Anti-Choice Ads in Milwaukee Target Latino Voters

Working in the Walkers Point neighborhood of Milwaukee, I see a lot of ads en Español, but this is the first time I've seen anti-choice ads targeted to Latino voters.


This Wisconsin Right to Life bus stop ad on 6th and Virginia reads, "Is your candidate the one who will protect babies from abortion?" and shows Romney as the "pro-life" candidate.

The language they use in this ad places the fetus in a victimized position with Romney as "protector." Beyond the manipulative, simple language, the imagery also suggests Romney is less menacing than Obama.

Simplifying abortion and women's health into a black-and-white choice does not give an honest portrayal of the candidates or the issues.

If re-elected, Pres. Obama will continue to protect women's health care and the right to choose. Vice Pres. Biden has also been a champion for women's health, standing firm with the belief that health care decisions should be made between a woman and her doctor only.


This Catholics4Life bus stop ad on 6th and Canal reads, "Our mother is pro-life, thank God. And your candidate?" making abortion strictly an issue of religion- specifically Catholicism.

This ad, too, simplifies abortion, women's health and the election. It's manipulative like the 6th and Virginia ad, but instead of using language to victimize a fetus, it plays on people's religious beliefs.

I've blogged about religion and choice before and again, it's not fair to paint a black-and-white picture of women's health and the way government controls- or attempts to control- our bodies.

Americans support the right to choose in most cases while being simultaneously religious or spiritual. Furthermore, 2008 numbers show Catholic and Protestant women chose abortion more than women of other religions or no religion, and Hispanic women chose abortion less than white or black women.

Interestingly, recent numbers show Catholics are leaning Obama, while also putting the issue of abortion on the back burner.

State Rep. JoCasta Zamarripa (D-8) who represents Walkers Point talks about the importance of voting for women's health in the 2012 elections in this Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin video.

Rep. Zamarripa is the first Latina state representative in Wisconsin and is a former Planned Parenthood employee. She's worked tirelessly to protect the Latino vote in Milwaukee including winning the south side redistricting lawsuit. Rep. Zamarripa has been a strong voice for women's health in the Assembly and was re-elected to a second term in August 2012.

The Doctors Behind Anti-Woman Claims

You may have seen this image floating around on Facebook or news sites, but what we should really find out is: who are these men making horribly inaccurate and offensive claims about women’s bodies?

Sure, we all know who Rick Santorum and Bill O’Reilly are, but how could any doctor make these claims?

Here's how...

Dr. John Willke

Willke's the president of Life Issues Institute which provides resources for pro-life groups. He also served 10 years as president of the National Right to Life Committee and founded the International Right to Life Federation. He's an author, physician, radio personality, and according to Life Issues, an "expert in human sexuality."

Seen as a pro-life hero, Willke's published books such as Abortion, Questions and Answers: Why Can't We Love Them Both, the anti-choice Handbook on Abortion and Abortion and Slavery, History Repeats which attempts to compare Roe v. Wade to Dred Scott v. Sanford.

Following Willke's lead in that book, Santorum argued last year that Roe v. Wade denies "personhood" to fetuses the same way Dred Scott denied "personhood" to African Americans. That idea and others by Willke have had a lasting impact on the anti-choice community and are behind many of the inaccurate rape/pregnancy/abortion claims we hear from right-wing politicians including Rep. Todd Akin's recent "forcible rape" claims.

So when Willke says, "[Rape] is a traumatic thing. She's, shall we say, she's uptight... She is frightened, tight, and so on. And sperm, if deposited in her vagina, are less likely to be able to fertilize. The tubes are spastic," we now know a little more about where he's coming from.

Dr. Richard Dobbins

Dobbins is actually a psychologist. Well, a psychologist with a background in Christian ministry. 

The Richard D. Dobbins Institute of Ministry and his own website outline his way of "making the supernatural practical in our lives"  and focuses on strengthening marriage and family by undergoing Christian counseling and ministry.

He's the pastor at the church he founded and is a practicing licensed psychologist.

So why is Dobbins qualified to make medical claims about women's bodies? This is as much a mystery as women's rape-detecting reproductive organs.

Ron Johnson: Religion Should Dictate Government

Dear Laura,

Thank you for contacting me regarding right to life and the issue of abortion.

I fully understand the controversy and diverse opinions surrounding this issue. My own views have been forged over a lifetime of raising a family and following the national debate. In all sincerity, and with due respect to the beliefs of others, I believe that life begins at conception.

Our founding documents establish that we have an unalienable right to life endowed by our creator. Because the abortion debate concerns more than one life, there is not a national consensus as to when life begins or when the life of an unborn child should be protected.

Unfortunately, the Supreme Court in Roe v Wade imposed a judicial dictate that did not end a debate that would be better resolved through the legislative process. As a result, the controversy over abortion has raged for over 3 decades, and there will continue to be attempts to come to a better resolution of the issue legislatively.

I have cosponsored two current bills in the Senate that help define and resolve the issue. I support S. 91 that defines life as beginning at conception, and S. 906 that prohibits the use of taxpayer funds for procedures that so many Americans strongly believe are morally wrong.

Thank you again for taking the time to share your thoughts. It is important for me to hear the views and concerns of the people I serve. Since taking office, I have received over 300,000 pieces of correspondence and have had over 150,000 people participate in live forums and telephone town hall meetings. Please feel free to contact me in the future if I can further assist you or your family. It is an honor representing you and the good people of Wisconsin in the U.S. Senate.

Sincerely,
Ron Johnson
United States Senator

________________________________

I received the above email this morning. I immediately posted it on Facebook and the comments keep coming.

I'm not sure which email Sen. Johnson is replying to here, but I am so appalled by his use of religious language in official correspondence that I have to share it.

I'm referring specifically to Sen. Johnson's candid mention of "our creator." As if everyone believes whatever Sen. Johnson believes. As if imposing his religious beliefs on his constituents is part of his job as a U.S. senator.

Regardless of "our founding documents," I am a strong proponent of separation of church and state. Everyone is entitled to their own religious beliefs or having no religious beliefs, but religion should have no place in government- in theory and practice.

Unfortunately, that's not the reality. After all, organizations like NARAL wouldn't have to exist if it weren't for the religion-politics crossover.

Although the majority of Americans identify as Christians, 3.9-5.5% identify as non-Christian, and 15% don't identify with any religion at all.

Furthermore...

• A recent Gallup poll shows that those who believe that abortion should be illegal in all cases are the minority;
• A Guttmacher report shows 78% of women who have abortions have a religious affiliation;
• And the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, for example, is made up of about 40 national religious and religiously affiliated organizations from 15 denominations and faith traditions

Clearly, religion and anti-choice sentiments don't always go hand in hand.

I expected Sen. Johnson's response to be anti-choice, but I did not expect such a blatant disregard for religious freedom and separation of church and state. Like many politicians, he is using "the issue of abortion" as a platform to promote his personal religious beliefs rather than to simply state his position.

Sen. Johnson's response illustrates that he is both out of touch and out of line.

_______________________________________________

UPDATE 3/5/12:
In 2011, the Guttmacher Institute published an analysis showing 99% of all women of reproductive age who have had sex have used some method of contraception other than natural family planning. 98% of those women are Catholic.

Read it here: http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/Religion-and-Contraceptive-Use.pdf