Lizz Winstead, Daily Show co-creator and producer, has a message for what’s at stake on the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

To help change policy and to ensure that all legislators understand the basics about women’s bodies and reproduction, OBOS has re-opened the campaign to send copies of “Our Bodies, Ourselves” to every member of Congress starting in late February – join the campaign!

At reddit, two abortion clinic workers have answered a wide variety of questions from readers.

Kimberly Inez McGuire of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health spoke at a Center for American Progress panel on Roe 2.0: Strategies for the Next Generation of Reproductive Rights Activism. Also, check out the group’s new Yo Te Apoyo (I Support You) campaign and Roe v. Wade 40 years later: Latinas weigh in on abortion.

Planned Parenthood has a 40th anniversary video.

The author at Deana’s blog, a professor of sociology, talks about the new study documenting attacks on pregnant women’s autonomy (see our recent post on this issue).

The National Women’s Law Center encourages us all to write our legislators to support abortion access and stand against restrictions.

Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health have made available online the documentary “Voices of Choice: Physicians Who Provided Abortions Before Roe v. Wade.” The film includes interviews with Bylle Avery, founder of the National Black Women’s Health Project, and Dr. George Tiller, an abortion provider who was murdered.

The 1 in 3 campaign, a project of Advocates for Youth, provides stories from individuals who’ve had an abortion. The organization has also released a book of stories and resources for college campuses.

Shanelle Matthews has a powerful story and insightful commentary at The Crunk Feminist Collective: The story that’s taken ten years to tell: On abortion, race and the power of story. Here’s an excerpt:

The narrative that abortion gives women and transpeople an opportunity to live the rest of our lives, to become a doctor or a lawyer or whatever isn’t true for everyone. For some of us, abortion just provides one more day. One more day to live our lives exactly the way we want to. For some of us the decision isn’t political, it’s essential. It is essential to taking care of the children we already have, to circumventing difficult medical experiences or to just not be pregnant. There is nothing heroic about having an abortion. It is an essential part of reproductive health care.

Bridgette Dunlap at RH Reality Check describes an unusual argument for the legality of abortion, resting not in the right to privacy but in the 13th Amendment forbidding slavery and involuntary servitude. This argument suggests the government may not outlaw abortion, because “to do so would be to require physical service from a woman for the benefit of a fetus.”

Flyover Feminism is hosting a week-long series on reproductive rights.

In Mississippi, the state’s only abortion clinic may close. Coverage includes “Inside Mississippi’s Last Abortion Clinic,” from Mother Jones, and “In Jackson, Mississippi, Southern Hospitality and Food for Thought on Access to Abortion“ at RH Reality Check.

Monica Raye Simpson, Executive Director of SisterSong issued a statement celebrating Roe but highlighting the bigger picture: “We need to discuss how issues such as economics, immigration reform, interpersonal violence, rape and lack of comprehensive sexual education are all a part of the equation needed for reproductive justice to be achieved.”

Jill Filipovic in “Roe v Wade at 40: what American women owe to abortion rights” writes about the ongoing struggle to make reproductive rights accessible to all women:

The primary victims of the pro-life strategy are poor women. The pro-life movement has stepped up its legislative game in the past two years, introducing and passing record-breaking numbers of anti-choice laws in 2011 and keeping the victories coming in 2012. They’ve made it not only hard to get an abortion, but to get birth control, sex ed and health care generally.

The result is that Roe’s promise of abortion rights isn’t available to large swaths of the American population.

The National Women’s Law Center explains that the health care reform allows states to pass laws banning private insurance coverage of abortion in state exchange plans, meaning that “in twenty states, a woman will not be allowed to purchase an exchange-based health plan that covers abortion services, and also may not be able to purchase a plan that provides insurance coverage for abortion at all.

National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF): Politicians don’t know the circumstances of our lives and shouldn’t be making decisions about our reproductive health– they’re not in our shoes!  Check out “Have We Really Come That Far? API Women and Abortion 40 Years After Roe” by Christine Poquiz, NAPAWF Reproductive Justice Fellow.

The scary part: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is an original co-sponsor of S.32, a Senate proposal to prohibit taking minors across State lines to circumvent laws requiring the involvement of parents in abortion decisions.  The House is wasting no time leading the year with proposals to criminalize abortion:

1. H.R.23  : Sanctity of Human Life Act
Sponsor: Rep  Broun, Paul C. [GA-10] (introduced 1/3/2013)      Cosponsors  (30)
Committees: House Judiciary
Latest Major Action:  1/3/2013 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on  the Judiciary.

---

2. H.R.61  : Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act
Sponsor: Rep  Blackburn, Marsha [TN-7] (introduced 1/3/2013)      Cosponsors  (83)
Committees: House Energy and Commerce
Latest Major  Action: 1/3/2013 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House  Committee on Energy and Commerce.

---

3. H.R.217  : Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act
Sponsor: Rep  Black, Diane [TN-6] (introduced 1/4/2013)      Cosponsors  (165)
Committees: House Energy and Commerce
Latest Major  Action: 1/4/2013 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House  Committee on Energy and Commerce.

---

4. H.R.346  : To amend title I of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to  ensure that the coverage offered under multi-State qualified health plans  offered in Exchanges is consistent with the Federal abortion funding  ban.
Sponsor: Rep  Nunnelee, Alan [MS-1] (introduced 1/22/2013)      Cosponsors (None)
Committees: House Energy and Commerce
Latest Major Action:  1/22/2013 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee  on Energy and Commerce.

---

5. S.32  : A bill to amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit taking minors   across State lines in circumvention of laws requiring the involvement of parents  in abortion decisions.
Sponsor: Sen  Portman, Rob [OH] (introduced 1/22/2013)      Cosponsors  (4)
Committees: Senate Judiciary
Latest Major Action:  1/22/2013 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the  Committee on the Judiciary.

Sen Burr, Richard [NC] – 1/23/2013
Sen Chambliss, Saxby [GA] – 1/23/2013
Sen Cochran, Thad [MS] – 1/23/2013
Sen McConnell, Mitch [KY] – 1/23/2013

Take Action! Speak out withTrust Women Week. In San Francisco, Celebrate Women, Life and Liberty this Saturday, Jan. 26

~ Please think of the Trust Women Silver Ribbon Campaign http://trustwomen.org/donate.php and the EQUAL Health Network http://www.equalhealth.info/index.php/donate/ for your year-end contributions! ~

Dear Dan,

Thank you for conveying to Minority Leader Pelosi the attached petition urging our elected officials not to cut vital benefits.  The attached file includes complete contact information for all signers, who will certainly be interested in a response from our representatives.  Best regards, Ellen Shaffer

Protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid

Women, communities of color and allies call on Congress and the President to protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid

The Issues

As Congress reconvenes to address the budget, the first order of business must be to protect the benefits we rely on through Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

Congress failed for the last 2 years to agree on proposals to manage the federal budget and the deficit, and now faces a “fiscal cliff:” without further action, cuts to the military and social programs would be phased in starting in January, 2013. The Bush-era tax cuts would also expire, meaning taxes would go up both for wealthy and middle-income people, starting in January. To avoid these consequences, Congress could just raise tax rates for the wealthiest 2% of the population, but carve out middle-income people, who need the cash to stimulate the economy. Failing that, groups associated with finance capital have advocated for a “Grand Bargain,” first proposed by the failed Simpson-Bowles commission, to cut benefits for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, as a trade off for some tax increases.

Cutting benefits from Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid would be especially harmful to the health of women, who live longer but have lower incomes. Additionally, women of color, who already experience a host of health disparities and difficulties in accessing critical health services would be disproportionately impacted by any erosion of Medicaid.

The “chained CPI” would directly reduce benefits paid to the elderly, estimated at 3 months of groceries a year. (See: http://www.nwlc.org/chained-cpi-what-it-and-what-it-means-women ) Raising the age of eligibility for Social Security income support, or reducing benefits, would tip millions of elderly women into poverty, including many without family or friends as caregivers, and who are people of color. They would have to spend down their savings to become eligible for Medicaid, and experience medically unnecessary confinement in nursing homes as a result.

Medicare is the major source of payment for hospital and ambulatory care as well as for rehabilitation services and considerable home health and nursing home care. Forcing women to neglect necessary care at ages 65-67 would result in greater risk of complications from chronic diseases as they grow older.

Medicaid provides essential support to pregnant women, their children and people using long term care services at home, in their communities and in skilled nursing facilities. Any reduction of these benefits would irretrievably harm health and hasten death among women.

Further, the Social Security Trust Fund is entirely solvent through 2038, requiring only minor tweaks in the interim to extend into the future. Medicare and Medicaid are affected by health care cost increases, but cutting benefits will not solve those problems.

The text of the petition

On Nov. 6, women and communities of color gave the margin of victory to a President and members of Congress who promised to fight for higher taxes on the wealthy, for more public investment and for careful cuts in spending, while revitalizing the economy.

As Congress negotiates on the “fiscal cliff,” they must protect the benefits we rely on through Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Cutting benefits from Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid would be especially harmful to the health of women, who live longer but have lower incomes. The “chained CPI” would cut payments to women in their 80s by the cost of 3 months of groceries a year. Additionally, women of color, who already experience a host of health disparities and difficulties in accessing critical health services would be disproportionately impacted by any erosion of Medicaid. These cuts would do nothing to address the deficit. Such cuts would force women ages 65-67 to neglect needed health care, worsening chronic conditions throughout their lives. Reduced income support would force many elderly women without family or friends as caregivers to spend down to qualify for Medicaid, and experience medically unnecessary confinement in nursing homes as a result.

There is a ready solution to raise revenue: Let the Bush tax cuts expire for the wealthiest 2% of Americans.

We urge you to fight for:

1. No cuts to Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid benefits

2. Let the Bush tax cuts expire for the wealthiest 2% of Americans.