Tag: Abortion

The 2008 Global Gender Gap report issued from the World Economic Forum yesterday in Switzerland stated that women around the globe face near parity with men in terms of educational opportunities and health care, but are still far behind in political and decision-making roles. The U.S. ranked 27th in gender equality: (via New York Times).

A study by Merck found that Garadasil, the HPV Vaccine FDA-approved for young women and girls, is effective in preventing HPV-caused genital lesions in men, who are the key transmitters of HPV to women: (via Bloomberg News).

Yesterday, Connecticut became the third U.S. state to issue same-sex marriage licenses; a month after the Supreme Court ruled that gays and lesbians have a Constitutional right to marry in the state, while protests over the passing of Proposition 8 in California continue around the nation: (via US News).

To the anti-abortion movement, standing outside clinic doors and bellowing at patients and staff that they are murderers and whores is simply an effort to "stop the war against America's children."

Like most wars, this one has included a host of tactics, from picket lines to blockades, and has gone so far as to include arson, property damage, kidnapping and the murder of providers. The antis call it collateral damage, the end product of a campaign that has for 36 years worked doggedly to undo Roe v. Wade. From state houses to Congress, from clinics to providers' homes, their relentless hammering has had marked victories.

Banner ads informing voters that Dino Rossi is anti-choice and anti-contraception can be viewed today on www.SeattleTimes.com , www.SeattlePI.com, www.Columbian.com and www.HorsesAss.org  

An article in the Boston Globe written by a Massachusetts pediatrician discusses the difficulty doctors have when dealing with adolescent patients who need information about STDs and teen pregnancy from their doctors as a result of lack of education given in abstinence-only sex-education programs at school.

In an ongoing attempt to smear Barack Obama by way of his loose connection to William Ayers, a McCain spokesperson commented that if McCain associated with an abortion clinic bomber it would be a legitimate topic of discussion. Ironic, points out Think Progress and RH Reality Check, because McCain has made several votes that decreased protections for women and doctors at reproductive health clinics.

In an article for the Washington Blade, a gay publication in the Washington DC area, John McCain claims to support a national AIDS prevention policy, despite having never mentioned such plans before, as pointed out by RH Reality Check.

For the third time the Supreme Court will not hear an appeal by an anti-abortion group seeking to overturn a case that awarded abortion providers more than $16 million after the group created posters and websites naming abortion doctors alongside their home addresses and phone numbers: (via Seattle PI).

The LA Times editorializes against the Bush administration assertion that California's family planning program for low-income women must re-evaluate the way it calculates undocumented immigrants by individually vetting each patient for legal status, saying it is the federal government's responsibility to determine and cover undocumented immigrants, not California's:

In another attempt to make abortion less accessible and force clinic closures, two Indiana counties have passed laws stating that doctors who perform abortions must also have the authority to admit patients to local hospitals - a significant obstacle as many clinics are staffed by non-local doctors who are unlikely to have admitting privileges at local hospitals (via USA Today).

The Wall Street Journal reports on several recent "no-pregnancy" orders handed down in state courts, commenting that these rulings indicate a re-emergence of the rationale behind forced sterilization popular in the early 1900s.

New York Times columnist Dorothy Samuels says that voters deserve an explanation from Alaska Governor Sarah Palin about her policy of charging rape survivors for the cost of rape kits and forensic exams in Wasilla, Alaska, while Palin was mayor of the town.

Another study by Guttmacher finds that the amount of women seeking contraceptive services in private and public clinics is increasing, with about 1 in 4 seeking reproductive health services at a publicly funded clinic where over 69% are specifically requesting contraception: (via NationalPartnership.org).

A new book called Abortion and Life, which puts a face on women who have had abortions and tells their stories, intends to de-stigmatize the experience and allow the sometimes complex emotions surrounding abortion to be shared: (via The Phoenix).

In response to the book, an anonymous writer discusses her abortion experience and why it is important for ordinary women who have had abortions to not be ashamed of their decision: (via The Phoenix).

Gloucester, Mass. Mayor and School Committee Chairman are encouraging School Committee members to allow the high school health center to dispense contraception to its students after the high school was embroiled in a pregnancy scandal earlier this year that garnered extensive media coverage and caused the resignation of many top school officials: (via Boston.com).

The LA Times published an editorial against California's parental notification proposition (Prop 4), saying the law would hinder abortion rights and possibly, contrary to its supposed goal, put pregnant underage girls in greater endangerment.

Thirteen state attorneys general and several medical associations have come out in opposition to the proposed HHS rule that extends the abilities of health care workers to deny services based on their personal beliefs, saying the rule would "obliterate the rights of patients": (via AP/Google).

The Republican Majority for Choice will not be nominating a candidate in the presidential election, citing an "outpouring of concern from our members" over McCain's selection of adamantly anti-choice Gov. Sarah Palin for his running mate: (via RH Reality Check).

Pro-choice advocates believe the disparities are mostly due to less contraception use among minorities who are less likely than white women to have access to family planning services: (via RH Reality Check).

Former Washington state Governor Booth Gardner writes for the Huffington Post that supporting I-1000 should be an easy choice, since the law has been successfully implemented in Oregon for 10 years, has led to better end-of-life care for all patients and restores choice and autonomy to individuals.

Writer Anna Clark explores the current economic climate facing couples seeking to have children, and how workplace environments and health insurance requirements are impeding people's decisions about if and when to have children, and what, if anything, the presidential candidates will do.

A new, fast-acting HPV screening tested in the Shanxi province of eastern China was found to be 90% accurate in detecting cervical cancer, and allowed patients to be tested and treated during the same visit: (via Washington Post).

The Winning Message Action Fund has released a new ad to be shown in Colorado and other swing states asking John McCain how much time a woman should spend in jail if abortion were to be outlawed: (via RH Reality Check).

Russian politicians and doctors are beginning to question their previously laissez-faire attitude towards abortion in a county that has extremely low use of contraception, a high rate of abortion, and a negative population growth: (via LA Times).

The Washington Post asks why Sarah Palin has granted so few interviews since her selection as John McCain's running mate, saying that while McCain is entitled to his choice, he is not entitled to keep the public from being able to make an informed assessment of his judgment.

The Washington Post examines South Dakota's proposed abortion ban, which would ban abortion except in cases of rape, incest and a narrow interpretation of the health and life of the woman, and if passed could be used to bring a challenge to Roe v. Wade in the Supreme Court.

Obama's campaign responds to McCain's abortion attack ads with television spots highlighting McCain's extremist views (via Politico).

Legal experts question the constitutionality of a Texas judge's ruling ordering a woman to stop having children as a condition of her probation (via the Austin-American Statesman).

A new poll conducted by the New York Times and CBS News, shows continued support for abortion rights in the mainstream of American life, yet also indicates that very few voters are making their decisions based on social issues - highlighting the need to educate voters that reproductive rights are as vulnerable as the economy (via RH Reality Check).

An op-ed published in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer says that McCain's determination to move the Supreme Court even further to the right should be of concern to all Americans, particularly his campaign pledge to appoint more federal court judges like those appointed by George W. Bush.

A review of sex education in the newest edition of the journal Sexuality Research and Social Policy has found that abstinence-only-until-marriage programs offer no benefits to recipients, and may violate human rights principles for young people, whereas most comprehensive sex education programs positively affected the sexual behavior of students: (via RH Reality Check).

Amanda Marcotte discusses the small role embryonic stem-cell research has played in this election, compared to 2004, and outlines the candidates' positions, noting why differences between McCain and Palin may be significant.

The European Union has outlined indicators for monitoring the well-being of female children; a group it calls "the most invisible entity", and has suggestions for improving the lives of this group through sex education, bodily self-esteem, and accomplishments in science and math: (via RH Reality Check).

A review of sex education in the newest edition of the journal Sexuality Research and Social Policy has found that abstinence-only-until-marriage programs offer no benefits to recipients, and may violate human rights principles for young people, whereas most comprehensive sex education programs positively affected the sexual behavior of students: (via RH Reality Check).

Amanda Marcotte discusses the small role embryonic stem-cell research has played in this election, compared to 2004, and outlines the candidates' positions, noting why differences between McCain and Palin may be significant.

The European Union has outlined indicators for monitoring the well-being of female children; a group it calls "the most invisible entity", and has suggestions for improving the lives of this group through sex education, bodily self-esteem, and accomplishments in science and math: (via RH Reality Check).

The Washington Post reports on Sarah Palin's interview with ABC's Charles Gibson, and asks how Palin can reconcile her understanding of abortion as a 'personal issue' with her view that choice should be taken away from women.

Former Planned Parenthood attorney Roberta Riley writes that John McCain and George W. Bush are identical and abysmal on every issue of concern to women, and points out that our next president's views really do matter because contraception - which most voters take for granted - is at risk (via the Seattle Post-Intelligencer).

The New York Times reports that both Presidential campaigns are trying to highlight the issues they think will draw more support from women, with Obama emphasizing pay equity and abortion rights and McCain continuing to erroneously portray himself as a `maverick'.

Cass Sunstein, professor of law at Harvard Law School, writes that Roe v. Wade should be seen not only as a case about privacy, but also as involving sex equality, and that a decision to overrule what has been established law and culture for the past 35 years would disrupt and polarize the nation (via the Boston Globe).

The Seattle Times describes John McCain's misleading campaign ad misrepresenting Obama's position on sex education as "an insult to public intelligence and dignified political debate".

The FDA has approved expanding the use of Merck's HPV vaccine Gardasil to protect against cancers of the vagina and vulva (via MSNBC).