Senators Clinton and Murray take on the HHS Department

Posted: July 17, 2008 | Author: | Filed under: Hillary Clinton: Her Campaign for All of Us, Women's Rights | Tags: , , , , , , | Comments Off on Senators Clinton and Murray take on the HHS Department

Yesterday, folks woke up to the new assault on birth control.  Shero’s Senator Clinton and Patty Murray are on top of this.   Both penis-impaired presidential candidates remain silent.   The is especially appalling because ONE of them was endorsed by NARAL.

From our Sheros:

“It is outrageous that the Bush administration is once again putting ideology over women’s health. Instead of undercutting access to contraception and family planning services, the Bush Administration should put prevention first,” said Senator Clinton.

“On the first day of his administration, the President reinstated the Mexico City global gag clause, a harsh, anti-family planning policy that hurt the world’s poorest women and children. Now, on his way out the door it appears that he is trying to limit women’s health care options here at home,” Murray said. “This misguided attempt to restrict health care services and limit access to contraceptives defeats our common goal of reducing the number of abortions in this country.”

Additionally, both Senators sent a joint letter to the Secretary that heads  the Health and Human Services Department:

Secretary Michael O. Leavitt
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20201

Dear Mr. Secretary:

It has come to our attention that the Department of Health and Human Services may be preparing draft regulations that would create new obstacles for women seeking contraceptive services.

One of the most troubling aspects of the proposed rules is the overly-broad definition of “abortion.” This definition would allow health-care corporations or individuals to classify many common forms of contraception – including the birth control pill, emergency contraception and IUDs – “abortions” and therefore to refuse to provide contraception to women who need it.

As a consequence, these draft regulations could disrupt state laws securing women’s access to birth control. They could jeopardize federal programs like Medicaid and Title X that provide family-planning services to millions of women. They could even undermine state laws that ensure survivors of sexual assault and rape receive emergency contraception in hospital emergency rooms.

We strongly urge you to reconsider these regulations before they are released. We are extremely concerned by this proposal’s potential to affect millions of women’s reproductive health.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely yours,
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
Senator Patty Murray

If Obama is serious about getting women’s votes, then he needs to get serious about standing up for women’s rights.  Where is the voice of the presumed democratic candidate for president on this issue?  It’s time for all women to get behind the movement to stop Obama’s  throne grab in Denver.

Bush and his Theocrats wage their War against Birth Control AGAIN!

Posted: July 16, 2008 | Author: | Filed under: Women's Rights | Tags: , , | 12 Comments

One of my progressive friends stays on top of all issues and has an extensive email list leftover from the Presidential Primary 4 years ago.  We remain in touch.  One of the Doctor’s on her list emailed us this bit of information concerning the ongoing attempt by religious right elements in the Bush administration to label everything associated with birth control abortion then de-fund it so it is unavailable to the most vulnerable women or make its use outright illegal.

It is amazing to me that we continue to fight the battles we thought won years ago.  Margaret Sanger would be outraged.

DAILY WOMEN’S HEALTH POLICY REPORT

NATIONAL POLITICS & POLICY | Bush Administration Developing Rule That
Could Limit Access to Birth Control
[July 15, 2008]

The Bush administration is developing a regulation that would define
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 New York Times reports. The draft proposal leaked to the Times
also would require all recipients of aid from HHS to certify they
will not refuse to hire health care workers who object to abortion
and certain types of birth control.

According to the Times, to receive funding under any program
administered by HHS, researchers, clinics, medical schools and
hospitals would have to sign “written certifications” that they will
not discriminate against people who object to abortion or certain
contraception. The certification also would be required of state and
local governments when allocating grants to hospitals and other
institutions that have policies against providing abortions, the
Times reports. The administration said it could discontinue federal
aid to individuals or entities that discriminate against people who
oppose abortion on the basis of “religious beliefs or moral
convictions.” The leaked proposal — which circulated in HHS on
Monday — said the new requirement is needed to guarantee that
federal funds do not “support morally coercive or discriminatory
practices or policies in violation of federal law.” The proposal also
expresses concern about state laws that require hospitals to provide
emergency contraception to rape survivors who request it, according
to the Times.

Reaction

Mary Jane Gallagher, president of the National Family Planning and
Reproductive Health Association, said, “The proposed definition of
abortion is so broad that it would cover many types of birth control,
including oral contraceptives and emergency contraception.” She
added, “We worry that under the proposal, contraceptive services
would become less available to low-income and uninsured women.” Nancy
Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said, “Why on earth is
the Bush administration trying to discourage doctors and clinics from
providing contraception to women who need it?” Christina Pearson, a
spokesperson for HHS, declined to discuss the draft rule. “We don’t
normally comment on whether we are considering changes in
regulations,” Pearson said (Pear, New York Times, 7/15).

http://www.nationalpartnership.org/site/News2?
abbr=daily2_&page=NewsArticle&id=11915&security=1201&news_iv_ctrl=-1

There continues to be an element in this society that will not let the majority opinion on reproductive rights and birth control stand.  They have taken their battle against women and their radical views on the definition of human life to all levels of government.  Their sneak attacks continue.  Please write your congressional representatives and senators and ask them to stop the President from making law’s with executive rules.

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