The Republican Candidates on Abortion

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Tekla

The New York Times has a break down of the Republican Presidential Candidates’ views on abortion, which is an eye-opener.

Rick Santorum has emerged as having the most extreme views on reproductive rights:

“To put rape or incest victims through another trauma of an abortion, I think is too much to ask.” (Aug. 11, 2011, The New York Times)

“One of the things I will talk about, that no president has talked about before, is I think the dangers of contraception in this country.” […] “Many of the Christian faith have said, well, that’s okay, contraception is okay. It’s not okay. It’s a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be.” (Rick Santorum, quoted in Slate on Jan. 4, 2012)

More than that: Santorum is only pro choice when it comes to himself. Case in point, Trust Women/SR’s Ellen Shaffer blogged here, in “Santorum: Our Abortion Was Different:” “Rick Santorum is one dangerously confused denialist.” Jezebel’s revealing article “Rick Santorum’s Anti-Abortion Politics Would Have Killed His Own Wife” also noted:

“Mr. Ban Abortion in All Circumstances With No Exception for the Life of the Mother, believes that the actions of his own wife should be treated as criminal. Why? Because, back in 1996, his wife had a procedure that resulted in the deliberate death of her fetus, even though it was a matter of saving her own life.”

In its Jan. 8, 2012, editorial ”Republicans Versus Reproductive Rights,” The New York Times sums up the Republican presidential candidates’ views:

“The Republican field is united in its determination to overturn Roe v. Wade; to appoint Supreme Court justices supportive of that goal; and to end government payments to Planned Parenthood for family planning services, cancer screening and other vital health services provided to low-income women.”

2011: A Bad Year for Reproductive Rights

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Tekla

According to an article in The Economist titled “Unintended Issues,”

“Last year saw a surge in social conservatism. It has been said that social issues inspire Americans to vote against their economic interests: a factory worker elects an anti-abortion Republican; in return he gets anti-union laws. Last year the adage was reversed. In 2010 Americans voted for economic austerity; in 2011 they got abortion restrictions. For those who oppose abortion, it was the most promising year in decades.”

Sarah Kliff wrote in The Washington Post under the headline ” The year of the abortion restrictions,”

“[A] rise in the number of anti-abortion governors and legislators has an enormous impact on the abortion rights landscape, paving the way for laws that could shape access for years to come.”

Jezebel posted in its 2011 year in review a sobering account under the headline “The year in your uterus” and concluded:

“It’s been a wild year for your uterus, and 2012 promises to be even crazier. We’ve got a Presidential election to look forward to, and political candidates love to talk about their agenda for your uterus when they try to win votes. Best festoon the thing in red, white, and blue; they’ve set up camp in your uterus, and they’re not going away any time soon.”

Banners for Reproductive Justice

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Tekla

Thanks Feministing for the coverage of our initiative “Banners for Reproductive Justice” on Market St. For those in San Fransisco, please join us for a Walk For Choice on Jan. 22, 2012, 1-3pm to admire the banners — celebrating the 28th anniversary of the historic Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion on January 22 — before they take them down at the end of the month. Join us! And please contribute a donation to our campaign.

For more on that initiative, listen to a radio interview with Dr. Sophia Yen, MD, co-founder of the Silver Ribbon Campaign to Trust Women, with Kris Welch on Radio KPFA on Dec. 23.

And here is an article in MS Magazine on the initiative: “In 2012, Trust Women!“

“The official toll from 2011′s War on Women is in. According to the Guttmacher Institute, a record-breaking 92 new state-level restrictions on abortion were passed last year, the most ever. In response, reproductive-rights groups hope to make 2012 the year that women fought back — and won.”

Critics of the banner initiative were quick to react: “[The] Life Legal Defense Foundation has demanded that the city remove the offending signage or face the possibility of legal action.”

In a statement, Dr. Yen wrote:

“When the House of Representatives votes that it is okay for doctors to allow pregnant women to die in the emergency room rather than perform an abortion, it’s time for women to wake up and fight back. As a mother and a pediatrician who specializes in adolescent medicine, I want to insure that my patients and my own daughters continue to enjoy the right to plan their families and pursue their career goals,” she said. “For women, that means protecting and expanding reproductive rights.”

Also the Huffington Post has coverage of our initiative: “Silver Ribbon Campaign To Trust Women: Market Street Banners Advocate Reproductive Rights” and it covers the vehement opposition to the banners by pro-life groups under the headline “San Francisco Abortion Ads Draw Ire Of Pro-Life Group”:

“The campaign marks the first time in San Francisco history that the city has displayed banners advocating reproductive rights, [but the] series of pro-choice banners posted on city-operated utility poles running up and down San Francisco’s Market Street have drawn the ire of an anti-abortion group. Life Legal Defense Foundation has demanded that the city remove the offending signage or face the possibility of legal action.”