Wednesday, June 18, 2008

From the horse's errr... mouth

HAHAHAHAHA! Oh, yes. Hey, remember "the Pill Kills"? Sure you do, because I never stop mining the thing, rich motherlode of comedy gold that it be; sorry peeps, but it's just too funny. And now, I am sad to report, the backpedaling has begun.

After all the fainting, pearl-cluthing and shrieking about "chemical abortions" and "9-day-old babies" (meaning 9-day-old microscopic blastocysts) done by Jill Stanek, SUZANNE and that other useless douche, following the June 7th protest Scott Klusendorf of the "Life Training Institute" said quotes an article by "Serge" (Dr. Rich Poupard) that says:
"Sorry, Jill, you are simply wrong here."
He's one of theirs, and even he doesn't believe it. B-b-but w-w-whaaat HUH!??

"I've been interested in this topic for a number of years, and have reviewed much of the medical literature on the topic. I often joke that I am probably the only oral and maxillofacial surgeon who subscribes to the journal Contraception, which I do in order to have electronic access to all of their back issues. In short, I have done my homework here, and can say without a doubt that Jill has seriously overstated the evidence we have for a post-fertilization effect from OCs."
He The Poupard article quoted by Klusenorf goes on to explain some of the (duh hello, obvious) reasons that the Pill can't be said to cause chemical abortions, wags a finger and winds things up:
"There is a real controversy regarding this issue, and science does not have all of the answers. Let me state this plainly: anyone who believes they know absolutely that OCs cause endometrial changes that result in "chemical abortions" is simply wrong. They don't. I don't know for sure either. Cool web sites and T-shirts do nothing to change this fact. Pro-lifers who overstate this case are acting very irresponsibly."
Irresponsible fetus fetishists, spreading disinformation: that sound about right to you? Fuckin' A damn straight it does, because we already know that's just what they do. It's interesting to note that when it comes to disinformation, this Scott guy knows whereof he speaks. The purpose of his "Life Institute", which is supported by a motley fundamentalist crew including the ubiquitous Focus on the Family, is to teach anti-choicers how to get their message across:
"Scott Klusendorf, LTI president, travels throughout the United States and Canada training pro-life advocates to persuasively defend their views in the public square. He contends that the pro-life message can compete in the marketplace of ideas if properly understood and properly articulated."
Basically a fetus fetishizing spin doctor, in other words, and even he couldn't work with this "Pill Kills" thing (as indicated by his agreement with the article he posted)*. To anyone with a functioning brainstem this would be proof positive that "the Pill Kills" is the kind of bullshit that can't be dressed up as anything but -- well, horseshit at best. Hey, look in the comments at the LTI blogpost -- there's Granny Grump, aka Crazy Christina of the 30-day prayer assault, and even that whackadoo isn't buying it. But don't be surprised if a few voices in the wilderness dig in their heels and insist on continuing along this path... and I'll be right behind them, cheering them on.

*UPDATE (June 19): Scott dropped by the combox to inform me that the article I quote and link to wasn't actually written by him, but rather by someone named "Serge" (Dr. Rich Poupard). Scott reproduced it as an opinion he concurs with. I stand corrected, and edited as indicated.