Michigan State Rep. Lisa Brown on religious freedom and vagina

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(Transcript after the jump.)

Yesterday in Michigan, before the Chubby Hubby of anti-choice bills passed the House, Rep. Lisa Brown spoke for the many pro-choice advocates who were silenced in debate. She then offered a very different take on religious freedom from the one we typically hear in US politics. Jewish law requires therapeutic abortion if a pregnant person’s life is at risk. So this anti-choice legislation is (by the weird logic that says religious freedom means the state’s laws should be the church’s laws) also impinging on religious freedom.

And then Rep. Brown said “vagina.” And then she was banned from speaking on the House floor in future debates. Seriously. State Rep. Barb Byrum was also apparently banned from speaking for saying “vasectomy.” Banning life-saving medical procedures: totally OK. Using medically accurate language: silenced forever. (Update: The speaker’s office now says they just can’t speak today. Which I guess makes being silenced for saying “vagina” and “vasectomy” totally OK…)

Megan Carpentier at Raw Story has a brilliant open letter to Michigan House Republicans. Go read it.

Rep. Lisa Brown: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well now I’m going in order of what I was saying. The sergeant is now removing 10,000 cards like these from constituents across the state whose voices were not allowed to be heard in committee, who stand and demand their rights. It was three big full boxes, there are more than 10,000 cards.

This legislation does a lot of things, Mr Speaker. It regulates business, requiring exhorbitant insurance policies to be purchased which will result in clinics closing, causing people to lose their jobs, and denying women their constitutional rights.

Yesterday we heard the representative from Holland speak about religious freedom. I’m Jewish. I keep kosher in my home. I have two sets of dishes, one for meat and one for dairy, and another two sets of dishes on top of that for Passover. Judaism believes that therapeutic abortion, namely abortions performed in order to preserve the life of the mother, are not only permissible but mandatory. The stage of pregnancy does not matter. Wherever there is a question of the life of the mother or that of the unborn child, Jewish law rules in favor of preserving the life of the mother. The status of the fetus as human life does not equal that of the mother. I have not asked you to adopt and adhere to my religious beliefs. why are you asking me to adopt yours.

And finally Mr. Speaker, I’m flattered that you’re all so interested in my vagina but no means no.

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