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4/16/2013 - Gun Control Legislation Scheduled for Senate Debate Today
The Senate is scheduled to debate the Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act of 2013 (S. 649) today, which would require background checks for all firearm purchases and strengthen existing regulations on gun sales.
However, it is unsure whether the bill will get enough votes to pass. Sponsor and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) was struggling to get the necessary votes in a whip count on Monday. Currently only four Republicans - John McCain (AZ), Mark Kirk (IL), Susan Collins (ME), and Kelly Ayotte (NH) - have agreed to support the bill. Three Democrats have said they are still reviewing the proposal and would not commit to supporting the bill until after they had finished. Three others have not taken a position.
4/15/2013 - GA Governor Refuses to Support Integrated Prom
Georgia Governor Nathan Deal (R-GA) refuses support a group of four students who are trying to racially integrate their high school prom.
When asked by a progressive non-profit organization to come out in support of desegregating Wilcox County High School's prom, the Governor issued a statement discarding the request as a political ploy. Governor Deal's spokesperson wrote in a statement, "This is a leftist front group for the state Democratic party and we're not going to lend a hand to their silly publicity stunt." However, three conservative state representatives have come out in support of the desegregation.
Four high school students from Wilcox County High School are currently pushing to have one integrated prom. In the past, the county has put on two proms: one that is racially integrated and one exclusively for white students. A biracial student who attempted to attend the white prom last year was escorted off the premises by police. Since the proms are not funded through the school, but instead are privately funded by supporters in the county, it is legal to have separate, segregated prom events.
4/15/2013 - PA Senate Committee Votes to Remove Abortion Coverage
A bill that would remove abortion coverage from Pennsylvania's new federal health care program passed in a state Senate committee last Tuesday. The Senate Banking and Insurance Committee passed the bill on a vote of eight to five.
"Under the Federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, states have the authority to prohibit certain abortion coverage made available in these taxpayer subsidized health plans and we intend to exercise that authority," committee chairman Senator Don White (R-Indiana) said in a press release. "I want to make this clear, Senate Bill 3 does not ban abortions, nor does it bar insurance coverage offered in the private sector from covering abortions. This legislation extends our existing law on the use of taxpayer dollars for elective abortions to health insurance exchanges." However, the bill does not provide an alternative to state-funded insurance coverage, leaving women to pay out of pocket for separate insurance that could cover abortion procedures.
The House is currently reviewing a similar measure. In the last legislative session, both the Pennsylvania House and Senate approved similar bills, but could not resolve the difference between the bills.
4/15/2013 - TX Senator Campaigns with Controversial Anti-Choice Slogan
Representative Steve Stockman of Texas (R) has released a controversial new bumper sticker and slogan for his re-election campaign: "If babies had guns, they wouldn't be aborted. Vote Pro-Life!" Stockman's slogan gained attention when he used Twitter to publicize his new slogan last Friday on his @ReElectStockman account. His previous account, @SteveStockmanTX, has been suspended by Twitter.
Stockman refers to himself as "the most conservative congressman in Texas" and often uses shock value to create controversy surrounding his main issues of anti-choice and pro-gun legislation. In the past, he has compared President Obama to Saddam Hussein and has suggested impeachment of the president if there were executive orders made on gun control.
4/12/2013 - 694 Provisions Affecting Abortion and Family Planning Introduced this Year
694 provisions affecting abortion and family planning access have been introduced in state legislatures since the beginning of 2013.
According to a first quarter report by the Guttmacher Institute, these 694 provisions were introduced in the first three months of the new year. In addition, 93 provisions have already been approved by at least one legislative body in their state. Approximately 47% of the provisions that have been introduced seek to restrict abortion access.
Guttmacher writes in the report, "During the first three months of 2013, legislators in 14 states introduced provisions seeking to ban abortion prior to viability...Legislators in 10 states have introduced proposals that would ban all, or nearly all, abortions. In eight states (AL, IA, MS, ND, OK, SC, VA and WA), legislators have proposed defining 'personhood' as beginning at conception; if adopted, these measures would ban most, if not all, abortions." Lawmakers in eight states (AL, AR, IA, IN, MO, MS, NC and TX) have introduced legislation that would severely restrict access to medical abortions, or abortion by pill.
2012 saw the second highest number of anti-choice provisions enacted in a year on record. The highest was in 2011 with 93 provisions restricting abortion access enacted. However, these totals reflect provisions enacted during a calendar year, not legislative session. When considering the 2011-2012 legislative session, 136 anti-choice provisions were enacted.
4/12/2013 - Senate Breaks Filibuster on Gun Control Bill
The Senate ended a Republican filibuster Thursday that was preventing debate on President Obama's gun control legislation, which would expand background checks and tighten gun restrictions.
In a vote of 68-31, 16 Republicans joined Democrats in bringing the legislation to the Senate floor for debate. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) told reporters after the vote that "the hard work starts now." Pro-gun legislators are expected to add multiple amendments in an attempt to weaken the legislation or prevent it from passing.
On Wednesday, Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Patrick Toomey (R-PA) introduced a bill that includes lesser restrictions than the bill proposed by President Obama. Despite the changes, President Obama applauded the bi-partisan effort. In a written statement President Obama said "This is not my bill...[But] we don't have to agree on everything to know that we've got to do something to stem the tide of gun violence."
4/12/2013 - Virginia Approves TRAP Laws
The Virginia Board of Health, in a vote of 11 to 2 gave final approval to new regulations on abortion clinics. Opponents of the laws claim that these new regulations will force most of Virginia's 20 abortion clinics to close.
During the hearings, the board listened to arguments from roughly 30 people on either side of the issue. The new law will require any clinic that performs more than five abortions a year to meet the same building regulations as new hospitals.
While supporters of the law claim that the regulations are to protect women's health, clinics and women's rights advocates argue that the regulations are designed to force abortion clinics to close as part of an ideological agenda.
4/11/2013 - Thousands Rally on Capitol For Immigration Reform
Yesterday, thousands of people rallied in front of the Capitol in Washington, DC, in favor of comprehensive immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship for those already living inside the United States.
The rally, called Citizenship for 11 Million, drew attendees from across the country to send a message to Congress and the White House that immigration reform must include a path to citizenship for 11 million people who are currently in the country illegally. Attendees held signs in English and Spanish saying "The Time is Now!" as well as shouted chants like "Si se puede!" Others held American flags and flags of their home countries or nationalities.
For many, the rally was personal - directly involving family members. One attendee who held a sign "I am a Deported Man's Wife" told ABC News, "When [my husband's] deportation happened in 2001, people were protesting, but not in the national dialogue the way it is now, so it is deeply emotional for me... I'm not putting any hopes on seeing the reform that I would like, but at least these people are engaged in the dialogue."
Meanwhile, the Gang of Eight, a bipartisan group of eight senators working on immigration, were originally supposed to introduce their legislation this week. However, they announced on Wednesday that the introduction would have to be delayed to make room for the gun control debate. But Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) took the time to speak at the rally. He addressed the crowd, "[Immigration reform] is in the nation's interest, in the economic interests of the United States and in the security interests of the United States."
4/11/2013 - NYC Maternal Mortality 30% Higher Than 10 Years Ago
A new report shows that women in New York City are 30% more likely to die as a result of childbirth than they were over a decade ago. The report [PDF] produced by the Center for Research and Policy in the Public Interest and published by The New York Women's Foundation looked at the economic, educational, and health conditions for New York women in the 59 city districts.
The results show that the rates of maternal mortality have sharply increased for women of color and low-income communities, specifically black women and in the Bronx and Morrisiana neighborhoods. Black women had a maternal mortality rate of 79 deaths per every 100,000 live births, almost double the rate of 40 deaths per 100,000 live births from ten years ago. In contrast, white women only experienced a rate of 10 deaths per every 100,000 live births.
C. Nicole Mason, the author of the report, told reporters that the increase in deaths was most likely the result of poor prenatal and postpartum care, in addition to a higher rate of c-sections, and other health factors. "We really need to think about how women in poor communities are treated from the time they become pregnant until they deliver, and whether they're getting the health care they deserve," she said.
In addition, the report found a disproportionate rate of new HIV infections in the city occur among black women and Latinas. Black women comprise 65% of new HIV infections in New York City, while Latinas are 30% of new infections. Ana Oliveira, president of the New York Women's Foundation, told reporters that stigma contributes to the discouraging figures. "There is a lot of fear and stigma," she said. "People not only have to deal with the physical reality, but the social stigma. It delays people seeking care."
4/10/2013 - Hamas Requires Gender Segregation in Gaza Schools
Earlier this month, Hamas released a new set of restrictions that will sex segregate co-ed classrooms in Gaza. The law passed by Hamas, the Islamic group that rules the Palestinian territory, states that classes must be divided by gender beginning at age nine and also bans male teachers from girls' schools. Government run schools within Gaza have previously been separated by gender. The law will take effect with the new academic year in September and is expected to mostly effect private institutions, including the few Christian and international schools in Gaza.
A member of the education committee and Hamas lawmaker, Yousef Al-Sherafi, said in an interview: "This law is a safety valve for our national principles... One male staffer among 20 female teachers in a girls' school would not allow our sisters to feel comfortable."
The Center for Women's Legal Research and Consulting, the only legal-aid organization for women in Gaza, warned that the law is "based on a culture of discrimination against women, by reinforcing gender separation which takes our society back to ancient times when there was no respect for women's rights and women were eliminated from public life."
4/10/2013 - GA Representative Criticizes Trans Health Care
Congressman Paul Broun (R-GA) recently spoke out against health insurance companies covering gender-related procedures like hair transplants and gender-alignment surgery on the grounds that he himself felt no need to change his gender identity. "I don't want to pay for a sex change operation," Broun said last week in a speech against Obamacare, "I'm not interested. I like being a boy."
Broun's anti-LGBTQ stance has been well known since 2009, when he advocated for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. The representative is also notorious for extreme anti-choice values. He is the original sponsor of the "Sanctity of Human Life Act," first introduced in 2011, which would federally define life as beginning at conception.
4/10/2013 - AL Governor Signs TRAP Bill into Law
On Tuesday, Alabama Governor Robert Bentley signed a TRAP(Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers) bill into law that will go into effect July 1, 2013. The bill, coined the Women's Health and Safety Act, will require an Alabama-licensed physician be present at every abortion and will require these doctors to have admitting privileges to local hospitals. Further, the bill mandates that the name of the father be reported to authorities if the woman seeking an abortion is under the age of 16. The bill also sets stricter building requirements which would force costly renovations, including wider halls and doors and state of the art fire suppression systems.
While the Governor insisted that the measure "provides appropriate standards of care [and] has been endorsed by pro-life groups across Alabama," Planned Parenthood warned that there will be imminent legal challenges.
The new law now requires clinics to maintain the standards of an ambulatory surgical center. As a result, the state's four licensed abortion clinics would drastically have to remodel in order to stay open. "It puts an undue burden on existing facilities. All of this makes it harder to access health care," Staci Fox of Planned Parenthood said. The clinics will have 180 days to meet the new requirements before they go into effect July 1st of this year.
Currently, the majority of clinics in Alabama have doctors who travel from out of state perform procedures. These doctors partner with local doctors with admitting privileges to provide necessary follow-up care. With the new measure, the doctors themselves must have the admitting privileges, severely limiting the ability of the current doctors to continue performing abortions in the state.
4/9/2013 - Today is National Equal Pay Day
President Barack Obama has declared today Equal Pay Day to highlight the discrimination women currently face in wages for equal work. In an official statement, President Obama said "On National Equal Pay Day, we recognize this injustice by marking how far into the new year women have to work just to make what men did in the previous one. Wage inequality undermines the promise of fairness and opportunity upon which our country was founded. For families trying to make ends meet, that gap can also mean the difference between falling behind and getting ahead. ... And just as diminished wages shortchange families, they slow our entire economy - weakening growth here at home and eroding American competitiveness abroad."
Women currently only make 77 percent of what their male counterparts make, and face discrimination in benefits, wage increases, hiring and advancement, and time off. "We make 77 cents on the dollar, but if you check for age, women at 50 versus a man at 50, the gap widens," Eleanor Smeal, president of Feminist Majority Foundation said. "If you count benefits, the gap widens because most women do not have pensions, and 48% of women workers have no paid sick days, let alone paid family medical leave."
Another barrier to equal pay for women is paycheck secrecy. According to Representative Rosa DeLauro and Senator Barbara Mikulski in in op-ed in the Huffington Post, "Workers who violate formal pay secrecy policies or ignore their managers' informal admonitions face potential retaliation, including the prospect of being fired, demoted, or passed over for raises and promotions. In short, pay secrecy policies keep unequal pay hidden from employees and enable pay discrimination to continue." Representative DeLauro and Senator Mikulski have introduced the Paycheck Fairness Act in an attempt to stop this discrimination. "The Paycheck Fairness Act, which we have introduced in Congress to give real teeth to the Equal Pay Act, addresses the lack of accountability that allows companies to get away with underpaying women ... Among other things, it would ban retaliation against workers who discuss their wages and close the door on pay secrecy for good," they wrote.
4/9/2013 - Hagel Calls for End to Overturning Convening Authority
Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel has called for termination of the ability of a commanding officer to overturn a court martial conviction, called "convening authority."
In an internal memo to the secretaries of the military services and other military senior officials, Hagel said, "We must ensure that our military justice system is fair, provides justice, and enhances good order and discipline. The actions directed by this memorandum seek to improve military justice and our ability to accomplish our mission."
In a public statement released by the Department of Defense, Hagel listed sexual assault in the military as a top priority and asked Congress to take the steps to reform the power of convening authority. He asked Congress to create change by "First, eliminating the discretion for a convening authority to change the findings of a court-martial, except for certain minor offenses that would not ordinarily warrant trial by court-martial. While convening authorities would no longer have the ability to dismiss charges for serious offenses like sexual assault, defendants would continue to have access to a robust system of appeal rights. Second, requiring the convening authority to explain in writing any changes made to court-martial sentences, as well as any changes to findings involving minor offenses. The intent is to ensure that convening authorities are required to justify - in an open, transparent, and recorded manner - any decision to modify a court martial sentence."
He continued "Despite the attention and efforts of senior leaders throughout the Department of Defense, it is clear the department still has much more work to do to fully address the problem of sexual assault in the ranks. This crime is damaging this institution. There are thousands of victims in the department, male and female, whose lives and careers have been upended, and that is unacceptable. The current situation should offend every single service member and civilian who, like me, is proud of their association with the United States military."
The issue gained national attention in March, when a Lieutenant General overturned a sexual assault conviction by jury of an air force service member. The Air Force fighter pilot was convicted in November for aggravated sexual assault by a jury of four colonels and a lieutenant colonel. He was dismissed from the Air Force and sentenced to one year in prison. Lieutenant General Craig Franklin overturned the jury conviction using "convening authority" - an absolute power of a single military supervisor to dismiss a jury decision as granted by Article 60 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).
4/9/2013 - Three Priests Removed From Priesthood Over Sexual Abuse
Three priests have been removed from the priesthood in the archdiocese of Philadelphia in response to allegations of sexual abuse. Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia declared the retired Monsignor Richard T. Powers, Father Joseph J. Gallagher and Father Mark S. Gaspar "unsuitable for ministry."
Gallagher and Gaspar had been suspended from the ministry since March 2011. Their suspensions followed a grand jury report in February 2011 that found credible claims of sexual abuse. One victim of Gallagher's committed suicide in 2009 after church authorities refused to act on his allegations. Gaspar was under investigation by the grand jury for sexual misconduct.
Powers was not dismissed as part of the grand jury investigation, but had been put on leave in March 2012 after his name appeared on an internal document requested by subpoena that listed members of the church who had been previously accused of sexual abuse.
According to the Catholic News Agency, "Priests named unsuitable for ministry may not exercise their public ministry, administer any of the sacraments, wear clerical dress, or present themselves publicly as priests." Gallagher, Gaspar, and Powers can appeal the Archbishop's decision to the Vatican.
4/8/2013 - Cory L. Richards, Champion for Expansion of Birth Control Access, Dies
Cory L. Richards, Executive Vice President and Vice President of Public Policy at the Guttmacher Institute, passed away on Thursday at age 64 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. For 40 years, Richard championed the expansion of birth control and abortion access. As his colleagues at Guttmacher stated,"he was the intellectual architect of crucial policy changes that continue to benefit millions of U.S. women and families."
In 1994, Richards spearheaded the report Uneven and Unequal, which drove the issue of gaps in insurance coverage for contraceptives into public debate. The report led to the Institute's efforts to guarantee birth control coverage in 28 states prior to passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010.
"Cory was passionate and determinate about saving women's lives," Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation said. "We will all miss him."
Richards also held volunteer positions with NARAL Pro-Choice America, the National Abortion Federation, and National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association and Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S. (SIECUS).
According to the Guttmacher Institute, "Cory leaves a void that will be difficult to fill. He will be acutely missed by his family, his friends, his colleagues at Guttmacher and the sexual and reproductive health community he served with such dedication and skill."
4/8/2013 - Mariam Chamberlain, Pioneer for Women's Studies, Dies
Dr. Mariam Chamberlain, founder of the National Council for Research on Women, passed away last Tuesday at the age of 94. Dr. Chamberlain has a doctorate in Economics from Harvard University and was instrumental in the establishment of women's studies as a field of study in college curricula.
Through her role directing the higher education program at the Ford Foundation, Dr. Chamberlain began to expose the need to teach women's studies in college and universities. She awarded $5 million in grants to studies, projects and organizations that documented the lack of visibility for women in college classes and took pro-active steps to increasing the discussion of women's role in history. She is responsible for funding The Feminist Press and the National Women's Studies Association. As Feminist Majority Foundation president Eleanor Smeal remembers her, "She was the godmother of women's studies."
Her passion was not consigned solely to women's studies. Dr. Chamberlain was also passionate and active in understanding the barriers women faced in the workplace and society at large. She funded the Center for Women's Policy Studies, which was one of the first organizations of its kind. She also studied domestic violence, discrimination in loan practices, and inequalities in the work place.
In 1981, she founded and directed the National Council for Research on Women (NCRW). According the NCRW, "Under her leadership, NCRW has increased and promoted research on women, built alliances for synergistic work, and advanced research into policy applications. Her vision has evolved into a dynamic network of thought leaders and change agents working to ensure more fully informed debates, policies and practices, thereby contributing to a more inclusive and equitable world for women and girls, their families and their communities."
4/8/2013 - Kansas Set to Establish Life at Fertilization
A bill defining life at the "moment of fertilization" has been sent to the Governor of Kansas to be signed into law after passing in both the state House and Senate. The final version of the bill passed on Friday night after a 90 to 30 vote in the House, which resolved minor differences after it was approved in a 28 to 10 vote in the Senate.
The measure requires that abortion providers supply women with a list of organizations that provide abortion alternatives, prevents any abortion facility from receiving state funding or tax credits, and requires doctors to provide patients with medically inaccurate information. In addition, HB 2253 would define life as beginning at the moment of fertilization.
Elizabeth Nash of the Guttmacher Institute, told reporters "It's a statement of intent and it's a pretty strong statement." She continued, "Should the U.S. Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade or should the court come to some different conclusion, the state legislature would be ready, willing and able to ban abortions."
Not all Kansas state legislators are happy with the decision. Rep. John Wilson, a Lawrence Democrat, said the bill was about "about politics, not medicine." He continued, "It's the very definition of government intrusion in a woman's personal medical decisions." State Senator David Haley argued that the provision establishing life at fertilization was a "Taliban-esque" method of allowing religion to dictate a woman's reproductive rights.
While Governor Sam Brownback (R) has said he would have to review the policy, he is also a strong opponent of abortion rights. It is expected that he will sign the measure into law and that the restrictions in HB 2253 could take effect July 1, 2013.
4/5/2013 - Federal Judges Strikes Age Restrictions for Plan B Over the Counter
U.S. District Judge Edward Korman ruled on Friday morning that the morning-after-pill or "Plan B" must be made available over the counter for any girl, regardless of her age. The decision comes as part of a lawsuit against the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by reproductive rights organizations to remove the age and sales restrictions on emergency contraception.
Judge Korman stated in his opinion that the FDA's refusal to lift restrictions was "arbitrary, capricious, and unreasonable." "More than 12 years have passed since the citizen petition was filed and 8 years since this lawsuit commenced," the judge wrote. "The F.D.A. has engaged in intolerable delays in processing the petition. Indeed, it could accurately be described as an administrative agency filibuster." He continued, "The plaintiffs should not be forced to endure, nor should the agency's misconduct be rewarded by, an exercise that permits the F.D.A. to engage in further delay and obstruction." He ordered the FDA to lift any age and sales restrictions on Plan B within 30 days.
Nancy Northrup of the Center for Reproductive Rights applauded the judge's decision: "Women all over the country will no longer face arbitrary delays and barriers just to get emergency contraception," she said.
4/5/2013 - NC Bill Creates Penalties on Youth Vote
On Tuesday, state Representative Bill Cook (R-Beaufort County) introduced a controversial "Equalizing Voter Rights" bill (SB 667) that would negatively impact North Carolina students who are registered to vote where they attend school as opposed to being registered at their parents address. The bill would only apply to students from North Carolina attending college in the state. It would make such students ineligible for dependent status on a parent or guardian's state income tax forms. The bill was filed on Tuesday and is also paired with a larger voter suppression bill that would limit early voting days and times and ban same-day registration (SB 666).
Last year, 17 states passed voter suppression laws that increased wait times at the polls, decreased early voting days, and mandated state-issued ID requirements for voting. New laws affecting the election process have already been suggested this year in preparation for the 2014 mid-term elections. The Supreme Court is also currently debating Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, which requires areas with a history of voting discrimination to have any changes made to voting laws reviewed by the Department of Justice.
4/5/2013 - NV State Congresswoman Threatened After Sharing her Abortion Experience
A Nevada state Congresswoman (D), Lucy Flores, has faced several threats on her life after sharing her personal experience with abortion at the state Assembly Education Committee on Monday. Assembly Bill 230, which she testified in reference to, would change abstinence-only education policies in public school sexual education programs to comprehensive sexual education. Flores testified in favor of the bill, relating her story of six sisters who all became pregnant as teenagers and her decision to have an abortion at sixteen. "I had an abortion because I didn't have access to birth control, or even an understanding of what that meant," Flores said.
On Thursday, Flores released a statement: "This week, I shared an extremely personal story about a difficult decision I made as a teenager to have an abortion. I shared that story because I felt it was relevant to the importance of sex education in Nevada schools, and my belief that our children need to be armed with good information in order to make good choices. While I am heartened, and deeply moved, by the support I have received from far and wide since my testimony, I want to ensure that we don't lose focus on the real issue at hand. I don't want the weight of a serious issue like abortion rights to overwhelm the purpose of this bill, which is meant to ensure that other young people are empowered with information that I simply didn't have as a young person."
4/4/2013 - NC Lawmakers Propose State Religion Bill
Republican lawmakers in North Carolina have proposed a bill that would give the state legislature the authority to establish a state religion and allow prayer in public institutions such as schools.
House Joint Resolution 494 challenges the authority of the United States Constitution and the First Amendment, which guarantees the separation of church and state. The bill reads [PDF], "SECTION 1. The North Carolina General Assembly asserts that the Constitution of the United States of America does not prohibit states or their subsidiaries from making laws respecting an establishment of religion. SECTION 2. The North Carolina General Assembly does not recognize federal court rulings which prohibit and otherwise regulate the State of North Carolina, its public schools, or any political subdivisions of the State from making laws respecting an establishment of religion."
The bill was proposed by Representative Carl Ford (R-China Grove) and Harry Warren (R-Salisbury) in response to a lawsuit to stop Rowan County commissioners from beginning meetings with a Christian prayer.
4/4/2013 - Florida House Committee Advances Anti-Abortion Bill
The Florida House Judiciary Committee narrowly passed a bill that could threatened abortion access to women of color in the state on Wednesday.
HB 845 would ban abortion for sex-selection or race-selection purposes. It would also require the doctor performing an abortion to sign a legal affidavit saying they have no knowledge that the procedure was being performed on the basis of race or sex and could face a $10,000 fine. The bill advanced out of committee in a vote of 10 to 7.
Kellie Dupree of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood addressed the committee "If this bill becomes law, women of color will face racial profiling in the doctor's office. All women will have their motives and their character questioned on the exam table. HB 845 is an anti-women's health measure dressed as an anti-discrimination law. I urge you to vote no on this bill."
Representative Ray Pilon of Sarasota was one of only two Republicans who voted against the bill. "As a former law enforcement officer, I think if we're going to really attack criminal activity, we should do it in a criminal manner, not in a manner that puts the doctor on the spot. I think that's the wrong person to place the blame on," Pilon said.
"I just don't understand how members can talk about how government is too big, government is too much in our lives ... and then all of a sudden vote for this piece of legislation," said Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Coral Springs. "This is a dramatic expansion of government in people's lives." Representative Dave Kerner (D-Lake Worth) shared similar sentiments, saying "This bill is taking us down that road of inserting government back into the lives of women at a time when they need privacy the most."
The committee advanced two other measures relating to abortion alongside HB 845. HB 759 would treat any action contributing to the death of a fetus as a separate crime in addition to any offense committed against the mother. While the bill states that it would not be applied to legal abortions, pro-choice advocates fear that this could be used to restrict abortion access as well. The third measure, HB 887, would terminate the parental rights of a rapist for any child conceived in rape and allow a woman to decide whether or not terminate a pregnancy without interference from the rapist. It received unanimous support.
4/3/2013 - Four Sisters Victims in Acid Attack in Northern India
Four sisters were attacked with acid in the northern Indian State of Uttar Pradesh by two unidentified men on a motorbike Tuesday evening. Three of the four sisters, ages 26, 25, and 23 are teachers at Hindu Inter-college in Kandhal, and the youngest, age 19, is a student there.
Currently, there is no known motive and no arrests have been made. Two of the victims received minor injuries and the other two were admitted to hospitals with more serious injuries. The youngest of the four sisters was the most seriously injured and was moved to a hospital in Delhi.
Violence against women has been an issue garnering attention in India ever since the brutal gang rape and death of a 23-year-old female medical student. The incident sparked protests across the country. These large protests and demonstrations have voiced anger regarding the treatment of women in India and calling for tougher laws on violence against women. Parliament increased the minimum prison sentence for gang rape to twenty years, but legislators voted against increasing the sentence for acid attacks.
4/3/2013 - Gun Ownership Mandated in GA Town
Nelson, Georgia, a small town with a population of just 913 recently passed a law that would make gun ownership mandatory. The Family Protection Ordinance was passed Monday night by all five members of the Nelson City Council.
The ordinance states the following: "In order to provide for the emergency management of the city, and further in order to provide for and protect the safety, security and general welfare of the city and its inhabitants, every head of household residing in the city limits is required to maintain a firearm, together with ammunition therefore." Exemptions to the law include residents with physical or mental disabilities, felons, and "paupers."
Duane Cronic, City Councilman, insisted that the ordinance was symbolic in nature and would not be enforced. "I likened it to a security sign that people put up in their front yards. Some people have security systems, some people don't, but they put those signs up," Cronic said. "I really felt like this ordinance was a security sign for our city."
The city council's agenda also stated their intent is "opposition of any future attempt by the federal government to confiscate personal firearms."
