Results tagged “heartbeat” from Blog for Choice

Anti-choice politicians in Arkansas are wasting no time trying to strip away women's reproductive freedom in that state.

The state legislature is working on not one, but two extreme anti-choice bills.

The first bill would ban abortion care as early as 20 weeks without an adequate exception to protect a woman's health. This would take away options from women who face a devastating diagnosis of severe fetal anomalies later in pregnancy.

The second anti-choice bill would ban abortion, even earlier, at 12 weeks!

Extreme bans on abortion care inspired by so-called "heartbeat" bills have popped up in six states across the country. Arkansas stands poised to be the first state to submit such a measure for the governor's consideration.

Needless to say, these anti-choice legislative attacks are outrageous, and the state of Arkansas is winning the race to the bottom of the anti-choice barrel.

Last week, the first of these bills - the 20-week abortion ban - was sent to Gov. Mike Beebe's (D) desk.

Thankfully, Gov. Beebe vetoed the bill!

But the story doesn't end there - anti-choice politicians are now pushing for a veto override to make sure this extreme anti-choice policy becomes a reality.

There is no question that these policies are bad for women and their families. Bills like these would quite simply put abortion out of reach for hundreds of thousands of women.

We thank Gov. Beebe for standing with women in Arkansas and rejecting the extreme 20-week abortion ban. Now anti-choice politicians in that state should follow his example, instead of trying to chip away at women's freedom and privacy in Arkansas.

Could a movie with an anti-choice agenda be coming to a theater near you?

Today's New York Times had a story on the new movie "October Baby," which made $2.8 million in its opening week.

"October Baby" bills itself as a coming-of-age story with no political agenda. But a closer look at the filmmakers and the groups behind this movie reveals a troubling connection with the extreme anti-choice movement.

Who's behind "October Baby"?

You'll notice that the movie's website lists several supporting anti-choice organizations.

Focus on the Family and the American Family Association are among the groups that support extreme "personhood" measures.

Last November, the American Family Association campaigned aggressively for a "personhood" initiative in Mississippi that would have banned abortion care without exception, and could also have outlawed most common forms of birth control.

The filmmakers, Andrew and Jon Erwin, even did screenings of "October Baby" to help support the "personhood" initiative.

Thankfully, Mississippi voters overwhelmingly rejected this far-reaching measure.

But the people behind Mississippi "personhood" aren't giving up. They're pushing similar measures in other states.

Who's getting money from "October Baby"?

The movie's website lists Care Net and Heartbeat International as partners. They're umbrella organizations that support anti-choice "crisis pregnancy centers" (CPCs).

Ten percent of the profits from "October Baby" go to fund organizations that match the description of Care Net CPCs. That's more than $280,000 funneled in the last week alone toward misleading women!

So, here's why moviegoers should have concerns about how this financial arrangement affects women.

CPCs are anti-choice operations that pose as comprehensive women's health clinics. However, many CPCs deceive and lie to women to scare them away from choosing safe, legal abortion care. In other words, they aren't what they appear to be.

Investigations by NARAL Pro-Choice America state affiliates and HBO's documentary "12th & Delaware" have shown that CPCs regularly provide false or misleading information.

A CPC in Florida even suggested to one woman that her abusive boyfriend would stop abusing her if she carried her pregnancy to term.

There are more than 4,000 CPCs operating throughout the country; they outnumber health centers that provide abortion care by a 4:1 margin.

Sometimes, a movie's just a movie--but that's not the case with "October Baby."

Please feel free to share this information and check your local movie listings.

Rep. Michele Bachmann may be running for president, but she still collects your taxpayer dollars as a representative of Minnesota's 6th Congressional District.

As an advocate for "smaller" government, she hasn't been the best about showing up for her day job: Rep. Bachmann has missed more than 150 votes in the U.S. House of Representatives since announcing her candidacy for president.

One thing that does make Rep. Bachmann beat a trail back to D.C.: introducing bills to take away a woman's ability to make private medical decisions with her doctor.

Last week, she introduced a bill that would mandate that medical professionals perform an ultrasound on any woman seeking abortion services, display the images, and then orally describe the images to the woman - even if she directly objects. It would also force the health-care provider to search for a fetal heartbeat before the woman is permitted to receive abortion care if she is at least eight weeks pregnant. Sadly, the proposal has no exception from this mandate for cases of rape, incest, or severe emotional distress.

I guess that's Michele Bachmann's idea of limited government.

Rep. Bachmann may have missed 150 votes, but she takes a break from campaigning to vote to interfere with women's freedom and privacy. Let's take a look at some of her votes this year:

• She voted for the "rape-audits" bill;
• She voted to defund Planned Parenthood;
• She voted to eliminate all funding for the Title X family-planning program;
• She voted to dictate whether doctors and medical students can learn about providing abortion care;
• And she voted for a measure that could make it impossible for a woman even to talk with her doctor about medical abortion over the Internet or through videoconferencing.

Meanwhile, Herman Cain continues to garner attention--and not the good kind.

Just yesterday, while Mr. Cain was interviewed on NBC's "Meet the Press," moderator David Gregory asked him about a woman's right to choose. Spoiler alert: he's against it--even for survivors of rape and incest.

GREGORY: Exceptions for rape and incest?

CAIN: Not for rape and incest. Because if you look at rape and incest, the percentage of those instances is so minuscule that there are other options.

Glad to hear that Mr. Cain places such high importance on women's personal experiences!

Bachmann and Cain: two candidates who should make any pro-choice voter say, "Nein, nein, nein!"

Paid for by NARAL Pro-Choice America, www.ProChoiceAmerica.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

It is clear that this committee is more interested in making headlines than discussing how to improve women's access to health care or create good jobs in our state. This bill could entangle Ohio in an expensive legal fight, and is out of touch with our state's values and priorities.

It is beyond disappointing that the committee won't allow video testimony so they can hear from women who have made the profoundly personal decision to terminate a pregnancy. The politicians behind this bill refuse to acknowledge what Ohioans understand: Every woman's situation is different, and it's unacceptable for anti-choice lawmakers to think they should make the personal, private decisions that belong to women and their doctors.

Ohio's new legislative leadership campaigned on a promise of creating jobs and revitalizing the economy. Instead, at the first available opportunity, these politicians are pushing an anti-choice agenda that is out of touch with Ohio's values and priorities. Ohio's anti-choice politicians who campaigned on less government intrusion in our lives are actually fine with government intrusion as long as it involves the personal, private decisions that take place between a woman and her doctor.