Everyone has been so distracted by the election that no one has been paying attention to single issues -- and by this single issue I mean abortion and reproductive justice.
Well, while we were sleeping, The Family Research Council plans to present Bush with a petition next Monday from 80 pro-life groups with the request he extend the global gag rule on abortion domestically via Executive Order. The gag rule will be tied to Title X funds and will prohibit clinics that receive money to provide reproductive health care to the poor to even discuss abortion as an option with their patients, likely regardless of socioeconomic status.
Are you horribly awake now? I wasn't sleeping but I wish I was dreaming.
Recently, social conservatives have been attacking Planned Parenthood funding. The loss of does not only affect PP, but it also substantially affects other health centers that provide services to the underserved and uninsured.Title X funding cannot be used for abortions. To "move funding into abortions," as the conservatives say PP especially is wont to do, is illegal and fraudulent. In short, this fraud is not something that health systems are interested in doing due to the penalities (and of course it is not the right or ethical thing to do).
All this attack does is remind us that our disgusting policy overseas -- to not provide any money for programs that include even discussion of abortions -- is coming home. That means that your local health center will not be able to talk about the options with you if they receive Title X. They can't even refer you out to a provider who does abortions. It's like the option doesn't exist. And that's exactly what these people want.
One can hope that on Obama's first day he will reverse the executive order. And honestly everyone in reproductive health care who has heard about this fully expects Bush to sign one. It's a good way of inflaming the base. The bottom line is that some reproductive health clinics will go out of business, raise prices, and/or will basically be forced to commit malpractice (by not discussing possibly medically necessary options). In a time in which health care is tenuous and we are always one paycheck away from being uninsured, who is going to provide reproductive health care for those who aren't independently wealthy?
For those of you who aren't sleeping -- get the word out. The Family Research Council is doing this stealthily in an attempt to attack scientific practice and promote their agenda in back rooms. Pro-choice groups are mobilizing but your average Jane Public isn't aware. Up until now she may not care about US reproductive policies in Africa, but she may very well care about what is happening in her backyard and what her own physician talks to her about. Please help make sure she knows and help put the pressure on.