Hispanic Heritage Month: Talking to My Catholic Parents about Abortion
My mother may not feel comfortable with why someone might choose abortion, but to her it doesn’t make sense to deny access to health care just because of how much money someone makes or the type of insurance they have. And on this last point, we can agree. My mother and I may not see eye-to-eye on everything, but I’m glad that she has taught me her values of support and kindness. These are the values that drive me and fuel the passion for my work. I am glad that she has shown me that I shouldn’t be afraid to ask questions, even if they are uncomfortable ones, and that I should always operate from a place of love. She has taught me that we can respect a person’s ability… Read more »
URGE to fight for equity
“Locally, URGE is currently working with the city council to pass a resolution that affirms El Paso’s stance in favor of the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance (EACH) Woman Act. EACH is a piece of legislation that aims to improve and increase the access to birth control and abortion, while prohibiting the interference of the government in the decisions made by private health insurance companies in offering coverage for abortion services. EACH is going to the U.S. Congress next year with the intent of repealing the Hyde Amendment, which limits the use of federal funds to pay for abortion to just cases involving incest, rape or when the life of the mother is at risk. “Our city is actually very supportive with women’s rights and reproductive justice,… Read more »
WORDS WITHOUT CLEAR MEANING
Raquel Ortega, a field coordinator at URGE: Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity, a nonprofit organization, said while Texas’ sex education policies may not be exclusively to blame for not educating students on what sex is, there is still a glaring problem. “If you’ll notice, there isn’t anything explicitly written about consent,” Ortega said. “Furthermore, if sex education must stress abstinence — always saying no — then how will anyone learn how to ask for what they want? Since consent isn’t stated as a requirement by law, no school has to talk about it.”
Pro-choice advocate: Cruel protest is not my Alabama
“One of the lessons I’m most proud of learning from my Southern neighbors is one of taking care. Whether it’s taking care of yourself, or your loved ones, or your larger community, it is important that you have the ability and the freedom to do what is necessary to be sure folks are cared for. The majority of people I meet aren’t all pro-choice. Most of them would not choose to get abortions, personally. But they do believe in a person’s ability and right to make the best choice for their body, and their life. What Operation Save America and organizations like it want is to take that choice away from every person, regardless of their circumstances. I currently work with URGE: Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity, organizing with… Read more »
Widespread Public Support Bolsters Bill to End Restrictions on Abortion Coverage
“According to a new poll from Hart Research Associates conducted on behalf of All* Above All, voters in nearly every demographic combination – age, party affiliation, religious background, ethnicity – agree with Lee and would support legislation like the EACH Woman Act. By a 24-point margin (59 percent to 35 percent), more voters align with the statement: “However we feel about abortion, politicians should not be allowed to deny a woman insurance coverage for it just because she is poor” than with the statement: “Using taxpayer dollars for abortions forces all of us to pay for them – even people who don’t believe in abortion.” Flying in the face of ideologically motivated, well-funded legislators and anti-abortion talking heads, Americans are overwhelmingly in favor of repealing abortion funding bans or – at the very least –… Read more »
Members Of Congress Introduce Groundbreaking Bill To Help More Women Afford Abortion
“A group of U.S. congressmembers — led by Reps. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Diana DeGette (D-CO) — introduced a landmark bill on Wednesday seeking to ensure that abortion services are more accessible to all women, regardless of their economic means to pay for the cost of the procedure themselves. The Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance (EACH Woman) Act would restore insurance coverage for abortion services for women who rely on the government for their health care. It would also prevent private insurance companies from dropping coverage for abortion. Effectively, the legislation seeks to undo the Hyde Amendment, a policy dating back nearly four decades that bans taxpayer funding for abortion services. Under Hyde, government programs like Medicaid can’t use federal dollars to pay for abortions, which cuts… Read more »
These Texas Women Want to Fund Your Abortion
“VICE: Where did the idea for the West Fund come from? Raquel Ortega: In the summer of 2013, Governor Rick Perry called a special session to pass a giant omnibus abortion bill—the one that Wendy Davis filibustered, and that was ultimately upheld by the appellate court. Back then, young people in El Paso were trying to organize and call their legislators in Austin, but alas, the bill passed. A few students from the local URGE [Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity] chapter that I work for came to me, and they were like, this is so shitty. All these clinics are closing, and we don’t know what to do. Someone said, “I wish we could just give people money.” And I said, “You should! You should do that.” Alyssah Roth: At that point, we… Read more »
Heroes in Their Own Right: What Clinic Staff Do, and Why They Do It
“Clinic staff are the people who are on the front lines of patient care in many ways. They are the ones to answer the phones to take appointments, helping the patients through what can be a time of crisis. They confirm that patients know what to expect with the procedure and make sure they have the resources they need before coming to the appointment. They also offer counseling and information services, which can include discussing contraceptive options following the appointment, as well as looking for warning signs of abuse in relationships, either when the patient may be hiding this appointment from their partner, or when their partner might be coercing them into the procedure. Although it can be complicated and emotionally taxing to be fully invested in each patient and their… Read more »
The Anti-Rape Movement Must Include Discourse About Same-Gender Sexual Violence
“The more I become entrenched in the campaigns and literature of the anti-rape movement, the more I realize that my narrative and other narratives have gone untold in the framework. In most cases on my all-women’s campus, the anti-rape movement discusses ways in which women can protect themselves from sexual predators in hetero-normative party scenes rather than discussing complicated feelings that arise from assault within a family. These familial ties make telling police, family members, and friends even more complex. Also, the rhetoric is inaccessible to children and young teens.”
Changes to drug test law would turn doctors into police for pregnant women, critics warn
Megan Skipper, a student at Auburn University who spoke on behalf of Planned Parenthood and Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity, said the change could lead to racial profiling, since it only requires the suspicion of drug use before notifying the authorities. Skipper also said it could hurt the patient-doctor relationship, especially for addicts. “This law could create a great deal of fear for seeking care,” she said.
