What We're Reading This Morning -- February 24
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Good morning everyone and happy Friday! Around here it always seems like Fridays end up being the busiest days of the week, so we’ll skip the discussions about Jeremy Lin’s (and the New York Knicks’) loss last night, and dive into what we’re reading this morning…
Not everything’s bigger in Texas, especially if anti-women’s health legislators get their way. “Texas defies Obama administration, bars abortion providers from Medicaid” – “Texas on Thursday passed regulations barring Planned Parenthood clinics and other ‘affiliates of abortion providers’ from participating in the state's Medicaid program starting March 14, the Texas Tribune is reporting. The Obama administration has told Texas that its plans violate federal law. If the two parties can't reach agreement, the newspaper reports, the state's Women's Health Program could be dismantled, leaving 130,000 low-income women without access to birth control, cancer screenings and other preventive benefits.”
How are women less “qualified” to discuss birth control? They’re not, says Cecile Richards as she sits down with Salon: “I don’t think Mr. Issa has ever taken birth control” – “’Where they are totally missing the boat is that women in America don’t see birth control as a social issue. It’s a health care issue. The average American woman spends five years getting pregnant and having kids and then she spends an average of 30 years trying not to get pregnant. So trying to prevent an unintended pregnancy is a lifelong pursuit for women. Birth control is a basic healthcare issue and it’s an economic issue. Many women will save $600 a year from this [Affordable Care] benefit alone. I can’t say it enough: 99 percent of women in America, if they have ever been sexually active, use birth control. And 98 percent of Catholic women use birth control. This is just not a controversial topic!’”
On Title X, Santorum was for it before he was against it. Santorum proves he can’t be trusted on women’s health. “Santorum’s lightning-fast flip-flop on birth control funding” – “Santorum has pointed to his support for Title X in explaining his position on contraception: personally opposed but not in favor of imposing that view on others. Hmmm, impressive. Especially impressive because Mitt Romney has said he would eliminate funding for Title X. Evidence, it would seem, that Santorum can separate his personal morality from his public policy stances…. Except, here is Santorum, five days later, at the Arizona presidential debate: ‘As Congressman Paul knows, I opposed Title X funding. I’ve always opposed Title X funding, but it’s included in a large appropriation bill that includes a whole host of other things,’ Santorum said.”
The story of Virginia and the ultrasound bill. “Nitty-gritty knocked Va. abortion bill off the fast track” – “In the end, it took late-night comedians, a less genteel legislature and a backtracking governor to change the course of Virginia’s highly contentious antiabortion bill. The measure, which would require women to get an ultrasound before having an abortion, was headed for the law books late last week. But over the course of nine days, it became clear that the legislation’s sponsors didn’t realize one key fact — that for an ultrasound to determine the age of a fetus, as mandated by the bill, it would usually require a vaginal probe.”
Denied an opportunity to speak by House Republicans at last week’s hearing on women’s health, Sandra Fluke speaks out. “House Democrats Hold Birth Control Hearing With Themselves” – “Here's what happened in Congress on Thursday: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) presided over a hearing on women's health, featuring all Democratic lawmakers who support President Barack Obama's contraception rule and testimony from one witness who also supports the rule… Maloney also said politics wasn't driving Democrats' decision to hold their own hearing. ‘This is about policy. We want women to have access to a whole range of insurance coverage for reproductive rights, including contraceptives,’ she said.”
