Abortion Rights In Danger for US Women: Beware of Reps. Pitt and Boehner

Expect to see a renewed and surely stronger push to impose stricter limits on abortion.

A leading Congressional opponent of abortion rights, Representative Joe Pitts, Republican of Pennsylvania, is in line to be chairman of the influential Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health. This change portends a ‘major shift on abortion and family planning, according to opponents and supporters of abortion rights,’ as reported in the December 11th New York Times. The Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health has jurisdiction over:

Mr. Pitts is ‘as anti-choice as a member of Congress can be,’ according to Laurie Rubiner, vice president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. He favors the repeal of the health care law and is also, as the New York Times notes, ‘determined’ to impose a ban federal subsidy payments to any health insurance plans that include coverage of abortion, this being a benefit now offered by many health insurance plans.

After the midterm elections, opponents of abortion gained some 45 seats in the House. Indeed, the next speaker, Representative John A. Boehner, Republican of Ohio, is a ’staunch ally’ of opponents of abortion rights: He has received a 100% rating from the National Right to Life Committee.

As Robin Marty wrote in an earlier Care2.com post, the future is looking pretty stark and simply bad for women in Boehner’s America: ‘It seems as if 2010 has quickly gone from being touted as the year of the woman, to now having the potential to be the worst setbacks women have seen in decades.’ In Boehner’s America,

Forget about the right to make our own decisions about our reproductive choices in private — government would legislate that. Women could be forced to bear their rapists’ child; doctors would be criminalized.

This ominous scenario is noted in an article by EMILY’S List President Stephanie Shriock.

Go here to see a number of petitions about reproductive rights about abortion.

Read more: womens rights

Photo by Abeeeer.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Martha E.

8:39PM PST on Feb 2, 2011

Women, we cannot lay back and think we're safe. The forces of the Right want to impose their values on all of us. Remember that patient/doctor privacy is our right. We must be vigilant now, as the forces of evil (the Right) are moving to restrict us, as if we're under their control. We're not! We're free women and free citizens of this country.
STAND UP FOR YOUR RIGHTS. BE VIGILANT. DON'T LET THEM SEND US BACK INTO THE DARK AGES.

send a green star

URSULA S.

5:23PM PST on Jan 2, 2011

Marsha,YOU KNOW WHAT YOU CAN KISS

Danielle R.

8:44AM PST on Dec 19, 2010

Wow this is sad! I agree with what James E. says! Also aside from what all else is said, ultimately it's the woman who has to carry the kid for 9 months and go through hell pushing it out of themselves, not the man. So therefore, the woman should get the final say on what she wants to do with an unwanted pregnancy and the government should stay the hell out of it!

Madi V.

3:59PM PST on Dec 18, 2010

"I also support programs that help soon-to-be mothers in every way possible, to include medical and financial assistance, and absolute job protection."

Well said, plus it should be made easier for couples to adopt unwanted babies as well. There are so many good people out there wanting babies they can't conceive themselves.
I also agree with free schooling and free medical care up to the age of 18 and the job protection for women is vital.
As for the death penalty, well I can't put an innocent child into the same category as a murderer.

Glenna J.

8:24AM PST on Dec 18, 2010

James - shame we couldn't clone you when you were teaching & stick as many of you in classrooms around the US. If only the USA had more teachers like you, we might be a better place to live.

James E.

4:28AM PST on Dec 18, 2010

Typical conservative-GOP-TP hypocrites. Support war, support the death penalty, and yet claim to be pro-life.

If I was directly involved in the pregnancy, you know, the father, then I should have some input in the woman’s decision. However, ultimately it should be the woman’s decision.

Of course I would also encourage the decision be made at the earliest point possible, and after the point the fetus is considered viable only for mental or medical reasons verified by medical professionals.

I also support programs that help soon-to-be mothers in every way possible, to include medical and financial assistance, and absolute job protection. How many pro-lifers (conservative-GOP-TP) would support that?

There should also be free medical and dental care for all Americans from the cradle to age 18. Imagine the problems that could be solved and money saved when vision, hearing, and a multitude of other health issues no longer hindered a student succeeding in school. You did know that vision problems were a significant cause of reading deficiencies didn’t you? As a 6th and 7th grade classroom teacher for 16 years, I witnessed it on a daily basis. I could afford to provide glasses, so I provided audio tapes of textbook materials that helped to some degree.

Marsha A.

6:06PM PST on Dec 17, 2010

To Madi:

Life IS cheap. Tell me how many tears you have shed whenever you've heard about the latest bombing in Afghanistan or the millions of babies who die every day around the world for lack of clean water or food.

The ONLY way to un-cheapen human life is to make sure that every single baby born is planned and/or wanted. That's how you end the principle of cannon fodder and cheap life.

And until proof is shown that every baby will have adequate food, water, shelter, and love, then keep your dogmatic, illogical, religion-based opinions out of my life.

5:59PM PST on Dec 17, 2010

According to my dictionary, following is the definition of a human being: "Any living or extinct member of the family Hominidae characterized by superior intelligence, articulate speech, and erect carriage."

Apparently, some people want to change the definition of "human being" to "an undifferentiated clump of cells with the capacity to develop into a human being if conditions are favorable."

You might as well start legislating according to the Catholic Church - that every sperm should be released ONLY in order to have children because, after all, isn't a sperm conceivably 1/2 of a possible human being?

It's ridiculous, and I can't believe how much political power the anti-choice faction has in this country. All reasonable people must remain vigilant to guard against them and defend our hard-won right to choose!

5:14PM PST on Dec 17, 2010

Marsha, Marsha, Marsha, airlines are only interested in bums on seats, one bum, one seat. Plus we all know you can't vote until you are 18, well not in my country anyway.
I really don't understand your logic, sacrificing one child so another can have a life further down the track doesn't sit with me at all, it makes life so cheap.
I don't see this as a religious issue, I am not religious at all, I just think abortion goes against all the laws of nature and humanity.