Migration Category: news-10001-15000-national

A new poll released yesterday by CNN shows support for same-sex marriage in the U.S. has strengthened, with the majority of Americans believing that gay and lesbian couples should be allowed to legally marry and obtain the same rights as heterosexual couples. The results indicate that a small majority of a little over 51 percent of Americans now support same-sex marriage, while 47 percent of Americans oppose it. This is the first time a CNN poll has found a majority of Americans in support of same-sex marriage.

While support for this issue is growing, the CNN poll reflected a persistent gender gap, with over 57 percent of women supporting the legalization of same-sex marriage while over half of men oppose it. Earlier this year another poll conducted by the Washington Post and ABC News also found a majority of Americans in support of same-sex marriage, with 53 percent of respondents saying it should be legal. This is compared to a 2006 poll that showed just 32 percent of Americans supported legalizing same-sex marriage.

In February, Attorney General Eric Holder announced the Obama administration would no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in court on the grounds that it considers the law violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution.

Currently, same sex marriage is legal in Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Washington, DC. Six states, California, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii allow same-sex couples to form civil unions or domestic partnerships, which carry some, but not all of the benefits and privileges of marriage. Currently, a bill that will establish civil unions in Delaware is awaiting the expected signature of the state’s governor. Civil union legislation is also currently pending in Colorado.

The CNN/Opinion Research poll was conducted among 824 adults by telephone from April 9-10. It has an overall sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

Last Thursday marked the end of the annual forty-day legislative session of the Georgia General Assembly. The status of reproductive rights and abortion access in the state reflected the controversial and heated debates going on across the nation, though the assembly ended without passing the restrictions on abortion that other states have faced.

Georgia introduced one bill relating to abortion that was patterned after Nebraska’s “Fetal Pain” bill, limiting abortion after 20 weeks. It was not passed out of committee, angering anti-abortion advocates in the state who had hoped that with a Republican pro-life majority, abortion restrictions would be passed this session.

The House approved a bill that would ban any potential funding for abortions through the health exchanges that are a part of federal health reform law. Both the Senate and House versions of the Affordable Health Choices Act include a Health Insurance Exchange with a public health insurance option. An Insurance Exchange will include both private insurance companies’ plans as well as the public option for individuals and small employers “to find and purchase quality and affordable health insurance in every state.” These health exchanges are being challenged by Georgia and other states.

Although the state has mostly come out in favor of women’s reproductive choices, especially when compared to states like Florida, Kansas, South Dakota, and Nebraska , it has passed other harmful legislation, such as the recent anti-immigration bill, HB 87.

The Justice Department filed a civil complaint last week against an anti-abortion activist for sending a threatening letter to Dr. Mila Means, the Kansas doctor who plans to offer abortion services at her Wichita practice. Dr. Means has been the target of anti-abortion protests and harassment since she began training to provide abortion services in December.

The letter, written by Angel Dillard, 44, claimed that thousands of people were looking into her background. “They will know your habits and routines. They know where you shop, who your friends are, what you drive, where you live.” Dillard is accused of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE), a law protecting abortion clinics. If enforced, FACE would prohibit Dillard from contacting Means or coming within 250 feet of her home and the clinic.

Abortion services have not been available to women in Wichita since Dr. George Tiller’s murder in May 2009. The Feminist Majority Foundation, which conducts the oldest and largest national clinic defense project in the nation, had worked with Dr. Tiller and is helping besieged clinics in some 14 states. Harassment of abortion providers has increased since the election of a pro-choice President and Dr. Tiller’s assassination.

Late last week, the Georgia state legislature passed a bill similar to Arizona’s controversial immigration law that expands the authority of police to check the immigration status of suspects and require employers to check the status of potential employees. A spokesman for Republican Georgia Governor Nathan Deal said Friday that Deal intends to sign the bill into law and that he believes “it reinforces the law in Georgia,” reported CNN. Both the Georgia House and Senate approved the bill in the final hours of the legislative session.

The bill, HB 87, requires “private employers to use an employment eligibility verification system and provide for civil penalties” if employers fail to follow certain rules. The bill also requires contractors to “register with” and be “authorized to use” the federal work authorization program, among other employment provisions.

Regarding law enforcement, the bill allows “law enforcement officers and agencies” expanded priviledges “to utilize all resources made available by the federal government to assist state and local law enforcement officers in the enforcement of the immigration laws” and stipulates “immunity from damages or liability from such actions.” Police would be allowed to check the immigration status of any suspect of any crime.

According to the Los Angeles Times, a 2009 estimate indicates that there are approximately 480,000 undocumented immigrants in Georgia, which is roughly 20,000 more than Arizona.

Last week, the US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit upheld a District court ruling that blocks portions of Arizona’s immigration law (SB 1070) from going into effect. The three judge panel ruled that District Judge Susan Bolton “did not abuse” her power in her decision to block portions of the law, including a requirement that police check the immigration status of criminal suspects that they had stopped while enforcing other laws and a provision that would make it a crime not to carry immigration papers. The Circuit court did not rule on the constitutionality of the Arizona law. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer (R) continues to defend the immigration law and stated that she is considering whether to take the case to the US Supreme Court.

The US House of Representatives Judiciary subcommittee on the Constitution held a hearing Friday called “Defending Marriage” on the Defense of Marriage Act. The hearing was held in reaction to the Obama administration’s February announcement that they will no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in court on the grounds that it considers the law violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution. The Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group, convened by Republican House Speaker John Boehner (OH) voted 3-2 in March to authorize the House to defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in court.

Democratic Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-8), ranking member on the subcommittee and chief sponsor of the Respect for Marriage Act, which would repeal DOMA, testified against the law at the hearing. In part, he said, “Far from demeaning, trivializing, or destroying the institution of marriage, lesbian and gay couples have embraced this time-honored tradition and the commitment and serious legal duties of marriage. The exclusion of any married couples from programs like Social Security defies logic…The fact that DOMA carves out an entire class of married citizens based on sexual orientation also violates constitutional equal protection guarantees.”

Maggie Gallagher, Chair of the National Organization for Marriage, testified, “This is the rationale for the national definition of marriage proposed by Congress in passing DOMA: civil society has an interest in maintaining and protecting the institution of heterosexual marriage because it has a deep and abiding interest in encouraging responsible procreation and child-rearing,” She continued, “…If we accept, as DOMA explicitly does, that this is a core public purpose of marriage, then treating same-sex unions as marriage makes little sense.”

DOMA, which was enacted in 1996, defines marriage as between one man and one woman and denies federal recognition of same-sex marriages, as well as the legal benefits attached to marriage, including Social Security survivors’ benefits, family and medical leave, and immigration rights.

In July 2009, Massachusetts became the first state to challenge the constitutionality of DOMA in a lawsuit filed by state Attorney General Martha Coakley. A second suit, Gill v. Office of Personnel Management, was filed in July 2009 on behalf of seven gay and lesbian married couples and three widowers by the Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders. In that case, Federal Judge Joseph Tauro agreed that DOMA violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution.

Currently, same sex marriage is legal in Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Washington, DC. Six states, California, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii allow same-sex couples to form civil unions or domestic partnerships, which carry some, but not all of the benefits and privileges of marriage. Currently, a bill that will establish civil unions in Delaware is awaiting the expected signature of the state’s governor. Civil union legislation is also currently pending in Colorado.

Yesterday, the Delaware House voted 26 to 15 to pass a bill that would allow same-sex couples to enter into civil unions and attain some of the same benefits enjoyed by married couples, such as the right to visit a partner in the hospital and the right to make decisions about the partner’s medical care. The bill would not, however, allow same sex couples to obtain marriage licenses. The Delaware Senate passed the bill last week, and the governor is expected to sign the civil union bill into law.

Lisa Goodman, president of Equality Delaware, stated “We are tremendously proud that the Delaware House has passed civil union legislation. The fact that the Delaware General Assembly passed civil union legislation on the first attempt is a great testament to how far public opinion has come ion equality issues.”

Currently, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Washington DC allow marriage of same-sex couples. Six states, California, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii allow same-sex couples to form civil unions or domestic partnerships, which carry some of the legal benefits of marriage.

Rapidly increasing rates of chlamydia in Minnesota have led the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota (PPMNS), in conjunction with other state public health groups, to form the Minnesota Chlamydia Partnership, which aims to reduce chlamydia rates through prevention and education efforts.

According to a state health report released last week, the number of reported chlamydia cases in Minnesota are at an all-time high. Peter Carr, director of the STI and HIV section of the MDH, stated, “Chlamydia reached a record level of 15,294 cases this past year. Not only does this total represent a 6 percent increase from the previous year, it’s the highest number of cases ever recorded in Minnesota in a single year since we began tracking chlamydia back in 1986.”

“We have a preventable public health problem in Minnesota,” said Ellen Young, PPMNS Director of Government Relations and Education and Outreach. “Planned Parenthood is committed to working toward a solution to stem this epidemic.”

The chlamydia epidemic is disproportionately affecting African Americans and young people. Fifteen to twenty-four year olds comprise 70 percent of all cases. Surprisingly, only a small percentage (less than one percent) of students at the University of Minnesota was diagnosed with chlamydia.

Planned Parenthood health centers across the country provide testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections. In Minnesota, Planned Parenthood provides primary and preventive health care for some 64,000 women and men.

On Wednesday, Representatives Mike Turner (R-OH) and Niki Tsongas (D-MA) introduced the Defense STRONG (Sexual Trauma Response, Oversight and Good Governance) Act that would increase the legal rights and protections for service members who have experienced sexual assault during their military service. The bill would provide victims with the right to legal counsel and would allow them to relocate to another military base. Moreover, the bill would require increased training for troops and would ensure the confidentiality for service members who choose to speak with advocates.

The Pentagon’s “Fiscal Year 2010 Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military” indicated that approximately 3,000 women experienced sexual assault in fiscal year 2008, which is a 9 percent increase from the previous year. For women in the military in Iraq and Afghanistan, the rate of sexual assaults by US military personnel increased by 25 percent.

According to a 2003 study by the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, at least one-third of all women veterans have experienced rape or sexual assault by fellow US military members frequently of higher rank during their service, and thirty percent of military women experience domestic violence. Moreover, rape occurs in the military nearly twice as often as in the civilian world.

The STRONG Act was proposed during the 111th session of Congress in May 2010 but did not pass. Although it is a bipartisan bill, advocates of the bill are concerned that it will not be supported by a Republican-majority House.

In Minnesota, the state Senate Health and Human Services Committee passed the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act that would prohibit women from obtaining abortions after 20 weeks gestation period even through medical evidence does not support the claim of fetal pain. The bill, introduced by Senator Gretchen Hoffman (R-Vergas), makes no exceptions for cases of rape or incest, although it would permit a woman to obtain an abortion in cases when her life is endangered.

Linnea House, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Minnesota told Minnesota Public Radio, “Women facing difficult and sometimes tragic complications in their pregnancies need to be able to make the best decision for this based on their medical condition, the recommendation of their doctor and the beliefs of their family. I trust women to make these decisions, and you should too.”

The American College of Gynecology disputes assertions that a fetus can feel pain at the 20 weeks gestation period, stating that there is “no legitimate evidence that fetuses can experience pain.” Governor Mark Dayton (D), a supporter of women’s rights to abortion services, will likely not sign the bill.

Currently, four states – Nebraska, Oklahoma, Idaho and Kansas – have passed similar legislation. Late last week, the Alabama House passed the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act and at the end of March, the Idaho Senate voted to approve the Unborn Child Protection Act, both of which would ban abortions after 20 weeks, unless the woman’s life is endangered.

Yesterday Kansas Governor Sam Brownback (R) signed a bill requiring that medical providers obtain a written and notarized indication of consent from both parents prior to offering abortion services to minors. Proponents say the two parent notification requirement would only apply in cases in which the nuclear family was intact; however, such consent laws are extremely harmful to young girls, especially victims of abuse. The change would alter current Kansas law, in which the minor needs the consent of only one parent to have an abortion.

Peter Brownlie, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Kansas and mid-Missouri, stated, “We are disappointed the Kansas Legislature and Gov. Brownback are putting the health and safety of Kansas women and families at risk for purposes of political posturing.”

These provisions in the bill had previously been passed by both chambers of the Republican-controlled Kansas legislature but were vetoed by then Democratic Governors Kathleen Sebelius and Mark Parkinson. Although twenty-four other states have parental consent laws, only Mississippi and North Dakota currently require the consent of both parents.

On Monday, the Pennsylvania House Health Committee approved a bill that would require clinics that provide abortions to meet the standards of outpatient surgery centers, which are far more stringent than the regulations on physician’s offices and would impose new restrictions on hallway and parking lot dimensions. The bill, approved by the state House committee by a vote of 19 to 4, will now go to the state House for a vote.

The American Civil Liberties Union opposes the bill and stated that Pennsylvania law already offers regulations on equipment, staff, counseling, and reporting by abortion clinics. The ACLU also indicated that “This will particularly impact poor women and women who reside in rural areas.” The regulations will significantly and unnecessarily increase the cost of early abortions and will make it more difficult for women to get an abortion.

At the end of March, Republican Governor Bob McDonnell signed a bill requiring that clinics that perform first trimester abortions meet the Board of Health regulations on hospitals. The Virginia Senate and House voted to pass the bill in February.

Today is the anniversary of Equal Pay Day, which marks how many days into the present year that women must work to equal men’s earnings in the previous year. In other words, women must work 15 weeks into 2011, or an extra 600 hours, in order to match what men earn in 2010.

In the United States, women make on the average 77 cents to a man’s dollar, despite women’s greater likelihood of attending college and earning a degree. Since women comprise over half of the workforce and are the primary or co-breadwinners in over 66 percent of families, the wage gap harms not only women, but also families that suffer from lost wages, decreased pensions, and reduced Social Security benefits.

Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis stated, “Almost 50 years after enactment of the Equal Pay Act, equal pay for equal work remains elusive for millions of working women. In fact, over the past 10 years, the pay gap has remained virtually unchanged….The pay gap is even larger for women of color, with black women earning about 70 cents, and Latinas about 60 cents, of every dollar paid to all men.”

Women’s movement groups have been working on the passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act for over a dozen years. The Paycheck Fairness Act strengthens the Equal Pay Act and will help women fight wage discrimination. Eleanor Smeal, President of the Feminist Majority, stated, “Feminists are determined to pass not only the Paycheck Fairness Act but also the Fair Pay Act that strengthens Title VII of the Civil Rights Act to protect women workers from sex discrimination in hiring, firing, promotion, pay, and harassment on the job.” The gap between men’s and women’s pay is still significant and increases with age.

Yesterday U.S Capitol police officers arrested Washington DC Mayor Vincent Gray (D) for protesting the Congressional budget deal that would place restrictive riders on the city budget. DC Council Chairman Kwame Brown (D) and council members Yvette Alexander (D-Ward 7), Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6), Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4) and Michael Brown (I-At Large), as well as 41 other protestors who blocked Constitution Avenue next to the Dirksen Senate Office Building were also arrested for unlawful assembly.

As a result of the Congressional 2011 budget deal, DC will be prohibited from using its tax dollars on abortion services for low income women, and the school voucher program would be reinstated. Moreover, the city will be unable to fund needle exchange programs to reduce the spread of HIV. Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, stated the budget deal is “a blow to women in the District of Columbia….The budget agreement strips tens of thousands of women of access to the full range of reproductive health services that they need. Every state has the authority to spend its own local tax dollars to serve its constituents – including paying for women’s abortion services. But last night’s deal takes that power from the District.”

Prior to his arrest, Mayor Grey stated, “If this isn’t taxation without representation, I don’t know what is.”

Yesterday the US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit decided to uphold US District Judge Susan Bolton’s ruling to block portions of Arizona’s immigration law. The three judge panel ruled that Judge Bolton “did not abuse” her power in her decision to block portions of the law. However, the court did not rule on the constitutionality of the Arizona law. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer (R) continues to defend the immigration law and stated that she is considering whether to take the case to the US Supreme Court.

Omar Jadwat, staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union’s (ACLU) Immigrants’ Rights Project, stated “Today’s decision rightly rejects SB 1070’s assault on the core American values of fairness and equality. Legislators in other states should pay close attention to today’s ringing condemnation of Arizona’s racial profiling law and refrain from going down the same unconstitutional path.”

In July, Judge Bolton ruled against multiple sections of the Arizona law, including a requirement that police check the immigration status of criminal suspects that they had stopped while enforcing other laws and a provision that would make it a crime not to carry immigration papers. She also ruled against a section that would make it a crime for undocumented workers to seek a job.

Following the Pentagon’s March 17 release of its latest sexual assault statistics, Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA) delivered a speech on the floor of the US House of Representatives decrying rape in the military. Congresswoman Speier stated, “Read my lips, the military must end rape in this country. And those who commit such crimes must be brought to justice, the fact that women are being raped and our government is turning a blind eye is disturbing enough….We have a military culture that condones and sometimes rewards this kind of abusive and violent behavior against female soldiers, who are now more likely to be raped by fellow soldiers than killed by enemy fire.” Congresswoman Speier also vowed, “beginning today I’m going to tell these women’s stories on the House floor, and I’m going to keep telling them and keep telling them until something is done about it.”

The Pentagon’s “Fiscal Year 2010 Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military” indicated that approximately 3,000 women experienced sexual assaulted in fiscal year 2008, which is a 9 percent increase from the previous year. For women in the military in Iraq and Afghanistan, the rate of sexual assaults increased by 25 percent.

In February, attorney Susan Burke filed a lawsuit in the Eastern Virginia federal court against former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates for failing to prevent, investigate, and prosecute the sexual assault and rape of the 17 plaintiffs. The plaintiffs in the case are veteran and active-duty service members from the Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, and Reserves who were sexually assaulted, raped, or harassed by active duty military members.

According to a 2003 study by the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, at least one-third of all women veterans have experienced rape or sexual assault during their service, and thirty percent of military women experience domestic violence. Moreover, rape occurs in the military nearly twice as often as in the civilian world. Members of the US House of Representatives, including Susan Davis (D-CA), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Louise Slaughter (D-NY), and former Congresswoman Jane Harman (D-CA) have pressed the military to address sexualized violence, working on task forces and proposing legislation.

The Alabama Republican-controlled House passed the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act late last week that would ban abortions after 20 weeks. The bill, sponsored by Representative Kerry Rich (R-AL) passed by a vote of 69-19, which was largely along party lines. The bill will now goes to the state Senate for a vote.

Representative Rich stated that he chose the 20 week period based on the belief that fetuses are able to feel pain at that time. However, the American College of Gynecology disputes this assertion, stating that there is “no legitimate evidence that fetuses can experience pain.”

Currently, four states – Nebraska, Oklahoma, Idaho and Kansas – have passed similar legislation. At the end of March, the Idaho Senate voted to approve the Unborn Child Protection Act, a bill banning abortions after 20 weeks, unless the woman’s life is endangered. The governor is expected to sign the bill, which makes it a felony for abortion providers to conduct the procedure after 20 weeks.

Anti-abortion forces in 28 states are pressuring state lawmakers to pass legislation restricting private health insurance plans from covering abortion services. Currently, under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, private insurance companies that participate in public exchanges are allowed to provide abortion coverage. However, women seeking abortion coverage must make two separation payments – the first for abortion coverage and the second for the remaining cost of coverage.

Adam Sonfield, a public policy expert at the Guttmacher Institute stated, “Every additional restriction is adding to the probability that insurance companies will throw up their hands and say, ‘This isn’t worth our time anymore.'” According to the Guttmacher Institute, “87% of typical employer-based insurance policies in 2002 covered medically necessary or appropriate abortions.”

Eight states – Virginia, Arizona, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, and Utah have passed laws banning private health plans that participate in public health exchanges from covering abortions. Last week, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell (R) added an amendment to a bill passed by the state’s general assembly that would prohibit private health insurance companies that participate in the state health exchange from covering abortions, except in cases of rape, incest, and when the woman’s life is endangered. The amendment would also ban women from using their own money to buy separate policy riders for abortion services.

President Obama named Florida Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D) to replace former Virginia Governor Tim Kaine (D) as the chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) for the 2012 election cycle. Congresswoman Wasserman Shultz will be the first woman chair of the DNC since Debra DeLee, who served from 1994 to 1995.

Wasserman Shultz is in her fourth term in the House of Representatives and has announced that she will continue in this position while also serving as DNC chair. Currently, she is the chief deputy whip and serves on the Budget and Judiciary committees.

Former Governor Kaine announced yesterday that he will be running for the Virginia Senate.

Forty-one senators, composed of thirty-nine Democrats and two Independents led by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), announced that they will filibuster any spending bill blocking funding to Planned Parenthood. Following the Senate vote to approve another short-term spending measure in mid-March, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) announced that an amendment to defund Planned Parenthood will not be included in the Continuing Resolution (CR) budget deal for 2011.

In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the forty-one senators requested that the Senate leaders “stand with us against extreme proposals by some members of the House to eliminate support for women’s health and family planning programs and providers that service millions of women and families.” The senators stated that “Without access to these services, many of these women will be unable to get preventive screenings, be at far greater risk for diseases such as cancer and will face more unintended pregnancies.”

In February, House Republicans, led by Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), voted for a Continuing Resolution that prohibited any federal funds from going to Planned Parenthood, even in reimbursement for services rendered. In spite of Republican claims that the Pence amendment would prohibit taxpayer funding of abortions, such spending is already prohibited. The Continuing Resolution would also eliminate all of Title X funding, the only federal family planning program dedicated solely to reproductive health. Title X provides reproductive health services to millions of women yearly. Title X funds some 4,500 clinics, including community health centers, public health clinics and about 900 Planned Parenthood clinics.

Planned Parenthood health centers across the country conduct over one million cervical cancer screenings and 830,000 breast exams yearly. Its clinics also provide contraception, basic health care, including family planning, cancer screenings, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, to approximately 2.5 million women per year.

On Sunday, the Texas Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted 98-49 to approve a two-year budget proposal that would cut family planning funding, as well as funding for public schools, nursing homes, and college financial aid. The bill proposes to transfer $40 million of state funds previously allocated for family planning services to other programs, including those that promote abortion alternatives and represents a 60 percent cut in family planning services.

Representative Dawnna Dukes (D) predicted that the cuts would cause the majority of the state’s family planning clinics to close. Moreover, Representative Joaquin Castro (D-San Antonio) stated, “Eighty thousand kids are not going to get their scholarships and grant money because of this bill. Forty-three thousand people are going to get kicked out of nursing homes or denied nursing home entrance because of this bill; 335,000 Texas jobs are going to go away because of this bill.”

The budget proposal would cut state spending by $23 billion and will now go to the state Senate for a vote. Texas senators announced that they will restore some of the cuts to family planning funding.