S03.E02: Abortion Laws

[Kel Varnsen]

I still find it unfathomable that abortion is still such a hot and controversial topic, in this day and age. And Americans try to pretend they're the most advanced, developed nation in the world? These people don't give a shit about women, they just want their own religious beliefs validated and endorsed at the expense of other people. At the expense of the women that they patently do not respect in any way. They don't understand what they're talking about, and they don't care. Again, it's all about forcing their own agenda, in spite of the facts. A common theme, with right wing and/or religious types, in my experience. Education is a threat to them.

It always seems weird to me that the US is sort of presented as a country where individualism and individual freedoms are most important, compared to society as a group. And how more than in other countries the government tries to let people do their own thing and stay out of their business. Except in this issue where the government seems to go out of their way to pass laws to get into people's private business.

[OneWhoLurks]

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Friday temporarily blocked a Louisiana law that its opponents say would leave the state with only one abortion clinic. The court gave no reasons, though it did say that its order was “consistent with” one last June that blocked part of a Texas abortion law.

 

The move came two days after the Supreme Court heard arguments in the Texas case, and abortion rights groups said they hoped that the development Friday was a sign that they had secured five votes to strike down the Texas law.

 

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/05/us/politics/supreme-court-blocks-louisiana-abortion-law.html?action=click&contentCollection=Opinion&module=MostPopularFB&version=Full&region=Marginalia&src=me&pgtype=article

[OneWhoLurks]

Dunham isn’t the only celebrity paying attention to Porter’s work. Oliver, now the host of “Last Week Tonight” on HBO, first picked up on Porter’s work with the debut of “Gideon’s Army.” He was filling in as host for Jon Stewart on “The Daily Show” then, and at the end of their interview, Oliver told Porter to keep in touch.

 

Sometime last year, a producer called up Porter to use footage from her first film.

 

“And then I said, ‘Well, I’m working on something else you might like,’” Porter says. “I thought he might like it.”

 

He definitely liked it. In late February, Oliver aired his piece heavily featuring clips from Porter’s film. As of this writing, the clip has more than 4 million views.

 

[...]

 

She hasn’t been home much these days — she has been flying to every corner of the country to promote the film. She even made her way to New York a few weeks back, when Oliver invited her to the taping of his piece featuring Porter’s film.

 

It was a nerve-wracking experience. Oliver opened the show with a lighthearted monologue; Porter feared, the content of her film would soon make everyone miserable.

 

“It was kind of anxiety-provoking — I felt like I was undercover,” Porter says. “I thought, ‘If people hate this, they’re going to hate my movie. This is so terrible.’”

 

Instead, everyone cheered. Oliver pulled up her on stage after the show, and everyone clapped, and Porter beamed and had one more surreal moment to reflect on for when this all settles down.

 

 

http://www.sfchronicle.com/movies/article/Filmmaker-Porter-makes-case-for-women-s-clinics-6884732.php

[OneWhoLurks]

But Porter’s work has already done a tremendous amount of good. Recently, I overheard two fratty types walking in Central Park, talking about how “effed up” all this abortion stuff “on John Oliver” was. Some people only hear the truth when a cool comedian delivers it, but Porter’s documentary deserves to be celebrated on its own merits. Hopefully between the publicity Oliver generated and the fiery Supreme Court testimony, Trapped will get more mainstream attention, as will the courageous people honored by the film.

 

 

http://flavorwire.com/565711/if-you-were-shocked-by-john-olivers-abortion-segment-you-need-to-see-trapped

[OneWhoLurks]

Paramount Pictures and Dreamworks are seeing renewed outrage over the live-action remake of anime classic "Ghost in the Shell" now that the first image of Scarlett Johansson in the film has been released.

 

The film -- due out in March 2017 and from "Snow White and the Huntsman" director Rupert Sanders -- stars Johansson as Major Motoko Kusanagi, a human-cyborg hybrid who leads an elite task force taking on major threats to society.

 

[...]

 

Critics see the film as yet another in a long line of examples of Hollywood "whitewashing," opting for caucasian actors regardless of the background of a role.

 

To make matters worse, sources close to the production told ScreenCrush that digital effects company Lola VFX was tasked with performing tests to make caucasian actors appear more Japanese in "Ghost in the Shell," though a representative for Paramount insists the plans were quickly scrapped and never involved Johansson's character.

 

"A test was done related to a specific scene for a background actor which was ultimately discarded," a rep for Paramount said in a statement. "Absolutely no visual effects tests were conducted on Scarlett's character and we have no future plans to do so."

 

 

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/scarlett-johansson-ghost-in-the-shell-outrage/

[OneWhoLurks]

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Gov. Mary Fallin of Oklahoma vetoed a bill on Friday that would impose felony charges on doctors who perform abortions, calling the measure vague and unconstitutional.

[...]

The bill, which passed both houses of the Republican-dominated Legislature by wide margins, said doctors who performed abortions could be criminally charged and face prison terms of one to three years. It also said the state would revoke the medical license of any doctors who performed an abortion unless it was necessary to protect the life of the mother.

 

Oklahoma Governor Vetoes Bill That Would Charge Abortion Doctors

[TudorQueen]

When even a fervent anti-choice official vetoes your bill, people, you might want to consider how far off the mainstream you've gone.

[OneWhoLurks]

Quote

 

Unlike the rest of Hollywood - those bigoted bastards who only cast Muslims as terrorists - Franzoni grandly announced that he wanted to do something to "challenge Muslim stereotypes". He wanted to write a script that celebrated the golden age of Islam - a time where Islam celebrated philosophy, art, poetry and romance. And what epitomises that better than Rumi?

A poet, philosopher, Islamic scholar and sufi mystic, Rumi's writings have not only survived the test of time, they've set him apart as one of the greatest poets in human history. Over 700 years after his death, Rumi is the best-selling poet in the US. So, when Franzoni said he wanted to challenge stereotypes, and with Rumi no less, why wouldn't we be beside ourselves with excitement?

There was just one problem though - Franzoni wanted Leonardo DiCaprio to play Rumi. After all, what could challenge Muslim stereotypes more than making audiences believe that ancient Iranian scholars looked like Leonardo DiCaprio, a man so Hollywood he was actually born there.

[...]

That's right, Hollywood seems to believe that to make Muslims acceptable to the wider world, they have to be white. No, not just fair, like most Iranians, but good old fashioned white people - like White Jesus.

 

Hollywood whitewashing: Rumi set to be played by DiCaprio

ETA:
 

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For abortion providers, safety is a daily concern. In November, one man brought a gun into a Planned Parenthood and opened fire, killing three people. According to the National Abortion Foundation, there are four open cases involving arson at clinics from 2015 alone. Abortion doctors get placed on internet lists and have their names and personal information leaked, making them vulnerable to those who oppose the work they do. Threats of violence against providers have almost doubled since 2012, and today, being an abortion doctor comes with a guarantee of being harassed and threatened. 

This week, however, several dozen abortion providers took a moment to celebrate the work that they do every day, as they gathered at the Physicians for Reproductive Health's annual benefit Voices of Courage in New York. Hosted by Olivia Wilde with John Oliver as a guest speaker, the event was a time for the doctors to applaud each other for continuing to provide the procedure, despite how hard it might be to do so. And aside from occasional reminders to keep the location a secret, the atmosphere was celebratory, not fearful. 

"The atmosphere has uniformly been celebratory, even though at many past events I've spoken about all of the horrible things that are happening in the country," Jodi Magee, president and CEO of Physicians for Reproductive Health, told Cosmopolitan.com. "But the mood here is always one of celebration because we're honoring doctors that we love." 

 

Abortion Providers Won't Be Scared Away By Anti-Abortion Legislation

Edited June 10, 2016 by OneWhoLurks