Take Action to Keep Women’s Clinics Open

The Virginia Department of Health released the draft TRAP regulations (Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers) on Friday. These regulations threaten the continued availability of safe, legal first-trimester abortion in Virginia. It is clear that politics–not public health and sound science–is the driving force behind the regulations.

The draft regulations require existing women’s health centers in Virginia to meet extensive, significant physical plant requirements found in the 2010 Guidelines for Design and Construction of Health Care Facilities – including Guidelines for Outpatient Surgical Facilities, otherwise called ambulatory surgical facilities. These guidelines are intended for new construction in the process of being built. They were never intended for existing health care structures and are not intended to apply to office-based surgical procedures. By imposing the 2010 Guidelines on existing structures, the Virginia Department of Health would force most women’s health centers to make substantial architectural changes in order to stay open. Rather than protect women’s health, the regulations could endanger women because they could shut down clinics and limit access to safe abortion.

On September 15, the Board of Health will vote on these regulations.

TAKE ACTION: Join Virginia NOW and other partners in the Virginia Coalition to Protect Women’s Health in Richmond on September 14, the day before the Board of Health meeting, to speak out against the attack on women’s reproductive health! Learn more at http://www.coalitionforwomenshealth.org/

When: 11:30 am
Where: Virginia Commonwealth University, Compass Area, Richmond, VA. Located between the James Branch Cabell Library, Hibbs Hall and the Shafer Court Dining Center, at the center of the VCU campus.

TAKE ACTION: Sign the Coalition petition to Governor McDonnell at http://www.coalitionforwomenshealth.org/

Women’s Equality Day? Not So Fast

Ms. magazine and HerVote have laid waste to the notion that women’s basic rights are (more or less) safe and secure. Read my summary, below, or the whole depressing thing at http://msmagazine.com/HERvotes/index.htm
What can you do, right now? Join NOW (go to the box at right to do that).
From Ms. magazine
Top Ten Historic Advances for Women Now at Risk

1. Women’s Right to Vote (1920)The 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1920, guaranteed American women the right to vote, although many women of color did not win full voting rights until 45 years later under the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
Threat: Conservative legislatures in 30 states are attempting to turn the clock back to the 19th century when only privileged white males were allowed to vote. Newly imposed ID requirements target students, people of color and women.
2. Social Security Act (1935)Social Security is the bedrock of older women’s financial security – virtually the only source of income for 3 in 10 women 65 and older – and a critical source of disability and life insurance protection throughout their lives.
Threat:Bills in Congress would gut the current Social Security program and disproportionately impact women’s economic security.
3. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Together, these laws prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, including pregnancy, and national origin. Both have been central to expanding women’s economic opportunities and helping women achieve economic and retirement security.
Threat:Recent Supreme Court rulings have weakened employment discrimination laws, placing women’s rights in the workplace in jeopardy, and actions by conservative Senators have undermined efforts to restore these laws and strengthen employment protections for women.
4. Medicare (1965)
Medicare is the nation’s health insurance program for seniors and younger adults with permanent disabilities. More than half (56%) of all Medicare beneficiaries are women.
Threat:The conservative majority of the House of Representative passed a fiscal year 2012 budget bill that will effectively end Medicare and replace it for those now under 55 with a voucher to buy private insurance. It would increase out-of-pocket health care costs, limit benefits and severely restrict the choice of doctors.
5. Medicaid (1965)Medicaid provides 19 million women access to vital health services at all stages of their lives.
Threat: Under the conservative House budget, Medicaid was targeted for deep budget cuts and converted into capped block grants to states. Medicaid still faces threats from the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction.
6. Title X, The National Family Planning Program (1970) Title X is the only dedicated source of federal funding for family planning services in the United States and provides preventive health care to more than 5 million low-income and uninsured women.
Threat: For the first time in history, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to completely defund Title X in 2011.
7. Title IX of the Education Amendments (1972) Title IX prohibits sex discrimination in federally funded education programs or activities. Title IX greatly expanded equal access to college education, professional and graduate schools and dramatically increased equal access to sports opportunities so that today girls and women represent over 40% of all college and high school athletes. Title IX also plays a vital role in increasing gender equity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education by improving the climate for women in those fields.
Threat: A combination of administrative budget cuts, regulations, private school vouchers schemes, and pressure from congressional opponents threatens to weaken enforcement of Title IX.
8. Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision (1973)
In 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court held in Roe v. Wade that a right to privacy under the 14th Amendment extended to a women’s decision to have an abortion.
Threat:Anti-abortion Members of Congress have introduced legislation that would make all abortions illegal and essentially overturn Roe v. Wade. In 2011, over 1,000 pieces of legislation have been introduced and 162 bills have been passed at the state level to restrict access to abortion and/or family planning.
9. The Violence Against Women Act (1994)The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) created the first U.S. federal legislation acknowledging the severity of crimes related to domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and violence against women.
Threat: VAWA will expire at the end of 2011 unless it is reauthorized. The law needs to be updated and strengthened, including the addition of provisions that will help protect students on campus who are consistently subject to sexual harassment, assault and violence. Despite this, no action has yet been taken to ensure VAWA is reauthorized.
10. The Affordable Care Act (2010)The Affordable Care Act (ACA) covers maternity care, eliminates pre-existing conditions and prevents health plans from charging women more than men for the same coverage. ACA also covers well-woman preventive health services, such as an annual well-woman visit, contraceptives, mammograms, cancer screenings, prenatal care and counseling for domestic violence, without co-pays, and includes the first federal ban on sex discrimination in health care programs and activities. Combined with other provisions, the ACA is an historic step forward for women’s health and economic security.
Threat:The House of Representatives voted to repeal the ACA. Conservative senators, state legislators and governors have also pledged to repeal ACA and deny women of all ages critical preventive care services.

Happy 19th Amendment Day

Thanks to Garrison Keillor and Madi Green for this: On this date in 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, giving women the right to vote. There had been strong opposition to woman suffrage since before the Constitution was drafted in the first place; people (mostly men) believed that women should not vote or hold office because they needed to be protected from the sordid world of politics. Abigail Adams asked her husband, John, to “remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors,” but to no avail.

A more organized woman suffrage movement arose in the 19th century, hand in hand with the abolitionist movement, and in July 1848, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott organized a women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York. Stanton drafted a Declaration of Sentiments, modeled after the Declaration of Independence, demanding the right of women to have an equal say in their government if they were to be bound by its laws; attendees — women and men — signed the Declaration of Sentiments to show their support, although some later asked that their names be removed when they experienced the media backlash.

In the latter half of the 19th century, states began gradually loosening restrictions on voting rights for women. Wyoming was the first state to grant women the full right to vote, which it did when it gained statehood in 1890. The first national constitutional amendment was proposed in Congress in 1878, and in every Congress session after that. Finally, in 1919, it narrowly passed both houses of Congress and was sent to the states to be ratified. Most Southern states opposed the amendment, and on August 18, 1920, it all came down to Tennessee. The pro-amendment faction wore yellow roses in their lapels, and the “anti” faction wore red American Beauty roses. It was a close battle and the state legislature was tied 48 to 48. The decision came down to one vote: that of 24-year-old Harry Burn, the youngest state legislator. Proudly sporting a red rose, he cast his vote … in favor of ratification. He had been expected to vote against it, but he had in his pocket a note from his mother, which read: “Dear Son: Hurrah, and vote for suffrage! Don’t keep them in doubt. I noticed some of the speeches against. They were bitter. I have been watching to see how you stood, but have not noticed anything yet. Don’t forget to be a good boy and help Mrs. Catt put the ‘rat’ in ratification. Your Mother.”

We Endorse Barbara Favola

August 17, 2011 – The Virginia NOW PAC – the political action committee of the Virginia chapter of the National Organization FOR Women –today announced its endorsement of NOW member and State Senate candidate Barbara Favola in the August 23 Democratic primary in the 31th Senate District.

The VA NOW PAC commends Ms. Favola for her commitment to put her progressive values into action. Ms. Favola told the Virginia NOW PAC that she would vote for a pro-choice candidate for chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus. Ms. Favola said that she was not in favor of having anyone become caucus chair who “doesn’t represent the progressive values I stand for.”

“We are confident that Barbara Favola will be an effective, thoughtful legislator and a champion for women, which is critical in the hostile environment fostered by the McDonnell administration,” said Diana Egozcue and Marj Signer, co-chairs of the VA NOW PAC.

Ms. Favola has been on the Arlington County Board for 14 years and has substantial experience in the issues with which the General Assembly deals. She is an advocate for families and children in the community and helped to establish mental health services in the public schools. She was appointed to the Virginia State Health Board by former Gov. Tim Kaine, is President-Elect of the Virginia Association of Counties, and was a policy advisor for the Department of Health and Human Services under the Clinton administration.

Issues covered in the VA NOW PAC endorsement process were: reproductive rights, the Equal Rights Amendment, LGBT equality, combating violence against women and specifically violence and rape on campus, sexuality education, voting rights, and uranium mining in Virginia.

Virginia NOW is the statewide chapter of the National Organization FOR Women, the largest feminist activist organization in the country. Virginia NOW has chapters in Arlington, Alexandria, Northern Virginia (including Fairfax), Fredericksburg, Richmond, Charlottesville, Montgomery County (Blacksburg), Rockingham County, Lexington, and Tidewater and activists throughout the state. ##

Virginia NOW PAC Endorses Ebbin, Garvey, Clifford, Lopez & Oleszek

August 16, 2011 – The Virginia NOW PAC – the political action committee of the Virginia chapter of the National Organization FOR Women –today announced its endorsements in the August 23 Democratic primary in the 30th Senate and 49th Delegate districts and for the Braddock Magisterial District of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.

“We are delighted to endorse Adam Ebbin and Libby Garvey in the 30th Senate District and Stephanie Dix Clifford and Alfonso Lopez in the 49th Delegate district. They are strong supporters of women’s rights and we are confident each of them will be champions for women and women’s reproductive rights in the hostile environment fostered by the McDonnell administration,” said Diana Egozcue and Marj Signer, co-chairs of the VA NOW PAC.

“In the Braddock Magisterial District, we enthusiastically endorse Janet Oleszek, a long-time ally of Virginia NOW. We are impressed by her energy, progressive values and understanding of the issues.”

Candidates in the 30th Senate District – Adam Ebbin has been an effective delegate and a leader on combating human trafficking in Virginia, a NOW priority. His expertise on issues and his solid working relationships with other legislators are valuable to progressive politics in the Commonwealth. He has been endorsed by Delegate Charniele Herring, a NOW member. Libby Garvey is a member of the Arlington County School Board and would bring important experience in education as well as in many aspects of women’s lives – including being a breast cancer survivor and rebuilding a life after losing a spouse – to the Senate. The incumbent, Patsy Ticer, a NOW member, has endorsed Garvey.

Candidates in the 49th House of Delegates District – NOW member Stephanie Clifford has won our support – and respect — for moving forward vigorously with an issues-oriented campaign. She has set an excellent example for other younger women who are interested in entering politics. Alfonso Lopez is a veteran of Virginia politics who will be an ally of Virginia NOW on choice, violence against women, rape on campus, and many other issues.

In the Braddock Magisterial District, we enthusiastically endorse Janet Oleszek, a long-time ally of Virginia NOW. We are impressed by her energy, progressive values and understanding of the issues and are convinced she is the best candidate to defeat Republican John Cook in the general election.

The issues covered for the VA NOW PAC endorsement for General Assembly seats were: reproductive rights, the Equal Rights Amendment, LGBT equality, combating violence against women and specifically violence and rape on campus, sexuality education, voting rights, and uranium mining in Virginia.

Virginia NOW is the statewide chapter of the National Organization FOR Women, the largest feminist activist organization in the country. Virginia NOW has chapters in Arlington, Alexandria, Northern Virginia (including Fairfax), Fredericksburg, Richmond, Charlottesville, Montgomery County (Blacksburg), Rockingham County, Lexington, and Tidewater and activists throughout the state.

Protect Access to Women’s Health Care – Red Tape Will “TRAP” Women

Know The Facts About the TRAP Act
Women require access to safe, legal abortion care, but women’s health care providers in Virginia are under attack. Anti-choice lawmakers have passed a “TRAP,” or “Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers,” law. This law subjects women’s health care centers to new regulations that have nothing to do with the safe delivery of services for women. These new regulations could restrict access to reproductive health. Some health centers could close, while costs at remaining centers could skyrocket. Without providers or affordable options, access to safe, legal abortion care in Virginia could be cut off.

FACT: Laws that target only abortion providers have nothing to do with the safe delivery of services for women
and everything to do with legislators’ efforts to restrict access to reproductive healthcare. Placing regulations on women’s health centers is a political strategy embraced by anti-choice groups as a way to prevent access to abortion services. Here’s how it works: Regulations enforced by the Department of Health could be changed to include architectural, procedural, staffing, and equipment requirements that will not improve women’s health and safety and are unnecessary for ensuring safe first-trimester abortion services. Providers could lose their license to practice because of an inability to meet regulations that have nothing to do with women’s health and safety.

FACT: Women’s health centers in Virginia already follow state and federal safety regulations. The high standard of care provided by women’s health centers is proven by their impressive safety record. Abortion is one of the safest medical procedures. Of women who have first-trimester abortions, 97% report no complications at all.

FACT: Abortion providers in Virginia also offer comprehensive health care services. Overregulation will
limit access to a wide range of preventive reproductive health care services provided by women’s health clinics, including
life-saving cancer screenings, family planning, and sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment.

FACT: The Virginia Board of Health will vote on September 15 on new regulations. You can influence their decision to pass regulations that will not “TRAP” women. Encourage the Board to vote for regulations that are based solely on medical and public health interests. Regulations that are not evidence-based will threaten the existence of women’s health centers and thereby jeopardize the health and safety of women in Virginia.

Take Action : Send a message to Dr. Karen Remley, the Virginia Health Commissioner, that these regulations must be based on evidence-based medical practices that advance the public health. Below is a sample message (but feel free to use your own words). Please email your message to joe.hilbert@vdh.virginia.gov. Put “Protect access to women’s health care” or something similar in the subject line. Be sure to include your full name and address.

Dear Dr. Remley,

I am writing regarding the Department of Health’s development of proposed regulations for women’s health centers.

Medically inappropriate and unnecessarily burdensome regulations would restrict access to essential health care services for the women of Virginia and further marginalize young, low-income, uninsured and minority women by decreasing their health care options.

The high standard of care provided by women’s health centers is proven by their impressive safety record. Abortion is one of the safest medical procedures. Overregulation will limit access to a wide range of preventive reproductive health care services provided by women’s health clinics, including life-saving cancer screenings, family planning, and sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment.

If regulations placed on women’s health centers are based upon evidence-based medical practices that advance the public health, then women in the Commonwealth will be able to maintain access to vital health care from trusted medical providers. It is my hope that any additional regulations will be based purely on medicine and science and will not impede women’s access to essential health care.