Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Novara
Novara's Journal
Novara's Journal
August 19, 2015
If 2012 was the year of Republican men saying stupid things – from “legitimate rape” to pregnancy from rape being something “God intended”– this must be the year of Republican men simply being stupid. There’s no other way to account for the complete meltdown that the party’s presidential hopefuls are having over abortion, racing to the right in a short-sighted effort to win the nomination while leaving themselves high and dry for the general election.
<snip>
As I find myself (almost) speechless in response to all of these men, I think Sen. Elizabeth Warren said it best: “Did you fall down, hit your head and think you woke up in the 1950s or the 1890s? Should we call for a doctor?”
Republicans vying for their party’s endorsement seem to forget that women’s votes exist. And that while this anti-choice posturing may be beneficial in the primaries, they are handing Hillary Clinton – or whoever the Democratic nominee may be – a mighty large sword to wield against them in the general election.
Jess McIntosh, vice president of communications at EMILY’s List, told me, “They’re so extreme it almost forecloses the possibility of a campaign. No persuadable voters want to hear about your plan to force raped children to give birth. It sounds as monstrous as it is.”
“And how do you argue about parental consent, when if you had your way the wishes of the parents would be meaningless?” she continued, “since every accidental teen and pre-teen pregnancy would be forced to result in birth?”
The GOP contenders are ignoring the fact that one in three American women will have an abortion and that 95% of them will not regret it. Do they think those women will be voting for the candidate who would try to have that decision taken away?
It’s well-established that extreme positions against abortion simply don’t fly with American voters. Measures to give zygotes personhood rights have failed again and again, the majority of Americans don’t want to see Roe v Wade overturned, and most people believe in abortion exceptions. Jocelyn Kiley, associate director at the Pew Research Center, told me that about 75% of Americans believe abortions should be possible in the case of rape. “For and health and life exceptions,” she says, “there’s a broad majority of more than 80%.”
Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/aug/19/anti-abortion-haunt-republicans-2016-election
Anti-abortion one-upsmanship will haunt Republicans in the election
Anti-abortion one-upsmanship will haunt Republicans in the electionIf 2012 was the year of Republican men saying stupid things – from “legitimate rape” to pregnancy from rape being something “God intended”– this must be the year of Republican men simply being stupid. There’s no other way to account for the complete meltdown that the party’s presidential hopefuls are having over abortion, racing to the right in a short-sighted effort to win the nomination while leaving themselves high and dry for the general election.
<snip>
As I find myself (almost) speechless in response to all of these men, I think Sen. Elizabeth Warren said it best: “Did you fall down, hit your head and think you woke up in the 1950s or the 1890s? Should we call for a doctor?”
Republicans vying for their party’s endorsement seem to forget that women’s votes exist. And that while this anti-choice posturing may be beneficial in the primaries, they are handing Hillary Clinton – or whoever the Democratic nominee may be – a mighty large sword to wield against them in the general election.
Jess McIntosh, vice president of communications at EMILY’s List, told me, “They’re so extreme it almost forecloses the possibility of a campaign. No persuadable voters want to hear about your plan to force raped children to give birth. It sounds as monstrous as it is.”
“And how do you argue about parental consent, when if you had your way the wishes of the parents would be meaningless?” she continued, “since every accidental teen and pre-teen pregnancy would be forced to result in birth?”
The GOP contenders are ignoring the fact that one in three American women will have an abortion and that 95% of them will not regret it. Do they think those women will be voting for the candidate who would try to have that decision taken away?
It’s well-established that extreme positions against abortion simply don’t fly with American voters. Measures to give zygotes personhood rights have failed again and again, the majority of Americans don’t want to see Roe v Wade overturned, and most people believe in abortion exceptions. Jocelyn Kiley, associate director at the Pew Research Center, told me that about 75% of Americans believe abortions should be possible in the case of rape. “For and health and life exceptions,” she says, “there’s a broad majority of more than 80%.”
Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/aug/19/anti-abortion-haunt-republicans-2016-election
August 18, 2015
As state-level investigations into Planned Parenthood continue to find that the health-care provider has not broken any laws by donating fetal tissue for medical research, the Obama administration is now saying that it has found no evidence of wrongdoing among either government researchers who work with fetal tissue or companies that supply it.
Politico reports that Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) assistant secretary Jim Esquea sent a letter Friday to Sens. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) confirming that HHS knows of “no violation” of federal fetal tissue laws “in connection with the research done at our agencies.”
Ernst and Blunt co-sponsored a failed bill that would have defunded Planned Parenthood over spurious allegations of wrongdoing by the Center for Medical Progress, an anti-choice front group that has released deceptively edited and possibly illegal undercover videos attacking Planned Parenthood’s fetal tissue donation program.
“Furthermore … we have confirmed that HHS researchers working with fetal tissue obtained the tissue from non-profit organizations that provided assurances to us that they are in compliance with all applicable legal requirements,” the letter said.
HHS noted that fetal tissue research conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) makes up less than 0.1 percent of the agency’s research budget, and that HHS has gotten reaffirmations from government researchers and government-funded researchers that they are complying with the law.
GOP lawmakers are preparing to launch congressional investigations into Planned Parenthood based on the unsupported allegations in CMP’s videos, despite numerous state-level investigations that have so far come up empty.
Read more: http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2015/08/17/obama-administration-known-violation-fetal-tissue-laws/
Obama Administration: No Known Violation of Fetal Tissue Laws
Obama Administration: No Known Violation of Fetal Tissue LawsAs state-level investigations into Planned Parenthood continue to find that the health-care provider has not broken any laws by donating fetal tissue for medical research, the Obama administration is now saying that it has found no evidence of wrongdoing among either government researchers who work with fetal tissue or companies that supply it.
Politico reports that Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) assistant secretary Jim Esquea sent a letter Friday to Sens. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) confirming that HHS knows of “no violation” of federal fetal tissue laws “in connection with the research done at our agencies.”
Ernst and Blunt co-sponsored a failed bill that would have defunded Planned Parenthood over spurious allegations of wrongdoing by the Center for Medical Progress, an anti-choice front group that has released deceptively edited and possibly illegal undercover videos attacking Planned Parenthood’s fetal tissue donation program.
“Furthermore … we have confirmed that HHS researchers working with fetal tissue obtained the tissue from non-profit organizations that provided assurances to us that they are in compliance with all applicable legal requirements,” the letter said.
HHS noted that fetal tissue research conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) makes up less than 0.1 percent of the agency’s research budget, and that HHS has gotten reaffirmations from government researchers and government-funded researchers that they are complying with the law.
GOP lawmakers are preparing to launch congressional investigations into Planned Parenthood based on the unsupported allegations in CMP’s videos, despite numerous state-level investigations that have so far come up empty.
Read more: http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2015/08/17/obama-administration-known-violation-fetal-tissue-laws/
August 18, 2015
As state-level investigations into Planned Parenthood continue to find that the health-care provider has not broken any laws by donating fetal tissue for medical research, the Obama administration is now saying that it has found no evidence of wrongdoing among either government researchers who work with fetal tissue or companies that supply it.
Politico reports that Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) assistant secretary Jim Esquea sent a letter Friday to Sens. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) confirming that HHS knows of “no violation” of federal fetal tissue laws “in connection with the research done at our agencies.”
Ernst and Blunt co-sponsored a failed bill that would have defunded Planned Parenthood over spurious allegations of wrongdoing by the Center for Medical Progress, an anti-choice front group that has released deceptively edited and possibly illegal undercover videos attacking Planned Parenthood’s fetal tissue donation program.
“Furthermore … we have confirmed that HHS researchers working with fetal tissue obtained the tissue from non-profit organizations that provided assurances to us that they are in compliance with all applicable legal requirements,” the letter said.
HHS noted that fetal tissue research conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) makes up less than 0.1 percent of the agency’s research budget, and that HHS has gotten reaffirmations from government researchers and government-funded researchers that they are complying with the law.
GOP lawmakers are preparing to launch congressional investigations into Planned Parenthood based on the unsupported allegations in CMP’s videos, despite numerous state-level investigations that have so far come up empty.
Read more: http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2015/08/17/obama-administration-known-violation-fetal-tissue-laws/
Obama Administration: No Known Violation of Fetal Tissue Laws
Obama Administration: No Known Violation of Fetal Tissue LawsAs state-level investigations into Planned Parenthood continue to find that the health-care provider has not broken any laws by donating fetal tissue for medical research, the Obama administration is now saying that it has found no evidence of wrongdoing among either government researchers who work with fetal tissue or companies that supply it.
Politico reports that Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) assistant secretary Jim Esquea sent a letter Friday to Sens. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) confirming that HHS knows of “no violation” of federal fetal tissue laws “in connection with the research done at our agencies.”
Ernst and Blunt co-sponsored a failed bill that would have defunded Planned Parenthood over spurious allegations of wrongdoing by the Center for Medical Progress, an anti-choice front group that has released deceptively edited and possibly illegal undercover videos attacking Planned Parenthood’s fetal tissue donation program.
“Furthermore … we have confirmed that HHS researchers working with fetal tissue obtained the tissue from non-profit organizations that provided assurances to us that they are in compliance with all applicable legal requirements,” the letter said.
HHS noted that fetal tissue research conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) makes up less than 0.1 percent of the agency’s research budget, and that HHS has gotten reaffirmations from government researchers and government-funded researchers that they are complying with the law.
GOP lawmakers are preparing to launch congressional investigations into Planned Parenthood based on the unsupported allegations in CMP’s videos, despite numerous state-level investigations that have so far come up empty.
Read more: http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2015/08/17/obama-administration-known-violation-fetal-tissue-laws/
August 18, 2015
This is a detailed list of everything you need to know when a pharmacy refuses to fill your prescription - where the laws protect you and what to do if you are refused.
There's a pdf version in the link: http://www.nwlc.org/resource/pharmacy-refusals-101
Pharmacy Refusals 101
Pharmacy Refusals 101This is a detailed list of everything you need to know when a pharmacy refuses to fill your prescription - where the laws protect you and what to do if you are refused.
There's a pdf version in the link: http://www.nwlc.org/resource/pharmacy-refusals-101
August 17, 2015
Planned Parenthood sought an emergency legal injunction on Monday against Florida health officials to block the use of what it says are new and unpublished standards to define pregnancy gestation periods.
The legal move filed in circuit court in Tallahassee came after Florida Republican Governor Rick Scott ordered a probe last month of the state's 16 Planned Parenthood locations, resulting in three clinics being cited on Aug. 5 for illegally performing abortions in the second trimester.
Planned Parenthood said the abortions in question were first-trimester abortions and that the state appeared to have arbitrarily shortened its measurement of the first trimester.
<snip>
The group accused the state of moving the goalpost by using different standards from ones AHCA had used over the past decade to calculate first- and second-trimester abortions.
Planned Parenthood said AHCA had long agreed to define the first trimester of a pregnancy as the first 12 weeks of pregnancy or the first 14 weeks following the last normal menstrual period.
The group noted that AHCA's new definition was made without any prior announcement and noted the political timing of the citations that were issued two days before the Republican presidential debate.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/17/us-usa-plannedparenthood-florida-idUSKCN0QM1VN20150817?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews
Planned Parenthood seeks injunction against Florida health agency
Planned Parenthood seeks injunction against Florida health agencyPlanned Parenthood sought an emergency legal injunction on Monday against Florida health officials to block the use of what it says are new and unpublished standards to define pregnancy gestation periods.
The legal move filed in circuit court in Tallahassee came after Florida Republican Governor Rick Scott ordered a probe last month of the state's 16 Planned Parenthood locations, resulting in three clinics being cited on Aug. 5 for illegally performing abortions in the second trimester.
Planned Parenthood said the abortions in question were first-trimester abortions and that the state appeared to have arbitrarily shortened its measurement of the first trimester.
<snip>
The group accused the state of moving the goalpost by using different standards from ones AHCA had used over the past decade to calculate first- and second-trimester abortions.
Planned Parenthood said AHCA had long agreed to define the first trimester of a pregnancy as the first 12 weeks of pregnancy or the first 14 weeks following the last normal menstrual period.
The group noted that AHCA's new definition was made without any prior announcement and noted the political timing of the citations that were issued two days before the Republican presidential debate.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/17/us-usa-plannedparenthood-florida-idUSKCN0QM1VN20150817?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews
August 17, 2015
The Sigma Nu fraternity at the University of Central Florida has been suspended after members were caught on tape chanting about rape after coming home from a bar, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
A woman whose boyfriend lived in the same off-campus apartment caught the incident on tape, and then gave it to a UCF student to report to the school. "In a video, there's a brother yelling obscenities, like, 'Let's rape some [expletives], rape some sluts' and then yelling, 'Rape,' over and over again," the report at the Student Conduct Office reportedly reads. Just this October, a UCF student claimed she was raped at an off-campus Sigma Nu residence.
The video has launched a Title IX investigation at the school, and the fraternity is accused of condoning or encouraging acts of sexual misconduct. UCF will hold a hearing this week to investigate the fraternity members, who could face punishment ranging from community service to expulsion.
Read more: http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/news/a37212/university-of-central-florida-sigma-nu-rape-chant/
_____________________
This shit never ends, does it?
Florida Fraternity Suspended After Members Caught on Video Chanting About Rape
Florida Fraternity Suspended After Members Caught on Video Chanting About RapeThe Sigma Nu fraternity at the University of Central Florida has been suspended after members were caught on tape chanting about rape after coming home from a bar, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
A woman whose boyfriend lived in the same off-campus apartment caught the incident on tape, and then gave it to a UCF student to report to the school. "In a video, there's a brother yelling obscenities, like, 'Let's rape some [expletives], rape some sluts' and then yelling, 'Rape,' over and over again," the report at the Student Conduct Office reportedly reads. Just this October, a UCF student claimed she was raped at an off-campus Sigma Nu residence.
The video has launched a Title IX investigation at the school, and the fraternity is accused of condoning or encouraging acts of sexual misconduct. UCF will hold a hearing this week to investigate the fraternity members, who could face punishment ranging from community service to expulsion.
Read more: http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/news/a37212/university-of-central-florida-sigma-nu-rape-chant/
_____________________
This shit never ends, does it?
August 15, 2015
I want to thank the staff of Glamour for asking me to contribute. It's a nice consolation prize for being passed over for their Woman of the Year Award. Not that I wanted it anyway. I believe that honor should go to a woman. I'm a bit of a feminist that way.
And make no mistake: I love women. I'm married to one, I was birthed by one, and I played one in my high school production of Romeo and Juliet. No one else could fit into the bodice.
Women today have so many smart, resourceful, and intuitive role models. Look no further than Marissa Mayer, Michelle Obama, Sacajawea, and the green M&M.
And according to the U.S. Census Bureau, women outnumber men. Fellas, technically this does make you a minority, but it's probably best not to say so on your college financial aid application.
It has been pointed out to me that I, like other late-night TV hosts, am a man. And while I'm happy to have a job, I am surprised that the world of late-night TV lacks a female presence, unlike sitcoms, which are packed with smoking-hot wives who teach their doughy husband a valuable lesson when he slips on a pizza and falls headfirst into a porta-potty full of beer. Check your local listings.
While there are many talented female comedians out there, right now the world of late-night is a bit of a sausagefest. Perhaps one day it will be just the opposite—which I believe is called a Georgia O'Keeffe retrospective.
And mine is not the only field that lacks enough women. Where are all the lady blacksmiths? What about the bait-and-tackle shopkeepers, pool maintenance professionals, building superintendents, or CEOs of Fortune 500 companies? Why are all those minions shaped like tiny phalluses? Why did Mad Max get top billing in Fury Road when he was essentially just a grunting tripod for Charlize Theron's rifle? Of course, historically, our thriving U.S. president industry definitely skews male—but that could change in 2016. Carly Fiorina, all eyes are on you.
Even when women do succeed, their stories often aren't told. Did you know that the first computer, ENIAC, was programmed by six female mathematicians? If it weren't for those pioneering women, we might not have computers at all. And then how would people read empowering listicles like "20 Hot Actresses Without Makeup! (#5 Will Make You Question God!)"?
My point is this: Why does this gender inequality still persist, and how can we stop it? I don't have all the answers. And frankly, it's sexist of you to think I do just because I'm a man. C'mon!
Read more: http://www.glamour.com/entertainment/2015/08/stephen-colbert-shares-why-he-thinks-women-should-be-in-charge-of-everything
Stephen Colbert Shares Why He Thinks Women Should Be in Charge of Everything
Stephen Colbert Shares Why He Thinks Women Should Be in Charge of EverythingI want to thank the staff of Glamour for asking me to contribute. It's a nice consolation prize for being passed over for their Woman of the Year Award. Not that I wanted it anyway. I believe that honor should go to a woman. I'm a bit of a feminist that way.
And make no mistake: I love women. I'm married to one, I was birthed by one, and I played one in my high school production of Romeo and Juliet. No one else could fit into the bodice.
Women today have so many smart, resourceful, and intuitive role models. Look no further than Marissa Mayer, Michelle Obama, Sacajawea, and the green M&M.
And according to the U.S. Census Bureau, women outnumber men. Fellas, technically this does make you a minority, but it's probably best not to say so on your college financial aid application.
It has been pointed out to me that I, like other late-night TV hosts, am a man. And while I'm happy to have a job, I am surprised that the world of late-night TV lacks a female presence, unlike sitcoms, which are packed with smoking-hot wives who teach their doughy husband a valuable lesson when he slips on a pizza and falls headfirst into a porta-potty full of beer. Check your local listings.
While there are many talented female comedians out there, right now the world of late-night is a bit of a sausagefest. Perhaps one day it will be just the opposite—which I believe is called a Georgia O'Keeffe retrospective.
And mine is not the only field that lacks enough women. Where are all the lady blacksmiths? What about the bait-and-tackle shopkeepers, pool maintenance professionals, building superintendents, or CEOs of Fortune 500 companies? Why are all those minions shaped like tiny phalluses? Why did Mad Max get top billing in Fury Road when he was essentially just a grunting tripod for Charlize Theron's rifle? Of course, historically, our thriving U.S. president industry definitely skews male—but that could change in 2016. Carly Fiorina, all eyes are on you.
Even when women do succeed, their stories often aren't told. Did you know that the first computer, ENIAC, was programmed by six female mathematicians? If it weren't for those pioneering women, we might not have computers at all. And then how would people read empowering listicles like "20 Hot Actresses Without Makeup! (#5 Will Make You Question God!)"?
My point is this: Why does this gender inequality still persist, and how can we stop it? I don't have all the answers. And frankly, it's sexist of you to think I do just because I'm a man. C'mon!
Read more: http://www.glamour.com/entertainment/2015/08/stephen-colbert-shares-why-he-thinks-women-should-be-in-charge-of-everything
August 14, 2015
That’s exactly what we are doing with Planned Parenthood and abortion. By defending Planned Parenthood as “only” three percent abortion care, we are reinforcing abortion stigma. When we siphon off abortion care from the rest of the reproductive health care spectrum, we actually end up stigmatizing the very thing we’re supposed to be defending.
We have backed ourselves into such an unnecessary and harmful corner that Planned Parenthood is now publicly thanking Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump for rejecting “extreme positions” on the organization and expressing his potential support for some funding. This from a man who, in the same statement, said that Planned Parenthood is “like an abortion factory” and that the government should not fund abortion care.
What are we doing here? Planned Parenthood is thanking a candidate for saying he hates them, but maybe doesn’t hate every single thing about them?
We have to stop this. We have to stop inferring that abortion it isn’t really health care, that it’s okay to deny government funding to it. We cannot defend reproductive health care by reinforcing the stigmatizing notion that abortion is different.
Abortion is not different. Abortion is health care. Abortion is still legal in this country, and a basic human and constitutional right.
Across the country, there are many independent health care clinics that specialize in providing abortion. These clinics provide safe and quality abortion care to pregnant people in need. They are not breaking the law or doing something bad. They are providing a basic health care need that one in three women in America will have, and yet we have relegated them to the shameful shadows while we try to win favor with those who hate us the most.
It wouldn’t matter if 100 percent of what Planned Parenthood does is abortion care—they would still deserve our support and, quite frankly, federal funding. For nearly 40 years, the Hyde Amendment has barred the use of federal funds for abortion care, and it is renewed annually with support from Democrats as well as Republicans. The Democratic Party and liberals more broadly have conceded that abortion doesn’t deserve the same kind of funding that other health care services do. It is an egregious violation of the rights of low-income pregnant people, and yet the left has done little in the way of galvanizing to end it.
That’s why many reproductive rights supporters were so heartened by the introduction of the EACH Woman Act, which would ensure that all pregnant people, regardless of their income level, have access to safe and legal abortion care. If a woman receives health insurance through the federal government, she would be covered for all pregnancy-care, including abortion. Additionally, the EACH Woman Act would prohibit states from banning private insurance coverage for abortion care, a legislative trend that has been on the rise.
But we’re not talking about the EACH Woman Act anymore. We’re not even talking about abortion. We’re talking about how only three percent of what Planned Parenthood does is abortion-related and we’re praising Donald Trump for simply considering support for continued Planned Parenthood funding. By failing to embrace and defend abortion, we are hurting our movement, our rights and ourselves.
Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/planned-parenthood-shies-away-from-abortion
Why Planned Parenthood's Defense Against GOP Attacks Could Backfire
Why Planned Parenthood's Defense Against GOP Attacks Could BackfireThat’s exactly what we are doing with Planned Parenthood and abortion. By defending Planned Parenthood as “only” three percent abortion care, we are reinforcing abortion stigma. When we siphon off abortion care from the rest of the reproductive health care spectrum, we actually end up stigmatizing the very thing we’re supposed to be defending.
We have backed ourselves into such an unnecessary and harmful corner that Planned Parenthood is now publicly thanking Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump for rejecting “extreme positions” on the organization and expressing his potential support for some funding. This from a man who, in the same statement, said that Planned Parenthood is “like an abortion factory” and that the government should not fund abortion care.
What are we doing here? Planned Parenthood is thanking a candidate for saying he hates them, but maybe doesn’t hate every single thing about them?
We have to stop this. We have to stop inferring that abortion it isn’t really health care, that it’s okay to deny government funding to it. We cannot defend reproductive health care by reinforcing the stigmatizing notion that abortion is different.
Abortion is not different. Abortion is health care. Abortion is still legal in this country, and a basic human and constitutional right.
Across the country, there are many independent health care clinics that specialize in providing abortion. These clinics provide safe and quality abortion care to pregnant people in need. They are not breaking the law or doing something bad. They are providing a basic health care need that one in three women in America will have, and yet we have relegated them to the shameful shadows while we try to win favor with those who hate us the most.
It wouldn’t matter if 100 percent of what Planned Parenthood does is abortion care—they would still deserve our support and, quite frankly, federal funding. For nearly 40 years, the Hyde Amendment has barred the use of federal funds for abortion care, and it is renewed annually with support from Democrats as well as Republicans. The Democratic Party and liberals more broadly have conceded that abortion doesn’t deserve the same kind of funding that other health care services do. It is an egregious violation of the rights of low-income pregnant people, and yet the left has done little in the way of galvanizing to end it.
That’s why many reproductive rights supporters were so heartened by the introduction of the EACH Woman Act, which would ensure that all pregnant people, regardless of their income level, have access to safe and legal abortion care. If a woman receives health insurance through the federal government, she would be covered for all pregnancy-care, including abortion. Additionally, the EACH Woman Act would prohibit states from banning private insurance coverage for abortion care, a legislative trend that has been on the rise.
But we’re not talking about the EACH Woman Act anymore. We’re not even talking about abortion. We’re talking about how only three percent of what Planned Parenthood does is abortion-related and we’re praising Donald Trump for simply considering support for continued Planned Parenthood funding. By failing to embrace and defend abortion, we are hurting our movement, our rights and ourselves.
Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/planned-parenthood-shies-away-from-abortion
August 14, 2015
An 11-year-old girl who was denied an abortion after being raped gave birth Thursday, the culmination of a case that put a spotlight on child rape in this poor South American nation and drew criticism from human rights groups.
Elizabeth Torales, a lawyer for the girl's mother, told The Associated Press that the minor gave birth to a baby girl via cesarean in a Red Cross hospital in Asuncion, Paraguay's capital. She said reported there were no complications and both the mother and baby were resting.
"The baby doesn't yet have a name," said Torales, who added that her client and the girl's grandmother had requested custody of the infant.
Hospital director Mario Villalba told reporters outside the hospital that the birth took about 35 minutes. She said the girl would remain in the hospital for three or four days, "like any other patient who has had a cesarean." She said the minor was currently accompanied by her grandmother, but declined to give more details.
The girl was allegedly raped and impregnated by her stepfather when she was 10. The stepfather has been arrested and is awaiting trial. The girl's mother has been charged with negligence.
The mother requested an abortion for her daughter, but the government refused to allow it, drawing praise from religious groups but criticism from many human rights organizations, including U.N. officials. Paraguay bans abortion except when a mother's life is in danger. At the time, the girl was five months pregnant and local health officials said she appeared to be in fine health.
In a statement Thursday, Amnesty International said it was glad the girl came through the birth all right, but said the fact that "she did not die does not excuse the human rights violations she suffered at the hands of the Paraguayan authorities."
While the case did spark some discussion about abortion in deeply socially conservative Paraguay, the focus of several protests was on better protecting children from abuse.
About 600 girls age 14 or under become pregnant each year in this country of 6.8 million people, according to local health statistics. Many people have called for stiffer penalties for abusers and the funding of education programs to help parents and authorities better spot signs of abuse.
Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-11-year-old-baby-paraguay-20150814-story.html
11-year-old rape victim who was denied an abortion gives birth in Paraguay
11-year-old rape victim who was denied an abortion gives birth in ParaguayAn 11-year-old girl who was denied an abortion after being raped gave birth Thursday, the culmination of a case that put a spotlight on child rape in this poor South American nation and drew criticism from human rights groups.
Elizabeth Torales, a lawyer for the girl's mother, told The Associated Press that the minor gave birth to a baby girl via cesarean in a Red Cross hospital in Asuncion, Paraguay's capital. She said reported there were no complications and both the mother and baby were resting.
"The baby doesn't yet have a name," said Torales, who added that her client and the girl's grandmother had requested custody of the infant.
Hospital director Mario Villalba told reporters outside the hospital that the birth took about 35 minutes. She said the girl would remain in the hospital for three or four days, "like any other patient who has had a cesarean." She said the minor was currently accompanied by her grandmother, but declined to give more details.
The girl was allegedly raped and impregnated by her stepfather when she was 10. The stepfather has been arrested and is awaiting trial. The girl's mother has been charged with negligence.
The mother requested an abortion for her daughter, but the government refused to allow it, drawing praise from religious groups but criticism from many human rights organizations, including U.N. officials. Paraguay bans abortion except when a mother's life is in danger. At the time, the girl was five months pregnant and local health officials said she appeared to be in fine health.
In a statement Thursday, Amnesty International said it was glad the girl came through the birth all right, but said the fact that "she did not die does not excuse the human rights violations she suffered at the hands of the Paraguayan authorities."
While the case did spark some discussion about abortion in deeply socially conservative Paraguay, the focus of several protests was on better protecting children from abuse.
About 600 girls age 14 or under become pregnant each year in this country of 6.8 million people, according to local health statistics. Many people have called for stiffer penalties for abusers and the funding of education programs to help parents and authorities better spot signs of abuse.
Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-11-year-old-baby-paraguay-20150814-story.html
August 12, 2015
A federal judge on Wednesday denied a motion by Florida State University to dismiss a civil rights lawsuit filed by a former student who alleged the school failed to properly investigate her accusations that star quarterback Jameis Winston raped her.
The decision comes as Winston, the No. 1 pick in this year's National Football League draft, begins his professional career as the starting quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The 21-year-old athlete did not face criminal charges in what he has maintained was a consensual encounter in 2012, and he was cleared of any student conduct code violations.
Yet the case is still generating interest. Critics of the university say its response was an example of how professional and collegiate sports organizations have repeatedly failed to deal properly with star players accused of mistreating women.
The woman, Erica Kinsman, in January sued the university under Title IX, which requires colleges receiving federal funds to investigate sexual abuse complaints properly. She has also filed a civil suit against Winston, who filed a counterclaim.
In Wednesday's decision, U.S. District Judge Mark Walker in Tallahassee acknowledged that Florida State disputed some of her facts, and had argued its response was diligent or at least not "clearly unreasonable" under federal statute.
Still, he found the case should move forward.
"Viewed in the light most favorable to Ms. Kinsman, the complaint plausibly alleges deliberate indifference during this period that effectively denied her the ability to attend FSU," he wrote.
Kinsman, who ultimately transferred to another university, is seeking monetary damages from Florida State.
“We are very pleased with the ruling and are looking forward to the coming depositions,” Kinsman's attorney, John Clune said, in a statement.
"It is always difficult to prevail on a motion to dismiss filed at the earliest stages of a case," the university said in a statement, noting that it believed it would prevail when the full evidence was known.
A representative for Winston could not be reached.
The Title IX lawsuit centers on the university's response to Kinsman's claims that she was raped at an off-campus apartment in December 2012.
Athletic officials learned about the allegations the next month, but the case was not reported for nearly a year to the university office investigating reports of sexual violence under the federal law, the university has said.
In December 2013, a Florida prosecutor determined there was insufficient evidence to bring sexual assault charges.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/12/us-usa-football-winston-idUSKCN0QH2MN20150812?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews
Rape lawsuit against Florida State involving Winston may continue: judge
Rape lawsuit against Florida State involving Winston may continue: judgeA federal judge on Wednesday denied a motion by Florida State University to dismiss a civil rights lawsuit filed by a former student who alleged the school failed to properly investigate her accusations that star quarterback Jameis Winston raped her.
The decision comes as Winston, the No. 1 pick in this year's National Football League draft, begins his professional career as the starting quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The 21-year-old athlete did not face criminal charges in what he has maintained was a consensual encounter in 2012, and he was cleared of any student conduct code violations.
Yet the case is still generating interest. Critics of the university say its response was an example of how professional and collegiate sports organizations have repeatedly failed to deal properly with star players accused of mistreating women.
The woman, Erica Kinsman, in January sued the university under Title IX, which requires colleges receiving federal funds to investigate sexual abuse complaints properly. She has also filed a civil suit against Winston, who filed a counterclaim.
In Wednesday's decision, U.S. District Judge Mark Walker in Tallahassee acknowledged that Florida State disputed some of her facts, and had argued its response was diligent or at least not "clearly unreasonable" under federal statute.
Still, he found the case should move forward.
"Viewed in the light most favorable to Ms. Kinsman, the complaint plausibly alleges deliberate indifference during this period that effectively denied her the ability to attend FSU," he wrote.
Kinsman, who ultimately transferred to another university, is seeking monetary damages from Florida State.
“We are very pleased with the ruling and are looking forward to the coming depositions,” Kinsman's attorney, John Clune said, in a statement.
"It is always difficult to prevail on a motion to dismiss filed at the earliest stages of a case," the university said in a statement, noting that it believed it would prevail when the full evidence was known.
A representative for Winston could not be reached.
The Title IX lawsuit centers on the university's response to Kinsman's claims that she was raped at an off-campus apartment in December 2012.
Athletic officials learned about the allegations the next month, but the case was not reported for nearly a year to the university office investigating reports of sexual violence under the federal law, the university has said.
In December 2013, a Florida prosecutor determined there was insufficient evidence to bring sexual assault charges.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/12/us-usa-football-winston-idUSKCN0QH2MN20150812?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews
Profile Information
Member since: Fri Apr 10, 2015, 07:15 AMNumber of posts: 5,840
