Reactions to story from RHRealityCheck.org | Reproductive Health Information, News, Commentary and Community

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  Clinton moves to block HHS regulation

  http://www.feministing.com/archives/012312.html
  47 days ago in Feministing: Main · Authority: 1,897

  That's what I'm talkin' bout! Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) introduced legislation today that would block the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from passing the midnight regulation being finalized as I blog. As most of you know, the proposed HHS rule would prevent family planning clinics from "discriminating" against employees who refuse to service women seeking reproductive health care. Senator Clinton had this to say about their proposed bill, the Protecting Patients and Health Care Act: "In the final days of his administration, the President is again putting ideology first and attempting to roll back health care protections for women and families. The fact that the EEOC was never consulted in the drafting of this rule further illustrates that this is purely a political ploy. This HHS rule will threaten patients' rights, stand in the way of health care professionals, and restrict access to critical health care services for those who need them most. Senator Murray and I are standing up once again to the administration against this rule and will continue to fight for women's reproductive rights. President Bush is making a last-minute attempt to undermine women's health care, but our legislation will stop this rule and ensure that women can continue to get needed health care." Amen. Check out Planned Parenthood's community post on this. UPDATE: Senator Clinton has a guest post up at RH Reality Check.
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  Weekly Round-Up

  http://www.womenstake.org/2008/11/weekly-roundup-1.html
  43 days ago in Womenstake · Authority: 13

  by Mary Robbins, Program Assistant National Women's Law Center Megan at …Because I Played Sports highlighted a documentary about a female soccer team that traveled to Iran to play in the first-ever women’s soccer match in the country. The Washington Post featured a front-page article about the latest tactics of anti-choice activists. Kris Berggren wrote at Women’s eNews about child care providers who are worried about the potential domino effect of the economic downturn and job losses New York Sen. Hillary Clinton posted at RH Reality Check about her opposition to the proposed rule from the Bush Administration’s Department of Health and Human Services that would limit access to reproductive health care. NARAL has launched a new website, free.will.power — an online initiative to recruit a new generation into the pro-choice movement through creative videos and interactive tools. The Washington Post Magazine featured a story on a young medical student who is a strong supporter of reproductive rights, and is considering whether she’s ready to be an abortion provider herself.
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  HHS and Public Accomodation

  http://carolkeefer.blogspot.com/2008/11/hhs-and-public-accom...
  46 days ago in Awareness · Authority: 1

  http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/2008/11/20/sens-clinton-and-murray-introduce-legislation-block-new-hhs-rule-going-into-effecthttp://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/2008/11/20/the-bush-administrations-latest-ploy-put-ideology-before-womens-healthhttp://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/2008/11/21/hillary-clinton-accepts-secretary-state-offer
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  Bush's Last Attempt to Stand in the Way of Women's Reproductive Health

  http://ndnblog.org/node/3287
  46 days ago in NDN Blog | NDN Blog · Authority: 1

  Bush's Last Attempt to Stand in the Way of Women's Reproductive Health Submitted by Tracy Leaman on Fri, 11/21/2008 - 11:13am. The Bush administration promised not to release any new regulations after November 1st. But a midnight HHS rule was snuck in, allowing health care organizations who receive federal funding to redefine abortion to include the most common forms of birth control (as I blogged about back in July) and to refuse to provide such services as information about birth control! U.S. Senators Hillary Clinton and Patty Murray introduced legislation to block the rule last night. And Senator Clinton has blogged about it on RH Reality Check. As Robert Pear at the New York Times reports, the rule also prevents family planning clinics from "discriminating" against employees who refuse to service women seeking reproductive health care. During these hard economic times, this rule - which could very possibly pass - would hit low income women seeking reproductive health care the hardest. Despite the fact that President Bush promised a smooth transition, it looks as if he had to take this final opportunity to turn back the clock on women's health and leave President-elect Obama to clean up. Obama has said he opposes the rule, but by the time he is able to rescind it, plenty of damage will already have been done. It is unbelievable to me that our federal government would find it appropriate or even descent to fund providers who would refuse such fundamental and widely accepted (and necessary) standards of care. » Tracy Leaman's blog
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  Latest Bush Administration Attack on Women's Health and Sexuality

  http://debrahaffner.blogspot.com/2008/11/latest-bush-adminis...
  46 days ago in Sexuality and Religion: What's the Connection? · Authority: 39

  At midnight last night, the Bush administration quietly and without much media attention put into place a new regulation that allows persons working in health care facilities that receive federal funds to refuse to provide services and information to patients if it disagrees with them. It also prohibits the hospitals and clinics from asking prospective employees about their willingness to provide such services.WHAT? In other words, it will be okay for a doctor or a pharmacist in a federally funded hospital treating a woman who has been raped to not offer her emergency contraception; for a counselor not to tell a woman seeking pregnancy counseling about abortion; for a teenager who is sexually active not to be offered contraceptive services or even contraceptive information if the provider disagrees. And they don't have to refer to someone who will provide that information.It sounds like a scenario from the Handmaiden's Tale...or the Bush administration's last battle against women's health and sexuality. Tens of thousands of people wrote the Bush administration decrying the regulations, apparently to no avail. They included the President-elect, who we hope will add this to the list of executive orders he will overturn on January 21st. Yesterday, Senators Hillary Clinton and Patty Murray introduced a bill to overturn this regulation before it causes much damage. Read Senator Clinton's explanation here.One would expect that all those people calling for common ground on abortion would be protesting this blatant attack on access to contraception. As I have written over and over, surely we can agree that the first steps to prevent abortions are information, education, and access to contraception. So, how come we haven't heard from any of you on this? Surely you understand that limiting contraceptive services is putting women and families at risk...or is this really about punishing women for their sexual activity? Speak up and prove me wrong.

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