24 Comments

Yes! Preach it!

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I’m disappointed he didn’t lift up Amanda Zurawski as he did the other invited guests.

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This is not helpful. It’s another example of the progressive left shooting its own allies. Progressives waste a lot of time and energy doing this these days when they could be doing something more productive.

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Since when is critique or our leaders not helpful? There is a healthcare crisis facing half the population and the main guy who's supposed to care about it all but ignored it. Calling him out on that isn't "shooting our allies," it's holding them accountable. He should be doing more and pretending he's doing enough doesn't help anyone.

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We were just very productive in helping the democrats retain the Senate and mitigate the losses in the House, to the point where the GOP is barely able to function there. It was done, mostly, on fundraising and campaigning for women's rights. I couldn't even watch a baseball game with my kids without a commercial coming on about a democratic candidate safeguarding my rights, and I'm in New Jersey. I gave money to a lot of candidates.

It's not just reproductive rights. It's the right to not be questioned for a miscarriage. It's the right to unfettered health and emergency care. It's the right to basic medicine like methotrexate. It's the right to contraception. It's the right to not be subjugated and state-owned. Its the right to allow rape and incest victims the autonomy they deserve. That's not progressive. It's retaining basic human rights rights, which are in a *regress.*

I get what you're saying about being part of a team, but if the team uses me, I'm not wanting to be on the team. But right now, it's the only team to be on, and we have to hold it accountable.

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The Democrats have wasted their bully pulpit time and again, including Obama. None of them have used it to educate the public about what the right to control our own bodies really means and what it means when we don't have it. Biden, sadly, is nothing new.

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Feb 8, 2023Liked by Jessica Valenti

Read the comments sections in the NYTimes articles today. So few people , if any, are commenting on this. It's like an alternate reality. Watched MSNBC a lot this morning. Didn't hear any mention of the short-shrift women got. Yet it was all over DNC fundraising efforts in the midterms. I'm totally disgusted.

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Feb 8, 2023Liked by Jessica Valenti

I was disappointed. Especially since that awful Judge is about to make misfepristone illegal for everyone. Judge shopping should be stopped.

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This is what I mean! That decision could be coming down this week!! How could he not say SOMETHING

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Feb 8, 2023Liked by Jessica Valenti

I wrote to the DNC person who constantly texts me for "opinions" when they really want money and said this speech was a big disappointment for women's rights. I'm not handing over a dime. We were used for the midterms -- everything was abortion and women's rights, every text, email -- and now 30 seconds in his first SOTU since? Are they kidding? The democrats are our only option and they know it. We're being used. The issue is being taken for granted.

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author

This is such a good point: They absolutely fundraised off of us and then barely gave abortion a mention. Unbelievable

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Feb 8, 2023·edited Feb 8, 2023Liked by Jessica Valenti

I'm not surprised. This is the man who didn't want birth control covered by the ACA, was openly anti-choice until it stopped benefiting him politically, threw Anita Hill under the bus, and was part of an admin who said the 2009 reproductive choice act was not a top priority.

I voted for him because the alternative was way worse. (I won't forget the white leftie bros I know who voted for Biden in 2020 but not HRC in 2016, thanks guys!).

I wish women had a candidate who represents our interests, but the US is extremely misogynistic and I don't see this changing any time soon.

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author

I am right there with you

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To be clear I am not trying to discourage people from voting for him if he runs again in 2024--I'm just sick of being stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to voting. You reported the other day on his staffers not understanding (or ignoring) the seriousness of the pending abortion medication decision, and that says so much about the way he runs his administration.

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founding
Feb 8, 2023Liked by Jessica Valenti

Need leadership. From someone. Now.

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These observations are all true and appropriate, powerfully stated. Thank you.

It is well past the day that political discourse ought to be spending as much time protecting the autonomy of women (who hold up more than half of the sky) as it does talking about seniors or policing or national security.

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author

Thank you! It was so offensive!

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Actually, given his few strong words, I think most people, even media talking heads, continue to be insensitive to how horrible, obnoxious, degrading, dangerous, unhealthy and catastrophically polarizing the protect women's integrity issue has become.

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Feb 8, 2023Liked by Jessica Valenti

Or fees at resorts ! Or airline seat maneuvers! They talked up abortion a plenty in the midterms and we are facing healthcare issues because of the bans and we get 30 seconds. I'm so disappointed. It's nice to see a man here commenting. You made my day.

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He is such a disappointment

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Feb 8, 2023Liked by Jessica Valenti

Thank you, Jessica, for this Abortion State of the Union. This place is on fire and it’s maddening how few people seem to me giving it the attention it deserves. I’m so grateful for your work and voice and share it often ❤️

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author

Thank you, Kat! I definitely got yelled at on Twitter for not offering more "constructive criticism" and I felt like I was losing my mind

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If you're not being yelled at on Twitter, are you even fighting the good fight?! ;)

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Twitter is so toxic now, I'm not surprised. You're NOT loosing your mind! Overall, I thought it was a good speech until he got to this. Very disappointed we were treated as an afterthought.

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