NOW - New York State

National Organization for Women-NYS Denounces House Vote for Health Care Reform Package

House Democrats allow Anti-Choice Democrats and Republicans to Use Women's Bodies as a Bargaining Chip in New Health Care Reform Package. For Shame! Tell our US Senators to Stand Strong for Women's Reproductive Rights. Take Action NOW!

Democrats in the House of Representatives Throw Women Under the Bus with Stupak Amendment

Take Action!

Tell US Senators to vote NO on the Entire Health Care Reform Package! Act NOW!

 

Tell US Senators to vote NO on the
Entire Health Care Reform Package!

In an effort to placate anti-choice Democrats, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has allowed passage of a very dangerous amendment that will affect women's lives. The National Organization for Women-NYS is stunned with the passage of the Stupak Amendment, which would ban the public health insurance option from funding abortion, and also ban any private plan operating within the exchange from funding abortions. Under Stupak's plan, a woman buying private insurance from within the exchange with her own money would not have a choice of a plan that covers abortion. In short the Stupak Amendment throws American women under the bus.

According to the American Public Health Association, "The Stupak amendment would prohibit the ‘public option' created in the legislation from covering abortion services. In addition, the amendment would prohibit any individual receiving subsidies for their insurance premiums from purchasing a plan that offers abortion services. The amendment could significantly impact lower and middle-income women who are not able to afford to purchase separate supplemental coverage for abortion services."

This amendment nullifies all the positive provisions in the House bill. And while feminists were willing to support Health Reform lacking a single-payer system, extending the Hyde Amendment's prohibition of abortion funding to private plans is the most repulsive and unacceptable action. Unless the Senate bill is Stupak-free, NOW-NYS will oppose the final legislation and will indeed oppose the Democrats who sabotaged women. Feminists begged the party not to allow the passage of this bill and yet women are paying the price. Why is it that women are always the victims of compromise?

The House of Representatives have already voted to pass this amendment along with the final health care reform bill.  But NOW members and all women's rights supporters should immediately call their Representatives, their Senators, and President Obama with a short message like: "I am a supporter of health care reform, but I'm calling to urge you to please OPPOSE the entire Health Care Reform Package. This bill now has an amendment that curtails women's access to reproductive health care. Your vote for a Health Care Reform Bill that holds women's bodies' hostage will determine my vote next November!"

If you live in New York State you can contact your Congressional Representative, your US Senator and President Obama , by clicking on the "Take Action" link above to find their contact information. Act NOW!

National Organization for Women takes on the Anti-Choice Zealots

Join the National Organization for Women as we Defend Dr. Carhart's Clinic!

Defend Dr. Carhart's Clinic!

Women need you in Nebraska!

Action Needed:
1. Join NOW President Terry O'Neill in Nebraska to defend Dr. LeRoy Carhart's women's health clinic on Friday and Saturday, August 28-29, with Kansas and Nebraska NOW.
2. Send your thanks to Dr. Carhart for his steadfast commitment to trusting women.
3. Sign NOW's Pledge for Reproductive Freedom.

"Dr. Carhart saves women's lives, and we need to stand with abortion providers like Dr. Carhart to say that his life is precious, too," says NOW President Terry O'Neill. "Please join me in Nebraska to stand with a man whose compassion and dedication make it possible for women to own their lives."

Defend Abortion Rights at Dr. Carhart's Clinic August 28-29
Lies, intimidation and threats further a climate of violence and murderous terrorism against women's fundamental reproductive rights -- and women need you to join NOW's grassroots activists in Nebraska. Defend Dr. Carhart's clinic with NOW President Terry O'Neill on August 28 and 29.

Kansas NOW and Nebraska NOW are organizing a peaceful clinic defense to counter a demonstration by Operation Rescue. Roll up the map, start packing up your car and get details for how you can help at the Kansas NOW website.

Send Your Thanks to Dr. Carhart
Less than three months after the cold-blooded murder of Dr. George Tiller in his own church, violent anti-abortion extremists have intensified focus on Dr. LeRoy Carhart, an abortion provider and ardent defender of women's fundamental right to the full range of reproductive health services.

Dr. Carhart has continuously stood up for women. We must not only stand up for him, but also thank him for his continued commitment to all women, including women whose lives depend on having a late-term abortion. Send your thanks to Dr. Carhart now.

Sign NOW's Pledge for Reproductive Freedom
If you haven't done so already, take a moment to sign NOW's Pledge for Reproductive Freedom. As activists, we must redouble our efforts to maintain safe and legal access to abortion and birth control.

Signing the pledge affirms you will not let women be intimidated by a right-wing movement perpetuating and condoning terrorism against women's clinics and health care professionals across the country. Sign NOW's Pledge for Reproductive Freedom.

National Organization for Women-NYS Decries Dropping Life-saving Family Planning Provisions from Stimulus Package

NOW-NYS Decries Dropping Life-saving Family Planning provisions from Stimulus-Package

The Obama Economic Stimulus Package that Congress hopes to pass includes providing the states with Medicaid matching funds to cover such conditions as diabetes, heart surgery and ongoing health maintenance like asthma medication. Until today, the Package also included funds to help poor women afford family planning.

Although many conservatives say they firmly support family planning, this is certainly not the case in today’s Congress. House Republican leaders ridiculed the stimulus package for including family planning and now, in the name of “bipartisan compromise’ the President and Congressional Democratic leaders would rather switch than fight for poor women’s reproductive health.

Despite the fact that safe birth control is used by - and considered acceptable to - most Americans, and in spite of the fact that the prevailing majority attitude is that it is irresponsible to have sex without contraception unless pregnancy is intended, conservative Republicans have now prevailed, pressuring President Obama and the Congress to remove contraceptive funding from the Stimulus Package.

 NY NOW, proud to be “partisan” for ALL women, does not consider this some gesture of common ground but rather a cave in to the bombastic and untruthful statements of the anti-women Republican House leaders. Meanwhile, because it is generally acknowledged worldwide that family planning has a positive effect on family health and economic development, President Obama is restoring UNPFA (International Family Planning funds), and has lifted the Bush Administration's Global Gag Rule that banned US funds to organizations who even counseled about abortion. We of NOW-New York State say it is beyond hypocrisy to restore international family planning funds while eliminating such monies for poor women in the United States.

Our Congress is prepared to roll over and abandon women’s reproductive health even when women's lives are literally hanging in the balance. Surely this is not the time for our allies to sit back, taking the expedient route of eliminating “contentious” women’s issues from the discussion. Are we only pretending we have a government friendly to women. Indeed, in spite of promises to the contrary, women's bodies are being held hostage once again.

Marcia A. Pappas, President National Organization for Women-NYS 1500 Central Avenue Albany, NY 12205 Phone: 518-452-3944 Fax: 518-452-3861 Presidents Email: NewYorkStateNOW@aol.com General Email: Info@nownys.org www.nownys.org

Now ~ I am Distressed

That horrible word ABORTION is in the news.  NO one is PRO-ABORTION.  I have had two and I am not PRO-abortion.  Both were extraordinarily difficult and rocked my soul.  But going through the process made me even more certain that each woman needs to have all options obtainable, must be able to consult with people of her own choosing and deserves compassion before, during and after her decision.

After 35 years of legal abortions and experiencing some of the years before, I really have come to accept that minds are made up.  Most people have really formed their opinion, that opinion has taken on meaning beyond their own lives and, somehow, adherence to that opinion demonstrates their morality.  Almost no one is actually arguing about the woman, the pregnancy, the circumstances.  They are arguing about their right to hold a moral decision that they hold as correct for all humanity.

The point being that in 1972, the US Supreme Court ruled that each woman has the right to choose how to exercise her conscience.  Some people are offended.  Some people take it for granted.  All people have opinions about it.  But lets state the one thing that is always true, an unwanted pregnancy is a terrible circumstance.  It can be a danger to one’s health; mental or physical. 

So what happened this last weekend that Barack Obama, Constitutional Law Professor, said publicly that he was in favor of permitting late term abortions only when the health of the mother was threatened, BUT THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE MENTAL HEALTH.

Here is the quote - I have repeatedly said that I think it’s entirely appropriate for states to restrict or even prohibit late-term abortions as long as there is a strict, well-defined exception for the health of the mother. Now, I don’t think that “mental distress” qualifies as the health of the mother. I think it has to be a serious physical issue that arises in pregnancy, where there are real, significant problems to the mother carrying that child to term. Otherwise, as long as there is such a medical exception in place, I think we can prohibit late-term abortions.

What does this mean?   Lets just put the abortion issue entirely off the table – it still leaves me with a terrible conclusion, that MENTAL DISTRESS is not equal to physical.  Mental distress can not carry “real significant problems to the mother.” 

I just don’t know what to say – this really distresses me.