Category Archives: Reproductive Rights

Dems play both sides of abortion politics in congressional races

Two contrasting views of the Democratic Party’s use of the abortion issue in this year’s election have emerged in recent press reports.   When one reads them together, a fascinating picture emerges of how the Dems are deploying and funding … Continue reading

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Federal Appeals Court to Hear Argument in Virginia’s Abortion Ban Case on Tuesday, October 28, 2008 at 8:15 a.m.

From The Center for Reproductive Rights: Oral argument will be heard at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in the case Richmond Medical Center for Women v. Herring. The Center for Reproductive Rights will be arguing against … Continue reading

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Abortion and the Supreme Court: One Depressing Possibility

I got an e-mail from RH Reality Check today plugging a series of posts about abortion, framed with the title: “The Supreme Court Hangs In The Balance.” I’d like to offer the competing opinion that the Supreme Court has already … Continue reading

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Yale Law School Is Hosting A Symposium Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act

A Symposium that is being held at Yale Law School on November 7-8th in celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. The Symposium, entitled Respecting Expecting: The 30th Anniversary of the PDA, is being organized by the … Continue reading

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Do These Posters Make You Want To Vote? Or Do They Fill You With Despair?

Nayeli Rodriguez observes at the XX Factor: Declare Yourself isn’t alone in its tendency to threaten and alienate its audience despite better intentions. The “Vote or Die” campaign that began in 2000 promotes its own violent message, particularly when organizer … Continue reading

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Shifting demographics of abortion and the political fall-out

An important new report from the Alan Guttmacher Institute analyzes trends in abortions from 1974 to 2004, a time frame that dramatically highlights generational shifts among American women. The key findings: * The overall rate of abortions is at its … Continue reading

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Naomi Cahn, “Accidental Incest: Drawing the Line – Or the Curtain? – For Reproductive Technology”

The abstract: This article calls for setting limits on the number of offspring born from any one individual’s gametes, and for continuing to sanction incest, even when it comes to adult, inter-sibling consensual behaviour. The article examines the issues of … Continue reading

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A Fairly Memorable PSA About STDs

Here. Via Broadsheet.

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Hillary Rodham Clinton and Cecile Richards, “Blocking Care for Women”

NYT Op-Ed, reprinted below: Last month, the Bush administration launched the latest salvo in its eight-year campaign to undermine women’s rights and women’s health by placing ideology ahead of science: a proposed rule from the Department of Health and Human … Continue reading

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Posted in Feminism and Law, Reproductive Rights, Women's Health | 22 Comments

ACLU Action Alert re: Proposed HHS Regs

Let the Bush Administration know precisely what you think of its proposed health care denial regulations (PDF) by September 25th. ACLU’s Action Alert

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June Carbone and Naomi Cahn, “Pregnancy often puts success out of reach for teens”

This is an Op-Ed by two fantastic Feminist Law Profs, and it is accessible here. Below is an excerpt: The news that Sarah Palin’s unwed teenage daughter is pregnant highlights a surprising reality in today’s America: The ultra-conservative morality many … Continue reading

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NAPW Law Student Writing Competition 2008-2009 Academic School Year – $1,000 first prize

The first contest asks for a critical analysis of the absence of birthing rights issues from gender discrimination and feminist jurisprudence textbooks and curricula (in fact, none of the top three casebooks used in law school courses dedicated to gender … Continue reading

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Have We Won the Rhetorical Issue on Choice?

Sarah and Todd Palin’s announcement of their daughter’s pregnancy included this statement:   “We’re proud of Bristol’s decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents.” And when John McCain was asked during the 2000 primary what his … Continue reading

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MARRIAGE FOR 17-YR-OLD BRISTOL PALIN — HOW 1950’s!

Sarah Palin’s 17 year old daughter, Bristol, is pregnant. So why no uproar from conservative Christians (as Sarah Palin describes herself), or from those abstinence-only sex-education Republicans?? Because she’s marrying her boyfriend, Levi Johnston, that’s why! How 1950’s! That’s the … Continue reading

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Posted in Feminism and Families, Feminism and Politics, Reproductive Rights | 24 Comments

Feminists For Life

Emily Bazelon provided an overview of Feminists For Life (an organization currently getting attention because Sarah Palin is a member),   in a 2007 MoJo article that is accessible here. Via Bobc.

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“Customers ordered the pills, but were unable to cancel or get a refund. A former VP of the company testified that Warshak required customers to provide notarized documents from a doctor proving that they had small genitals in order to get a refund.”

Learn more about the Enzyte scam here. Wonder if the penalty would have been as severe if women had been the victims.

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Guest Post: “Proposed HHS Rule Harmful To Women’s Interests”

By National Womens Law Center Vice President Judy Waxman: Last week, the Bush Administration’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a proposed rule that will harm women’s health by impeding access to care and by denying vital information … Continue reading

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Supreme Court of Mexico expected to rule today on new abortion law

The NY Times has reported that the Supreme Court of Mexico is scheduled to vote today on whether to invalidate a Mexico City law that allows unrestricted abortions in the first trimester of pregnancy. During the court’s deliberations, which apparently … Continue reading

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“Protect Yourself From John McCain” Condoms

Broadsheet notes: Planned Parenthood is handing out more than 700 pounds of rubbers encased in a racy pink matchbook that reads: “Protect Yourself From John McCain (In This Election).” The back reads, “10 Things Everyone Should Know About John McCain,” … Continue reading

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New proposed HHS rule in defense of “health care provider conscience.”

The text of the proposed rule is here. It is discussed here, and here.

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“Basic Female Reproductive Biology”

Amananta has a long, link filled post here. I’m not a doctor so I can’t vouch for the linked information but I think it’s worth a read. –Ann Bartow

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Frida Kahlo Look-alike Model Open Audition pictures

Here.

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Praise for the draft Democratic Party platform

Here. I’m happy to see both Obama staffers and Hillary Clinton’s presence in the race getting credit for the positive developments the author describes. Via Bob C. with thanks. –Ann Bartow

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John McCain: Pro-Life Zealot

That’s the tagline of this New Republic article analyzing McCain’s stance on abortion and reproductive rights issues. The point of the article is that McCain, in furtherance of his deceptive “maverick” title, likes to obscure just how conservative he is … Continue reading

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“Anti-Abortion District Attorney Loses Kansas Republican Primary”

From the Feminist Weekly News: Johnson County, Kansas District Attorney Phill Kline lost his seat in the Republican primary to Steve Howe, another anti-abortion candidate. Kline lost by a margin of 60% to 40%. His anti-abortion politics played a significant … Continue reading

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In three months, these laws will change (or not)

Election Day is three months from today. Despite the fact that one can hardly escape the relentless onslaught of horse race journalism about candidates, there is almost total radio silence about the laws that voters will adopt or reject on … Continue reading

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Professor Obama on sexuality, gender and health

Must reading for all law profs – the NY Times has published eight of the exams (scroll to bottom of link) given by Barack Obama while he was teaching at the University of Chicago Law School, together with two sample … Continue reading

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“Today, the Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit granted Virginia’s petition to rehear en banc the Center for Reproductive Rights’ case against Virginia’s abortion ban.”

… [I]in May of this year, a three- judge panel of the Fourth Circuit struck down the Virginia law finding it extremely broad such that “every time” a doctor set out to perform any standard second trimester abortion, “he faces … Continue reading

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Snip, Snip, Snip and a Couple of Lah-Dee-Dahs

 The August 2008 issue of Details magazine reports on a new “trend” in young men receiving vasectomies.  In  “The Birth-Control Extremists” Richard Morgan writes: [L]ately, vasectomies are becoming the province of young, single men who claim to be tired of … Continue reading

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HHS: Contraception Is Abortion

The George Bush not-dead-yet-Presidency lives on! And it’s trying to redefine abortion for all federal grant recipients to include contraception. Read about the story here from RH Reality Check and commentary here from feministing. – David S. Cohen

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Obama Newly Embracing Abortion Restrictions?

From the ABC News Blog Legalities: … In a recent interview, Obama appears to back away from his long-stated positions on abortion (and a proposed federal abortion rights law he had co-sponsored), repudiate 35 years of accepted Supreme Court rulings … Continue reading

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“It seems the ability we’re so fond of calling talent or even genius arises not from innate gifts but from an interplay of fair (but not extraordinary) natural ability, quality instruction, and a mountain of work.”

That is a sentence from here, via Feminist Chemists, who posted the following: This is a great article from New Scientist, which summarizes years of research on how to be a genius. Apparently, having an extraordinarily high IQ is not … Continue reading

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The Real Story Behind the Massachusetts Pregnancy “Pact”

As most people should know by now (and should have suspected originally), the story of the Massachusetts teen pregnancy “pact” was wrong. And, a follow-up story on Women’s eNews today has this paragraph, which really should be getting all the … Continue reading

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AT&T v. Hulteen

Anya Prince at the NWLC’s Womenstake blog reports: Before the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) of 1978 clearly made such practices unlawful, AT&T gave substantially less leave for pregnancy than for other short-term disabilities. Today, the women who were treated unequally … Continue reading

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Eighth Circuit to Pregnant Women: You’re Not Carrying a Dolphin!

Via the Reproductive Rights Prof Blog: The Eighth Circuit has issued its long-awaited en banc decision in Planned Parenthood v. Rounds, lifting a preliminary injunction against a South Dakota so-called “informed consent law.” The law requires doctors to give women … Continue reading

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Information Is Power

NARAL released a poll today showing that when women learn about Senator John McCain’s voting record on reproductive rights, he loses a significant number of independent and pro-choice-Republican supporters.   Pretty easy take-away for the Obama campaign on this one! … Continue reading

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A parental notification ballot measure was certified last week for the California state ballot in November.

The proposed measure would amend the California constitution to require parental notification and a 48-hour waiting period before allowing a minor to obtain an abortion. Via.

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The Days Before Roe

The New York Times today has an essay from an obstetrician/gynecologist who recalls the days before Roe.   He treated women with all sorts of medical problems as the result of attempting an illegal abortion without medical assistance.   The … Continue reading

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News In Brief: UK Votes on “Need for A Father”

[It’s been a long time since I’ve cross-posted.     Feel free to go to my regular blog, Related Topics, and catch up.] For some time now the UK parliament has been considering a substantial overhaul of the act that … Continue reading

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That NARAL Endorsement

Over at Faux Real, Lauren makes some important observations about the timing of the NARAL endorsement of Obama. In a few minutes I leave on a trip that will take me off the grid, so I am not going to … Continue reading

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Pregnancy Discrimination At Law Firms

Posts at Law and Letters, Concurring Opinions and at Workplace Prof Blog all discuss different aspects of a purported departure memo written by an associate at the San Francisco office of Paul, Hastings. The memo was initially posted at Above … Continue reading

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“And then there was one”

That’s the title of this overview of the bittersweet story of The Fultz Quads.

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Blawg Review #158 -“Midwives and the Law”

Here at the Mommy Blawg.

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Clip From Interview of Margaret Sanger By Mike Wallace on 9/21/57

See it here. Read the transcript here. Warning: Sexist cigarette ads ahoy, and Sanger’s “quip” about smoking at the end of the interview is disturbing. Actually, maybe “sad” is a better descriptor. I guess she felt she needed to plug … Continue reading

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U.S. Funded Health Search Engine Blocks ‘Abortion’ – Now Unblocked

Wired story about blocking here. Lifting of the blockade announced here by the Dean, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Via the Relevant This Week Froomkin. Update: NYT account here.

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CENTER FOR REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS ANNOUNCES NEW FELLOWSHIP WITH COLUMBIA LAW SCHOOL

The Center for Reproductive Rights today announces a new fellowship with Columbia Law School for graduates pursuing legal academic careers in reproductive health and human rights. The Center-Columbia Fellow will be affiliated with both Columbia Law School and the Center, … Continue reading

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Guest Post: A United Nations committee expressed concern about “wide racial disparities” in sexual and reproductive health in the United States.

It’s not every day that the United States is reprimanded on the international stage for racial discrimination. And it’s certainly not every day that part of the charges includes discrimination against women of color in the area of reproductive health … Continue reading

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“The National Network of Abortion Funds Denounces the Vitter Amendment”

From the FLP Mailbox: The National Network of Abortion Funds condemns passage of the Vitter Amendment (S.Amdt. 3896) as part of the Indian Health Services Act (S.1200). Passed by the Senate earlier this week, the amendment adds language to the … Continue reading

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Teleconference and Live Audio Webcast on Roe v. Wade

Tomorrow, Thursday, February 21, 2008, the ABA Center for Continuing Legal Education will sponsor a 90-minute teleconference and audio webcast, “Roe v. Wade – Where We’ve Been and What Lies Ahead: A Conversation with Sarah Weddington and Friends.”   Sarah … Continue reading

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Contraception Is Expensive: Men and the Little Green Ones

According to this article in the Daily Women’s Health Policy Report, the increase in contraceptive costs sold at student health centers on college campuses and some clinics is a “crisis.” David S. Cohen previously blogged about the issue here. The … Continue reading

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