What We're Reading This Morning -- January 30
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Good morning everyone and happy Monday! After our star-studded event last week with Julianne Moore, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gabrielle Union, and America Ferrera, along with the State of the Union and numerous GOP debates, we’re looking forward to a slightly less eventful week. But with the Florida Republican presidential primary tomorrow and the Super Bowl on Sunday, it’s bound to be busy regardless. Here’s what we’re reading this morning…
Obama’s decision to protect access to birth control was critical in the fight to protect women’s health says a New York Times editorial: “Birth Control and Reproductive Rights"—“It was good news that the Obama administration withstood pressure from Roman Catholic bishops and social conservatives to deny contraceptive coverage for millions of American women who work for religiously affiliated employers. Kathleen Sebelius, the Health and Human Services secretary, rejected broad exemptions from a new rule requiring all health plans to cover birth control, without a deductible or co-payment…. The administration’s commitment to affordable birth control is welcome at a moment when women’s access to reproductive health care, including contraceptives, cancer screenings and abortion services, is under assault in the courts, state legislatures and Congress, as well as on the Republican campaign trail.”
In attempt to woo over voters in conservative Florida, Newt Gingrich has proclaimed his opposition to stem cell research, or as he calls it, “the use of science to desensitize society over the killing of babies.” Seriously. The Washington Post reports: “Gingrich vows to ban embryonic stem-cell research, questions in vitro practices”—“‘I believe life begins at conception, and the question I was raising was what happens to embryos in fertility clinics, and I would favor a commission to look seriously at the ethics of how we manage fertility clinics,’ Gingrich said at a news conference outside another Baptist church here.”
On college campuses, students are celebrating the President’s ruling to protect access to affordable birth control. The New York Times reports: “Ruling on Contraception Draws Battle Lines at Catholic Colleges” – “At Catholic universities, some students support the right of the schools to uphold religious doctrine. But others, particularly professional and graduate students, have found the restrictions on birth control coverage onerous. Undergraduates are often covered by their parents’ insurance, but graduate students are usually on their own and are more likely to be married or in relationships and in regular need of birth control. At some schools, students say the rules are so stringent they have a hard time getting coverage even if they need birth control pills for strictly medical reasons.”
