| Hillary and Sen. Murray both have a long and solid history of standing up for our rights when it comes to equal pay, fighting sex discrimination and harassment, and especially regarding our right to services when it comes to reproductive healthcare. Hillary's been right there at our side as we've fought back the extreme right's attempts to undermine our right to choose and to determine what methods we'll use to prevent unplanned pregnancies.
I wonder if any other senators are going to be sending out letters or a call to action to stop Bush from screwing around with our access to medical care. Ok one in particular and I think you know who I'm looking to for leadership on this important issue. I mean let's face it - the guy's selling us out when it comes to access to abortion services. SURELY he can make up for that when it comes to access to contraceptives, and will use this issue to win over the millions of women who are pissed at him for that earlier pander.
I mean he's pandering to all sorts of other groups - can't he toss us just one pander too?
Planned Parenthood is also working on ways to stop this sellout by BushCo. I got the following info from them this morning and we all need to sign off on their petition and help spread the word...
We have just received news that President Bush is trying to sell-out women's health in the most unbelievable way. Here's how:
The Bush administration is about to release a rule that will make it possible for federal funding that is specifically designed to prevent unintended pregnancy and promote reproductive health to now be used for anything but that.
If it happens, it will be a massive betrayal of women and families, and we must stop it. We need you to speak out. Please let President Bush know that this change is very wrong.
A little background on this outrageous situation...
We've known for some time that anti-choice extremists have wanted President Bush to deliver them some sort of "gift" before he leaves office. This rule change is just that gift. And here's what one of the most egregious results could be:
Right now, anti-choice groups run so-called "crisis pregnancy centers" in communities all around the country - often a block or two away from Planned Parenthood affiliate health centers. These facilities look like health centers, but in reality are run by anti-choice zealots who deliver only the reproductive health care options that fit their agenda. No birth control, no abortion - and no choice for women and families who need it.
If this rule takes effect, they're likely to receive a massive influx of our tax dollars to expand their deceptive operations and to attract hundreds of thousands of women who think they'll be getting medical care but instead will receive a large dose of anti-choice ideology.
I believe that tricking women when they are most vulnerable is wrong - and the federal government shouldn't pay people to do it.
It gets worse. The rule would also require entities that receive family planning funding, like Planned Parenthood, to certify that we will not refuse to hire nurses and other providers who object to abortion and even certain types of birth control. Between deceptive "crisis pregnancy centers" delivering woefully incomplete care and legitimate health centers with extremely limited funding, hundreds of thousands of women are at enormous risk.
We have a chance to stop it. So, beginning right now and with your help, we are:
launching a massive public outcry against the president's rule
raising as much money as we possibly can
One more thing - Planned Parenthood Federation of America has been standing up for and serving women, men, and families in this country for more than 90 years. The next few days and weeks will be an immense challenge, but know this: We are here for this fight. We need you here with us.
Thank you in advance. More soon.
Sincerely,
Cecile Richards, President
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
When I googled this looking for the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking info, I found this site - RHRealityCheck (info on Reproductive Health), and it included some interesting articles. This one from Christina Page...
HHS Moves to Define Contraception as Abortion
In a spectacular act of complicity with the religious right, the Department of Health and Human Services Monday released a proposal that allows any federal grant recipient to obstruct a woman's access to contraception. In order to do this, the Department is attempting to redefine many forms of contraception, the birth control 40% of Americans use, as abortion. Doing so protects extremists under the Weldon and Church amendments. Those laws prohibit federal grant recipients from requiring employees to help provide or refer for abortion services.
And from Aimee Newman...
Proposed Regs Only the Latest Attempt to Redefine Abortion
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has drafted regulations that would re-define contraception as abortion and prioritize "religiously held objections" to providing contraception over women's rights and health. As Cristina Page has noted, re-defining contraception in the way the proposal suggests, would "protect [anti-contraception] extremists under the Weldon and Church amendments," amendments that allow health care providers - entities and individuals - that are (or work for) federally funded grantees to "opt out" of providing abortion care if it runs counter to their religious beliefs. The proposed regulation goes even farther - though applies still, and only, to federally funded health care entities and their employees (including Medicaid and Title X programs).
Under the regulation changes, the federal government would redefine abortion as:
any of the various procedures - including the prescription, dispensing and administration of any drug or the performance of any procedure or any other action - that results in the termination of the life of a human being in utero between conception and natural birth, whether before or after implantation.
"The Department proposes, then, to allow individuals and institutions to adhere to their own views and adopt a definition of abortion that encompasses both views of abortion."
For example, if a health care provider for a Medicaid-funded family planning clinic opposed birth control and abortion, this person would be allowed to share his or her own view of when pregnancy begins with patients, advise a patient that contraception causes abortion and, under the federal government's own guidelines, prevent the patient from accessing or obtaining a referral for birth control..
This is a shot across the bow guys. We either remain silent on this and watch BushCo wipe out even more of our reproductive healthcare options and rights, or we speak out loudly and with one voice and say E N O U G H!!!!
Your call.
Me? I'm telling everyone I know about this. Email, around the water cooler at work, and here in our own little corner of the blogosphere.
What are you gonna do?
UPDATE: The ACLU weighs in on this...
Proposed Bush Regulations Jeopardize Women's Health
ACLU denounces parting salvo by Bush administration
As for a quick Google search and a look at BHO's press releases website... CRICKETS. On a ruling that would impact the rights of millions of American women, he's said buptkiss, nothin', zilch, nada, nothin'!
Raise yer hand if you're surprised at this folks.
Yeah - didn't think so. |
