Now Republican men will make the decisions for and about women.

Follow this authorKathleen Parker's opinions

Never mind the verbiage that slipped the lips of President Biden during Thursday night’s debate when he attempted to answer a question about abortion access. In a discombobulated non-answer, he averred that “a lot of young women who are being raped by their — by their in-laws (!), by their spouse’s brothers and sisters ... by ... just ... it’s just ... it’s just ridiculous.”

I’ll say.

No one had to wonder about the courage of the five women known as the “Sister Senators” — three Republicans, one Democrat and one independent — who worked together to block a near-total state ban on abortion without exceptions for rape or incest. “Near-total” means no abortions after six weeks, by which time some women allegedly don’t even know they’re pregnant. (Note to women: If you have unprotected sex and miss a period, you’re probably pregnant.)

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For their considerable troubles, the five women were honored with a JFK Profile in Courage award last year in Boston. But you know what they say about good deeds. I’m late in congratulating them and would like to correct my oversight herewith. The Republican women are state Sens. Sandy Senn of Charleston, Katrina Shealy of Lexington and Penry Gustafson of Camden. State Sen. Mia McLeod is an independent from Columbia, and Democratic state Sen. Margie Bright Matthews is from Walterboro. Thank you for your service.

Elsewhere in America, people may not see these women’s efforts as revolutionary. But in the conservative South, where churches outnumber Chick-fil-As (and that’s saying something), “uppity women” don’t last long in Republican circles. Five women in a room who aren’t arranging flowers or funerals, or serving booze to the boys, are held in suspicion, if not contempt, by some of their male counterparts.

Republican men can be a funny lot. Ten or so years ago in D.C., GOP staffers were sent for training on how to talk to and about women. I’m not joking. Mainly, this was so they could help their bosses avoid saying inappropriate things to women candidates during elections, but the gist was that Republican men generally don’t “get” women. As if we didn’t know.

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For the record, Joe Biden received similar coaching in 2008 when, as a candidate for vice president, he had to debate Sarah Palin. If South Carolina had had its way, Palin would have become vice president. After writing in September that year that she should leave the ticket, I was almost afraid to go home for about two years. Chancing a cocktail party early in the Obama administration, I was swarmed by a dozen or more men who demanded to know what was so wrong........

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