From this Wednesday's Morning Joe, MSNBC's Thomas Roberts got one of their regulars, Nicole Wallace pretty flustered when he gave her some push back against the piling on we've seen against Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis and her recent filibuster and reminded her that Republican men have got some real issues when it comes to women's reproductive rights.
July 4, 2013

From this Wednesday's Morning Joe, MSNBC's Thomas Roberts got one of their regulars, Nicole Wallace pretty flustered when he gave her some push back against the piling on we've seen against Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis and her recent filibuster and reminded her that Republican men have got some real issues when it comes to women's reproductive rights.

MSNBC host: ‘Republican men’ far too worried about ‘the sanctity of sperm’:

During a discussion Wednesday morning about Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis (D) and the state’s highly contested push to shut down nearly every abortion clinic within its borders, “MSNBC Live” host Thomas Roberts exclaimed that “Republican men” are far too worried about “the sanctity of sperm over a woman’s right to choose.”

Roberts made the comment after he asked MSNBC contributor Nicolle Wallace whether Davis is “standing up for femaleness in general” by focusing the opposition in Texas so acutely against the Republicans’ latest anti-abortion push.

“It’s interesting to see Kathleen Parker and people like Peggy Noonan who will pile on a female leader who’s emerging,” he said.

“This is a very interesting phenomenon,” Wallace replied. “Women are usually the first to pile on to other women…”

Thomas cut her off, suggesting that Davis’s critics aren’t exactly worried about getting pregnant.

“Well, they’re certainly piling on,” he said. “And the fact that these are women, seasoned women, who don’t really have to worry about a woman’s right to choose anymore, piling on a woman who’s standing up for a woman’s right to choose.”

“Well, let me just say every woman and man should care about the issue, no matter what side you come down on,” Wallace jumped back in.

“They should, but men should not care about the sanctity of sperm over a women’s right to choose so much,” Roberts insisted. “There are too many men, Republican men, who need a refresher course, and a manual, to how reproductive rights work. And a woman’s vagina, uh…”

Wallace stopped him. “I’ll leave that to you!” she said. “If you want to put together a manual, knock yourself out!

I've had more than enough of this forced birth crowd and their enablers like Parker and Noonan. These men may feel every sperm is scared as Roberts suggested here, but as others have noted, “If men could get pregnant, abortion would be a sacrament.”

Full transcript below the fold.

MARK HALPERIN: From the Washington Post Kathleen Parker writes "Wendy Davis shouldn't be sainted for her filibuster. Almost without exception, Davis has been regaled as a heroin of the war on women, a new gladiator in the pantheon of feminist warriors. As such, she has faced such probing questions as how are you even awake today and what was it like for standing that long? Like wowser-zowser, wonder woman, will you filibuster again? When the question of whether we should destroy human life at any stage is reduced to theater leaving many journalists gushing like breathless red carpet commentators, we have lost more than a sense of decorum. One may agree with Davis' principled stand on the Texas bill, which she argued tried to do too much. Even so, a little less glee from the bleachers would seem more appropriate to the moment."

Though Nicole obviously it’s great when we find new political figures to look up to and what she did...

NICOLE WALLACE: Especially when they’re women.

HALPERIN: Especially when they’re women and what she did was to be admired but what do you think about what Kathleen Parker’s arguing regarding the coverage’s she’s gotten since this started?

WALLACE: I think Kathleen is always spot on, particularly when it comes to threading the needle between celebrating new and important female leaders and focusing on their femaleness. And I think that Kathleen Parker was sort of the first to be on to Sarah Palin getting more attention for being an iconic conservative female as opposed to just an iconic conservative at the moment that she delivered her convention speech, which was, I think we can all agree, her high point. And I think once again Kathleen makes a really important point and one that all women, not just in politics but in any field all, women grapple with.

You welcome the attention, particularly if you're advocating a cause that is near and dear and important to you as obviously this one is, but I think when it borders into things like how she's standing for so long and the appearance and the femaleness about it, I think that's still says something not very good about how we cover women in politics.

THOMAS ROBERTS: But wasn't she standing up for femaleness in general and women's reproductive rights? It's interesting to see Kathleen Parker and people like Peggy Noonan who will pile on a female leader who's emerging...

WALLACE: See this is a very interesting phenomena. Women are usually the first to pile on to other women.

ROBERTS: Well they're certainly the first to pile on. And the fact that these are women... seasoned women who don't really have to worry about a woman's right to choose anymore piling on a woman who’s standing up for a woman's right to choose.

WALLACE: Well let me say every woman and man should care about the issue no matter what side you come down on.

ROBERTS: They should, but men should not care about the sanctity of sperm over a woman's right to choose so much, and there are too many men... Republican men that need a refresher course and a manual to how reproductive rights work and a woman's vagina.

WALLACE: I'll leave that to you...

ROBERTS: Not to me at all...

WALLACE: But if you want to put together a manual, knock yourself out.

ROBERTS: You've heard enough Republicans talk about how they think the woman's reproductive body works to prove...

WALLACE: I think you're talking about very damaging comments that Republicans made...

ROBERTS: Sure.

wallace: ...about inappropriate rape or rape...

ROBERTS: Correct.

WALLACE: Is that what you're getting at?

ROBERTS: Correct.

WALLACE: A topic that never ceases to entertain the media.

ROBERTS: But it all leads us into this issue of talking about what deals with a woman's body and when is it right for her right to choose the course for her body, Wendy Davis is standing up for that, so when Kathleen Parker or Peggy Noonan pile on to chastise her, it's interesting to think that they’re not standing up for reproductive rights so much as they are trying to tear her down.

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