Women with Opinions

Unborn Victims Act: Bad

A letter to the editor from today's Democrat and Chronicle:

Unborn act should not be passed

Thank you, Willa Powell, for bringing to the public's attention the dangers of passing the Unborn Victims of Violence Act which Sen. Joe Robach, R-Greece, and other anti-choice legislators are trying to propel through the state Legislature. As Powell pointed out in her April 1 Speaking Out essay, this bill is simply another thinly disguised attempt to chip away at a woman's right to control her own body.

Unfortunately, well-organized lobbyists representing the religious right and anti-choice groups such as the Women's Health Collaborative have convinced Sen. Robach that he is on safe ground sponsoring such irresponsible legislation. Sen. Robach needs to hear from others who hold a different point of view on this issue.

LINDA STEPHENS
GREECE

The writer is a member of National Organization for Women, Rochester Chapter.

Unborn Victims of Violence Act - A Speaking Out Essay

At long last, the Democrat and Chronicle has fulfilled its commitment to publish this essay on legislation disguised as pro-woman:

The bill's intent is "that the affirmative right of the pregnant woman to carry her child to term be protected, and that perpetrators of crimes against pregnant women and their unborn children be held accountable." (Sen. Maltese, primary sponsor)

but which is in fact anti-choice:

"The real mission of such legislation is to undermine women's right to choice, by giving legal status to the unborn, undermining the recognized and established legal basis for Roe v Wade" (Sen. Liz Krueger)

Read the April 1, 2008 Speaking Out Essay as printed in the D&C, or keep reading for a longer version, which contains a more detailed explanation of the impact of such legislation on women who have already made their first choice (to have a baby) and are discovering that they are losing their right to make a host of other choices for themselves and their families.

This just in

Surprise!  The U.S. Supreme Court advanced the cause of abortion rights this week when they rejected an appeal from a Maricopa County,Arizona sheriff to review a lower court decision that he had lost.  The sheriff had a policy of prohibiting jail officials from transporting prisoners to get an abortion unless they had a court order.

Brigitte Amiri, an ACLU lawyer with the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project said in a press release:  "It is not up to prison officials to decide whether a woman prisoner should carry a pregnancy to term or not."

I concur.

Now They've Gone and Done It

Just when you think the anti-abortion crazies have sunk as low as they possibly can in their overzealous  attempts  to  try and  strip women of their right to safe, legal abortion, they surprise us, concocting  yet another sleazy tactic.

This one involves  "Horton Hears a Who!"    Hollywood has made a film version of the Dr. Seuss classic and anti-abortion protesters have been showing up  at theaters to deliver their message.  The anti-abortion fringe has latched onto and made their rallying cry this refrain from the book:  " a person's a person, no matter how small."

When the movie premiered in Hollywood recently, protesters sneaked into the theater, then commenced shouting and parading around with tape over their mouths.

The Horton book, in case you've forgotten, has nothing at all to do with abortion.  It's about little people who inhabit their own unique society.   Dr. Seuss' widow, a Planned Parenthood supporter, is  apparently fit to be tied  over this misappropriation of her  husband's work and, according to Dr. Seuss biographer Philip Nel, the good doctor himself once threatened to sue an anti-abortion group over a similar matter.

Clinton's Reproductive Health Care Agenda

If you don't know Clinton's stand on reproductive rights - it's 100% good - then read her news release On Anniversary of Roe, Clinton Announces Agenda for Reproductive Health Care.

Obama also issued a press statement on the anniversary of Roe v Wade, read it here.

Contrast the two statements. I know that both candidates are pro-choice. But look at the details in Clinton's press release compared to Obama's press release.

This is just one reason why I'm supporting Hillary.

Who Says Family Planning Isn't Funny?

    It's January 22, the thirty-fifth anniversary of Roe v Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion.   Carol Love, president and CEO of the local Planned Parenthood  and Joann Smith,president and CEO of Family Planning Advocates of NY State, have an excellent Speaking Out piece in the Democrat and Chronicle this morning explaining the importance of enacting Gov. Eliot Spitzer's bill to update NY State's antiquated abortion laws.

    First order of business:  We must convince anti-choice legislators such as Senators Joseph Robach and James Alesi that it is in their best interests to stop opposing this bill.

Quackery & Junk Medicine: The Women's Health Collaborative Peddles Both

      Who is Suzanne Topping, and why is State Senator Joseph Robach cozying up to her?  Topping, who is pictured to the far right of Robach in his latest mailing to constituents, is the prime mover behind a local anti-abortion group which calls itself the "Women's Health Collaborative" (WHC).

     Although it claims its mission is to educate women about their health choices, in reality, the WHC  is akin to the fake abortion clinics which lure unsuspecting women in with false advertising, then use deceptive methods to try and talk them out of having an abortion.

     The caliber of educational materials distributed by the WHC is questionable at best.  For example, on its website is posted a research study published in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons (JPandS) purporting to show that abortion causes cancer, a claim that has been rejected by the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society, and the mainstream scientific community.

     Further investigation reveals that the JPandS has been listed as "an untrustworthy, non-recommended periodical" by Quackwatch, the nonprofit corporation which combats health-related frauds, myths, fads and fallacies.  The JPandS is not listed in the major literature databases of MEDLINE/PubMed nor the Web of Science.  The World Health Organization has criticized research published in the journal.

     The JPandS once published an article arguing that HIV does not cause AIDS and another criticizing humanists for conspiring to replace creationism with evolution.