bad news from feminist.org

Mississippi House Considers Virtual Abortion Ban

3/2/2006 – Mississippi's House is currently considering a ban on all abortions in the state except those necessary to save the life of a pregnant woman or girl. The amendment, which is very similar to the ban just passed by South Dakota, is supported by anti-choice Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour (R). Barbour has said he would probably sign the bill with this amendment if it passes as expected in the state legislature, although he would prefer to include exceptions for rape and incest, according to the Associated Press.

Only one abortion clinic remains in the state of Mississippi – the embattled Jackson Women’s Health Organization. “Mississippi has been extremely punitive to women’s rights in a lot of different ways, so this amendment is in keeping with this tradition,” Susan Hill told Ms. magazine, president of the National Women’s Health Organization, which owns the sole abortion clinic in Mississippi. “But we’re not going anywhere — we’re going to fight this until the bitter end.”

Mississippi has the highest teen birth rate and one of the highest poverty and infant mortality rates in the country. A last-minute addition to the amendment would require the state to pay for the health care and education of all children until the age of 19 in Mississippi whose mothers sought family counseling and chose to continue their pregnancies.

DONATE Support the Jackson Women’s Health Organization and the Feminist Majority Foundation’s work to keep women’s health clinics safe and open

Feminist.org: Your daily source for the feminist perspective on national and global events. Media Resources: Associated Press 3/1/06; Jackson Clarion-Ledger 3/1/06; Text of amendment 3/1/06

Activists Urge Tourism Boycott to Protest SD Abortion Ban

3/2/2006 – Following the passage of a disastrous abortion ban in South Dakota, the Women's Medical Fund and other abortion-rights activists are calling for pro-choice Americans to boycott all tourism in the state. The abortion ban, which has passed the legislature, is expected to be signed by Governor Mike Rounds (R), and then to face immediate legal challenges that anti-abortion activists hope could lead to a Supreme Court case that overturns Roe v. Wade. Anne and Annie Laurie Gaylor, Fund officers, said that “we can do without Mount Rushmore, the Badlands, and the Corn Palace,” with Anne Gaylor adding “We are encouraging all groups who care about women’s rights to urge their members to bypass South Dakota.”

A similar boycott produced results in 1990, when the National Organization for Women (NOW) and other women’s rights organizations chose to boycott Idaho potatoes to protest restrictive abortion laws. Idaho’s then-governor vetoed the bill rather than face the economic consequences. When asked about the tourism boycott, NOW president Kim Gandy said, “The actions of the South Dakota Legislature affect women outside of that state. It would not surprise me if women from around the country don't want to take their families to South Dakota.”

DONATE to protect the right to a safe, legal abortion.

Feminist.org: Your daily source for the feminist perspective on national and global events. Media Resources: Capital Times 3/1/06; Women’s Medical Fund, Inc. 2/26/06

Alito Thanks Dobson for Support

3/2/2006 – Newly confirmed Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito sent a note to James Dobson, president of Focus on the Family, thanking him for his support and the prayers of Dobson’s supporters. Dobson read the thank you note on his Wednesday radio program.

According to Dobson, Alito's note included a pledge to “keep in mind the trust that has been placed in me,” the Colorado Springs Post-Gazette reports. Supreme Court spokesperson Kathy Arberg said that this line was included in many of the notes Alito sent out in response to congratulatory letters, according to the Post-Gazette.

“This thank you note sounds more like it came from a political candidate, not a Supreme Court Justice,” said Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority. “It underscores the fact that the courts have become more and more politicized.”

“Justice Alito should follow the commands of the Constitution, not the orders of Dobson and the Religious Right,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. “This note strongly suggests that Alito is carrying out a right-wing agenda instead of being a justice for all.”

Letter from Planned Parenthood’s Action Team!

South Dakota has made abortion a criminal act.

Ever since the South Dakota legislators cast their votes last week, people across the country have been calling Planned Parenthood in shock, in fear, and outraged. Horrified, a 92-year-old woman picked up the phone to make her first-ever gift to the reproductive rights movement. A mother of three called us, crying, to send her support.

And South Dakota may not be the only state to ban abortion – 9 states currently have abortion ban bills pending.

This bill was openly designed to launch a direct legal attack on Roe v. Wade – and that certainly factored into the decisions made by the politicians in South Dakota. Simply put, if pro-choice politicians were in office in South Dakota, we would not be facing this terrible news today.

South Dakota’s ban shows us that elected officials have considerable effects on health, education, and other policy issues in the states – and that’s why our work on the ground in key states is so critical. We must make sure that pro-choice candidates who respect women’s health and rights are elected, and that once they’re elected, they support policies and legislation that will protect women’s health and safety. We MUST succeed, because if we fail, other states will absolutely follow South Dakota. It has never been clearer: Elections have consequences.

The Action Fund is taking action!

We’re meeting with leaders in South Dakota, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, and other states facing similar bills to formulate an aggressive strategy to take on politicians who don’t respect a woman’s health and safety.

We know intimately what this ban will mean to the women of South Dakota, because right now a Planned Parenthood health center is one of the few places in the entire state where a woman can receive safe abortion services.

So we are passionate about this fight – and we are taking real steps. The Planned Parenthood Action Fund is working hard every day, in towns and cities across the country. Planned Parenthood is knocking on doors, educating the public, and mobilizing the grassroots – and I can tell you that we are making progress.