Calling out the intention of new abortion regulations

We are just over one week out from the September 15 Board of Health meeting in which the Board will vote on new, draft regulations on women’s health centers in Virginia.

Since the Virginia Department of Health issued draft regulations a couple of weeks ago, NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia has been working hard as part of the Virginia Coalition to Protect Women’s Health to make sure women in Virginia have continued access to vital reproductive health care. (For an explanation of the regulatory process check out one of our recent blog posts.)

Now that the regulations are public, people are starting to recognize the detrimental effects the draft regulations could have for Virginia women.

This past weekend, the editorial board at The Washington Post called out the intent of the regulations:

“[I]t is hard to imagine why groups that say they are concerned about women’s health would oppose these standards,” the Virginia Catholic Conference said in a statement.

Actually, it’s not hard to imagine at all, because the standards are not really about safety. They are unjustifiably stringent and could force abortion facilities to shut their doors.

A couple of days later, The Virginian-Pilot editorial board had a similar reaction, noting

New regulations proposed for abortion clinics across Virginia would, indeed, tighten standards for patient safety and require a higher level of care.

They would increase the scope and depth of required record-keeping. They would also reduce Virginians’ access to first-trimester abortions.

The piece in The Virginian-Pilot goes on to challenge the supporters of new regulations:

Supporters’ claims that legislation requiring the new regulations was animated by concern for patient safety aren’t fooling anyone. If that were the motive, the law would have been aimed at raising the level of care at every outpatient surgical center across the state rather than simply those that perform five or more first-trimester abortions each month.

And earlier today, Delegate Ken Plum, D-Fairfax, weighed in on the proposed regulations:

At the same time that regulations to ensure that your water is safe to drink and that air pollution be cleaned up are being challenged as being anti-business and government intrusion, stiff regulations to protect women from unspecified health damages while reducing their access to a legal medical procedure are being advanced.

To learn more about how proposed regulations could harm the health of Virginia women, check out the Virginia Coalition to Protect Women’s Health.

And be sure to join us if you can at the September Board of Health meeting in Richmond as we ask the Board only to support new regulations based in medicine, not in dangerous politics.

Decisions are made by those who show up

By Tannis

Today, August 26, is the 30th Anniversary of Women’s Equality Day. This is a day to commemorate the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1920, which granted women the right to vote.

Nearly a century has passed since then and a great deal has changed in the landscape of women’s rights. Women have greater financial opportunities than they did 40 years ago: they are attending college in record numbers; they’re leading Fortune 500 companies; and, on the surface, appear to be closing the gap in this centuries-old quest for equality.

But, this year has seen a rapid and aggressive push back against one of the most fundamental tenants of true equality for women — access to legal reproductive care.

What does reproductive care have to do with equality? Without the right to bodily autonomy, without the ability to control what happens to their bodies, women cannot be equal.

Forcing women to carry pregnancies to term reduces them to the function of their reproductive biology and strips them of the authority of their own selves. There is no equality when a woman is prevented from terminating a pregnancy. There is no equality when a pharmacist stands between a woman and her prescribed birth control. There is no equality when the law makes personal, medical decisions for women.

At the turn of the 20th century, women were fighting for the right to vote. As a direct result of their unwillingness to back down, our right to vote is secure. I’d like to be able to say the same for our right to access safe and comprehensive reproductive health care services, as we move through the 21st century. But, today that access is threatened by elected officials all over the country. We must exercise our right to vote and cast those votes for officials who will fight to preserve and expand a woman’s right to comprehensive reproductive services. Our votes will be an act of homage to the suffragists who came before us in the fight for women’s equality.

Senator Ralph Northam, D-Norfolk

Welcome back to our new, regular blog series, Virginia Political Pro(choice)files. In this segment, we highlight Virginia’s state politicians who support and fight for women’s reproductive rights while also drawing attention to politicians who are working to undermine the constitutional right to safe and legal abortion. To see how all General Assembly members stacked up in 2011, check out our Legislative Scorecard!

The Political Pro(choice)files: Senator Ralph Northam, D-Norfolk

As a representative for Norfolk in the Virginia General Assembly, Ralph Northam has been an ally of women and a great advocate for comprehensive sexual education throughout his four years in office. He was first elected in 2007 and will be running in a very competitive election this November.

Ralph Northam was one of three Virginia state senators involved in proposing legislation in 2010 to reign in the bad habits of Crisis Pregnancy Centers

Northam, along with Senator Craig Deeds, Senator John Edwards, and Senator Dave Marsden, proposed a bill to regulate Virginia’s Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs)—regulations that would include a notice on the buildings stating that the facilities are not licensed, comprehensive healthcare centers. This bill went on to require that the facility include in the posted notice that it does not perform or refer women for abortions or contraception and that the facility is not required to adhere to confidentiality laws in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

As a pediatric neurologist, Northam knows that providing misleading and inaccurate medical information to women is dangerous and inappropriate. Women need to know that many CPCs have no obligation to respect their privacy.

Senator Northam, along with Delegates Charniele Herring and David Englin, participated in a press conference following the release of our research project exposing CPCs and showed nothing but support for women in need of accurate information in the midst of a difficult decision:

It is extremely important that these young women are able to seek medical advice that is in their best interest of their health … it’s important for women that seek advice from these centers to know what they offer and what they don’t offer and that’s exactly what this bill is intended to do. The bill, I think, will insure that expectant women will receive what I consider factual-based medical information and be able to make decisions that are in the best interest of their health.

The proposed bill also included a section prohibiting any CPC in violation of the prior regulations from receiving any funds derived from the Virginia Choose Life Fund license plates.

Although the bill was passed by indefinitely, it was successful in bringing some much needed attention to the issues surrounding CPCs.

In the last session of the General Assembly, Senator Northam also patroned SB 967, a bill that requires Virginia school districts to teach medically accurate and evidence-based programs that fall under the guidelines of Family Life Education. Although this bill passed in the Senate, it was unfortunately “left to die” in the House Committee on Education.

Clearly, Northam has shown that he is a strong supporter of women’s rights and his medical background gives him a solid perspective in regards to bills that involve women’s health.

The War Against Women: Coming to a Town Near You

By Brooke

Yesterday, Amanda Iacone of Virginia Statehouse News published an article documenting the war on women that is occurring locally as well as on a national level.

Several states have pursued “copycat” legislation with the overall goal of limiting women’s access to reproductive healthcare. (Copycat laws are just that – laws passed in one state to further restrict women’s health that another state copies.)

Virginia is no exception.

Banning abortion coverage through private insurance exchanges is just one example of such legislation across the country and in Virginia.

Virginia women have also been subjected to TRAP (Targeted Regulations of Abortion Providers) laws that passed in the last session of the General Assembly; a type of legislation that Virginia Statehouse News calls “one of the most common methods lawmakers use to curb the number of abortions by limiting women’s access or shutting down the providers.”

President of NARAL Pro-Choice America, Nancy Keenan, was featured in the article, calling out politicians who came into office with big promises of job creation and economic relief, but have thus far only delivered attacks on women’s rights. Keenan stated: “In (the) next 18 months, I think you’re going to see a backlash of the public. First they thought this was about jobs and the economy — it really has been more about outlawing abortion care in this country.”

The fear for Virginia women and families now lies in the potential for other copycat legislation. Virginia’s anti-choice elected officials put Virginia at risk of anti-choice legislation that has been seen in other areas of the country such as the defunding of Planned Parenthood, requirements that women wait up to 72 hours before abortions, or even criminalization of doctors who perform abortions.

To see the damage that has been done by anti-choice officials in the General Assembly and Governor McDonnell’s administration regarding this war against women, check out our “The McDonnell Administration’s War on Women’s Health: By the Numbers” video. Don’t forget to see how you state legislator stacks up on women’s health issues by reviewing our 2011 Legislative Scorecard.

EC not easy to access

By Rahul

NARAL Pro Choice America’s “BC4ME” campaign is bringing attention to the fact that over 30 million women in the US need access to birth control and one in three of those women struggles with the high cost of prescription birth control.

After an experience with birth control in the US, I wanted to take a look at one specific part of the conversation: accessibility to emergency contraception (EC).

Putting cost of EC (such as Plan-B) into perspective is difficult until you see a comparison for yourself. In India, people pay $ 50,000 (US) to drive a Honda Accord, while people in the United States have access to the same car at about half the price.

However, when we look at something as vital as access to family planning care, we see the tables are turned.

I was born and raised in India and came to the United States for my undergraduate degree about seven years ago. After paying a ridiculously high price for Plan-B a couple of times in the US, I decided to find out how much it costs in India. I was home for my winter vacation last year and one evening I walked into a pharmacy in New Delhi and asked the pharmacist for an i-pill (the counter part of Plan-B in India). I reached for my wallet to make sure I had enough cash. I was already aware of its cost in the United States, so I expected to pay somewhere between 2000 – 3000 Rupees (or $40-$60 in theUS). To my surprise, the pharmacist only asked for 100 Rupees (approximately $2 US). I didn’t know whether to feel elated at this revelation or to feel cheated having spent so much money buying it in the US.

The different experiences showed me how much disparity there is in the right to access basic healthcare. Why are cars cheaper in the US, but access to basic preventative care so much more costly? When it comes to using something as personal as emergency contraceptive pills, why is access in the US so financially burdensome that some people are essentially barred from exercising this right?

One can purchase EC for a fraction of the price in other countries. The table below provides a price comparison for the morning-after pill in different countries.

Emergency Contraceptive pills (Plan – B or its counterpart)	USA	France	UK	India
Approximate Cost (in US dollars)	35-70	10	40*	2-3

 

 

 

 

 

* Free for UK citizens

Morning-after pills (sold for $10 in France and several other European countries) are usually manufactured by US companies. Then why are they so expensive in the United States? Basic economic principles tell us that higher prices can deter people from purchasing a product. The current high price of EC in the US could reduce its accessibility to a large part of the country.

In financially uncertain circumstances, we have to choose where we spend our resources. Women may choose not to spend limited money on the morning-after pill (especially if the choice is between EC and food on the table) and just hope that they don’t get pregnant. This could result in numerous unintended pregnancies that could have been prevented if the morning-after pill (and all birth control for that matter) was made affordable to everyone. Across the pond, a study in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology shows how fast and easy access to the morning-after pill could prevent ten percent more unintended pregnancies.

Matters become worse for young women. The newest form of EC, ella®, is only available by prescription, making it potentially more expensive than Plan-B. Such financial constraints may be even more burdensome for young women with limited access to income who deserve the right to the most effective forms of family planning.

In the United States where Republicans, Democrats and everyone in between have been fighting over abortion for about four decades, one would presume that easy access to the morning-after pill would be a bipartisan agenda. Unfortunately, the price and lack of access tell a completely different tale.

Summer Intern Series: Sex & Politics in the Capital City

By Brooke

This summer, Advocates for Youth, the Center for Health and Gender Equity, Choice USA and the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the US (SIECUS), along with partner organizations are holding a series of lunchtime talks for DC-area interns working for organizations with similar goals.

The first in this series of lunches was called, “Reproductive Justice 101 & Effective Reproductive Justice Activism on Campus” and NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia interns Marissa and I were on the scene to find out more.

Representatives from Choice USA led the first segment, in which we discussed the fundamental importance of the term “reproductive justice.” Reproductive justice is more than just the right to choose, it is having the ability to choose without economic, social, racial, or geographic “oppressions.” It also encompasses the universal right of access to accurate and comprehensive sex education.

Next, representatives from The Feminist Majority Foundation gave us some tips on how to further causes related to reproductive justice on campuses. They showed us how a small group can eventually create a larger movement with the right type of strategy. Grassroots activism gives supporters the opportunity to feel a part of the movement and eventually spark change in their communities. At the grassroots level, it’s best to sponsor campus-wide events that could attract people who would not normally come to one of your meetings. This can be done by focusing on a current policy issue or inviting a well-known speaker to lead a discussion on your topic.

NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia Foundation has been active on campuses throughout Virginia, raising awareness about the shaming and harassment of crisis pregnancy centers. Our Support Without Shame campaign has been to University of Mary Washington, James Madison University, University of Virginia and Virginia Tech. If you want to help support reproductive justice on your campus, we are looking for leaders in your school community. Please contact Joey for more information on applying.

And if you’re in the Richmond area, be sure to RSVP for our screening of “12^th  & Delaware” this Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. on the VCU campus.

June Volunteer Orientation

By Brooke

We would like to send out a big thank you to everyone who came out for our second quarterly volunteer orientation last night! Attendees ate delicious pizza and received a thorough review of the current status of reproductive rights in Virginia and in the US. We have seen so many attacks on women’s health this year, from bans on private insurance coverage of abortion to attempts to defund Planned Parenthood. These attacks prove again that the people we have in office play a crucial role in shaping the future of women’s health inVirginia.

That is why the 2011 statewide elections inVirginiaare critical. Last night was one opportunity to stay involved and informed.

To show our volunteers some tools for working on issues, Jenny from the Virginia Civic Engagement Table  stopped by to give a talk on virtual phone banking, which allowsVirginia to get involved from home.

Virginia voters should remember that the primary will take place on August 23 and Election Day is November 8. For information on registration, polling locations, and more, please visit the Virginia State Board of Elections. For information on candidates and redistricting, see VPAP.org. To see how state elected officials voted in the recent session, please reference our 2011 Legislative Scorecard and be on the lookout for our next Virginia Political Pro(choice)files blog post!

If you are interested in volunteering and/or have not yet signed up for our Volunteer e-Newsletter please contact Joey Richards. Our next Volunteer Orientation will be held in September.

“Power of Choice” Recap

By Leigh

Thank you to all the wonderful sponsors, host committee, volunteers and attendees who made Saturday’s inaugural “Power of Choice” event a great success.

Special thanks to Master of Ceremonies, Delegate David Englin, D-Alexandria, award winners, Senator Mary Margaret Whipple, D-Arlington, and Karin Kirchoff and our guest speaker Jennifer Baumgardner for taking part in this celebration!

Early in the evening, volunteers arrived and scrambled to set up food, organize tables, and chill beverages. We transformed the Arlington Arts Center to a beautiful reception hall; one filled with purple tablecloths, sprinkled cupcakes, and bubbly proseco. During the hour of socializing, guests mingled, listened to jazz by the Nguyen Trio and enjoyed gourmet offerings.

Afterwards, the group gathered to hear words from NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia’s Executive Director Tarina Keene, Delegate Englin, Ms. Baumgardner, and Senator Whipple.

As we wrote recently, Senator Whipple was the first recipient of our “Defender of Choice” award and received a standing ovation for her pro-choice efforts in the General Assembly. Karen Kirchoff, who also received a standing ovation, won the inaugural “Advocate of Choice” award for her work to keep NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia alive.

Then, our guest speaker, Jennifer Baumgardner began discussing her inspiration to become active with pro-choice issues and her “I Had an Abortion” campaign. Ms. Baumgardner emphasized that each situation pertaining to abortion, choice, and pregnancy is different and varied.

Luci Furious of Persephone Magazine, who was liveblogging at the event, wrote, “The energy and dedication to reproductive freedom in this room is infectious, Jennifer Baumgardner’s speech has highlighted…how it’s not as much of a black and white issue as it seems in mass media.” She’s right. Reproductive choice is a powerful idea that needs to be preserved.

This was my first event with NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia and I couldn’t agree more with Luci about the infectious energy. I knew I was honored to intern here, but now I am extremely proud, and even more determined to put forth all my energy to this spectacular, controversial cause. I had a fantastic evening chatting with my new co-workers, meeting members of the board, and educating myself about fundraising events. I left the event feeling excited about the future projects and events I will contribute to for NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia.

I feel confident that the rest of those involved with NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia had a wonderful time at this event, and I sincerely hope that all who attended did as well! If you weren’t able to come, check out our events page for ways to get involved in the future, or attend our Volunteer Orientation next week!

You can also still purchase Jennifer Baumgardner’s book from the event.

Check out some pictures from the event!

What Happened and What is Ahead?

By Sara Cardelle

Once a year, NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia hosts a Legislative Debriefing event following the General Assembly session as an opportunity for our members and activists to meet and hear from our pro-choice legislature allies. This year, we had nearly 40 pro-choice supporters, which is our largest attendance to date. The audience had an opportunity to hear from six senators and delegates who spoke about our victories and defeats and what lies ahead for reproductive rights in the state of Virginia. (Be sure to check out photos from the event here.)

For the last four months I have been watching the General Assembly and the unfolding of the anti-reproductive rights plan to attack a woman’s right to choose in Virginia. I have watched live videos of anti-reproductive health bills on the floor and heard our allies as well as anti-choice legislator’s debate on the bills. So for me, it was an incredible opportunity to hear from six of our strong pro-choice allies as they shared their stories and views from the session. I especially found it sad but interesting that only a handful of conservative organizations have the power to scare many of our legislators into never voting in support for any reproductive rights issues, and that this hold has only gotten stronger in the last year or so. It was an amazing experience to be in a room full of passionate and excited people who care so strongly about reproductive rights. I left the event feeling unbelievably empowered by all of the attendees and legislatures.

This year’s speakers included:

• Senator Mary Margaret Whipple, D-Arlington, Senate Democratic Caucus Chair
• Senator George Barker, D-Fairfax
• Delegate Charniele Herring, D-Alexandria, Reproductive Rights Caucus Chair
• Delegate Adam Ebbin, D-Alexandria
• Delegate Vivian Watts, D-Fairfax
• Delegate Patrick Hope, D-Arlington, Progressive Caucus Chair

Each speaker had a different topic, so I want to hit the highlights for me of their presentations.

Delegate Ebbin talked about how important the 2011 elections are going to be in protecting and defending reproductive rights in Virginia over the next several years. He also spoke about the current redistricting battle going on in the House of Delegates and state Senate, which, come election time, could lead to an increase in the number of legislators opposed to comprehensive health care for Virginia women.

Delegate Watts talked about Senate Bill 924, which calls for the Board of Health to regulate facilities providing five or more first-trimester abortions per month as a category of hospital. She noted new regulations could not just affect abortion providers, but also OB/GYN offices. Describing recent attacks against women’s health care, she stated that this is the “worst year that I have seen [regarding] abortion legislation.“

Delegate Hope talked about a bill he patroned this year, HB 1488, which prohibits a correctional facility from using restraints (shackles) on any prisoner who is pregnant and in labor. The exception would exclude women who are a flight risk or pose serious harm to herself or others. This bill was tabled in the Military, Police and Public Safety Committee.  Even though the bill was defeated this year, Delegate Hope stated the discussion led to a meeting he and other members will have with the Director of the Department of Corrections to get further guidance and create better regulations.

Delegate Herring spoke of one of the bills she patroned, which was HB 2436. The bill stated that any qualified health benefits plan offered through an exchange shall be neither required to provide nor prohibited from providing insurance coverage for abortion services. This bill was a proactive bill to prevent anticipated bans on private insurance coverage for abortion services. Unfortunately, her bill was tabled in committee. Sadly, we did see a ban on private insurance coverage of abortion care, in the form of Governor McDonnell’s amendment to House Bill 2434, which would have simply created the state’s insurance exchange.

Senator Whipple discussed the TRAP (Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers) bill and the importance of the Senate Committee on Education and Health in defeating anti-choice legislation. She stated that many negative bills pass the House, but are defeated by women’s health allies in the Senate Committee on Education and Health. Several years ago, legislators wrote into the rules of the Senate that any bills related to abortion would automatically have to go to this Committee, which has been able to defeat a multitude of anti-reproductive-rights bills (even when the Committee had a Republican* majority).

Senator Barker talked about one of the positives coming out of this year’s 2011 General Assembly, which was Senate Bill 967. This bill would have added Family Life Education to the standards of learning guidelines and required all FLE programs be medically-accurate and science-based. The bill passed the full Senate and was defeated by a tie vote in House sub-committee (which is great progress). Senator Barker noted FLE has helped reduce teen pregnancy by a large percent. He also explained how some more moderate representatives used to vote for reproductive rights in the past but are now under extraordinary pressure from conservative organizations to vote no on any reproductive right bills. The fear is that any conservative legislator who votes even once for reproductive rights will automatically have a primary challenger who will most likely beat them in the primaries. Senator Barker said that “if we were able to have secret votes on the floor of the Senate on these types of bills, then we would have 25 to 30 votes on every one of these bills, to kill these bad bills.”

I, like many of the attendees, left this year’s Legislative Debriefing feeling passionate and angry over the current erosion of reproductive rights. This is an important time for people to get angry and to fight back, as reproductive rights are under attack all across the country right now. (In fact, 916 bills dealing with reproductive rights have been proposed across the country this year alone.) Anti-choice groups are no longer looking to outright overturn Roe v. Wade because they know that they can whittle down reproductive rights through the states, one bill at a time. This is why it is so important for Virginians to volunteer for pro-choice candidates in the summer and fall and to come out and vote for pro-choice candidates in this year’s statewide election.

As a helpful guide to know how your legislator ranks, we had a first glimpse of our 2011 scorecard during the debriefing. The scorecard allows you to see how your elected official stacks up on choice. Check back soon to see the full scorecard online.

*Supporting access to comprehensive reproductive health care options is not a partisan issue.

The Panel Presents the Status of Choice

Pro-Choice Allies Speak to the Group

Twelve Months

In one year, Virginians will go to the polls for an election that is critical to the future of choice in the Commonwealth.

Last week, we saw how just one election could dramatically decrease the number of pro-choice members of the United States Congress, putting women’s reproductive freedom at risk.

With a serious battle to protect choice looming on the state level in Virginia, it is imperative that we don’t allow the same thing to happen here.  We already face an anti-choice House of Delegates and only a slim mixed-choice advantage in the state Senate – leaving no room for error in next November’s 2011 General Assembly election.

It will be a tough twelve months, but NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia will be working hard all year long to ensure that the voice of pro-choice Virginians like you is heard. The only thing standing in our way is making sure that we’ll have the resources necessary to face an electoral and legislative anti-choice onslaught in 2011.

We know you share our mission. Now, we need your commitment. Will you join in our fight to protect reproductive freedom by becoming a “GEM for Choice”?

By giving every month, you can be sure that NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia has the resources we’ll need to stand up for reproductive rights in the Commonwealth. Your monthly contributions of as little as $10, $15, or $25 can make a huge impact over the course of a year by providing a reliable and cost-effective stream of funding to support our work.

There’s no question that the coming year will bring significant attacks on reproductive choice in Virginia. Even before the election next fall, we know there will be a barrage of anti-choice legislation proposed when the 2011 General Assembly session begins in January. And with the anti-choice team of Governor Bob McDonnell and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli in charge, there’s no telling what other attacks could come on Virginians’ access to abortion, birth control, and comprehensive sex education.

There will be challenges over these next twelve months, but I know that with your support, we can face them head-on and stand up for reproductive freedom. I hope you’ll become a GEM for Choice today – not only will we be assured that we have the resources we need to fight in 2011, but you’ll know that your money is being used every day to protect choice in Virginia.

Please sign up today!

P.S. Even if you can’t commit to being a GEM for Choice monthly donor today, please make a special one-time contribution to support our work as we head into this important General Assembly session in January. Thanks for your support!