Roundup: Republicans, Independents Endorse Contraception and Sexuality Education

Republicans, Independents Favor Reproductive Health Agenda
On US News & World Report, Bonnie Erbe takes note of a new survey conducted by the National Women's Law Center, finding even Republican and independent voters in favor of access to contraception and sex education:

Nearly three-quarters (72%) of Republicans and Independents favor legislation that would make it easier for people at all income levels to obtain contraception, and 70 percent favor legislation that would help make birth control more affordable. More than 60 percent of fundamentalist/evangelical Protestants favor these proposals....

Only 8 percent of Republicans and Independents think the government should support abstinence-only education. A strong majority of Independents (76%) and Republicans (62%) believe the government should support comprehensive sex education programs that include information about abstinence, as well as information about contraception and sexually transmitted diseases.

 

New York Times Calls Jettisoning of Family Planning Provision "Distressing"

It was "distressing to see President Obama strip Medicaid coverage of family planning services out of the House economic package at the last minute in what turned out to be a futile effort to secure Republican support for the huge recovery bill," wrote the New York Times in an editorial.  The Times offered a straightforward explanation of the "modest" provision:

Under current law, states wanting to use Medicaid money for family planning services, including cancer screenings, must obtain a waiver from Washington, as some 27 states have done. The modest provision that was cut would have done away with the cumbersome process. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the measure would provide coverage to 2.3 million women by 2014 and save $200 million over five years.

And the clear conclusion: "The knee-jerk opposition of House Republicans was but the latest sign of G.O.P. insensitivity to women’s rights and health. President Obama should no longer placate it."

More Catholic Hospitals Make Noise on FOCA
The Beacon News, of Illinois, examines whether Catholic hospitals would close if the Freedom of Choice Act is passed (setting aside the question of whether the Freedom of Choice Act would ever pass). 

"We're not going to know what it's specifically going to do until the time it's passed," said Patricia Pitkus Bainbridge, director of the Rockford Diocese's Respect Life Office.

The News reports:

 

Staff of the bill's original sponsor, Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer of California, did not return calls about how Catholic hospitals would be affected should the bill be approved.

Boxer originally sponsored the bill in 2004, calling it new federal legislation that will protect a woman's right to choose.

The act states that every woman has the "fundamental right" to choose to bear a child; terminate a pregnancy prior to fetal viability; or terminate it after fetal viability when necessary to protect her life or her health.

The legislation also would prohibit governmental entities from "discriminating" against these rights.

Opponents point to this as proof that Catholic hospitals will be legally obliged to perform abortions.

Wisconsin Clinic Plans to Offer Second-Trimester Abortion; Anti-Choice Protests Escalate

After a nearby health clinic that provided second-trimester abortions closed, a University of Wisconsin-affiliated surgery center planned to begin offering them.  Significant anti-choice opposition has greeted the plan.  Catholic Exchange reports that 200,000 petitions were delivered to the hospital in protest. 

Erykah Badu Twitters Home Birth

More to come on this story: Erykah Badu twittered her home birth!  Reports Huffington Post, "The couple blogged about the birth on the Twitter Web site. Badu said she had a home birth that lasted about five hours and that she didn't use painkillers."

Straight Talk about IVF

Confused about IVF and fertility treatment in the wake of hearing about the California woman who gave birth to octuplets?  TIME magazine has clear information about the standards of the medical specialty.

Alaskans Call for "New Kind of Conversation"
Jeffrey Mittman and Geran Tarr call for a "new kind of conversation" on reproductive health in the Anchorage Daily Herald.  Traditional divides over reproductive rights have not served the state well, they argue:

What has been the effect on sexual health in Alaska?

We have some of the highest chlamydia rates in the nation. Teen birth rates increased in 2006, after a steady decline. Abortion rates have held steady. Many women across the state lack access to family planning services.

We know that women have abortions for many reasons. Even if we disagree on abortion, we should agree that providing reproductive health care and prevention education to all Alaskans is a priority.

A new conversation can begin from a place of respect, they write:

Or we can begin a new conversation, one that recognizes that both the decision to have a child and the decision to have an abortion come from a place of profound respect for the value of life and a strong commitment to ensuring a better life for all.