Merkley Fights Back Against Bush's Attack on Contraceptives

If you needed another reason why you should be counting down the days until Bush leaves office, you were handed another one with the Bush administration's proposed regulation that is written to discourage health-care plans from providing birth control to women.

In less than 48 hours, NARAL Pro-Choice America's activists sent 20,000 messages to Congress opposing this proposed regulation (thanks to those that took action!), the blogosphere erupted in post after post on the dangers of this regulation and why we need a pro-choice president. And, Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) and Patty Murray (D-WA) sent an immediate letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt outlining how the proposed regulation would affect women's reproductive health, and urging him to reconsider.

And now, I'm pleased to report that Oregon House Speaker Jeff Merkley has been leading the way with a petition to stop this destructive and dangerous policy:

The president should be fighting to expand access to basic health care and provide more information to women, not limit it.

For nearly a decade, George Bush and Republicans in Washington D.C. have tried to force their conservative agenda on the American people. Now, within months of electing a Democratic President, the Bush Administration is considering a parting gift to extreme right wing special interests.

People in Oregon and across the country must make their voices heard and leaders in Congress must speak out. George Bush and the extreme right wing have controlled the agenda for far too long and it is time we protect basic health care rights in this country.

Speaker Merkley is challenging anti-choice Gordon Smith for the U.S. Senate in Oregon, and the latest poll conducted by Rasmussen shows Merkley is leading Smith 43-41 percent. That's great news, because Merkley is fully pro-choice and has a history of fighting to protect access to birth control. In 2007, Speaker Merkley was a sponsor of H.B. 2700, The Access to Birth Control (ABC) Act which ensures contraceptive equity by requiring health insurers to cover prescription birth control in a manner consistent with other prescription coverage. The bill also ensures survivors of sexual assault have access to emergency contraception in hospital emergency rooms in Oregon. (www.leg.state.or.us) Clearly, Speaker Merkley is no stranger to protecting a woman's right to choose.

So, what I'm saying is... if you live in Oregon or know someone who does - you know what you have to do! Spread the word and Merkley's pro-choice views and vote for Merkley for the U.S. Senate in Oregon!

Please, take a moment to sign Speaker Merkley's petition and read his blog post on Huffington Post which outlines Bush's attack on access to contraceptives.