Roundup: Colorado Lawmakers Propose Bill to Protect Birth Control

February 20, 2009 - 10:29am (Print)

Worried by Personhood Amendment, Colorado Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Protect Birth Control
Although the Colorado "egg-as-person" measure failed resoundingly in November's election, Colorado lawmakers are still concerned about attacks on birth control, and are seeking to make its legality clear. Sen. Betty Boyd and Rep. Anne McGihon have introduced a measure to add a legal definition of contraception to state law to ensure that egg-as-person laws wouldn't make it illegal, reports CBS4Denver. As Kay Steiger reported, Kristi Burton, sponsor of the egg-as-person amendment, has said that she does not oppose birth control, although legal experts suggested the egg-as-person amendment would result in the criminalization of some hormonal birth control and IVF.

Arkansas Senate Passes Abortion Ban

The Arkansas Senate has passed a ban certain late-term abortion procedures, a "bill that mirrors a federal law banning late-term abortions," reports WXVT. "The measure now heads to Governor Beebe, who has said he will sign it into law."

Gov. Crist to Review Abstinence-Only Funding
Remind your governor that the taxpayers are the ones paying for the abstinence-only boondoggle, and he'll be happy to "look into it." At least that's what Florida Gov. Charlie Crist said he would do after being asked at a town hall meeting about taxpayer money being "wasted" on ab-only programs. Writes the Tampa Bay Buzz:

"The weight of the evidence cannot be ignored, and it is time to answer tough questions about why we continue to waste millions of dollars a year on a policy that has failed to keep teens healthy and safe," said Adrienne Kimmell, Healthy Teens Campaign member and executive director of the Florida Association of Planned Parenthood Affiliates. "We encourage Gov. Crist to take the next step and join the 25 governors who no longer accept federal abstinence-only funding."

Office for Faith-Based Partnerships Member Slams North Dakota Egg-as-Person Bill
The Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism, employer to Rabbi David Saperstein, an appointee to President Obama's Office for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, released a statement decrying the North Dakota House's passage of egg-as-person legislation (hat tip to LifeNews.com). The Religious Action Center writes, "While recognizing the right of religious groups whose beliefs differ from ours to follow the dictates of their faith in this matter, we vigorously oppose attempts to legislate the particular beliefs of those groups into the law that governs us all. We will continue to advocate for comprehensive sexuality education, access to reproductive health services and as always, for the preservation and protection of safe and legal access to abortion services."

Anti-Choicers Still Stoking Fears on FOCA

Unsurprisingly, anti-choicers' fears on FOCA aren't allayed by Amy Sullivan's recent TIME article, "The Catholic Crusade Against a Mythical Abortion Bill." On Newsbusters, Matthew Balan writes,

While it is true that FOCA has not been reintroduced, Sullivan later admitted that it is still in the back of the minds of pro-abortion forces in Congress: "A spokesman for [Congressman] Nadler says that while he expects the legislation will be reintroduced, ‘it won't be anytime soon.'" So which is it Amy?

Obama's choice of staff that have worked at pro-choice organizations is enough to concern Balan:

What Sullivan fails to mention is that outside of these two areas, President Obama has chosen radical pro-abortion leaders to fill positions in his adminstration. Ellen Moran, the new White House communications director, was previously the executive director of EMILY's List political action committee, whose expressed aim is "electing pro-choice Democratic women to office." The president has also nominated David Ogden to be deputy attorney general. Ogden wrote an amicus brief in the Casey v. Planned Parenthood case, decided by the Supreme Court in 1987, which argued against parental notification laws and minimized the significant psychological impact of abortion on women. The Obama administration has also nominated Dawn Johnsen, the former legal director of NARAL, to be the head of the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel.

He concludes:

So as much as Sullivan tries to obfuscate, FOCA is still a viable option for pro-abortion politicians in Congress, and the Obama administration is much more pro-abortion than she would lead one to believe.

Georgia Considers Regulations on IVF
In the wake of news of the birth of octuplets in California, Georgia lawmakers have expressed interest in regulating the practice of in-vitro fertilization, reports LifeNews.com -- and Georgia Right to Life is behind it.

[Georgia Right to Life] says it is apparent from the recent birth of octuplets to a southern California woman that the fertility industry needs governmental oversight, thus the need for SB 169.

This industry is one of the most lucrative medical fields and among the least regulated, the group says. In response to this need, Sen. Ralph Hudgens, along with other co-sponsors in the Senate leadership, have introduced legislation that will place limits on the creation and transfer of embryos produced by IVF.

Georgia Right to Life president Daniel Becker told LifeNews:

"This bill would limit the number of embryos transferred in any given cycle to the same number that are fertilized, up to a maximum of three."

Sen. Gillibrand, Get It Right on Immigration!

For the Women's Media Center, Erica Gonzalez argues that new New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's position on immigration needs an overhaul. Gonzalez writes,

While in the House, Gillibrand had given a thumbs-up to a series of harsh, punitive measures against undocumented immigrants. With so many families consisting of undocumented, legalized, and citizen members, these hard-line measures have wider implications, as we have seen with the devastating separation of parents and children through raids and deportation.

Some organizations neglected to note the contradiction between Gillibrand backing the rights of some while denying the rights of others. NARAL Pro Choice New York and the Human Rights Campaign were among those that issued congratulatory statements on Gillibrand's appointment. But they could have at the same time held her accountable for people caught in the middle-immigrant women and GLBT immigrants.

The reality is that undocumented immigrant women are less likely to get health services they may need out of fear that their status will be detected and trigger deportation. In other words, their decision-making is tied to immigration policies. This makes immigration reform crucial to the lives of millions of women.

Other News to Note

Feb 18: Catholic Alliance For the Public Good: A Catholic's Political Duty

Feb 19: Standard Speaker: Abortion rights groups dispute 'pro-abortion' term

Feb 19: Associated Baptist Press: Opinion: In vitro industry out of control

Feb 19: Rome News Tribune: Abstaining from reality

Feb 19: Tulsa World: Cop Pulls Man Over for Pro-Life anti-Obama Sign:
Oklahoma City Police Officer Confiscate Pro-Life Sign

Feb 19: American Conservative Daily: Sneaking Abortion Funding Into Every Bill

Feb 19: Life News: Legislature, Pro-Life Groups Ask Florida Officials
to Prosecute Botched Abortion

Feb 20: Times Online: Pregnancy may have driven police hunt

Feb 19: Indian PR Wire: Special financial assistance for girl child,
would-be mothers in Assam

Feb 19: SLT: Bill increasing penalty for late-term abortion clears Senate

Feb 19: Suite 101: North Dakota Senate Approves Abortion Signs--Signs
Tell Women They Cannot Be Forced to Have Abortions