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Reality Check: Emergency Contraception | Reproductive Health | RHRealityCheck.org
The truth about the Pro-Life Agenda. It's called wanting people to stop having recreational sex and promoting pro-creation sex where women who have sex must have babies. There is a big difference between emergency pill or "morning after pill", abortion pills, and contraceptive pills. The truth about the Pro-Life Agenda. It's called wanting people to stop having recreational sex and promoting pro-creation sex wh... more
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Anti-Choice Stereotypes
You've heard them before. Abortion is "convenient" and "allows women to shun motherhood." How about this one? The "abortion industry" uses women to make money. Amanda shatters all of our favorite stereotypes put forth by the anti-choice movement and offers up her usual dose of reality. You've heard them before. Abortion is "convenient" and "allows women to shun motherhood." How about this one?... more
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Elderly with Dementia have a "Duty to Die"?
By Hilary White
LONDON, September 19, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In an interview, Baroness Mary Helen Warnock has said that people suffering dementia have a duty to commit suicide.
Baroness Warnock, called the "philosopher queen", is regarded as Britain's leading moral philosopher. She said that she hopes people will soon be "licensed to put others down" who have become a burden on the health care system.
(More at link) By Hilary White ... more -
Prop 4 hearing
Proposition 4 hearing at the California capital building in Sacramento,CA.
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Palin's barbaric record on killing America's 'protected' wildl...
We’re getting the word out to voters about Governor Sarah Palin’s barbaric record on killing America’s wildlife, especially her active promotion of the brutal aerial hunting of wolves and bears.
As governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin has proposed paying a $150 bounty for the foreleg of each dead wolf. The aerial hunting program she champions has already killed nearly 800 wolves. She’s opposed efforts to save America’s polar bears from extinction. She’s fought against efforts to save some of the world’s most endangered beluga whales.
At nearly every opportunity, Governor Palin has sided with Big Oil, mining companies, wealthy trophy hunters and other entrenched special interests in support of policies that would greatly harm the wild animals we treasure.
Warning: This television ad -- like the governor’s support for this brutal practice -- is disturbing. We’re getting the word out to voters about Governor Sarah Palin’s barbaric record on killing America’s wildlife, especially her active... more -
3 Alarming Facts About John McCain's Record Every Woman Should Know
Three Facts About John McCain's Extreme Position on Choice:
John McCain is running on the Republican platform, which would ban all abortions - even in cases of rape and incest.
John McCain voted to criminalize doctors who support women in their reproductive choices, even when a woman's health is at risk.
Since 1983, John McCain has voted 125 times against women's reproductive health choices.
John McCain: Out of Touch with Women's Lives...
Check the Facts:ABC News, 8/20/08;
The Chicago Tribune, Eric Zorn, 8/28/08.
Senate vote 51, 3/13/03.
The New Republic, 8/27/08. Three Facts About John McCain's Extreme Position on Choice: ... more -
Gloria Steinem's opinion of Palin.... not exactly glowing...
Gloria Steinem says Gov. Palin is the wrong woman for the job
but the right-wing vitriol in the comments under this piece are really astounding... Gloria Steinem says Gov. Palin is the wrong woman for the job ... more -
Dip your litmus paper into this writeup about Palin..
Excerpts....
Pray for the construction of the $30 billion natural gas pipeline, Palin told them. Pray for the military men and women overseas, "that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending (U.S. soldiers) out on a task that is from God. That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for -- that there is a plan and it's God's plan."
Later, senior pastor Ed Kalnins -- with Palin standing at his side -- spoke about tapping into Alaska's natural resource wealth in order to fulfill the state's destiny of serving as a shelter for Christians at the end of the world.
"I believe that Alaska is one of the 'refuge states' -- come on you guys -- in the Last Days," Kalnins said, raising his arm to underscore his point. "And hundreds of thousands of people are going to come to this state to seek refuge. And the church has to be ready to minister to them."
Now that she's been selected as Republican presidential candidate John McCain's running mate, such comments raise questions: What are Sarah Palin's religious beliefs? What churches does she attend and who are her pastors? How have her beliefs played out in her public life in Alaska? What do they portend for a possible vice president?
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CHURCH INFLUENCE
Palin reached into her own church when she filled the seat vacated last winter by Rep. Vic Kohring, R-Wasilla, who's now serving three and a half years in prison for bribery, conspiracy and attempted extortion as part of the federal crackdown on Alaska political corruption.
His replacement is Wes Keller, one of 10 elders in the Wasilla Bible Church and one of three candidates on a short list that was submitted to Palin by state Republicans. Another of the three finalists, Keller said, was also a member of the church.
Keller said he got to know Palin when she and her husband, Todd, joined the Wasilla Bible Church in 2002. He thinks his appointment to the House seat probably had more to do with his own community achievements than his membership in the church.
But his track record so far has pleased the religious right. In the recent legislative session, Keller sponsored a bill to make performing late-term "partial birth abortions" a felony. He also introduced legislation sought by the Alaska Family Council that requires all state-funded public libraries to install filters to protect kids from "inappropriate" material.
Eventually he hopes to see the state mandate that intelligent design be taught alongside evolution, Keller said Friday. He also favors providing public funds to parents seeking private education through some kind of voucher system.
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Since winning her race for governor in 2006, Palin has also attended a large Pentecostal church in Juneau -- the Juneau Christian Center. She's also worshiped at the Church on the Rock, a sprawling megachurch in Wasilla.
All four fellowships the family has attended appear to have one trait in common: They all insist on the inerrancy of the Bible. Their pastors preach that scripture is literally God's spoken word.
Launching into a discourse on the purpose of man earlier this year, Juneau Christian Center pastor Mike Rose touted the Genesis version of creation while dismissing Darwin's theory of evolution, which some Christian faiths are willing to accept. Excerpts.... ... more -
The Palin Project
Okay, the video and sound are crappy (shot on my RCA EZ201, so what're ya gonna do?), the performance could be better, and the whole thing could be considered a cheap shot. But I woke up this morning and had to get this off my chest, so enjoy it for what it is.
As always, your comments are invited. Okay, the video and sound are crappy (shot on my RCA EZ201, so what're ya gonna do?), the performance could be better, and the wh... more -
McCain, Palin, and the meaning of "choice"
In the news release, the McCain campaign made sure to state that:
Bristol Palin made the decision on her own to keep the baby, McCain aides said.
While it's obvious why they made this statement to assure the public that Bristol was not coerced into keeping the baby (after all, she does have a parent who is a staunch opponent of the right to choose and is currently on the Republican presidential ticket), as my significant other pointed out, there's some serious hypocrisy at play here. I mean, John McCain and Sarah Palin don't believe women have a right to choose. It's absolutely absurd for the campaign to emphasize the fact that Bristol "made this decision," and then push for policies that take away that choice.
In reality, Bristol's actual "choice" was probably not whether to terminate the pregnancy or carry it to term, but whether raise the child herself or put it up for adoption. But the reason that the McCain campaign chose to emphasize Bristol's agency in this decision was to reassure the public that this pregnancy is not coercive. They know the public wants to feel secure in the knowledge that it was Bristol's choice to keep the pregnancy. And coming from the McCain campaign, which opposes a woman's right to choose, that statement is disgusting. As Kate Sheppard wrote in In These Times recently, during the 2000 primary McCain said that if his daughter got pregnant it would be a "family decision":
"The final decision would be made by Meghan with our advice and counsel," McCain said, referring to himself and his wife, Cindy. When reporters suggested that this view made him, in fact, pro-choice, McCain became irritated. "I don't think it is the pro-choice position to say that my daughter and my wife and I will discuss something that is a family matter that we have to decide."
In other words: My family and my daughter deserve a choice, but no other woman can be trusted with this decision. This fits nicely with the narrative on both Palin's decision to carry her Down's syndrome child to term and her daughter's decision to carry her own pregnancy to term. Their decisions are seen by the antichoice Republican base as affirmation that Palin shares their values. But the underlying message that each woman had a choice is a validation of pro-choice values. In the news release, the McCain campaign made sure to state that: ... more -
Step into the future of McCain's World....
In McCain's World, judges, not women,
have control over our reproductive freedom.
Here's what McCain says:
"I'm proud that we have Justice Alito and Roberts on the United States Supreme Court. I'm very proud to have played a very small role in making that happen." McCain explained further that he "will try to find clones of Alito and Roberts" to fill future court vacancies. In McCain's World, judges, not women, have control over our reproductive freedom. Here's what McCain says: ... more -
Catholic school denies theology position to pro-choice professor
"A Catholic university has refused to restore a prestigious teaching position to a theologian who’s a prominent figure in an abortion rights organization.
University of San Diego administrators withdrew the appointment of Rosemary Radford Ruether to a chair in Roman Catholic theology because she serves on the board of Catholics for Choice.
Administrators reaffirmed that decision Thursday despite a petition signed by faculty members urging the school to restore the offer or allow Ruether to visit the campus and lecture on academic freedom.
In 2004, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops warned that Catholic schools should not honor or give any platform to “those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles.” "A Catholic university has refused to restore a prestigious teaching position to a theologian who’s a prominent figure in an abor... more -
Conservatives upset over abortion rights VP contenders
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Speculation that Sen. John McCain is considering as a running mate two men who support abortion rights has sparked a backlash among social conservatives, including radio talk-show host Rush Limbaugh.
Limbaugh warned on his radio show Tuesday that McCain would ensure the GOP's defeat if he picked either Tom Ridge, a former Pennsylvania governor and homeland security secretary, or Sen. Joseph Lieberman, an Connecticut independent who was the 2000 Democratic vice presidential nominee. Both Ridge and Lieberman support abortion rights.
One Republican insider said McCain campaign manager Rick Davis has called several state party chairs and indicated that Ridge will be the Republican vice presidential pick this cycle.
"How about some discussion from the McCain campaign about a conservative who can be counted on across the board, who can help lead the country in the right direction?" Limbaugh said. "Who can help rebuild the Republican Party? Lieberman can't do that -- and rebuild the conservative movement? McCain nor Lieberman nor Ridge can do that." WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Speculation that Sen. John McCain is considering as a running mate two men who support abortion rights has sparked... more -
Abortions Up in Connecticut
Figures show that while the number of abortions is decreasing nationally, they have been increasing in Connecticut in recent years.
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Menthol is used to hook young smokers
I smoke so this is important to me. I don't endorse smoking, but I support the freedom to choose.
Tobacco companies manipulate the amount of menthol in cigarettes to make those first few puffs more palatable to young smokers, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday in a finding that could fuel support for more tobacco regulation.
"Menthol stimulates the cooling receptors in the lung and oral pharynx," said Dr. Gregory Connolly of the Harvard School of Public Health. "It makes smoking easier."
The study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, comes as the U.S. Congress considers legislation that would give the Food and Drug Administration broad authority to regulate tobacco.
It would appear this report is simply an effort to push support for federal regulation of the tobacco industry, not a scientific review of the menthol category," said David Howard, a spokesman for R.J. Reynolds, a unit of Reynolds American Inc (RAI.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and maker of Camel and Kool cigarettes.
Lorillard Inc (LO.N: Quote, Profile, Research) spokesman Michael Robinson said in a statement: "The American public should view this report for what it is, a politically motivated lobbying tool."
The article is four pages long, but these paragraphs sum it up well. What do you think? Comment below. I smoke so this is important to me. I don't endorse smoking, but I support the freedom to choose. ... more -
Obama Walks The Abortion Minefield
For the past week, some activists in the abortion rights community have been trying to figure out why Barack Obama, a Democrat praised for his strong defense of reproductive rights, appeared to be turning soft.
Those who work on the front lines of the abortion debate couldn’t quite believe what they were hearing: Obama, in an interview with a Christian magazine, seemed to reject a mental health exception to the ban on late-term abortions. They feared that Obama, like Democrat John Kerry in 2004, was adopting a view favored by abortion opponents to appeal to conservatives.
After days of examining his initial comments and a subsequent clarification that he supports a mental health exception — as long as the woman suffers a diagnosed illness and is not just “feeling blue” — some activists are satisfied, while others are far from it or just plain confused.
“That kind of statement really feeds into the wingnut argument that women have abortions because they are frivolous about that decision, because we are having a bad hair day,” Kim Gandy, president of the National Organization for Women, said in an interview Wednesday. “There seems to be an information gap there.”
The confusion comes at a politically sensitive juncture for Obama, as he attempts to build credibility and a comfort level with women voters and institutional advocacy groups, including some that supported Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. The timing exacerbated the concerns of these groups, some of which are still awaiting a personal meeting with the presumptive Democratic nominee: It followed a major push by Obama to court religious voters who hold positions at odds with these advocacy groups.
As he faces criticism from some on the left, Obama is also taking hits from the right over abortion. The Christian Defense Coalition began running print ads this week calling Obama “the abortion president.” And Republican John McCain, an opponent of abortion rights, took a dig at Obama during an Ohio town hall meeting on Wednesday, criticizing his vote against a ban on late-term abortion as an Illinois state senator.
The reaction to Obama’s statement revealed a divide in the abortion rights community, one that closely tracks the allegiances formed during the Democratic Party’s protracted primary election fight. While NOW and the Feminist Majority voiced concern over Obama's abortion remarks, two of the largest organizations dedicated to reproductive rights took a different tack and backed up Obama.
NARAL Pro-Choice America, which endorsed Obama in early May, issued a statement of support after Relevant magazine published the interview last week, saying he was a strong supporter of Roe v. Wade and his views were consistent with the landmark ruling establishing the right to an abortion. The Planned Parenthood Action Fund, which stayed neutral in the primary, announced its formal support of Obama on Tuesday.
Kate Michelman, a prominent women’s rights advocate who endorsed Obama in February, said Obama was not softening his long-standing support of Roe, but rather articulating his understanding that abortions in the second and third trimesters should be rare and necessitated by serious health issues.
“He was very deliberately speaking to those people who over the past 35 years have made the case that the exception to protect women’s health is a big loophole through which women can leap when they are feeling blue,” said Michelman, who headed NARAL for nearly 20 years until 2004. “Obama was making it clear that he doesn’t believe that is what women do and what the law allows.” For the past week, some activists in the abortion rights community have been trying to figure out why Barack Obama, a Democrat praised... more -
Obama talks about late term abortions
from The Huffington Post
....... Barack Obama says "mental distress" should not qualify as a justification for late-term abortions, a key distinction not embraced by many supporters of abortion rights.
In an interview this week with "Relevant," a Christian magazine, Obama said prohibitions on late-term abortions must contain "a strict, well defined exception for the health of the mother."
Obama then added: "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."
Last year, after the Supreme Court upheld a federal ban on late-term abortions, Obama said he "strongly disagreed" with the ruling because it "dramatically departs form previous precedents safeguarding the health of pregnant women." from The Huffington Post ... more -
McCain against Roe v. Wade & Comprehensive Sex-ed
John McCain has a 0% rating from the Planned Parenthood Action Fund because he has consistently voted against women's reproductive rights.
Once again it becomes clear that John McCain's policies are identical to Bush's.
He is opposed to Roe v. Wade and has said that he would like to see it overturned.
He's against Comprehensive Sexual Education and only supports "abstinence-only" education which has been proven to be ineffective and is often tied to bringing religion, and misinformation about sex into the classroom.
He's against making birth control affordable by means of requiring insurance companies to cover it.
Do Americans know enough about John McCain's extreme positions on this critical issues?
Is McCain any different from Bush on reproductive health or a disrespect for the Constitution and the right to privacy?
Take the Bush-McCain challenge and quiz by watching this video and decide for yourself if McCain is really the "maverick" he's cracked up to be.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7Z4dxjRv4g
What do you think? John McCain has a 0% rating from the Planned Parenthood Action Fund because he has consistently voted against women's reproductiv... more -
ProChoice.com Is Not What You Think It Is
You know, no matter where you stand on the abortion debate, toying with women’s lives through false advertising is pretty effed up. We’ve read a lot about “pregnancy crisis centers”, which seem like abortion clinics, but really only offer “counseling” that scares and guilt trips pregnant women into not getting abortions. Likewise, it’s really frickin’ irritating to hear that ProChoice.com is actually an anti-choice website serving up all sorts of anti-abortion information. What I don’t understand is how the pro-choice movement doesn’t have the authority to get the domain name back. You know, no matter where you stand on the abortion debate, toying with women’s lives through false advertising is pretty effed up. We... more
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Thousands of women have four abortions by age 30
Figures uncovered by the Telegraph show that almost 4,000 women have had at least four abortions. In a "grotesquely bleak" picture of British society, scores of women have had at least eight terminations. The figures emerged as the row over controversial changes to fertility law erupted into a bitter war of words, with a minister accusing "anti-abortion" MPs of trying to "hijack" legislation. Nadine Dorries, the MP leading the campaign to reduce the abortion time limit from 24 to 20 weeks, hit back at the criticism, while revealing that she has received hate mail over her stance. Miss Primarolo made her comments as the Government braced itself for a difficult two days of debate on the Bill, which has been denounced by Christian MPs and clerics. It emerged on Saturday that NHS doctors were refusing to carry out late procedures and that 75 per cent of the 7,000 terminations performed after 17 weeks of pregnancy each year were being carried out at private clinics and charities. Department of Health figures uncovered by this newspaper show that during 2006 more than 3,800 women underwent at least their fourth abortion, including more than 1,300 who were on their fifth or more. Of more than 60,000 women who underwent a "repeat" abortion, almost 15,000 were on their third. These included 65 women who had their sixth abortion by the age of 30, and 82 girls aged under 18 who had already experienced three, and more than 50 women who had had eight abortions or more. Figures uncovered by the Telegraph show that almost 4,000 women have had at least four abortions. In a "grotesquely bleak" ... more
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