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I worked as a patient advocate at Planned Parenthood for a couple of years. Occasionally, a woman would ask to see the products of conception after the procedure and were invariably shocked there was nothing to see when they were presented. This is the purpose of the transvaginal ultrasound…women believe what they see on the screen is ACTUAL SIZE when in fact something that is visible on a screen is likely too small to see with the naked eye. The anti abortion crowd’s ability to mess with the heads of traumatized women is shameful

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I watched Biden. He was awesome. 👏 finally standing up for women reproductive rights.

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According to Eliot Kirchner, Biden kicked ass tonight.

A President Speaks

Holy Moly.

ELLIOT KIRSCHNER

MAR 8

Wow. Wow. Wow.

Sometimes it’s easy to forget that President Biden is not an accidental president. He is a skilled politician, a survivor of decades of pitched battles in Congress and later the White House, who now has had one of the most successful administrations in recent history.

Those who doubt this truth got a helluva wake up call tonight.

There has been a widespread feeling that Biden is no longer up to the job. That he is slinking into a second term. Lacking energy or inspiration.

I don’t know who that guy is. But he wasn’t the one who took off the gloves and laid down the law tonight in front of the nation. Biden was passionate, and funny. His timing was impeccable,. hHis voice modulating with the perfection of a skilled orator.

If this is the kickoff to the general election, consider it game on.

The setting: majestic. The power of the office: profound. The challenges: great. The stakes: dire.

When Biden ascended the dais at the United States Capitol for his third State of the Union, he must have known that both his allies and enemies could agree on one thing: This was a moment of consequence, opportunity, and potential peril.

Would he deliver?

This House of Representatives, where the speech took place, has been swept with the tides of national disunity before. It was in these chambers that heated rhetoric portended our bloody Civil War. And in our own time, a violent, insurrectionist mob, summoned by the previous president, sought to end the continuation of American democracy with its most severe threat since the Confederacy fired on Fort Sumter.

Before the speech even began, I was struck with the wide shot of the crowd. Normally, the senators and representatives wear somber hues. But Democratic women showed up in white, a visual solidarity for rights under threat from the courts to the legislature. And if Biden should lose, that threat would spread to the White House as well.

And then, after a very leisurely presidential stroll down the center aisle, the speech began.

“Good evening. If I were smart, I’d go home now,” he joked. But it was clear he had no intention of doing so.

With his voice strong, he immediately shifted gear to another time of peril. World War II and the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt. There was no slow wind up. He had a message he wanted to deliver and he wasn’t going to wait as he summoned the dangerous truth that freedom and democracy are under attack at home and abroad.

No question of energy or passion here.

Biden began overseas with Putin and by extension the Republican division over supporting Ukraine. He summoned Ronald Reagan to a party that has abandoned their former hero in favor of a man who Biden rightly stated is willing to bow down before the Russian tyrant. You could see the consternation on the face of House Speaker Mike Johnson who has stalled support for Ukraine aid.

And then Biden went right to January 6. He called out the horror of what took place. The lies. And Speaker Johnson couldn’t stand to cheer Biden’s exhortation that the insurrectionist failed.

“You can’t love your country only when you win,” Biden stated with force. Speaker Johnson nodded uncomfortably.

If there was any question of how Biden was going to fight this election, the first few minutes of this speech put it to rest.

He went right to the issue of IVF, calling for a nationwide guarantee. He spoke of Latorya Beasley, an IVF patient and mother from Alabama who was in attendance. Republicans sat on their backsides. And Speaker Johnson looked concerned.

From IVF, he jumped straight to the Dobbs decision and Trump’s boasts that he should get credit for ending abortion. Biden recounted the story of Kate Cox, a woman from Texas who suffered as a result. She was in attendance, personalizing the horror she and countless others have experienced.

And then he went right at the Supreme Court Justices themselves sitting in the front rows. He said that they would soon find out how women have political power. The conservative justices in their black robes looked even less happy than Speaker Johnson.

This is a president who is not afraid to go right at anyone he sees as the problem.

While the press has been complicit in not telling the story of Biden’s incredible record leading the economy, he used tonight to speak directly and set the record straight, his record on jobs and unemployment and his championing of American industry and high technology.

He seemed to relish mocking all the Republicans in Congress who voted against the infrastructure act but cheered the money pouring into their districts.

He spoke of a resurgence of union jobs, and gave a shout out to the autoworkers, ”When America gets knocked down, we get back up,” was one of the many one-liners that seem destined for the stump speech.

It sounded like he was speaking of his presidency as well.

He then shifted to the future. An attack on trickle-down economics. And championing more inexpensive prescription drugs. He defended the Affordable Care Act against the Republicans and their presidential candidate who have pledged to abolish it.

It was a robust and populist message that included housing relief and tax breaks tethered to mortgages. He touched on the importance of early childhood education. He talked passionately about tutoring and the importance of preparing students for a modern workforce. He took credit for cutting student debt. His voice modulating from the intimate to the passionate.

“I’m a capitalist, just pay your fair share in taxes.” Another line for the stump speech.

And with that he took on the Trump tax cuts. He called out to America, asking people at home if they think the tax code is fair. Or if corporations and the very wealthy needed another tax break. The answers speak for themselves. He asked America to imagine a country in which billionaires didn’t pay lower tax rates than a nurse. That sounds like a message that could play well.

When he shifted to protecting Social Security, he mixed it up with hecklers from the Republican side of the aisle who were eager to gaslight their unpopular platform for cuts in the program.

Could you imagine a few months ago Biden going on the offensive on immigration? It happened tonight as he decried the Republican sabotage of their own bipartisan border bill. But he also spoke passionately about what immigrants have meant to the nation.

“We can fight about fixing the border or we can fix it.” Another line for the campaign. He’s not planning on backing down.

He celebrated the cCivil Rights Movement and tied that to voter suppression and extreme gerrymandering. “It’s time to do more than talk.” It sounds like voting rights will also be a part of the 2024 campaign.

He spoke ardently about the environment and championed his record. And he addressed the lies about high crime rates that are undercut by actual data. He spoke about gun violence and the tragic acceptance of the horror on the part of Republicans. He even quoted Trump who after a recent shooting said we should “get over it.”

Perhaps one of the most anticipated questions was how he would handle the war in the Middle East. He blamed Hamas for the murderous horrors they’ve unleashed. But also spoke of the Israeli responsibility for Palestinian civilians. He spoke of a new temporary pier in the Mediterranean built by the U.S. to allow aid to flow into Gaza.

And then he called for a two-state solution. He said he has been a long supporter of Israel but there is no other path to peace and stability. Will these pledges do anything to assuage critics of the president’s policy? We will have to see.

Biden ended by joking about having been around for a while. He disarmed with humor and then shifted what is being painted as a deficit into a strength. With age can come perspective, he argued, and steadiness. He spoke about the long arc of the American story and his own life stretching back to World War II and shaped by the assassinations of Dr. King and Bobby Kennedy. He spoke of the North Star of our national identity, of how we are all “created equal,” and then he acknowledged how we haven’t lived up to that ideal. He spoke of LGBTQ rights and specifically mentioned those in the trans community. He spoke passionately about all those who are marginalized.

He ended with optimism about what can and should be done. I wasn’t around for Franklin Roosevelt, but I could imagine it might have sounded a bit like this.

What a contrast with the small man he is going to face.

If you were to put this speech against what we heard from the former president on Super Tuesday, and you didn’t know the dominant press narrative, which man would you think was the candidate considered to be old and tired?

Trump had all the energy of an afternoon nap in a barcalounger. Biden sounded like a president determined to fight for the country.

He was passionate and pragmatic, progressive and proud.

Some might say, it's just one speech, but it sure augurs well for what will come.

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Thank you for posting this! I am proud of our President. I'm not gonna lie - abortion ISN'T a super comfortable subject for him but, truth be told, I think that inures to Democrats' political benefit at this particular moment in time.

President Biden was on fire last night. I'm all about the magats underestimating him. Again. My final favorite thing about the evening's SOTU - the whoops and huzzahs from the Democrats in the chamber - they clearly love and respect this president and had his back. Very energizing.

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Prior to his speech,  so many of the pundits and notables were wishy-washy.   I read a few reviews after this and they were even more laudable.  He still has issues with young people, blacks,  latinx and now the rising anti Israel and anti Ukraine crouds,  but there's an abundance of hope 😀 .

There's a cute picture of Kamala and Doug spotting each other at the SOTU.   Lots are going to be pissed off since he didn't actually say the word abortion.   Many  pointed out that he's been in the game for decades.   He's been a senator,  a vice president  and a president.   I think that he knows what he's doing and should be given some slack.  Lastly,  "New York Rep. Jerry Nadler was spotted taking a little snooze last night. His response?: "For those who are asking: I was endlessly scrolling through all of President Biden's accomplishments."😀

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Prior to his speech,  so many of the pundits and notables were wishy-washy.   I read a few reviews after this and they were even more laudable.  He still has issues with young people, blacks,  latinx and now the rising anti Israel and anti Ukraine crouds,  but there's an abundance of hope 😀 .

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Perinatal hospice isn’t even always an option. When a baby’s diagnosis is quite bad but on a spectrum (instead of a black-and-white condition like acrania or trisomy 13), the doctors may be required to resuscitate the newborn, even if the parents do not wish it. (That’s what my perinatal specialist told me when I faced this dilemma 8 years ago.)

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Mar 8·edited Mar 8

Right to Life groups seem to happily spend more money on dead or dying fetuses than living children. It's psychotic.

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That's because they are a Death cult, and fucking weird, and morbid.

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Indeed. The states that have abortion bans are the same states that refuse to take federal money to expand Medicaid, and the same states that refuse to accept federal money for summer meals programs for kids. Also the same states with sky-high maternal and infant mortality rates. But, yeah: fertilized ova are people but women--and infants and kids--don't rate even a second though. OK, forced birthers: do go on about how much you care...

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Well said. I live in one of those states. Texas. 😡

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And it's all getting dramatically worse at warp speed. Even some of the former "pro-life" conservatives are out there acknowledging that. It's a crisis.

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Well put.

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In terms of Biden being “ambivalent” about abortion, I would think many of us are. I am absolutely pro-choice and pro-reproductive rights. However, that does not mean that I do not have mixed feelings. In a perfect world, there would not be ambivalence because birth control would always work, people would be responsible, all foetuses would be healthy, etc. But, that is not the case. And, in some ways, my ambivalence is of little consequence. The larger issue is that anyone’s healthcare situations are none of my business.

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Something tells me that even with the all the gymnastics they’re trying to do with abortion language, the Missouri republicans still won’t want their obgyns to be trained in their so-called “maternal-fetal separations” to save the life of the mother. These people are beyond insane.

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Agree. For ectopic and molar pregnancies, do they plan to send patients out of state in the future?? This is not well thought out. It’s ignorant and dangerous. I’m wondering if they are changing medical school books now and no one is aware of it.

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I keep saying it, I can't believe it's real life and this is really happening and CONTINUING to be more horrid by the day. As a MO resident, these monsters run mostly unopposed. How?! How do we stop them? How do we fix this?! How do I keep my kids safe?! I feel physically ill ...I'm terrified

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💔

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I don't actually work for KFF, I just think they're neat! but KFF is also asking doctors and patients to share their Catholic hospital stories https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/share-your-catholic-hospital-story-with-us. People used to be told to stay out of Catholic hospitals when they were pregnant, because the baby's life would always be given precedence. But back in the old days, you could actually CHOOSE a hospital. Nowadays, not only are you constrained by insurance network requirements, in a lot of places the Catholic hospital is the only one within a radius of many miles.

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KFF has three charts on cost and coverage of Opill, including discussioh of problems with getting coverage under employment-related health plans. The federal regs don't require employer group health plans to cover NON-prescription contraceptives. However, seven states require private health insurance plans to cover the full cost of OTC contraceptives. Seven states make state funds available to cover OTC contraceptives. But for technical employment law reasons, the employment-related health plans that enroll most people who are covered are subject only to federal and not state regulation.

Many women said that they are not willing to pay the suggested retail price for Opill. 11% of survey respondents said they can't pay anything for OTC contraceptives, 39% up to $10 a month, 16% said they could pay up to $20/month, and 34% said they could pay $11-$20 a month. The survey found that over a third of users of oral contraceptives have not taken all the pills necessary because they couldn't get the next month's pills on time--so they are at increased risk of needing abortion care. See "3 Charts: The Cost and Coverage of Opill," https://www.kff.org/health-costs/press-release/three-charts-the-cost-and-coverage-of-opill-the-first-fda-approved-over-the-counter-daily-oral-contraceptive-pill-in-the-united-states.

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In my opinion not only will Missouri lose a larger number of OB-GYNS, how many medical students will want to go to their schools and get second class medical training? Missouri medical colleges may end up being the school of last resort for many....

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New Missouri medical training- if you are having a miscarriage, the new standard of care is prayer.

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With a side of Thoughts.

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