Fight Bush's New Attack on Choice!

Reposted from NARAL Pro-Choice America:

Thanks to the actions of NARAL Pro-Choice America activists, Bush's new, draft regulation removes a concerning provision found in an earlier leaked version, but this new version fails to give assurances that current laws about abortion will not be stretched to cover birth control, too.

Without these explicit assurances, we cannot rest. These regulations still could threaten women's access to birth control.

We have 30 days to let HHS know that the draft regulation must include explicit language clarifying that birth control is not at risk.

Please fill in the form, and send your comment to HHS.

Anti-contraception regulations foster dishonesty

From The United Methodist Church General Board of Church and Society:


More than women's health jeopardized

The United Methodist General Board of Church & Society (GBCS) urges you to immediately communicate with Secretary Michael Leavitt, secretary of the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services (DHHS), about proposed regulations that will negatively affect access to critical health services for men and women.

These regulations, proposed by the Bush administration, require any entity receiving funding from DHHS to certify that it does not discriminate against organizations or individuals who do not want to provide services they consider objectionable.

This may sound reasonable, but would result in the provision of services being curtailed due to ideological positions that may jeopardize a person’s health.

“This may sound reasonable, but would result in the provision of services being curtailed due to ideological positions that may jeopardize a person’s health,” said the Rev. Cynthia Abrams, GBCS director of Alcohol, Other Addictions & Health Care. Abrams issued the call for immediate action in cooperation with Linda Bales, GBCS director of the Louise & Hugh Moore Population Project.

Restrict access to basic care

“These new regulations, coming in the last days of the Bush administration, are intended to restrict access of women to services such as basic reproductive health care, including birth control, and counseling for pregnant women,” Bales pointed out. “The proposed regulations require any entity receiving funding from DHHS to certify that it does not discriminate against organizations or individuals who do not want to provide services they consider objectionable.”

This regulation would open the door for providers of health care to limit the services provided based on ideological positions rather than sound health care, according to Abrams.

‘Far-sweeping definition of abortion’ could result in most forms of birth control not being dispensed.

For example, Abrams said the proposed regulation contains a “far-sweeping definition of abortion” that could result in most forms of birth control not being dispensed if the person dispensing them believes that birth control is a form of abortion.

Undermine ability services

“To accomplish this anti-birth control objective, this regulation undermines the ability of an employer to count on its employees doing the work they are paid to do,” Bales pointed out. “Persons objecting to family planning could seek employment specifically to prevent delivering services.” Abrams said the underlying defect of these regulations is that they institutionalize dishonesty. She said under the proposed regulations a hospital may present itself as a provider of health care and then not be able to provide services because its employees object to some task or another. She added that the same dynamic holds for pharmacies. “In the end, these regulations attack women’s health only as a stepping stone to a much broader and disruptive objective: an attack on honesty and reliability in human relationships,” Bales said. “These regulations have no place in an ethical world.”

GBCS’s UMPower Action Center provides more information about this issue. It also has a sample letter that can be e-mailed or printed and sent to Leavitt.

Healthcare NOT Warfare, Sign the Petition

From Progressive Democrats of America:

As Martin Luther King Jr. observed forty years ago, "A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death." While the insurance and pharmaceutical industries post huge profits, the U.S. health care crisis grows steadily worse.

Today, nearly one in six Americans has no health insurance. Tens of millions of others are woefully under-insured. Meanwhile the war in Iraq drains our resources and overburdens our budget. Our government's duty is to protect us--security begins with our health and well-being at home. In 2008, we have an historic opportunity to turn from warfare to health care for all.

We call on the Democratic Party at all levels--in party platforms and resolutions--to commit to redirecting wasteful and unnecessary military spending to meet human needs. This commitment must start with comprehensive, guaranteed health care--driven by the needs of patients and the judgment of doctors. We call on Democrats to support a plan that eliminates any financial barriers between the patient and healthcare providers, resulting in a patient not receiving medically necessary care.

We call on members of Congress to bring the troops home from Iraq and to pass H.R. 676, Rep. John Conyers' bill which guarantees comprehensive publicly-funded, privately-delivered health care for everyone in the U.S.

Prior to the Democratic National Convention in Denver, this petition will be delivered to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, DNC Chair Howard Dean and your member of Congress.

Please fill out the form completely--we need your street address to determine who your member of Congress is.

"Healthcare NOT Warfare"

From Progressive Democrats of America:

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As PDA board member Norman Solomon pointed out in this article, “nearly one in six Americans has no health insurance, and tens of millions of others are woefully under-insured--while the war in Iraq continues to further skew the U.S. government's budget priorities.”

We say “Healthcare NOT Warfare” and ask you to join our campaign.

The time has come to redirect unnecessary and wasteful military spending to meeting human needs.

Among those needs is the healthcare crisis and we're focusing our attention on the Democratic Party by gathering signatures on a petition to prioritize "Healthcare NOT Warfare." The signed petition will be distributed to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Democratic Committee Chairman Howard Dean, and your member of Congress.

In addition, we hope to pass resolutions to support “Healthcare NOT Warfare” at the upcoming local, state, and national Democratic conventions, and in cities, counties, and states across the country.

Please, sign the petition, and join us in this effort by taking action on one or more of the following items:

Host a House Party--get your “Healthcare NOT Warfare” materials and house party kits, here.

Download the flyer to distribute at meetings and events. Use it to bird-dog congressional candidates!

Download the sample resolution, change it to meet your needs, and pass it at your local and state Democratic Parties, cities, and counties.

Click here for additional resources and action items.

Co-Sponsor Health Care Legislation in your state

From Wake-Up Walmart: America's Campaign to Change Wal-Mart:

Become a Citizen Co-Sponsor of “Fair Share for Health Care” Reform in your state

On Thursday, January 12, the Maryland House and Senate voted to override Governor Ehrlich’s veto of the “Fair Share Health Care” bill. This vote makes sure Maryland will stay immune from the Wal-Mart health care crisis. The vote expands health care for workers, stops large, profitable companies from shifting their health care costs onto taxpayers, and makes sure all large, profitable employers pay their fair share for health care.

Before passage of this bill, Wal-Mart was the only large, profitable company in Maryland not to pay its fair share for health care. No wonder nationally so many of Wal-Mart's employees have to rely on taxpayer funded public assistance for health care. And most disturbingly, nearly 1 out of every 2 children of Wal-Mart workers has no health insurance or is forced onto a public program.

Now, you have the power to hold corporations responsible for their actions by making sure every large, profitable employer pays its fair share for health care. Sign up today to become a citizen co-sponsor to help introduce Fair Share Health Care in your state. We should be saying yes to health care for working families and their children, and we should be saying no to subsidies for multi-billion dollar corporations.

Wal-Mart aggressively lobbied against Fair Share for Health Care in Maryland, hiring over a dozen lobbyists in Maryland alone. But, no amount of money could deny the will of the people and Fair Share is now the law in the state of Maryland.

Now, we need your help. Let's build on this momentum and introduce Fair Share Health Care in every state in America. Sign up to be a citizen co-sponsor in your state today.

Sign up to be a citizen co-sponsor: