“Let Women Die” Act
Posted by Michelle Moquin on October 15th, 2011
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Good morning!
Social Butterfly: No need to make such a promise. The article you posted was worth the length. Thank you for taking the time to include such an important women’s health issue.
Anita: I couldn’t have said it better. No one is going to be more concerned about women’s health than women.
That being said, we women, and concerned me who truly care about women, need to continue to fight for our rights, and not stand for this to happen. We can see where priorities lie when it comes to men and the women that follow their lead, lead us. Their priorities are not women’s health and well-being. Their priorities are playing politics with women’s health and privacy.
And once again, the republican’s middle name is “hypocrite”. How can you call a bill ”Protect Life Act”, when this bill allows doctors and hospitals to “exercise their conscience” by letting pregnant women facing emergency medical conditions die? (!)
Yesterday the GOP-led House of Representatives, with the blessings and encouragement of the United States Council of Catholic Bishops and extremist religious groups such as the Family Research Council, passed a bill in a vote of 251 to 172 that would, among other things, allow doctors and hospitals to “exercise their conscience” by letting pregnant women facing emergency medical conditions die.
Yes. Die.
This is what the Republicans called the “Protect Life Act.” And no, I am not kidding.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called it what it is… “a savage assault on women’s health.”
Fifteen Democrats voted for what women’s groups are calling the “Let Women Die” Act. These include anti-choice Congressmen Jason Altmire (PA), Sanford Bishop (GA), Dan Boren (OK), Jerry Costello (IL), Mark Critz (PA), Henry Cuellar (TX), Joe Donnelly (IN), Tim Holden (PA), Dan Lipinski (IL), Jim Matheson (UT), Mike McIntyre (NC), Nick Rahall (WVA), Mike Ross (AR), Collin Petersen (MN), and Heath Shuler (D-NC).
“Extremists prevailed today in the House of Representatives,” said Debra Ness of the National Partnership for Women and Families, “proving again that they are badly out-of-touch with the majority of Americans who want lawmakers to focus on economic recovery, jobs and promoting, rather than restricting, affordable, quality health care – not [on] an extreme, anti-woman agenda.”
Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, called passage of the bill yet another reminder of how playing politics with women’s health and privacy is a priority for Speaker John Boehner.
“Americans are facing real challenges, yet House Speaker John Boehner is ignoring the public’s call for Congress to focus on jobs, “said Keenan. “Instead, he is coming up with new ways to give politicians more control over our personal, private decisions. The House’s attacks on women’s freedom and privacy are out of touch with our nation’s values and priorities.”
The bill, H.R. 358, about which we have written extensively before, revives the earlier failed Stupak amendment, which would force health plans to drop comprehensive coverage in state health insurance exchanges, cutting off millions of women from the benefits they receive today and prevent women from paying for health insurance with abortion coverage with their own money.
H.R. 358 contains other provisions revealing complete disregard for women’s health and lives. It permits states to enact sweeping refusal laws that would allow health plans to refuse to cover women’s preventive services, including birth control, without cost-sharing — undoing a new protection under health reform supported by 66 percent of Americans. It also codifies and significantly expands an already expansive refusal clause (also known as the Weldon amendment) without any regard for patient rights or protections. Under current law (through the 2004 Weldon amendment), hospitals, health care facilities, and insurance plans can refuse to provide, pay for, provide coverage of, or refer for abortions. The Weldon amendment has no protections for patients to ensure they have access to care and information in a timely manner. H.R. 358 codifies this unfair and discriminatory provision. H.R. 358 further allows health care entities–hospitals, clinics–to refuse to “participate in” abortion care. This could mean that a hospital employee with no medical training or role in a patient’s treatment decisions could refuse to process bills, handle medical records, or even set up an examination room for a patient seeking abortion care.
And finally, it overrides protections for pregnant women under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act. EMTALA was enacted in 1986 to ensure public access to emergency services regardless of ability to pay, including women in active labor. Under EMTALA, hospitals must stabilize a pregnant patient who, for example, is facing an emergency obstetric condition or life-threatening pregnancy and either treat her–including an emergency abortion–or if the hospital or staff objects, to transfer her to another facility that will treat her.
H.R. 358 overturns decades of precedent guaranteeing people access to lifesaving emergency care, including abortion care and says its ok that a pregnant woman fighting for her life be left to die.
Read it again. It is that breathtaking.
As Representative Jackie Speier (D-CA) stated during floor debate, had this law been in effect 20 years ago she might not be here, because she was one of those women who needed an emergency abortion to save her life.
But the real lives of real women don’t seem to be of great concern to the predominantly white male Congress.
“This bill is a collection of dangerous ideas that will undermine women’s health,” said Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. “Most devastating, the bill eliminates protections for patients seeking care in emergency circumstances, and would allow a hospital to deny lifesaving abortion care to a woman, even if a doctor deems it necessary.”
President Obama has said he would veto the bill if it were to reach his desk. “The Administration strongly opposes H.R. 358,” said the statement of policy put out by the White House, “because, as previously stated in the Statement of Administration Policy on H.R. 3, the legislation intrudes on women’s reproductive freedom and access to health care and unnecessarily restricts the private insurance choices that women and their families have today.”
“America’s women and families are counting on the Senate to reject this measure,” said Ness of the National Partnership, “and, if necessary, for President Obama to make good on his promise to veto it.”
Posted at October 14, 2011, 7:13 am
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Readers: Have anything to say? This is the place. Blog me.
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As always….I’ll check back in tomorrow.
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October 15th, 2011 at 9:27 am
I saw Jackie speak, very powerful story, it could happen to any woman.
I’m off to celebrate another year on this planet, tomorrow is my b’day, but I’m starting – now – bc there’s no time like the present!
Luv, Zen Lill
October 15th, 2011 at 9:42 am
FINDING THE COURAGE TO ACT
Maybe life has been easy for you and maybe it hasn’t, but I bet that at some point in the past weeks you have wondered how you, personally, would have fared if you had been living in Japan when the earthquake and tsunami hit…
or in the high-nuclear radiation zone… or, for that matter, in any of a number of other parts of the world where people must use every resource they have just to keep their lives going.
That includes a particular “resource” that isn’t canned goods, bottled water or emergency medications, but rather the personal wherewithal to remain calm and focused…
to put aside your fears in order to make important, even lifesaving decisions… and to be a supportive problem solver for the people who rely on you.
In other words, I’m talking about courage of the deeply personal sort.
Courage is a critical resource that we all need — and not just when faced with a natural disaster or during wartime.
The news is full each day of many people braving life under the harshest of circumstances, so this seemed an excellent topic to discuss with Lauren Zander, life coach and regular Daily Health News contributor.
Zander had a lot to say because, as she pointed out, courage is not only an essential tool for navigating life’s inevitable crises, but one you can use for enrichment when life is going well.
“I can’t think of a more important ingredient for having a fulfilled life than courage,” she said.
BEING BRAVE IN THE FACE OF FEAR
Zander told me that we first needed to clarify an important point: People often believe that being brave means that you are not afraid — but the reality is quite the opposite.
Bravery is acting in spite of fear — not without it.
During times of disaster and true crisis, we all have no choice but to overcome fear and take action. Those living in Japan have no time for sitting around scared.
They must focus on surviving and rebuilding. The need for courage doesn’t arise only in times of crisis, however. Zander points out that our daily lives often require inner fortitude as well.
In our lifetimes, we face all manner of situations where we must confront fear and move past it. Sometimes it’s dramatic — for instance, accepting your own homosexuality in the face of your family’s disapproval…
or knowing you should speak up when someone in your office says something racist or sexist to a coworker.
You also need guts to confront someone you love about a destructive habit, such as smoking or abusing alcohol.
You need courage to end a relationship that is no longer healthy or productive… and it certainly requires compassionate bravery to keep showing up day after day after day to support a loved one as he/she faces the end of life.
According to Zander, there is a common thread through all of these sorts of situations — the courage we need will be directly connected to our “personal truth.”
“Many people find that they can be ‘courageous’ in the name of telling their truth or when they want very badly to accomplish something important,” she said.
But when it comes to speaking up, people tend to fall short about saying what they really want to say because it either will hurt another person or change the dynamic between them.
Being the real you is only done through expressing your deeper hidden thoughts and feelings versus running your life to keep everyone happy.
In that moment of potential willingness to reveal your true voice, you will need a serious dose of courage.
“I can get most people to admit they have lists and lists of things that they feel they cannot say to people in their lives, and then matching lists of why not — and all of this is fear of being authentic. This kind of courage is very connected to one’s heart.”
DOES THIS MAKE YOU UNCOMFORTABLE?
How’s all this sitting with you? What thoughts are going through your mind? Have you experienced situations that have called for personal bravery?
Are you proud of how you have forged on and what you’ve accomplished? Or are some of these questions feeling uncomfortable?
Most of us would benefit from some spine-stiffening introspection.
Ask yourself what you fear — and what fears you might not be openly acknowledging. Here are some to get you started…
When was the last time you tried something new and different, something you didn’t already know how to do? If it has been a long time, consider what might be holding you back.
Challenge yourself to create a vision for a new and different future — what might it look like and what you would like your vision to achieve or gain.
Would you like to change careers? Overcome your fear of flying so that you can take an overseas vacation?
Does change — no matter where or what kind — scare you? Do you avoid potentially fun or enriching experiences so you don’t have to risk the unknown?
Complete this sentence: “I need courage to __________.”
Perhaps that would be speaking up to your boss next time he/she speaks disrespectfully to you… going to a meeting of Weight Watchers or Overeaters Anonymous…
pushing yourself to buy workout wear and go to a Zumba class… or even dating again after a painful divorce.
Whatever your need for courage might be, filling in the end of that sentence will give you a good idea of where in your life you may want to think about practicing courage now.
NEXT STEPS…
Taking the “next step” is the basis for any courageous action. Think about the classic Alcoholics Anonymous line, “One day at a time.”
It’s just that next step you have to take, because the ones that follow can be dealt with in their own time.
For instance, says Zander, “I never knew I could build a company based on my work as a life coach. The thought alone scared me.
I found that I was really able to figure out my dream if I let go of all my fears and just chased it.
The same was true for being on TV — I had no experience and was scared to death to want it, let alone do it.
I got a coach, went to improv class and just kept moving ahead. This is the best part about learning courage — it works!”
We all have courage — but it’s easy for fear to overwhelm our courageous actions.
By focusing on the goal and advancing one step at a time, you can move on to ever greater levels in life, challenges you might once have thought impossible.
“If you are on a road where you encounter scary challenges that require courage to keep you moving, you are likely living your best life,” says Zander.
Source(s):
Lauren Zander, cofounder and chairman, The Handel Group, http://www.TheHandelGroup.com
October 15th, 2011 at 9:57 am
Ditto Al, I couldn’t agree more.
October 15th, 2011 at 10:19 am
We are in 1887
Hello, Michelle, yes it is delightful to be back. Now that Adam has returned his obsession with traveling to the future to the mental exclusively pursuit, Bita and I can return to enjoying the pursuits of the past and bringing a bit of TRUE history to the blog. Which brings us to what “Dodge City” was really like or as it was known as then,
HELL CITY
The Gomorrah of the Plains, previously a campground near Fort Dodge army barracks, sprang up in 1872 when it acquired a railway station.
After this it became a centre of booze and harlotry. “All they raise around Dodge City is cattle and hell,” remarked one observer.
Railwaymen leaving their lamps outside whores’ cribs gave the world its first “red light district.”
The enforcement activities of Short and Doc Holliday, which had nothing whatsoever to do with law-making, made the town’s cemetery the first “Boot Hill.”
Writer Ned Buntline came to Dodge, and romanticized its corrupt law-enforcers. Thus did the criminals Earp, Masterson, Short and Holliday become known as heroes!
AH
October 15th, 2011 at 10:22 am
Women will never be able to unite and do something for themselves until they break the shackles placed on their minds by the religions devise by men to keep women thinking they are not equal to men in every way.
Wilma
October 15th, 2011 at 10:24 am
Congressman Paul Ryan:
How to Fix the Economy
Hello There,
The new Uncommon Knowledge video from our friends at the Hoover Institution is now available.
This week’s video features Congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, one of the most prominent members of the House of Representatives and author of the long-term budget proposal, The Path to Prosperity.
In this brand-new, wide-ranging interview, Congressman Ryan talks about the current state of the economy, and the steps he would take to get it back on track.
He discusses why he thinks ObamaCare must be repealed, his plans for fixing Medicare and Medicaid, the importance of the 2012 election, and his decision not to run for President.
What are the most important steps to fixing the economy?
Find out what Paul Ryan thinks!
http://www.humanevents.com/UncommonKnowledge.php
Sincerely,
Human Events
October 15th, 2011 at 10:34 am
A class of nine year olds were asked to write a short story. I liked this one by a sweet lass.
================
Once upon a time there was a little girl named Clarise Nancy Imogene Ingrid LaRose. She had no hair and rather large feet. But she was extremely rich and the rest was easy.
=================
October 15th, 2011 at 10:42 am
Zenn Lill: HAPPY BIRTHDAY to YOU……! Enjoy this day,(not an order or demand or anything) for this will be the only birthday with this number on it. Suppose to be that way, but I’ve known those who count backwards if they feel like it, I used to be a lot older once myself.
Have fun, feel good, surround you self with friend(s) and stay safe. One More time, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” and Happy Birthday tommorow too:-)
Michelle: Thanks for the welcome back, and things are as well as they need to be with me.
Al’a'mode
October 15th, 2011 at 10:48 am
Here is my courage entry for the day. Ladies and friends of Anonz, DO NOT tell where he is when you write in. If his enemies are looking for him,
HELLO, you just told them where he is. Perhaps that is why Obama had to put boots on the ground with the ability to call in airstrikes to give him cover.
That is all Obama needs, to be accused of starting another war front, in Africa.
Never mind the fact that it’s okay for the US to help European interest anywhere on the globe, but God forbid that he attempts to help a black nation.
Rita
October 15th, 2011 at 10:52 am
Zen Lill: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
It has been a pleasure making your acquaintance on this very blog.
I hope you consider me a “Blog Brother” as I think of you as a “Blog Sister”.
Enjoy the weekend — It is yours to enjoy.
HOWIE
October 15th, 2011 at 10:55 am
Damn, Zen Lill, I wanted to be the first to congratulate you on your birthdate on the blog.
But ditto Al I agree,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Beautiful
Larry
October 15th, 2011 at 10:58 am
Happy Birthday Zen Lill. You are the bomb!
October 15th, 2011 at 11:00 am
I agree with everything you said Rita.
HappyBirthday to the blog only commenting Girlz. I would love to be one.
Jovina
October 15th, 2011 at 11:05 am
Rita thanks for the alert. I have been trying to get in to say that from yesterday.
I don’t know your country’s politics well, but I hope this doesn’t hurt Mr. Obama’s too much. His country’s help is much needed in Africa and much appreciated.
Nyika
October 15th, 2011 at 11:07 am
Congrats Girlz
I hope you are planning a BLAST.
Brittany
October 15th, 2011 at 11:08 am
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my favorite blond.
Wish I could be in LA to help you celebrate your day tomorrow.
Louis
October 15th, 2011 at 11:15 am
Greetings from Iran and happy birthday to you Zen Lill. I have wanted to be a Girlz since your first trip up. I didn’t learn about it until a year later because I wasn’t aware of the blog then.
My Syrian friends told be about it and in those days there were archives so I looked you up.
How exciting it must have been to go up and visit with aliens from another planet. I am studying astronomy because that is as close as I can get to the worlds beyond us.
I would leave immediately if it were possible. I envy you so much.
Love you and your posts
Fairuza
October 15th, 2011 at 11:17 am
Hong Kong loves you too Zen Lill. If you need more Girlz, please give us a look to please.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Zhi
October 15th, 2011 at 11:20 am
Why is it that we rejoice at a birth and grieve at a funeral? Is it because we are not the person concerned?
Mark Twain, Pudd’nhead Wilson’s Calendar
October 15th, 2011 at 11:26 am
A CUP OF HOT TEA IS GOOD FOR YOU — OR IS IT?
Sitting down with a nice cup of hot tea feels positively virtuous these days.
Every time we glance up at the evening news, there’s been another scientist telling us how good tea is for our health — it’s those antioxidants!
But now here comes another study with a decidedly different take — tea can be dangerous… and the danger is cancer.
Tea? Cancer? Really? The study being reported found that drinking hot tea seems to be the reason people in a certain area of northern Iran have one of the world’s highest rates of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, an often deadly form of the disease.
For the study, published in the online edition of BMJ (formerly the British Medical Journal), researchers interviewed 300 people with esophageal cancer and 571 of their healthy neighbors.
All had similar backgrounds and habits — including regular tea drinking. The difference?
Compared with those who drank their tea warm or lukewarm, people who drank their tea “very hot” were eight times as likely to develop cancer, and those who drank it “hot” were twice as likely.
In other words, it seemed that the culprit might not be the tea — but the temperature. Well, I thought, maybe there’s hope yet for us tea drinkers.
THE CLEAREST RISK FACTOR
I called the study author, Farhad Islami, MD, PhD, at the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France, to learn more.
He let me know that this particular group of Iranians were at otherwise low risk for esophageal squamous cell cancer — very few smoked and most did not drink alcohol, two very significant risk factors for that disease.
The study showed that tea drinking was a common habit among all subpopulations in the region (a total of 48,500 people) and that approximately 25% of the people there drink their tea at the hottest level — about 149°F or higher.
This was verified later when researchers actually measured the temperature. (“Hot” was considered to be 149°F to 158°F… and “very hot,” above 158°F.)
Although researchers aren’t sure why this is a problem, they believe that the heat may trigger inflammatory processes that stimulate potentially carcinogenic compounds in the esophageal mucous membranes.
Perhaps even more likely, Dr. Islami says, is the fact that high heat can damage the esophageal lining, making it less able to protect itself against carcinogens coming in from the outside world.
OKAY THEN, WHAT ABOUT COFFEE?
America, of course, is a land of coffee drinkers, many of whom like their brew piping hot.
Based on what the tea study tells us, is there reason to worry about coffee, too?
Dr. Islami says it is important to note that the type of esophageal cancer most common in the West — adenocarcinoma of the esophagus –
is not the same as squamous cell carcinoma, which is the most common type of esophageal cancer in Iran and worldwide.
Furthermore, while a few reports suggest that other hot beverages, including coffee, might increase esophageal cancer risk, there is little research on hot coffee specifically.
So we do need more studies. In the meantime, Dr. Islami speaks to common sense. “If the issue is damage to the esophageal lining, it would be safer if people do not drink very hot coffee or tea,” he says.
It takes only a few minutes or so to allow your hot beverage of choice — coffee or tea — to cool to 140°F and into the safety zone.
Source(s):
Farhad Islami, MD, PhD, research fellow, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France.
October 15th, 2011 at 11:33 am
My father is a headmaster at a yeshiva. We get people like that Mr Raymond in all the time.
Some are jews who are not proud of that fact. They want to bring their daughters to find them a husband but they don’t practice the faith religiously.
But most are entrepreneurs looking to take advantage of the hostile relationship between some Arab and Israel. They pretend to be our friends, but they are more interested in the commerce that arises out of military conflict and racial hatred that has blossomed into armed aggression.
Howie, I hope you will continue to voice your feelings in the true manner you have shown to have.
Naomi
October 16th, 2011 at 10:05 am
Thousands of “Occupy Wall Street” protesters swarmed to Midtown Manhattan to “Occupy Times Square” yesterday.
This movement has gone global to become a month-long campaign against “Corporate Greed”. Protests rippled throughout Europe, Asia and Canada as well.
People are fed up with economic inequality so it was only a matter of time before we took to the streets of American cities such as New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Miami to begin demonstrating.
Throughout history when the population is pushed too far, protests begin. They often lead to the downfall of regimes and dictatorships. In this case, it is economic inequality and corporate greed that is being targeted.
These protests are already making a difference. People are voicing their anger about economic inequality throughout the entire world.
The protesters chanted, “We got sold out, banks got bailed out” and “All day, all week, occupy Wall Street.”
American protesters are angry that U.S. banks are enjoying booming profits after getting bailouts in 2008, while many people are struggling in a difficult economy with more than 9 percent unemployment and little help from Washington.
The Occupy Wall Street movement has been gathering steam over the past month and we need to step on the gas to keep the engines revving so the “fat-cat” republicans do not think for one moment, that the people are losing momentum.
This is the time! We are the majority! This is NOT a “Class War”. This is the opportunity to make a change in our lives and the lives of generations to come,
HOWIE
October 16th, 2011 at 11:44 am
Hi Michelle,
H.R. 358 is an insane bill. To allow a woman to die rather than provide her with a life saving abortion is just crazy. Haven’t they heard that church and state are supposed to be separate? And what about a women’s right to choose?
Not to mention that this bill is purely political, it’s only purpose is to boost the popularity of those running for public office with the conservative voters who just might approve and support this bill. So that the greedy idiots who came up with this thing might gain enough conservative votes to get themselves elected, so they too can get their chance to raid the cookie jar.
This bill cannot be permitted to become law. What a slap in the face to the women of this country.
Al