Mixed reaction to Cheney’s daughter’s pregnancy
Bush’s religious right pals call preggers Mary Cheney “unconscionable”
Conservative Groups Speak Out Against Mary Cheney’s Pregnancy
Cheney’s lesbian daughter Mary is pregnant!
WASHINGTON (AP) — Conservative leaders voiced dismay Wednesday at news that Mary Cheney, the lesbian daughter of Dick Cheney, is pregnant, while a gay-rights group said the vice president faces “a lifetime of sleepless nights” for serving in an administration that has opposed recognition of same-sex couples. Mary Cheney, 37, and her partner of 15 years, Heather Poe, 45, are expecting a baby in late spring, said Lea Anne McBride, a spokeswoman for the vice president.
I’m still trying to figure the physiology of this whole seemingly immaculate conception, but despite my confusion, I suppose congratulations are in order. I’ve never felt that a woman should be denied the right to bear and raise a child simply because she lives an “alternative” lifestyle. Given that Mary Cheney and her partner have been together for 15 years, it’s difficult to imagine that stability of the household is going to be much of an issue. Yes, I understand that there are those who strongly believe that marriage should only be between a man and a woman, and that children shouldn’t be exposed to “alternative” lifestyles. I can’t help but wonder what it is that makes so many Social Conservative heterosexuals feel that they’re superior parents and human beings simply because they’re straight?
Why SHOULDN’T Gays and Lesbians have the opportunity to marry and raise families like anyone else? It’s not as if heterosexuals have done such a bang-up job when it comes to keeping marriages and families together.
What I truly cannot understand is why Cheney and Poe decided to live in Virginia, which, to put it mildly, is probably the least gay-friendly state in the country. Do they enjoy being oppressed and treated as if they’re diseased? (DON’T TOUCH THEM!! YOU CATCH TEH GAY!!!)
Virginia had already set up new Jim Crow laws targeting gays two years ago. Those laws may vitiate any legal agreement between the two, period, about anything. The law ensures that Mary’s partner has no legal rights whatsoever in their child, or in what happens to Mary (or vice versa), such as if one partner has to go the hospital, the other can’t visit. The law may even nullify any wills that Mary and Heather write regarding each other, and it may make it impossible for gay people to go to court to resolve any difference about anything - the courts can’t recognize gay unions, so they can’t make any decisions that would imply recognition (custody, hospital visitation, wills, etc.) It’s beyond ironic that Virginia’s new law, one of the most hateful, bigoted laws on the books, is now targeting the vice president’s own daughter and soon-to-be new grandchild.
Yeah, a welcoming and loving place Virginia certainly is not. Why anyone would willingly subject themselves to that sort of environment is beyond me.
The sad thing is that a majority of Virginia voters seem to see nothing wrong with codifying hatred and bigotry. Interesting that a former slave state still hasn’t managed to get a clue about that one, eh? What’s so wrong with treating a segment of the population as second-class and less than deserving to the same rights and privileges they themselves enjoy? I imagine most Virginians would call themselves “Christian”, which only goes to prove how little they know of the teachings of Jesus Christ.
I hope Cheney and Poe will have a raise a healthy, well-adjusted child. Every family deserves nothing less, regardless of who the parents happen to wake up next to each morning.
Of course, there’s a part of me taking great enjoyment in watching and listen to Social Conservatives twist themselves into knots of righteous indignation. Oh, the humanity….
