Blog for Choice

Ilyse Hogue on Anti-Choice SBA List

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:53:33 -0500

The following piece "Susan B. Anthony List: The NRA of the Anti-Choice Movement?" by Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, is cross-posted from The Nation:

Every time an American woman walks into her polling place, she ought to give thanks to Susan B. Anthony, who wrote the constitutional amendment that allows her to vote. Anthony herself was arrested and convicted for the right we take for granted--that women are entitled to participate in our democratic process. Her advocacy for women extended to our education and even our right to own property. (She was also an early supporter of the temperance movement. No one's perfect.)
I'm certain Susan B. Anthony would be aghast if she knew that her name was being used by a group of anti-abortion extremists to drive an anti-women agenda and roll back the rights she fought so hard for. Anthony knew that caring for women's health was an important part of protecting their rights, which is why she opposed the criminalization of abortion. Since abortion was illegal in the nineteenth century, she knew the stakes. Women still sought abortions back then, but it was like playing Russian roulette with your life. There were horrible complications, infections, and many women ended up sterile. The unlucky ones died of botched abortions.
The Susan B. Anthony List (SBA) bears no resemblance to the legacy of the hero whose legacy has made all of our lives better. A new report from NARAL Pro-Choice America and American Bridge details the insidious goals of this so-called women's organization. They make no bones about their plans: their president, Marjorie Dannenfelser says, "When we started about 20 years ago, you would not put the pro-life movement and the NRA in the same category.... That's been my goal--to make this issue, which is so fundamental, have the strongest political arm they could possibly have. That's the direction I see this heading in."
They've got a big agenda: use the upcoming Virginia governor's race as a "proving ground" to drive their anti-choice fundamentalism in a dozen states and in the thirty-three Senate races in 2014. We've seen how they support the most radical candidates running the most out of touch campaigns. When the rest of America--including the vast majority of Republicans--was denouncing Todd Akin for his mystifying comments that a woman couldn't get pregnant from "legitimate rape," the SBA List stood by him. Dannefelser called him "an excellent partner" and reaffirmed her organization's support for his candidacy.
Richard Mourdock didn't deny that rape could result in pregnancy, but he did say those pregnancies were "something God intended to happen," and again SBA List stood by their man. They ran ads attacking his opponent, who now sits in the US Senate. Akin, of course, also lost.
They don't stop with candidates. When the Virginia legislature proposed a bill in 2012 that would require women who need an abortion to get an unnecessary, invasive transvaginal ultrasound, Dannefelser took to the airwaves to praise the measure. "Really, this is a matter of giving a woman more information that she needs to make a decision that's fully informed," Dannefelser told Chris Matthews about the procedure, which involves penetrating a woman with a wand to give her an ultrasound that only confirms what she already knows. (The law eventually passed without the transvaginal ultrasound requirement, although it still forces women to undergo a noninvasive ultrasound that is just as unnecessary.)
While SBA List is a fan of unnecessary ultrasounds, the organization does not like it when women have access to the healthcare they need. The organization asked Republican presidential candidates to sign a pledge to defund Planned Parenthood, which would deny women access to cancer screenings, prenatal care and even regular check-ups.
SBA List styles itself a feminist organization that works to elect more pro-life women to office. (In fact, they supported some of the most radically anti-choice male candidates in 2012.) But their real agenda is as fiercely anti-woman as Anthony herself was pro-woman.
See their work in this year's Virginia governor's race. They've committed a minimum of $1.5 million to help elect Virginia gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli, an anti-abortion extremist in the mold of Akin and Mourdock. Six years ago, then-state legislator Cuccinelli sponsored the most extreme kind of personhood amendment, one that would ban many forms of birth control (not to mention miscarriages).
The Virginia governor race is a chance for SBA List to test strategies and messaging they can deploy nationwide in 2014, 2016 and beyond. Like most pro-life activists, they have focused their efforts on hiding the most extreme parts of their agenda and pursuing attacks on a woman's right to safe and legal abortion care piecemeal. They conceal their radical agenda as concern for women's health and safety. That's why our report on the record and activities of SBA List is so important; we need to expose them now for who they are, before they help elect more candidates that threaten our rights and our lives.
Defending guys who question rape? Pushing invasive and unnecessary medical procedures on women? Thinking they know better then we do about what works best for our lives? It is difficult to imagine a more insulting attack on Anthony's proud legacy.

SBA List: Ban Abortion For All Women

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:42:25 -0500

Apparently, banning abortion for women in D.C. wasn't extreme enough.

The anti-choice zealots at the Susan B. Anthony (SBA) List recently pledged their support for Rep. Trent Franks' (R-AZ) measure that has recently been expanded to ban abortion after 20 weeks nationwide.

This bill is so extreme, it has no exceptions for situations where continuing a pregnancy will place a woman's health or ability to have children in the future at risk.

Blocking access to abortion care or making it illegal doesn't actually change a woman's mind. But it could force her to seek out illegal and unsafe providers that could endanger her life - the terrible and tragic Gosnell case demonstrated as much.

Allowing women to make the best and most informed decisions about their own lives, however, doesn't fit in with SBA List's radical anti-choice agenda to do away with abortion, contraception, and even sex for purposes other than reproduction.

At the same time that SBA List is working with anti-choice politicians like Rep. Franks to pass this nationwide abortion ban, across the river in Virginia, the group is downplaying its extreme goals in order to help elect another ally to governor: Ken Cuccinelli.

Cuccinelli supports "personhood" bills. He led the charge of state lawsuits against Obamacare (and lost). He championed TRAP laws to close abortion clinics in Virginia. And, of course, he opposes abortion even in cases of rape and incest.

We've partnered with Bridge Project to expose SBA List's support of right-wing, anti-choice candidates like this, including Todd "legitimate rape" Akin and Richard Mourdock, who said that pregnancy from rape is "something God intended to happen."

Don't let this radical anti-choice group fly under the radar. Read our full report and sign the pledge to stop SBA List from taking the right to choose away from all women.

This blog post is part of a series that exposes SBA List's radical anti-choice agenda. Check back for our next post on the SBA List's support some of the most extreme anti-choice candidates in the 2012 elections.

SBA List: The Anti-Choice NRA

Tue, 21 May 2013 18:21:35 -0500

NARAL Pro-Choice America and Bridge Project partnered to release a new report exposing the anti-choice, deceptively named Susan B. Anthony (SBA) List and its extreme agenda for the 2013 and 2014 election cycle.

First, let's cover the basics:

SBA List was created to support and elect anti-choice politicians. The organization's top priorities are to defund Planned Parenthood and other essential family-planning programs, and enact extreme anti-choice legislation to ultimately ban abortion.

SBA List promotes a radical anti-choice agenda. The group supports forced-ultrasound legislation, efforts to roll back access to birth control, and end abortion.

The organization's president has been vocal about establishing SBA List as an anti-choice "political machine" comparable to the National Rifle Association (NRA).

Our report exposes SBA List's anti-woman agenda, examines key players, and unpacks its support for extreme anti-choice politicians, including Todd "legitimate rape" Akin and Richard "pregnancy from rape is a gift from God" Mourdock.

You can read the full report about this dangerous organization on our website.

This blog post is the first in an upcoming series that exposes SBA List's radical agenda. Check back for our next post on the SBA List's support for a nationwide 20-week abortion ban.

Where is the Outrage Over Sexual Assault in the Military?

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:06:25 -0500

Unbelievable.

In one week, three military officers in charge of preventing and addressing sexual assault were arrested on various sexual assault charges, including sexual harassment, stalking, and forced prostitution.

This highlights a startling trend: a recent Pentagon report estimates that 26,000 cases of sexual assault occurred in the military in 2012. These revelations have finally brought national attention to the widespread problem of sexual assault in the military.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called for an immediate re-evaluation of all sexual assault prevention officers and recruits. And President Obama has publicly condemned the epidemic levels of military sexual assault cases:

"Not only is it a crime, not only is it shameful and disgraceful, but it also is going to make and has made the military less effective than it can be. And as such, it is dangerous to our national security."

The national outrage is loud and clear. This story has the attention of our nation's leaders. So we have to ask: What do some of the most outspoken anti-choice politicians have to say?

Top anti-choice politicians Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) have yet to come out and denounce the horrible acts happening to women in the military. Their official government websites and social media pages don't have as much as a statement about how these assaults cripple our country and endanger Americans both in and outside the military.

The silence really says it all. Anti-choice politicians who refuse to take a stand for survivors of sexual assault contribute to the same victim-blaming and shameful silence that keeps women from reporting their sexual assaults in the first place.

This is not a problem to be buried and forgotten. No matter how much anti-choice politicians would prefer to look the other way.

Why Young Women Need Access to Plan B

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:10:22 -0500

Emma Weinstein-Levey is the press intern at NARAL Pro-Choice America

Picture this: Your best friend calls you. She and her boyfriend practiced safe sex last night, but the condom broke. She's freaking out and doesn't know what to do. She isn't on birth control, she can't afford an unplanned pregnancy and isn't ready to become a parent, and she's afraid to tell her parents.

You tell her not to worry because she can get emergency contraception at her local pharmacy. Your friend and her boyfriend go to the pharmacy together and pick up some emergency contraception (EC) or Plan B®. Without the fear of unplanned pregnancy, she can go on with her life.

This is how it should be, right? Accidents happen, even when you're careful. So it makes sense that there should be a backup method available for when things don't go according to plan.

Sadly, that's just not the reality. Women often face shame and judgment when they try to buy Plan B® from the pharmacy, and some pharmacists refuse to sell Plan B® altogether!

Medical professionals agree that emergency contraception should be available to all women, but it's currently only available without a prescription to women over 17.

A federal judge ruled that emergency contraception should be available over-the-counter without age restrictions. But since then, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice have made matters more complicated by prioritizing politics over science.

The struggle for wider availability of emergency contraception is an integral part of choice. EC empowers young women (and men!) to take charge of their reproductive health and allows them to decide when, how, and with whom to start a family.

That's the definition of reproductive freedom.

Critical Abortion Legislation Too Complex for Gabriel Gomez

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:35:45 -0500

On June 25, NARAL Pro-Choice America PAC-endorsed Rep. Ed Markey and anti-choice opponent Gabriel Gomez will face off in an election in Massachusetts for John Kerry's former Senate seat.

You would think that any candidate would make sure they're well informed about issues that have been front and center during the election, like a woman's right to choose.

But apparently, Gabriel Gomez doesn't have time for women's reproductive health. He recently admitted that he never even read important choice-related legislation that could significantly impact the people he hopes to represent.

In an interview with The Boston Globe, Gomez was asked about his positions on important reproductive-rights legislation.

When asked about the Blunt amendment, a defeated measure that would have allowed bosses to deny their workers birth-control coverage based on personal beliefs, Gomez was clueless. He stumbled through his response asking, "Oh, is this like the Catholic Church and all?"

Gomez was also asked about the Stupak amendment. His response: "'Is this federal funding for abortion?"

Seriously? Who's doing the interviewing here?

When The Boston Globe explained to Gomez that this failed measure would have made it virtually impossible for private insurance companies in the new system to provide abortion coverage, Gomez clearly did not understand it. He reiterated:

"OK, but I don't think there should be federal funding for abortions."

If Gomez can't even be bothered to read and understand measures that would endanger women's reproductive-health care, what else would he ignore as a Massachusetts senator?

We don't want to find out, and neither should Massachusetts voters. That's why we've given our full support to pro-choice Rep. Ed Markey, who has read and understands these important issues for women and their families.

Maybe Gomez will take the time between now and the June 25 election to read up on measures that help protect women's freedom and privacy.

But we seriously doubt it.

Paid for by NARAL Pro-Choice America, www.ProChoiceAmerica.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

Honoring Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:35:53 -0500

In honor of Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we'd like to share a fantastic opinion piece about how Asian-American women are adversely affected by anti-choice legislation. You can read more from a great resource, Forward Together.

"Reproductive-health restrictions hurt Asian-American women" was written by Zeenat Hasan, a founding member of the Arizona chapter of the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum and the director of Health Through Action Arizona. Here's an excerpt from this great piece:

Arizona lawmakers have enacted some of the most restrictive abortion bans in the country, from limiting access to health-care providers to restricting medical education.
The sponsors of Arizona's so-called "prenatal nondiscrimination" law justified it based on a xenophobic stereotype that Asian women prefer sons over daughters and will abort based on the sex of the fetus. The law requires doctors to determine why a woman is seeking an abortion and will potentially single out Asian Pacific-American women for greater scrutiny.
This is the only law of its kind in the country, and as an Asian-American woman, I fear its potential, damaging effects on my community. We already face many health risks. Language barriers, economic pressures and cultural taboos toward sex prevent a significant number of Asian-American and Pacific-Islander women from seeking and receiving quality and timely reproductive health services.
Our community also is less likely to use birth control to prevent unwanted pregnancy, and we experience some of the highest rates of breast and other preventable cancers.
More than two-thirds of Asian Americans in Arizona are foreign born, and Arizona's Senate Bill 1070 and other anti-immigrant laws have created a chilling effect in the community. Our families need health services but are growing fearful of law enforcement as well as health and human-service providers.

We Must Learn From the Kermit Gosnell Case

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:29:06 -0500

This week, a jury returned a guilty verdict in the case against Kermit Gosnell.

This man will pay the price for the horrible acts he committed. All the women whose lives were affected deserve at least this much.

The Gosnell tragedy should serve as a wakeup call that we need to work even harder to ensure that all women have access to safe and legal abortion care. We can't let anti-choice politicians use the Gosnell trial to make it even more difficult for women to access abortion care.

This is why it's so important that pro-choice people know the facts about what this trial means - and does not mean - for women.

Kermit Gosnell broke the law and deserves his punishment. He is a criminal who is being rightfully punished.
Gosnell does not represent safe, legal abortion in this country. Women should be able to count on abortion providers to provide the compassionate and comprehensive care that they deserve - not what Gosnell inflicted on women.
Banning abortion will only force women to put their health and lives at risk to access it. Around the world, women seek abortion at the same rate in countries where it is legal as where it is banned. The difference is that making it legal allows us to make it safe. When abortion is only available in back alleys, women die.

Unfortunately, anti-choice politicians have passed restriction after restriction to make it more difficult for women to get an abortion.

Check out our graphic and share it with your friends to let them know what's at risk for women's reproductive-health and safety:

Ilyse Hogue On "NOW with Alex Wagner": Why Women Need Plan B

Tue, 14 May 2013 16:36:37 -0500

Today, Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, stopped by "NOW with Alex Wagner" on MSNBC to talk about continued efforts to block access to emergency contraception:

"I'm sympathetic to the idea that we all want our kids to come talk to us if they get into trouble. Unfortunately, that's not the job of the administration right now. The real question is whether we're going to have the science-based policy that we were promised by this administration. What we know and what's got this judge so up in arms is that Plan B and other 'morning-after' pills are safe. They've been tested extensively. They're safe for all women."

Justice for Survivors of Sexual Assault in the Military

Fri, 10 May 2013 19:52:04 -0500

Days after news broke that the Air Force officer overseeing the service's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program was arrested on charges of sexual assault, a Pentagon report was released showing that there were an estimated 26,000 cases of sexual assault in the military in fiscal year 2012 - a six percent increase over 2011.

It's reprehensible that this officer could have perpetuated the very same act that he's supposed to be working to end.

How we treat our service members reflects on us as a society. That's why we're working hard to make sure that our service members have the same rights as citizens here at home.

We celebrated a victory last year when Congress enacted the Shaheen amendment, which lifted the ban on sexual-assault survivors using their health insurance to pay for abortion services.

We've also been working with amazing pro-choice champions in Congress like Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), who introduced the Military Access to Reproductive Care and Health for Military Women (MARCH) Act which would repeal the ban on women in the military using their own money for abortion care overseas.

It's unacceptable that military women who sacrifice so much for our country are blocked from making the most personal of reproductive-health decisions.

We're optimistic that more political leaders will make ending sexual assault and ensuring service women's reproductive rights a priority. Because even one sexual assault is too many.

"King" Rep. Trent Franks Tries to Ban Abortion in D.C...Again.

Thu, 09 May 2013 17:12:09 -0500

Arizona Rep. Trent Franks (R) is capitalizing on the trial of Kermit Gosnell by attempting to push a bill through Congress that would ban abortion after 20 weeks for women in Washington, D.C.. Rep. Frank's proposed abortion ban contains no exceptions to protect a woman's health or her future ability to have children.

Rep. Franks wants to make it even harder for low-income women to access abortion care in the most heartbreaking of circumstances. Restricting access for abortion doesn't actually change a woman's decision to end her pregnancy. The restrictions do, however, make it more likely that she'll consider taking desperate measures, or be forced to seek out unsafe providers like Kermit Gosnell.

Let's get this straight - Rep. Franks is trying to impose his anti-choice agenda on women in D.C. who did not elect him as their representative. But that doesn't matter, since Rep. Franks apparently thinks he's the one anti-choice politician to rule them all...

"King" Franks has tried this before, and we defeated that bill in 2012. His abortion ban would truly endanger the health and future of low-income women in D.C. by limiting their reproductive options.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see how dangerous this proposed abortion ban would be for women and their families. And it completely contradicts efforts to protect women's health.

To make matters worse, anti-choice Utah Sen. Mike Lee (R) jumped on the intrusive bandwagon and recently introduced his own Senate version of the 20-week abortion ban in D.C.

Last year, the District's only representation in Congress, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, was denied the right to testify in opposition to the bill.

It's going to take all of us speaking out to make sure Congress hears our opposition to these overreaching bans on abortion. Please help us protect women in D.C. and voice your pro-choice values to your lawmaker.

Elizabeth Smart: "Abstinence-Only" Programs Tell Students Their Lives Have No Value

Wed, 08 May 2013 14:49:50 -0500

Elizabeth Smart caught the nation's attention when she was kidnapped for nine months. She survived horrible trauma - and is now working to protect and educate children about violent and sexual crimes.

When she spoke at a forum on human trafficking, Smart shared that she "felt so dirty and so filthy" after being raped by her kidnapper. She attributes feeling worthless to growing up with "abstinence-only" programs:

"I thought, 'Oh, my gosh, I'm that chewed up piece of gum, nobody re-chews a piece of gum, you throw it away.' And that's how easy it is to feel like you no longer have worth, you no longer have value. Why would it even be worth screaming out? Why would it even make a difference if you are rescued? Your life still has no value."

Dangerous "abstinence-only" programs withhold information about reproductive health and often tell students that birth control, including condoms, is ineffective for preventing pregnancy or protecting against STDs. Even worse, these programs use shame to dissuade teens from having sex, and often use comparisons like the "chewed gum" metaphor to make them feel bad for becoming sexually active.

Clearly, shaming teens has consequences. That's why Elizabeth is speaking out through her foundation to send the message that "you will always have value and nothing can change that."

Even now, anti-choice politicians across the country are fighting to defund and block comprehensive sex-education programs that help teens protect themselves from unintended pregnancy and disease and give them the confidence to make the decisions that are right for them.

We're grateful for Smart's courage to speak openly about such a personal chapter in her life. And we hope that her message will not be lost on deaf anti-choice ears in Congress and in state legislatures across the country.

Check out our graphic and share it with your friends on Facebook:

How the Anti-Choice Agenda Drives Women to Unsafe Providers like Kermit Gosnell

Mon, 06 May 2013 15:07:36 -0500

We were outraged to hear about Kermit Gosnell and his unsafe treatment of women who trusted him with their reproductive health.

What the anti-choice movement doesn't want you to know is that low-income women can be driven to seek medical care from individuals like Gosnell because of unfair restrictions to abortion access.

Even today, rather than work to expand women's access and prevent women from turning to back-alley abortion providers, anti-choice politicians are pushing to make it harder for women to get abortion care.

In Iowa, the state House of Representatives passed legislation that would withhold Medicaid funding for abortion providers. Here's the scariest part: Medicaid funding in Iowa only covers abortion for survivors of rape or incest, and when the woman's life is in danger.

These anti-choice politicians are heartless for wanting to cut funding for abortion care when a woman's life depends on it.

That doesn't sound very "pro-life," does it?

If they get their way, anti-choice politicians will succeed at blocking low-income women from even getting birth control and cancer screenings.

We've seen what happens when ideology trumps women's health. Before Roe v. Wade, women still sought out abortion, but they often ended up in the hands of predators like Kermit Gosnell.

If anti-choice politicians succeed in promoting their agenda - blocking access to abortion care to women who have been raped, or cutting vital health programs that prevent pregnancy - then surely these zealots must bear some responsibility for the horrors from unsafe providers like Kermit Gosnell.

The Winners of April's Hall of Fame and Shame

Thu, 02 May 2013 12:21:19 -0500

Pennsylvania State Rep. Brian Sims

In the midst of fighting anti-choice legislative attacks, there are some pro-choice champions who stand up, speak out, and make us want to shout "Hallelujah!"

This month, we were impressed by Pennsylvania State Rep. Brian Sims, who took a stand for freedom and privacy in opposition to his anti-choice peers in the legislature, earning him a spot in our April Hall of Fame.

When his anti-choice colleagues tried to ban women from using their own private money to pay for insurance that covers abortion, Rep. Sims expressed his dissatisfaction, saying:

"Each of us put our hand on the Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution. We did not place our hands on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible."

Can we get an "Amen!"

Pennsylvania has some of the most restrictive anti-choice laws on the books, and received an "F" grade in our 2012 edition of Who Decides?. That's why we're so grateful for pro-choice champs like Rep. Sims for calling out anti-choice politicians.

Florida State Rep. Charles Van Zant

We know one anti-choice politician that could use calling out, and that's anti-choice Florida State Rep. Charles Van Zant.

Rep. Van Zant earned a spot in April's Hall of Shame by being so offensive while offering closing statements on anti-choice race - and sex - selection abortion ban legislation he sponsored, that his remarks prompted at least five female African-American lawmakers to walk out of the room.

There are many pro-choice champions and anti-choice challengers who could easily be ushered into our Hall of Fame and Shame.

Check out our Facebook and Twitter pages for updates and stories on pro-choice heroes and anti-choice baddies.

Who caught your eye this month?

Ilyse Hogue Debates Anti-Choicer on "PBS NewsHour"

Wed, 01 May 2013 13:23:29 -0500

Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, debated Charmaine Yoest, president of Americans United for Life, on "PBS NewsHour." They talked about anti-choice legislative attacks in the states and the trial of Kermit Gosnell. Here are a few of Ilyse's points - be sure to watch the whole interview:

"We are already seeing a number of court cases, including ones that Americans United for Life, I think, support, that go far beyond Roe, far beyond women's ability to decide about abortion with their doctors.
[Anti-choice groups] are supporting rollbacks of contraception. They actually have model legislation on their website that would limit IVF, as we have seen in the "personhood" amendment. This is a radical agenda and this is the antithesis of common sense. Americans believe that women and their families and their doctors can make these personal decisions, not meddling politicians."