Friday, January 20, 2012

Abortion and Electoral Politics Blog For Choice Day 2012



The theme of this year's Blog For Choice day is "What will you do to help elect pro-choice candidates in 2012?"

Dear Voters,

Are you, along with 37% of Americans represented by the latest CBS/New York Times poll in support of abortion being generally available? Or even, along with another 37% concerned that abortion remain legal under stricter limits? Then you'd better start paying attention to the position on abortion of the candidates you elect this year! There are several bills about to enter the Senate, where if they pass, will become law.

May 4, 2011 58% of the House of Representatives voted (H.R.3) to restrict federal funding of abortion, an admittedly long standing restriction.

More worrisome however was The May 26, 2011 vote by 56% of the House that banned the use of federal funds to train physicians to perform abortion, the only legal medical procedure to be treated as such (consider for example the use of federal funds to train physicians on fertility treatments to which there are also moral obligations).

Not content to limit physicians with access to training to perform abortion, in Oct 2011 58% of the House voted to preclude individuals from using federally provided funds to purchase health insurance that included abortion coverage (The President has threatened to veto this Bill should it pass the Senate as well).

There were actually 8 votes in total affecting reproductive choice. See the voting record here (and at the bottom look at all the additional attempts to limit women's access to legal abortion!)

Want to see how your legislator is doing? Check out Naral website!

Write, call, petition, picket, do whatever it takes. if you are in the one out of three women who has had an abortion in her lifetime, please make sure that abortion remains legal for women in the future.


Very best regards, and with my fingers crossed for good luck,

Feminist Professor



BillStatusLast Action
H.R. 3: No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion ActPassed HouseMay 4, 2011 5:19 PM
S. 906: No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion ActIntroducedMay 5, 2011
S. 1241: Child Interstate Abortion Notification ActIntroducedJun 21, 2011
H.R. 2299: Child Interstate Abortion Notification ActIntroducedJun 22, 2011
S. 165: Abortion Non-Discrimination Act of 2011IntroducedJan 25, 2011
H.R. 361: Abortion Non-Discrimination Act of 2011IntroducedJan 20, 2011
H.R. 217: Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition ActIntroducedJan 7, 2011
H.Res. 430: Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 358) to amend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to modify special rules relating to coverage of abortion services under such Act.Passed HouseOct 13, 2011 2:06 PM
H.R. 358: Protect Life ActPassed HouseOct 13, 2011 7:18 PM
S. 1374: Stop Deceptive Advertising for Women's Services ActIntroducedJul 14, 2011
H.R. 593: Taxpayer Conscience Protection Act of 2011IntroducedFeb 9, 2011
H.R. 2543: Stop Deceptive Advertising for Women's Services ActIntroducedJul 14, 2011
S. 167: Child Custody Protection ActIntroducedJan 25, 2011
S. 314: Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act of 2011IntroducedFeb 10, 2011
H.R. 1232: To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to eliminate certain tax benefits relating to abortion.Reported by CommitteeMar 31, 2011
H.R. 3130: Heartbeat Informed Consent ActIntroducedOct 6, 2011
S. 1005: Parental Notification and Intervention Act of 2011IntroducedMay 16, 2011
S. 1488: Hyde Amendment Codification ActIntroducedAug 2, 2011
S. 121: Pregnant Women Health and Safety ActIntroducedJan 25, 2011
S. 877: Protect Life ActIntroducedMay 4, 2011
H.R. 165: To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to nonprofit tax-exempt organizations for the purchase of ultrasound equipment to provide free examinations to pregnant women needing such services, and for other purposes.IntroducedJan 5, 2011
H.R. 1319: Global Sexual and Reproductive Health Act of 2011IntroducedApr 1, 2011
S. 1904: Welfare Reform Act of 2011IntroducedNov 17, 2011
H.R. 1167: Welfare Reform Act of 2011IntroducedMar 17, 2011
H.R. 536: Indian Healthcare Improvement Act of 2011IntroducedFeb 8, 2011
H.R. 2085: MARCH for Military Women ActIntroducedJun 2, 2011
S. 1214: MARCH for Military Women ActIntroducedJun 16, 2011
H.R. 3541: Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act of 2011IntroducedDec 1, 2011
S. 1484: Hyde and Related Amendments Codification ActIntroducedAug 2, 2011
H.R. 364: Common Sense Health Reform Americans Actually Want ActIntroducedJan 20, 2011




CBS News/New York Times Poll. Jan. 12-17, 2012. (N=1,154 adults nationwide. Margin of error ± 3.

"Which of these comes closest to your view? Abortion should be generally available to those who want it. OR, Abortion should be available, but under stricter limits than it is now. OR, Abortion should not be permitted."

Generally
available
Available
under
stricter limits
Not
permitted
Unsure
%%%%

1/12-17/12

3737234


Wednesday, January 18, 2012

oopps I think I

missed my abortion anniversary

ok, just checked the dates on this blog and I didn't quite, but there we have anecdotal information about post abortion trauma. I've none, whatsoever. I don't think about my abortion really ever unless the topic comes up. I've become even more zen with the grey area in which abortion exists for me. As I wrote at the time, I know what fetal development looks like. I realize that with time and luck fetuses ex utero become people. And I'm still quite OK with having an abortion.