Senator Edward Houck

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!

Political Pro(Choice)files: Edward Houck

By Brooke

As a politician with more than 25 years in office and with a solid pro-choice voting record, Senator Edward (Edd) Houck is a man who has faced numerous attacks for his commitment to reproductive rights and women’s health.

In February of this year, extremists opposed to a woman’s complete healthcare access even went so far as to accuse Senator Houck of “furthering the sex-slave industry” by a radical anti-choice blog because of his support for Planned Parenthood (which just so happens to provide healthcare and family planning services, often to people who could not afford them otherwise). While the subject of abortion is often inflammatory, Senator Houck has gotten more flack for his standing up for women’s health than many other pro-choiceVirginia legislators due to his position as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education and Health. With this position, Senator Houck votes on virtually every choice-related bill that is introduced into the state Senate.

In the 2011 session, an admittedly tough year for pro-choice advocates, NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia gave Senator Houck a score of 100 percent for his perfect record of supporting choice. Senator Houck plays a pivotal role in protectingVirginia’s women by leading the Education and Health Committee to defeat restrictive, politically-motivated and dangerous anti-choice bills before they can be taken to a vote by the full Senate.

In 2010, when a bill meant to limit state funding of abortions in facilities receiving state funding was introduced to the Senate, Houck made it clear that he believed it was dangerous to reproductive health. In the midst of the debate, Houck responded to those pushing for passage: “When you try to tease out what [this bill] means, you get to UVA medical system, and that might mean a woman who comes in with medical condition and is pregnant, you would not be able to do an abortion in that regard, possibly putting her at jeopardy.” It is this kind of commitment to women’s health that makes Edd Houck a consistent, committed champion forVirginia women. He looks past misleading arguments made by anti-choice legislators and attempts to protect women’s health.

In the 2011 session, after two Senate Democrats voted with Republicans to pass legislation requiring any facility performing more than five first-trimester abortions per month to live up to the same regulations as hospitals, Houck spoke out publically,  calling it a “terrible tragedy.”

Senator Houck remains a dedicated and tireless champion for women’s continued access to vital healthcare inVirginia.

It is important that we maintain such pro-choice champions in our General Assembly this November, to continue to protect reproductive choice in the Commonwealth.

For more voter information, check out the Virginia State Board of Elections website. Regardless of your residence, all Virginia voters should remember that the statewide general election will be held on November 8^th.

The Dangers of Putting Politics before Women’s Health

By Brooke

Inevitably, the polarizing nature of the abortion debate has the potential to harm women seeking basic gynecological services. This is currently the case in Hampton Roads, Virginia as health department officials struggle to make a decision on the licensing of new operating rooms at a Planned Parenthood health center.

As the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, a proposal from the Hampton Roads affiliate of Planned Parenthood would offer outpatient surgical services to poor women. The proposed operating rooms are intended to treat various gynecological issues from pelvic pain to breast biopsies.

Planned Parenthood is arguing the proposal has nothing to do with abortion, while anti-choice leaders maintain that Planned Parenthood is “a business and their business is abortion.”

However, Dr. Robert A. Rashti, former chief executive officer of the Hampton Roads Planned Parenthood affiliate and neurosurgeon, reports that only about six percent of their services involve abortions.

Mitchell Miller, former president of the Medical Society of Virginia spoke out in support of Planned Parenthood’s application: “There are times when the needs of patients, especially those not blessed with full financial reserves, must transcend the political arena. This is one of those times.”

The national movement towards TRAP (Targeted Restrictions of Abortion Providers) regulations shows how far anti-choice legislators are willing to go to manipulate conversations of basic healthcare for women. The ultimate goal of such campaigns? To end access to safe, legal abortion.

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.

Reproductive Rights in the News: Week of June 6

By Brooke

Here are some quick highlights from reproductive rights in the news this week:

http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/economy-dominates-gathering-of-social-conservatives-20110604

This post in the National Journal highlights the speakers at the Faith and Freedom Conference in Washington, DC last weekend. As expected, many conservative politicians spoke out on social issues, attempting to garner support from the religious right. Politicians Michele Bachmann (check out her call to defund Planned Parenthood around the 1:23 mark), R-Minn., and Ron Paul, R-Texas, both emphasized the importance of their own views against abortion, and former Ambassador to China, John Huntsman, went so far as using the story his daughter’s adoption to rally the audience around his anti-choice views stating, “There is something more essential than politics and that is life, specifically a child’s life.” This emphasis on social issues has become typical of today’s Republican Party and the Faith and Freedom Conference proved to be the perfect venue for broadcasting anti-choice views.

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https://washingtonexaminer.com/news/2011/06/movement-treat-fetuses-people-gains-ground

An article from the Associated Press this week recognized the growing trend in reproductive rights politics to include fetuses under the legal definition of personhood in state constitutions. Under this new definition, states could pave the way for the eventual overturning of Roe v. Wade. Although such legislative movements go against federal law, anti-choice supporters believe the resulting lawsuits have the potential to spark change that could significantly obstruct women’s reproductive freedom. On Monday, a similar bill was rejected in Maine, although it specified that the definition would only change in the event of an assault perpetrated against a pregnant woman. Pro-choice advocates were opposed to this bill as Maine’s constitution already intensifies punishments for assaults against pregnant women and this type of bill would be a catalyst for a law that would consider a fetus to be under the definition of personhood in any situation.

Bills to grant such “personhood” rights failed in the 2011 Virginia General Assembly.

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http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2011/jun/04/TDOPIN01-letters-to-the-editor-ar-1084324/

In a letter to the editor from the Richmond Times-Dispatch this week, Hopewell resident Mary K. Martin took on the subject (also addressed here) of how new, national healthcare legislation has the potential to hurt women and small businesses. Martin worries that businesses in Virginia will be hit especially hard by this bill, either having to pay a large fee for coverage that includes abortion (even in cases where the life of the mother is threatened) or waste time shopping around for a different plan that could be much more expensive. Martin calls this bill part of a “narrow social agenda that hurts women and penalizes small businesses.”

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http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_PLANNED_PARENTHOOD_INDIANA?SITE=VARIT&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Another issue grabbing headlines this week has been the controversy occurring between the state of Indiana and federal Medicaid offices. This is due to the new state law eliminating some of Planned Parenthood’s public funding. The issue has been taken to court and U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt is expected to make a ruling by the end of the month. If the new law is upheld, seven of Indiana’s 28 Planned Parenthood health centers could close. The law specifically stops Medicaid from covering abortions and, while the state is arguing that this should not inhibit Planned Parenthood’s other services, it would be difficult to prevent incidental funding overlap for supplies and preparations that are used for abortions as well as other Planned Parenthood services. Representatives from Planned Parenthood and the ACLU believe that this law must be repealed in order to protect Planned Parenthood on both a national and statewide level.

Virginia Becoming More Hostile Toward Women’s Health

By Sara Cardelle

There is currently a National War on Women in the United States regarding reproductive rights. The attacks on women’s health care access range from attempts to defund Planned Parenthood (on Wednesday, Indiana became the first state to succeed) to requirements that pregnant women undergo an ultrasound prior to obtaining an abortion. In total, there have been 916 state bills related to reproductive rights issues proposed throughout the country this year alone. Unfortunately, the war on women has been equally successful in the state of Virginia. We saw a total of 10 bills or amendments restricting reproductive health care proposed during the 2011 General Assembly. Three of the bills and amendments are now law and could have a devastating impact on women’s health and access to care in Virginia. At NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia’s Choice Legislative Debriefing, Delegate Patrick Hope, D-Arlington, stated, “We have essentially overturned a lot of case laws since Roe v. Wade, making Virginia one of the less desirable states in terms of women’s reproductive rights and I think it’s just outrageous.”

Delegate Hope’s statement certainly rings true as we review NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia’s 2011 Legislative Scorecard.

In comparing this year to last year’s results, there is evidence of a push to more anti-choice partisanship. The number of Virginia legislators earning a zero percent pro-choice rating from has nearly doubled from 2010 to 2011. Last year, 36 delegates and nine senators earned a zero percent pro-choice rating. In 2011, the number of Delegates earning a zero percent pro-choice rating went up to 60. This means that, this year, 60 percent of the House of Delegates voted in favor of any and all bills and amendments attacking reproductive rights.

The number of Senators with a zero percent pro-choice rating increased to 15 which, like the House of Delegates, nearly doubles that of last year. There was also a decrease in 100 percent pro-choice senators (from 22 in 2010 to only 19 in 2011). This means there is no pro-choice majority in the Senate. This small but crucial change came into play often during the session, as we saw three bills or amendments restricting reproductive choice pass by only one vote in the Senate.

During the legislative debriefing, Senator George Barker, D-Fairfax, discussed this issue stating, “The pressure on [moderate legislators] is extraordinary right now, from all kinds of groups out there. And the fear they have is if they take a vote that is not an anti-choice vote, on any single issue, [these groups] will automatically guarantee that they have a primary challenge and in most instances will guarantee that they lose that primary challenge.”

This past session reminds us how important it is to make sure Virginians elect pro-choice candidates in the state legislature and especially in the executive branch. Of the three new anti-choice laws on the books, two were amendments from the governor. Governor McDonnell’s amendments include banning private abortion coverage for all women participating in the new health care insurance exchange, and prohibiting private insurance companies from offering coverage on abortions. The other amendment restores nearly $900,000 in funding for failed, abstinence-only programs. In addition to these two amendments (which are now law after passing the state Senate by only one vote), the governor will also have the final say on new, unwarranted regulations singling out first-trimester abortion providers.

This has been a hard year for reproductive rights in the state of Virginia and across the country. However, there is an opportunity for Virginia citizens to take our state back and that involves us coming out to vote this year on November 8th when all 140 General Assembly seats are up for grabs. The legislative scorecard gives you a chance to see if your legislator is pro-choice or not. I will certainly be taking that information with me into November, and I hope you will as well.

A Critical Time to Pay Congress a Visit

By Brett Copeland

League of Young Leaders Co-Chair

No deal: It’s what we heard on Tuesday as House Leadership left the White House. We are coming down to zero-hour on the budget (or at least until the next Continuing Resolution). House Republicans have made it clear they’re willing to slash and burn whatever they can—no matter how many women and families it harms.

So, Pro-Choice Lobby Day on Capitol Hill comes at a critical time. Anti-choice leaders have moved not only to defund Planned Parenthood but also totally eliminate valuable Title X funding for family planning services. With more of the budget on the chopping block, there’s no telling what’s next.

That’s why a coalition of Pro-Choice supporters will be in the halls of Congress, talking to Representatives, Senators and their staff. We must ensure that our voice is heard loud and clear by anti-choice lawmakers who have shown they will say and do almost anything to erode fundamental reproductive human rights (including subjecting survivors of rape and incest who choose abortion care to audits by the Internal Revenue Service).

So what can you do?

If you’re in DC, Virginia or Maryland and can take off work, there’s still time to register to lobby. We’ll have on-site training as well as events throughout the day to keep you fed and on the move.

If you’re in DC, Virginia or Maryland and can’t take off work, you can always join us during our lunchtime rally on the National Mall.

But don’t worry—if you can’t do either of those things, but still want to help, visit NARAL Pro-Choice America’s Webpage—you can help sponsor our efforts on Lobby Day, make calls from home or, heck, buy a t-shirt.

We would also love to have you join us at our League of Young Leaders (LoYL) happy hour following lobby day. RSVP to get the full details.

The more people we have standing up and declaring that we’re Pro-Choice and proud of it, the better chance we’ll have at making an impact.

I’ll be there.

Will you?