Criminal law, Politics

The Right’s War on Women Continues…at the State Level

Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger

On the National Level

In late January, I wrote a post titled Rape Redefined and Brought to You by the US House of Representatives in which I talked about members of Congress—mostly Republicans—who were attempting to “redefine” what the only REAL kind of rape is—that would be “forcible rape.” (I wasn’t aware there was any other kind of rape.) These Congressmen were proposing legislation that would no longer consider the following types of sexual assault as rape: The rapes of women with limited mental capacity and rapes in which women were drugged or given excessive amounts of alcohol.

Last week, Lawrence Rafferty (rafflaw) wrote a post titled The Right’s War on Women in which he discussed legislation proposed by Rep. Mike Pence (R-Indiana) that would eliminate the entire budget for Title X. Lawrence wrote: “Rep. Pence and his fellow Republicans are trying to defund Planned Parenthood because it receives millions from Title X funds to assist women in their family planning and health matters. In order to try to end abortions without testing the strength of Roe v. Wade in the courts, the sponsors and backers of this bill don’t care if low-income women suffer by not getting the health care that they so desperately need. Many of these same legislators also backed the repeal of the Affordable Health Care act which would also assist low-income women get affordable health care.”

And Now from the State of Georgia

Just yesterday, I read about State Rep. Bobby Franklin of Georgia who is introducing legislation in his state that would require proof that a miscarriage—aka a spontaneous abortion—was the result of natural causes. If this legislation passes, there would have to be proof that a woman’s miscarriage was the result of natural causes. If a woman can’t prove that—she might face felony charges!

From a piece in Daily Kos: “Franklin wants to create a Uterus Police to investigate miscarriages, and requires that any time a miscarriage occurs, whether in a hospital or without medical assistance, it must be reported and a fetal death certificate issued. If the cause of death is unknown, it must be investigated. If the woman can’t tell how it happened, then those Uterus Police can ask family members and friends how it happened. Hospitals are required to keep records of anyone who has a spontaneous abortion and report it. Yup, we’ve been waiting for someone to suggest this–and Franklin has.”

Here’s the link to Franklin’s bill:
http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/en-US/display.aspx?Legislation=31965

There are millions and millions of American women who suffer/have suffered miscarriages through no fault of their own. Suffering a miscarriage can be an emotionally wrenching experience for a woman. Imagine losing a much wanted pregnancy–and then having to prove the miscarriage was the result of natural causes. How does a woman do that, Rep. Franklin? Can you explain to the women of Georgia how they should go about gathering evidence to prove that they haven’t committed a felony when they have a miscarriage?

By the way, Rep. Franklin also introduced a bill to change Georgia’s criminal codes so that  victims of rape, stalking, and family violence could only be referred to as “accusers” until defendants have been convicted.

FYI 

Here are some statistics on miscarriage for you:

From WebMed

Frequency of Miscarriages in the United States

The overall miscarriage rate is reported as 15-20%, which means 15-20% of recognized pregnancies result in miscarriage. The frequency of spontaneous miscarriage increases further with maternal age. With the development of highly sensitive assays for hCG levels, pregnancies can be detected prior to the expected next period. When these highly sensitive hCG assays are used early, the magnitude of pregnancy loss significantly increases to about 60-70%. Late implantation by the conceptus beyond the usual 8-10 days after ovulation also has an increased risk of miscarriage.

About 80% of miscarriages occur within the first trimester. The frequency of miscarriage decreases with increasing gestational age. Recurrent miscarriage, defined as 2-3 pregnancy losses, affects about 1% of all couples.

From American Pregnancy Association

Miscarriage is the most common type of pregnancy loss, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Studies reveal that anywhere from 10-25% of all clinically recognized pregnancies will end in miscarriage. Chemical pregnancies may account for 50-75% of all miscarriages. This occurs when a pregnancy is lost shortly after implantation, resulting in bleeding that occurs around the time of her expected period. The woman may not realize that she conceived when she experiences a chemical pregnancy.

Sources

Daily Kos

Huffington Post

Washington Monthly (Political Animal)

Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee

262 thoughts on “The Right’s War on Women Continues…at the State Level”

  1. Elaine,
    Let me make sure that I understand your last post. Women can’t have contraception, but horses can? Wow. Kind of sums up the entire Republican approach to the “woman problem”, doesn’t it?!!
    Great job Elaine, Stamford, Swarthmore, et al!

  2. From RH Reality Check (2/16/2011)
    GOP: Yes to Contraception for Wild Horses, No for Women
    http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/2011/02/16/votes-contraception-wild-horses-women-0

    Excerpt:
    During a month in which the anti-choice Republican and Tea Party majority in Congress and in many states have made it their priority mission to eliminate access to contraception for women here and abroad, and on the very same day that the House planned to vote to take away birth control for women living in poverty in the US and eliminate funding for international family planning, you will be happy to know that there is at least one group the GOP believes deserves access to contraception.

    Wild horses.

    Just a little while ago, according to reports from the House floor, a vote was held on an amendment introduced by Congressman Dan Burton (R-IN) to prevent the Bureau of Land Management from holding wild horses in pens and then slaughtering them.

    Instead, says Burton, they should pursue “a much less costly and more human option – immunocontraception…”.

    The amendment, as stated by Burton, is intended to reduce the Bureau of Land Management’s budget by $2 million and send a signal that the agency must reform its enormously wasteful and misguided program of capturing wild horses and burros and holding them in pens, rather than employing a much less costly and more humane option – immunocontraception to control herd size.

    “Despite objections raised by Members of Congress, BLM continues its round up and removal policy, and is currently holding approximately 46,000 horses in pens. Total holding costs in FY10 were $36.9 million.”

    Text of amendment: H.R. 1 OFFERED BY: MR. BURTON AMENDMENT NO. 485: At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the following: SEC. ll. None of the funds made available by this Act may be used for the gathers and removals of free-roaming wild horses and burros, except for the purpose of fertility control.

    I agree that holding wild horses in pens is cruel and unusual punishment and that it is more humane to use this option.

    What mystifies me is this: Access to contraception and other reproductive health services for low-income women and women struggling in poverty in the United States saves nearly $4.00 for every $1.00 spent by the federal government. Programs like Title X, which Burton and his comrades in the House are intent on gutting this same day, offer essential preventive services–detection and treatment of sexually transmitted infections, screening for breast and cervical cancer, contraception to plan families, and a wealth of other otherwise unavailable health services. These programs reduce the need for abortion, allow families to plan, reduce disease, and save countless dollars in reduced mortality and improved public health.

  3. This is interesting!

    From Auburn Journal (2/20/2011)
    GOP War on Women
    http://my.auburnjournal.com/detail/172006.html

    Turns out Republicans really don’t mind spending taxpayer dollars on federally-funded reproductive health care after all.

    Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.) – who you may recall dissed President Clinton for a dalliance (he called the president a “scumbag”), while fathering an extra-marital child of his own – has introduced an amendment which would control the population of wild horses and burros using taxpayer-funded contraceptives. That’s right. Contraceptives. For horses. But not for women.

    It gets even more surreal. The family planning for horses amendment came to a vote on the exact same day that Rep. Burton and his fellow Hors… House Republicans voted to just say NO funding for programs that provide tax-assisted reproductive health care services – including contraception – to low income American women. Priorities, you know.

    I remind you that the horse birth-control amendment comes from the same party that brought us the “Let Women Die” bill because taxpayers should never, ever, under any circumstances – not even in a case of life or death – have to pay for reproductive health care for American women citizens because some taxpayers believe contraception is just like abortion, and abortion is murder, and murder is wrong (if the “victim” is an embryo; if the victim is, say, a doctor, then it’s up for grabs).

    Sure would be swell if Republicans like Dallying Dan Burton could be as concerned with the humane treatment of American women as they apparently are with horses.

  4. Stamford Liberal,

    Thanks for that post and link. I heard your governor being interviewed on TV last night. I was impressed. He made his points clearly and concisely.

  5. House Bill Would Decimate Women’s Health Care in Cities and Rural Areas, Governors and Mayor Say
    Tuesday 22 February 2011

    by: Jodi Jacobson | RH Reality Check | Report

    In a conference call today, the Governors of Connecticut and Vermont and the Mayor of New York City described the devastating effects the GOP’s cuts to Title X and Planned Parenthood would have on women in their states as well as on the fiscal health of their region.

    Juxtaposing the needs of women in one of the nation’s largest cities (New York City) and in Vermont, one of the nation’s most rural states, the Mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg and the Governor of Vermont, Peter Shumlin spoke today about how cuts to both Title X and to Planned Parenthood would undermine the health of the populations they represent. Each of their concerns were echoed by Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy.
    Last week, the GOP/Tea-Party-dominated House of Representatives passed both a Continuing Resolution (CR) that effectively eliminates funding for Title X programs, and the Pence Amendment to the CR that specifically targets Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), prohibiting federal funding of preventive health care services provided by the organization.
    Over 90 percent of services provided by Planned Parenthood clinics are made up of preventive care, including breast and cervical exams, testing and treatment of sexually transmitted infections, and contraceptive supplies. PPFA clinics serve more than 5 million clients across the country each year. If the House budget and the Pence Amendment are passed by the Senate and signed into law by President Obama, literally millions of women and men will lose their only source of health care.
    “[Cuts to] Title X and the Pence are not about fiscal responsibility or cutting the U.S. budget,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “These cuts are purely about politics. And they will have serious consequences for women’s health care across New York City and the nation.”

    In fact, rather than reducing government spending or the deficit, both governors and the mayor underscored the dramatically increased financial burdens that would arise from cutting preventive care, which in turn means more and more expensive illness down the road.

    More than 8 million people live in New York City, for example; more than half [20] the population is 25 years of age or younger. And over 15 percent of the population lives at or below the poverty level. Planned Parenthood provides access to essential preventive care to more than 50,000 residents of New York City each year, conducting more than 79,900 tests for sexually transmitted infections (including HIV), 12,000 life-saving cervical cancer screenings, and 56,000 contraceptive visits.

    “These clinics are often the only place where poor and working women can see someone for care,” said Bloomberg.
    Moreover, he noted, increased access to contraceptives has reduced the rate of abortion in New York City in the last decade. “Our numbers are going in the right direction,” Bloomberg stated. But, he continued:

    “If you want to reduce unintended pregnancies and abortions, cutting funds to Planned Parenthood is not the way. It would take us in the other direction, and it would cost us money. Everyone is talking about how the government is spending too much money, but cutting [preventive care provided by Planned Parenthood] will cost more money and lead to more unintended pregnancies and abortions.”

    Bloomberg also noted that the loss of funding for family planning services and the consequent increase in unintended pregnancies would adversely affect both infants and small children because without access to contraception, more women will have “more unintended pregnancies, more closely spaced,” which is harmful for both mother and infant.

    Governor Shumlin raised deep concerns about the effects these cuts would have on rural women in his state which is, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, “atypically rural.” Planned Parenthood of Northern New England sees more than 19,500 patients each year, and provides more than 24,700 STI tests (including HIV tests), 5,500 cervical cancer screenings, 9,600 breast exams and 17,000 contraceptive visits.

    “Here in Vermont, cutting Title X money would be devastating,” warned Shumlin. “In a small rural state like Vermont, Planned Parenthood clinics oftentimes are the only source of health care [rural] low-income women get and the only access they have to critical health care, not only to avoid unintended pregnancies but for general health care.”

    “This is more about politics than policy,” Shumlin stated.
    Connecticut Governor Malloy said he’d written to Connecticut’s congressional delegation, urging them to “come to their senses” when it comes to cuts to programs such as Title X and funding for Planned Parenthood.” Planned Parenthood of Southern New England sees more than 62,300 patients each year, providing more than 90,400 STI tests (including HIV tests), 16,700 lifesaving cervical cancer screenings, 5,200 breast exams and 55,300 contraceptive visits Shumlin and Bloomberg also stated they’d written to both their delegations and to House leadership.

    Eliminating these funds would, they all agreed, increase rates of undiagnosed and untreated cervical and breast cancer, leading to increased deaths among women, higher rates of infections, and higher rates of unintended pregnancies and abortions.
    “We have a choice,” Shumlin concluded. “We can play politics and cut off our nose to spite our face, or we can do the right thing and fund Planned Parenthood.”

    http://www.truth-out.org/house-bill-would-decimate-womens-health-care-cities-and-rural-areas-governors-and-mayor-say67997

  7. The war is on against the democratic base whether it be unions, women or minorities.

  8. From Mother Jones (2/24/2011)

    Nebraska Resurrects “Justifiable Homicide” Abortion Bill
    A state legislator pushes a bill that’s even more sweeping than the South Dakota proposal that sparked a national controversy.
    http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/02/nebraska-justifiable-homicide-abortion-bill

    Excerpt:
    Just when abortion rights supporters thought they had beaten a controversial bill they believe would legalize the killing of abortion providers, it has cropped up again—this time in a more expansive form that has drawn the concern of law enforcement officials.

    Last week, South Dakota’s legislature shelved a bill, introduced by Republican state Rep. Phil Jensen, which would have allowed the use of the “justifiable homicide” defense for killings intended to prevent harm to a fetus. Now a nearly identical bill is being considered in neighboring Nebraska, where on Wednesday the state legislature held a hearing on the measure.

    The legislation, LB 232, was introduced by state Sen. Mark Christensen, a devout Christian and die-hard abortion foe who is opposed to the prodedure even in the case of rape. Unlike its South Dakota counterpart, which would have allowed only a pregnant woman, her husband, her parents, or her children to commit “justifiable homicide” in defense of her fetus, the Nebraska bill would apply to any third party.

    “In short, this bill authorizes and protects vigilantes, and that’s something that’s unprecedented in our society,” Melissa Grant of Planned Parenthood of the Heartland told the Nebraska legislature’s judiciary committee on Wednesday. Specifically, she warned, it could be used to target Planned Parenthood’s patients and personnel. Also testifying in oppostion to the bill was David Baker, the deputy chief executive officer of the Omaha police department, who said, “We share the same fears…that this could be used to incite violence against abortion providers.”

  12. Elaine M,

    Whenever Jon Stewart talks about Bachmann, he always gets a “pained” look on his face and I cannot do anything BUT laugh! She is quite a prize, isn’t she? Does she EVER get anything right?!

    I sure did see that segment and thanks for the link – I just watched it again!!

  18. SL You can find plenty of cowboys in West Texas, but you might not like their politics.

Comments are closed.