What We're Reading This Morning -- April 13
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Good morning everyone and Happy Friday the 13th (to be precise)! The “war on women” continues in the national arena as the Romney campaign tries to spin statistics and regain ground with women voters. Meanwhile, the latest trend in anti-choice legislation, the 20-week ban, was signed into law in Arizona. Unfortunately, Georgia and New Hampshire have similar bills on their legislative agendas as well.
Here’s what we’re reading this morning….
A Romney Presidency would turn back the clock to the days of Mad Men. “The Draperizing of Mitt Romney” — “He may not drink or cheat, and he lacks the fictional ad-maker’s charisma, but Democrats, despite the potential perils of such a strategy, remain determined to paint Romney as a throwback to the Mad Men era — a hopelessly retro figure, who, on policy and in his personal life, is living in the past. President Barack Obama has noted the presumptive GOP nominee uses archaic turns of phrase such as ‘marvelous’ and warned in an e-mail to donors Thursday that his rival would usher in ‘a social agenda from the 1950s.’ The president’s chief strategist, David Axelrod, has gone further, quipping that the former Massachusetts governor “must watch ‘Mad Men’ and think it’s the evening news” while jabbing that Romney’s views are out of a time when ‘bosses could dictate on women’s health…. Liberal critics will also attack Romney’s stand on issues important to women — not just his ability to relate to modern families. ‘For Mitt Romney to just, in a completely offhand way, say we’re going to get rid of Planned Parenthood as if we could as a country — it’s like it’s coming out of another era,’ said Planned Parenthood [Action Fund] President Cecile Richards, alluding to Romney’s March comment that he intended to strip the organization of its federal funding.”
Governor Brewer signs sweeping anti-women’s health bill that would deny women the care they need. “Arizona governor signs law banning most late-term abortions” — “Arizona Republican Governor Jan Brewer signed into law on Thursday a controversial bill that bans most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, giving Republicans a win in ongoing national efforts to impose greater restrictions on abortion. The measure, which state lawmakers gave a final nod to on Tuesday, would bar healthcare professionals from performing abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, except in the case of a medical emergency. Only a small number of these abortions are performed in the state. With Brewer's signature, Arizona joins six other states that have put similar late-term abortion bans in place in the past two years based on hotly debated medical research suggesting that a fetus feels pain starting at 20 weeks of gestation. Georgia lawmakers approved a similar bill in March that now awaits the signature of Republican Governor Nathan Deal.”
A primary care internist in New Hampshire writes on the importance of Planned Parenthood in the Granite State. “Abortion bill puts poor patients at risk” — “As a primary care internist in New Hampshire since 1999, I am writing to explain my opposition to HB 228-FN. This is legislation that proposes to withdrawal any state or federal funding to any institution that provides abortion care or offers counseling or referrals for abortion-related care. This would impact any hospital, community health clinic or private physician office where abortion services or abortion-related counseling or referrals are provided. In essence, this would drastically limit the number of providers that Medicaid would contract with in New Hampshire. Let it be clear that for decades no public funds have gone for abortion services. There is clearly defined legislation that has been followed meticulously in New Hampshire and throughout the country that already prohibits this…. The care provided by entities such as Planned Parenthood and other low-income clinics is often the only care that men and women can access. The care that is provided during women's reproductive years often sets the stage for future healthy lives by helping them avoid serious, life-threatening problems that arise without preventive care services.”
