Pennsylvania NOW Outraged at Passage and Signing of Pennsylvania's New Anti-Abortion TRAP Law

This afternoon, Pennsylvania’s Governor Tom Corbett signed into law SB 732. This is a TRAP law; it is not a law that will protect women's lives. As described by the Center for Reproductive Rights:

"TRAP" (Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers) laws single out the medical practices of doctors who provide abortions, and impose on them requirements that are different and more burdensome than those imposed on other medical practices. For example, such regulations [including the law just enacted here in Pennsylvania]… require that abortions be performed in far more sophisticated and expensive facilities than are necessary to ensure the provision of safe procedures. Compliance with these physical plant requirements [will] require extensive renovations or be physically impossible in existing facilities. TRAP laws [including this new Pennsylvania law]… allow unannounced state inspections, even when patients are present. These excessive and unnecessary government regulations – an ever-growing trend among state legislatures – increase the cost and scarcity of abortion services, harming women's health and inhibiting their reproductive choices.  

Make no mistake:  This bill is not about patient safety, it’s about politics.

The people behind these regulations want to shut down high quality reproductive health care providers like Planned Parenthood.  It’s part of their intent to make all abortion care illegal in this state, no exceptions.  This law will force abortion providers to have the same construction guidelines as outpatient surgery centers. These changes will force safe providers to either close their doors or pass the enormous increase in cost on to patients.

The new law is supported only by organizations opposed to legal abortion. No physicians, nurses, or others in the medical field were consulted in the drafting of the law. In fact, leading health rights groups and doctors overwhelming oppose and have vocally spoken out against this new, politically-motivated law.  These groups include the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape (PCAR), the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence (PCADV), the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the National Association of Social Workers, the University of Pennsylvania Hospital, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and dozens of doctors from across the state.

Pennsylvania NOW, in coordination with the Pennsylvanians For Choice Coalition, will evaluate the law and determine our next steps in opposing this law so at to help ensure that women across the state have access to locally available, safe, and legal abortion and reproductive health services despite this horrendous TRAP law.

We've Had Enough!

Across the country, women’s reproductive rights are being attacked. In some cases it’s shouting and harassment when a woman seeks treatment at a women’s health clinic for either an abortion or for other reproductive health services. In other instances, it’s legislative attacks that attempt to deny a woman access to all forms of reproductive health services, including screenings, contraception, and abortion services.
In some states and at the Federal level, this has taken the form of funding restrictions on Planned Parenthood. The federal effort fortunately failed in the US Senate. Some states, including Indiana, New Hampshire, and Texas, have unfortunately restricted this funding.

Other states, including Pennsylvania, have attacked women’s reproductive health by passing TRAP (Targeted Regulation of Abortion Provider) laws which require extensive renovations that may be physically impossible in existing facilities and which are different and more burdensome than for other medical facilities; they also often include unannounced inspections. SB 732 has passed the PA Senate and the House Health Committee. A full House vote is expected in September or early October. This bill, if and when it becomes law (the Governor has said he will sign it) will shut down the 22 free-standing abortion clinics throughout PA. This amendment requires all free-standing abortion clinics to meet the standards for the Ambulatory Surgical Centers in addition (and in some cases, in contradiction) to the Abortion Control Act, the Ambulatory Gynaecological Surgery Facility Regulations, and the MCARE Act which they already have to follow. Take a moment and go to the Pennsylvania NOW blog to compare what the current abortion clinic regulations are and what this TRAP law would do.

Other legislative attacks occurring across the country—e.g.,in Tennessee and Missouri as well as here in Pennsylvania—are attempting to pass “Stupak on Steroids” bills that will, starting in 2014, prohibit women who purchase health insurance through the new federal health insurance exchanges, from purchasing, WITH THEIR OWN MONEY, coverage for abortion services and, depending on how it is interpreted, possibly even the purchase of contraceptives. Specifically Senate Bill 3 will deny insurance plans participating in the insurance exchange from covering abortion services except in the cases where the pregnancy was caused by rape or incest, or where the life of the woman is in danger. Note that this legislation is not necessary. The question of whether abortion will be covered in federally subsidized insurance exchanges has already been settled. In response to concerns raised by US Senator Ben Nelson, a staunch opponent of abortion, women who want to use their own money to purchase a health insurance plan that covers abortion services must send a separate payment so the funding for abortion coverage is completely separate and paid entirely by the individual.

And against the backdrop of this wave of anti-abortion legislative assaults previously mentioned, Operation Rescue/Operation Save America are targeting abortion clinics in Orlando, FL and Germanantown, MD, in an attempt to shut these clinics down via efforts to block clinic entrances and harassment of women attempting to receive treatment at abortion facilities in these two cities. In Orlando, Operation Rescue/Operation Save America attempted, but failed to shut down six clinics during the week of July 22. In Germantown, Operation Rescue has announced plans for a “Summer of Mercy 2.0″ targeting the brave and outspoken Dr. LeRoy Carhart in Germantown, MD, July 31-August 7. Operation Rescue is the same organization that hounded Dr. George Tiller in Wichita, KS, for years (until he was assassinated by one of their associates in May ’09). Their original “Summer of Mercy” in 1991 shut down access to the Dr. Tiller’s clinic for six weeks and resulted in 3,400 arrests, they are invoking this alarming history again in their “Summer of Mercy 2.0” event.

WE’VE HAD ENOUGH!

You can show your support for women seeking abortion services by helping out in Germantown this week. Between July 31 and August 7, activists will be needed from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. outside of Dr. Carhart’s clinic, located at 13233 Executive Park Drive in Germantown, Maryland. These shifts will kick off with the Summer Celebration of Choice Kick-Off Walk on Sunday, July 31 and continue through the evening of Sunday, August 7. To sign up for a shift, please go to www.summerofchoice.com or contact NOW Field Organizer Anita Lederer at fieldorg@now.org.

You can also speak out against the legislation winding its way through the Pennsylvania General Assembly by participating in Pennsylvanian’s for Choice “We’ve Had Enough” rally on September 27 in Harrisburg in the Capital Rotunda. Join us in telling the PA Legislature to STOP the attacks on women’s health in Pennsylvania! You can sign up at http://www.wevehadenoughpa.org/take-action.html to join in our effort to stop this legislation. Help us fight these dangerous bills and join us in declaring that…

WE’VE HAD ENOUGH!

Raising Women’s Voices of Western PA Call to Action

Raising Women's Voices of Western Pennsylvania

Call to Action

Speak out to oppose legislative attacks on

women's health care and Reproductive Justice!

 

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011, 4:30pm-5:30pm

The Old Allegheny County Morgue

542 4^th Avenue, Downtown

(Corner of 4^th Avenue and Ross Street)

Co-Organizers

ACLU of Pennsylvania

ACTION UNITED

Coalition of Labor Union Women

Beaver Valley Chapter, National Organization for Women (NOW)

East End Chapter, National Organization for Women (NOW)

First Pittsburgh Chapter, National Organization for Women (NOW)

New Voices Pittsburgh: Women of Color for Reproductive Justice

Pennsylvania National Organization for Women (NOW)

Squirrel Hill Chapter, National Organization for Women (NOW)

Women and Girls Foundation

Women's Law Project

For more info, email newvoicespgh@gmail.com or call 412.389.3081.

Protest Attacks on Women's Health on Thursday, February 17

Women's health is under attack in Harrisburg and Washington, DC. Fight back this Thursday at protest rallies in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

In Philadelphia:

When: 11:30 AM, Thursday 2/17

Where: Thomas Paine Plaza in front of the Municipal Services Building across from City Hall, 1417 John F Kennedy Boulevard

RSVP Here

In Pittsburgh:

When: 4:30 PM, Thursday 2/17

Where: Old Allegheny County Morgue, 542 Fourth Avenue at the corner of Fourth and Ross

RSVP Here

Why Are We Protesting?

Legislation in both Harrisburg and Washington DC aims to stop women from using their own money to purchase health insurance that covers abortion.

Legislators were sent to Washington and Harrisburg to create jobs but since taking office, newly elected lawmakers have instead been appeasing their extreme right wing base who want to roll back the advances women made in the last forty years.

These same lawmakers have also been busy trying to block implementation of the health care legislation passed last year even though support for it is rising as citizens come to understand how the law protects them from insurance company abuses.

Meanwhile, some members of Congress are proposing to entirely eliminate all federal funding for family planning and reproductive health services which will lead to more unintended pregnancies.  Congressional leadership in Washington will propose a budget for this fiscal year that would in addition:

• Entirely eliminate all federal funding for family planning and reproductive health. In other words, Republicans who oppose abortion are doing everything they can to encourage more unwanted pregnancies while attacking Planned Parenthood, the most respected provider of women’s health care in the country.
• Chop $1.1 billion cut from Head Start.
• Cut $758 million from the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), a program created by the Nixon administration that provides supplemental food to infants as well as health care referrals and nutrition education for low-income pregnant and postpartum women.
•  Reduce the Maternal and Child Health Block Grants by $210 million. This program, a descendant of one created during the Harding Administration, supports children with special needs, provides newborn screening and genetic services, and funds lead poisoning and injury prevention.
• Slash $1.3 billion from Community Health Centers that provide affordable health care to low income women, men and their children. Last year, Republicans claimed we didn’t need health care reform because Community Health Centers provide care to people with low incomes. This year, they are ready to slash funding for them.

And a vote is expected this Thursday in the US House to eliminate many of these programs through HR 1 - the Continuing Resolution to fund the federal government through the end of September!  So before coming out to either of the protest rallies, call your US Representative and tell him/her to stop these attacks.  You can obtain their contact information by going to http://www.house.gov/ and filling in your zip code in the top left corner of the page.  This will take you to your Representative's web page where you can then get the information needed to call and/or email him/her.

And meanwhile,  please sign our petition at http://PAForWomensHealth.org/ now! Raising Women's Voices, a coalition of organizations concerned about these attacks on women's health care will be delivering signatures to our lawmakers next week.

What’s at stake? Women’s lives! Please join us Thursday. Call your legislators. And sign our petition.

We hope to see you there!

Anti-Abortion Vote Scheduled TODAY February 7 in PA Senate. CALL NOW!

The Pennsylvania Senate has scheduled debate and first vote on SB 3 for 3 pm TODAY!  This is the bill that will deny access to abortion coverage in insurance in the new health care exchanges. 

Please take a moment and call or email you State Senator. Contact information for each Senator can be found here. Just fill in the information. When the second page pops up, click on the name of your Senator. This will take you to his/her contact page where you can find phone numbers and either an email address or a link to the Senator's web mail form.


As we stated on Saturday in our previous blog on February 5:

The passage of SB 3 will continue to marginalize abortion service from the regulation and oversight of the medical and insurance industry. Pennsylvania law should support the provision of safe, legal abortion and not stigmatize the procedure and push it into the hands of dangerous practitioners who threaten and endanger women’s lives and health.

This legislation is unnecessary.  On January 25th, the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee rushed this bill out of committee (the very first vote of any Senate committee this session).  We said then:

This bill dramatically changes the status quo. If it becomes law, it will leave women worse off than before federal health care reform took place. Currently between 80 and 87% of all health-insurance plans cover abortions. Banning abortion coverage in the state health insurance exchange would leave women worse off than they were before health care reform began.

And now the PA Senate is rushing this to the floor as the VERY FIRST VOTE on an issue-based bill this session. And it will be the ONLY bill up for debate. I verified this by going to the PA Senate Roll Call history page. The Senate has only held five voting days this session. And what did they vote on prior to today?

• January 4, 2011 - QUORUM VOTE YEA=PRESENT
• January 18, 2011 - RESOLUTION (Resolution providing for the adoption of Financial Operating Rules of the Senate)
• January 19, 2011 - APPROVAL OF THE PREVIOUS DAYS JOURNAL JANUARY 4, 2011
• January 24, 2011 - RECESS RESOLUTION
• January 25, 2011 - APPROVAL OF THE PREVIOUS DAYS JOURNAL FOR JANUARY 18, 2011

We reiterate. WHAT ARE YOU THINKING!?

This vote is a pandering, political statement. Senators should not be focusing on social, hot-button issues. As Senator Vance and Williams clearly stated, this vote is premature. Pennsylvania voters are not interested in reopening the debate around abortion. Our lawmakers should focus on improving our health care system and stop using women’s health as a divisive issue.

CALL NOW. Thank you!

Press Statement on PA Senate Banking and Insurance Committee Vote: SB 3 Abortion Ban

As a follow-up to yesterday's blog on the vote in the Pennsylvania Senate Banking and Insurance Committee vote, here is a copy of the press statement I sent out this morning to media across the state.

In case you use a screen reader and it can't read the graphics, here's the text of the release:

Pennsylvania State Senate Pandering to the Right


Why was this your very first vote of the session?

Bellefonte, PA, January 26, 2011: On Tuesday, January 25, 2011, the PA Senate Banking and Insurance Committee voted out SB 3. This bill, sponsored by Senator Don White (R-Armstrong, Butler, Clearfield, Indiana, and Westmoreland Counties) bans abortion coverage in the health care exchanges except in cases where the pregnancy was caused by rape or incest, or to “avert” the death of the woman.

This was the very first vote any of these Senators cast during the new 2011-2012 legislative session. It was also the only vote taken during this committee meeting. The final vote was 12 (all 9 R's and 3 D's) for and 2 against (both D's).

This bill dramatically changes the status quo. If it becomes law, it will leave women worse off than before federal health care reform took place. Currently between 80 and 87% of all health-insurance plans cover abortions. Banning abortion coverage in the state health insurance exchange would leave women worse off than they were before health care reform began.

Sue Frietsche, Senior Staff Attorney at the Women’s Law Project noted that this bill might also be unconstitutional. In her public statement after the vote, she said, “In the Medicaid context, Pennsylvania courts have already ruled that it’s unconstitutional to make rape survivors jump through the kind of insulting and burdensome hoops this bill would create. The bill would require rape survivors to “personally” report the crime and identify the assailant, if known, in order for their health insurance to cover an abortion procedure.”

What are they thinking!?

Senator White – the prime sponsor as well as chair of this committee -- explained his reason for making this the first vote in committee. He said, “I originally introduced this bill last fall. I’ll admit timing is suspicious. However, I’ve been asked by certain members [of the Senate]- to get this to the floor. I’m not going to wait for the Feds to set the exchanges up. This will be voted on today.”

None of the Senators voting yes explained why they voted yes or why they did not ask for a delay in the vote, even though a couple of them expressed concern about the “seeming rush to vote.” For example, Senator Patricia Vance (R-Cumberland and York Counties) said, “This vote is premature. I’m willing to support the bill but we will just have to do this over once we know how the exchanges will work and how much money is involved [emphasis added].”

Of the two Senators that spoke out against the measure during the hearing, Senator Anthony Williams (D-Delaware and Philadelphia Counties) may have best expressed his frustration. He said, "There are larger issues right now. I would hate to have this as my first vote [of the new session]. This [vote] isn’t on a substantive issue. We should be holding off on these [types of] bills. We may have a testosterone problem here."

This vote is a pandering, political statement. Senators should not be focusing on social, hot-button issues. As Senator Vance and Williams clearly stated, this vote is premature. Pennsylvania voters are not interested in reopening the debate around abortion. Our lawmakers should focus on improving our health care system and stop using women’s health as a divisive issue.

Speaking Out, Speaking Up for Abortion Rights in a Safe, Legal Environment

Bellefonte, PA, January 21, 2011, 6:30 p.m.: On Saturday, Jan. 22, the Pennsylvania NOW (National Organization for Women) Education Fund will show a movie of women speaking out for abortion rights. The program will also feature National NOW Foundation Vice President Erin Matson and Pennsylvania NOW Education Fund President Joanne Tosti-Vasey speaking on the status of reproductive rights to commemorate and celebrate the 38th anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision affirming women's constitutional right to abortion.

“We are celebrating 38 years of Supreme Court recognition that the Constitution protects women's right to legal abortion. But not a day goes by without threats to our reproductive freedom," said NOW Foundation Vice President Erin Matson.

This anniversary comes at the same time as the indictment of Dr. Gosnell and several of his staff members for the alleged brutal, unsafe and illegal abortion practice he conducted in West Philadelphia. “Pennsylvania NOW applauds the work of the grand jury convened by Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams in this case, and if true, we believe that women, predominately low-income women of color, have been the victims of some serious, horrible crimes," said Pennsylvania NOW Education Fund President Joanne Tosti-Vasey.

The grand jury’s report placed partial blame on the Pennsylvania Department of Health for the “failure to ensure the health and safety of patients in abortion clinics” as they do for “patients receiving medical care from other providers.”

This failure to follow regulations, the stigmatization that surrounds abortion and the lack of funding of abortions for low-income women can lead to the lack of access to safe, legal abortion services for women. Without access to insurance funding for reproductive services, women may end up in the back alleys or with unsafe abortions as allegedly occurred here. This will be part of the discussion on Saturday night.

WHAT: Airing of documentary “I Had an Abortion” and speeches commemorating the 38th anniversary of Roe v. Wade .

WHO: Erin Matson, National NOW Foundation Vice President Action and Joanne Tosti-Vasey, Pennsylvania NOW Education Fund President

WHEN: 7:00 p.m., Saturday, January 22, 2011

WHERE: 160 Willard Building, the Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA

SPONSORED BY: Pennsylvania NOW Education Fund, Ni-Ta-Nee NOW, PSU Department of Women’s Studies, PSU Center for Women Students, and the PSU Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance

Roe v. Wade Anniverary 2011 -- Chapter Actions & Events

Celebrate with your local NOW chapter! Don't see anything near you? Find your local chapter and contact them to see what they have planned.

Philadelphia: Raising Women's Voices Coalition Outdoor Visibility Event

Friday January 21 • 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Location: Center City, Philadelphia (Exact location TBD)

Celebrate the 38th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade, and urge our incoming legislators to protect women's continued access to safe and legal abortion. RSVP here.

Penn State: Speaking Out, Speaking Up for Abortion Rights (with National NOW Action VP Erin Matson)

Saturday, January 22 • 7:00 p.m.

Location: 160 Willard Building, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802

This is the 38th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision establishing a woman's right to have an abortion. See the movie I Had an Abortion and hear Erin Matson and Joanne Tosti-Vasey, Pennsylvania NOW Education Fund President, speak out and up on: the new health care insurance law, the lack of medical coverage, and choice; the current status of reproductive rights in the U.S. and Pennsylvania; and what you can do to help ensure access to full reproductive health care.  Co-sponsored by the Pennsylvania NOW Education Fund, Ni-Ta-Nee NOW, PSU Center for Women Students, PSU Department of Women's Studies, and PSU Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance.