Repro Health Hub

Our Repro Health Hero of the Week is West Virginia Free, an organization leading an important fight right now in West Virginia to maintain state Medicaid coverage for abortion. Earlier this month state legislators introduced H. B. 3159, a bill that would end state Medicaid coverage of abortion, except in the cases of rape, incest, and life endangerment. West Virginia Free has launched a statewide campaign to defeat this bill and is winning! West Virginia Free has launched a statewide campaign to defeat this bill and is working with advocates across the state. Click here for more information about West Virginia Free and how to get involved in the campaign.

In addition to the fact that this bill would be incredibly harmful to women across the state, West Virginia Free and other opponents argue the bill is entirely unconstitutional. The West Virginia Supreme Court has already ruled that denying poor and low-income women funding for abortions violates the protections afforded them by the state Constitution (established in Women’s Health Center v. Panepinto).

We thank the advocates in West Virginia for fighting this horrible bill! Currently West Virginia is one of only seventeen states that go above and beyond the federal Hyde Amendment restrictions to provide much-needed state Medicaid coverage for abortions in most cases. On the federal level, the Hyde Amendment bans the use of federal Medicaid funds from being used to cover abortions, except in cases of rape, incest or when a woman’s life is in danger. States that provide Medicaid coverage for abortions in additional circumstances must use their own state-only dollars to provide that coverage.

Thanks to West Virginia Free for working to ensure West Virginia remains one of those states! To find out about coverage in your state and how to get involved in the fight to repeal the Hyde Amendment, join the Hyde 30 Years is Enough campaign!

By Myra Batchelder
Director of Low-Income Access Program
National Institute for Reproductive Health

In one of the many heartening first steps he took after assuming the presidency, President Obama moved to rescind an HHS rule enacted at the last minute by the Bush administration.

The so-called “provider consciousness regulation” would severely undermine women’s ability to access reproductive health services by allowing doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other health care workers to refuse to perform or assist in abortions, sterilizations, and other contraceptive procedures on moral grounds.

When the regulation was first proposed back in August, the National Institute acted swiftly to voice its opposition. President Kelli Conlin noted,

“With approximately 46 million Americans without health insurance in this country, we should be putting resources into expanding access to health care, instead of wasting much-needed funding on efforts to restrict access to health care.”

This extreme rule starts us down a slippery slope to a world where insurance companies could refuse to cover birth control pills, hospital employees could withhold emergency contraception from sexual assault survivors, and even the doctor’s office receptionist could block a woman from getting the reproductive health care she needs—all on the basis of their own personal beliefs.

Despite President Obama calling for its repeal, this rule will remain in effect at least until the period for public comment ends on April 9^th.

You can add your voice to the calls for repeal by telling the administration that this regulation is unjustified and dangerous. Visit the Center for Reproductive Rights to get talking points and directions for submitting your own comments online.

By Maya Dusenbery

As a former domestic violence shelter advocate, I am proud to be a part of today’s eighth annual Back Up Your Birth Control Day of Action, a national initiative to raise awareness of and increase access to emergency contraception (EC). At the moment, far too many women are excluded from the opportunity to plan if or when they have children. On this Day of Action, I encourage you to step into the shoes of one of these women.

Imagine you are a recent immigrant who is terrified of getting pregnant by your abusive husband. Your limited English prevents you from verifying whether he, a citizen, can have you deported if you leave—so you don’t take the chance. A social worker has told you about EC, but once you work up the courage to ask for it, the local pharmacist refers you somewhere else “as a matter of principle.” As you walk away from her, you consider the possibility that maybe it is immoral to take EC at all. But you can’t get pregnant right now. If you take the bus to another pharmacy, you will need to ask your husband for more money later in the week. Your husband will question and possibly hurt you. Even if you are a woman residing in the US in the year 2009, these may be your only options.

Why would anyone want to stop a woman from preventing an unwanted pregnancy? Despite bed shortages in domestic violence shelters across the country, some of us believe that most women are not the woman in this story. By extension, we do not worry about the difficulties women may face as a result of the 2006 FDA ruling that made EC available over-the-counter in pharmacies but only for women and men who are 18 or older, have government-issued identification, and can afford the $40-$70 price tag.

Misconceptions about domestic violence also prevent people from acknowledging and taking action against certain barriers to EC access. Some consider survivors responsible for any sexual contact with their abusers. However, it is important to acknowledge the constraints that make up many survivors’ lives. A survivor may rely on her abuser for financial support, lack transportation, speak little or no English, be unaware of American laws that define her husband’s abuse as a crime, and may be forced to seek help at a mainstream domestic violence shelter that cannot accommodate her religious and/or cultural way of life.

We need to acknowledge exactly how responsible the woman seeking EC in this story is. When critics cite fears of increased promiscuity in women following expanded access to EC, they are ignoring the reality of women’s lives. Women seeking EC take an honest look at their circumstances, make an educated decision, and pursue the means to make that decision a reality.

The question remains, then, are we interested in promoting responsible approaches to sexual and reproductive health, or are we more interested in ensuring that women are in some way punished for sexual contact?

By Rupali Sharma

As we gear up for the Back Up Your Birth Control Day of Action tomorrow, March 25th, we can take a little break to celebrate a great legal victory for emergency contraception (EC).

On Monday a federal court in New York ordered the F.D.A. to make EC available without a prescription to women aged 17 and older within 30 days and to consider eliminating all age restrictions on over-the-counter access.

Nancy Northup, President of the Center for Reproductive Rights, which filed the suit against the F.D.A, called the decision a tremendous victory:

Emergency contraception is proven safe and effective and today, we have succeeded in expanding access to 17-year-olds and are one step closer to making it fully available to all women, including young women for whom the barriers – and the benefits – are so great.

The judge in the case offered a harsh indictment of the Bush-era F.D.A.’s foot-dragging and political misconduct back in 2006 when it first considered making EC available over-the-counter. The New York Times reports:

Citing depositions, Judge Korman wrote that agency officials had improperly communicated with White House officials about Plan B. And, he said, F.D.A. employees sought to influence decisions by appointing people with anti-abortion views to an independent panel of experts reviewing Plan B for the agency.

The agency also departed from its normal procedures, the judge wrote, by ignoring favorable conclusions about the drug by an advisory panel as well its own scientists and officials who found that the drug could be safely used by women at least as young as 17.

Such “political considerations, delays and implausible justifications” showed that the F.D.A. had acted without good faith or reasoned decision making, Judge Korman wrote.

The ruling not only vindicates the many reproductive health advocates who cried foul at the time, but provides hope for the future. President Obama’s pick to head the F.D.A., former New York City health commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg, has been praised by advocates, including the National Institute’s President Kelli Conlin. Let’s hope that under her leadership the F.D.A. will no longer place ideology over science and grant all women, regardless of age, timely access to EC.

But, while allowing over-the-counter access to EC for young women is an important step in eliminating the barriers to its use, there is more to be done. Public awareness remains low and myths run rampant. Many women and men still do not know EC exists, let alone how to obtain it.

So, don’t forget to join us tomorrow for the BUYBC Day of Action to help spread the word. Write a letter to the editor. Blog about EC. Donate your Facebook or Twitter status to the cause. Find out what’s going on in your own community or college campus. And if you’re in New York City, come out and hit the subways with the NARAL Pro-Choice New York team.

By Maya Dusenbery

Yesterday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new female condom manufactured by the Female Health Company that improves upon many of the drawbacks of the original version.

The FDA approval not only means that the new female condom will soon be ready for sale in the U.S. but will also allow the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to buy and distribute it to HIV-prevention programs abroad.

The original, while approved for use in 1993, never really broke into the male condom-dominated U.S. market. Consumers complained that it was too expensive (between $2.80 and $4.00) and too noisy during sex. The new product is 30% cheaper and made with a softer, quieter material.

As the only woman-initiated method of preventing HIV and unintended pregnancy, advocates have long believed the female condom holds enormous potential. And many are optimistic that with these improvements and a more aggressive marketing strategy, it will catch on this time around.

The Center for Health and Gender Equity praised the FDA’s approval:

We join women around the world in applauding the FDA’s swift action to approve the FC2 female condom,” stated Serra Sippel, executive director of the Center for Health and Gender Equity. “The HIV pandemic among women requires increased investment in woman-centered prevention options, and FC2 approval is an important step forward in putting the power of prevention in women’s hands.

By Maya Dusenbery

Another important national day is observed today: the National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. The theme this year is “HIV is Right Here at Home.” Naina Khanna, Coordinator of the U.S. Positive Women’s Network, discusses the lack of awareness about the toll HIV/AIDS takes on women on RH Reality Check:

Here in the United States, women comprise about 27% of HIV infections, up from about 8% in 1984. In many countries around the world, women already represent over 50% of HIV infections.  Rates of sexually transmitted infections among youth and teenage pregnancy have risen over the last several years - both indicators that we may soon see a corresponding rise in HIV infections among both young women and men.  And, although generally considered a chronic manageable condition in the U.S., HIV continues to be the leading cause of death among African American women aged 25 to 34 years old.

Yet most of the general public in the U.S. think of HIV as a men’s disease and some members of the HIV advocacy/policy community have gone so far as to say “HIV/AIDS in this country is a men’s disease.”

In honor of the day, almost 100 female bloggers from across the country are participating in the Red Pump Project by using their platforms to write about the effect of HIV/AIDS on the lives and health of women and girls. Here’s what one the organizers has to say:

Also be sure to check out the National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day events page to find out about what’s going on in your area, and remember to take your sexual health into your own hands and know your status!

By Maya Dusenbery

Today we celebrate the National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers. This is a day of appreciation and of remembrance, as it marks the 16th anniversary of the brutal murder of abortion provider Dr. David Gunn in Pensacola, Florida.

As Katha Pollitt of The Nation reminds us, abortion providers deserve our appreciation because they not only courageously countenance anti-choice protest and threats on a daily basis, but currently face a slew of anti-choice obstacles in states across the country.

And abortion providers’ worries don’t end there. An article in The New York Times on Sunday reports that as an older generation of abortion providers retires, many advocates worry that there won’t be enough young doctors willing to accept lower pay, endure daily picketing, and brave the threat of violence in order to provide abortion services. As Kelli Conlin, President of the National Institute for Reproductive Health and NARAL Pro-Choice New York, told the Times:

While it’s not a problem finding younger doctors and support staff to work in clinics in large urban areas like New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago, it is an issue in more conservative places, like upstate New York; smaller Midwestern cities; Southern states, including Texas; and rural areas.

The Times article says that younger doctors, having never lived through a pre-Roe v. Wade era, may lack the “fire in their belly” that motivates the older generation. However, access to training in abortion procedures also limits doctors’ ability to provide abortion care. As Pollitt notes, “med school policies mean only a small proportion of medical students are even learning how to perform this relatively simple procedure.”

Thankfully, in New York City things are pretty good on that front. In 1998, recognizing the diminishing number of new doctors offering abortion services and the dire lack of abortion training in most New York City residency programs, the National Institute (then the NARAL Pro-Choice New York Foundation) launched the Resident Training Initiative to establish, improve and expand access to abortion procedures in residency programs. The National Initiative found a committed ally in Mayor Bloomberg, and, in 2002, New York City became the first U.S. city to require abortion techniques as a standard part of training for Ob/Gyn residents at public hospitals.

Instituting such policies in other localities across the country would go a long way toward improving access to quality abortion care, proving that abortion care is a necessary part of women’s overall health care, and making working conditions better for providers everywhere.

By Maya Dusenbery

This year marks the hundredth anniversary of the United States’ first celebration of a National Women’s Day, first observed on February 28, 1909. This declaration occurred in the midst of the developing women’s rights movement at the turn of the century.

In 1908, just one year before, women marched through the streets of New York City demanding better pay and working conditions, as well as the right to vote. In 1910, a hundred women from 17 countries gathered in Copenhagen for the second International Conference of Working Women, where the idea of an international day to recognize women and their rights was first introduced by Clara Zetkin of Germany and garnered unanimous approval from the other attendees. By 1911, an International Women’s Day (IWD) had been officially established in several European countries. Today, March 8th is recognized as a national holiday in many countries, with events held in 60 countries. In addition, the United Nations holds annual IWD Conferences in order to coordinate and evaluate women’s rights work, with a specific focus on women’s achievements in the social, political and economic spheres.

But the question remains: how much progress have we actually made in the past century? True, the Obama administration has made important strides so far: in January, the first bill President Obama signed was the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which allows women to seek legal recourse for unequal pay in the workplace. And on Friday, he announced that he will rescind a midnight HHS resolution made by Bush that, if passed, would legalize the obstruction of women’s access to basic reproductive health care. On an international level, Obama reversed the global gag rule, also known as the Mexico City policy, so that international organizations receiving US funds can continue to offer family planning and reproductive health services from their own budgets.

Despite these long-awaited actions, women are still struggling for their safety and well-being. In the US, community discussions surrounding health care focus on women’s restricted access to care and services, especially reproductive health care. In areas of conflict such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), women are subject to increased sexual violence, and in many developing countries women know very little about the basic medical facts of birth control. Even in America we are in dire need of an overhaul of our sexual education and attitudes – both in schools and in our societal culture in general.

So what can we do? Besides continuing advocacy work in the areas where we’ve been accomplishing so much ourselves, we can monitor the protection of human rights around the globe, and ensure that President Obama sticks to his promises for progress by encouraging him to put the United States at the forefront of the global women’s rights’ movement.

International Women’s Day is an opportune day to take a step back, breathe, and celebrate our achievements in women’s rights and equality. It is also the perfect time to evaluate the current state of women across nations, and decide what are the most important steps toward our goals in today’s quickly shifting world.

By Katie Rosenthal

On Thursday, March 5^th, President Obama held the White House Summit on Health Care Reform, which brought together members of Congress, health care experts and advocates in the field of health to discuss how our current health care system need to be revamped. The Summit follows the recent news that health care will be a major aspect of the budget plan, with a first ever down payment made towards ensuring health care access for all.  President Obama asked Congress to set aside $634 billion over the course of ten years, much of the money coming from savings made from restructuring government spending on current public health programs.

Thankfully, some women’s health advocates attended the Summit, including Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and Marcia Greenberger, President of the National Women’s Law Center. Although it will be weeks before President Obama outlines specific plans to reform health care, it is reassuring to know that health care is a top priority for this administration. Tell Congress that health care means a lot to you too.

Watch Cecile Richards speak at the Summit about how reproductive health care is an essential part of overall health care:

(Thanks to RH Reality Check for posting video.)

By Pooja Awatramani

Advocates in New York State this week are showing their support for Medicaid and other public health insurance programs by celebrating Medicaid Matters Week. The week of awareness is being organized by Medicaid Matters New York, a statewide coalition of over 125 groups representing those most affected by policy and legislative debates on Medicaid – over four million Medicaid consumers.

In celebration of Medicaid Matters Week, the coalition is asking advocates across the state to notify Governor Paterson, legislative leaders and Health Committee Chairs about the importance of Medicaid and the need to ensure the program’s continued improvement over the next year. Medicaid is a vital part of our health care system, providing health care to those that are most vulnerable. Medicaid insures disabled people, pregnant women, children, those with low-wage jobs, and it funds clinics and hospitals that provide quality health care for those who have no place else to turn for care. If only there were more events celebrating the importance of Medicaid in states across the country!

By Monika Grzeniewski