The ongoing controversy over the Emily's List endorsement of a lukewarm-on-choice woman over a strongly pro-choice man took a new turn this week.
New Dem Colleen Hanabusa sent out a fundraising appeal which calls for the Senate to reject Sen. Graham's bill that would prohibit abortions after 20 weeks. All very well and good but not terribly necessary as Hawaii's two senators, Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono, are both strong progressives and champions for women.
But look deeper and you have to ask the question: If Hanabusa is so gung-ho on choice, why hasn't she signed on to Women's Health Protection Act?
Why is the Emily's list endorsee MIA while her opponent Brian Schatz (a man ineligible for Emily's List endorsement on account of being a man) is out there strongly supporting the Women's Health Protection Act?
As Laura Basset says on Huffington Post
Following an unprecedented three-year wave of state legislative attacks on abortion and family planning services, a group of Democratic lawmakers in the House and Senate plan to go on the offensive Wednesday with a historic bill that would make it illegal for states to chip away at women's reproductive rights...
...Blumenthal's bill wouldn't automatically overturn states' existing anti-abortion laws, but because federal law trumps state law, it would provide a means to challenge them in court. The bill would direct judges to consider certain factors in determining whether a restriction is legal, such as whether it interferes with a doctor's good-faith medical judgment, or whether it's likely to interfere with or delay women's access to abortion...
For the first time in almost 20 years, Congress has a bill to increase protections for women's choice and
Colleen Hanabusa has not signed on to it?
Colleen Hanabusa, you should not be stalling. Sign on to Representative Judy Chu's House version of this law now!
Hey Emily's List! How's Colleen working out for you? As good as Blanche Lincoln?
The latest version of the law is called:
To protect a woman's right to determine whether and when to bear a child or end a pregnancy by limiting restrictions on the provision of abortion services.
You can read about the Senate version here:
"http://thomas.loc.gov/...
And the House version here:
http://www.thomas.gov/...
1:23 PM PT: Hanabusa's weakness on choice was more apparent when she was in the Hawaii State Legislature and as Senate President refused to over-ride Gov. Linda Lingle's veto of the emergency contraception bill.
Hanabusa's closest allies in the legislature were part of the Religious Right. Jan Yagi Buen was endorsed by the local Right to Life chapter. David Matsuura was an outspoken theocrat who endorsed Lingle for governor. Bob Nakata is a minister who openly voted based on his church's teachings.
Although the Hawaii Reporter is a rightwing rag of doubtful veracity and absolutely no journalistic standards, their gossip section appears to indicate that Hanabusa has not left her anti-choice allies behind while in Congress.