Why did John McCain vote against education programs designed to reduce the number of abortions when he claims to be pro-life?

In a world where sexually transmitted diseases are a growing concern as well as teen pregnancy, it's important to increase awareness of the risks of unprotected sex. It's easy for most of us to comprehend the risks and understand why it's important to educate our children and young adults. While I agree that much of this responsibility should fall on the parents, I also believe that it's critical for the government to assist in the participation of these efforts. Ask any teacher just how much co-operation they get from their parents. I think you'll be shocked by the answer.

In 2005 there was a bill proposed to increase the funding on this effort. John McCain voted against it. Here's the actual bill that he voted against:

Unintended Pregnancy Amendment
S AMDT 244 to S Con Res 18: To expand access to preventive health care services that reduce unintended pregnancy (including teen pregnancy), reduce the number of abortions, and improve access to women's health care.

Project Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to adopt an amendment to the Senate's 2006 Fiscal Year Budget that allocates $100 million for the prevention of unintended pregnancies.

Highlights:

• Increases funding and access to family planning services
• Funds legislation that requires equitable prescription coverage for contraceptives under health plans
• Funds legislation that would create and expand teen pregnancy prevention programs and education programs concerning emergency contraceptives

Source: http://votesmart.org/issue_keyvote_detail.php?cs_id=V3489&can_id=53270
See John McCain's full voting record: http://votesmart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=53270

I'd personally like to know why John McCain feels that sex education programs are not important enough to deserve government funding. For a man who claims to be pro-life, why is he not interested in reducing the number of abortions? The root of the cause is lack of awareness and poor education. In the grand scheme of things, this is not a huge priority, but it is a big one none the less. It definitely deserves some strong government focus in my humble opinion. One of the lines in this bill's description that I find most important is "improve access to women's health care." Why is it that John McCain feels that this is an unworthy cause?

Conclusion, John McCain doesn’t get it. He just votes where his party tells him to vote without making any intelligent decisions on his own. This was only one of his voting blunders that I felt most disturbed about. Feel free to look at his entire voting history to see some of the others.

I'll take boring over brainless anyday...

rac·ism (rā'sĭz'əm) n.

1. The belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others.
2. Discrimination or prejudice based on race.

racist rac'ist adj. & n.
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spe·cies·ism (spē'shē-zĭz'əm, -sē-) n.

Human intolerance or discrimination on the basis of species, especially as manifested by cruelty to or exploitation of animals.

speciesist spe'cies·ist' adj. & n.


Many of my friends and family have simply refused to watch the video series that I recently blogged about called "Earthlings". They fear that the contents of these video's is so gruesome and disturbing that they simply won't be able to bear it. I don't blame them for fearing this material. This series contains some of the most disturbing content that I've ever seen, but what is the point of living in a world in which you are too afraid to face the truth and too afraid to educate yourself about the realities of humanity. It is fear that enables these disturbing acts to continue.

Imagine what our world might be like today if people had been too afraid to face the truth about human slavery. If you had the chance to live during a time in which humans were bartered and traded as slaves, would you have sat in silence and done nothing? Would you have taken it upon yourself in the face of ridicule and insult to fight back against something that you knew was wrong?

It saddens me deeply that we are ok with treating life forms as objects rather than living beings that have meaning and life of their own. People are too afraid to face the truth let alone actually do something to change it. That's why I am considering participating in a demonstration against the Ringling Bros. Circus that is coming to Austin. IDA (In Defense of Animals) will be sponsoring demonstrations at the events. You can read about the specifics at the IDA Website.

If you need a little motivation, try watching these videos...

Boycott Olympic Boxing…

I’m the first to admit I’m not a big sports fan. I don’t usually watch sports, but I’ve recently been sucked into the injustice that seems to be plaguing the Olympic Boxing events. If you’ve been watching these events then you already know what I’m talking about. The scoring process is severely flawed. Points are awarded inconsistently and it almost seems that certain countries are favored over others. The commentators of the boxing events made comments like “I can’t believe he didn’t get a point for that shot” or “this is unbelievable!” while laughing in a state of disgust at the poor scoring techniques employed by the judges.

I eventually reached a point where I could no longer watch this event because the scoring was so ridiculously all over the map that I just found myself getting more and more pissed off at the judges. I just had to change the channel. This is a complete joke and boxers who have worked hard and trained hard are being robbed of their hard work and dedication. While you’re watching this crap, you find yourself wanting to plead with someone to do something! I’m so disgusted that I would go so far as to say that the United States should boycott the boxing events for these Olympic Games. Seriously… This is ridiculous and so frustrating. I’m just disgusted.