Roundup: Are Your Reproductive Rights Safer Than They Were 100 Days Ago?

Apr 27, 2009, 10:04am

Are your reproductive rights safer than they were 100 days ago?; Arizona to apply for abstinence-only funds; Ohio legislature considers Prevention First bill; Dawn Johnsen's nomination fight reveals weakness of anti-choice movement.

Are Your Reproductive Rights Safer Than They Were 100 Days Ago?
Obama’s one-hundredth day in office is fast upon us, and media outlets near and far are weighing in on his achievements and tactics thus far. USA Today observes that Obama’s administration has taken a "sharp turn" from Bush’s direction:

Obama expanded federal support for embryonic stem cell research and
overseas family planning clinics that counsel women about abortion.
Bush believed federal funds should not support abortion, and he was
opposed to extracting stem cell lines from human embryos.

On Beliefnet,
Paul Rauschenbush gives Obama a B+ for his handling of "the culture
wars:"

Barack Obama has taken the steam out of the culture wars
somewhat by his efforts at reaching across the aisle on questions such
as
abortion and gay rights (which, lets face it, are the culture wars).
While
there is no question that Barack Obama supports full rights for gay
people,
hopefully he will have the courage soon to voice that opinion vis a vis
marriage although it is probably wise for him to hold off until after
the 2012
election. While some are claiming he is the most radical pro-abortion
president
ever, he also has defenders among the pro-life crowd who appreciate his
abortion reduction strategy. Largely he has his Council on Faith Based
and
Community Partnerships to thank for the muted tone of the culture
wars. The President appointed a diverse group
of people to help advise him on religious and social policy – throwing almost
too many olive branches towards the right in my opinion (but I guess that is
why it was a good idea from the stand point of calming the culture wars). Still, it will remain to be
seen how this council actually functions and whether they can agree on
anything.

On Fox News, Bob Beckel is inclined to agree:

President Obama also deserves credit for lowering the culture
temperature. To the extent he raised abortion at all during his
campaign and first 100 days in office it has been to propose a national
effort to discourage the practice. He did not include gun control or
gays in the military among his campaign issues. Obama even invited
pro-life; anti-gay marriage mega-pastor Rick Warren to give the
invocation at his inauguration, much to the dismay of the left.

Rewire will offer our own assessment of Obama’s first 100
days this week, and you can bet we’ll be focusing more on policy
outcomes than on Obama’s delicacy, or lack thereof, with those supposed
"culture wars."

Arizona to Apply for Abstinence-Only Funds
Could
there be a connection? Now that Janet Napolitano is in DC heading up
the Department of Homeland Security, Arizona’s governor is anti-choice
Republican Jan Brewer — and the state plans to apply for $1 million in
abstinence-only money, the Arizona Republic reports.
But the Republic emphasizes that while this well exemplifies
ideological differences between Napolitano and her successor, the grant
may not affect what happens in Arizona classrooms. The White House may
cut abstinence-only funding, but even if they don’t,

Existing statutes require public schools to teach abstinence as part
of their sexual-education curriculum, but they also leave the door wide
open for comprehensive sex education, which includes information about
condoms and other forms of contraception.

Individual districts choose how to structure their programs.

Ohio Legislature Considers Prevention First Bill
Last
week I mentioned that the Ohio legislature is considering a Prevention
First bill to expand access to contraception and sexuality education.
Advocate Kelly Bell-Wenzlaff offers a first-person account of fighting
for the legislation on Huffington Post:

The Prevention First Bill is Ohio legislation mirroring a current
federal bill of the same name. The federal version was introduced in
January by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Louise M. Slaughter
(D-NY), and Diana DeGette (D-CO). The Ohio bill is on its fourth go
round and finally building steam. It is being reintroduced to the house
by Representative Tyrone Yates and sponsored for the senate by Senator
Teresa Fedor.

These bills are so important because they promote accessible health
care for women and comprehensive sex education for our youth (with
abstinence education included as the foundation, by the way). If you
ask me, it’s the perfect compromise. It’s the middle ground on the one
issue where so many people believe there is no middle ground. Senator Reid noted
"We can find not only common ground, but also common sense in our
Prevention First Act." Representative Slaughter added that "for every
dollar spent on family planning services, it is estimated that almost
four dollars is saved in public health spending."

Dawn Johnsen’s Nomination Reveals Weakness of Anti-Choice Movement?

CQ Politics
has an interesting take on the politics behind the fight to block Dawn
Johnsen’s nomination to head the Office of Legal Counsel. Jonathan
Allen argues: the case against Johnsen based on her position on
reproductive choice hasn’t gotten traction.

That’s because a
campaign to thwart Johnsen’s appointment based on her abortion-rights
record is only a secondary part of the case foes are presenting against
her. Efforts to defeat other nominees on social policy grounds have
fallen flat, as even Republican senators have ignored the pleas of
outside conservative groups until lately.

Other News to Note

April 26: LA Times: Anti-abortion movement gets a new-media twist

April 26: Politics Daily: Scrap this abortion debate and start over

April 25: Washington Post: Xavier Joins Notre Dame on Bishops’ Boycott List

April 26: Salt Lake Tribune: Education is Plan A

April 24: Kansas City Star: A pro-choice Health Secretary choice (Sebelius) upsets Republicans?

April 24: Feminist Daily News Wire: Wisconsin State Senate Reappoints Pro-Choice Hospital Board Members

April 24: NYT: A Provocative Work About the Christian Right

April 24: WaPo: D.C. Archbishop Nips Georgetown for Biden Event

April 25: LA Times: The holy war over Kathleen Sebelius

April 27: CBN: Pastor Joel Hunter says Obama Displaying "Wisdom and Balance" During First 100 Days

April 26: Delaware Online: Parents need to develop a new ‘Plan B’ birth-control message