Bush Abortion Proposal Sets Conditions on Federal Aid

In an effort to strengthen the capacity of health care providers to deny abortion services, the Bush administration recently proposed the introduction of a new rule that would require hospitals, clinics, researchers and medical schools to sign “written certifications” that they do not discriminate against hospitals and other institutions that have policies against providing abortion. Such certification would be a prerequisite to receiving funds under any program run by the Department of Health and Human Services. It would also be required of state and local governments, forbidden to discriminate, in areas like grant-making, against hospitals and other institutions that have policies against providing abortion. The administration stated the proposal is necessary to ensure that federal money does not “support morally coercive or discriminatory practices or policies in violation of federal law.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/15/washington/15rule.html?ei=5124&en=0eb76de0ec6ae964&ex=1373860800&adxnnl=1&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink&adxnnlx=1216673737-QZ/a+/6fuaBD6RFcGuARlQ
http://www.nationalpartnership.org/site/PageServer?pagename=newsroom_pr_PressRelease_080715

A woman's supreme right over her own body and destiny is in jeopardy

Forty years after the passing of the Abortion Act in the UK, women’s rights are still in jeopardy. The debate still rages on about the rights of the fetus and the right to privacy as hundreds of anti-abortion activist gather to demonstrate. Click here for more.

Abstinence 1, S-Chip 0

The House of Representatives is considering increasing funding for abstinence only education by $28 million. Abstinence-only programs, the only form of federally-financed sex education, could receive $200 million a year if the bill passes. In an effort to pass the State Children’s Health Insurance program, democratic leaders are offering a trade off that would increase funding to the abstinence-only programs despite their having been proven ineffective. Please click here for more.

Birth-Control Foe To Run Office on Family Planning

The Bush administration has appointed Susan Orr, an opponent of contraception, as chief of family planning programs at the Department of Health and Human Services. Orr has supported proposals to stop health insurance plans from covering birth control and appears to be as controversial as her predecessor Eric Keroack, who also opposed support for contraception. In her new post, Orr will oversee $283 million in annual grants to provide low-income families and others with contraceptive services, counseling and preventive screenings.

Outlawing Abortion Does Not Lower Rates

A global study of abortion rates around the world has concluded that rates are similar in countries where abortions are legal and those where they are not, suggesting that banning abortion does not deter women from seeking the procedure. The study shows that in Uganda, where abortion is illegal, the estimated abortion rate is more than twice the rate of that in the United State. The lowest rate was in Western Europe where abortion is legal and contraception is widely available.
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NEW: Timeline shows years of delay by FDA on Plan B

NCRW has been following the FDA's delay in announcing a decision on the over-the-counter status of the emergency contraceptive Plan B. Recently, the GAO released a report on the "unusual" nature of the FDA's past decisions on the drug. Earlier this week, Mother Jones released a timeline providing a comprehensive outline of years of delay in decisions regarding emergency contraception.
TO READ MORE, CLICK HERE

UPDATE: Full GAO Report on FDA's "Unusual" Plan B Decision Released

We reported last month on the intial findings of the Government Accountability Office's (GAO) report on the FDA's decision to deny the sale of Plan B over-the-counter. The full report, titled Decision Process to Deny Initial Application for Over-the-Counter Marketing of the Emergency Contraceptive Drug Plan B Was Unusual is now available on the GAO's website.

TO READ MORE, CLICK HERE (PDF)

NEW: General Accounting Office Releases Initial Findings on 2004 FDA Plan B Decision

The Washington Post reported today on initial findings from the Government Accountability Office's (GAO) report on the FDA's 2004 decision to reject the over-the-counter status of Plan B. The draft GAO report indicates that the decision was "highly unusual, was made with atypical involvement from top agency officials, and may well have been made months before it was formally announced." The full report will be available by the end of the month.

TO READ MORE CLICK HERE