Bush Administration's Latest Ploy, Ideology Before Women's Health
November 20, 2008 - 4:41pm (Print)
Earlier this month,
our country participated in an historic election, as the American people voted
for new leaders and a new direction. In the thrill of this remarkable
moment, however, we cannot forget that the Bush administration is still up to
its old tricks. Unfortunately, until January 20th, 2009, we
are governed by an administration who time and time again puts
ideology ahead of women's health.
We have to stop the
administration’s last minute attempt to undermine health care for those
who need it most. That's why Senator Murray and I today introduced
critical legislation to suspend the Bush Administration's latest ploy to put
ideology before women's health.
As many of you know,
the rule being proposed by the administration would limit patients' access to
basic reproductive health care services and information. The Protecting
Patients and Health Care Act would prevent HHS from implementing this
ill-conceived, midnight regulation.
Senator Murray and I
have been speaking out against this rule since July when word of this
regulation first came to light. The rule, as it was then proposed in August by
the Department of Health and Human Services, is a serious threat to patients'
access to information and care.
Then in September,
Senator Murray and I had a very frank conversation with Secretary Leavitt about
how this rule could create a slippery slope leading to patients being denied
access to contraception and other important information or care. However,
despite the important concerns we raised to the Secretary, a recent news report
indicated that HHS is planning to release a final regulation in the coming
days.
I am hopeful that members of Congress from both sides of the aisle will join in fighting for passage of this important piece of legislation to protect patients' rights and health care. And we join President-Elect Obama, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and hundreds of thousands of concerned Americans who have written to HHS opposing this unconscionable proposal. I urge Secretary Leavitt to make his decision on behalf of women's health. Thank you.
You rock!
for doing this!
Thank you Hillary
I hope you will stay in the senate and be the next Ted Kennedy!
Dear Ms. Clinton,
As usual, you stand up for us when no one else will. You are an inspiration to women everywhere, particularly professional women. I am so glad to have you for a role model. You inspire me to seek power (not a dirty word!) and work to implement change.
Thank you!
You so kick @ss!
Thank you so much for fighting for women's rights when it seems like to many of those who aren't actively fighting against them, we are invisible. I'm so proud to be a Hillary supporter; you've never let me down.
Don't let Bush think he can sneak these regulations through!
Thank you for this article. One would expect that all who call for common ground on abortion would be protesting this blatant attack on access to contraception. As I have written over and over, surely we can agree that the first steps to prevent abortions are information, education, and access to contraception.
Rev. Debra Haffner
http://debrahaffner.blogspot.com
Not only many thanks to Hillary, one of our best advocates, but to those women in the clergy like Debra Haffner(and we all know how hard change was in that field!) who are standing up for women's rights. I know I am, I have for years, I will keep doing it. And I'm doing it in an area of the country (deep south) very unlike my home New York City and the eastern seaboard. Right on, ladies! All of us!
Thank you for standing up for women when the Bush administration continues to keep us demure.
It is nobody's business how I choose to deal with my reproductive health.
I'm truly glad we have people like you heading next year's administration.
Thank you for always working to help women!
You rock
Thank you Hillary! You are the Best!
It has always seemed to me that overt actions intended to force a woman to have an unwanted pregnancy or an unwanted child, should be treated as sexual assaults.
Such actions include, but are not restricted to, denying access to contraception, medical treatment, or other medications (e.g., Plan B).
I think that the pro-choice movement has been too gentle with the opposition for too long.
Civil and criminal charges should be brought into this strange context. If Bush's idiotic "Conscience Expansion Rule" stands, even for a short time, legal action seeking punishment for sexual assaults might be precisely the right contradiction to add to the mix.
And remember: according to the Law & Order SVU prologue, such crimes "are considered especially heinous."
Finally, someone to end all these nonsense. It really upsets me to see the Bush administration making all these seeming unreasonable policies that are not only counterproductive but also harmful to the welfare of the people.
They keep hiding behind the brand of Conservatism every time they make these policies when in reality it appears to me that they are merely imposing their own personal beliefs on people who don't share them.
Thank you so much Mdme Hillary for doing something about it
-Dino Delellis
This is so good to hear , after several years of ineffective even harmful reproductive health policies courtesy of the Bush administration these moves to change them is a very welcome breath of fresh air.
More power to you Madame Secretary , may you be successful in you fight to change all that.
nice post and great information thank you very much.
