Blogs Comment On HHS Conscience Rule, 'Common Ground' In Abortion Debate, Condom Use Among Catholics

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Also Included In: Abortion;  Sexual Health / STDs
Article Date: 03 Dec 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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The following is a summary of selected women's health-related blog entries.

~ "Provider Conscience Clause Sees Increased Opposition," Planned Parenthood Advocate Blog: The blog entry examines increasing opposition to a proposed HHS conscience rule that would allow health care providers who receive federal grants to opt out of care based on their moral or religious beliefs. According to the blog, HHS could release the final version of the rule "[a]ny day now." Opposition to the proposal includes legislation introduced by Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) that would block implementation of the rule. Numerous medical associations and political figures also oppose the rule, and President-elect Barack Obama has said that he would attempt to overturn it once in office. According to the blog entry, "Nobody needs another obstacle to getting health care these days, and nobody should have to fear an argument with their doctor or pharmacist over the morals of protecting yourself from pregnancy or simply accessing health care." It continues, "We pay medical professionals to help us attain the health care that we choose for ourselves, not to make those choices for us" (Planned Parenthood Advocate Blog, 12/2).

~ "How to Reduce Abortions? Prevent Unintended Pregnancies in the First Place," Debra Haffner, Birth Control Watch: In the weeks following the election of abortion-rights supporter President-elect Barack Obama, there was a "steady drumbeat of articles ... calling for new common ground on abortion," Haffner -- a pastor and director of the Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice and Healing -- writes in a blog entry. However, "[m]issing from every one of these calls was a call to work to prevent unintended pregnancies in the first place through sexuality education and contraceptive services," she says. Haffner writes that one way to move toward "common ground" is to "stop talking about reducing the numbers of abortions as a goal by itself" and "start talking as a country about reducing unintended pregnancies in the first place." She concludes, "Sounds like a plan. Hopefully one that the Obama administration and the new Congress (as well as my evangelical colleagues) will adopt" (Haffner, Birth Control Watch, 11/25).

~ "The Marketing of Abortion," ProLifeBlogs: According to the blog entry, "the pro-abortion view" has brilliantly marketed "choice" in terms of abortion as a natural extension of two concepts ingrained in American society -- "freedom of choice" and "rights" -- to "make choice in abortion an acceptable idea." The antiabortion-rights movement "needs a strong marketing campaign of its own to counteract" the abortion-rights campaign that has been "based mainly on the marketing of 'choice.'" The blog says that abortion-rights opponents "have been sugar coating the truth of abortion, by avoiding showing or telling the truth of what happens during an abortion," adding that the "marketing approach should be one of distributing or showing as many videos as possible." Abortion-rights groups "would undoubtedly retort with the same old marketing campaign in rebuttal to this," the blog says, concluding, "But the images of abortions will assuredly never leave the collective memories of all who see them" (ProLifeBlogs, 11/29).

~ "The Pro-Lie Movement Targets Hillary," Cristina Page, Huffington Post blogs: The abortion opposition movement's campaign against the United Nation's Population Fund has been "a campaign against the most desperate women, babies and families of the world," Page writes. She adds that "anti-contraception groups, like the 'Susan B. Anthony List,' with the help of the all-too-willing President Bush, managed to freeze $161 million of U.S. funds to UNFPA," which "resulted in millions of infant deaths, over a hundred thousand mothers dying during childbirth, as well as millions more unintended pregnancies and abortions worldwide." According to Page, Susan B. Anthony List has said that Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) would "promote abortion" as secretary of state -- a post for which President-elect Barack Obama has nominated her -- by supporting reversal of the Mexico City policy and restoring funding to UNFPA. "Defamation is a tool of the anti-choice establishment," Page writes. She adds that under the Obama administration, "sadly for 'pro-life' groups, this trend will end. But the pro-lie movement against UNFPA will continue" (Page, Huffington Post blogs, 12/2).

~ "New Radio Ads Say, Good Catholics Use Condoms," Jon O'Brien/Silvia Henriquez, RH Reality Check: O'Brien and Henriquez report that Catholics for Choice and the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health -- in recognition of World AIDS Day on Monday -- launched two Spanish-language radio advertisements to dispel myths about condom use in Catholic and Hispanic communities and emphasize the importance of condom use. According to O'Brien and Henriquez, the "Good Catholics Use Condoms" campaign presents "a positive message to sexually active Catholics about responsibility and caring for others." They write, "Despite a fierce misinformation campaign waged by the Catholic hierarchy, we know that Catholic people the world over use condoms to prevent the transmission of HIV," adding, "Largely because our religion has not always been honest about sex, there exists an embarrassed silence around condom use ... We want our communities to know that using condoms is one of the many ways that we can be proactive and make smart decisions about our sexual health." The ads debuted in New York City on Monday and will be launched nationwide in 2009 (O'Brien/Henriquez, RH Reality Check, 12/1).

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