Sophoan Sorn

Healthcare Prof:

Catholic bishops on Monday at the opening with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops General Assembly discussed how they should shape their explanations of church teachings throughout the administration of President-elect Barack Obama, who supports abortion legal rights and won a majority of Catholic votes, the AP/Google.com reports. Despite the fact that some bishops through the campaign produced strong statements that abortion really should be one of the most important concern for Catholic voters, exit polls showed that 54% of Catholics voted for Obama (Zoll, AP/Google.com, 11/11).

In his opening address at the General Assembly, Cardinal Francis George — president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops — stated that while bishops really should “rejoice” at the election of a black president, they also ought to confront Obama over his support for abortion legal rights. George stated the goal of decreasing abortions via social and economic assistance — an strategy backed by Obama and Democratic Party leaders, including some prominent Roman Catholics — is not sufficient. “The frequent good can never be adequately incarnated in any society when those waiting to become born might be legally killed at choice,” George stated, adding, “Common floor cannot be found by destroying the widespread good.” He added that while bishops support “social welfare programs that come to the aid with the poor,” they will continue to lobby for legislative and legal restrictions on abortion (Goodstein, New York Times, 11/11).

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that while bishops support some of Obama’s goals, such as universal wellness care, they are troubled by his promise to indicator the Freedom of Option Act, which they argue would remove legal restrictions on abortion procedures and require wellness care providers — including those who are Catholic — to supply the abortion services. George said, “We are particularly concerned together with the freedom of conscience of health care workers and the Catholic health care system.” He added, “They stand as witnesses to the world that there is someplace in our society where no one is deliberately killed” (Rodgers, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 11/11).

The suggestion by Obama advisers that he is considering reversing President Bush’s ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research also has compounded the bishops’ frustration (AP/Google.com, 11/11). George said that if Obama overturns the ban, he “will alienate millions of people, not only Catholics, and work in opposition to the unity Obama wants to achieve” (Grossman, USA Today, 11/11). Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington, D.C., also said that he “hope[s] that on issues as substantial as defending and protecting human existence, there could be no precipitous action to change where we are in public coverage. That should genuinely be something that reflects a great deal of thought, conversation and reflection” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 11/11).

In explaining the huge percentage of Catholic votes in favor of Obama, the bishops “brushed off an apparent disregard among Catholic voters for church doctrine on abortion, saying the economy, not their teachings, was to blame,” the Washington Times reports. San Francisco Archbishop George Niederauer stated that in accordance with exit polls, “[v]ery few people answered they were voting on social and moral issues. What people had on their minds was the financial situation.” Auxiliary Bishop Joseph McFadden of Philadelphia added, “There were so several aspects inside the election. It wasn’t a vote versus the Catholic position. There was the economic climate, a historic election involving an African-American. There was a multiplicity of items on the table.” Based on Archbishop Timothy Broglio with the Military Archdiocese of the District of Columbia, “Most people did not vote for Obama because of his position on abortion, but in spite of his position on abortion” (Duin, Washington Times, 11/11).

The New York Times reports the bishops will devote part of their meetings on Tuesday to debating whether they gave sufficient guidance to Catholic voters. Bishops in November 2007 voted overwhelmingly to adopt a brochure titled “Forming Conscience for Faithful Citizenship,” which said that Catholics ought to pay attention to issues such as poverty, war, the environment and human legal rights but that “the direct and intentional destruction of innocent human lifestyle is always wrong and is not just one issue among a lot of.” Based on Wuerl, nevertheless, the “document does not make the judgment, ‘This is how you should vote.’ It offers the concepts.” He added, “Different people arrive at different conclusions from the very same rules,” and bishops must clarify and teach those ideas (New York Times, 11/11).

Reprinted with type permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. It is possible to watch the whole Everyday Women’s Well being Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for e-mail delivery right here. The Day-to-day Women’s Well being Policy Report can be a free services with the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

? 2008 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.

5 (1 votes)

Healthcare Prof:

5 (1 votes)

In the wake with the defeat of three state ballot initiatives that would have restricted abortion, the antiabortion movement is faced using the decision of whether to transfer forward “based on confrontation or cooperation with the incoming Democratic administration,” the Wall Street Journal reports. In accordance with the Journal, antiabortion advocates are divided over concepts for their future strategy, with some “[h]ard-liners” arguing that they cannot compromise within the fight to criminalize abortion and others fearing which the cause has lost urgency as more religious voters focus on opposition to same-sex marriage. The Journal reports, “With state courts continually resetting the rules, gay marriage feels a lot more fresh and urgent to voters than abortion, which has settled into a status quo that polls show a big variety of Americans can accept.” The abortion concern also may well have faded in the minds of voters because the abortion rate has declined steadily because the early 1980s.

The Journal reports that President-elect Barack Obama and other Democrats have pledged to work to reduce the number of abortion procedures while preserving abortion rights. The Rev. Joel Hunter, an influential Florida pastor, stated there is increased willingness among antiabortion advocates to find a middle floor with abortion-rights supporters. Hunter attributed the change in part towards the increase in crisis pregnancy centers, which have helped volunteers “begin to view abortion less as an absolute evil and more like a practical challenge” that overlaps with issues such as child care or occupation access for girls who choose not to abort, according to the Journal. Hunter and others advocating for an end towards the abortion debate are calling for federal programs that promote adoption, increased counseling for ladies with unwanted pregnancies, day-care subsidies, well being care coverage and other aid to ladies, in accordance with the Journal.

However, that strategy has attracted criticism from “hard-core activists” on each sides with the debate, the Journal reports. Abortion-rights advocates fear the result could be coercion or stigmatization of ladies who seek abortions, and they would prefer a focus on sex education and contraception. Meanwhile, staunch abortion-rights opponents say seeking typical ground “misses the point,” based on the Journal. The Rev. Mark Dever of Washington, D.C., said, “It’s like saying, ‘Let’s work to create sure they kill less Jews within the concentration camps this year.” In addition, Obama’s pledge to sign the Freedom of Choice Act — which would codify abortion legal rights — could delay efforts for both sides to cooperate, the Journal reports. Antiabortion advocates say the act would give abortion-rights advocates the ability to challenge each restriction put in place by states, from parental consent to mandatory waiting periods. Even so, some abortion-rights supporters don’t see the act as taking priority more than finding frequent ground on the issue. Cecile Richards, president with the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said, “Folks want to obtain back again to solving problems, not creating divisions” (Simon, Wall Street Journal, 11/11).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You are able to look at the whole Daily Women’s Health Coverage Report, search the archives, or indication up for e-mail delivery here. The Everyday Women’s Health Policy Report is a cost-free provider of the National Partnership for Ladies & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

? 2008 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.

3 (3 votes)

Healthcare Prof:

4.33 (3 votes)

Article Opinions:2 posts
Catholic bishops on Tuesday at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops General Assembly approved a statement saying that if the Democratic-controlled Congress and President-elect Barack Obama enact the Freedom of Option Act — which would codify abortion rights — the Catholic leaders would consider it an attack on the church, the Washington Post reports. U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops President Cardinal Francis George is expected to formally issue the statement on Wednesday. Based on the Post, the statement also is expected to warn that the Freedom of Selection Act would reduce religious freedom, make tax money available for abortions and alienate millions of Us citizens who oppose abortion legal rights. Obama throughout the presidential campaign stated he would sign the legislation as president (Salmon, Washington Post, 11/12).

During the meeting on Tuesday, several bishops stated they wouldn’t compromise on abortion-rights policy, and several condemned Catholics who have argued it was morally acceptable to vote for Obama due to the fact he pledged to reduce abortion premiums, the AP/Google.com reports. Church leaders also stated they are concerned that any expansion of abortion rights could require Catholic hospitals to perform abortions or face loss of federal funding. Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Paprocki stated such hospitals would close rather than comply (Zoll, AP/Google.com, 11/12).

Although the initial draft with the bishops’ statement says they have a “desire to work using the administration” on social issues such as immigration, financial justice and well being care for low-income people, it adds the “common good of our country is assured only when the life of every unborn child is legally protected. Aggressively pro-abortion policies and legislation will permanently alienate tens of millions of Us residents and would be interpreted by several Catholics as an attack on the church” (Grossman, USA Today, 11/12). Numerous bishops also stated Obama might concern executive orders upon taking workplace that would approve the use of taxpayer money for abortions and reverse President Bush’s ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research (Duin, Washington Times, 11/12).

Bishops also approved a new “Blessing of a Child inside the Womb,” which prays “for our civic leaders that they may perform their duties with justice and compassion while respecting the gift of human life” (Schillaci, Bergen Record, 11/12). Bishops on Tuesday also held a closed-door session on the document “Forming Conscience for Faithful Citizenship,” a guide they adopted last year for Catholic voters. Some bishops during the presidential marketing campaign stated the statement did not go far enough in emphasizing the church’s teachings on abortion (Washington Post, 11/12).

Future Strategy

Exit polls showed that 54% of Catholics voted for Obama. Despite the fact that several bishops said the election “was not a referendum on Catholic teaching,” they also are “eager to reassert their authority within the face of widespread dissent” — particularly from a vocal minority of bishops who suggested that Catholics could in good conscience support a candidate who supports abortion legal rights, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports (Burke, New Orleans Times-Picayune, 11/12).

According to AP/Google.com, bishops differ on whether Catholic lawmakers who support abortion legal rights should receive Communion, and every bishop sets the policy in his own diocese (AP/Google.com 11/12). Scranton, Pa., Bishop Joseph Martino said bishops should focus on reaching out to Catholic politicians who differ on abortion legal rights, even if they have to threaten excommunication. “We should speak to Catholic politicians who are stridently anti-life,” he stated (Washington Times, 11/12). Even so, Patrick Whelan, president of Catholic Democrats, said angry statements from church leaders are counterproductive and will only alienate Catholics. “We’re calling on the bishops to shift away from the much more vicious language,” he said, adding the church needs to act “in a more creative, constructive way” to end abortion (AP/Google.com, 11/12). In accordance with an August poll by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Existence, nearly one-half of U.S. Catholics believe that abortion should be legal in all or nearly all cases. Jon O’Brien, president of Catholics for Choice, said the bishops “represent a minority see of Catholics inside the United States and in the world. These are people who don’t even believe contraception can be used” (Washington Post, 11/12).

Broadcast Coverage

NPR’s “Morning Edition” on Tuesday reported on the conference. The segment includes comments from Martino; Thomas Reese, a Jesuit priest and scholar at Georgetown University; and Nicholas Cafardi, a Catholic legal scholar who publicly supported Obama (Bradley Hagerty, “Morning Edition,” NPR, 11/12).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can watch the whole Every day Women’s Health Policy Report, search the archives, or indication up for email delivery right here. The Every day Women’s Wellness Policy Report is a free support of the Nationwide Partnership for Ladies & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

? 2008 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.

Healthcare Prof:

4 (one votes)

The AP/San Francisco Chronicle on Wednesday examined the outlook for the antiabortion movement as its leaders “brace for a future with fewer friends in high places” following Democrats’ strong performance within the election. The victory of President-elect Barack Obama, the increased Democratic majority in Congress and the rejection of antiabortion ballot initiatives in South Dakota, Colorado and California were a “stinging defeat” for abortion-rights opponents that has left leaders of the motion “more defiant than deflated,” based on the AP/Chronicle. Obama’s election also “dashed hopes” among abortion-rights opponents for Supreme Court nominations of judges who might support the reversal of Roe v. Wade, the AP/Chronicle reports. Frank Pavone, nationwide director of Priests for Existence, said that the outcome with the election on all levels “brings about feelings of great disappointment, of anger … But that disappointment and anger are forms of energy.” He added, “I believe a great deal of people on the sidelines for your last eight years will now get engaged.”

The AP/Chronicle reports that antiabortion groups are “likely to refocus on street protests, grassroots activism and state legislation” as Democrats take control of each the White House and Congress. Pavone predicted that antiabortion advocates likely will stage far more mass demonstrations and abortion clinic vigils. Groups already have scheduled a three-day protest in Washington, D.C., beginning the day after Obama’s inauguration, the AP/Chronicle reports. Pavone added which the election results highlight weak points in antiabortion groups’ strategy and will lead to efforts to register voters who oppose abortion rights and rally clergy members to be more vocal in future campaigns. Patrick Mahoney, director of the Christian Protection Coalition, stated, “The election forces the pro-life movement to go again to what we do greatest — local grassroots organizing.”

The “ever-growing” technique of pregnancy centers run by abortion opponents — which attempt to persuade girls with unintended pregnancies to choose raising the infant or adoption more than abortion — is “[a]nother outlet for activism,” the AP/Chronicle reports. Melinda Delahoyde — president of Care Net, which supports one,100 pregnancy centers — stated the group is focusing expansion efforts on urban areas with high populations of blacks and Latinos. “While legislative efforts to protect the unborn and women from abortion may be limited in future years, the work of pregnancy centers is advancing stronger than ever,” she said. Delahoyde also said that antiabortion groups “have a great deal to bring towards the table” and that she hopes Obama will reach out to groups with different viewpoints on abortion legal rights (Crary, AP/San Francisco Chronicle, 11/12).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can watch the whole Every day Women’s Health Coverage Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Every day Women’s Well being Coverage Report is really a totally free provider with the National Partnership for Girls & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

? 2008 The Advisory Board Company. All legal rights reserved.

4 (1 votes)

Healthcare Prof:

Uruguay’s Senate on Tuesday voted 17-13 to decriminalize abortion within the first trimester of pregnancy, but President Tabare Vazquez is expected to veto the bill, Reuters reports. The bill would loosen restrictions on abortion, which under current Uruguay law only is permitted in cases of rape or if the wellness of the woman or fetus is in danger. The 1938 law states that ladies who seek abortions and those who assist them could face jail terms. Reuters reports that Vazquez has promised to veto any law that would ease restrictions on abortion, and it can be unlikely that there is enough support for the bill in Congress to override his veto.

Unrestricted access to abortion is banned in Latin American countries, home to about half with the world’s Roman Catholic population (Reuters, 11/11). Guyana and Cuba are the only other Latin American countries that allow most abortions inside the first trimester, the AP/San Jose Mercury News reports (Garces, AP/San Jose Mercury News, 11/11). In response towards the Uruguay bill, Catholic Church leaders issued a statement warning Catholic lawmakers who voted for that bill that they could be excommunicated. In accordance with Reuters, the statement “sparked criticism from across the political spectrum.”

In a recent Interconsult poll, 57% of Uruguayans supported less restrictions on abortion and 63% opposed a presidential veto on the bill. Ruling party Sen. Margarita Percovich said, “Whether the president vetoes it or not, it’s important that Congress has established this right,” adding that she hopes Vazquez will change his position (Reuters, 11/11).

Reprinted with type permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. It is possible to view the entire Every day Women’s Wellness Policy Report, search the archives, or signal up for email delivery right here. The Daily Women’s Well being Policy Report is a free service with the National Partnership for Girls & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

? 2008 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.

Healthcare Prof:

NPR’s “All Things Considered” on Thursday examined reactions from conservative religious leaders to the victory of President-elect Barack Obama and his plans for issues such as abortion rights and embryonic stem cell research. Based on NPR, Obama in his election night victory speech “reached out to those who supported his rival — including evangelicals — who voted overwhelmingly” for Republican nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.). Obama stated, “I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, need your help, and I will be your president, too.” Nevertheless, this promise “meant little to leaders of the religious proper,” and several conservative leaders say they are “undaunted” by Democratic gains within the election, based on NPR. Michael Gerson, a former speechwriter for President Bush, said the religious conservative movement has a notion “that it’s most energized when it feels under assault.”

Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Girls for America, stated, “I knew, moments after the election results arrived in, that I was now part with the resistance movement.” As part of its “movement,” CWA has launched a nationwide telemarketing advertising campaign. Inside the ad, Wright says, “We face a president and Congress far more hostile to unborn children, to marriage, to religious freedom, to free of charge speech, to protecting our country than has ever existed in our history.” In accordance with Wright, the ad generated an immediate response of calls from religious conservatives asking “what they could do” to help, NPR reports.

Religious conservative leaders also have been scrutinizing Obama’s speeches from the campaign trail for messages they can use to rally their base, NPR reports. In particular, they have publicized a speech Obama made last year towards the Planned Parenthood Federation of America in which he stated, “The first thing I’d do as president is signal the Freedom of Choice Act.” The act — which would need congressional approval before Obama could indication it — would eliminate most federal and state restrictions on abortion. Gary Bauer, president of American Values, stated of the speech, “I found myself thinking, ‘My goodness, I can’t believe he’s going to make it this easy for us to rally our troops to get off the mat and get back again to work.’” NPR reports that Bauer also is “looking for hints about what executive orders the new president would sign” and keeping a close watch on his plans for lifting Bush administration restrictions on international family planning funding and embryonic stem cell research.

Bauer stated, “If in his first 100 days, he repeatedly sticks his finger in the eyes of the 48% of voters who voted against him, I think that’s going to become a clear signal that even so charming it was to independent voters, it was a ruse.” Gerson said Obama “has high expectations from the liberal wing with the congressional majority, and he has the realities of governing, where you do not want to pick culture war fights inside the first 100 days, or even your first year, because you want to get some things accomplished” (“All Things Considered,” NPR, 11/13).

Reprinted with type permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You’ll be able to watch the whole Every day Women’s Wellness Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women’s Well being Coverage Report is really a cost-free support with the Nationwide Partnership for Ladies & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

? 2008 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.

5 (1 votes)

Healthcare Prof:

Despite Michigan voters’ approval of Proposal 2 — which will allow surplus embryos created for fertility treatments to become donated for use in stem cell research — and the election of several candidates who support abortion rights, neither the Michigan Catholic Conference nor Proper to Daily life of Michigan was “willing to say they had suffered irreversible setbacks,” the Detroit News reports. In accordance with the News, both “longtime powerhouse cultural warriors” in Michigan politics contributed millions of dollars and campaigned “feverishly” for the ballot proposal and antiabortion candidates. While some observers say the election results “underscore a change in attitude among Michigan’s electorate,” others say that “the horrible economy, an unpopular sitting president and an all-around bad year for Republicans was a lot more to blame and that it was a fluke that won’t be repeated next election.”

Exit polls conducted by the News found that 56% of voters who identified themselves as Catholic supported Prop. 2; the measure passed overall by a 53% to 47% margin. In addition, voters last week elected nine far more Democrats to the state House, giving the party a 67-43 majority. According to the News, since its establishment 25 years ago, Right to Existence has “helped assemble solid antiabortion majorities” in each chambers of the state Legislature and, prior to this election, “made certain that no Republican supporting abortion legal rights has won a statewide office because the 1978 victory of then-Gov. William Milliken.” This year, the group had endorsed eight of the losing state House candidates and had created no endorsement within the ninth race, the News reports. Other Correct to Life-backed candidates also were defeated at the polls, including congressional candidates along with a state Supreme Court candidate.

The News also reports that Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan contributed at least $4,000 to the campaigns of five of the nine Democrats who won seats previously held by Republicans. Planned Parenthood’s political motion committee raised about $200,000 this year, compared with less than $77,000 two years ago, and received $75,000 from billionaire philanthropist Jon Stryker and $63,000 from the Michigan Democratic Party.

Ed Rivet, legislative director of Proper to Lifestyle of Michigan, stated that last week’s election results do not mean that voters are rejecting the antiabortion position, adding that “it doesn’t diminish the underlying strength of the pro-life conviction in our state. … We’re not going away.” Rivet stated the 38 members with the state Senate who were not up for election this year include 25 abortion-rights opponents and the 110-member state House that will convene in January still has at least sixty members who oppose abortion rights. Paul Long, vice president of manifeste coverage for that Michigan Catholic Conference said, “While losing is not easy, the work with the conference is broader than Proposal 2, and the church will continue to become a strong advocate on issues it believes in” (Cain, Detroit News, 11/13).

Reprinted with type permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. It is possible to watch the entire Every day Women’s Wellness Policy Report, search the archives, or indicator up for email delivery right here. The Every day Women’s Well being Policy Report is a free of charge support of the Nationwide Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

? 2008 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.

3.5 (2 votes)

Healthcare Prof:

The Indian city of Chennai is seeing an increase in unplanned pregnancies and abortions because a ban on over-the-counter sales of emergency contraception was implemented by the state director of drug control one year ago, the Times of India reports. Jayashree Gajaraj — president of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Society of South India — stated that a lack of access to EC “forces ladies either to continue with the pregnancy or have an abortion.” According to the Times, other physicians have confirmed Gajaraj’s finding that there has been a rise in unplanned pregnancies and abortions. At least 10% of pregnancies in the city are unplanned, in accordance with Gajaraj.

Nonprescription sales of EC were available starting in 2005, but over-the-counter access to the drug was subsequently banned within the state of Tamil Nadu under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. Based on the director of drugs control, K. Sundrasamy, the state banned nonprescription EC simply because the strength of the drug is higher than what it permitted for over-the-counter sales. He added the pressure from police, women’s commissions and non-governmental organizations also were elements. Sundrasamy stated, “Their contention is that it promotes cost-free sex. We also thought this could be hazardous. The pill could be available in other places, but we have banned it because we are really strict.” However, physician Priya Selvaraj said that EC is “a secure option even without prescription” (Narayan, Times of India, 11/12).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can look at the whole Every day Women’s Well being Coverage Report, search the archives, or signal up for email delivery here. The Day-to-day Women’s Health Coverage Report is a cost-free provider of the National Partnership for Females & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

? 2008 The Advisory Board Company. All legal rights reserved.

one (1 votes)

Healthcare Prof:

1 (1 votes)

The following can be a summary of selected women’s health-related blog entries.

~ “Red and Blue Bishops,” Anthony Stevens-Arroyo, Catholic America: Stevens-Arroyo writes that news out of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops General Assembly this week reflected “red and blue divisions” among issues such as abortion rights and embryonic stem cell research. Even so, in “seeking widespread ground this year, the bishops have decided to target the Freedom of Selection Act,” which would codify abortion rights, Stevens-Arroyo writes. He adds that equating the legislation to an “attack on the church” is “particularly pleasing to the red bishops” since President-elect Barack Obama stated early in his marketing campaign that he would indication the bill. Nevertheless, Stevens-Arroyo notes the legislation is not part of the Democratic Party platform and that Obama’s Web site has dropped it from a list of issues regarding abortion legal rights. He provides, “I think the blue bishops know that FOCA is no longer likely to be promoted by the incoming administration. Denunciation of FOCA helps satisfy their red colleagues’ ire but does not blow up the agenda of the Democrats. Beating a dead horse, so to speak, safely achieves internal unity.” Stevens-Arroyo concludes, “While those outside the church may well see one-sidedness with all the attack on FOCA, it really is not what it appears. After all, the color of a bishop’s cassock is purple” (Stevens-Arroyo, Catholic America, 11/13).

~ “A Quick Sigh of Relief, Now Let’s Get to Work Rebuilding Reproductive Legal rights,” Nancy Northup, Huffington Post blogs: Northup writes that though Obama’s victory means a “chance to improve the lives of millions of Us citizens and people all through the world by ending the Bush administration’s horrific war on ladies and making reproductive well being a priority for the U.S. law and coverage,” state legislatures remain “dangerous arenas in which we struggle to preserve each woman’s correct to choose whether or not she will bear children, and to have the broadest access to contraception, abortion, health information and pregnancy care.” She predicts that January will “be equally as bad or even worse as our opponents rush to take advantage of the Bush administration’s dangerous judicial legacy” of a Supreme Court and federal judiciary that are the “most conservative in history.” Northup writes which the new administration should take action to “create a coverage local weather guided by science and not ideology, starting with striking funding for abstinence-only sex education and the appointment [of] federal agency directors — beginning with the FDA — who respect scientific data.” Obama also should “once again support reproductive rights” in U.S. foreign assistance programs by repealing the”MexicoCity policy”and funding the United Nations Population Fund. She concludes that supporters of women’s appropriate ought to “pledge to seize this moment to make sure that this most fundamental and enduring principle is enshrined in law: At the heart of a totally free society is our ability to form the personal beliefs and make the intimate decisions that chart our destinies and define who we are” (Northup, Huffington Post blogs, 11/13).

~ “Bishops Must Rethink Antiabortion Strategy,” Anthony Stevens-Arroyo, Catholic America: The blog entry examines bishops’ failure to make a vote for Obama “equivalent to abandoning the Catholic faith.” In accordance with Stevens-Arroyo, the strategy supported by most bishops — overturning Roe v. Wade – “is deeply flawed.” He adds that “most with the Catholic faithful in America have moved beyond the abortion issue in deciding their voting priorities every four years.” He writes, “If you want abortion ended in this country, as I do, then it is time to wise up. Continuing to practice the same failed policy and expecting a different result is folly. Catholic America does not want bishops telling them they have to vote for Republicans on the single concern of abortion.” Stevens-Arroyo concludes, “Behind closed doors, I am sure that is what some bishops are telling other bishops, and I expect to see all of them order a re-examination of the Pro-Life Movement” (Stevens-Arroyo, Catholic America, 11/11).

~ “Catholics Vote for Women’s Well being,” Cecile Richards, Huffington Post blogs: Richards writes that poll data showing that 54% of Catholics voted for Obama and that 78% of Catholics support comprehensive sex education are proof that “Catholic voters, just like the rest of America, want govt to focus on solving the problems for American families, such as increasing access to affordable health care and helping children stay healthy and secure and not become parents before they are ready.” She adds, “And that is why President-elect Obama was elected by a majority of Us citizens — simply because he has a commonsense agenda to bring people with each other, expand health care access, and focus on prevention.” She concludes, “It’s time all of us, including elected leaders and religious leaders, listen towards the voters and get back again to promoting the health of females and young people — healthy families make a healthy America. 1 would hope this is an agenda that everyone, regardless of religious beliefs, could rally behind” (Richards, Huffington Post blogs, 11/13).

~ “Looking Ahead at Abortion Issues inside the Obama Administration,” Sarah Posner, The Fundamentalist: In the fifth entry inside a five-section post on the religious correct, Posner writes that while the religious correct is “powerless” to stop Obama from reversing the Bush administration’s abortion-related decisions, “Obama’s election has offered them fundraising fodder” to regain momentum for that Republican Party. Executive orders involving embryonic stem cell research, emphasis on abstinence-only sex education abroad and the implementation with the “Mexico City policy” were “considered great victories by the religious right,” Posner writes, however they are “facing a a lot different political and media environment and progressive infrastructure” then they have within the past. The religious appropriate also is facing “competition from a lot more centrist evangelical and Catholic activists who will be vying for Congress’ attention” on issues like reducing abortions, she writes. Posner concludes which the “‘new evangelicals’ have gotten a lot of press, but the new organizing of the religious left really should start getting some attention now, too” (Posner, The Fundamentalist, 11/12).

~ “An Open Letter to President-Elect Obama About Abortion: From a Pro-Obama and Pro-Life Leader,” Frank Schaeffer, Huffington Post blogs: In an open letter to Obama, Schaeffer says the culture wars more than abortion have the “potential to sap the energy from [Obama's] ideal initiatives,” adding that the president elect will need the support of all Us citizens “to bring real and lasting change.” Schaeffer offers advice to Obama, such as introducing initiatives “boldly proclaimed as specifically aimed at reducing the number of abortions” instead of “some sweeping gesture striking down local and state ordinances,” such as parental notification laws. This will “calm the waters and [diffuse] the situation,” Schaeffer writes. “Surprise the pro-life movement using a sincere, sustained ‘bully pulpit’ for lifestyle, as well as a substantive set of programs to reduce abortions while also defending Roe v. Wade,” Schaeffer continues, adding this approach does not mean Obama “has to give up rules about reproductive legal rights. In truth, it means that those rules might be better defended inside the long term due to the fact you will have claimed the moral high ground” (Schaeffer, Huffington Post blogs, 11/12).

Reprinted with type permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You are able to watch the entire Everyday Women’s Wellness Policy Report, search the archives, or indicator up for e-mail delivery right here. The Daily Women’s Health Coverage Report is actually a free support of the National Partnership for Ladies & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

? 2008 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.

3 (2 votes)

Healthcare Prof:

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Sunday examined efforts by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to reinforce the church’s position on abortion rights and regain support from Roman Catholics who voted for President-elect Barack Obama against the urging of church officials. The Post-Dispatch reports that 54% of Catholics voted for Obama in 2008; by contrast, 52% of Catholics voted for President Bush in 2004. At the conference’s annual fall meeting last week, bishops discussed probable explanations for your shift in voting patterns. Based on the Post-Dispatch, bishops attending the meeting “together represent the strongest and most influential organized voice opposing Roe v. Wade.”

Although it can be “true that each Catholic bishop holds the very same theological position towards abortion, they tend not to all agree on the pastoral effectiveness of telling Catholics how to vote,” the Post-Dispatch reports. During the conference, critics with the church’s official voting guide — “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship” — argued that the document did not go far enough in stressing abortion as the No. 1 voting issue for Catholics. According to the voting guide, abortion is “deeply flawed” and “always opposed to the authentic good of persons.” The voting guide also emphasized the church’s position on other social justice issues, such as poverty, wellness care, the environment and workers’ rights. Some bishops “pounded” left-leaning Catholic organizations — such as Catholics United and Catholics in Alliance for your Typical Good — for making use of language from the voting guide’s passage on social justice issues to “sway” independent Catholics to vote for Obama, the Post-Dispatch reports. During the marketing campaign, the groups argued which the bishops’ focus on abortion undermined the importance of other social justice issues, such as war and well being care.

Bishops also spoke out in opposition to the Freedom of Selection Act, which would codify abortion-rights protections granted by Roe. Obama has stated he would indicator the act if approved by Congress. The Post-Dispatch reports that numerous bishops said that Catholic wellness care facilities would close if FOCA “forced health care workers to perform abortions.” In addition, Chicago Cardinal Francis George released a statement saying that the law “would have lethal consequences for prenatal human lifestyle,” adding that bishops “are single-minded since they are, first of all, single-hearted.” Based on the Post-Dispatch, the “intended message” of George’s statement is that “efforts to steer the nation on a moral program are useless without God’s favor, and God’s favor cannot be gained by expanding access to abortion or codifying it into law.”

The Post-Dispatch also examined efforts by Bishop Robert Hermann — interim leader with the St. Louis archdiocese — to warn Catholic voters that they ought to not vote for a candidate who supports abortion legal rights (Townsend, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 11/16).

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