babies are made, etc. etc. etc.). Some way of saying, “I’m gonna drag this state back to the 19th century if it’s the last thing I do.”

This BS is getting really, really fucking OLD. Every day some new awful thing, I mean, I can’t even muster the outrage any more. It’s just: yeah, Tennesssee Republicans are assholes. Every one of them, even the ones who are supposed to be nice, they just follow along in lockstep behind the chief hater in charge.

Really, what is the deal with these white, middle-aged men in the legislature? You guys just got vaginas on the brain or something? Is that all you people can do is sit around and dream up ways to harass women?

Speaking of harassing women, yesterday Tennessee Republican State Rep. David Hawk was jailed for domestic abuse. I’m not going to say that Rep. Hawk (allegedly!) beat his wife because he’s a Republican but it does seem like Tennessee Republicans are focused like a laser on harassing women, so there’s a certain symmetry to this news. If you spend your days dreaming up ways to hassle women, no one is gonna be shocked that you’re doing it in your private life, too. Just like no one was shocked that Curry Todd was busted stinking drunk with a loaded gun in his car: if you spend your days dreaming up ways drunks in bars can get guns, of course you’re going to be doing that thing in your private life too.

I guess none of us should be surprised. Republicans’ guiding ideology is that government can’t do anything like create jobs, so naturally when a Republican gets political power jobs are the absolute last thing they’re going to focus on. Somehow those things take care of themselves, free market fairy dust and all that. No, the only reason Republicans have for attaining political power is to try to roll back the left’s cultural advances. This is fighting a losing battle because some bells just won’t be unrung, but they’re going to try anyway.

The only question is, how much longer are people going to keep sending the same people into elected office, expecting different results?