1in3Campaign.org: Ana Laura
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Articles about Abortion
Statement from Susan G. Komen Board of Directors and Founder and CEO Nancy G. Brinker
DALLAS, Feb 03, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) — We want to apologize to the American public for recent decisions that cast doubt upon our commitment to our mission of saving women’s lives.
The events of this week have been deeply unsettling for our supporters, partners and friends and all of us at Susan G. Komen. We have been distressed at the presumption that the changes made to our funding criteria were done for political reasons or to specifically penalize Planned Parenthood. They were not.
Our original desire was to fulfill our fiduciary duty to our donors by not funding grant applications made by organizations under investigation. We will amend the criteria to make clear that disqualifying investigations must be criminal and conclusive in nature and not political. That is what is right and fair.
Our only goal for our granting process is to support women and families in the fight against breast cancer. Amending our criteria will ensure that politics has no place in our grant process. We will continue to fund existing grants, including those of Planned Parenthood, and preserve their eligibility to apply for future grants, while maintaining the ability of our affiliates to make funding decisions that meet the needs of their communities.
It is our hope and we believe it is time for everyone involved to pause, slow down and reflect on how grants can most effectively and directly be administered without controversies that hurt the cause of women. We urge everyone who has participated in this conversation across the country over the last few days to help us move past this issue. We do not want our mission marred or affected by politics — anyone’s politics.
Starting this afternoon, we will have calls with our network and key supporters to refocus our attention on our mission and get back to doing our work. We ask for the public’s understanding and patience as we gather our Komen affiliates from around the country to determine how to move forward in the best interests of the women and people we serve.
We extend our deepest thanks for the outpouring of support we have received from so many in the past few days and we sincerely hope that these changes will be welcomed by those who have expressed their concern.
Ron Johnson: Religion Should Dictate Government
[This blog post appeared here. We think the message is simple and direct. Thank you to Laura Kendellen for such a well written response.]
Dear Laura,
Thank you for contacting me regarding right to life and the issue of abortion.
I fully understand the controversy and diverse opinions surrounding this issue. My own views have been forged over a lifetime of raising a family and following the national debate. In all sincerity, and with due respect to the beliefs of others, I believe that life begins at conception.
Our founding documents establish that we have an unalienable right to life endowed by our creator. Because the abortion debate concerns more than one life, there is not a national consensus as to when life begins or when the life of an unborn child should be protected.
Unfortunately, the Supreme Court in Roe v Wade imposed a judicial dictate that did not end a debate that would be better resolved through the legislative process. As a result, the controversy over abortion has raged for over 3 decades, and there will continue to be attempts to come to a better resolution of the issue legislatively.
I have cosponsored two current bills in the Senate that help define and resolve the issue. I support S. 91 that defines life as beginning at conception, and S. 906 that prohibits the use of taxpayer funds for procedures that so many Americans strongly believe are morally wrong.
Thank you again for taking the time to share your thoughts. It is important for me to hear the views and concerns of the people I serve. Since taking office, I have received over 300,000 pieces of correspondence and have had over 150,000 people participate in live forums and telephone town hall meetings. Please feel free to contact me in the future if I can further assist you or your family. It is an honor representing you and the good people of Wisconsin in the U.S. Senate.
Sincerely,
Ron Johnson
United States Senator
________________________________
I received the above email this morning. I immediately posted it on Facebook and the comments keep coming.
I’m not sure which email Sen. Johnson is replying to here, but I am so appalled by his use of religious language in official correspondence that I have to share it.
I’m referring specifically to Sen. Johnson’s candid mention of “our creator.” As if everyone believes whatever Sen. Johnson believes. As if imposing his religious beliefs on his constituents is part of his job as a U.S. senator.
Regardless of “our founding documents,” I am a strong proponent of separation of church and state. Everyone is entitled to their own religious beliefs or having no religious beliefs, but religion should have no place in government- in theory and practice.
Unfortunately, that’s not the reality. After all, organizations like NARAL wouldn’t have to exist if it weren’t for the religion-politics crossover.
Although the majority of Americans identify as Christians, 3.9-5.5% identify as non-Christian, and 15% don’t identify with any religion at all.
Furthermore…
- A recent Gallup poll shows that those who believe that abortion should be illegal in all cases are the minority;
- A Guttmacher report shows 78% of women who have abortions have a religious affiliation;
- And the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, for example, is made up of about 40 national religious and religiously affiliated organizations from 15 denominations and faith traditions
Clearly, religion and anti-choice sentiments don’t always go hand in hand.
I expected Sen. Johnson’s response to be anti-choice, but I did not expect such a blatant disregard for religious freedom and separation of church and state. Like many politicians, he is using “the issue of abortion” as a platform to promote his personal religious beliefs rather than to simply state his position.
Sen. Johnson’s response illustrates that he is both out of touch and out of line.
Pregnant Lady APB: follow-up
Last week I shared an email “ABP” issued by radical Wisconsin anti-choice group Vigil for Life. To quickly recap, VFL “sidewalk counseled” a woman seeking services at a Madison Planned Parenthood. However, when the woman left, the VFL volunteers (or as they say “prayer warriors”) neglected to get her name.
So, Laura and Steve Karlen who run VFL, issued the following description of the young woman with direction to call if she were spotted:
Have you seen the pregnant mom? The young pregnant woman, probably in her 20?s, had a darker complexion with dyed red hair and tattoos on her neck and right shoulder. She also had some facial piercings. The woman looked obviously pregnant. We pray that she will never decide to come back to Planned Parenthood. Please let us know immediately if you have seen a woman with this description.
Lisa Subek of NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin had the opportunity to share this email with Madison Police Chief, Nobel Wray. Subek said in an email, “According to [Wray], it is legal to send such an email but could be considered harassment if the individual who is the subject of the email told the so-called “sidewalk counselors” she didn’t want further contact from them. She could have filed a complaint regarding the email.”
So, does this mean one must opt out of harassment by radical anti-choice zealots? That we must be clear with those “sidewalk counselors” that scream at us as we enter a woman’s health clinic that we don’t want them to stalk us?
Subek said Wray did understand the concern of such an email, but continued, “I’m not surprised by this answer, but it certainly makes me think about our legal definition of harassment and how we do not do enough to prevent it or to protect victims.”
Wisconsin code defines harassment in the following way:
Striking, shoving, kicking or otherwise subjecting another person to physical contact; engaging in an act that would constitute abuse under s. 48.02 (1), sexual assault under s. 940.225, or stalking under s. 940.32; or attempting or threatening to do the same. (b) Engaging in a course of conduct or repeatedly committing acts which harass or intimidate another person and which serve no legitimate purpose.
Vigil for Life certainly has the ‘no legitimate purpose’ part nailed.
According to Wisconsin state filings, VFL was incorporated in 2009. They are currently delinquent filing a state required annual report. VFL’s website, the Karlens’ began “coordinating” Vigil for Life after the 2009 40 Days for Life campaign.
Vigil for Life protests in front of Madison clinics Monday through Friday. They are also affiliated with Pro Life Wisconsin and boast such followers as Ralph Lang, the man who was planning an attack on Planned Parenthood to, “lay out abortionists because they are killing babies.” Lang attended several of VFL’s “vigils.”
Pro Life Wisconsin is currently pushing a personhood amendment in the state. Green Bay State Representative, Andre Jacque introduced Joint Resolution 77 on November 16.
This is on the heels of Mississippi’s failed personhood amendment and is among scores of new personhood legislation being introduced throughout the country. In order for any amendment to be added to the ballot, it must pass two consecutive sessions of congress. So, even if the personhood amendment passed the legislature in 2012, it must then pass in 2013 to make the ballot for the following statewide Wisconsin election in 2014.
Emails to Vigil for Life and a call to Mrs. Karlen weren’t returned.
I also directly contacted the Madison PD – the district which from what I could tell is near the Planned Parenthood and Vigil For Life CPC. Here is the email response I got:
Andy – I am unfamiliar with the email to which you are referring. Please send it to me at this address, and we will take a look.
Cameron S. McLay, Captain of Police
North Police District Commander
City of Madison Police Department
(608)245-3652
Radical Anti-Choice Group Puts Out “All Points Bulletin” to “Track” Pregnant Woman
“Have you seen the pregnant mom? The young pregnant woman, probably in her 20?s, had a darker complexion with dyed red hair and tattoos on her neck and right shoulder. She also had some facial piercings. The woman looked obviously pregnant….please let us know immediately if you have seen a woman with this description.”
After reading this plea you may grow worried – what could have happened to this woman? Certainly this must be a call for help from the pregnant woman’s family, desperate to locate her. You can’t be blamed for thinking that – but you would be dead wrong.
This is an All Points Bulletin – an APB! – issued by radical Wisconsin anti-choice group Vigil for Life to track down a pregnant woman seeking services at Planned Parenthood. Yes, you read that correctly.
The young woman came to Madison but by the time she arrived Planned Parenthood was closed. Unfortunately, Vigil for Life is setting up a crisis pregnancy center right across the street from the Planned Parenthood Clinic and was there to feed this young woman anti-choice propaganda. However, the young woman slipped away before the Vigil For Life volunteers got her name.
If you are unfamiliar with Vigil for Life, these are the hardcore protesters outside Planned Parenthood clinics with their “sidewalk counselors” accosting women as they enter. Remember Ralph Lang, the man arrested in Madison who was planning an attack on Planned Parenthood to, “lay out abortionists because they are killing babies?” Mr. Lang is associated with Vigil for Life and has attended several of its “vigils.”
Vigil for Life happily trumpets its new crisis pregnancy center on their blog:
Right across the street from Planned Parenthood in Madison, good things are happening! The City of Madison has approved building permits to bring the Women’s Care Center, a successful crisis pregnancy center model, to Madison!
Pulled right from the anti-choice play book – set up shop next to an actual medical clinic to make yourself appear like an actual medical clinic and you get to harass women going into Planned Parenthood to boot.
As I mentioned above, the APB came after three volunteers – or as they say “prayer warriors” – failed to get her name. The Vigil for Life email blast details the encounter:
The women then crossed to the other side of the street to the future Women’s Care Center to read the sign by the gate.
One of the prayer warriors asked, “Do you ladies need help with anything?” One of them, a young woman said, “Yes, I’m looking for information about an abortion. The prayer warriors started to talk to the woman and her sister about abortion. By looking at her, it was obvious that the young woman was very pregnant and quite sad. The prayer warriors referred her to resources to help. When they mentioned the physical and psychological negative effects of abortion, the sister of this young woman responded, “Yeah, but isn’t the psychological trauma of having a baby and giving it away worse?”
One of the prayer warriors was able to speak to the women on the benefits of adoption versus the consequences of abortion. She shared that, even if you give your baby up for adoption, you can know that you gave some person out there the gift of life. At that point, the pregnant woman started to cry and walk away. As the pregnant woman walked back to the car she turned around and shouted, “I know. I have two children of my own already!” The interaction seemed rushed, and the prayer warriors weren’t able to get the names of the women before they left.
And then, of course the APB:
Have you seen the pregnant mom? The young pregnant woman, probably in her 20?s, had a darker complexion with dyed red hair and tattoos on her neck and right shoulder. She also had some facial piercings. The woman looked obviously pregnant. We pray that she will never decide to come back to Planned Parenthood. Please let us know immediately if you have seen a woman with this description.
So now anti-choice radicals will be tracking down women by circulating physical descriptions of them? How many more tools will they be able to use to terrorize women? At what point does the protection of Vigil for Life’s rights begin to destroy the rights of others? And when is someone going to step up and legislate against this kind of behavior on the part of anti-abortion zealots? This move by Vigil for Life is beyond the pale and must not be allowed to pass without notice.
I spoke with Lisa Subeck, Executive Director of NARAL Pro Choice Wisconsin, about this. (We were speaking about another subject but this topic came up. she is the one who shared the email blast with me.) She is considering contacting the Madison police department about the email, rightfully concerned about the legality of it. I say good on Lisa – this kind of behavior cannot be tolerated. Will keep you posted.
Nancy Keenan writes to Herman Cain
Dear Mr. Cain,
Leading in the polls for the Republican nomination for president can be tiresome, can’t it?
After your interview with CNN’s Piers Morgan earlier this month, people were a little confused about your stance on a woman’s right to choose.
Then you issued this clarifying statement:
Yesterday in an interview with Piers Morgan on CNN, I was asked questions about abortion policy and the role of the president.
I understood the thrust of the question to ask whether that I, as president, would simply “order” people to not seek an abortion.
My answer was focused on the role of the president. The president has no constitutional authority to order any such action by anyone [emphasis added]. That was the point I was trying to convey.
As to my political policy view on abortion, I am 100 percent pro-life. End of story.
Let’s start with the things we agree on: you are 100 percent opposed to a woman’s right to choose abortion care–even in cases of rape or incest–and have made that position clear on numerous occasions. End of story.
But that part about the president having “no constitutional authority” to interfere with the private decisions a woman makes with her doctor? That’s where I’m forced to disagree with you.
The president has tremendous power over reproductive-health policy in the United States.
In fact, NARAL Pro-Choice America published The Powers of the President: Reproductive Freedom and Choice, a helpful guide that can provide you with insight on why your earlier statement is wrong.
Here are just a few of the powers you would have as President Cain:
- The power to appoint federal judges, including Supreme Court justices. The next president could nominate enough Supreme Court justices to determine the future of Roe v. Wade and women’s constitutional right to choose for decades to come.
- The power to appoint cabinet and other executive-branch officials. Each of these appointees wields significant power over reproductive freedom and health. For example, the FDA commissioner is responsible for approving new contraceptives and medical-abortion options–or, conversely, stalling them, as previous appointees by anti-choice presidents did.
- The power to issue executive orders. For example, previous anti-choice presidents imposed the global gag rule on overseas health centers, and the Federal Refusal Rule, which allowed health-care corporations to refuse to provide or refer for abortion care and a broad range of other health-care services.
- The power to approve or veto legislation. Anti-choice forces currently control the U.S. House of Representatives, and have passed extreme, anti-choice bills, including H.R.358, the “Let Women Die” bill. While the Senate currently is under pro-choice leadership, only 40 senators can be counted on as reliably pro-choice votes. The president could be the deciding factor in whether these outrageous attacks on women’s freedom and privacy become law.
As this presidential race continues, I’m sure that you will continue to be asked questions about the powers and responsibilities of the office you seek.
Thus, I invite you to read The Powers of the President for more details. It’s only four pages long, making it the perfect travel companion to all those debates.
Warm regards,
Nancy Keenan
President, NARAL Pro-Choice America
