Brady Swenson's blog

(VIDEO) Sen. Gillibrand and NARAL New York Host Anti-Stupak Media Conference

2009-11-17T09:33:39-05:00

The Stupak-Pitts amendment in the House health care reform bill will effectively ban abortion coverage in the new health system.

This amendment will dial back women’s access to abortion care far beyond the limitations that already exist under federal law by banning any plan purchased with a federal subsidy from covering abortion care, even making it largely impossible for women to use their own dollars to obtain abortion coverage.

On November 16, NARAL Pro-Choice New York stood alongside Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, City Council Speaker Chris Quinn, Gloria Steinem, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, Councilmember Jessica Lappin, and other pro-choice advocates in opposing the Stupak Amendment:

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand:

New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn:

Feminist leader Gloria Steinem:

NARAL Pro-Choice New York President Kelli Conlin:

Read NARAL Pro-Choice New York's statement condemning the Stupak-Pitts Amendment.

See more videos from the press conference.

Access to abortion faced a bitter fight in the House of Representatives, where our New York delegation held strong in admirably opposing Stupak-Pitts: with the exception of Peter King (NY-3) and Chris Lee (NY-26), both of whom voted for the insidious amendment, New York’s entire congressional delegation voted to oppose it.

Now, we have to put up the same resistance in the Senate. With your activism and support, pro-choice senators can still ensure that health care reform does not come at an unacceptably high cost to women. Here's how you can get involved:

Save the date for our December 2 lobby day in Washington DC.
Phone bank with us on 11/17 and 11/19 as we try to activate pro-choice supporters across the country to oppose the ban on abortion funding. Join us in our office or remotely from anywhere across the state!
Email Senators Gillibrand and Schumer to ask them to stand firm against Stupak and similar restrictions in the new health care reform bill.
Call Senator Gillibrand at 202-224-4451 and Senator Schumer at 202-224-6542 to encourage them to continue to lead the charge against an anti-choice takeover of health care reform.

(AUDIO) Laurie Rubiner: Stupak Amendment a Hobson's Choice

2009-11-10T10:29:02-05:00

Laurie Rubiner, Vice President for Policy of Planned Parenthood Federation, spoke with WNYC's Brian Lehrer about the Stupak-Pitts amendment on Monday morning. Laurie explained that the Stupak amendment would actually mean millions of women would lose insurance coverage for abortion, even when purchasing a private plan:

"Right now if a woman goes to buy health insurance in the private market the majority of health plans offer abortion coverage in those plans. Under the Stupak-Pitts amendment in the new house insurance exchange women would not be allowed to purchase insurance that includes abortion coverage. That means that the millions of women who purchase insurance through this new exchange, the good news is they will get health insurance, the bad news is that the abortion coverage available today would be taken away from them and we think that's a real Hobson's choice."

The Tea Party crowd is incredibly adept at hypocrisy. After months of hyperbolic cries about "big government" putting an end to your liberty and freedom by interfering with health care choices we now get an amendment that singles out a legal health care procedure and removes that procedure as a choice for women. And what's worse, they even found a Democratic co-sponsor and 64 anti-choice Democrats to vote with them on the floor of the house.

Rubiner says pro-choice activists must turn their attention to the Senate where she "expects we will be able to temper" the Stupak amendment.

Listen to the interview here:

NYT: Abortion Fight Complicates Debate on Health Care

2009-09-29T11:23:49-04:00

A front page story in today's edition of the New York Times highlights access to abortion as a potential roadblock to acheiving health insurance reform. Abortion access opponents are fighting for a provision that would ensure no federal health insurance subsidy money is used to purchase private insurance policies that cover abortion care. There seems to be enough support from moderate Democrats to make the debate too close to call at this point:

Abortion opponents in both the House and the Senate are seeking to block the millions of middle- and lower-income people who might receive federal insurance subsidies to help them buy health coverage from using the money on plans that cover abortion. And the abortion opponents are getting enough support from moderate Democrats that both sides say the outcome is too close to call.

If federal subsidies to middle- and lower-income Americans exclude insurance plans that cover abortion it could "eliminate from the marketplace private plans that cover the procedure, pushing women who have such coverage to give it up."

At the center of the claim from those opposing access to abortion care is a 30-year-old ban on the use of taxpayer money to pay for elective abortions but abortion access supporters in Congress have attempted to address this concern:

Democratic Congressional leaders say the latest House and Senate health care bills preserve the spirit of the current ban on federal abortion financing by requiring insurers to segregate their public subsidies into separate accounts from individual premiums and co-payments. Insurers could use money only from private sources to pay for abortions.
But opponents say that is not good enough, because only a line on an insurers’ accounting ledger would divide the federal money from the payments for abortions. The subsidies would still help people afford health coverage that included abortion.

The Senate Finance committee, which is today debating a public insurance option amendment, is scheduled to take up debate on an amendment from Senator Hatch to restrict the use of federal subsidies later this week:

Advocates on both sides said that if the committee does not adopt the amendment they expect a very close contest over the issue when the bill reaches the floor. Two Democratic abortion-rights opponents, Senator Bob Casey Jr. of Pennsylvania and Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska, are pushing the issue.

Mr. Casey voted in the Senate health committee for a proposal to restrict the use of the subsidies; it was defeated by one vote. Mr. Nelson is considered a pivotal vote needed to pass the overall bill. “Senator Nelson does not believe that taxpayer dollars should be used in any way to fund abortion,” his spokesman said.

Jim Manley, a spokesman for the Democratic leader, Senator Harry Reid, said that Mr. Reid believes that the latest drafts of legislation already accomplish that goal.

Supporters of the current segregated-money model argue that 17 state Medicaid programs that cover elective abortions use a similar system, dividing their federal financing from state revenues they use to pay for procedures.
“The language of the compromise is very clear,” said Representative Rosa DeLauro, Democrat of Connecticut, “it prohibits the use of federal funds to pay for abortions.” (The bills would also mandate the availability in each state of at least one plan that covers abortion and at least one that does not.)

VIDEO: Scaring Breast Cancer Patients with Health Care Reform

2009-09-02T09:46:21-04:00

Last night Rachel Maddow called out the Independent Women's Forum for running an ad with a multi-million dollar ad buy in eight states that claims that "government control of health care could have meant that 300,000 American women with breast cancer might have died."

A piece by Michelle Goldberg in The Daily Beast highlights a fundraising email sent out by the Independent Women's Forum with an increasingly familiar ominous subject line:

In a fundraising email with the subject line “More American Women Are Going to Die,” the IWF invoked “real people who might not make it if President Obama inflicts his nationalized healthcare on America.”

The Independent Women’s Forum is closely linked to Americans for Prosperity, a major organizer of anti-Obama tea parties and town hall protests. (According to Sourcewatch.org, the two groups shared the same address and most of the same operations staff until last year). So the effort to link health-care reform to breast cancer death is coming from the same people who’ve previously compared health care reform to the Holocaust. The new tack sounds slightly more reasonable, and it’s developing legs.

On the Rachel Maddow show Terry O'Neill, president of the National Organization for Women, said

"It made me mad. I don't like being lied to and manipulated.... You know, women are bearing the brunt of the broken health care system and we kow what we need and what we certainly don't need is scare tactics claiming that women with breast cancer are suddenly going to die if we have health care reform, it's outrageous.... It is not new for extremists to use women's need for reproductive health services as a political football."

Here's the segment:

Change to Commenting Procedure on RH Reality Check

2009-08-18T18:00:00-04:00

When we first launched RH Reality Check three years ago we made a commitment to providing an open forum for discussion of the issues surrounding reproductive health and justice. Commenting on the site has grown dramatically as our community has grown over the years. In 2007 we averaged just 5 comments per day but now, on average, there are more than 80 comments posted to the site everyday.

To encourage participation, we have always allowed anonymous commenting on the site. But anonymous commenting also has its drawbacks. One of the most common of these noted by readers is that with more than one person commenting under the psuedonym 'Anonymous' it becomes very difficult to follow discussions in the comments sections. We've built a strong community of readers concerned about these important issues and we have decided that it is time to require registration to comment on RH Reality Check. Requiring registration will help make discussions easier to follow as every commenter will have a unique name and we hope it will help increase the civility of discussions as it will be easier to hold commenters accountable.

Registration takes less than a minute and requires only an email address and a name. You do not have to use your real name. Your email address will not be made public or shared with anyone. You'll receive a confirmation email from us and once you click through to confirm your registration you can choose to add a photo and bio to your profile page if you wish. With registration also comes the ability to post reader diaries, a popular new feature on the site of which over 75 readers have taken advantage of to date.

So, if you have not yet registered with the site, please take a moment to do so now. If you have any questions about or problems with the registration process, please do not hesistate to contact us.

VIDEO: Rachel Maddow on Scott Roeder's Recent Correspondence with Militant Anti-Choicers

2009-08-11T10:29:56-04:00

Last night Rachel Maddow reported on the contacts Scott Roeder has had with other anti-choice extremists while in prison awaiting trial and then spoke with Amy Hagstrom Miller, President and CEO of Whole Women's Health, about the nature of anti-choice violence.

In the segment Miller expressed concern that the militant anti-choice movement is boldly operating in the open by communicating freely with Roeder in jail, defying the idea that he acted alone in the muder of Dr. Tiller.

In a related story, Jodi recently reported on the lifting of federal protection from Dr. Carhart's clinic in Boulder:

Despite mounting threats to the clinic--and potentially to the life--of Nebraska Dr. Leroy Carhart, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has removed the federal marshals earlier charged with protecting him.

Dr. Carhart lost his federal marshal protection two weeks ago, much to the alarm of pro-choice leaders, leaving him vulnerable at a time when anti-choice violence has been escalating across the country, and when Carhart himself has been openly targeted by groups such as Operation Rescue, which is calling for protests at his clinic later this month. In addition, members of the Army of God, an organization that promotes the use of violence against providers of abortion care, and glorifies those who commit acts of murder, are also targetting Dr. Carhart.

Women's rights and health groups are now working strenuously to ensure that the DOJ restores protection by federal marshals for Dr. Carhart and to urge the DOJ and the FBI to investigate Tiller's murder and other strategies used by these groups as part of a pattern of domestic terrorism.

Meanwhile, the Kansas City Star reports today that visitors to Scott Roeder in prison reads like a whos who of anti-choice militants and extremists.

Kansas NOW and other womens groups are mobilizing to conduct counter-protests at Dr. Carharts clinic at the end of August, and are calling on advocates to call the Attorney General and urge the restoration of federal marshal protection for Dr. Carhart.

VIDEO: You'll Be "Forced to Pay for Abortions" says Anti-Choice Healthcare Attack Ad

2009-07-30T12:54:06-04:00

The Family Research Council is jumping onto the anti-healthcare reform bandwagon with a "Harry and Louise" style television ad that focuses on the mythical assumption that proposed health care reform would force Americans into an insurance policy that covers abortion care. In any case, as Planned Parenthood points out, the majority of existing private health plans cover abortion care as part of a broader health care package. Moreover, according to a recent poll conducted by the Mellman Group, nearly 60 percent of likely voters would not support health care reform efforts if they failed to include reproductive health care, including abortion. It should also be noted that Planned Parenthood does much much more than provide abortions, it is a nationwide network of clinics that provides primary healthcare for millions of Americans.

UPDATE 1:59 PM EDT CNN Political Ticker says about the ad:

The current bill does not contain any provision for taxpayer-funded abortions. Instead, the current House version of the package would create a panel that would weigh what procedures might be covered — an approach White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs has said is the best way to take on the issue. Gibbs told reporters earlier this month that when it came to abortion — or other, less controversial coverage questions — it was "better left to experts in the medical field to determine how best and what procedures to cover."

And Media Matters calls the ad "a gross distortion."

None of the current health insurance reform bills directly address the issue of abortion. Currently, private insurance companies make their own decisions on whether or not abortion is a covered procedure. Current reform efforts will continue in that vein and allow consumers to choose a plan, through the Exchange, that is provided by a company that is in line with their own moral decision about abortion.

This ad from Planned Parenthood helps show the breadth of care its network of clinics provides in this country:

Roundup: Ryan-DeLauro Abortion Reduction Bill to Be Re-introduced Today

2009-07-23T10:01:04-04:00

Ryan-DeLauro Bill to Be Re-introduced Today Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a Democrat from Connecticut who favors abortion rights, and Rep. Tim Ryan, a Democrat from Ohio who opposes them, will unveil the "Preventing Unintended Pregnancies, Reducing the Need for Abortion and Supporting Parents Act" at a Washington press conference today, a re-introduction of their bill first proposed in 2006. The measure aims to reduce the number of abortions in the U.S. by providing greater government support for pregnant women and their families and expanding teen pregnancy prevention programs, among a host of other proposals.

Group Asks Justice Department to Protect Abortion Clinics An abortion-rights group said Wednesday that doctors and clinics that perform abortions in six states "are routinely targeted" for legal and physical harassment, including death threats, and called on the Justice Department to do more to protect clinic workers. In a report, the Center for Reproductive Rights said that women seeking to terminate pregnancies in those states face a dwindling supply of providers as threats and intimidation take their toll.

More News to Note:

July 23: WaPo: (Letter) An Anti-Adoption Policy In the District's Budget

July 22: CBN News: Pro-Life Leaders Unite to Fight "Abortion Mandate" in Health Care Reform

July 22: Catholic News Agency: Proposal to de-fund Planned Parenthood adds to health care abortion controversy

July 22: Verum Serum: John Holdren on Abortion and Morality

July 22: Courant: Common ground on abortion?

July 22: Miami Herald: Group asks Justice Department to protect abortion clinics

July 22: LifeNews: Nation's Catholic Bishops, Vatican Official: Don't Fund Abortions in Health Care

July 22: HuffPo: Goodbye Abortion Culture War -- Welcome To Obama's Bipartisan New Day

July 23: Times of India: Azad urges parties to `aggressively' campaign for birth control

July 22: Minnesota Independent: Bachmann, Kline and Oberstar in thick of debate over abortion, healthcare reform

July 22: Blogger News Network: Justice Ginsburg and abortion as health care and population control

July 21: Fox News: Obama's Science Czar Considered Forced Abortions, Sterilization as Population Growth Solutions

July 22: Mother Jones: Compromise for Condoms?

July 22: LifeSiteNews: Bishops Distance Themselves from Catholic-Funded, Homosexuality-Promoting Marriage Counseling Group

July 22: Modern Medicine: Hormonal Contraceptives Can Be Safe for Many With Lupus

July 22: Air America: Anti-Abortion Groups Try To Halt Health Care Reform

July 22: PR Newswire: Investigation Shows Threats, Restrictions Impose Severe Obstacles for Abortion Providers, Women Seeking Abortions

July 22: Common Dreams: Planned Parenthood and National Women's Law Center Applaud Governors for Urging Expansion of Medicaid Family Planning State Option in Health Care Reform

July 22: CNNHealth: Women over 30 have newer birth control options

July 22: Live Mint: Soap operas and family planning

July 23: WaPo: Abortion Opponents Criticize Health Reform Bills

July 22: PR Newswire: National Leaders Examine Sex and Responsibility in New Book

July 21: KTVN Reno: CDC: Teen Pregnancies Rise In Nevada

July 22: Catholic Exchange: Drive to Ban Sex-Selective Abortion Gaining Momentum

VIDEO: Senator Lindsay Graham to Support Sotomayor

2009-07-22T16:11:28-04:00

Senator Lindsay Graham announced today on the Senate floor his intention to support the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to sit as a justice on the Supreme Court.

Amy Matsui, Senior Counsel at the National Women's Law Center, wrote in her post on the subject:

Senator Graham had questioned Judge Sotomayor intensely during her three days before the Committee. This most recent announcement brings the number of Republican Senators publicly supporting the nomination up to five (Senators Lugar, Snowe and Martinez announcing last week, and Senator Collins announcing yesterday). Senator Graham's support is a sign that the momentum behind Judge Sotomayor is growing.

Senator Graham spoke for over twenty minutes explaining his decision to support Sotomayor. You can view the entire speech over at cspan.org. Here is the first minute and a half of the announcement:

Norma McCorvey, aka "Jane Roe," Arrested at Sotomayor Hearing

2009-07-13T23:16:56-04:00

The woman at the center of the Supreme Court's landmark abortion rights ruling was arrested today at the confirmation hearing for Sonia Sotomayor among a wave of anti-abortion protesters who lined the sidewalks outside the Senate office buildings and several of whom made it into the hearing room and disrupted in an attempt to disrupt the proceedings.

Norma McCorvey, 61, of Texas, better known as "Jane Roe" in the famous Roe v. Wade case from January 1973, was arrested after she and another protester started yelling during the opening statement of Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), according to Capitol Police. McCorvey, whose pursuit of the right to access to abortion in the early 1970s led to the ruling that has been a pivotal part of every Supreme Court nomination process since, eventually become a notable opponent of the procedure.

Read the rest of the story and watch video at the Wasington Post...

Crisis Pregnancy Centers Media Conference Call

2009-07-09T12:23:04-04:00

RH Reality Check, the Feminist Majority and their partners examine the use of false and misleading information about abortion, birth control, and sexually transmitted diseases by crisis pregnancy centers in a recent blog post and documentary video. Many CPCs receive federal tax dollars. Congress will vote soon, perhaps as soon as tomorrow, on whether or not to continue public funding of CPCs.

Below is a recording of a media conference call held on Wednesday, July 8th, 2009. This media conference profiled the special report based on investigations examining what happens in crisis pregnancy centers posing as medical facilities that counsel pregnant women against having an abortion. The report uncovers the use of inaccurate information, scare tactics, and proselytizing at these pregnancy centers, many of which are funded by taxpayer dollars.

Listen to the audio media conference here (the first few minutes of the recording is a bit garbled, but it improves):

Speakers on the conference call included:

Katherine Spillar is Executive Vice-President of the Feminist Majority Foundation. As a founder of the Feminist Majority Foundation, Spillar coordinates and helps oversee the FMF’s reproductive health and rights initiatives including the Campaign to Expose Fake Clinics and National Clinic Access Project.

Jennifer Cox is a senior majoring in Women's and Gender Studies at the University of Oklahoma. In addition to participating in grassroots dialogue with anti-choice activists on campus, Cox is involved in the development and presentation of a peer education Sexual Assault Awareness curriculum with the OU Women's Outreach Center.

Lauren Guy-McAlpin, fromCPC-Watch. CPC Watch is dedicated to exposing fake clinics (so-called "crisis pregnancy centers") and offers a range of resources for women facing unplanned pregnancies. CPC Watch was created in response to the ever-growing influence of anti-choice propaganda on reproductive rights debates today. We believe there is no choice without access, and we cannot claim women are "free to choose" their reproductive destinies when so many well-funded crisis pregnancy centers are pushing false or misleading information all over the country.

William A. Smith is Vice President for Public Policy for SIECUS. Mr. Smith joined SIECUS in February 2000 and directs its public policy activities, government relations, and advocacy efforts. Mr. Smith advocates on important issues related to reproductive and sexual health including sexuality education, teen sexual health, HIV/AIDS, and sexual orientation on the federal, state, and local levels.

James Wagoner has been at the helm of Advocates for Youth, the leading national organization on adolescent reproductive and sexual health program and policy, since September 1997. A respected public policy expert, Mr. Wagoner is a frequent speaker on the issues of comprehensive sex education, HIV prevention, and teen pregnancy prevention, a frequent contributor to national blogs, and has appeared on television and radio, including CNN Headline News, the Today Show and MSNBC.

Meet the Egg Rescue Squad

2009-07-07T09:55:18-04:00

While we were doing some research ahead of posting today's new feature by Wendy Norris that reports on Personhood USA's push to get egg-as-person legislation on state ballots across the country we ran across this 2007 cartoon and thought you would enjoy it.

Update, Monday, July 7, 4:02pm, EDT: As per Mikhaela's request below (and with our huge apologies and humble request for forgiveness for not doing this before!), this fantastic cartoon is courtesy of the amazing Mikhaela Reid. Check out her site, The Boiling Point, for more!

Live Blog Practice

2009-06-03T13:50:08-04:00

Practice Cover It Live live blog...

Practice Live Blog

Obama to Announce Sotomayor as Supreme Court Nominee Today

2009-05-26T08:49:24-04:00

It is being widely reported by many news outlets that President Obama will, at about 10:15 am ET this morning, announce that appeals court judge Sonia Sotomayor is his nominee for the Supreme Court.

Sotomayor, 54, would be the first Hispanic and third woman in history to serve on the nation's highest court. There is currently only one woman on the high court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Sotomayor is based in New York City. President Clinton appointed her to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals back in 1998. She is a graduate of Princeton University and Yale Law School.

The AP has a good writeup on Sotomayor's professional history. And a short profile.