老美看美國:共和黨--有限政府,限制避孕!
文/羅傑 翻譯/丹奇
(2012年2月10日)
共和黨這些年的戰鬥號角就是為了有限政府並把政府從我們的生活中趕出去。我想大部分人會同意這一點。但如果這就是他們的戰鬥號角 — —他們又為何對婦女為防止懷孕而服用的「晨服」藥丸那麼在乎並嚷嚷不停呢?
我敢肯定人們的思維過程和推理比我在這裡可以討論的要複雜的多。但是,依我看,有一個集團,一個很大的集團想要把自己的意志強加給別人身上。他們在乎的不是有限政府,實際上是想用鐵腕掌握權力,限制人民的權力和意願。
我不明白為什麼有人在乎別人是否吃藥避孕。避免懷孕那是別人自己的個人決定。我是誰啊?或我們是誰啊?輪的到我們去告訴別人怎麼決定自己的生命或者怎麼樣生活嗎?
一個人的決定能夠影響到我的唯一方式就是如果他們的確懷孕了,並在下面幾種情形下採取行動:1)有了一個不想要的孩子 2) 在貧困中帶大那個孩子 3)放棄孩子給人領養 4)孩子生活在貧困中沒有足夠的條件獲得衛生保健,因此是不健康和需要國家援助 5) 作為母親因為有了孩子而無法完成大學學業,因此不能挖掘她的潛力,結果需要政府援助 6) 至少其它十個理由對我有負面影響。
那麼,我的觀點是,所有這些情況都是不好的。他們對婦女不好,對孩子不好(如果她有了的話),對我不好,對社會不好(納稅人)。
那些想限制婦女服用「晨服避孕丸」的人的思路與我們在一些「神權」國家看到的情況是一樣的—神權國家的政府本質上是建立在宗教信仰上的,不管你是否相信那個宗教。與沙烏地阿拉伯很像。那裡的婦女是不允許開車和投票的,甚至沒有老公(如果結婚了)或異性親戚的陪同是不可以出去到公共場合的,或者會被強迫穿上嚴格限制不許露出臉,頭髮,以及身體一寸肌膚的衣服。
那是多麽可笑啊!這也許是其他國家的傳統習俗。我對此絕沒意見。但是在這裡?在美國也這樣?這是強迫一個群體,婦女群體,像另一個群體的宗教信仰投降!
我今天上午看福克斯FOX新聞時,他們的一個評論家甚至對這粒藥丸說謊—把它稱為「流產」葯。沒有一絲科學依據證明它是流產葯。事實上,你如果懷孕了,這葯反而沒有用了。這葯是用於預防,對,預防懷孕的。
但是,保守派們的觀點裡充滿了誤傳,傳播恐慌,和徹頭徹尾的謊言,說謊的目的就是從宗教的角度把他們自己的對錯觀點強塞給他人。他們的觀點實際上是在踐踏那些人,那些受到憲法保障的婦女們。
上個星期,蘇珊寇門癌症基金會決定停止給一個正在研究乳腺癌的計劃生育項目提供資助—說計劃生育基金會正在接受調查,然後說她們不喜歡這個基金會在乳腺癌方面進行的研究
其實,停止提供資助的原因是因為最保守的派別認為計劃生育基金會只是給人做墮胎手術的。她們確實為人們提供墮胎手術,但那只是她們工作內容的5%。她們的其他工作是為婦女做健康保健—大部分是乳腺癌,宮頸癌和生殖健康—提供這些服務給那些沒有保險的或窮困的婦女。她們確實接受聯邦稅收作為她們資金的一部分,但是她們的資金大部分都來自私人贈款和捐助人。
寇門基金會決定切斷資助后,計劃生育基金會收到了超過3百萬美元的捐贈-相比普通捐贈是一次大規模的提高。寇門基金會受到新聞各界的詬病,他們自己的多個捐贈人也表達了憤怒。整個社會壓倒性地對他們的行動表示了憤慨。那麼寇門基金會做了什麼呢?呵呵,他們在3天內撤銷了這個切斷資助的決定,並會繼續對計劃生育基金會進行的乳腺癌研究提供資助。他們的公共政策主任在巨大的壓力下辭職了。或許是被迫辭職,不然她會被炒魷魚的。然而,有趣的是,這個公共關係主任曾經在2010年喬治亞州競選過州長但是落選了。她競選時的主要議題就是反對墮胎,她會在喬治亞州停止對計劃生育基金會的資助。
對諸如計劃生育基金會這樣的公益組織停止資助,就等於是自討苦吃。這個舉動是小心眼的,實際上只是限制了一些婦女獲得健康保健。有些婦女的唯一健康保健是從計劃生育基金會獲得的。但是,那些試圖把自己的意志強加到別人頭上的人,為了自身的利益,損害的是數百萬婦女。
我發現我們社會中有著一種卑劣的現象,一個群體試圖把他們的信仰強加於別人的頭上,與此同時,他們卻還在叫嚷其他國家的人權是如何被其他政府濫用的-不論是沙烏地阿拉伯以及他們對婦女的嚴格律法,或者是中國以及他們的宗教組織權利。 這些人手指指責別的國家,卻在自己的國家違背民意,倒行逆施,這難道不虛偽嗎?
對我來說,我只希望共和黨能夠忠實於他們所說的核心理念:有限的政府和限制對公民生活的侵犯。但是,說來容易做來難。虛偽的共和黨正在每天演給我們看呢。
(原文)
REPUBLICANS WANT LIMITED
GOVERNMENT
SO WHY ALL THE
CONCERN OVER A PILL?
By Roger Dean
The battle cry for years of the Republican party has been
for limited government and to get government out of our lives. That』s something
I think most people would agree with. But, if that is their battle cry – why
all the concern and screaming about a little 「morning after」 pill for women to
take to avoid pregnancy?
I』m sure the thought process and reasoning is much more
complicated than I could discuss here but for a group, a large group at that,
to want to impose on someone their own personal beliefs strikes me as not being
limited government but actually to be more like an iron grip on power and
limiting the rights or wishes of the people.
I fail to understand why someone would care if someone else
took a pill to avoid a pregnancy. That individuals decision to avoid a
pregnancy is their decision and theirs alone. Who am I, or who are we, to tell
another person what to do with their decision making process or how to live
their life?
The only possible way that this persons decision could
affect me is if they did get pregnant and put in motion the following possible
scenerios: 1) have an unwanted child 2)
bring that child up in poverty 3) give
that child up for adoption 4) child
lives in poverty and doesn』t have adequate access to health care and is
therefore unhealthy and needs state assistance
4) the mother has the child and fails to complete college and thus does
not reach her potential and ends up on government assistance 5) at least 10 other arguments that could
negatively affect me.
Now, the point of this argument, my argument, is that all
the scenarios are bad ones – they are bad for the woman, bad for the kid if she
has one, and bad for me and society ( the tax payers ).
The thought process of those who want to limit the woman』s
access to a 「morning after pill」 is much the same as we see in countries that
have a 「theocracy」 – a government essentially based on religious beliefs,
regardless of whether you believe in that religion or not. Much like Saudi
Arabia where women are not allowed to drive or vote or even be out in public
without being with a spouse ( if married ) or a male relative, or being forced
to wear restrictive clothing to hide their faces and their hair and every inch
of skin on their bodies.
How ridiculous is that? It may be custom and tradition in
other countries, I』m ok with that, but here? In the USA? It』s forcing a group, women,
to give into the religious beliefs of another group.
I was watching Fox News this morning and one of their
commentators even lied about the pill itself – calling it an 「abortion」 pill
when there is not one piece of scientific evidence that notes this. In fact,
the pill doesn』t work if you』re pregnant, it only works to prevent, yes –
prevent, a pregnancy.
But, so much of the argument from the conservatives is so
filled with misinformation, fear mongering and outright lies, that the purpose
of the lie is to feed their own sense of right and wrong from a religious point
of view that their view actually tramples the rights of those people, women,
that are guaranteed under the Constitution!
Last week the Susan G Komen cancer foundation decided to
stop funding Planned Parenthoods efforts in studying breast cancer – saying
that Planned Parenthood was under investigation and then saying that they
didn』t like the studies and research that the group performed on breast cancer.
Actually, the reason for stopping the funding was because
most conservatives think of Planned Parenthood as performing abortions only.
They do perform abortions but it is only about 5% of their work. The rest of
their work is for womens health – mostly breast cancer, cervical cancer and
reproductive health – giving these services to women who do not have insurance
or are poor. They do receive federal tax dollars as part of their funding but
the majority of their funding comes from private grants and donors.
After the Komen foundation
decided to cut off funding Planned Parenthood received over $3 million
in donations – a massive increase in normal donations. The Komen foundation
received very bad press and outrage from many that donate to their foundation.
Society overwhelmingly was outraged at their move – and what did Komen do?
Well, they rescinded their 「defunding」 in 3 days and will now continue to fund
research for breast cancer to Planned Parenthood and their director of Public
Policy resigned over massive pressure ( probably forced to resign or she would
have been fired ). Now, the interesting part about the Director of Public Policy
is that she ran for Governor of Georgia in 2010 but lost, but her major theme
that she campaigned on was to be anti abortion and that she would defund
Planned Parenthood in the state of Georgia.
To defund an organization like Planned Parenthood is literally
cutting your nose off to spite your face. It』s a mean move and actually only
limits the options that some women have towards health care. Some women』s only
health care is from Planned Parenthood. But, for those who try to force their
own personal beliefs on others do so only for their own benefit to the
detriment of millions of women.
I find it despicable in our society that one group tried to
force their belief systems on others while at the same time screaming about how
the rights of people in other countries are abused by other governments –
whether it is Saudi Arabia and their strict codes on women, or China and the
rights of religious groups there. It』s not only hypocritical for these people
to point fingers at other countries but even worse when they do it here in
their own country to the detriment of their own people.
For me, I just wish the Republicans would be truthful to
what they say their core belief is: Limited Government and Intrusion into
citizens lives. But, saying it is easy – actually practicing is much more
difficult, as the hypocritical Republicans continue to show us every day.