10-21-2019, 11:43 PM
(This post was last modified: 10-22-2019, 07:41 PM by Eric the Green.)
(08-24-2019, 06:31 PM)pbrower2a Wrote: A new poll shows what really interests 'pro-lifers': controlling women
Quote:According to self-identified “pro-life” advocates, the fundamental divide between those who want to outlaw abortion and those who want to keep it legal comes down to one question: when does life begin? Anti-abortion advocacy pushes the view that life begins at conception; the name of their movement carefully centers the conceit that opposition to abortion rights is simply about wanting to save human lives.
A new poll shows that’s a lie. The “pro-life” movement is fundamentally about misogyny.
A Supermajority/PerryUndem survey released this week divides respondents by their position on abortion, and then tracks their answers to 10 questions on gender equality more generally. On every question, anti-abortion voters were significantly more hostile to gender equity than pro-choice voters.
Do men make better political leaders than women? More than half of anti-abortion voters agreed. Do you want there to be equal numbers of men and women in positions of power in America? Fewer than half of abortion opponents said yes – compared with 80% of pro-choicers, who said they want women to share in power equally.
Anti-abortion voters don’t like the #MeToo movement. They don’t think the lack of women in positions of power impacts women’s equality. They don’t think access to birth control impacts women’s equality. They don’t think the way women are treated in society is an important issue in the 2020 election.
In other words, they don’t believe sexism is a problem, and they’re hostile to women’s rights. Pro-lifers are sexists in denial – yes, the women too.
Link to survey results
Pro-Choice respondents are defined as those who "want abortion legal in all or most cases (67%)" and Pro-Life respondents are defined as those who "want abortion illegal in all or most cases (33%)."
38% Pro-Choice | 77% Pro-Life - Agree women are too easily offended
38% Pro-Choice | 71% Pro-Life - Agree women interpret innocent remarks or acts as being sexist
24% Pro-Choice | 54% Pro-Life - Agree men generally make better political leaders than women
80% Pro-Choice | 47% Pro-Life - Agree I want there to be equal numbers of men and women in positions of power in our society
74% Pro-Choice | 35% Pro-Life - Think the way women are treated in society is an important 2020 issue
82% Pro-Choice | 34% Pro-Life - Agree the country would be better off if we had more women in political office
74% Pro-Choice | 27% Pro-Life - Think access to birth control affects women's equality
70% Pro-Choice | 23% Pro-Life - Think lack of women in political office affects women's equality
71% Pro-Choice | 23% Pro-Life - Favorable toward #MeToo movement
66% Pro-Choice | 19% Pro-Life - Believe systems in society were set up to give men more opportunities than women
It's an interesting survey, charting how the two sides on the abortion issue think about women's issues. But some of the questions are very generalized and reflect stereotypes.
Are women more easily offended than men? Probably, in my experience, but that's a generalization, and so the real answer is likely closer to 50-50.
Do women interpret innocent remarks or acts as being sexist? Feminists do, I think, especially if they are militant. Otherwise, to answer that question is to accept or reject a stereotype. It's quite possible that pro-lifers are more likely to agree with stereotypes like this on all issues.
Do men generally make better political leaders than women? Probably not. But there is a shortage of women political leaders, so it's hard to say. I know some of the greatest rulers in English history were the queens. Then again, there was Margaret Thatcher. She was a capable leader but not good for the country. This poll question is also a generalization. The answer is probably close to 50-50.
The pro-choice statements are easier to agree to. I agree with them all, but I am ambivalent on #MeToo because I like sexual openness and this movement restricts it. But on the other hand, those who have been preying on women in severe ways and getting away with it for so long are being exposed, and I agree with that. On Sen. Frankel though, I was against Gillibrand on that.
As easy as it has been to knock down sexual predators in the media and even in politics, somehow a rapist was allowed to get a seat on the highest court in the land. And earlier, a sexual harrasser. So what is it about judges that it's OK for them to be sex perverts, as long as they are conservative Republicans?