On Thursday, a trio of female senators announced the introduction of an ambitious piece of pro-choice legislation to safeguard access to women’s health services as some members of Congress attempt to turn back the clock.
The new “21st Century Women’s Health Act” — sponsored by Sens. Patty Murray (D-WA), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), and Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) — seeks to build on the recent progress under the Affordable Care Act by ensuring that all women have the maternity coverage, family planning services, and rape crisis tools they need. The legislation is endorsed by Planned Parenthood.
On a press call with reporters, Murray said that women are at a “critical moment” when it comes to their reproductive health. On one hand, Obamacare has taken some important steps forward to make gender-based services more affordable across the country. But on the other hand, relentless legislative attacks on both the state and federal levels have compromised women’s right to make decisions about their own health care.
“We absolutely can’t get complacent about the gains we’ve made so far,” the Washington lawmaker said. “As we continue to fight back against those who miss the Mad Men era, the 21st Century Women’s Health Act lays out important ways we can and should move forward on women’s health.”
This may seem superfluous in this day and age, but sadly such is not the case:
An unprecedented wave of state-level abortion restrictions swept the country over the past three years. In 2013 alone, 22 states enacted 70 antiabortion measures, including previability abortion bans, unwarranted doctor and clinic regulations, limits on the provision of medication abortion and bans on insurance coverage of abortion. However, 2013 was not even the year with the greatest number of new state-level abortion restrictions, as 2011 saw 92 enacted; 43 abortion restrictions were enacted by states in 2012.
And that does not even take into account the number of restrictions passed in 2014.
Can you believe it? More than 40 years since the passage of Roe vs Wade and women are still fighting for control over their reproductive systems and for access to vital health care services.
As a nation we should be ashamed.
Barbara Mikulski will be sorely missed when she steps down. The woman is almost 80 years old, and has been fighting for all people's rights since the 1970s.
ReplyDeleteRight on, sisters. No matter how old I get, I will never give up my right to control my body and to make my own decisions about my health.
ReplyDeleteRepublicans don't want us to be healthy. Or educated. Or voting. Or earning. Or living with clean air and clean water.
Those vagina obsessed christian males should never show their faces anywhere, ever again. They want women poor, pregnant, uneducated and desperate so they can control half of the country agaIn. Bastards.
ReplyDeleteYES, liz and angela, it will be a cold day in hell when any man tells me what I will or will not do with my body.
ReplyDeleteHillary Email Scandal Evaporates As Democrat Reveals The Contents Of Clinton Emails
ReplyDeleteRep. Adam Schiff dealt a death blow to the Clinton email scandal by going on CNN and revealing that members of the Benghazi committee have already read the Clinton emails and they contain nothing.
Video:
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) said, “We knew as of last summer that the Secretary used a private email account. This is not something new. We knew also that she was cooperating. She was giving us everything that we asked for. Nothing changed except for the pressure on the Republican members of the committee this week became too great for them to resist from the Stop Hillary PAC people and the RNC people, so they issued a subpoena for records that we already have. Now, the Secretary has called for those records to be made public. Why isn’t the chairman doing that? Why aren’t we doing that? The reason is we’ve read them. There’s nothing in them. My colleague says well, how do we know we have them all? The reality is that if this secretary or anyone else emailed a stand down order as this mythical claim exists out there, there would be several people on the receiving end of that email. There would be people at the Pentagon, people in the field who would have to receive that order. None of that. There is no evidence of that.”
Rep. Schiff brought up a great point. If there were anything in the emails, Republicans would have quickly made the emails public in order to build and prolong the story. The fact that former Sec. Clinton has called for the emails to be released, but Republicans refuse to make them public, speaks volumes about what this “scandal” is really about. The subpoena for documents that they already had in their possession is straight out of the Republican Benghazi playbook.
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/03/08/hillary-email-scandal-evaporates-democrat-reveals-contents-clinton-emails.html
Scandal? Use of Private Email is Pervasive Among 2016 Hopefuls
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/03/07/private-email-pervasive-2016-hopefuls.html
Republican Colin Powell Deals a Death Blow to Hillary Clinton Email Scandal
DeleteOn ABC’s This Week, former Sec. of State Colin Powell admitted that he used a private email account for public business. Powell’s explanation of why he used a private email account amounted to a death blow for Republicans who are trying to build a scandal out of Hillary Clinton’s emails.
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/03/08/republican-colin-powell-deals-death-blow-hillary-clinton-email-scandal.html
My mum and I recently had a conversation about this. She was off on a rant about the fixation about the equal pay issue, perhaps in response to the furor at the Oscars. The thing is, equal pay isn't going to be an option if you can't work because you're at home having &/or taking care of children because you have no access to birth control, have no say in the abortion issue (say, perhaps you're DEAD because you were forced to continue a pregnancy that was life-threatening, among other things).
ReplyDeleteI simply cannot believe that those things, issues that women worked so hard to bring into play for the primary benefit of the generations that followed, are now in question, and there is so much apathy amongst the younger generation.
VOTE VOTE VOTE. I cannot say that enough. I know I'm preaching to the choir with this crowd, but it's a discussion that must be had with the young women, girls, all of the females coming of age. I can't have those conversations as an expat living overseas -- to actively engage in politics is a violation of the terms of my visa! -- but when I was in the US I was a tireless door-knocker & out registering voters A LOT.
It has to be done, and it cannot be that others are relied on to do it. If you feel passionately about it, you have to walk that talk.
I want to know WHEN women in the US will 'rise up' and stop this anti-woman cr@p once and for all. Oh yeah, when we have time, right after taking care of the children and working a full time job. If our partners would get up off the couch and turn off the TV, we might get the help we need. And, why did we choose these guys in the first place? Because they said they loved us. We need to re-think the word love. I want to hear that they love AND support us and demonstrate that idea daily. Ladies, we have tried to do this peacefully, logically, nicely, and inclusively. Time for nice is officially over!
ReplyDeleteWe did already, in the 60's. Now it's time for others to step up to the plate.
DeleteThis is in regard to health. How can Dr. Cusack of Anchorage be allowed to advertise "Alaska Dermatology Laser & Skin Cancer Center". Skin cancer? That is nothing to take lightly or to go to an elderly charlatan type doctor.
ReplyDeleteThat is nothing to be complacent about.
Isn't there a medical board in Alaska to look into his business? Skin Cancer Center sounds worthy and medical, but is it?
This says Cusack treats "Adult, Adolescent and P" What is P? Are adolescents safe being treated by this man? You would think that parents would care. Adults?
http://listings.findthecompany.com/l/9423863/Cusack-Michael-L-M-D-in-Anchorage-AK
And Bristol Palin is what kind of employee? Receptionist? Assistant? There is no listing of Bristol Palin as an employee. Is Cusack part of her ruse? Here is the list of people associated with this business.
Kelly Millen Owner
Michael L Cusack Md Owner
Marina Lupas Assistant
Dr. Cusack has so many bad reviews that it is a major concern for the people of Anchorage. The good reviews sound pretty much the same and are more like plants from minions doing favors. Not necessarily Cusack minions.
Cusack works on male and female and a variety of ages.
Something is hokey....... What is wrong with her cheek?
Deletehttp://theimmoralminority.blogspot.com/2015/03/sarah-palin-spends-time-with-families.html?showComment=1425768403131#c4901783863227113970
That needs to be checked. Sarah also has strange things on her face.
http://websta.me/p/933763269797966132_284691883
YEAH, you know constitutional rights and equal rights just weren't enough due to how incredibly dangerous vaginas and ovaries are.
ReplyDelete