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Sunday, January 22
What’s Good about Choice in Iowa?
by
Linda Thieman
on Sun 22 Jan 2006 05:00 PM CST
 What’s Good about Choice in Iowa?
To
top off Blog for Iowa’s contribution to Blog for Choice day, here is a
round-up of some of the positive choice-related things in Iowa that our
few remaining freedoms still bring us, in alphabetical order.
Cyclones for Choice:
The first and only pro-choice campus organization at Iowa State
University. Cyclones for Choice meet every first and third Sunday
of the month from 8 - 9 pm at the Sloss House Center on campus in
Ames. And they’ve got a terribly crude bang-up slogan to
boot! Too suggestive to print on Blog for Iowa. Click here
to read it!
Emma Goldman Clinic:
This Iowa City clinic promotes participatory health care, informed
decision making, client rights, advocacy for women, and expansion and
support of women's choices. Their website provides pro-choice
resources and options, information on non-surgical abortions, national
reproductive rights organizations, sexual health information resources,
eastern Iowa feminist organizations, national feminist organizations,
feminist magazines and online feminist journals. By far, this is
the most comprehensive resource list I've ever seen.
Insurance Coverage for Contraception:
Iowa law requires health insurance plans that cover prescription drugs
to provide the same coverage for contraception. If a health
insurance plan provides coverage for outpatient prescription drugs or
devices or outpatient services, it must provide coverage for Food and
Drug Administration-approved prescription contraceptive drugs or
devices and outpatient contraceptive services. (Source)
Medical Students for Choice:
This group was formed to ensure that new doctors are fully trained to
meet the reproductive health needs of women. Key issues include
addressing the provider shortage and the lack of training/coverage in
med school curricula. Iowa is included in Region 4 of the
Midwestern states.
NARAL Pro-choice Iowa:
Their mission is to develop and sustain a constituency that uses the
political process to guarantee every woman the right to make personal
decisions regarding the full range of reproductive choices, including
preventing unintended pregnancy, choosing legal abortion, and having a
healthy pregnancy. Learn about the issues here or look up
activities/events on their calendar.
Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa:
The PPGI agency offers a full range of quality reproductive health care
services to residents in 85 Iowa counties and three counties in
Illinois through 16 medical centers and an education and resource
center. You can contact PPGI if you need medical attention
related to reproductive health and contraception.
Pro-Choice Panthers:
This University of Northern Iowa student organization is an abortion
and reproductive rights advocacy organization created to serve the UNI
community. It is affiliated with NARAL Pro-choice America.
Iowa v. Pro-choice Laws
by
Linda Thieman
on Sun 22 Jan 2006 11:00 AM CST
 Iowa v. Pro-choice Laws
NARAL Pro-choice America
NARAL Pro-choice America Foundation gives Iowa a “C” when
it comes to laws that enable a woman’s right to control her own body,
with only 5 percent of Iowa counties actually providing abortion
facilites.
Why the “C,” you ask? Here’s a round-up of Iowans and Iowa laws pertaining to choice.
Who’s Who in Iowa Choice
Pro-choice Iowans include Gov. Tom Vilsack (D), Lt. Gov. Sally Pederson (D), and the Iowa Democratic Party.
Mixed-choice Iowans include Attorney General Tom Miller (D) and the Iowa Senate.
Anti-choice Iowans include the Iowa House and the Iowa Republican Party. (Source)
Now that we’ve got the lay of the land, so to speak, let’s take a look at some important choice-related Iowa laws.
Unconstitutional Abortion Ban
Iowa has
an unconstitutional and unenforceable criminal ban on abortions
performed as early as 12 weeks. A court held that Iowa's ban is
unconstitutional because it imposes an undue burden on women seeking
abortions and has issued a permanent injunction prohibiting its
enforcement. (Source)
Public Facilities Restriction
Iowa
prohibits the use of some public facilities for the performance of
abortions. Iowa law severely restricts the conditions under
which a woman can terminate a pregnancy at the University of Iowa
hospital. (Source)
Refusal to Provide Medical Services
Iowa
allows individuals and hospitals that are not controlled, maintained,
and supported by a public authority to refuse to provide abortion
services. (Source)
Restrictions on Low-Income Women's Access to Abortion
Iowa
prohibits public funding for abortion for women eligible for state
medical assistance for general health care except in extreme
cases. (Source)
Restrictions on Young Women's Access to Abortion
Iowa law
restricts young (under 18) women's access to abortion services by
mandating parental notice. Consent is not required, and only one
parent need be notified. This serves to delay any abortion
procedure by a minimum of 48 hours after written notice is provided in
person. (Source)
Well,
that’s the GOP strategy for you: they slowly whittle away at our
rights to control our own bodies until we have no rights left.
Next up on the docket: What’s good about choice in Iowa?
Where Iowa Gubernatorial and Congressional Candidates Stand on Choice
by
Linda Thieman
on Sun 22 Jan 2006 04:00 AM CST
 Where Iowa Gubernatorial and Congressional Candidates Stand on Choice
by Linda Thieman
Today,
Blog for Iowa is joining over 200 other progressive blogs across the nation for
Blog for Choice day - the 33rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Our posts today will examine the state of
abortion laws in Iowa and where the candidates stand on the issue of
choice.
First
out of the gate, since this is an election year, I thought I’d take a
look at which gubernatorial and congressional candidates are
pro-choice, who amongst them thinks he has the right to control MY
body, and who is too timid to commit to this politically-charged and
yet most fundamental of all issues.
Iowa’s Democratic Gubernatorial Candidates
• Rep. Ed Fallon (D) – Pro-choice
• Sal Mohamed (D) – Pro-choice
• Vernon Weems (D) – Pro-choice
• Chet Culver (D) – Pro-choice
•
Patty Judge (D) – unclear; says she is pro-choice in the Planned
Parenthood poll, but in 1998, as a member of the Iowa Senate, she voted
for a bill banning certain vaguely defined abortion procedures with no
exception for the woman’s health.
•
Mike Blouin (D) – anti-choice; would not commit to an answer
on the PP poll; however, Blouin, as a member of Congress in 1975 and 1977,
proposed amendments to the U.S. Constitution outlawing abortion. Got to hand it to him, though, for actually addressing the issue on his campaign website - sort of.
All of
the Democratic gubernatorial candidates (except Yackle, who did not
respond) support: 1) public funding to Planned Parenthood for
family planning services and 2) teaching responsible, comprehensive,
medically accurate sex education in public schools.
Iowa’s 1st Congressional District
[Rep. Nussle (R) is vacating, leaving this seat open.]
• Bruce Braley (D) – Pro-choice; a solid progressive.
• Bill Gluba (D) – Anti-choice; too bad, an otherwise solid, progressive anti-war candidate.
•
Rick Dickinson (D) – This guy is so slippery on the issue of
choice, it’s like sleeping on satin sheets. Can’t get any
traction.
Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District
•
David Loebsack (D) – Pro-choice; one of our own, whom, when I
asked if he were pro-choice, responded, “Of COURSE I’m
pro-choice!” Gotta love that guy!
Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District
•
Rep. Leonard Boswell (D) – Mixed bag. From 1999 through 2005,
Boswell voted 8 times on the pro-choice side of bills and amendments,
according to VoteSmart.org,
and 5 times on the anti-choice side. Not a progressive by any
stretch of the imagination, yet not quite a Republican. Has the
slight advantage of being the (Democratic) incumbent in what is often a
close race.
Iowa’s 5th Congressional District
•
Joyce Schulte (D) – Pro-choice. Come on! Let’s elect
THIS woman to Congress! She's a billion times more qualified to
serve the 5th district than our current "representative," whom, from here on in, will be referred to as Big Brother's little buddy.
• Bob Chambers (D) – (no response yet); long-time Democratic activist.
Next up on the docket: Iowa v. Pro-choice Laws – NARAL Pro-choice America gives Iowa a “C.” Arrrrrrrrrgggggghhhhhhh!
Friday, January 13
A Call to Action on Samuel Alito
by
Caroline Vernon
on Fri 13 Jan 2006 04:00 PM CST
 A Call To Action - Judge Samuel Alito
by Caroline Vernon
Progressive Action for the Common Good
www.qcprogressiveaction.org
Calling all Progressive Activists....
Call on
Senate Democrats ASAP to stand together and block Judge Alito’s confirmation
with every means at their disposal!
Call Senator Harkin, Senator Durbin,
and Senator Obama at:
1-800-426-8073
Senator Grassley is on the
Senate Judiciary Committee so please be sure to also let him know that you
oppose Samuel Alito's confirmation to the US Supreme Court.
Send
emails through their websites:
obama.senate.gov/contact/,
durbin.senate.gov/sitepages/contact.htm,
harkin.senate.gov/contact/contact.cfm,
http://grassley.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Home
Or send postal letters to:
SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC, 20510
Progressive Action for the Common Good and other organizations such as QC NOW, ACLU, NAACP,
QC Federation of Labor, Democracy for the Quad Cities, and Churches United
Justice Issues Committee are organizing a letter writing campaign.
Please assist us in our efforts by writing a letter to the Editor of
your local newspaper as well as the Des Moines Register, The NY Times,
and Newsweek.
Send Letters to:
letters@qconline.com, letters@rcreader.com, opinions@qctimes.com,
letters@dmregister.com, letters@nytimes.com, letters@newsweek.com
Or click here to use a feature on the Democratic Party website that provides you with most of your local newspapers.
Here
is more information for your review:
Judge Alito has regularly ruled against civil rights and civil liberties claims. For example, Judge Alito:
Wrote a
dissent in Planned Parenthood v. Casey arguing that a state's spousal
notification requirement did not unduly burden a woman's right to
privacy, a position later rejected by the Supreme Court;
Joined a
dissent arguing that a student-led prayer at a high school graduation
ceremony did not violate the Establishment Clause;
Wrote
several dissents arguing for tighter standards for plaintiffs seeking
trial on their race, gender and disability discrimination claims;
Dissented
from a decision ruling that the strip search of a suspect's wife and
ten-year-old daughter exceeded the scope of the search warrant and was
therefore unconstitutional;
Rejected
a death row inmate's ineffective assistance of counsel claim where the
trial counsel had failed to uncover substantial mitigating evidence — a
decision later reversed by the Supreme Court; Dissented from an /en
banc/ ruling in a death penalty case arguing that the prosecution had
unconstitutionally used its peremptory challenges to exclude all the
black prospective jurors;
Wrote a
dissent arguing that a policy prohibiting all prisoners in long-term
segregation from possessing newspapers, magazines or photographs unless
they were religious or legal did not violate the First Amendment.
It is,
of course, impossible to summarize a fifteen-year judicial career in a
few bullet points. But it is also fair to say that these highlighted
decisions illustrate a broader pattern of judicial decision-making. By
and large, Judge Alito's opinions make it more difficult for plaintiffs
alleging discrimination to prevail, easier for the government to lend
its support to religion, and harder to challenge questionable tactics
by the police and prosecution.
Judge
Alito has also taken a narrow view of congressional power in two
noteworthy cases. First, Judge Alito held that Congress had exceeded
its power under the Fourteenth Amendment by requiring the states to
provide time off for sick employees under the Family and Medical Leave
Act. Several years later, the Supreme Court rejected a similar claim in
upholding a parallel provision of the FMLA. Second, Judge Alito argued
in dissent that Congress had exceeded its power under the Commerce
Clause by making it a federal crime to possess a machine gun. This
narrow view of the Commerce Clause could have implications in future
civil rights cases.
I encourage you to read the ACLU's full report
at:
http://www.aclu.org/scotus/2005/23308res20060103.html
Thanks
for all you do!!!!!
Wednesday, January 4
Choice: The New Progressive Frame
by
Linda Thieman
on Wed 04 Jan 2006 11:00 AM CST
Choice: The New Progressive Frame
by Rachel Neumann, AlterNet.org
Rachel
Neumann believes that choice will be one of the most buzzed about
issues in 2006. Here's how, in her opinion, progressives can
frame the message.
The Right To Mother - At the Right Time
No one's
exactly sure about John Roberts, but with Samuel "Scalito" Alito poised
to replace Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court, there's no doubt
reproductive rights will either be hammered away at or outright beaten.
The terms "pro-life" and "pro-choice," never that accurate to begin
with, have become increasingly irrelevant. Most people, given a choice
between life and the abstract concept of choice, would chose life.
Besides, women have pointed out that "choice" was not always the key
factor in determining whether they have abortions; often economic,
social, personal or other factors they didn't have control over forced
their decisions. Yet despite a new urgency to protect reproductive rights, progressives still flounder when it comes to how to talk about it.
NARAL,
one of the oldest and largest reproductive rights lobbying groups, has
changed its name to NARAL Pro-Choice America. Not exactly catchy. And
its big campaign, to prevent Alito from becoming a Supreme Court
justice, is called "Stop Anti-Choice Alito."
The
National Organization of Women, the other big feminist and reproductive
rights group, calls its campaign: "Save Women's Reproductive Freedom."
Not much more accurate and a bit wordy to rally the troops.
The most
successful attempt at coalition building and framing of reproductive
rights happened in April 2004, when over a million women joined the
March for Women's Lives in Washington. In 2005, SoapBox launched "I Had
An Abortion" speak-outs and T-shirts, very popular with young women.
The trick for 2006 is taking this personalizing of the reproductive
rights experience and translating it into effective political and legal
strategy. Perhaps 2006 will be the year the idea of "life vs. choice"
finally dies and a real debate takes its place.
How about trying The Right To Mother - At the Right Time?
Take a look at Neumann's other top issues for 2006 and their progressive frame here.
Dr. Susan Wood to Speak in Des Moines on Thursday, Jan. 5, on Women's Health, Emergency Contraception and the FDA
by
Linda Thieman
on Wed 04 Jan 2006 04:00 AM CST
Dr. Susan Wood to Speak in Des Moines on Thursday, Jan. 5, on Women's Health, Emergency Contraception and the FDA
Dr.
Susan Wood will be speaking at Drake University (Bulldog Theatre) on
Thursday, January 5th. This event is free and open to the public,
RSVP today! Event details are outlined below.
WOMEN'S HEALTH, EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION AND THE FDA
Why Science is Important in Health Care Policy Decisions
Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa invites you to attend a discussion with Dr.
Susan Wood, former Assistant Commissioner for Women’s Health and
Director of the Office of Women’s Health at the Food and Drug
Administration.
Dr. Wood resigned
on August 31, 2005, from the FDA in protest over continued delays in
approving over-the-counter status for Plan B emergency contraception.
Though
the FDA’s own scientists and advisory panels have approved Plan B for
over-the-counter status, this status has been continually delayed since
2003. These delays "continue to limit women's access to a product
that would reduce unintended pregnancies and reduce abortions," writes
Wood in her resignation, and are "contrary to [her] core commitment to
improving and advancing women's health.”
Please join us on Thursday, January 5, 2006 as Dr. Wood discusses the value of sound science when making health care policy decisions.
Who: Dr. Susan Wood
Former FDA Director of Women's Health
Date: Thursday, January 5, 2006
Time: 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Place: Bulldog Theatre
Drake University - 29th & University
Des Moines, Iowa
RSVP
Contact Family Planning Council of Iowa at FPCI@FPCOUNCIL.COM or 515-288-9028
FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Event sponsors:
Family Planning Council of Iowa, Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa,
Drake University College of Pharmacy, Iowa Commission on the Status of
Women and Iowa Pharmacists Association
The Right To Mother - At the Right Time
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