My Response From My Email to My State Representative

This is the email I received in response to my previously published email to my State Representative regarding the dangerous abortion legislation being forced through Michigan's Congress. This is why I vote. Kate Segal, I will vote for you again and again.

(Email after the jump)

Check It Out: Some Quick Links of Michigan's War on Women

Jos over at Feministing writes about HB 5711 passing yesterday with only 20 minutes of debate. I have no words, so I'm glad she does.


Another from Jos, this one includes a transcript from Lisa Brown's "vagina" comment.


And Angie Becker Stevens at RH Reality Check also wrote about HB 5711 passing the Michigan House.

Decorum?

Apparently use of anatomical terms in the Michigan House of Representatives is "vulgar," "inappropriate," and "offensive." On Wednesday, State Representative Lisa Brown, a Democrat, said, "I'm flattered that you're all so interested in my vagina, but 'no' means 'no.'" 


[Video and discussion after the jump.]

update on voting on HB 5711, 5712, & 5713

Just a head's up: looks like the Michigan house is holding off on their vote until tomorrow. There's still time to contact your representative and the speaker of the House, Jase Bolger.

Update on Michigan War on Women

Quick update: Planned Parenthood called me to let me know the Michigan House of Representatives is voting on HB 5711, 5712, and 5713. As far as I can tell, we're getting hit with provisions for preventing coercion, restricting teleconferencing used to prescribe RU-486 to physically remote patients, and the fetal pain provision.  I especially enjoyed (if you can call it that) subsection (11) in HB 5711, which provides the requirement for doctors to show the women pictures and descriptions of the fetus and describe the medical procedure, etc.

 Did anyone catch any others? There's so much to wade through to even find the changes and I'm finding too many contradictory claims on other blogs/websites to want to re-post any of it.

Anyway, if you read this anytime soon, feel free to call your representatives or to contact Speaker of the Michigan House Jase Bolger at JaseBolger@house.mi.gov or 517-373-1787. I left him a helpful message asking him to make sure he supports women in the future and that he helps protect women from harmful legislation such as this.

In case you were wondering if he supports women right now, I'd encourage you to take a look at his page on VoteSmart. (Spoiler alert: he doesn't.)

Help Servicewomen Who Are Victimized

Did you know that members of the United States military cannot get an abortion at a military hospital--even if the pregnancy is the result of a sexual assault? I didn't. As Darlene Iskra over at Battleland writes:

Most rape victims are junior enlisted women who cannot afford an abortion in the civilian sector. Enlisted earn less pay, and often come from families who cannot afford to help them. If they are deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, they cannot get an abortion in country and must return to the United States, if they can convince their commands to let them go. Then they must pay for the procedure itself. The policies are stacked against women who are raped and become pregnant. Congress is the only organization that can change this scenario.

Even more embarrassing for our government? This restriction is not across the board, "U.S. servicewomen remain the only federal workers denied coverage in cases of rape. Even federal inmates can get abortions." I find it unacceptable that we have thus far failed to end the culture of sexual violence that seems to be especially dominant in the military and then when the people who are victimized by this system seek help, they are denied. 


[Discussion and how you can help after the jump.]

War on Women in Michigan

Sooo.... I started a blog at WordPress, but I think I like blogger better. Good thing I hadn't done much over at WordPress yet. Starting again.

Anyway, I currently live in the state of Michigan. Unfortunately, my state representatives are pushing through legislation that would severely restrict women's right to choose. The decision to have an abortion is, I would imagine, never an easy one. I don't see any reason why we should continue to try to make it a harder one. Often the decision is made on a medical basis, either for the fetus or for the mother. (The woman who live tweeted her abortion was terminating the pregnancy because her last pregnancy nearly killed her.) As Jenni Lane's story from RH Reality Check states:

The vast majority of later abortions are performed for similar medical reasons, because so many serious conditions are impossible to detect until near or after the 20-week point. Far from being an exception to the rule, nearly all of the women affected by a ban on abortions after 20 weeks will be women just like Jenni, who are making the excruciating choice to end a wanted pregnancy in which the fetus cannot possibly survive.

[More after the jump.]