In the days leading up to President Trump signing the $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill, dubbed the CARES Act, on March 25, right-wing media were filled with claims that Democrats were padding the bill with giveaways to people and organizations that supported their liberal agenda—which, to seasoned right-wing watchers, signaled that if perks were being added, better to look right than left for the sources. And of course, a side "benefit" of this right-wing chicanery is that women's rights are getting screwed in the process as well.
But first, a prelude to all this. Remember when everyone—that is, everyone except dyed-in-the-wool conservatives and Fox News commentators—was saying that one of the best ways to prevent coronavirus exposure was social distancing: everyone staying at least six feet away from strangers and anyone already infected? Well, of course, The Faithful knew that warning didn't apply to them, because they knew that whatever they did, God would take care of them.
F'r'instance, just last weekend, Pastor Tony Spell of the Life Tabernacle Church in Baton Rouge held a service for 1,000 of his followers after Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, just a few days prior, had called on all citizens to shelter in their homes, and had outright banned groups of more than 50 from gathering. Spell, who styles himself a faith healer, having claimed to have cured HIV and cancer during his services, claimed discrimination, arguing that unless all businesses were being required to close, his services should be allowed to continue. (Conservative attorney Jonathan Turley likened Spell's stance to that of Mary Mallon, better known as "Typhoid Mary," who in the early 1900s was a cook for several well-to-do families in New York City, who "repeatedly defied orders to wash her hands and quarantine herself"—and infected pretty much everyone she cooked for.)
Earlier, on March 15, Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne of the River at Tampa Bay Church and leader of Revival Ministeries International, also brought his congregation together in defiance of the "pansies" who feared the virus' spread, and according to an article in The New York Post, "encouraged congregants to hug in defiance of health warnings."
"We are not stopping anything," he said. "I’ve got news for you, this church will never close. The only time the church is closed is when the Rapture is taking place ... God will protect our people, and if you die to be with Jesus, so what’s the problem?"
Um ... the fact that as of this writing, just over 4,000 Louisianians have been infected with COVID-19, and 185 have already died from it?
P.S.: Both of those guys have been arrested for "creating a public nuisance."
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UPDATE: Dr. Steven Hotze, an anti-LGBTQ nutbar preacher, has appealed to the Supreme Court of Texas for an emergency Writ of Mandamus, overruling Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s March 24 stay-at-home order, which closes churches and gun shops during the coronavirus pandemic, according to an article on AboveTheLaw.com.
“If the Order is allowed to remain in place, the harm to individuals, businesses, the general public, people of faith, and the fundamental rights guaranteed to Harris County residents under the United States and Texas Constitutions would be impossible to undo,” reads Hotze’s petition, filed with three local pastors, who contend that their flocks cannot possibly wait until after the pandemic to assemble in worship and top off their arsenals.
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And then, of course, there's the decision by Liberty University head Jerry Falwell Jr. to reopen his school after spring break and encourage students to move back into their dorms—a move that one commentator described as "16,000 petri dishes he’s inviting back to Lynchburg, who have gone out all over country for spring break—he’s inviting them back into our city, our community, knowing that at some point they’re gonna have to interact with the public."
"We think Liberty’s practices will become the model for all colleges to follow in the fall, if Coronavirus is still an issue," Falwell told the school’s news service about ten days ago.
But enough about past insanity; how about the insanity that just around the corner?
Those with a good deal of fortitude can read the CARES Act's 880 pages here, but several interest groups have already done that homework and noticed that when it comes to women's and children's rights, religious conservatives have stuck it to them, using the bill to push their anti-rights agendas into state law.
First, let's take abortion. As pretty much everyone knows, if a woman is pregnant, there's a time limit within which she must terminate that pregnancy if she wants to do so. Various states have already passed laws preventing an abortion from taking place if the woman is anywhere from six weeks to 22 weeks "with child," though the six-week limit is currently under challenge and isn't being enforced.
But the point is, any pregnant women who were considering termination when the coronavirus pandemic struck are currently shit out of luck in three states, and depending on how some recently filed lawsuits turn out, may also lose that right in others as well.
"In recent days, leaders in several states—including Texas, Ohio and Louisiana—have pushed to close abortion clinics or severely curtail access, arguing that abortion is a nonessential procedure that ought to be delayed," The New York Times stated in an editorial last week. "The 'nonessential' bit is obvious nonsense and the delay a transparent attempt to put abortion out of reach for those who need it. As several major health care groups noted in a joint statement last week, 'Abortion is an essential component of comprehensive health care. It is also a time-sensitive service for which a delay of several weeks, or in some cases days, may increase the risks or potentially make it completely inaccessible. The consequences of being unable to obtain an abortion profoundly impact a person’s life, health and well-being.'"
Abortion rights supporters can add Mississippi to their enemies list as well.
The Times did have a few suggestions, including making birth control available for all women on demand (which continues to be part of the Affordable Care Act—that isn't always enforced); make "morning after" pills available by mail; and ditch the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits any federal monies from being used to pay for abortion services. In fact, the CARES Act reiterates that the Hyde Amendment applies to all federal funding distributed under the Act.
Also, remember how adult companies won't be eligible to apply for Small Business Administration Economic Injury Disaster Loans? Guess what? No Planned Parenthood branch or similar service organization is eligible for such loans either!
Of course, Planned Parenthood and the ACLU have already filed suit in four states (so far)—Iowa, Ohio, Oklahoma and Alabama—to ensure that women continue to have access to abortion services, and it seems likely that once PP applies for SBA loans and is turned down, a lawsuit about that will be in the offing as well. (The excuse for the SBA will be that there are about 16,000 Planned Parenthood employees countrywide, making it not a "small business"—but many of those Planned Parenthood clinics are independently owned and operated.)
And speaking of women and minor teens, who can forget the cautionary words of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, which asked in a recent email, "We have heard that traffickers are pushing victims to take gig jobs while sex buying is down. Are you hearing anything about this?"
And what about the children? Well, as usual, the religio-conservatives have plans for them as well—and in the CARES Act, that takes the form of Section 3821, the "Extension of Sexual Risk Avoidance Education Program," which, after sorting through all the "strike this" and "add that," means the bill will allocate monies on top of the already allocated $48,287,671 from last year's budget, to extend this utterly worthless abstinence education through November 30—just to make sure it's in effect when Americans go to the polls on November 3 to vote for a new president.
"Abstinence-only means anti-science and anti-reality," declared Freedom From Religion Foundation co-president Dan Barker. "These programs don't educate children, they keep them ignorant and that puts them at risk. Ironically, the 'ab-only' crusaders help to cause the abortions they denounce. We need comprehensive sex education."
And speaking of sex ed, that's one thing kids won't get if a new organization, Public School Exit, has its way.
Building on the fact that public schools in all large metropolitan areas and elsewhere have been closed due to the pandemic, "According to the non-profit, founded in 2019 by Christian leaders passionate about K-12 education, government schools are seriously harming children through sexualization, indoctrination, and dumbing down," the organization's press release on Christian Newswire states.
And finally, there's the draft. "What draft?" you ask. Why, the one that's sure to come as it becomes more and more difficult to find people willing to fight the current pandemic "in the trenches," so to speak.
"The National Commission on Military, National and Public Service, a congressional panel championed by the late Sen. John McCain, has seized the moment to advocate mandatory registration of all young women for the draft," wrote conservative whackjob Robert Knight in The Washington Times. "For years, women have served admirably in many capacities, just not deliberately in direct combat. Women have been exempted from the draft, and military women from combat, because they’re the bearers of life and primary caregivers. Plus, men are better equipped for combat," the sexist columnist claimed.
But since President Obama okayed women to serve in front-line combat in the Middle East, as far as Knight is concerned, all bets are off. After quoting former Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal's support for female troops in Afghanistan, Knight declares, "Translation: Let’s ram this through while people are terrified and distracted" by the pandemic.
Darn these leftists! Don't they have any respect for suppressing women's rights?
Photo from public source via Wikimedia Commons
