Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich is that rare political animal who has made the journey from an anti-choice position backed up by a solid anti-choice voting record to a cautiously pro-choice perspective supported by a full reproductive health agenda.
His "caution" is reflected in his public statements. Kucinich has stated that most Americans, like him, are "uncomfortable with abortion and believe that there are too many of them." He believes medically accurate sexuality education coupled with increased access to contraception will help reduce the number of abortions in the United States.
According to Kucinich's House of Representatives' web site, he "has stood behind programs that teach sex education, domestic family planning and promote the use of contraception. It was the Congressman's hope that these efforts would give women the information and support they would need to make their own reproductive choices."
His stance on reproductive rights also stems from his distrust of the Republican rhetoric and strategy when it comes to abortion, in particular. Through his campaign site Kucinich asks, "Why have a Republican House and Senate never even offered one vote proposing a Constitutional Amendment banning abortion? If the issue were truly important to them as anything but a wedge issue, they would have."
Kucinich reframes the reproductive rights debate and terms his plan to "heal" a country that has been "torn apart" by this contentious issue as building "a culture of life which includes prenatal care, postnatal care, child care, universal health care, a living wage, all those things that give support to life."
Kucinich believes that abortion should always be legal and now has a 100% pro-choice voting record as rated by NARAL Pro-Choice America.
Kucinich discusses his "journey" on the abortion issue:
Kucinich rejects the for-profit health care system, instead supporting HR 676, a bill that would provide for a single payer non-profit system:
Reducing maternal deaths from unsafe abortion is one of the most straight-forward public health problems to remedy. But this can never be fully realized unless governments start including abortion in realistic approaches to protecting women's health.
Heather Corinna brings Scarleteen's popular sexual health advice column to RH Reality Check! This week, Heather talks to a young woman who doesn't like being a girl.
Conservative activists are gearing up to enact state laws to restrict abortion. Colorado is once again serving as a political incubator in yet another attempt to chip away at Roe v. Wade, this time in the form of an amendment stating that life begins at conception.
Pregnancies, both planned and unplanned, happen to trans folks, too. It is imperative for reproductive health care providers to seek appropriate education and training in order to be able to provide comprehensive care to these patients.
Given the alarmingly sexist and racist undercurrents rearing their heads in this presidential election, it's not illogical to look at "Iron Man" and see a reflection, and perpetuation, of prejudices that just won't die.
The Minnesota House last Wednesday passed a bill that would allow the University of Minnesota to use state funds to conduct research using embryonic stem cells. The measure prompted a flurry of amendments by anti-choice Republicans designed to derail the bill.
Last week, nearly 80 conservative groups led by the Family Research Council asked President Bush to strip family planning clinics of their eligibility for Title X funds if they refer patients for abortions or share facilities with abortion providers -- which would bring the global gag rule home.
In Colombia, young women may be getting pregnant intentionally -- but not necessarily because they want to become mothers. Sexuality education advocates differ on how best to tailor a pregnancy prevention and sexual health curriculum to reach Colombian teens.
On May 26, the Wanderlust reproductive justice bicycle caravan will set off on an 1800 mile journey from New Orleans to New York City, meeting with and learning from reproductive justice activists along the way.
In honor of the Back Up Your Birth Control with Emergency Contraception (EC) Campaign, Pharmacy Access Partnership and RH Reality Check teamed up to launch an essay contest open to young people 14-24 years of age. Read the winning entry!
Have Safe Haven laws -- in which women can lawfully relinquish their infants within 30 days of birth -- become a substitute for universal health care and comprehensive sexuality education?
Illinois's reproductive justice advocates are backing one of the most comprehensive reproductive health bills the state has ever seen. And they're bringing in new allies for the fight.
