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5/16/2012 - Obama Administration Threatens to Veto House Version of VAWA
The Obama Administration released a Statement of Administration Policy (PDF) yesterday in which the administration threatened to veto the House version of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), HR 4970, because it does not contain many of the protective provisions that are included in the Senate version. These provisions include protection for LGBT, immigrant, and Native American victims of domestic or sexual violence.
In the Statement of Administration Policy, the administration blasted HR 4970 for allowing abusers to be notified when domestic violence victims file a VAWA complaint. In the Statement, the administration wrote, "these proposals senselessly remove existing legal protections, undermine VAWA's core purpose of protecting victims of sexual assault and domestic violence, frustrate important law enforcement objectives, and jeopardize victims by placing them directly in harm's way." The Statement also says that "if the President is presented with HR 4970, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto the bill."
The House Judiciary Committee passed the Cantor/Adams VAWA Reauthorization bill in a nearly straight party line vote on May 8th. Only one Republican, Ted Poe (TX-2), joined the Democrats in voting no. The Committee, in denying consideration of the substitute bill of Ranking Member John Conyers (D-MI), essentially rejected what Vice President Biden (the principal author of the original VAWA) called the "real McCoy" VAWA Reauthorization, which passed the Senate with a bipartisan 68-31 vote in late April.
5/16/2012 - Catholic Bishops Reject Birth Control Coverage Compromise
In a statement released yesterday, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) announced that they submitted comments (PDF) to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in opposition to the Obama Administration's recent announcement that employers' insurance plans must include contraception coverage. The Obama Administration, in an accommodation, made clear that if a religiously-affiliated institute objects, the insurance company will provide the coverage for contraception directly to the employee or student without institutional involvement. The regulation requiring birth control coverage without co-pays or deductibles is a part of the preventive care package of the Affordable Care Act that goes into effect August 2012. The Bishops have rejected the administration's compromise.
The comments sent to HHS from the USCCB's General Counsel outlined six points of opposition to the mandate. These points included that contraceptive services are still included as a mandated preventative service in the Affordable Care Act, that religious employers are defined as employers that "primarily hire and serve only members of their own religion," and that there is a lack of exemption for non-religious employers with "conscientious objections."
In the comments, the USCCB wrote "we believe that this mandate is unjust and unlawful - it is bad health policy, and because it entails an element of government coercion against conscience, it creates a religious freedom problem. These moral and legal problems are compounded by an extremely narrow exemption that intrusively and unlawfully carves up the religious community into those that are deemed 'religious enough' for an exemption, and those that are not." White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters, "We're not trying to win an argument here... we're trying to implement a policy that will affect millions of women."
5/16/2012 - NH House Passes 24 Hour Abortion Waiting Period Provision
The New Hampshire House of Representatives voted yesterday in favor of a bill that requires a woman seeking an abortion to wait 24 hours from the time of the consultation with the doctor or abortion provider to the time she undergoes the abortion. Last month, the New Hampshire State Senate voted against a different bill that sought to impose the 24 hours waiting period. The provisions that passed in the House yesterday were added to a business tax-credit bill.
The New Hampshire House Finance Committee tried to remove the 24-hour waiting period provision, but the House voted to pass the bill with the provision in a 198-100 vote. Lawmakers arguing against the provisions said that the tax-credit bill will most likely be defeated in the State Senate because of the added anti-abortion provision.
One member of the House told the The Huffington Post that "what we have done is take a good piece of fiscal legislation and condemn the legislation to death on the other side of the wall. We've hijacked the bill."
26 States require a 24 hour waiting period. Last week, Utah became the first state to enact a mandatory 72-hour waiting period.
5/15/2012 - KS Governor Signs Anti-Abortion 'Conscience' Bill
Kansas Governor Sam Brownback signed a bill into law on Monday that gives pharmacists the right to deny women any drug that the pharmacist believes can cause an abortion. Critics have argued that the bill can give pharmacists the right to deny contraception or the morning after pill to women because under the law, pharmacists and doctors have broad power to deny any drugs that they "reasonably believe" could end a pregnancy. This is the fifth anti-abortion law that Brownback has signed since taking office last year.
The Kansas state Senate passed the bill earlier this month in a 23-16 vote. Under the law, individuals are not required to refer a patient to an abortion provider and they have the right to refuse to "participate in administering any drug they believe terminates a pregnancy." Kansas state law since 1970 has given individuals the right to refuse to "perform or participate in an abortion procedure."
Kansas is now the fifth state that allows pharmacists the right to deny medication based on a conscience clause. Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, and South Dakota all have similar laws. Florida, Maine, and Tennessee also have refusal measures, but these do not specifically mention pharmacists.
5/15/2012 - Survey Finds Decrease in Number of Women CIOs
The number of US women in Chief Information Officer (CIO) positions has decreased since 2010, according to a survey (PDF) released by Harvey Nash USA this week. In 2010, 12 percent of CIOs were women. That number dropped to 11 percent in 2011 and is down to 9 percent this year.
The report finds that one third of US CIOs say that within their IT organizations there are no women in management level positions. 52% of US CIOs report that women are underrepresented in their IT organizations, according to the survey.
Senior Vice President of International Technology Solutions at Harvey Nash USA, Anna Frazzetto, said that the numbers reflect that "less and less women are attracted into that space so you wind up creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. It's not a very welcoming arena to be in." She also said that "the skills shortage is the biggest it's ever been, and it's going to cause companies to get a little more creative in shifting the culture of organizations."
5/15/2012 - OK Judge Permanently Blocks Anti-Abortion Law
An Oklahoma Judge ruled on Friday that a proposed state law severely restricting medication abortions is unconstitutional, permanently blocking the enforcement of the bill. Oklahoma County District Judge Donald Worthington issued the ruling against the bill, which banned non-FDA approved uses of the drug for abortion, but allowed for off-label use of the same medication for any other purpose. A judge temporarily blocked the law in October but Judge Worthington's ruling makes the block permanent.
In his ruling, Judge Worthington wrote that the bill is "so completely at odds with the standard that governs the practice of medicine that [the bill] can serve no purpose other than to prevent women from obtaining abortions and to punish and discriminate against those women who do."
The Center for Reproductive Rights, the group that filed the original legal challenge, issued a statement in which its President and CEO, Nancy Northup, said, "It sends a strong message to anti-choice legislators in Oklahoma and beyond that their disingenuous tactics for restricting access to abortion and their hostility toward women's fundamental rights will not stand. The court has made it clear this law was never about protecting women. It was about banning safe and effective methods of terminating a pregnancy, and making it impossible for women to exercise the full range of their constitutionally protected rights."
This is the third time this year that a state court has overturned an anti-abortion law in Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Attorney General's office has vowed to appeal the ruling to the state Supreme Court. Last month, the state Supreme Court ruled against a proposal to put a personhood law on the state election ballot.
5/14/2012 - AZ Governor Signs Law Expanding Birth Control Coverage Exemption
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed a law on Friday that expands an exemption to a state law that requires employers to include birth control coverage in their health plans' coverage of prescription medication. Under a law passed in Arizona in 2002, employers' health plans must include contraception coverage if the plans cover prescriptions, unless the employer is a church. Under the new exemption signed by Brewer, any employer that identifies as "religiously affiliated" will not have to cover birth control.
Bryan Howard, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Arizona said that "this is only the latest of the numerous bills the governor has signed that restrict women's access to preventative health care, taking personal medical decisions away from women and handing them over to politicians."
The original version of the bill included an exemption for any employer who has a religious objection to birth control. The version signed by Brewer applies only to organizations with articles of incorporation that "clearly state that it is a religiously motivated organization and whose religious beliefs are central to the organization's operating principles." Lawmakers still concede that "the language is not airtight" and employers could declare themselves religiously affiliated in order to evade the mandate, according to the Arizona Star.
5/14/2012 - TN Governor Signs Law Banning Education of 'Gateway Sexual Behavior'
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam signed a law on Friday banning schools in the state from teaching students about "gateway sexual activity" in sex education classes. According to drafters of the bill, so-called gateway sexual activity includes any type of "intentional touching of the primary genital area, groin, inner thigh, buttock or breast of a human being." Under the signed bill, HB 3621/ SB 3310, sex-ed classes will be required to "exclusively and emphatically promote sexual risk avoidance through abstinence, regardless of a student's current or prior sexual experience." The bill passed the House in a 68-23 vote and the Senate in a 29-1 vote.
President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Greater Memphis Region, Barry Chase, said in a statement statement, "Most parents in Tennessee want students to get comprehensive sexuality education that includes messages about prevention as well as abstinence. They expect that the schools will equip their young people with the information they need to protect themselves. This bill ties the hands of educators in Tennessee and will prevent them from providing the comprehensive education that students want and need and their parents expect."
Under the law, teachers or outside educators can be fined as much as $500 for violating the law. Opponents have criticized the bill for being vague and making it so that teachers can't even mention hand-holding and kissing in sex-ed classes.
5/14/2012 - Study Released on Young Adults' Understanding of Contraception
A study conducted by the Guttmacher Institute and published in the June 2012 edition of Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health demonstrates the link between knowledge of contraceptive methods and avoidance of risky behaviors among young adults. The Guttmacher institute collected data from a nationally representative sample of 1,800 sexually active people between the ages of 18 and 29 in 2009. They reported that "more than half of young men and a quarter of young women received low scores on contraceptive knowledge, and six in 10 underestimated the effectiveness of oral contraceptives."
The study found that the odds of a woman having unprotected sex in a three month period decreased by 9% with each correct answer on a contraception knowledge scale. The study stated that young adults were likely to engage in risky behavior due to fear of side effects of contraception, societal attitudes that "undervalue the importance of contraception," or mistrust of the government's role in birth control promotion.
The overall conclusions of the study were that "programs to increase young adults' knowledge about contraceptive methods and use are urgently needed. Given the demonstrated link between method knowledge and contraceptive behaviors, such programs may be useful in addressing risky behavior in this population."
5/11/2012 - Montana Teen Birth Control Coverage Ban Ruled Unconstitutional
Yesterday, District Judge James Reynolds ruled unconstitutional Montana's ban on birth control coverage for teenage girls who are insured by the state's low-income health insurance program for minors, Healthy Montana Kids. He concluded that the law "violates the right of privacy and the rights of persons not adults set forth in the Montana Constitution."
In his ruling, Judge Reynolds said, "In this scheme, if you want to control your acne, your birth control is covered; if you want to avoid pregnancy and control your procreative autonomy, your birth control is not covered...This turns the idea of the fundamental right of privacy on its head." He continued, "The point is this: because HMK provides payment for medical services associated with procreative autonomy, the individual privacy guaranteed in Montana's constitution applies and the right operates to prohibit precisely the inquiry made by the contraception exclusion - unless the state can provide a narrowly tailored, compelling state interest judging this infringement," reported the Missoulian.
Children whose families' incomes are up 250% of the federal poverty level are eligible for insurance through Healthy Montana Kids. About 10 percent of the 25,000 children covered are females between the ages of 15 and 19. Though the program will not cover the drug for pregnancy prevention, teenage mothers receive coverage for prenatal and postnatal care, as well as delivery expenses. In 2009, the program spent $720,000 to cover the costs of 43 births to teenage mothers.
5/11/2012 - House Passes Ryan Budget with Cuts to Social Programs
The House on Thursday passed a plan to increase military spending while slashing funding for food and child care programs, as well as Medicaid and federal employees' benefits. The budget proposal, written by House Budget Committee chairman Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI1), was an attempt to avoid the cuts to defense spending mandated in last summer's budget deal. The plan passed with the minimum 218 votes, with 16 Republicans and all Democrats voting no.
The plan which would cut the deficit by $300 billion over 10 years, would cut over $36 billion from food aid programs, $48 billion from Medicaid, and $83 billion in federal retirement benefits while allowing for major increases in defense spending. During the floor debate on the Ryan budget, Representative Jim McGovern (D-MA3) said, "I am so sick and tired of the demonization of programs that benefit poor people in this country...Rather than cutting waste in the Pentagon budget, which we all know exists, you protect the Pentagon budget. You know, rather than going after subsidies for oil companies and going after billionaire tax breaks, you protect all that."
The measure will likely not pass the Senate and the White House threatens to veto it, though elements of the proposal are likely to reappear in the future as both parties attempt to avoid the mandated cuts scheduled for 2013.
5/11/2012 - US Conference of Catholic Bishops Launch Inquiry Into Girl Scouts
The US Conference of Catholic Bishops has launched an official inquiry into Girls Scouts USA. At the end of March, Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne wrote a letter expressing his concerns about the Girl Scouts relationship to groups that promote birth control and contraceptives, such as Sierra Club and Doctors Without Borders, and whether they are promoting birth control and contraceptives in their programming.
Although the Girl Scouts have confirmed that they have never taken a stance on birth control, contraceptives or abortion, if the Catholic Bishops believe that their programing shows otherwise, Girl Scout chapters may no longer be allowed to hold their meetings in Catholic churches.
According to the Washington Post, St. Timothy’s Catholic Church in Chantilly, Virginia, banned 12 troops of 115 Girl Scouts from holding their meetings at the church. Some Girl Scouts have also reportedly had doors slammed in their faces over speculation that they endorse contraceptives and abortion.
Robert McCarty, the Executive Director of the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry, published a website to help debunk the rumors about Girls Scouts. He says that the Girl Scouts have reviewed and changed some of their materials hoping to quiet the rumors and tensions with the Catholic Church.
The review of the Girl Scouts programs will be held by the Bishops’ committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth.
5/10/2012 - Utah Enacts 72-Hour Mandatory Waiting Period for Abortions
This week, Utah became the only state in the country to enact a law that requires a 72- hour waiting period for a woman seeking an abortion. The state measure, passed earlier this year and enacted on Tuesday, requires a woman seeking an abortion to undergo a face-to-face consultation with a medical practitioner at a clinic, then wait 3 full days before the actual procedure. The effect of the law is compounded by the fact that there are only two clinics that provide abortions in the entire state of Utah, both located in Salt Lake City.
Planned Parenthood Director Karen Galloway said the way the law is written, no one is in charge of overseeing compliance. "We're left with a system that right now puts the burden - in fact a possible criminal burden - on the physician providing the procedure with no verifiable process for confirming the informed consent."
According to RH Reality Check, the law "sounds quite a bit like nearly every other piece of anti-choice legislation, determined to create a process so laden with potential legal pitfalls that no doctor will feel comfortable providing abortions." Opponents of the law have not ruled out the possibility of filing a lawsuit, though Galloway notes, "the reality of doing a legal challenge is daunting - the cost and time, all of that."
South Dakota passed a similar law last year, but it was challenged in court before it ever took effect. 26 other states require a waiting period of 24 hours.
5/10/2012 - President Obama Supports Marriage Equality
Yesterday, President Obama became the first sitting president in history to support lesbian and gay marriage. This is a monumental victory for lesbian and gay rights. In an interview with ABC's Robin Roberts, President Obama said that "gay and lesbian Americans should be treated fairly and equally....at a certain point I've just concluded that for me personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married."
Vice President Joe Biden publicly voiced support for same-sex marrage on "Meet the Press" this past Sunday. He said, "I am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women and heterosexual men and women marrying are entitled to the same exact rights, all the civil rights, all the civil liberties. And quite frankly, I don't see much of a distinction beyond that," reported the Washington Post.
President Obama's statements came one day after voters in North Carolina approved a constitutional amendment 61% to 39% that defines marriage as the legal union between a man and a woman. Amendment One, or the Defense of Marriage Act, not only outlaws same-sex marriage, which was already illegal in the state, it also bans domestic partnerships for gay or straight couples. North Carolina is the 30th state and the last state in the South to ban same-sex marriage through a constitutional amendment.
Currently same-sex couples are allowed to marry in New Hampshire, Maryland, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, New York, Iowa, Washington state, and the District of Columbia.
Take Action: Thank President Obama for publicly recognizing that loving gay and lesbian couples deserve equal respect, rights, and protections under the law.
5/9/2012 - House Judiciary Committee Passes Cantor/Adams Version of VAWA Reauthorization Bill
The House Judiciary Committee passed the Cantor/Adams VAWA Reauthorization bill in a nearly straight party line vote yesterday. Only one Republican, Ted Poe (TX-2), joined the Democrats in voting no. The Committee, in denying consideration of the substitute bill of Ranking Member John Conyers (D-MI), essentially rejected what Vice President Biden (the principal author of the original VAWA) called the "real McCoy" VAWA Reauthorization which passed the Senate with a bipartisan 68-31 vote in late April. 2012 marks the first time that both Senate and House Committee votes on VAWA have been essentially party line.
The Cantor/Adams bill is particularly cruel to immigrant women survivors of violence because it eliminates their confidentiality in reporting by requiring immigration officials to interview the abuser and tell him about the complaint. Moreover, the bill guts the U visa process which enables survivors to stay in the US while the legal process against the abuser is being pursued. It also is harsh to Native American women when they are abused by non-Native Americans on tribal lands. It does not give Native American authorities the power to prosecute these non-Native abusers. More than 50 percent of Native women have non-Native spouses. Finally, the Cantor/Adams bill denies LGBT survivors support necessary for victims of domestic violence.
Before the Cantor/Adams bill, VAWA Reauthorization legislation - ever since it first passed in 1994 - has always expanded coverage and services for the purpose of reducing violence. This is the first time a VAWA bill has been approved that narrows or restricts protections.
5/9/2012 - NC Bans Same-Sex Marriage and Domestic Partnerships
Voters in North Carolina passed a constitutional amendment last night that defines marriage as the legal union between a man and a woman. Amendment One, or the Defense of Marriage Act, not only outlaws same-sex marriage, which was already illegal in the state, it also bans domestic partnerships for gay or straight couples. With all counties reporting, the amendment was approved 61% to 39%.
North Carolina is the 30th state and the last state in the South to ban same-sex marriage through a constitutional amendment. Nearly a half million people voted early, a record number for a primary election in the state, and numbers at the polls were also unusually high, likely due to weeks of intense debate and fierce campaigning.
A group of family law professors from seven North Carolina universities say the measure is more restrictive than all but three other state marriage bans in the country. They say the extremely vague language of the amendment could be enacted very broadly, and could strip unmarried gay and straight couples of their rights to make emergency medical and financial decisions for incapacitated partners, as well as protections of unmarried partners from domestic abuse. It also threatens visitation rights, child custody, and health insurance benefits for unmarried couples.
Lawsuits are expected in response to the amendment. "When the dust clears," the professors noted, unmarried couples will "have fewer rights over their most important life decisions."
Jeremy Kennedy, campaign manager for the opposition to the amendment, Coalition to Protect All NC families, said after the vote, "We know that we pushed the needle forward; this is just a skirmish, a battle in the war that we will win.We gave everything we had."
5/8/2012 - New Report on Gender Distribution by Industry
A report released last week by NPR breaks down the gender distribution across industries and sectors. The report compares the percentage of women in various industries from 1972 to today. The proportion of women has increased in the government sector (from 42.7% to 56.8%), leisure and hospitality (from 38.8% to 52.5%), and financial activities (from 49.4% to 58.1%). Women continue to make up the majority of the workforce in the health and education sectors. In 1972, women comprised 75.9% of the sector and today, they make up 76.7% of the industry. Currently, women comprise about 78% of elementary and secondary school teachers.
NPR says the findings are also notable because they reflect the "broader job shifts in the economy." For example, there has been little change in the proportion of women in the manufacturing sector, but the overall share of US jobs in manufacturing has fallen dramatically since 1972. In 1972, the share of jobs in manufacturing was at 24% and today it is only 9%.
The percentage of women in the workforce has sharply increased from 1972 to today. In March 1972, men were 63.9% of the workforce and women were only 36.1%. In March 2012, the gender distribution was much more equal, with men as 50.7% of the workforce and women as 49.3%.
5/8/2012 - More Teenagers are Using Contraception
A Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study released last week shows that not only are more teenage girls using contraception but also that girls are choosing more effective types of contraception. 60% of the teenagers between 15 and 19 years old are using birth control methods that are rated as highly effective methods. The study defined highly effective methods as the pill, patch, vaginal ring, IUD, arm implant, and contraceptive shot. Condoms are considered only moderately effective.
In an earlier report, the CDC reported that the teenage birth rate dropped to an historic low, dropping 9 percent between 2009 and 2010. The birth rate for 2010 was the lowest since 1946. The report partially credits the increase in contraception usage for this trend. The rate of pregnancies for girls 15 to 19 has dropped by 44% between 1990 and 2010. The CDC reports that in the mid-90s, less than half of teenage girls were using highly effective methods. Today, in the states where teenagers were more likely to use the pill the teenage birth rate is either lower than or equal to the national average. These states also have the fewest restrictions on obtaining birth control.
The study released last week was conducted between 2006 and 2010. 2,300 teenage girls between the ages of 15 and 19 were surveyed.
5/8/2012 - FM Statement on House Judiciary Committee Passage of the Cantor/Adams VAWA Reauthorization Bill
The Feminist Majority deplores the passage of the Cantor/Adams VAWA Reauthorization bill by the House Judiciary Committee in a nearly straight party line vote. This House bill is not only VAWA Lite but harmful to many victims of violence. Only one Republican, Ted Poe (TX-2), joined the Democrats in voting no. The Committee, in denying consideration of the substitute bill of Ranking Member John Conyers (D-MI), essentially rejected what Vice President Biden (the principal author of the original VAWA) called the "real McCoy" VAWA Reauthorization which passed the Senate with a bipartisan 68-31 vote in late April.
The war on women's issues continues; no wonder there is a gender gap in voting. We deplore the making of violence against women legislation a political football (2012 marks the first time that both Senate and House Committee votes on VAWA have been essentially party line).
The bill is particularly cruel to immigrant women survivors of violence because it eliminates their confidentiality in reporting by requiring immigration officials to interview the abuser and tell him about the complaint. Moreover, the bill guts the U visa process which enables survivors to stay in the US while the legal process against the abuser is being pursued. It also is harsh to Native American women when they are abused by non-Native Americans on tribal lands. It does not give Native American authorities the power to prosecute these non-Native abusers. More than 50 percent of Native women have non-Native spouses.
Finally, the Cantor/Adams bill denies LGBT survivors support necessary for victims of domestic violence. The GOP bill simply does not recognize that violence is violence and all victims deserve protection.
Before the Cantor/Adams bill, VAWA Reauthorization legislation, ever since it first passed in 1994, has always expanded coverage and services for the purpose of reducing violence. This is the first time a VAWA bill has been approved that narrows or restricts protections.
5/7/2012 - Texas Blocked from Defunding Planned Parenthood Again
In the 3rd ruling in this case in a week, a three-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday that Texas cannot exclude Planned Parenthood from its state women's health program, pending the hearing of formal arguments. The most recent ruling reversed an emergency stay issued earlier last week that allowed Texas to ban funding. The three-judge panel agreed with District Court Judge Lee Yeakel, whose initial ruling in the case a week ago had imposed a temporary injunction against the enforcement of the law. Less than 24 hours after Yeakel's ruling, Judge Jerry Smith of the 5th Circuit Court of appeals issued an emergency stay, giving Texas the right to enforce its law that would cut off funding to Planned Parenthood in the state.
At question is a rule implemented by Governor Rick Perry in March, that states that affiliates of abortion providers are ineligible to participate in the state's Medicaid Women's Health Program. Eight Planned Parenthood affiliates, none of which perform abortions, sued Texas over the law in mid-April.
In response to Friday's ruling, Planned Parenthood Action Fund President Cecile Richards told the Associated Press, "This case isn't about Planned Parenthood; it's about the women who rely on Planned Parenthood for cancer screenings, birth control, and well-woman exams...We won't let politics interfere with the health care that nearly 3 million people a year rely on Planned Parenthood for in Texas and around the country."
A court filing by Texas Solicitor General Jonathan Mitchell indicated the state would cut all women's health program funds of federal courts order Texas to allow Planned Parenthood to receive funding. The motion states, "State law prohibits Texas from continuing to operate the Texas Women's Program if taxpayer money must be provided to entities that affiliate with abortion-promoting entities...Consequently, the district court's preliminary injunction effectively forces Texas to choose between contravening state law and shutting down the program."
5/7/2012 - New Arizona Law Bans Funding for Planned Parenthood
Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona signed into law on Friday a bill that will prevent the allocation of public funds to abortion providers in the state. Ironically titled the "Whole Women's Health Funding Priority Act," the law will cut all funding for health services delivered by Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers, effecting the nearly 4,000 women receiving Medicaid-funded health care in the state.
Arizona does not currently provide tax dollars for abortion, but those who support the law say it is still necessary to ensure that no money goes to these organizations. The governor's signature comes just weeks after she signed a bill that bans abortion after 20 weeks.
Planned Parenthood is saying the law will put thousands of women's lives at risk. In addition to providing abortion services to women, Planned Parenthood provides a range of health services, such as STI testing, cancer screenings, vaccinations, birth control, and sexual health education often at a reduced cost for low-income women.
President of Planned Parenthood Arizona Bryan Howard said, "Many in the legislature will never know what it's like to feel a lump in their breast and have to worry about the cost of a doctor's visit. This is the reality with which many Arizona women are faced, at the hands of a legislature determined to reduce access to prevention care while pursuing its ideological political agenda."
Texas, Vermont, and Tennessee have enacted similar legislation, along with Indiana, North Carolina, and Kansas, where the laws are currently being challenged.
5/7/2012 - Oklahoma Personhood Struck Down by Court
The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled unanimously April 30th against a proposed amendment to the Oklahoma constitution that would grant "personhood" rights to human embryos, calling it unconstitutional.
Earlier in the month, the state House defeated the Personhood bill. The House Republican Caucus announced they would not take up the controversial bill, saying the decision was based on a Caucus vote.
Speaker of the Oklahoma House, Kris Steele, said that the decision not to pursue the Personhood bill does not mean the House would not continue to take up anti-abortion measures. In a press conference, he said, "We're already perhaps the most pro-life state in this country, having passed at least 30 various pro-life measures in the past eight years alone. You will not find a bigger friend of the unborn than this Legislature, but this bill would not have any substantive policy effect."
Hundreds of women had gathered at the Oklahoma state Capitol in March to protest the personhood bill, SB 1433, which states that life begins at conception and would give rights to a fertilized egg.
Personhood Oklahoma launched a petition drive in March to put a personhood proposal to a vote as an amendment to the state constitution. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Reproductive Rights filed a complaint with the Supreme Court on behalf of Oklahoma doctors and residents, asking the court to stop the group from gathering signatures for its petition, which has since been struck down.
5/4/2012 - House Version of VAWA Excludes Key Protections
A version of the Violence Against Women Act introduced by House Republicans excludes some protections found in the Senate bill, such as protections for LGBT, immigrant, and Native American victims of domestic violence. The House bill's key sponsor, Rep. Sandy Adams (R-FL), defended the bill and his spokeswoman said that the protections were unnecessary because "the grants are available to all victims, and there is no evidence to conclude that victims are being turned away." ThinkProgress disputes this claim, reporting that cases of LGBT domestic violence have increased by 38 percent this past year and that 44 percent of LGBT victims were denied access to traditional domestic violence shelters.
The Senate passed their version of VAWA, which includes the provisions, on April 26 in a 68 to 31 vote. Feminist Majority President Eleanor Smeal praised the action taken by the Senate and said, "Violence is violence and VAWA must cover all victims. The House must move promptly to pass the Senate bill without amendments and not a watered down substitute."
Other women's groups and domestic violence victims' advocacy groups also criticized the bill and said that without the provisions, the bill is incomplete. President of NOW, Terry O'Neill, told Politico that "the agenda that is being promoted by the Adams bill is racist and homophobic and leaves women behind, and that's not OK."
5/4/2012 - OK House Passes Bill that Allows Civil Action against Abortion Providers
The Oklahoma State House unanimously passed a bill yesterday that allows for patients to sue abortion providers or doctors who prescribe the medication for an abortion. Under House Bill 2561, patients, or the parents of a minor patient, can sue the abortion provider if anything goes wrong during the abortion or if the patient believes the provider is not following "voluntary and informed consent provisions of state law related to abortions."
House Bill 2561 passed without debate or discussion in an 89 to 0 vote. Last week, the Senate passed the bill 33 to 9 with amendments that remove liability from doctors who refer women with pregnancy complications to an abortion provider, as long as the abortion provider follows Oklahoma's informed consent rules.
The bill, authored by State Rep. Paul Wesselhoft, allows the providers and doctors to be sued for actual and punitive damages for wrongful death on behalf of the fetus. Patients can also sue for emotional distress and damages. Wesselhoft warned, "If you're a doctor, you'd better Google and find out who you're referring to."
The bill now goes to Governor Mary Fallin (R) to be signed. Fallin opposes abortion.
5/3/2012 - KS Senate Passes Broad Anti-Abortion "Conscience" Bill
The Kansas State Senate voted 23-16 on Wednesday to pass a broad bill that gives pharmacists the right to deny women any drug that the pharmacist believes can cause an abortion. The bill extends "conscience" protections to non-hospital facilities, including clinics and doctors' offices. Supporters of the bill claim it protects pharmacists from being sued for following their consciences.
The bill gives pharmacists and doctors broad power to deny any drugs that they "reasonably believe" could end a pregnancy. Lawmakers and advocates in Kansas have expressed concern that this refusal measure could lead to the denial of lifesaving treatment for women, including chemotherapy. Republican state senator Tim Owens said, "This bill carries with it opportunities for unintended consequences where a person with medical skills and training could be in a situation to deny help resulting in the death of a mother. I do not accept that as a pro-life choice." Others have called it an attack on birth control because it gives pharmacists the right to deny any medication based on "moral objections."
The bill now goes to Governor Sam Brownback to be signed. Governor Brownback is an outspoken opponent of abortion. If the bill becomes law, Kansas will be the fifth state to allow pharmacists the right to deny medication based on a conscience clause. Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, and South Dakota all have similar laws. Florida, Maine, and Tennessee also have refusal measures, but these do not specifically mention pharmacists.
