Hi Folks,

There are several calls to action contained within this blog entry. I've el-jay cut the bulk of the content, so see below.

PLEASE CALL Your Senators and the White House TODAY and urge them to support the following:

1.) Please call or write the White house Comments Line at: 202-456-1111
Or via the net at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/

You don't need to leave your name or address at the White House, as they do not take that information./b>

Ask President Obama to remain committed to reproductive freedom and Pro-Choice. Tell him that while you would prefer the Hyde Amendment to be repealed, the current language put forward in the Senate version of the health care reform is something that you can live with in the short term, provided that the Stupak Amendment restrictions are permanently REMOVED in the FINAL BILL as signed into law by the President. Remember to inform the White House that you DO NOT support the Hyde Amendment and that you feel that the current language is AT BEST A COMPROMISE THAT STILL UNDERMINES WOMEN'S HEALTH. Tell them that you will be working with both national and grassroots organizations in the future to REPEAL the Hyde Amendment.

2.) Please also support the following Pro Choice Presidential Nominees:

a.) Tell President Obama that you are happy that the Senate confirmed Pro-Choice Judge Hamilton to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday. This is GREAT news for Pro Choice supporters, because Judge Hamilton was crucial in overturning a parental notification law in Indiana in 2001.

b.) Tell President Obama that you are supportive of Pro Choice Attorney Dawn Johnsen being appointed to President Obama's Office of Legal Counsel . Currently, she is three votes shy of confirmation in the Senate and has been facing obstruction to her post by conservative Republicans.

c.) Tell President Obama that you are supportive of the appointment of openly lesbian candidate, Chai Feldblum, to the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission [EEOC]. Feldblum is Pro-Choice and was instrumental in authoring language for the the American's with Disabilities Act [ADA] and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act [ENDA]. Feldblum has passed her confirmation hearings and is expected to be voted on in the Senate by the end of next month.

2.) Call your Senators and tell them that you phoned the White House and repeat similar comments as above.

Sign the NARAL Online Petition to encourage the Senate to Confirm Dawn Johnsen, which can be found here.

Remember to leave your name and address with your Senator's Office, so that they can confirm that you vote.

3.) Sign the White House and Senate Pro-Choice Online petitions and if you can do so, RALLY IN WASHINGTON, DC on DEC. for reproductive freedom!

Excerpts from the Senator Reid's Health Care Bill regarding the abortion language can be found beneath the cut, as well as a link to the recent analysis by George Washington Law School regarding the long term negative impact of the Stupak Amendment on abortion services and women's health.

( Read more... )

*Sorry if this seems a bit off topic, but I have been x-posting the Pro-Choice threads like mad to LGBT comms, so please reciprocate the support and forward this call for action to your friends. PLEASE AND THANKSSS!!!! xoxo!

From Champ Network:

http://www.champnetwork.org

Dear allies -

Please join us in supporting the National Coalition for LGBT Health on the matter below.

CHAMP supports the creation of a dedicated Office of LGBT Health in the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as one part of a comprehensive strategy to confront HIV and AIDS in our country.

Note tight time-line! Sign-ons are needed no later than TOMORROW (FRIDAY) at 1 pm EST.

Please contact kellan@lgbthealth.net as soon as possible to endorse!

Thanks from all of us at CHAMP

Action Alert from the National Coalition for LGBT Health


The federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is considering creating a dedicated Office of LGBT Health. This would be an incredible affirmation of the importance of LGBT health and would help keep LGBT health concerns high on the list of priorities for attention, funding, and programming.

HHS is expected to make this decision before Thanksgiving. Due to the tight timeline, we are asking groups and organizations to sign on to the letter below by not later than 1 PM EST tomorrow (Friday, 11/20).

If your group or organization would like to sign on, please email Kellan Baker, Policy Associate at the National Coalition for LGBT Health, at kellan@lgbthealth.net. Please do not hesitate to contact Kellan with any questions.

Please join us in supporting an Office of LGBT Health and a healthier future for the LGBT community!
( Read more... )

Good news! Looks like Senate Pro-Lifers do not have enough votes to add the equivalent of the Stupak Amendment in their version of the health care reform, and it also looks like they would strip the Stupak Amendment out of the Bill, should they carry over the House version to the Senate.

Whew!

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/68075-brown-senate-gop-cant-get-even-a-majority-for-abortion-provision

From TPM.


Credo Action Pro-Choice Petition Website

This isn't for the squeamish. It's about as hardball and brutal as it gets.

The liberal group CREDO Action will soon ask over 1,000,000 members to sign a petition condemning the Stupak amendment...and with each signature, CREDO will send a coat hanger to the 20 supposedly pro-choice members of Congress who voted for it.

"We know what happens when women are denied access to reproductive health care including abortion," the petition reads. "And we can't go back to an era of coat hangers and back alley abortions. Reconsider your vote on the Stupak Amendment. Tell House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that the final health care bill that emerges from the conference committee can't turn the clock back on women's rights."

The email hasn't been sent yet, but you can read the language below the fold.
( Read more... )

From NARAL:

Hi -

I'm pretty angry that the House passed an anti-choice measure that would essentially eliminate insurance coverage for abortion in the new system. Health reform is important, but no one should lose coverage in the new system.

I just signed a petition to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid asking him to stand strong against a similar attack in the Senate. Will you add your name? The deadline is 12 noon (EST) on Friday, November 13.

http://action.prochoiceamerica.org/site/Advocacy?id=4013&pagename=homepage

Thanks for standing up for women!
To take action on this issue, click on the link below:
https://secure.prochoiceamerica.org/site/Advocacy?s_oo=69gKKTAtN0Ip7I8GYO_WVQ..&id=4013
If the text above does not appear as a link or it wraps across multiple lines, then copy and paste it into the address area of your browser.

From NARAL and the House:

Attention Michigan residents: Rep. Stupak, he of the anti-choice Stupak-Pitts amendment "fame," is holding a townhall today.

Here are the details:

Wednesday, November 11, 2009
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM (EST)
Bay de Noc Community College
Besse Center
2001 North Lincoln Rd
Escanaba, MI
(Map It)
From Rep. Stupak's press release:

U.S. Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) will host a town hall meeting in Escanaba on Wednesday, November 11, from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. (EST) at Bay de Noc Community College's Besse Center. The meeting is open to the public and will provide an opportunity for constituents to ask Stupak questions on a range of issues, including health care and the economy. Stupak will also provide an update on his work in Congress.

The Besse Center is located at 2001 North Lincoln Rd, Escanaba, Mich.

"This is an opportunity to speak with constituents, answer their questions, and address their concerns about the critical issues currently impacting Northern Michigan, including the health care bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives this past weekend," Stupak said. "I look forward to engaging in a respectful, civil dialogue on a broad range of issues. I enjoy hearing from constituents and the ideas and feedback I receive at town hall meetings, and through the letters, emails, faxes and telephone calls to my offices is valuable to me personally and is critical to the work I do in Congress."

Out of respect for all those wishing to attend the town hall meeting only credentialed media will be permitted to record the event. Signs, banners and posters will not be allowed inside the center.
If you live near Escanaba, Michigan... this would be a good opportunity for you to tell Rep. Stupak what you think about his anti-choice amendment.

And might I also suggest you sign our petition calling on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to stand firm against a ban on abortion coverage for women in the new health system? Thanks!

From the Fresno Bee, California:

The 240-194 roll call Saturday by which the House voted to prohibit federal funding of abortions in a Democratic-written health care bill.
A "yes" vote is a vote to prohibit federal funding of abortions.
Voting yes were 64 Democrats and 176 Republicans.
Voting no were 194 Democrats and 0 Republicans.

http://www.fresnobee.com/news/national-politics/story/1702900.html

From the Washington Post, as relayed via DailyKOS.

"Because of the limits placed on the exchanges, most of the participants will have some form of premium credit or affordable subsidy. That means most will be ineligible for abortion coverage. The idea that people are going to go out and purchase separate "abortion plans" is both cruel and laughable. If this amendment passes, it will mean that virtually all women with insurance through the exchange who find themselves in the unwanted and unexpected position of needing to terminate a pregnancy will not have coverage for the procedure. Abortion coverage will not be outlawed in this country. It will simply be tiered, reserved for those rich enough to afford insurance themselves or lucky enough to receive from their employers."

The amendment is expected to pass with relative ease. Republicans will join with anti-choice Democrats to push it over the finish line. Once the amendment passes, the bill is cleared for a vote, and all parties expect that vote to succeed. Today looks likely to end with a historic, and important, vote. A vote that is a first step towards helping more than 30 million people secure health-care coverage, and making sure hundreds of millions are better protected from the vagaries of the insurance industry. But Stupak's amendment is a bitter start. It is, however, not the end. Even if it muscles into the House bill, it will also have to pass in the Senate, and then survive conference, before it becomes law.

My note: Even the most ardent, supposed "feminist" politicians have stated they are willing to vote to allow this amendment to stand, as long as they can pass the reform today.

This is PATHETIC. And we have a Democratic majority in both the House and Senate who can't seem to buck up and get a spine, so I dunno folks. What do YOU think is the best way to deal with this grassroots style?

Edited to add: Congress is in fact OPEN today (Saturday) and people CAN call their Reps NOW! I just called Speaker Pelosi's office in DC and they had people answering the phones. People on the west coast should have a bit more time to phone their local offices, as well, SO PICK UP THE PHONE AND MAKE IT HAPPEN, FOLKS!!! This is SERIOUS!

The Capitol Switchboard is RINGING BUSY, so go here to find the contact info for your reps: http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/mcapdir.html

Don't know who your rep is??? Go here to locate them by zip code (top left corner): http://www.house.gov/

Hello Friends,

Please forward widely!

This morning around 1am, Members of the US Congress House of
Representatives agreed to allow an Up or Down Vote TODAY to create
what would essentially become a "de facto ban" on abortion services
for private as well as potential public insurers. This is outrageous
and NEEDS TO BE STOPPED!

Where do your reps stand?
Check here: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/11/7/801738/-HCR-House-Debate:-The-Stupak-Amendment

Make sure to contact your Representative in the House and Senate via
email and follow up on Monday morning with a phone call!!!
Go here: http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/issues/abortion/access-to-abortion/health-care-reform.html

News from The NY Times:
http://prescriptions.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/07/abortion-fight-erupts-in-health-care-debate/
From The Hill (DC):
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/66789-stupak-to-get-up-or-down-vote-on-amendment-to-block-abortion-funding

In Pro-Choice Solidarity!

As I suspected in my last post, here it comes. How do we know that a tax on cosmetic surgery or abortion couldn't also be applied to transgender SRS???

Taxing Face Lifts and Abortions to Pay for Health Reform
New York Times
July 29, 2009
By CATHERINE RAMPELL

Forget taxing the rich, the obese or your employer’s health benefits. Here’s an even better way to turn health reform financing into a wedge issue.

Some members of Congress are reportedly considering a cosmetic surgery tax to help pay for health reform (a.k.a. the “Botax”).

Such a tax could be a big revenue-raiser, since Americans spend billions of dollars on cosmetic surgeries each year. It may also discourage more people from getting plastic surgery (which mothers of teenage girls everywhere might consider a good thing, I suppose).

It might also lead to a slippery slope — and a tax on a significantly more controversial medical procedure. If Congress can tax cosmetic surgeries, asks the libertarian law professor Glenn Reynolds, what about abortion?
( Read more... )

Hello Women and LGBTQI folks,

I understand that the abortion issue may seem unrelated to transgender and queer issues, but it is most definitely something that all of you should be very concerned about.

Why?

Because if the Blue Dog Democrats in the House and Senate manage to remove provisions for federally funded abortion in the Healthcare Reform Legislation, guess who might next get the axe?

Trans folks and any current or future federal funding that will be provided for us to get our medical needs met. This also includes those who are HIV+ and disabled.

Our government is supposed to respect the division of church and state, as well as the Supreme Court Decision of Roe v.s Wade, which decided in 1973 that the government does not have the right to interfere between a woman and her medical decisions.

Women's rights, disability rights, abortion rights, trans medical rights, and rights for those living with HIV/AIDS go hand in hand, so PLEASE take 5 minutes and call your elected representatives in the House TODAY! Make sure to PHONE/CALL them, because that makes a greater impact than emails and letters. Some reps also have protections in place that limit their mail services after the anthrax threat several years ago, as well, so letters, while they are a nice gesture, may not always make it to your rep's desk.

Tell them to support House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's efforts to BLOCK a vote on removing federally funded abortion from the Healthcare Reform Legislation.

Don't know who your rep is, go here: http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/

*FYI: This just announced late on July 19.
Gather in DC or Call, fax and email TODAY!!!
Call your media peoples!!!

Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney to Reintroduce Women's Equality Amendment on Capitol Hill

Tell Congress and President Obama and Congess that it's time!
Did you know that women are not represented in the U.S. Constitution?
The Equal Rights Amendment, first proposed in 1923, is still not part of the U.S. Constitution.
TODAY, Rep. Carolyn Maloney of New York will reintroduce the WEA or Women's Equality Amendment,
which functions the same as the ERA. If passed, it would become the 28th Amendment of the Constitution
and would provide overarching federal protections for women for the first time.

Yes, you read that right.

Nice blog post about the ERA here.
More detailed history of the ERA/WEA.

Join NOW and Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney
as she proudly introduces the
WOMEN'S EQUALITY AMENDMENT
ON CAPITOL HILL!
Tuesday, July 21st, at 10 a.m.
House Triangle
(on the Capitol side of Independence Avenue across from the Rayburn building).
( Read more... )

Hi everyone,

I was recently hired as a counselor at an abortion clinic, and am super excited about it. It's been a great experience so far - I love being in the clinic setting, where my co-workers are all awesome pro-choice feminists, and finally seeing what is arguably the most important piece in the abortion debate - which, despite being a passionate pro-choice advocate for many years, I had always been far removed from before.

So I was wondering if anyone knows of any blogs, online communities or forums, or other sorts of resources for abortion counselors? I'm really interested in reading about other counselors' experiences and stories, which I imagine will help me to be better prepared, and was wondering if any type of resource like that for clinic counselors exists. Anyone know of anything? I searched LJ comms, Google Blog, and Google generally, but couldn't come up with anything like that. Luckily, there seem to be a number of places for women to share their stories of having abortions, which I am definitely also reading to learn more about that side of the clinic experience, but I am interested in finding resources and communities specifically for counselors too.

If there are any abortion counselors in this community I'd love to hear any stories you'd like to share, as well. :) Thanks everyone!

I am Dr. Tiller

This website was created as both a memorial to the lifework of Dr. George Tiller and as a living testimony to the courageous lives of abortion providers.

The site contains photos of people who help provide abortions, and their testimonials. I cried like crazy reading this site. In a good way.

If you help provide abortions, please consider adding your story to the site.

X-posted.

I'm sure I'm not alone in wanting to do something to protect our physicians in wake of Dr. Tiller's death.

What do you guys think about the possibility of a statute that bans public (e.g. at gatherings, or on the media) villification of specific abortion providers (i.e. by name)? I know there would be a first amendment challenge, but we have the whole "wanted poster" website precedent to work with...

When a woman faced stoning
for the sin of sex
Jesus stepped up and spoke
and stopped the sentence.
he placed his body
between the vulnerable and the vicious.
two thousand years later
new crowds gather
and write letters
and wave signs
and denounce
and threaten
and stalk, shoot, bomb, poison
to wound women
for the sin of sex.
in Jesus's absence
Dr. Tiller placed his body
between the vulnerable and the vicious.
Between his patients seeking help
and the dark crowds outside
the stalkers and the shooters
the sign-wavers and the letter-writers.
Jesus saved one woman from the mob.
Dr. Tiller saved thousands.
Dr. Tiller was killed
while worshipping Jesus
in the name of Jesus.
Had he not followed Jesus
he would not have been killed.
In this sad strange world
where they kill even gods
for the capital crime
of working for women,
they have made another martyr
who will not be forgotten.

x-posted to my journal and abortioninfo

Hello all!  I just joined the group and am glad to have found a community like this!  I'm a college student, so I have a little more time in the summer between classes to catch up on reading.  Does anyone have any suggestions for good reads about pro-choice issues?

I'm currently reading The Handmaid's Tale and I'm dying to read The Means of Reproduction by Michelle Goldberg. 

From the article:

A suspect in this morning's fatal shooting of George Tiller is in custody in Johnson County.

Authorities have yet to release more information about the arrest in Gardner. Wichita police have scheduled a 4 p.m. news conference to discuss the case.

Tiller, 67, was shot just after 10 a.m. in the lobby of Reformation Lutheran Church at 7601 E. 13th, where he was a member of the congregation.

Tiller was serving as an usher at the church, one of six ushers listed in the church bulletin. He was handing out bulletins to people going into the sanctuary minutes before being shot.

A church member who did not want to be identified said the gunman threatened another person at the church after the shooting.

Tiller's family issued a statement through Wichita attorneys Dan Monnat and Lee Thompson.

"Today we mourn the loss of our husband, father and grandfather. Today's event is an unspeakable tragedy for all of us and for George's friends and patients.

"This is particularly heart wrenching because George was shot down in his house of worship, a place of peace."

Police had said they were looking for white male who was driving a 1990s powder blue Ford Taurus with Kansas license plate 225 BAB. The vehicle is registered to an owner in Merriam, which is in the Kansas City area.

Wichita police Capt. Brent Allred said that several law enforcement agencies -- including the FBI and the KBI -- have been called in to help with the case.

Allred said that no one else was injured in the shooting. He would not say how many shots were fired. He said it's unclear whether the shooter exchanged any words with the victim.

Allred said the 10 a.m. church service had already begun at the time of the shooting.

Homicide detectives and Sedgwick County District Attorney Nola Foulston arrived at the church after the shooting.

Members of the congregation who were inside the sanctuary at the time of the shooting were kept inside by police, and those arriving were ushered into the parking lot immediately after the shooting.

Witnesses later were transported downtown for interviews and other members of the congregation were slowly released from inside the sanctuary.

By 12:30 p.m., what appeared to be a body was taken away in an SUV with a patrol car behind it.

At about 12:40, a police dog was taken to check out a black SUV. An investigator wrote down the tag number on the vehicle.

Tiller has long been a focal point of protest by abortion opponents because his clinic, Women's Health Care Services at 5107 E. Kellogg, is one of the few in the country where late-term abortions are performed.

"It's a terrible loss. I'm just really sad about the whole thing," said a former employee of the clinic who asked not to be identified. "He was a great guy. I understand people were against a lot of what he did, but for those who he helped, they'll never forget the kind of person he was."

Mark Mitchell, who lives near where the shooting occurred, said he knew Tiller attended Reformation Lutheran Church because of the periodic protests there and media coverage.

He said the protests would sometimes be as large as two dozen people. The last protest he can remember there was in the fall.

"We are shocked at this morning's disturbing news that Mr. Tiller was gunned down," anti-abortion group Operation Rescue said in a statement on its Web site. "Operation Rescue has worked for years through peaceful, legal means, and through the proper channels to see him brought to justice. We denounce vigilantism and the cowardly act that took place this morning. We pray for Mr. Tiller's family that they will find comfort and healing that can only be found in Jesus Christ."

Protesters blockaded Tiller's clinic during Operation Rescue's "Summer of Mercy" protests during the summer of 1991, and Tiller was shot by Rachelle Shannon at his clinic in 1993. Tiller was wounded in both arms, and Shannon remains in prison for the shooting.

The clinic was bombed in June 1986, and was severely vandalized earlier this month. According to the Associated Press, his lawyer said wires to security cameras and outdoor lights were cut and that the vandals also cut through the roof and plugged the buildings' downspouts. Rain poured through the roof and caused thousands of dollars of damage in the clinic. Tiller reportedly asked the FBI to investigate the incident.

No arrests were made in the 1986 bombing.

Sgt. Bart Brunscheen of the Wichita Police Department said earlier today that there has been no activity today at Tiller's clinic, although security crews were being brought in to make sure the building was secure. Officials also were going to check the clinic's security cameras to see if there was any activity over night.

Tiller and his clinic have faced continuous threats and lawsuits. A Wichita jury ruled in March that he was not guilty of illegal abortion on 19 criminal charges he faced for allegedly violating a state law requiring an "independent" second physician's concurring opinion before performing later term abortions. Immediately following the ruling in this criminal case, the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts made public a similar complaint against Tiller that was originally filed in December 2008.

Former Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline, who conducted an investigation into Tiller, said in a statement he was "stunned by this lawless and violent act which must be condemned and should be met with the full force of law. We join in lifting prayer that God's grace and presence rest with Dr. Tiller's family and friends.

Website includes photos, video, etc.

Did anyone else belong to feminist_rage and have any idea what happened to the comm? It suddenly like...disappeared?

Off topic, I know, but this is the only comm I belong to where I think someone might now. i'll delete this if needed.

If you haven't heard yet, President Obama has overturned the Global Gag Rule!

What PP's Action Center has to say about it: 

"By overturning the global gag rule, President Obama has taken a tremendous first step toward promoting women's health around the world. Overseas health care providers will now be able to offer counseling, referrals, and services for the full range of reproductive health services to women without fear that the U.S. government will strip them of their funding."

Want to send him a thank you note?  Do it here.


Let's hope Obama keeps this momentum in reinforcing our rights!