Michele Bachmann: A Feminist Nightmare

Does anyone else feel like simultaneously crying, throwing your chair into a window, and cursing Zeus every time you hear Michele Bachmann speak about gender or sexuality? Well… I do.

Michele Bachmann, topping the list of contenders for the current GOP Primary, doesn’t even consider herself a feminist. WAIT!? A woman who’s doesn’t actively strive for women’s rights? What? That seems ridiculous.

Not only does she condemn Planned Parenthood as a criminal institution, she condemns homosexuality as a dysfunction, and advocates the submission of wives to their husbands (Yes, you read that correctly). Bachmann references Planned Parenthood as the “LensCrafters of Big Abortion.” She says she hopes to ban all federal funding towards pro-choice services, no matter what the circumstance of the pregnancy is. (I thought we were over the days of the Hyde Amendment when Henry Hyde died… I suppose that was too optimistic.)

I also find this particularly funny considering only 3% of Planned Parenthood’s services go toward abortions, her hyperbolic claims seem entirely unconvincing along with her statement that she is “Pro-Woman”. Pro-Woman? …Sure.

She continues to demonize Planned Parenthood by making accusations about their involvement with sex trafficking of young women, even though they have released statements against these claims in January as well as pledging to report any such activity to the FBI.

If Bachmann succeeds, not only will millions of women loose the facilities and funding to have the option of services like abortion, but millions of women will loose basic preventive health care services for examinations for breast cancer, screenings for sexually transmitted infections, access to more affordable birth control, and even services like body image counseling for young adults.

“The Lord says be submissive. Wives, you are to be submissive to your husbands.”

– Michele Bachmann, October 2006. (according to the DailyBeast.com)

During the House race in 2006, Michele Bachmann literally said that women should always be submissive to their husbands. (This is your cue to start crying, cursing, and throwing chairs!)

Bachmann stated this when she was talking about how she came to where she is in her life now, a tax reform lawyer/politician. She professes that she didn’t even want to be a tax lawyer, but God told her that she (along with all other wives) should always do what they are told by their husbands. In this case, her husband told her to be a tax reform lawyer, and she felt compelled to obey him. She makes it very clear that she believes in the biblical assumption that the man is always in charge. (I suppose this means we are voting for Mr. Bachmann then?)

I find it outraging that a 21^st century woman who has the power to influence so many young women of our generation would publicly announce that she advocates submission to a man. Bachmann is advocated not only that women are less than equal to men, but that marriage is the only mechanism that can drive you in life, that if you don’t have a husband to direct you in life–you will be lost.

This attitude is what drives the anti-feminist and anti-woman bias, especially in the realm of politics. The National Organization for Women even cited that Bachmann winning the presidential nomination would actually be a setback rather than a victory. Powerful women in politics are too few and far between, we really don’t need another pro-man to preach and influence an even more biased type of politic.

Can I have a hallelujah?