Results tagged “mike quigley” from Blog for Choice

While eyes were turned on the Supreme Court today, another front in the War on Women was being waged across the street.

The anti-choice leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives moved one step closer to passing yet another anti-choice attack.

The House Judiciary Committee today voted on the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act (CIANA), a.k.a. the "Arrest Grandma" Act.

This is the bill that would make it a federal crime for anyone other than a parent--say, a loving grandmother or clergy member--to accompany a young woman out of state for abortion care. It also would force doctors to impose a parental-notice requirement on young women from out of state--under the threat of fines and prison sentences.

Our pro-choice champions on the committee offered a total of 15 amendments, all to mitigate the dangers this bill poses to young women who can't turn to their parents in a time of crisis.

The committee rejected all of these proposed amendments.

• It rejected amendments granting exemptions from the law for grandparents, clergy, and other trusted adults.
• It rejected exceptions for survivors of rape or incest.
• It rejected exceptions for health. The "Arrest Grandma" Act contains no exceptions for cases when a woman's health is in danger.

Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.), Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), and Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.) all spoke out about the dangers this bill would pose to young women in desperate situations.

Yet, anti-choice politicians keep on pushing attacks on women's health.

From trying to overturn the health-reform law and its promise of no-cost birth control at the Supreme Court to pushing a slew of anti-choice attacks in the House, these politicians have shown that waging a War on Women truly is one of their highest priorities.

Happy International Women's Day!

So what did the anti-choice leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives do to honor women today?

If you guessed "held a hearing on yet another legislative attack on women's health," then you're absolutely correct.

This morning, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution held a hearing on the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act (CIANA), a.k.a. the "Arrest Grandma" Act.

This bill would make it a federal crime for anyone other than a parent--say, a loving grandmother or clergy member--to accompany a young woman out of state for abortion care. It also would force doctors to impose a parental-notice requirement on young women from out of state--under the threat of fines and prison sentences.

The Very Rev. Dr. Katherine Hancock Ragsdale spoke out against the bill.

She told the story of one young woman who came from an abusive home and was pregnant as the result of rape. Unable to turn to her parents for support, she turned to Rev. Ragsdale for help in seeking abortion care.

Under the "Arrest Grandma" Act, young women in similar situations could find themselves unable to turn to any trusted adult.

"Please don't outlaw the very help we want our children to have," Rev. Ragsdale pleaded.

The subcommittee's chairman, anti-choice Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), responded by saying he hoped his daughter never met anyone with Rev. Ragsdale's philosophy.

Happy International Women's Day to you, too, Trent.

Fortunately, there were several pro-choice champions on the subcommittee to stand up for basic decency. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), and Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) all spoke out against this latest episode in the War on Women.

Anti-choice politicians sure have some crazy priorities: they follow up a month of outlandish attacks on women's health with a bill that could throw grandmothers and clergy members in prison.

On Sunday, hundreds of pro-choice bloggers and activists took to the Internet to share the ways in which they planned to help elect pro-choice champions this year.

This morning, NARAL Pro-Choice America PAC took one key step toward making 2012 a year of pro-choice victories at the polls.

NARAL Pro-Choice America PAC is proud to endorse 20 of the greatest champions of choice in the U.S. House of Representatives.

From California:

Rep. Lois Capps 

Rep. Judy Chu 

Rep. Barbara Lee 

Rep. Nancy Pelosi 

Rep. Jackie Speier 

Rep. Henry Waxman

From Colorado:

Rep. Diana DeGette

From Connecticut:

Rep. Rosa DeLauro

From Florida:

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz

From Illinois:

Rep. Mike Quigley 

Rep. Jan Schakowsky

From Maryland:

Rep. Donna Edwards 

Rep. Steny Hoyer

From my home state of New York:

Rep. Joe Crowley 

Rep. Steve Israel 

Rep. Nita Lowey 

Rep. Carolyn Maloney 

Rep. Jerry Nadler 

Rep. Louise Slaughter

From Wisconsin:

Rep. Gwen Moore

These 20 pro-choice heroes have consistently stood up against the anti-choice House leadership's War on Women.

In addition, NARAL Pro-Choice America PAC proudly endorses two other pro-choice champions from the House who will take their support of women's freedom and privacy to the U.S. Senate:

Rep. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Rep. Shelley Berkley of Nevada

Here's what Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said at a breakfast honoring these pro-choice leaders:

Our priority is to elect pro-choice champions and defeat opponents of women's freedom and privacy. We are prepared for campaign battle in 2012 and will mobilize our one million member activists in support of candidates who will stand with our allies in countering legislative attacks on a woman's right to choose.

Twenty-two pro-choice champions, and 22 more ways we'll stop the War on Women in 2012.

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

Just when you thought the anti-choice leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives couldn't sink any lower, they go and do something even more shockingly offensive than you could have imagined.

Yesterday, a key House subcommittee held a hearing on a bill introduced by anti-choice Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) that could attack the ability of a woman of color to make private medical decisions with her doctor free from government intrusion.

The so-called "Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act" could subject a doctor to up to five years in prison for failing to determine if race or sex is a factor in a woman's decision to terminate a pregnancy.

Ultimately, it could wrongly compel doctors to single out women of color and immigrant communities for additional scrutiny and questioning before providing care. This is tantamount to racial profiling in the doctor's office.

NARAL Pro-Choice America and our state affiliates submitted testimony to the subcommittee in opposition to this bill.

Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said the bill represented cynical politics at their worst:

No woman's reproductive choices should be subjected to more scrutiny or control based on her racial or ethnic background. Nor should women be stigmatized for their choices.

The Franks bill exploits the very real problems of racial, ethnic, and gender discrimination while failing to offer any genuine solutions that would eliminate disparities in health care access and information. Rather than attacking a woman's right to choose, lawmakers with a sincere interest in addressing racism and gender bias should support policies that work to combat the bias and stereotypes that continue to plague our society. This alternative approach would unify - not divide - our country and could achieve important advances without taking away any woman's right to make her own personal, private medical decisions.

Does Rep. Franks have a sincere interest in addressing racism and gender bias? Let's take a look at his record:

• He received a five-percent rating from the NAACP on civil rights.
• He voted against the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.
• He voted against extending the State Children's Health Insurance Program.
• He even backed efforts to cut funding for prenatal care and contraception.

I think his record speaks for itself.

To find out what people who actually do care about racial, ethnic, and gender discrimination had to say, check out hashtag #PreNDA on Twitter.

A huge shout out goes to Miriam Yeung, executive director of the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum, who testified at the hearing about how this bad bill would hurt women.

A shout out also goes to pro-choice Reps. John Conyers of Michigan, Mike Quigley of Illinois, and Bobby Scott of Virginia for speaking out for the right of every woman to make personal, private medical decisions.