What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

This is an edited version of what Pro-choice folks know that everyone should know.

...in April, women suffered a major setback when the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Federal Abortion Ban by a narrow 5-4 ruling. This decision represents a stark departure from prior rulings, and with it the Court effectively eliminated one of Roe v. Wade's core tenets: that a woman's health must always be protected. Perhaps most ominously, President Bush's appointees to the Court provided the votes needed to erase this core protection of Roe — likely signaling a seismic shift in the Court's future rulings on the choice issue. The ramifications of the decision are not limited to a single statute. In upholding a dangerous and invasive federal law, the Roberts Court has given the green light to anti-choice politicians to enact even more new restrictions to test the shrinking contours of the right to privacy.

NARAL Pro-Choice America's 2007 Congressional Record on Choice documents the key reproductive-rights votes taken during the first session of the 110th Congress. Despite their new status in the minority, this year anti-choice lawmakers continued their relentless assault on choice on the following fronts:

United Nations Population Fund: Anti-choice senators — led by Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) — voted to allow President Bush to block the U.S. contribution to the United Nations Population Fund for the sixth year in a row.

Title X funding: Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) and other anti-choice representatives tried to defund Planned Parenthood — the nation's largest network of reproductive health providers — by banning the organization from participating in the Title X family-planning program. Thankfully, the effort failed.

Federal health grants: Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) tried to cut off all federal health funding for health centers that provide abortion services. Congress rebuffed the attempt.

"Unborn child" regulation: Anti-choice senators tried to block reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program by codifying the Bush administration's controversial "unborn child" regulation, which allows states to make an embryo or fetus — but not a pregnant woman — eligible for the health-care program. This effort, too, failed.

More legislative assaults: Anti-choice lawmakers continued to assail reproductive freedom in other contexts as well: they filed 11 anti-choice amendments to a single spending bill, a massive assault that parallels only their attacks in 1995 after winning control of Congress; they tried to entangle unrelated legislation in anti-choice politics by attacking medical abortion and raising the issue of so-called "post-abortion syndrome"; and they even tried to pick fights where they didn't exist by offering anti-choice amendments to legislation dealing with issues such as cockfighting and methamphetamine abuse.

Abortion bans: Finally, because Congress is still dominated numerically by antichoice forces, anti-choice lawmakers sustained bans on abortion access for women who depend on the federal government for their health care — Medicaid and Medicare clients, U.S. servicewomen and military dependents, federal employees, residents of the District of Columbia, Indian Health Service clients, and women in federal prison.

Despite suffering what the president described as a "thumpin'" in the 2006 elections, and a public that is clearly rejecting divisiveness on this issue, the Bush administration still refused to halt its own assault on reproductive freedom:

Veto threat: This year President Bush — at the behest of anti-choice activists — issued a blanket veto threat, vowing to reject any bill from Congress that includes a pro-choice provision.

Honaker nomination: In March, President Bush nominated controversial anti-choice ideologue Richard Honaker to be a federal district judge. Honaker is well-known to NARAL Pro-Choice Wyoming for his long history of working to end legal abortion: while serving in the Wyoming legislature he introduced a near-total ban on abortion care, and after it failed, he worked tirelessly to put the ban on the ballot as a statewide initiative. Sadly, this is just Bush's latest attempt to stack the courts with anti-choice judges.

Orr appointment: In October, President Bush appointed anti-contraception activist Susan Orr as acting director of the federal office that oversees the nation's family-planning program. Formerly a senior staffer at an anti-choice lobby group, Orr 2007 applauded the president's proposal in 2001 to cancel birth-control insurance for federal employees.

Office of Women's Health: In February, media outlets reported that the Bush administration intended to cut funding for the Food and Drug Administration's Office of Women's Health (OWH) by more than 25 percent. The OWH played a vital role in approving the emergency contraceptive Plan B® for over-the-counter sales to adults in 2006, and many observers speculated that the budget cut may have been a political apology to the president's anti-choice allies who opposed the move. Amidst public outcry and mounting congressional pressure, the administration reversed course a month later and fully funded the OWH.


Misguided funding priorities: The president proposed yet another increase in taxpayer funding for discredited "abstinence only" programs, while he gave no increase to the Title X family-planning program — which provides essential health-care services to millions of American women and men — and proposed drastic cuts to international family-planning assistance.

Some things Pro-Murder crowed is doing with the majority in Congress

Pro-choice oversight hearing: In October, to highlight the dangerous effects of the global gag rule, the House held its first pro-choice hearing in more than 12 years.

Improvements to "abstinence-only" programs: For the first time in the program's history, the House passed legislation to improve the Title V "abstinence-only" program to guarantee that the curricula are medically accurate and proven effective. The bill also would have allowed states the flexibility to use these dollars for programs that work best for their teens, including honest and realistic sex education. Unfortunately, the Senate failed to take similar action so these improvements were not presented to President Bush.

Medical accuracy: For the first time, both the House and Senate health spending bills took steps to ensure that other federally funded "abstinence-only" programs are medically accurate.

Prevention agenda: Pro-choice lawmakers continued to champion a host of legislative measures to prevent unintended pregnancy and reduce the need for abortion, including the Prevention First Act, the Responsible Education About Life Act, the Compassionate Care for Servicewomen Act, and the Access to Birth Control Act.

Freedom of Choice Act: As anti-choice advocates rallied around the Supreme Court's decision on the Federal Abortion Ban, pro-choice lawmakers, led by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), responded by reintroducing the Freedom of Choice Act, a bill to codify a woman's right to choose in federal law. To date, more than 120 lawmakers have signed on — the highest number in recent times.

Emergency contraception: Pro-family-planning lawmakers introduced legislation to ensure that rape survivors are offered emergency contraception in hospital emergency rooms, ensure women in the military have access to the medication on bases overseas, and raise general awareness about this effective method to prevent pregnancy after sex.

Crisis pregnancy centers: Pro-choice Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) introduced a bill to protect women from anti-choice crisis pregnancy centers that use false advertising to lure in women seeking medical care or honest counseling only to bombard them with anti-choice propaganda.

Looking ahead to next year, NARAL Pro-Choice America remains committed to protecting the pro-choice gains we made in the 2006 elections, and electing even more pro-choice policymakers — including a pro-choice president. Much is at stake in next year's election. With the new conservative composition of the Supreme Court and anti-choice lawmakers still wielding a numerical majority in Congress, the next president could very well chart the future of Roe v. Wade for the next generation.

http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/choi...ord-on-choice/

And some of you didn't think it mattered if who you elected was pro-life.

Re: What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

Thanks for posting this.

Re: What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

good info baron, and of course we aint doin nothin, yeah right, dt

Re: What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

In 2005, McCain opposed a Senate Democratic proposal that would have spent tens of millions of dollars to pay for pregnancy prevention programs other than abstinence-only education, including education on emergency contraception such as the morning-after pill. The bill also would have required insurance companies that cover Viagra to also pay for prescription contraception.

McCain voted for the Family Support Act in 1988, which passed overwhelmingly in the Senate and required teen mothers who receive public assistance to remain in high school and, in some cases, to live with their parents.

McCain cited abortion, sex education and birth control as some of the issues on which he differed with Joycelyn Elders, former President Clinton’s nominee for surgeon general. He quoted Elders as telling lawmakers that abortion has had positive health effects, including reducing the number of children “afflicted with severe defects.”

http://elections.foxnews.com/categor...an-convention/

Re: What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

I thought nothing had been done?

Re: What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

I expect others can add to this I just thought that I would kick it off with what those who make their living killing babies think about a pro-lifer in the Oval Office.

Re: What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

Ferd, what has been done over 35 years is not nearly sufficient. 40 million murders is appalling. If abortion is murder, and if 40 million ten-year-olds were murdered, I doubt we would be satisfied with this. This has been my only point...Well, that and trying to see what the specific promises are going forward.

Re: What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

what I dont understand about you stew, is the clear refusal to recognize how difficult it is to change the supreme court, and the refusal to recognize the efforts of republicans to change the court in the last 25 years.


Im being honest here. not trying to pick a fight or even debate this issue.

However, all the work that has been done over the last 25 years, will either be vendicated or completely undone after this election.

John Paul Stevens will go off the court. when he does, IF an originalist judge is appointed, and only McCain will do that, the court flips.


that gives us a majority of justices that will vote to over turn Roe.

Re: What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

Ferd, I posted earlier that if the moral majority had treated abortion like murder and aggressively demanded action over the last 35 years, things would be drastically different. The very Senators voting on a nominee would be governing from a pro-life position and would be held accountable. I would not think that anyone would be so patient with the system and allow for decades if their were actual ten-year-olds being murdered. When I look at the fact that abortion has been such a key factor in decades of voting, I am not satisfied with the millions still being killed.
What specifically do you expect (or know) that McCain will do about abortion, due to what he has promised...and how will that affect your relationship with the GOP during the next election cycle? I personally would like to archive the specific promises and platform so that there is something concrete to hold the party to and a clear evaluation barometer.

Re: What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

And to that point I would have to say that having 8 out of the following 10 appointments is plenty opportunity to shape and change the court.

Re: What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

tstew,
I'm not removed from the situation with no apathy. My daughter's father wanted me to abort. I have a 21 year old beautiful, blue-eyed, blonde haired daughter. I'm glad I chose to keep her and yes I suffered from that decision, but it was much less than what I would have suffered had I aborted her.

She's gone through hell with it, because he's spoiled, rich and doesn't care about anyone but himself. He hasn't changed one bit since 21 years ago. He doesn't even acknowledge he has a daughter.

She was angry at my decision for many years. I shared things with her about him that caused me to walk away. That didn't satisfy her.

Now, she has a dear friend, who is a pastor's daughter that is pregnant. The father is violent. She was sharing what she told the young girl. "You are the mother and you have to make the decision to protect that child. My mother had to make that decision with me."

tstew, when she was sharing this with me she looked at me and had this expression on her face - she finally after all these years got it! Why I walked away, alone with her. I'm crying as I write this because I needed her to understand that so we could be healed. God is good all the time.

Anyway, on the subject of abortion. I just don't see how the issue could be overturned when we live in a liberal and basically immoral society. Even if every Republican was pro-life we are not the ones that are able to change the law. We still have to contend with those that don't agree. It will go to state's rights and then you fight the - "Don't tell me what to do with my body!"

Laws do not change the heart of man. God' spirit does that and the only hope we have is that the church just keeps on keeping on.

Where sin does abound, grace does also much more abound.

Re: What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

When was the last time that a Republican missed on his appointment to the Supreme Court? Do you know?

Re: What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

I agree with PO, it is not about the court at all. It is a matter of men's hearts being right. And America, and so called christians are lacking in this regard about abortion. For some reason, the majority does not care about this issue because, they have bought into the fact that women should have the right to decide.

Re: What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

stew, seems to me that this proves how hard it is to change the court. You have to be able to predict what a human will do.


and it is 7 not 8. Stevens was appointed by a guy who while republican came before the period when republicans were trying to change the court.

and at the beginning of Reagan's tenure, this wasnt policy of the conservitive movement.


really we are talking about 2 men. Kennedy who has become less conservitive and Souter who was a huge mistake by GHB, you change those 2 and there is an 7-3 conservitive majority.

2 mistakes out of 7 bro.

Re: What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

Baron, I am not egotistical enough to think that I can get into an intricate debate with you about Washington law :)

So, I''ll just say in a general sense that since 7 of the 9 have been appointed by Republicans, in my opinion there have been many misses. This Court does not reflect my conservative convictions or ideals.

Re: What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

What baffles me is this argument of a "woman's right to her body" there is no such thing, so I don't know why we find it such a compelling argument in the abortion issue.

Why does a woman NOT have a right to do with her body as she wishes? Because we have made prostitution illegal, we will arrest her if she walks down the street topless even though a man can, she is not free to ingest drugs. There are many limitations on what a woman can do with her body.

To me it is a down right stupid argument, I cannot figure out why it has become such a good argument.

Re: What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

Stevens will go off this court in the next 4 years. McCain will appoint an originalist judge and the cout will then have a majority to over turn Roe. period. beyond that both Ginsburg and Kennedy will go off very soon. possibly in the next 4 years as well.


with McCain, you could very well see an 8-2 majority with only Scalia being over 65.

Re: What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

PO, I can only imagine facing that situation and having the courage to do what you know is difficult...but right. Doing what is right always pays off at the end. I'm sure that your experience will bring life to many people.

I don't get to personal on forums, but I will say that this particular issue is very passionate for me too. My wife and I lost our only child, and I would do anything to reverse that. It is that experience that I believe makes it difficult for me to look at millions of babies as a number that can be tolerated or trivialized while we spend decades working out the kinks.

Re: What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

I defer to my good friend Ferd's previous post only to add that I personally know one of the three men that Bush chose to help him in his picks for the Supreme Court, he is a Christian and his job was to make sure that the appointees were pro-life. The reason he chose these men was he didn't want another Souter mistake. Guess what? We have 2 more conservative justices (though the former CJ was conservative). It has been nearly 20 years since we have fumbled a pick at the court. 20 YEARS.

Re: What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

ts,

you have identified yourself as having "conservative convictions." I too am a conservative.

I assume that the pic in your profile is of you, an African American. Question, why is the African American community so "offed" as a whole by conservative thinking? Why, as a whole, do they not accept the successes of such greats as Condi, Clarence Thomas, and other AA's who have risen to the top, but instead listen to Mr. Sharpton and Mr. Jackson who keep them depressed?

To me, a white man, would think that it is apparent that the opportunities of the conservative mindset provide FAR more opportunity then that which is presented my the liberal persuasion.

I would be interested in knowing your take on the issue.

Re: What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

It is hard to get personal with it. I wasn't going to say anything, but I didn't want you to think I didn't have something invested on the issue.

When my daughter would cry about it and blame me, I once became so angry and through tears I said, "Have you ever thought about what I went through? How I was alone and no one cared. I delivered you in a hospital - alone. My own sister wouldn't meet me for lunch because she didn't want to be seen with me?"

I have a friend that had 4 abortions before God saved her. She told me that she was walking to the abortion clinic and across the street the "Christians" were holding anti-abortion signs! She told me that spit at them.

I would never, ever hold an anti-abortion sign in the face of a woman going through that trauma. I don't care how many friends she has, she is alone.

When my sister wouldn't meet me, I got in my car touched my stomach and said, "Don't worry, I'll love you."

I'm sorry for you and your wife's loss. I have another friend that has gone through the same. I hope, someday, they will have a child together.

Re: What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

Yeah, that's me. If I was going to fake the pic I would have used someone much better looking.
My take on the issue in the Black community is similar to my take on this thread. Blind partisanship is never a good thing. There are people who feel an instinctive desire to support who they have traditionally supported and in that case, the actual payoff is usually minimal. Politicians will not deliver what they do not actually have to. I personally am a big fan of how some unions handle their voting blocks (which are usually nowhere near the amount of either Blacks or the religious right). They actually make the candidates work for their votes, promise some specific things, then have to answer for those things. Politicians cannot take their support for granted.

Re: What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

You have no problems in that area, tstew. lol

Re: What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

Well, that makes you and my mother who thinks so...I am well on my way. :ursofunny

Re: What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

Just think how much better you would look with a McCain/Palin hat on that noggin of yours.

Re: What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

Okay, something isn't right here. What about your wife? :ursofunny

Re: What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

Would the bill on that cap cover my eyes? :ursofunny:ursofunny

Re: What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

interesting and honest analysis tstew, good for you, i know it is slow, but the republicans are trying that beats supporting abortion hands down for me, dt

Re: What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

ehhh... not so much...j/k

Re: What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

your wife is a smart girl, lol

Re: What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

:ursofunny


:ursofunny
Well, next time I'm in Houston, I'll have a talk with her. :ursofunny She looks very pretty and cute in that picture!

Re: What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

:ursofunny:ursofunny:ursofunny

Re: What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

regardless of mistakes of the past (and as Baron points out, its been 20 years since the last one), in just 4 years, we could go from a 4-5 minority on abortion to a near bullet proof 8-2 majority...


I am reminded of an old sports analogy "LETS KEEP OUR EYES ON THE BALL PEOPLE!"

Re: What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

well duhhh, she is, lol

Re: What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

agreed, so true dat, lol, dt

Re: What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

I'm just saying that if abortion is a very important issue, we need to know exactly what the promises and expectations are so that in four years we can evaluate it and not be on the same carousel.

Re: What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

One of the things we have done is a much better job of court appointees, which is why the liberals have done everything in their power to block them. Also we have been working on the back end, once Roe v. Wade goes down the states will have to pick it up and pass their own laws, many states already have the supports in place for such legislation.

Re: What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

Did you watch McCain during the Saddleback interview with Rick Warren?

If not, you need to see it. McCain answered that question in no uncertain terms. Alito-Roberts-Scalia mold. Abortion is wrong. "I am pro-life"

no caviats, no loopholes to extracate himself with.


If Stevens goes off and we get Ginsburg, it would be unpardonable.

Re: What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

They all know to say that.
If the courts do not overturn abortion after the next appointments, will you continue to allow the GOP to pander to you with this issue?

Do you beleieve that if the moral majority had flexed their muscles and voted and demanded action on every level, that the Senate would be governing from a pro-life position years ago?

Re: What Republicans Have done to stop Abortion
 

the Senate? well, when the republicans controled the house and senate, they did pass legislation that was pro life. democrats have done their best to reverse that course. So no, I dont believe that this moral majority thing could have done more than what has been done.

As for your question, if Stevens/Kennedy/Ginsburg are replaced by a republican and turn out to not be Originalists, then I will be really upset.


but not so upset that i would vote for someone who will garentee another Ruth Bader Ginsburg gets put on the court.