Such crap

From Planned Parenthood:

This is not what we worked for. This is not what we fought for. 

You and I, and millions of Planned Parenthood supporters, fought for a year to make sure that health care reform would provide comprehensive coverage to every woman, man, and child in America. We achieved some tremendous victories, including defeating the Stupak amendment that would have banned private insurance coverage of abortion for millions of women. 

Now, a Stupak-like rule is back — and it came from the Obama administration.Tell the Obama administration to reverse this decision and allow women to secure the coverage they need.

The final health care reform bill included extensive restrictions on using federal funds to pay for abortion coverage, but the decision announced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services yesterday goes beyond even these restrictions. 

The Obama administration has decided that no woman in the new high-risk insurance pools will be allowed to obtain abortion coverage beyond limited cases (rape, incest, endangering the life of the woman). Not even if she pays for that coverage with her own money. 

We need to make sure the Obama administration knows this is unacceptable. Click here to do your part and tell the Obama administration to reverse this decision.

The high-risk insurance pools are for some of the most medically vulnerable women in the country — those with pre-existing conditions such as breast and ovarian cancer, AIDS, diabetes, and other conditions that may make pregnancy extraordinarily dangerous. These women will be locked out from abortion coverage, even if they pay for it out of their own pockets. 

Tell the Obama administration to reverse this decision immediately.

The president committed his administration to preventing any federal funds from being spent on abortion care. But the fact is, this announcement from HHS goes well beyond that. Nothing in the new health care reform law requires a ban on abortion coverage in the high-risk pools. No law passed by Congress forced this decision. The Obama administration has chosen to place a new burden on ill and medically vulnerable women seeking abortion coverage. 

After all the amazing work and the unyielding dedication from Planned Parenthood supporters like you that helped get us this far, I can't just let that happen. This is not what we fought for — which means it's time to fight back against the Obama administration's abortion coverage ban now. Click here to take action.

Thank you so very much for standing with us and the women, men, and teens who rely on Planned Parenthood.

Reproductive Health

I had to post this. Madame Secretary provides some really helpful talking points on the issue of global reproductive justice:

Planned Parenthood funding in jeopardy

From PP:

Planned Parenthood needs your help — right now. Anti-choice Sen. David Vitter has introduced an amendment to the Appropriations bill currently being debated in the Senate that would strip federal Title X family planning funding from Planned Parenthood. We need your help to protect Planned Parenthood and the women, men and teens our affiliate health centers serve.

Sen. Vitter's amendment is just the latest in a long string of attacks against Planned Parenthood — and potentially the most devastating. By attempting to deny Title X family planning funding to our health centers, he and his anti-choice allies are making themselves absolutely clear: their goal is to shut down every Planned Parenthood health center in America.

We can't let them do it. Click here to tell your senators to vote "NO" on the Vitter Amendment.

This is the worst possible time for these outrageous attacks. More and more people are losing their jobs and their health insurance — and that means that safety-net providers like Planned Parenthood affiliate health centers are more important than ever. It's unconscionable to try to strip our funding at time when so many people are relying on us — but that's exactly what Sen. Vitter and his allies are trying to do.

This battle is happening right now on the floor of the Senate, and we need your help. Tell your senators that you support Planned Parenthood. Tell them to stand up against this latest attack against our health centers. Tell them to vote "NO."

National Condom Week

From Planned Parenthood:

While a lot of us are enjoying Valentine's Day with loved ones this weekend, there's another annual event taking place that you might have missed: this week is National Condom Week!

Planned Parenthood is the nation's largest provider of contraceptive services, so we're pretty big fans of National Condom Week. It's a time to talk about important issues like contraceptive access and education, not to mention prevention of sexually transmitted infections. But mostly, it's a time to celebrate that simple, effective, wonderful invention known as the latex condom.

So we've pulled together a few of our favorite condom-related videos and put them all in one playlist. Want to see condoms used in high fashion? Or maybe it's time for a brief refresher on properly using a condom? And then there's my favorite, the Golden Girls shopping at the pharmacy, with Bea Arthur yelling, "Condoms, Rose! Condoms!"

Click here to watch our playlist. While you're there, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel — it's the best way to stay up-to-date on the sometimes fun, sometimes serious, but always engaging videos from Planned Parenthood.

From all of us at Planned Parenthood, Happy National Condom Week!

Click here to find out more about National Condom Week. Click here to learn about the amazing OWL program that many UU Churches offer. I was a chaperone for an overnight and the kids are really funny and engaged...they learned all about lovemaking (gay and straight) last night and will find out everything they need to know about contraception, abortion, family planning, the importance of making good decisions, etc. today. Can't wait for my children to be old enough to go through the program.

Not the change we need

Family planning has been stripped from the stimulus package. From Cecile Richards of Planned Parenthood:

I'm stunned. We've just confirmed news reports that provisions to expand access to affordable family planning will be stripped from the economic stimulus bill. Removing this provision is a betrayal of millions of low-income women, and it will place an even greater burden on state budgets that are already strained to the breaking point.

I was frustrated when I saw a parade of legislators and talking heads on television this weekend spreading false information about this commonsense bill. House Minority Leader John Boehner even claimed that the provision would cost millions of dollars — when the fact is it would save the federal government $700 million over 10 years.

I was even more shocked to read today that congressional leaders have taken these false arguments seriously and will remove family planning provisions from the stimulus bill. It's time for Washington to hear from the millions of Americans who support commonsense policies that invest in health care and help ease the economic downturn.

Let me be clear. The Medicaid Family Planning State Option is a simple way to make health care affordable for millions of Americans. It would do two important things:

1. It would allow millions of women to obtain basic health care. It would extend safety-net health care coverage for millions who are losing their jobs and health insurance in the economic downturn. Studies estimate that 2.3 million low-income women would receive coverage under this provision by 2014, and 500,000 women would be able to avoid unintended pregnancies.
2. In these difficult times, this provision would save states money. State budgets are being squeezed by the economic downturn, just as millions are losing their jobs and health insurance. The Medicaid Family Planning State Option not only would help states extend their coverage, it would generate savings for states and the federal government by expanding access to preventive care.

What to do? Again from PP:

Call the White House at 202-456-1111 — it's a quick and easy way to make a big impact. Click here for more details on what to say, and to report back to Planned Parenthood on your call. (A phone call is the best way to make your voice heard, but if you can't make the call, you can send an email here.)
Please, take two minutes now to help us raise a public outcry.