Kirsten is the President and CEO of the Reproductive Health Technologies Project, a women's health group based in DC. RHTP was founded in 1988 to help women in the US obtain access to RU-486. In 2006, RHTP won a great victory when the FDA made Plan B emergency contraception available over the counter. In addition to its policy work, RHTP has done groundbreaking research on messaging on abortion and related issues, using new methodologies like cognitive linguistics, psychological analysis, and advanced statistical modeling, and surveys that oversample African-American and Latino populations.
Last week, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists called for access to emergency contraception over-the-counter. We need to send a clear signal to Secretary Sebelius that women’s reproductive health and medical science should be the driving force behind public policy. Sign the petition being launched by a broad coalition of medical professionals and advocates today urging Secretary Sebelius to revisit the evidence and remove the restrictions.
The persistent failure to recognize abortion provision as “conscientious” has resulted in laws that do not protect caregivers who are compelled by their conscience to provide abortion services.
![[img src]](http://rhrealitycheck.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/../../files/teaser-images/2012-05-18-moore-187x125.jpg)
Flame retardants are associated with reductions in fertility, poor sperm quality, neurodevelopment delays in children and cancer. And because the chemical industry has been so deceptive and successful, flame retardants are found in strollers, nursing pillows, couches, chairs, cell phones, TVs, computers, and automobile cushioning – just to name a few places.
Let’s recognize that the way to honor motherhood is to respect and support a woman’s decision about whether she is ready to be a parent. That means making sure that every pregnant woman, regardless of her ability to pay, has health care insurance coverage for all of her medical needs, including abortion.
“Dr.” Kathleen Sebelius prescribed us a bitter pill when she ignored overwhelming evidence on the safety and effectiveness of emergency contraception to prohibit its sale over-the-counter. Is this change we can believe in? It’s certainly not a “common sense” solution. President Obama and Secretary Sebelius should listen to real doctors and the FDA Commissioner, and make this decision based on science, not politics.
You know how the GOP and Tea Parties hate regulations? Think again: The Regulatory Accountability Act would enforce purposeful overregulation. This law would so hamstring the regulation process that things like coverage of birth control in health reform could be tied up for years. Moreover, it would give groups like the United States Council of Catholic Bishops even more power.
What if we were as devoted, as critical, as insistent when it came to contraceptive technologies, as we are when it comes to cell phones?
The value of our work is not solely about reducing abortions, or even unintended pregnancies. It is about creating a sense of ownership among women and men about their own body and their relationships with others.
President-elect Obama can teach us all a thing or two about respecting the choices that other people make in their lives and carrying that respect through into our public policies.
The New York Times reporter asked whether things like prenatal tests might change the debate over abortion; where do we draw the line between acceptable and unacceptable reasons for ending a pregnancy?
