Blogs Comment On Election-Related Reproductive Rights Issues, World Contraception Day, HHS Rule

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Also Included In: Sexual Health / STDs
Article Date: 29 Sep 2008 - 11:00 PST

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The following summarizes recent women's health-related blog entries.

~ "Why the 2008 Election Matters for Reproductive Rights," Dawn Johnsen, Balkinization: Compared to previous elections, the "most striking change" in the abortion-rights debate is the "degree to which the public (and even progressive opinion elites writing on these issues) fail to appreciate just how very much is at stake" in the November election, Johnsen, a professor of law at Indiana University, writes in a blog entry. Responding to recent legal commentary asserting that the election will not have a large impact on abortion and reproductive rights, Johnsen writes that the "only possible way" of "making the 2008 election look insignificant" is to "focus the issue narrowly and exclusively on whether the outcome of whom we elect president will affect whether the Supreme Court will overrule Roe v. Wade." According to Johnsen, legal commentators should "stop obsessing" over whether the Supreme Court will overturn Roe and instead consider how future courts would rule on the "array" of "abortion restrictions short of bans," as well as whether federal judges will "contribute to the growing social stigma and demeaning of women through their judicial opinions and, in particular, how they talk about women." Johnsen also lists several reasons why presidents have the "authority to do far more to affect reproductive health and liberty than just appoint judges," concluding that the "choice of president matters greatly, for women of childbearing years and for future generations of women, and for us all" (Johnsen, "Balkinization," 9/24).

~ "Celebrating the Worldwide Benefits of Contraception," Dino Corvino, Below the Waist: In blog entry about World Contraception Day on Sept. 26, Corvino highlights several of the issues surrounding contraceptive use in the U.S. and worldwide, including the reduction of abortions and unintended pregnancies through the use of contraception and the prevention of sexually transmitted infections. "Access to contraceptives allows couples worldwide to make responsible decisions about when to become parents and also helps secure women's full and equal participation in modern society," Corvino writes (Corvino, "Below the Waist," 9/25).

~ "Conscience Protections Essential to Health Care Systems," ProLifeBlogs: According to the blog entry, Americans United for Life has filed comments with HHS that support the need for the agency's proposed regulation that would allow health care providers who receive federal grants to "opt out" of care they object to based on moral or religious grounds. According to the blog, a failure to impose the rule would "exacerbate the existing health care crisis in the country." Charmaine Yoest, president and CEO of AUL, said, "Protecting the rights of health care providers is crucial to the continuing viability and safety of our health care systems," adding, "Protecting conscience helps to ensure that providers enter and remain in the health care professions, helping to meet the rising demand for quality care. Failing to protect freedom of conscience will most certainly compromise basic health care for the entire nation" ("ProLifeBlogs," 9/24).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

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