What We're Reading This Morning -- May 1
Spread the word
|
|
Late morning, everyone and happy May! We can’t believe the month of April has gone by so quickly, but it was a busy, and so far May is off to a similar start! The talk of the town this morning is Texas, where Planned Parenthood was issued a preliminary injunction to continue participating in the Women’s Health Program. The injunction has since been halted by a judge from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals who granted an emergency stay. Meanwhile, the presidential campaigns continue to duke it out over women’s health issues — the Obama campaign releases a new video showing just how extreme Mitt Romney is on women’s health. Here’s what we’re reading this morning…
Supreme Court in Oklahoma rules “personhood” measure unconstitutional because it would block a woman’s legal right to comprehensive reproductive care. “Oklahoma Personhood Measure Struck Down By Supreme Court” – “The Oklahoma Supreme Court unanimously vetoed a ballot measure that would have given embryos full personhood rights on Monday, ruling it ‘clearly unconstitutional’ because it would block a woman's legal right to have an abortion. The personhood measure would give embryos the same legal rights as people from the moment of fertilization, which opponents say would ban abortion and complicate the legality of in vitro fertilization and many forms of birth control. Enacting such a law would violate the U.S. Supreme Court's 1992 decision in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which allows states to pass some abortion restrictions but prevents them from overturning the constitutional right to end a pregnancy. ‘The mandate of Casey is as binding on this Court today as it was twenty years ago,’ the Oklahoma Supreme Court wrote in its decision. ‘Initiative Petition No. 395 conflicts with Casey and is void on its face and it is hereby ordered stricken.’”
Texas Governor Rick Perry has used every opportunity possible to slash women’s health in the Lone Star State. “Efforts spread to cut family planning services” – “AUSTIN – Emily Howell's frequent trips to the Planned Parenthood clinic on East Seventh Street here have less to do with preventing unwanted pregnancies and more about keeping cancer from creeping back into her body. Eleven years ago, Howell beat a malignant tumor in her stomach. Today, she visits the clinic for free cervical exams, breast screenings, STD testing and birth control pills — none of which she could afford. ‘It's a huge burden off me,’ says Howell, 30, an environmental sciences student at Austin Community College. ‘Pregnancy and cervical cancer are the last things I need to worry about.’ Those services, however, may soon vanish in an ongoing struggle between conservative Texas lawmakers and women's groups here to curtail funding for Planned Parenthood and other clinics affiliated with abortion providers. Last year, the Republican-controlled Legislature slashed $74 million from the Family Planning Program, resulting in the closings of 155 clinics across the state. The clinics offered services such as cervical exams, breast exams and free birth control but, under state law, could not provide abortions. In another move, lawmakers passed a law essentially shutting out Planned Parenthood from funding through the state's Medicaid Women's Health Program. Together, the two moves would cut services to more than 300,000 low-income women annually across Texas, according to the Texas Legislative Budget Board.”
The Obama campaign is out with a new video showing just how extreme and out of touch Mitt Romney is on women’s health. “Obama Campaign Accuses Romney of 'Extreme' Views on Women's Issues-- VIDEO” – “President Obama's re-election campaign on Saturday issued a scorching press release with an accompanying video that shows Mitt Romney's stances on some of the issues that matter most to women this election year. ‘Mitt Romney is extreme on issues that matter to women,’ the Obama campaign's news release says. Both the video and the press release mention Romney's refusal to formally support the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, his disapproval of Roe v. Wade, his support of banning all abortions and how he has said he would ‘get rid of’ Planned Parenthood if he became president. The three-minute campaign video also delves into Romney's support of controversial Republican politicians such as Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett, and Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, and their policies that affect the rights of women.”
