« New UNICEF head won't change condom policy | Main | Indiana seeks minors’ medical records »
May 31, 2005
White House refuses to state position on contraception
In a press briefing last week, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan completely refused to answer a pretty goddamn important question: is Bush opposed to contraception?
Q There are news reports this morning that parents and children who were guests of the President, when they visited Congress, wore stickers with the wording, "I was an embryo." And my question is, since all of us were once embryos, and all of us were once part sperm and egg, is the President also opposed to contraception, which stops this union and kills both sperm and egg?
MR. McCLELLAN: I think the President has made his views known on these issues, and his views known --
Q You know, but what I asked, is he opposed -- he's not opposed to contraception, is he?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, and you've made your views known, as well. The President --
Q No, no, but is he opposed to contraception, Scott? Could you just tell us yes or no?
MR. McCLELLAN: Les, I think that this question is --
Q Well, is he? Does he oppose contraception?
MR. McCLELLAN: Les, I think the President's views are very clear when it comes to building a culture of life --
Q If they were clear, I wouldn't have asked.
MR. McCLELLAN: -- and if you want to ask those questions, that's fine. I'm just not going to dignify them with a response.
Dignify them with a response? You have got to be kidding me.
NARAL Pro-Choice America president Nancy Keenan says “It’s outrageous to think that the President’s spokesman won’t even dignify such a simple question with an answer. Americans have the right to know if the President is so far out of the mainstream that he is opposed to birth control. They deserve to see the hypocrisy of a President whose goal is to restrict abortion yet is also opposed to birth control.”
Until we get a definitive answer, I'd say the silence says it all.
Posted by Jessica at May 31, 2005 3:58 PM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.blogforchoice.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/2606
Comments
Anti-choice is always anti-woman.
People who don't want women to have choices, don't want them to have the choice to not conceive. They would even prefer to not let women make choices about who to conceive with.
Many if not most pro-choice people will say "it is better to prevent a pregnancy than have an abortion". To the anti-choicer, the woman remains in control either way so there isn't much difference.
Women who are not permitted to control their own bodies are more controllable.
Posted by: jane at December 21, 2005 12:29 AM