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Novara
Novara's Journal
Novara's Journal
August 20, 2015
<snip>
“When he said that women’s innate nurturing abilities made them good for work in outreach and development projects, and I felt like we had lurched back to the ’50s,” said David L. Clements, an astrophysics at Imperial College London, who attended the speech.
Furthermore, many women have no interest in being nurturing and resent the implication that they are, simply by nature of their gender. Even those who are nurturing don’t necessarily want it considered as part of their suitability as scientists.
Rachael Livermore, a postdoctoral fellow in astronomy at the University of Texas at Austin, also attended the IAU speech and was outraged. “It completely misses the point that we should be striving for equality because excluding huge swaths of people for arbitrary reasons is bad for science as well as being unfair to those excluded,” she said, “not because the excluded groups have some sort of special magical skill to offer."
That really is the core of the problem. Benvenuti, by all accounts, sincerely supports the inclusion of more women in the field and in these leadership positions. Even the most critical attendees I spoke with believed he was trying to compliment his colleagues whom he held in high scientific esteem.
But women aren’t superhero scientists. We’re just scientists. Benvenuti was trying to be supportive, but when stereotypes enter the discussion to justify why women—or other underrepresented groups—should be fairly represented in science, it undermines the premise that we should be included simply for our scientific abilities.
“I am willing to give my colleague the benefit of the doubt and assume he didn’t mean any harm by his comments,” Emily Rice, an astronomer at the College of Staten Island–CUNY, told me. “Unfortunately, even well-intentioned comments are representative of the benevolent sexism that many women face every day in science. We should be valued as scientists, for our research and other contributions to the field, not by how well we conform to gender stereotypes."
Read more: http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2015/08/20/female_scientists_piero_benvenuti_celebrate_female_astronomers_at_the_international.html
Astronomer Celebrates Female Scientists’ “Special Natural Gift for Caring and Educating”
Astronomer Celebrates Female Scientists’ “Special Natural Gift for Caring and Educating”<snip>
“When he said that women’s innate nurturing abilities made them good for work in outreach and development projects, and I felt like we had lurched back to the ’50s,” said David L. Clements, an astrophysics at Imperial College London, who attended the speech.
Furthermore, many women have no interest in being nurturing and resent the implication that they are, simply by nature of their gender. Even those who are nurturing don’t necessarily want it considered as part of their suitability as scientists.
Rachael Livermore, a postdoctoral fellow in astronomy at the University of Texas at Austin, also attended the IAU speech and was outraged. “It completely misses the point that we should be striving for equality because excluding huge swaths of people for arbitrary reasons is bad for science as well as being unfair to those excluded,” she said, “not because the excluded groups have some sort of special magical skill to offer."
That really is the core of the problem. Benvenuti, by all accounts, sincerely supports the inclusion of more women in the field and in these leadership positions. Even the most critical attendees I spoke with believed he was trying to compliment his colleagues whom he held in high scientific esteem.
But women aren’t superhero scientists. We’re just scientists. Benvenuti was trying to be supportive, but when stereotypes enter the discussion to justify why women—or other underrepresented groups—should be fairly represented in science, it undermines the premise that we should be included simply for our scientific abilities.
“I am willing to give my colleague the benefit of the doubt and assume he didn’t mean any harm by his comments,” Emily Rice, an astronomer at the College of Staten Island–CUNY, told me. “Unfortunately, even well-intentioned comments are representative of the benevolent sexism that many women face every day in science. We should be valued as scientists, for our research and other contributions to the field, not by how well we conform to gender stereotypes."
Read more: http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2015/08/20/female_scientists_piero_benvenuti_celebrate_female_astronomers_at_the_international.html
August 19, 2015
<snip>
"We need a good, modest, conservative dress code for both the males and females," King wrote in an email, the Huffington Post reported on Tuesday. "Removing one more distraction will help everyone keep their focus on legislative matters."
<snip>
U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) said establishing an intern dress code would put responsibility for the harassment on the interns when it should be on the harasser.
In letters to the Missouri lawmakers, McCaskill (who once worked as an intern at the state legislature) wrote that the proposed solution "bitterly disappointed" her.
Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/missouri-legislature-intern-dress-code
Missouri Lawmakers Respond To Sexual Harassment Of Interns By Suggesting Intern Dress Code
Missouri Lawmakers Respond To Sexual Harassment Of Interns By Suggesting Intern Dress Code<snip>
"We need a good, modest, conservative dress code for both the males and females," King wrote in an email, the Huffington Post reported on Tuesday. "Removing one more distraction will help everyone keep their focus on legislative matters."
<snip>
U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) said establishing an intern dress code would put responsibility for the harassment on the interns when it should be on the harasser.
In letters to the Missouri lawmakers, McCaskill (who once worked as an intern at the state legislature) wrote that the proposed solution "bitterly disappointed" her.
I refuse to stand by idly while any suggestion is made that victims of sexual harassment in the Missouri State Legislature is the responsibility of anyone other than the legislators themselves. It is the responsibility of you and your colleagues to uphold the law, protect the young people working in our state’s capital, and confront and change a culture that excuses sexual violence. This problem has nothing to do with how interns are dressed.
Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/missouri-legislature-intern-dress-code
August 19, 2015
If 2012 was the year of Republican men saying stupid things – from “legitimate rape” to pregnancy from rape being something “God intended”– this must be the year of Republican men simply being stupid. There’s no other way to account for the complete meltdown that the party’s presidential hopefuls are having over abortion, racing to the right in a short-sighted effort to win the nomination while leaving themselves high and dry for the general election.
<snip>
As I find myself (almost) speechless in response to all of these men, I think Sen. Elizabeth Warren said it best: “Did you fall down, hit your head and think you woke up in the 1950s or the 1890s? Should we call for a doctor?”
Republicans vying for their party’s endorsement seem to forget that women’s votes exist. And that while this anti-choice posturing may be beneficial in the primaries, they are handing Hillary Clinton – or whoever the Democratic nominee may be – a mighty large sword to wield against them in the general election.
Jess McIntosh, vice president of communications at EMILY’s List, told me, “They’re so extreme it almost forecloses the possibility of a campaign. No persuadable voters want to hear about your plan to force raped children to give birth. It sounds as monstrous as it is.”
“And how do you argue about parental consent, when if you had your way the wishes of the parents would be meaningless?” she continued, “since every accidental teen and pre-teen pregnancy would be forced to result in birth?”
The GOP contenders are ignoring the fact that one in three American women will have an abortion and that 95% of them will not regret it. Do they think those women will be voting for the candidate who would try to have that decision taken away?
It’s well-established that extreme positions against abortion simply don’t fly with American voters. Measures to give zygotes personhood rights have failed again and again, the majority of Americans don’t want to see Roe v Wade overturned, and most people believe in abortion exceptions. Jocelyn Kiley, associate director at the Pew Research Center, told me that about 75% of Americans believe abortions should be possible in the case of rape. “For and health and life exceptions,” she says, “there’s a broad majority of more than 80%.”
Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/aug/19/anti-abortion-haunt-republicans-2016-election
Anti-abortion one-upsmanship will haunt Republicans in the election
Anti-abortion one-upsmanship will haunt Republicans in the electionIf 2012 was the year of Republican men saying stupid things – from “legitimate rape” to pregnancy from rape being something “God intended”– this must be the year of Republican men simply being stupid. There’s no other way to account for the complete meltdown that the party’s presidential hopefuls are having over abortion, racing to the right in a short-sighted effort to win the nomination while leaving themselves high and dry for the general election.
<snip>
As I find myself (almost) speechless in response to all of these men, I think Sen. Elizabeth Warren said it best: “Did you fall down, hit your head and think you woke up in the 1950s or the 1890s? Should we call for a doctor?”
Republicans vying for their party’s endorsement seem to forget that women’s votes exist. And that while this anti-choice posturing may be beneficial in the primaries, they are handing Hillary Clinton – or whoever the Democratic nominee may be – a mighty large sword to wield against them in the general election.
Jess McIntosh, vice president of communications at EMILY’s List, told me, “They’re so extreme it almost forecloses the possibility of a campaign. No persuadable voters want to hear about your plan to force raped children to give birth. It sounds as monstrous as it is.”
“And how do you argue about parental consent, when if you had your way the wishes of the parents would be meaningless?” she continued, “since every accidental teen and pre-teen pregnancy would be forced to result in birth?”
The GOP contenders are ignoring the fact that one in three American women will have an abortion and that 95% of them will not regret it. Do they think those women will be voting for the candidate who would try to have that decision taken away?
It’s well-established that extreme positions against abortion simply don’t fly with American voters. Measures to give zygotes personhood rights have failed again and again, the majority of Americans don’t want to see Roe v Wade overturned, and most people believe in abortion exceptions. Jocelyn Kiley, associate director at the Pew Research Center, told me that about 75% of Americans believe abortions should be possible in the case of rape. “For and health and life exceptions,” she says, “there’s a broad majority of more than 80%.”
Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/aug/19/anti-abortion-haunt-republicans-2016-election
August 18, 2015
As state-level investigations into Planned Parenthood continue to find that the health-care provider has not broken any laws by donating fetal tissue for medical research, the Obama administration is now saying that it has found no evidence of wrongdoing among either government researchers who work with fetal tissue or companies that supply it.
Politico reports that Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) assistant secretary Jim Esquea sent a letter Friday to Sens. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) confirming that HHS knows of “no violation” of federal fetal tissue laws “in connection with the research done at our agencies.”
Ernst and Blunt co-sponsored a failed bill that would have defunded Planned Parenthood over spurious allegations of wrongdoing by the Center for Medical Progress, an anti-choice front group that has released deceptively edited and possibly illegal undercover videos attacking Planned Parenthood’s fetal tissue donation program.
“Furthermore … we have confirmed that HHS researchers working with fetal tissue obtained the tissue from non-profit organizations that provided assurances to us that they are in compliance with all applicable legal requirements,” the letter said.
HHS noted that fetal tissue research conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) makes up less than 0.1 percent of the agency’s research budget, and that HHS has gotten reaffirmations from government researchers and government-funded researchers that they are complying with the law.
GOP lawmakers are preparing to launch congressional investigations into Planned Parenthood based on the unsupported allegations in CMP’s videos, despite numerous state-level investigations that have so far come up empty.
Read more: http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2015/08/17/obama-administration-known-violation-fetal-tissue-laws/
Obama Administration: No Known Violation of Fetal Tissue Laws
Obama Administration: No Known Violation of Fetal Tissue LawsAs state-level investigations into Planned Parenthood continue to find that the health-care provider has not broken any laws by donating fetal tissue for medical research, the Obama administration is now saying that it has found no evidence of wrongdoing among either government researchers who work with fetal tissue or companies that supply it.
Politico reports that Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) assistant secretary Jim Esquea sent a letter Friday to Sens. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) confirming that HHS knows of “no violation” of federal fetal tissue laws “in connection with the research done at our agencies.”
Ernst and Blunt co-sponsored a failed bill that would have defunded Planned Parenthood over spurious allegations of wrongdoing by the Center for Medical Progress, an anti-choice front group that has released deceptively edited and possibly illegal undercover videos attacking Planned Parenthood’s fetal tissue donation program.
“Furthermore … we have confirmed that HHS researchers working with fetal tissue obtained the tissue from non-profit organizations that provided assurances to us that they are in compliance with all applicable legal requirements,” the letter said.
HHS noted that fetal tissue research conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) makes up less than 0.1 percent of the agency’s research budget, and that HHS has gotten reaffirmations from government researchers and government-funded researchers that they are complying with the law.
GOP lawmakers are preparing to launch congressional investigations into Planned Parenthood based on the unsupported allegations in CMP’s videos, despite numerous state-level investigations that have so far come up empty.
Read more: http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2015/08/17/obama-administration-known-violation-fetal-tissue-laws/
August 18, 2015
As state-level investigations into Planned Parenthood continue to find that the health-care provider has not broken any laws by donating fetal tissue for medical research, the Obama administration is now saying that it has found no evidence of wrongdoing among either government researchers who work with fetal tissue or companies that supply it.
Politico reports that Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) assistant secretary Jim Esquea sent a letter Friday to Sens. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) confirming that HHS knows of “no violation” of federal fetal tissue laws “in connection with the research done at our agencies.”
Ernst and Blunt co-sponsored a failed bill that would have defunded Planned Parenthood over spurious allegations of wrongdoing by the Center for Medical Progress, an anti-choice front group that has released deceptively edited and possibly illegal undercover videos attacking Planned Parenthood’s fetal tissue donation program.
“Furthermore … we have confirmed that HHS researchers working with fetal tissue obtained the tissue from non-profit organizations that provided assurances to us that they are in compliance with all applicable legal requirements,” the letter said.
HHS noted that fetal tissue research conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) makes up less than 0.1 percent of the agency’s research budget, and that HHS has gotten reaffirmations from government researchers and government-funded researchers that they are complying with the law.
GOP lawmakers are preparing to launch congressional investigations into Planned Parenthood based on the unsupported allegations in CMP’s videos, despite numerous state-level investigations that have so far come up empty.
Read more: http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2015/08/17/obama-administration-known-violation-fetal-tissue-laws/
Obama Administration: No Known Violation of Fetal Tissue Laws
Obama Administration: No Known Violation of Fetal Tissue LawsAs state-level investigations into Planned Parenthood continue to find that the health-care provider has not broken any laws by donating fetal tissue for medical research, the Obama administration is now saying that it has found no evidence of wrongdoing among either government researchers who work with fetal tissue or companies that supply it.
Politico reports that Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) assistant secretary Jim Esquea sent a letter Friday to Sens. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) confirming that HHS knows of “no violation” of federal fetal tissue laws “in connection with the research done at our agencies.”
Ernst and Blunt co-sponsored a failed bill that would have defunded Planned Parenthood over spurious allegations of wrongdoing by the Center for Medical Progress, an anti-choice front group that has released deceptively edited and possibly illegal undercover videos attacking Planned Parenthood’s fetal tissue donation program.
“Furthermore … we have confirmed that HHS researchers working with fetal tissue obtained the tissue from non-profit organizations that provided assurances to us that they are in compliance with all applicable legal requirements,” the letter said.
HHS noted that fetal tissue research conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) makes up less than 0.1 percent of the agency’s research budget, and that HHS has gotten reaffirmations from government researchers and government-funded researchers that they are complying with the law.
GOP lawmakers are preparing to launch congressional investigations into Planned Parenthood based on the unsupported allegations in CMP’s videos, despite numerous state-level investigations that have so far come up empty.
Read more: http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2015/08/17/obama-administration-known-violation-fetal-tissue-laws/
August 18, 2015
This is a detailed list of everything you need to know when a pharmacy refuses to fill your prescription - where the laws protect you and what to do if you are refused.
There's a pdf version in the link: http://www.nwlc.org/resource/pharmacy-refusals-101
Pharmacy Refusals 101
Pharmacy Refusals 101This is a detailed list of everything you need to know when a pharmacy refuses to fill your prescription - where the laws protect you and what to do if you are refused.
There's a pdf version in the link: http://www.nwlc.org/resource/pharmacy-refusals-101
August 17, 2015
Planned Parenthood sought an emergency legal injunction on Monday against Florida health officials to block the use of what it says are new and unpublished standards to define pregnancy gestation periods.
The legal move filed in circuit court in Tallahassee came after Florida Republican Governor Rick Scott ordered a probe last month of the state's 16 Planned Parenthood locations, resulting in three clinics being cited on Aug. 5 for illegally performing abortions in the second trimester.
Planned Parenthood said the abortions in question were first-trimester abortions and that the state appeared to have arbitrarily shortened its measurement of the first trimester.
<snip>
The group accused the state of moving the goalpost by using different standards from ones AHCA had used over the past decade to calculate first- and second-trimester abortions.
Planned Parenthood said AHCA had long agreed to define the first trimester of a pregnancy as the first 12 weeks of pregnancy or the first 14 weeks following the last normal menstrual period.
The group noted that AHCA's new definition was made without any prior announcement and noted the political timing of the citations that were issued two days before the Republican presidential debate.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/17/us-usa-plannedparenthood-florida-idUSKCN0QM1VN20150817?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews
Planned Parenthood seeks injunction against Florida health agency
Planned Parenthood seeks injunction against Florida health agencyPlanned Parenthood sought an emergency legal injunction on Monday against Florida health officials to block the use of what it says are new and unpublished standards to define pregnancy gestation periods.
The legal move filed in circuit court in Tallahassee came after Florida Republican Governor Rick Scott ordered a probe last month of the state's 16 Planned Parenthood locations, resulting in three clinics being cited on Aug. 5 for illegally performing abortions in the second trimester.
Planned Parenthood said the abortions in question were first-trimester abortions and that the state appeared to have arbitrarily shortened its measurement of the first trimester.
<snip>
The group accused the state of moving the goalpost by using different standards from ones AHCA had used over the past decade to calculate first- and second-trimester abortions.
Planned Parenthood said AHCA had long agreed to define the first trimester of a pregnancy as the first 12 weeks of pregnancy or the first 14 weeks following the last normal menstrual period.
The group noted that AHCA's new definition was made without any prior announcement and noted the political timing of the citations that were issued two days before the Republican presidential debate.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/17/us-usa-plannedparenthood-florida-idUSKCN0QM1VN20150817?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews
August 17, 2015
The Sigma Nu fraternity at the University of Central Florida has been suspended after members were caught on tape chanting about rape after coming home from a bar, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
A woman whose boyfriend lived in the same off-campus apartment caught the incident on tape, and then gave it to a UCF student to report to the school. "In a video, there's a brother yelling obscenities, like, 'Let's rape some [expletives], rape some sluts' and then yelling, 'Rape,' over and over again," the report at the Student Conduct Office reportedly reads. Just this October, a UCF student claimed she was raped at an off-campus Sigma Nu residence.
The video has launched a Title IX investigation at the school, and the fraternity is accused of condoning or encouraging acts of sexual misconduct. UCF will hold a hearing this week to investigate the fraternity members, who could face punishment ranging from community service to expulsion.
Read more: http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/news/a37212/university-of-central-florida-sigma-nu-rape-chant/
_____________________
This shit never ends, does it?
Florida Fraternity Suspended After Members Caught on Video Chanting About Rape
Florida Fraternity Suspended After Members Caught on Video Chanting About RapeThe Sigma Nu fraternity at the University of Central Florida has been suspended after members were caught on tape chanting about rape after coming home from a bar, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
A woman whose boyfriend lived in the same off-campus apartment caught the incident on tape, and then gave it to a UCF student to report to the school. "In a video, there's a brother yelling obscenities, like, 'Let's rape some [expletives], rape some sluts' and then yelling, 'Rape,' over and over again," the report at the Student Conduct Office reportedly reads. Just this October, a UCF student claimed she was raped at an off-campus Sigma Nu residence.
The video has launched a Title IX investigation at the school, and the fraternity is accused of condoning or encouraging acts of sexual misconduct. UCF will hold a hearing this week to investigate the fraternity members, who could face punishment ranging from community service to expulsion.
Read more: http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/news/a37212/university-of-central-florida-sigma-nu-rape-chant/
_____________________
This shit never ends, does it?
August 15, 2015
I want to thank the staff of Glamour for asking me to contribute. It's a nice consolation prize for being passed over for their Woman of the Year Award. Not that I wanted it anyway. I believe that honor should go to a woman. I'm a bit of a feminist that way.
And make no mistake: I love women. I'm married to one, I was birthed by one, and I played one in my high school production of Romeo and Juliet. No one else could fit into the bodice.
Women today have so many smart, resourceful, and intuitive role models. Look no further than Marissa Mayer, Michelle Obama, Sacajawea, and the green M&M.
And according to the U.S. Census Bureau, women outnumber men. Fellas, technically this does make you a minority, but it's probably best not to say so on your college financial aid application.
It has been pointed out to me that I, like other late-night TV hosts, am a man. And while I'm happy to have a job, I am surprised that the world of late-night TV lacks a female presence, unlike sitcoms, which are packed with smoking-hot wives who teach their doughy husband a valuable lesson when he slips on a pizza and falls headfirst into a porta-potty full of beer. Check your local listings.
While there are many talented female comedians out there, right now the world of late-night is a bit of a sausagefest. Perhaps one day it will be just the opposite—which I believe is called a Georgia O'Keeffe retrospective.
And mine is not the only field that lacks enough women. Where are all the lady blacksmiths? What about the bait-and-tackle shopkeepers, pool maintenance professionals, building superintendents, or CEOs of Fortune 500 companies? Why are all those minions shaped like tiny phalluses? Why did Mad Max get top billing in Fury Road when he was essentially just a grunting tripod for Charlize Theron's rifle? Of course, historically, our thriving U.S. president industry definitely skews male—but that could change in 2016. Carly Fiorina, all eyes are on you.
Even when women do succeed, their stories often aren't told. Did you know that the first computer, ENIAC, was programmed by six female mathematicians? If it weren't for those pioneering women, we might not have computers at all. And then how would people read empowering listicles like "20 Hot Actresses Without Makeup! (#5 Will Make You Question God!)"?
My point is this: Why does this gender inequality still persist, and how can we stop it? I don't have all the answers. And frankly, it's sexist of you to think I do just because I'm a man. C'mon!
Read more: http://www.glamour.com/entertainment/2015/08/stephen-colbert-shares-why-he-thinks-women-should-be-in-charge-of-everything
Stephen Colbert Shares Why He Thinks Women Should Be in Charge of Everything
Stephen Colbert Shares Why He Thinks Women Should Be in Charge of EverythingI want to thank the staff of Glamour for asking me to contribute. It's a nice consolation prize for being passed over for their Woman of the Year Award. Not that I wanted it anyway. I believe that honor should go to a woman. I'm a bit of a feminist that way.
And make no mistake: I love women. I'm married to one, I was birthed by one, and I played one in my high school production of Romeo and Juliet. No one else could fit into the bodice.
Women today have so many smart, resourceful, and intuitive role models. Look no further than Marissa Mayer, Michelle Obama, Sacajawea, and the green M&M.
And according to the U.S. Census Bureau, women outnumber men. Fellas, technically this does make you a minority, but it's probably best not to say so on your college financial aid application.
It has been pointed out to me that I, like other late-night TV hosts, am a man. And while I'm happy to have a job, I am surprised that the world of late-night TV lacks a female presence, unlike sitcoms, which are packed with smoking-hot wives who teach their doughy husband a valuable lesson when he slips on a pizza and falls headfirst into a porta-potty full of beer. Check your local listings.
While there are many talented female comedians out there, right now the world of late-night is a bit of a sausagefest. Perhaps one day it will be just the opposite—which I believe is called a Georgia O'Keeffe retrospective.
And mine is not the only field that lacks enough women. Where are all the lady blacksmiths? What about the bait-and-tackle shopkeepers, pool maintenance professionals, building superintendents, or CEOs of Fortune 500 companies? Why are all those minions shaped like tiny phalluses? Why did Mad Max get top billing in Fury Road when he was essentially just a grunting tripod for Charlize Theron's rifle? Of course, historically, our thriving U.S. president industry definitely skews male—but that could change in 2016. Carly Fiorina, all eyes are on you.
Even when women do succeed, their stories often aren't told. Did you know that the first computer, ENIAC, was programmed by six female mathematicians? If it weren't for those pioneering women, we might not have computers at all. And then how would people read empowering listicles like "20 Hot Actresses Without Makeup! (#5 Will Make You Question God!)"?
My point is this: Why does this gender inequality still persist, and how can we stop it? I don't have all the answers. And frankly, it's sexist of you to think I do just because I'm a man. C'mon!
Read more: http://www.glamour.com/entertainment/2015/08/stephen-colbert-shares-why-he-thinks-women-should-be-in-charge-of-everything
August 14, 2015
That’s exactly what we are doing with Planned Parenthood and abortion. By defending Planned Parenthood as “only” three percent abortion care, we are reinforcing abortion stigma. When we siphon off abortion care from the rest of the reproductive health care spectrum, we actually end up stigmatizing the very thing we’re supposed to be defending.
We have backed ourselves into such an unnecessary and harmful corner that Planned Parenthood is now publicly thanking Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump for rejecting “extreme positions” on the organization and expressing his potential support for some funding. This from a man who, in the same statement, said that Planned Parenthood is “like an abortion factory” and that the government should not fund abortion care.
What are we doing here? Planned Parenthood is thanking a candidate for saying he hates them, but maybe doesn’t hate every single thing about them?
We have to stop this. We have to stop inferring that abortion it isn’t really health care, that it’s okay to deny government funding to it. We cannot defend reproductive health care by reinforcing the stigmatizing notion that abortion is different.
Abortion is not different. Abortion is health care. Abortion is still legal in this country, and a basic human and constitutional right.
Across the country, there are many independent health care clinics that specialize in providing abortion. These clinics provide safe and quality abortion care to pregnant people in need. They are not breaking the law or doing something bad. They are providing a basic health care need that one in three women in America will have, and yet we have relegated them to the shameful shadows while we try to win favor with those who hate us the most.
It wouldn’t matter if 100 percent of what Planned Parenthood does is abortion care—they would still deserve our support and, quite frankly, federal funding. For nearly 40 years, the Hyde Amendment has barred the use of federal funds for abortion care, and it is renewed annually with support from Democrats as well as Republicans. The Democratic Party and liberals more broadly have conceded that abortion doesn’t deserve the same kind of funding that other health care services do. It is an egregious violation of the rights of low-income pregnant people, and yet the left has done little in the way of galvanizing to end it.
That’s why many reproductive rights supporters were so heartened by the introduction of the EACH Woman Act, which would ensure that all pregnant people, regardless of their income level, have access to safe and legal abortion care. If a woman receives health insurance through the federal government, she would be covered for all pregnancy-care, including abortion. Additionally, the EACH Woman Act would prohibit states from banning private insurance coverage for abortion care, a legislative trend that has been on the rise.
But we’re not talking about the EACH Woman Act anymore. We’re not even talking about abortion. We’re talking about how only three percent of what Planned Parenthood does is abortion-related and we’re praising Donald Trump for simply considering support for continued Planned Parenthood funding. By failing to embrace and defend abortion, we are hurting our movement, our rights and ourselves.
Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/planned-parenthood-shies-away-from-abortion
Why Planned Parenthood's Defense Against GOP Attacks Could Backfire
Why Planned Parenthood's Defense Against GOP Attacks Could BackfireThat’s exactly what we are doing with Planned Parenthood and abortion. By defending Planned Parenthood as “only” three percent abortion care, we are reinforcing abortion stigma. When we siphon off abortion care from the rest of the reproductive health care spectrum, we actually end up stigmatizing the very thing we’re supposed to be defending.
We have backed ourselves into such an unnecessary and harmful corner that Planned Parenthood is now publicly thanking Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump for rejecting “extreme positions” on the organization and expressing his potential support for some funding. This from a man who, in the same statement, said that Planned Parenthood is “like an abortion factory” and that the government should not fund abortion care.
What are we doing here? Planned Parenthood is thanking a candidate for saying he hates them, but maybe doesn’t hate every single thing about them?
We have to stop this. We have to stop inferring that abortion it isn’t really health care, that it’s okay to deny government funding to it. We cannot defend reproductive health care by reinforcing the stigmatizing notion that abortion is different.
Abortion is not different. Abortion is health care. Abortion is still legal in this country, and a basic human and constitutional right.
Across the country, there are many independent health care clinics that specialize in providing abortion. These clinics provide safe and quality abortion care to pregnant people in need. They are not breaking the law or doing something bad. They are providing a basic health care need that one in three women in America will have, and yet we have relegated them to the shameful shadows while we try to win favor with those who hate us the most.
It wouldn’t matter if 100 percent of what Planned Parenthood does is abortion care—they would still deserve our support and, quite frankly, federal funding. For nearly 40 years, the Hyde Amendment has barred the use of federal funds for abortion care, and it is renewed annually with support from Democrats as well as Republicans. The Democratic Party and liberals more broadly have conceded that abortion doesn’t deserve the same kind of funding that other health care services do. It is an egregious violation of the rights of low-income pregnant people, and yet the left has done little in the way of galvanizing to end it.
That’s why many reproductive rights supporters were so heartened by the introduction of the EACH Woman Act, which would ensure that all pregnant people, regardless of their income level, have access to safe and legal abortion care. If a woman receives health insurance through the federal government, she would be covered for all pregnancy-care, including abortion. Additionally, the EACH Woman Act would prohibit states from banning private insurance coverage for abortion care, a legislative trend that has been on the rise.
But we’re not talking about the EACH Woman Act anymore. We’re not even talking about abortion. We’re talking about how only three percent of what Planned Parenthood does is abortion-related and we’re praising Donald Trump for simply considering support for continued Planned Parenthood funding. By failing to embrace and defend abortion, we are hurting our movement, our rights and ourselves.
Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/planned-parenthood-shies-away-from-abortion
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