The Assault on Womens Sexual and Reproductive Rights

[Kobi]

PHOENIX (Reuters) - Arizona Republican Governor Jan Brewer signed into law on Thursday a controversial bill that bans most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, giving Republicans a win in ongoing national efforts to impose greater restrictions on abortion.

The measure, which state lawmakers gave a final nod to on Tuesday, would bar healthcare professionals from performing abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, except in the case of a medical emergency. Only a small number of these abortions are performed in the state.

"This legislation is consistent with my strong track record of supporting common sense measures to protect the health of women and safeguard our most vulnerable population - the unborn," Brewer said in a statement.

"Knowing that abortions become riskier the later they are performed in pregnancy, it only makes sense to prohibit these procedures past 20 weeks," she added.

With Brewer's signature, Arizona joins six other states that have put similar late-term abortion bans in place in the past two years based on hotly debated medical research suggesting that a fetus feels pain starting at 20 weeks of gestation.

Georgia lawmakers approved a similar bill in March that now awaits the signature of Republican Governor Nathan Deal.

Cathi Herrod, president of the conservative Center for Arizona Policy, said the passage of the law, was a "momentous victory for pro-life advocates."

"Abortion not only ends the life of a preborn child, but it also seriously endangers the health and safety of women," she said.

'EXTREME ASSAULT ON REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS'

Opponents of Arizona's new law, which will take effect this summer, said it set a "dangerous new standard for hostility to women, doctors and reproductive rights."

"To call this an extreme assault on reproductive rights would be a massive understatement. In its cruelty and its callous disregard for women's lives, it is downright appalling," said Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights.

The U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortions nationwide in 1973 but allowed states to ban the procedure after the time when the fetus could potentially survive outside the womb, except where a woman's health was at risk.

Late-term abortions will still be allowed in Arizona in situations where continuing a pregnancy risks death or would "create serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function." This is to be determined by a physician's "good faith clinical judgment."

The law also requires a woman to have an ultrasound at least 24 hours prior to having an abortion, instead of the one hour previously mandated under state law.

State officials are also required to create a website that details such items as the risks of the procedure and shows pictures of the fetus in various stages.

Bryan Howard, president and CEO at Planned Parenthood Arizona, said the law was part of a "harmful" nationwide drive by conservatives to curb not only abortions but other services affecting women's health.

"We're seeing the hubris overreach in states across the country, not just in the regulation of abortion but in mainstream Planned Parenthood services like birth control and cancer screening," he said.

http://news.yahoo.com/arizona-govern...013515428.html

[Kobi]

STARKVILLE, Mississippi (Reuters) - Mississippi's only abortion clinic could be forced out of business under legislation signed into law on Monday by the state governor.

The new law, which takes effect July 1, requires all physicians associated with abortion-providing facilities to be board-certified or eligible for that certification in obstetrics and gynecology, and to have staff with admitting privileges at a local hospital.

"I believe that all human life is precious, and as governor, I will work to ensure that the lives of the born and unborn are protected in Mississippi," Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant said in a statement.

Diane Derzis, the owner of Jackson Women's Health Organization, the state's only abortion-providing clinic, has said the law could shut down her business.

Just one of the three physicians who provide abortions at her clinic has admitting privileges, which allow doctors to refer patients to a specific hospital if further treatment is needed.

Derzis said area hospitals are reluctant to grant admitting privileges to physicians who perform abortions.

Derzis owns clinics that provide abortions in three other states and has said previously that she would fight the law in court. She could not be reached for comment on Monday.

Mississippi already has some of the strictest abortion laws in the United States, and anti-abortion groups have historically praised the state for those laws.

However in November, state voters rejected a constitutional "personhood" amendment that would have defined life at the moment eggs are fertilized.

So-called personhood measures also died earlier this year in the Mississippi legislature, though proponents say they will continue advocating for them.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/mississippi...010808169.html

[Kobi]

Massachusetts FY 2013 BudgetSpeaker Robert DeLeo (D-Winthrop) and Budget Chairman Brian Dempsey (D-Haverhill) unveiled the proposed fiscal year 2013 House Ways and Means budget on Wednesday April 11, 2012. NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts is committed to promoting access to the full range of reproductive health services, which is made possible through important state-funded public health programs. While we are grateful that teen pregnancy prevention retained its funding in this difficult fiscal climate, we are seeking additional funds for other important services.

The war on women that we have seen on the federal level, and in other states, is alive in Massachusetts as well. Representative Jim Lyons (R-Andover) has filed several amendments to the FY13 budget that would entirely strip funding for the important programs we advocate for. There is more information about the programs this tea party backed legislator seeks to disassemble below.

Tell your legislator that funding for family planning and other preventative health line items are critical to women's reproductive health!

Family Planning (Department of Public Health Line Item 4513-1000):
The House budget recommends that family planning programs be funded at $4.56 million. These critical safety net programs provide reproductive health care to lower-income women, men, and adolescents. Services include contraceptive counseling, HIV counseling and testing, medical and gynecological examinations, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, and screenings and follow-ups for breast and cervical cancer. Funding for family planning is recognized to be a cost-effective program, saving approximately $3.75 for every $1 spent. The attacks on family planning continue to harm women’s reproductive health, and we are grateful to our legislature for realizing the overwhelming benefits of this program. We are proud to support amendment 786 by Rep. Paul Schmid (D-Westport) that would increase funding for family planning to $6.2 million. We also urge legislators to reject amendment 575, an extreme proposal by Rep. Jim Lyons (R-Andover) that would gut funding for these critical services.

Teen Pregnancy Prevention (Department of Public Health Line Item 4530-9000):
This line item is funded at nearly $2.4 million in the proposed budget, a small increase from fiscal year 2012. We applaud the House for continuing to invest in these programs to help young people avoid unintended pregnancies, which can have a devastating impact on a teenager’s family and future. The 9% reduction in the number of teen births in Massachusetts in 2008 saved the Commonwealth $16 million in costs associated with health care and public assistance programs. One in four (26%) teens who have dropped out of school – including one-third (33%) of girls who left school – cite teen parenthood as a leading reason they did so. We also urge legislators to reject amendment 584, another extreme proposal by Rep. Jim Lyons (R-Andover) that would gut funding for this effective program.

HIV/AIDS Prevention (Department of Public Health Line Item 4512-0103),:
Funded at $31.56 million, HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programs provide critical services for infected Massachusetts residents. Viral hepatitis prevention receives funding from this line item as well. This funding level represents a significant cut of $500,000 from FY12. Between 2000 and 2010 Massachusetts reduced new HIV diagnoses by 54% resulting in health care cost savings of over $2 billion. Cuts to this program would be a step backward at a time when the Commonwealth is looking to curb health care costs. We are proud to support amendment 628 by Rep. Carl Sciortino (D-Medford) that would increase funding for HIV/AIDS prevention to $33.35 million.

MassHealth Operations (Line Items 4000-1602 & 4000-1604):
MassHealth is the insurance program for low-to-medium income residents of the Commonwealth. Line item 4000-1602 provides MassHealth field operations and customer service and is funded at $500,000 - a decrease of $1.5 million from the Governor’s budget. Line item 4000-1604 would provide systems improvements to implement the Affordable Care Act and payment reform and is funded at $500,000, a decrease of $2.4 million from the Governor’s budget. Together, these funds provide the operations budget for this critical program, which ensures low–income women access to reproductive the health services they need – including reproductive health care. We are proud to support amendments 729 and 732 by Rep. Kevin Aguiar (D-Fall River) to bring these line items to $2 million and $3.13 million respectively.


The budget proposed by the House takes an important first step toward completing the Commonwealth’s budget for FY13. It is important that our state representatives and state senators support funding for these programs in their budget. Tell your legislator that funding for family planning and other preventative health line items are critical to women's reproductive health!

[Okiebug61]

Oklahoma "personhood" bill fails in Legislature

http://news.yahoo.com/oklahoma-perso...012913037.html