Oncology

Blogs Comment On Need For Abortion Providers, Antiabortion-Rights Protests, Other Topics

The following summarizes selected women"s health-related blog entries. ~ "Obama"s True Colors: Appointee Opposes Abortion and Birth Control," Bonnie Erbe, U.S. News & World Report"s "Thomas Jefferson Street": President Obama"s appointment of Alexia Kelley, founder of Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, as director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Partnerships at HHS "doesn"t surprise me at all," Erbe writes, adding that Obama is "merely feeling comfortable enough to show his true self, rather than staying true to promises he made to his supporters prior to being elected." Erbe includes an excerpt from Frances Kissling"s Salon opinion piece in which Kissling questions whether Kelley will follow through with the Obama administration"s pledges to implement policies that help prevent teenage pregnancy and reduce the need for abortion. Erbe concludes, "[A]s the evidence mounts that winning re-election is more important to this president than anything else, his supporters should re-examine their votes in 2012" (Erbe, "Thomas Jefferson Street," U.S. News & World Report, 6/8).~ "This Weekend is the International Demonstration Against Birth Control," Cristina Page, Birth Control Watch: "This weekend marks the second year of "The Pill Kills" campaign," which its antiabortion-rights organizers are calling the ""International Demonstration Against Birth Control"" that they say will ""expose the tragic effects"" hormonal contraception has on women, Page writes. She writes that while last year"s campaign focused on convincing women that birth control pills and other common contraceptives "were really abortion methods," this year"s campaign "is trying to scare women" from using birth control "by claiming it will kill them." The campaign "targets the regular birth control pill in particular," Page says, adding that "it appears impossible to find a single instance in which any pro-life group has anything good to say about any birth control method except natural family planning -- a technique most notable for its high failure rate." She notes, "Even the lowly condom disturbs them." According to Page, David Grimes, "one of the world"s leading experts on contraception," said that ""some antiabortion groups describe a subtle blend of fake claims and real, but exaggerated, risks to frighten women,"" and only ""those very knowledgeable can tease out which are which."" Grimes also noted, ""Ironically, the net effect of this campaign to discredit contraception is more unplanned pregnancies and, of course, more abortions."" Page writes, "One can safely say" that the American Life League -- lead organizer of "The Pill Kills" campaign -- has a "desire to ban birth control [that] is equally intense as its campaign against legal abortion." As evidence of this, she cites the group"s efforts to defeat legislation offering contraception coverage for federal employees and its distribution of anti-contraception literature. She adds, "Not only does ALL promote" that "birth control is abortion," but it "also put[s] forth that any attempt to prevent pregnancy during sex is tantamount to having an abortion." Page concludes, "In actuality," efforts by ALL and similar groups "punish people for having the type of sex they define as contrary to God"s wishes. Pregnancy is, according to them, what sex is for" (Page, "Birth Control Watch," 6/5).~ "The Next Generation of Providers: One Doctor Shows the Way," Sheila Bapat, RH Reality Check: The recent murder of Kansas abortion provider George Tiller "brings into sharp relief the gravity" of women"s health care providers" decision to perform abortions, Bapat writes. She profiles an ob-gyn -- a "young woman in her early 30s" -- who holds a faculty position at a university hospital in a southern, conservative state and also is "one of just a handful of abortion providers in the South." Bapat writes that the "low number of abortion providers" in the U.S. is the result of several factors, including fear of violence and political issues. Additionally, "there is the professional factor: abortion is often marginalized within major medical institutions and teaching hospitals," according to Bapat. She adds that many medical schools do not include abortion in their curricula, and providing training for the procedure "does not ensure that ob-gyn programs will yield abortion providers," as 52% of residents who express interest at the start of their residencies in becoming an abortion provider actually become providers. She continues, "Defying these odds requires a deep commitment to reproductive freedom and health care." Bapat describes the ob-gyn"s experiences with deciding to become an abortion provider, including how "[d]ifficult challenges permeate her personal life." According to Bapat, "Providers often grapple with questions like, What will my family think if I become an abortion provider?" (Bapat, RH Reality Check, 6/9).~ "Health Reform Can"t Come Soon Enough: New Findings on Medical Bankruptcy," Brigette Courtot, Womenstake: The findings of a new study on medical bankruptcy -- in which individuals who file for bankruptcy list medical bills or illness as factors -- are "dismal, disheartening, ... nearly any gloom-inspiring adjectives will do," Courtot, a political analyst at National Women"s Law Center, writes. She adds that the report found that 62% of bankruptcies in 2007 had a medical cause. "Fortunately, though, there"s some exciting news to balance these depressing new findings," as Congress prepares to announce its "plans to fix our fragmented and failing health system," Courtot writes. NWLC is "advocating for the types of health reform that will guarantee that women and families won"t go bankrupt when they need health care," she adds, concluding that the new study "reminds us that health reform is about peace of mind; for the millions of Americans living in fear of losing their homes/savings/kids" college funds because of medical bills, reform can"t come soon enough" (Courtot, Womenstake, 6/8).~ "New Religious Left Skirmish: Catholics for Choice Attacks Obama Pick," Dan Gilgoff, U.S. News & World Report"s "God and Country": Gilgoff reports that President Obama"s appointment of Alexia Kelley, founder of Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, as director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Partnerships at HHS has drawn "a withering attack" from Catholics for Choice, despite that Kelley is not "a hard-core conservative." Catholics for Choice President Jon O"Brien criticized Kelley"s "apparent support for some abortion restrictions," Gilgoff writes. He continues that O"Brien issued a statement saying that Kelley directed CACG ""to ignore the question of access to abortion and reframe the debate in terms of reducing the number of abortions,"" which ""should be a huge red flag to anyone who believes in and seeks to defend a woman"s right to choose."" O"Brien also said, ""While evidence-based prevention methods can go a long way towards reducing the need for abortion, some women will always need access to safe and legal abortion, and we must recognize that and ensure public policies support that access."" In response, Chris Korzen, president of the more progressive group Catholic United, issued a statement supporting Kelley and calling O"Brien"s statement ""a roadblock to progress."" Gilgoff comments, "This is an unusual situation," adding, "Can you remember the last time a liberal group attacked a Democratic president"s political appointment as too socially conservative?" He concludes, "With the Obama administration moving quickly to develop policies aimed at reducing demand for abortion, however, Catholics for Choice"s attack may auger more liberal defections in the relatively near future" (Gilgoff, "God and Country," U.S. News & World Report, 6/5).~ "House Passes Paid Leave for Some New Parents," Katharine Mieszkowski, Salon"s "Broadsheet": On June 4, the House approved a bill (H.R. 824) that would offer federal employees four weeks of paid leave for the birth or adoption of a child, Mieszkowski writes. "The vote went down mostly along party lines, and if it clears the Senate, President Obama is expected to sign it into law," she adds. Mieszkowski continues that, as quoted in the Washington Post, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), the bill"s lead sponsor, said, ""Today we show that this Congress doesn"t just talk about family values -- it values families. As more families are relying on just one paycheck in these times, we can"t afford not to help them in this way."" Mieszkowski writes, "Some Republicans didn"t see it that way," adding that critics "charged that the bill sends a bad message since it increases federal employees" benefits at a time when many American employees are having their benefits cut." She also notes that although the Family and Medical Leave Act allows most U.S. employees to take up to 12 weeks of leave after the birth or adoption of a child, employers are not required to offer any pay during the leave. According to Mieszkowski, "In the military, mothers already get six weeks paid time off to care for a new child, and fathers get 10 days." However, the U.S. remains "one of only four countries that does not offer paid leave more broadly to new mothers," she adds. Mieszkowski concludes, "The federal government is the United States" largest employer, and supporters of the bill are hopeful that it"s the first step toward future legislation that would extend the leave to employees in private companies, too" (Mieszkowski, "Broadsheet," Salon, 6/5).~ "Right-Wing Protestors: Birth Control Will Kill You," Jeff Muskus, Huffington Post: "Unable to turn the public against sex, the pro-life movement will be on the march Saturday trying to convince women that birth control pills will kill them," Muskus reports in the Huffington Post. He adds, "The right-wing American Life League and a handful of regional organizations will stand around outside U.S. pharmacies

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