Congressman Luis V. Gutierrez schooled the House Republicans on the Oversight Committee a few weeks ago when they held a hearing on Planned Parenthood.
Naturally, this dose of reality didn’t make it into the news reels. Pity, because Congressman Gutierrez is correct.
At the Federal level, at least for the near term, any anti-abortion (aka “Pro-Birth”) legislation will be vetoed by President Obama. It is protected by the U.S. Constitution, as decided in 1973 by the Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade.
Sadly, though, the same is not true of efforts by the States. Because those legislatures, run in many cases by the GOP, keep enacting laws that step by step make it more difficult for women to get access.
- Mandatory Ultrasounds
- Requiring physicians to have admitting privileges at local hospitals
- Prohibiting abortions after 20 weeks (about the time some of the most severe abnormalities become apparent)
- Restricting access to “morning after” pills
- Compulsatory parental consent (including in cases of rape and/or incest)
The list goes on.
Just as bad, are the healthcare rights they want to take away from women, many of which are provided to us by Planned Parenthood. Mamograms. Cancer screenings. Contraception.
So while we can be thankful for Congressman Gutierrez, and know he’s right at the FEDERAL level, there is a whole lot of work to be done to protect women’s rights at the State level.
Elections matter.
There are some coming up on NOVEMBER 3:
Governor:
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
State Legislatures:
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- New Jersey
- Virginia
Mayor:
Anchorage, AK; Arlington, TX; Charlotte, NC; Colorado Springs, CO;* Columbus, OH; Dallas, TX; Denver, CO; Duluth, MN; Fort Wayne, IN; Fort Worth, TX; Greensboro, NC; Houston, TX; Indianapolis, IN; Jacksonville, FL; Kansas City, MO; Knoxville, TN; Lincoln, NE; Memphis, TN; Montgomery, AL; Nashville, TN; Philadelphia, PA; Phoenix, AZ; Raleigh, NC; San Antonio, TX; San Francisco, CA; South Bend, IN; Tucson, AZ; West Palm Beach, FL; and Wichita, KS
* Mayors races have some interesting consequences, too. I wrote about the last mayoral election in Colorado Springs in this post.
Special thanks to Melinda, my very extended family member, who shared this video link. And thanks to Wikipedia for the list of states/cities with elections this November.
FiftyFourandAHalf 