Blogs Comment On 2009 Reproductive Health Progress, New Tiller Tapes, Other Topics

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Also Included In: Abortion;  Health Insurance / Medical Insurance;  Pregnancy / Obstetrics
Article Date: 25 Jan 2010 - 2:00 PDT

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

~ "New Report: 2009 a Mix of Highs and Lows for Pro-Choice Americans," Nancy Keenan, Huffington Post blogs: "2009 has been a major roller-coaster ride for pro-choice Americans," NARAL Pro-Choice America President Keenan writes, highlighting some of the findings of the group's new report, "Who Decides? The Status of Women's Rights in the United States." According to Keenan, "On the federal level, President Obama has done much to reverse the anti-choice policies enacted by the previous administration." Victories for the abortion-rights movement at the federal level included lifting the ban on Washington, D.C.'s use of locally derived tax revenue to fund abortion services for low-income women, cutting funding for two abstinence-only programs and increasing funding for domestic and international family planning programs. However, much of the progress "is overshadowed by provisions in health reform bills that make it more difficult or impossible for women to buy insurance with abortion coverage in the new system," Keenan writes. She goes on to say that on the state level, the report found "a similar combination of progress marked with setbacks." She writes that 14 states and D.C. in 2009 enacted 21 abortion-rights measures, while "14 states enacted 29 anti-choice measures, increasing the number of anti-choice measures enacted in states since 1995 to 610." Keenan writes that important lessons to take away from the report are that "elections matter" and that "[d]espite our success in changing the choice-related composition of Congress and the addition of a pro-choice White House, anti-choice lawmakers still outnumber our pro-choice allies." She concludes, "Every time we take a step forward, we will face unrelenting resistance from anti-choice politicians who will sink to new lows to undermine women's freedom and privacy, so we must remain vigilant" (Keenan, Huffington Post blogs, 1/19).

~ "Dr. Tiller: The Lost Tapes," Tracy Clark-Flory, Salon's "Broadsheet": Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health recently published on its Web site two previously unreleased video clips of slain abortion provider George Tiller discussing his career choice. Tiller says in the first clip, "Abortion is about women's hopes, dreams, potential, the rest of their lives. Abortion is a matter of survival for women." Clark-Flory explains how Tiller tells the story of the death of one of his father's patients who died after receiving an unsafe abortion when he refused to perform the procedure. Clark-Flory writes, "As he explains in the second video clip, this is what kept Tiller going, despite constant harassment and threats, and even an assassination attempt." Tiller says in the second clip that "everything has a risk to it. I would prefer, personally, to have a challenging, stimulating and emotionally and spiritually rewarding career that is short rather than having a long one that is filled with ho-hum, mundane mediocrity -- feeling as if you don't make any difference to people." Clark-Flory writes that the release of the clips "comes at a critical moment" as the murder trial of Tiller's alleged killer, Scott Roeder, gets under way. In addition, the woman convicted of shooting Tiller in 1993 recently said that Tiller "needed to be killed for the sake of justice." Clark-Flory writes, "For the sake of justice -- as defined by our legal system, not domestic terrorists -- I suggest watching these videos of a man who put his own life on the line for 'the survival of women'" (Clark-Flory, "Broadsheet," Salon, 1/20).

~ "Now Is Not Time To Abandon Hope -- or Our Efforts -- for Health Reform That Works for Women," Lisa Codispoti, National Women's Law Center's "Womenstake": Although there was "a lot of Wednesday morning quarterbacking about the reasons for, and impact of," the victory of Sen.-elect Scott Brown (R-Mass.), "more than a few people are getting it wrong" when they say that "the election was a rebuke of health reform or that health reform is dead," Codispoti, senior counsel for NWLC, writes. Although "there is no denying that both substantively and politically, it will be a tougher road to hoe, ... as we have repeatedly said, if health reform was easy, we would have done it decades ago," she continues. Codispoti says, "Simply put, [Tuesday's] election did not end the problems of people who lack health care, nor did it end unaffordable health care, nor insurance discrimination, nor gender rating, nor insurance coverage that doesn't meet the needs of women." She adds that "while the results of [the election] may have been a surprise, an even bigger surprise awaits those who would say that health reform is dead" (Codispoti, "Womenstake," National Women's Law Center, 1/20).

~ "Stupak Is Back: Why Abortion Will Be a Key Issue as Health Care Reform Moves Forward," Sarah Kliff, Newsweek's "The Gaggle": It is "[t]ime to get ready for round three of the abortion battle," as Brown's election has left Democratic leaders with "some serious work cut out for them, and most of it has to do with figuring out what it will take to get the House on board," Kliff writes. Although much of the focus has been on liberal lawmakers "and whether they will support the Senate's more conservative legislation (HR 3590), ... there's another group to keep an eye on: Rep. Bart Stupak (D) of Michigan and his pro-life allies," Kliff says. She notes that Stupak and his supporters "can put abortion back on the table as a key issue and stand in the way of the legislative options on the table now that the Democrats no longer have a filibuster proof Senate majority." Stupak has said that he has the support of 10 or 11 Democrats who will vote against a final bill that does not include his amendment restricting abortion coverage in health plans that receive federal subsidies. "The Democrats don't necessarily need Stupak himself to support the Senate bill and, chances are, he's too steeped in the issue to pull back now," Kliff writes. However, the Democrats "are working with a five-vote margin in their favor and there are those 10 or 11 other, unnamed Democrats, supposedly standing behind Stupak," she continues, concluding, "In the coming days, the Democratic leadership ought to be giving serious thought to how to work with these representatives if they want to see the legislation move forward" (Kliff, "The Gaggle," Newsweek, 1/20).

~ "Obama Resubmits Three DOJ Nominees to U.S. Senate," Mike Scarcella, Legal Times' "BLT": On Wednesday, President Obama renominated Dawn Johnsen as assistant attorney general for the Office of Legal Counsel at the Department of Justice, Scarcella reports. Her nomination "has come under fire for her advocacy on behalf of abortion rights and civil liberties," and on Dec. 24, 2009, Senate Republicans "invoked a Senate rule to return Johnsen's name, among others, to the White House," according to Scarcella. He reports that Marcia Greenberger, co-president of the National Women's Law Center, released a statement on Thursday calling for the Senate to quickly confirm Johnsen, saying that her nomination has "been delayed for far too long" (Scarcella, "BLT," Legal Times, 1/21).

~ "CBS Allows Anti-Choice Super Bowl Ad Despite 'No Advocacy in Advertising' Policy," Jodi Jacobson, RH Reality Check: Jacobson comments on reports that CBS does not anticipate any problems with a Super Bowl commercial paid for by Focus on the Family and featuring Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow and his mother, even though the commercial is expected to have an antiabortion-rights message and CBS has a policy against advocacy in advertising. Jacobson writes, "But lo and behold, the policy leaves room for interpretation such that virulent anti-choice -- and I would argue anti-family -- organizations, such as Focus on the Family, get to air their messages." She writes, "[L]et's see if Focus can put its money on families in which women and children face domestic abuse at the hands of violent partners (since shelters are hurting desperately in this economic environment), and if they do some ads encouraging all those pro-lifers to vote for funding to support the families now without sufficient food or health care, or the devastating effects of the loss of jobs." Jacobson concludes, "I guess it is just that much easier to just keep the focus on controlling women" (Jacobson, RH Reality Check, 1/21).

~ "Antiabortion Groups Welcome Brown," Politico's "Ben Smith": Smith reports that Sen.-elect Scott Brown (R-Mass.) "will join the Senate's small abortion-rights Republican caucus, ... but his win is still being welcomed by a long list of antiabortion groups." Brown says he supports Roe v. Wade but also supports some restrictions on abortion rights. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the antiabortion-rights group Susan B. Anthony List, released a statement saying that Democratic candidate Martha Coakley's "extreme embrace of abortion ... did little to win votes." However, Smith writes, "Brown shares far more with Coakley than with Dannenfelser, as far as his positions go, and his defense wasn't to reassert antiabortion values -- it was that he supports abortion rights" (Smith, "Ben Smith," Politico, 1/20).

~ "Another Busy Year: State Legislative Trends on Reproductive Health and Abortion in 2009," Rachel Gold/Elizabeth Nash, RH Reality Check: A report released Friday by the Guttmacher Institute said that state legislatures and the District of Columbia introduced more than 900 measures related to reproductive rights and health in 2009, "and by year's end, 77 new laws had been enacted in 34 states and D.C.," Gold and Nash write. "While the new abortion-related laws are overwhelmingly restrictive, states did take significant steps to promote reproductive health" through comprehensive sex education mandates, expansion of emergency contraception access and "allowing a health care provider to prescribe treatment for a patient's partner" for sexually transmitted infections, they write. In 2009, 18 states enacted 34 laws related to abortion services, with Arizona notably adopting "a massive omnibus measure that essentially revamps abortion policy in the state," they write. The law mandates in-person counseling and a waiting period for women seeking abortions, among other provisions. State legislatures in 13 states addressed pregnancy prevention issues, and five states passed laws "specifically designed to expand or protect access to contraception," Gold and Nash write, noting that two states "moved to expand insurance coverage for contraceptive services." Meanwhile, 29 states introduced legislation regarding sex education, and four new laws were enacted -- including laws in Hawaii and North Carolina -- "requiring that all sex education in the state be medically accurate and include a discussion of contraception," they continue. Seven states enacted laws that "require providers to test a woman for HIV during her pregnancy, unless she refuses," and Washington, D.C., "joined all 50 states in enacting policies that allow a parent to leave an infant with a health care provider," Gold and Nash write. In addition, Arizona and Louisiana "moved to expand their existing refusal protections" for health care workers who oppose abortion services on moral or religious grounds, they write, adding that Wisconsin enacted legislation "requiring pharmacies to dispense prescription contraceptives and [EC] in a timely manner," which "bring to five the number of states that protect pharmacy access," they write (Gold/Nash, RH Reality Check, 1/21).

~ "Reflections on a Decade of Reproductive Freedom," Louise Melling, ACLU's "Blog of Rights": On the 37th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade court decision, Melling looks back on important milestones affecting reproductive rights over the past decade. "I see some real progress and glimmers of hope, but I also see disheartening setbacks and tragic losses," Melling writes. Signs of progress include the lifting of the "global gag rule"; the end of the federal ban on Washington, D.C.'s funding of abortion coverage for low-income women; the end of federal funding for abstinence-only programs; the defeat of antiabortion-rights ballot measures in South Dakota, Colorado and California; FDA's approval of mifepristone for medical abortion; authorization of over-the-counter emergency contraception; and the 2004 demonstration for women's health in Washington, D.C. Setbacks include the killing of abortion provider George Tiller; inclusion of restrictions on abortion funding in the health reform bills; the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003; and more than 5,000 antiabortion-rights measures introduced in state legislatures. "There is still much work to be done to create a world that respects everyone's right to form intimate relationships, to enjoy a private sexual life, and to decide whether and when to have children," Melling concludes (Melling, "Blog of Rights," 1/21).

~ "General Continues To Defend Military Ban on Pregnancy," Brandann Hill-Mann, Change.org's "Women's Rights": Gen. Anthony Cucolo, a division commander for U.S. forces in Iraq, "is still yammering on about his ban on pregnancy that was overturned" last year, complaining that "he never intended to actually jail anyone for becoming pregnant" while serving in his division, Hill-Mann writes. "The women punished under this policy were not given any choices," according to Hill-Mann, who says, "Their lives were dictated either by a broken condom or because they happened to work for a man who doesn't know the difference between emergency contraception and abortion." She continues, "We need to stop assuming that the only thing going on here is women getting pregnant to get out of duty or to satisfy some biological urge, and pretending that an unplanned pregnancy is the end of the world for the war effort." Hill-Mann calls for putting EC on the TRICARE formulary or repealing the Hyde Amendment so that TRICARE can cover abortion. "Instead of punishing, let's give some solutions," Hill-Mann writes, concluding, "That is the opportunity we are missing, and the point that the general has missed" (Hill-Mann, "Women's Rights," Change.org, 1/20).

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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