To clarify from the start, I am not an advocate of personhood, the notion that a fertilized egg has all the rights as a citizen after birth. I have opposed the failed Republican attempts to amend the constitutions of Colorado and Mississippi. This article is a demonstration of Republican hypocrisy, not a call for personhood. Republicans have been fast to accuse abortionists and pregnant women whose drug abuse caused miscarriages of murder and call for their prosecution. But I have yet to hear the first call for personhood over the miscarriage of Jennifer Fox.
A woman who was pepper sprayed during during a raid on Occupy Seattle last week is blaming police after she miscarried Sunday.
Jennifer Fox, 19, told The Stranger that she had been with the Occupy protests since they started in Westlake Park. She said she was homeless and three months pregnant, but felt the need to join activists during their march last Tuesday.
“I was standing in the middle of the crowd when the police started moving in,” Fox recalled. “I was screaming, ‘I am pregnant, I am pregnant. Let me through. I am trying to get out.'”
She claimed that police hit her in the stomach twice before pepper spraying her. One officer struck her with his foot and another pushed his bicycle into her. It wasn’t clear if either of those incidents were intentional.
“Right before I turned, both cops lifted their pepper spray and sprayed me. My eyes puffed up and my eyes swelled shut,” Fox said.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer photographer Joshua Trujillo snapped a picture of Fox in apparent agony as another activist carried her to an ambulance.
Seattle fire department spokesman Kyle Moore told The Washington Post that a 19-year-old pregnant woman was among those that were examined by paramedics.
While doctors at Harborview Medical Center didn’t see any problems at the time, things took a turn for the worst Sunday.
“Everything was going okay until yesterday, when I started getting sick, cramps started, and I felt like I was going to pass out,” she explained.
When Fox arrived at the hospital, doctors told her that the baby had no heartbeat.
“They diagnosed that I was having a miscarriage. They said the damage was from the kick and that the pepper spray got to it [the fetus], too,” she said… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Crooks and Liars>
Here is video of her suffering after being beaten and sprayed.
If a Republican woman were beaten and sprayed, causing her to miscarry, while blocking access to an abortion clinic, you can bet Republicans would be screaming bloody murder. If a Republican woman were beaten and sprayed, causing her to miscarry, while at a Koran burning, you can bet Republicans would be screaming bloody murder. If a Republican woman were beaten and sprayed, causing her to miscarry, while at a “God Hates Fags” funeral protest, you can bet Republicans would be screaming bloody murder. But police are not beating and spraying people at right wing demonstrations. Where are the Republican calls for personhood now? What shameful hypocrites they are!
22 Responses to “Where Are the Calls for Personhood?”
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You know I usually would comment politically but in this case I am going to go for the spiritual.
Karma is a motherfucker.
Amen, Mark.
And the outrage from the anti-abortion right-wingers?
:: crickets ::
My point exactly!
There is some well-founded skepticism that this woman isn’t telling the whole truth as it turns out. Her mother even says she’s a habitual liar. I don’t want to say much moire about it because I’m getting ready to write a piece on “citizen journalism” and some of its problems.
Leslie, since my piece was about the hypocrisy of the Republican reaction to the incident, and not the incident itself, it does not depend on her truthfulness. We know that she was attacked by police, and before I posted it, I source checked, saw several pictures and watched other video. In addition, Countdown and MSNBC reported it, while I was writing my version.
If this is true, everyone should be crying “bloody murder!”
Agree!
“But police are not beating and spraying people at right wing demonstrations. Where are the Republican calls for personhood now? What shameful hypocrites they are!” (tomcat1948)
Whether or not this is 100% true— the lack of any acknowledgment by the “Pro-Life” fanatics speaks volumes ; The lack of any outrage by the hypocritical right is deafening.
Thanks. That was the point,
If it isn’t true, it loses all credibility.
See above,
That poor lady and her murdereed child—it is OUTRAGEOUS that this happened, and that police are using pepper spray on unarmed, peaceful, nonviolent demonstators in the first place, ESPECIALLY since the police were given the pepper spray by the Homeland Security Dept.!!!!! They are, after all, supposed to be keeping us free fom acts of terrorism, NOT condoning and aiding acts of domestic terrorism by police. THE WRONG PEOPLE ARE BEING ARRESTED ANS JAILED IN THIS COUNTRY!
Jack, I don’t think that the pepper spray is a problem, but the way in which they are employing it. I have no problem with cops giving someone a snoot-full to someone that is actually attacking them.
What a sad welcome to Seattle, and one to visit my first grand daughter at that! Right to life-ers indeed – a lot of the “right” beliefs become rather hypocritical when practiced by our “lifers” don’t they! This over-response from the police is a frightening one – these tactics must stop – perhaps there’ll be a manslaughter charge brought against the perpetrators – might be a convincing measure to temper the law enforcement.
Lee a manslaughter charge would validate personhood. The appropriate charge is assault.
The police involvement at these peaceful OWS rallies is escalating by the police – I think there was something about peaceful (which this is) protests in the Constitution. The police are the ones causing the violence. Ms. Fox is a perfect example of harmful police action where it is not needed. And the Repubs are always the constant hypocrites.
Well said, Lisa!
As I said in yesterdays off topic portion of your daily posts I don’t know either if this is true or not. However, if it is then there should be not a charge of manslaughter, but a charge of second degree murder. I do not believe that the two times she was hit in the stomach were accidental and if they were not then it is clearly an intentional hit to her stomach and therefore clearly a case of second degree murder.
We all need to see more facts on this and then call for justice, no matter if its against this girl or the police. Let the truth come out and have a confirmation of the facts no matter who the blame will fall on.
Have a great day.
Thanks AP, but see my reply to Lee.
I agree that, if the whole story is true, then the officer guilty of the over-the-top action should be charged with manslaughter at the very least. However if the story is not entirely true, at least one thing is true and that is that the pepper spraying of peaceful protesters is unconscionable. We have seen it in New York, San Diego and elsewhere (including UC Davis which is not part of OWS), indiscriminate use of pepper spray on peaceful protesters.
I agree that if the story is true, the pro-lifers should be howling mad. But they’re nowhere to be found.
In any event, this is shameful.
Lynn, I agree, but see my reply to Lee.