Happy Birthday, Roe v. Wade

by: Natasha Chart

Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 10:00


Today is the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, a decision that made a pregnant woman's life and health worth as much as a farm animal's, and put her autonomy in the law equal with the respect paid to the wishes a dead organ donor. How's that working out on the ground? Frederick Clarkson writes to tell us from RH Reality Check:

... In addition to the silence in the political arena, Zurek points to the silence in the health care system in which abortion is not integrated into the training of health care professionals; "because it is so stigmatized," she says. This same culture of stigmatization causes many patients to avoid even talking with their regular physicians about it, preferring instead "specialized settings" like Planned
Parenthood.

As a result, access to abortion care is a significant problem of health care delivery in the U.S. A major study by the Guttmacher Institute found that some 87% of counties in the U.S. lack a single abortion provider. ...

As Clarkson points out, increased access to abortion services isn't part of any of the healthcare plans floating around DC. It isn't in the Religious Industrial Complex's policy agenda. Thirty-six years later, women's right to comprehensive reproductive healthcare is the elephant. Either the white elephant it's clear some Democrats would love to get rid of, or the pink elephant they pretend not to see.

And that's a shame. Literally. It reinforces the idea that reproductive healthcare is shameful, something we should be afraid to talk about unless we're saying something negative. Whereas, all aspects of reproductive healthcare need to be recognized as necessary and normal. Even if some procedures are more like a triple bypass surgery or hip replacement, in that you hope they aren't needed but recognize that they must be available for those who require them.

On January 22, 2001, one of former President Bush's first acts of office, on one of his first full days in office, was to institute the global gag rule. This prohibited federal funds being used to support organizations that provided or spoke about abortion services, cutting off access to reproductive healthcare to some of the poorest women in the world. This reversal of Clinton's policy, itself a reversal of George H.W. Bush's policy, was a big news event in the Bush White House. They were proud of it and they wanted everyone to know.

Here's hoping, on this fine, anniversary morning, that when Obama signs the reversal of Bush's order, he's just as proud of that stance as his predecessor was of his.  
Natasha Chart :: Happy Birthday, Roe v. Wade

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Happy Birthday, Roe v. Wade | 12 comments
Obama should be proud (4.00 / 3)
This one act will save or improve the lives of hundreds of women around the globe.  

This is a concrete humanitarian move.

It's more accurate to say... (0.00 / 0)
anniversary instead of birthday. Using "birthday" in regards to the right of women to choose an abortion is kinda icky.

"Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it." - Mark Twain
I thought the irony was intended (0.00 / 0)


"It sounds wrong...
     ...but its right."
[ Parent ]
Because (0.00 / 0)
reproductive freedom never means women choose to have children.

Get over it. Maybe you would never have a child without a gun pointed at your head, but normal people will, and do.

Montani semper liberi

[ Parent ]
Meant to put a question mark at the end of that (0.00 / 0)
first sentence.

Montani semper liberi
[ Parent ]
global Gag Rule (4.00 / 2)
Clinton's first executive order in 1992 was rescinding George Bush's order, then called the Mexico City policy.

So let's hope that the anniversary is the reason he's waiting.

In 1992 Sen Moynihan, he of the red cheeks, kept abortion services out of the health care bill.  We need to make sure that doesn't happen in this healthcare overhaul.  That it is mandated that abortion sefvics be available in all health plans.  

Daschle, who voted for the Partial Birh Abortion ban is in charge, but the very good news on that front is that Neera Tanden, Hillary's policy person and a former NARAL/NY board member,  will be working directly under Daschle on this.  

"Incrementalism isn't a different path to the same place, it could be a different path to a different place"
Stoller

The Mexico City Policy was Reagan's, not George H.W.'s. n/t (0.00 / 0)

[ Parent ]
you're right HW Bush continued it (0.00 / 0)


"Incrementalism isn't a different path to the same place, it could be a different path to a different place"
Stoller
[ Parent ]
Women's lives (4.00 / 4)
should not be on a political seesaw. We need to make this real policy that no president can use to pander to his base.
we need legislation -- not exec orders and new exec orders (4.00 / 1)
over and over depending on which party is in charge.

And we need legislation overturning that "conscience clause" here -- immediately.

[ Parent ]
Via Beliefnet: (0.00 / 0)
Religious Left to Obama: Don't Repeal Abortion Gag Rule Just Yet
Thursday January 22, 2009

Pro-life Obama activists fully expect Obama to repeal the Mexico City "gag rule" -- which prevents American dollars from going to groups that offer abortion services or advice. But some of them are urging the Obama administration Obama to delay action on that until he can put it in the context of a broader "abortion reduction" agenda. In other words, don't make a big pro-choice move without also taking some abortion-reduction step.

Obama had previously indicated that overturning the gag rule would be one of his first steps, one that can be achieved through executive order.

More details as I get 'em.

Not looking like it's gonna happen today...

What the fuck? (0.00 / 0)
Why are anti-choice groups being called "Religious Left?"

Or am I totally misreading that blurb?

Montani semper liberi

[ Parent ]
Happy Birthday, Roe v. Wade | 12 comments
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