The controversial lady who fought successfully to scare politicians away from the ERA has now revealed some of her underlying thinking, including — incredibly — the notion that husbands have carte blanche when it comes to raping their wives: "By getting married, the woman has consented to sex, and I don’t think you can call it rape," she has said.[1]

Oh, she’s a real ‘credit to her gender’ isn’t she?

"Eve , I like to watch…" Being There is one of my all-time favorite films! Since this is a thread about humor, I’ll leave you with an old (but crudely funny) joke I heard in the film For Your Consideration: "What do they say about a blind prostitute? You really have to hand it to her!"

There are many books I have been inspired by and recieved empowerment from, but as a young woman Rita Mae Brown’s "Rubyfruit Jungle", as well as Jeanette Winterston’s "Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit" were as moving to me as they were entertaining. Unlike their dour predecesser "The Well of Lonliness" by Radclyffe Hall (which was an undeniably brave tome for its time), "Rubyfruit" and "Oranges"—while not denying or shrinking away from the difficulties encountered by gays and lesbians—celebrate gay identity and give hope to their readers. Both books convey a similar message: Happiness can be found through self acceptance, and, while being gay is not always easy, it is neither sad nor shameful. Because they give such hope, I would have to say that both these books are LIFESAVERS!  

Elaine,

 You are not alive if your BRAIN is dead! The heart is an organ that is a pump which fuels the BRAIN and other organs. Don’t insinuate that mine, or anyone else’s education is being used incorrectly. I do SEE AND UNDERSTAND the issus which is being discussed…I understand it more thoroughly than most BECAUSE of my education and experience. There is NOTHING you could EVER say to change my views! We could continuously go back and forth on this, but the fact remains that I have confidence in my convictions, and I do not sgrink away from the debate when challenged. That being said, I don’t expect to change your stance. DO NOT accuse me of not looking at this issue or candy coating ANYTHING. There is a difference between a 12 week or less embryo and a full tern neonate! I could furnish you with a full and scientific description of the many differences, but you would neither read or care to understand them (NOTE: I am NOT saying you are incapable, I in no way am trying to insult your intelligence, I say that you don’t care to). Please do not insinuate that I am uncaring, unfeeling, or disrespecting of life. I have done thousands of emergency intubations, trauma cases, stat c-sections, labor epidurals, to try to preserve the life, health, and well-being of my patients! I have performed (and taught) ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) too many times for ANYONE to insinuate that I disrespect life in any way! And you still don’t comment on my observation that there are plenty of children who are already here that need help and loving intervention. Don’t you dare tell me I don’t ‘heed correct information’! This is my last statement to you on this subject, as I have made my position clear: The world, life, and issues such as this one are not simple…oversimplification and ‘rushing to judgement’ about life decisions others have made/make for themselves is wrong! If your ideas about ‘the begining of life’ is accurate, than everyone who has had the ‘morning after’ pill, has used an IUD, or has had an abortion, are murderers! I disagree completely with this opinion; the acceptence of such notions are not far from saying that  all nonprocreative sex is wrong, and that masturbation is immoral because it the waste of a ‘potential’ life!

Elaine,

No one is forcing anyone to have abortions. I really wish you read all (yes I know it was long) of my post. Just like shementary does not rhyme with rudimentary, the heart is NOT the determinant of life! Did you even read what I said about brain death? What you are proposing to do is to take away options for people…Like I said, many a wealthy women (including Nancy Reagan, so they say) have recieved safe abortions (even when they were not LEGAL) because they could afford one! As I said, if you REALLY care about babies ADOPT ONE OF THE MANY UNWANTED ONES WHO ARE ALREADY HERE! You are trying to make a complex issue black-or-white. I have stated my position based on scientific education, medical experience, real-world experience, philosophy, meditation, prayer, etc. I am not a starry-eyed grand-stander trying to take individual choices away from people. This is not murder. If you think that, it is your opinion. You are entitled to it, as I am to mine. As I said, there are people having full-term, healthy babies and throwing them into dumpsters, rivers, etc. That is a real tragedy (the neonate that the woman in Louisiana drowned, was a full term, perfectly formed little girl). I think we as a society would be best served if we tried to find the causation of such tragedies, so we could try to prevent them. Also, we need tougher laws to protect children against physical and sexual abuse. To many children are battered and eventually murdered because child protective services leaves them in unsafe situations. Now that is a tragedy!

Elaine,

Embryos have RUDIMENTARY ‘heartbeats’  early on (these are the BEGININGS of valve development in a DEVELOPING heart)…but the old idea that the "heartbeat is the life" is athrow back to ancient Egypt. The Egyptians of antiquity believed that the heart was the place where a persons thoughts/personality/soul was—they had absolutely no idea what the brain was for and, in fact, they carefully removed certain organs (the heart, the liver, etc.) and placed them in canopic jars to acconpany the mummy into the afterlife. The brain, however, they threw away, thinking it was of no importance! We in our century know that the BRAIN is the central ncontrol for internal processes, as well as the outward expression of one’s personality. Indeed, we on anesthesia even have to provide services when organs are being harvested from brain dead individuals, because we have to insure [adeuate perfusion to said organs, so they will be fit and functional. If a heartbeat was the true measure of life, then these harvests would be murder…but they are not (I am even the beneficiary of a tissue donation myself…I had ‘brain surgery in 1997, and had a piece of cadaver-donated dura mater, which is the tough covering of the brain and spinal cord, placed into me). As an interesting aside, the word dura mater means ‘tough mother’ in Latin. So, as I hope my responses indicate, I have dealt with the issues of birth, development, and death on many levels, in many ways over my career. I am also a mother myself, and I love my two children (an 18 year old boy and a 15 year old girl) more than anything in this world. The thing is that so many issues are seen as cut-and-dried/black-and-white matters. This is, however, a gross oversimplification. Each person has to make life’s decisions for themselves…decisions which may be ,like life itself, never simple and rarely easy. To absolutely prohibit all abortions would be wrong…there are too many different situations and circumstances to be considered. Whether you, or anyone else would like to admit it, safe abortions have always been available (and always will be) to those who are wealthy enough to pay for them! Also (for reasons I will never understand) you have women who have their babies and discard them like they are garbage (there was a 25 year old woman in Louisiana several weeks ago who had her baby, and took it to a bridge, and threw it into the river). I think the best thing a person who is interested in helping babies can do is—don’t picket a clinic—ADOPT! God knows there are too many children already here who are unwanted and/or poorly cared for! As for choosing to give your own life for your baby (if you were in that position), that is fine…it is your decision for your on life. I have seen families crying over the prospect of losing a mother/wife/child…decisions that each individual makes or each family makes must be theirs to make. If we decide for them, then we take the most essential rights and dignities from them. This is not ‘the American way’, nor is it (I believe) God’s way. God did, after all. give us free will. I also believe that faith is shown by life example, not force. Decisions about God/faith/religion are also individual…If you have forced a religion on someone, you’ve given them nothing (other than, possibly, anger and resentment).

Elaine.

You know (from previous posts) I believe in unrestricted abortion rights through the first trimester (when the development is not advanced beyond embryonic stage, and there is no higher brain development or extrauterine viability). I believe in abortion rights in second trimester if the mother’s life is in danger or if the fetus has a terrible anomaly. If you’ve carried a pregnancy to 6 months, it is starting to become viable in an extrauterine environment, and—if you’ve carried it this far—have it and give the baby up for adoption. My beliefs are based on scientific, as well as moral, principles, as well as 21 years in anesthesia, and almost 25 years in healthcare. I know you disagree (you know what I think, as we have discussed this before), but I have much experience caring for pregnant ladies, as well as babies, and children. I have seen horrible anomalies such as anencephaly several times, and I have had to care for pregnant trauma victims many times (this is a particularly stressful and challenging situation). I have seen situations in which decisions had to be made regarding the baby’s life vs. the mother—I would never be so presumptuous to make such a difficult decision for the patient and/or her family. I have also done a c-section or two on women who were basically brain-dead, but who had been maintained on life support long enough for their babies to be given a chance to live. So, as I hope you see, this is not merely a yes or no question to me.