South Dakota Planned Parenthood Advocate

Americans Agree, Women Deserve Affordable Access to Birth Control

According to a new survey by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy 70% of adults believe that insurance should be required to cover birth control.

The survey also found that 81% of the people surveyed felt that using birth control is taking personal responsibility.

These findings show that Americans understand the importance of birth control coverage and availability in order to prevent unplanned pregnancies.

 

New Study Confirms What Women Already Know: Birth Control Is an Economic Issue

 

A new study recently released by the Guttmacher Institute confirms what women already know--- that birth control is an important, economic issue.

PPFA’s infographic  breaks down the key results for us:

Time is Running Out

There are only 30 days left until Election Day!

And even more importantly there are only 15 days left to get registered to vote or update your voter registration.

Why is it important to vote?

Voting is one of the easiest and most direct ways to express your views. Whether you vote or not, the person who is elected will help shape laws that might end up affecting you. By voting, you get to help make sure that person is someone you trust to make good choices. 

Are you registered to vote yet?

Well what are you waiting for? Go find out how to register to vote in SD now!

Do you know where you can vote?

Check for your polling location here!

And will you be voting on November 6^th?

Go take our Pledge to Vote and find out answers to your voting questions at http://womenvote2012sd.blogspot.com/.

 

Unofficial TTRT Book Club - Grace for President

My colleague from North Dakota, Amy, bought Grace for President for her daughter and thought that our TTRT book club readers might have future some presidents in their families.

From the website, “When Grace’s teacher revels that the United States has never had a female president, Grace decides to be the first. And she immediately starts off her political career as a candidate in the school’s mock election. But soon she realizes that she has entered a tough race.

This timely story not only gives readers a fun introduction to the American electoral system but also teaches them the value of hard work, courage, and independent thought—and offers an inspiring example of how to choose our leaders.”

Reviews for this gem includes "...the book delivers lessons on electoral votes, polls, and the reason every vote counts." - The New York Times

"DiPucchio and Pham are game gals. Explaining the electoral system to adults isn’t easy, but they make it understandable to kids." - Booklist

~Carmen, Planned Parenthood Advocate

It’s up to us, ladies!

According to AP article, Obama gains with women: Jobs, social issues help, “It's looking like President Barack Obama may be back in the good graces of women.”

For Obama, there is no more crucial constituency than women. They make up a majority of voters in presidential elections, and a bit more of them identify with his party. He would not be president today without topping Republican John McCain in that group in 2008. ‘Women are used to making decisions and running their lives,’ said Linda Young, president of the National Women's Political Caucus, which favors abortion rights. ‘To hear their right to contraception questioned in 2012 is shocking, and it's gotten a lot of people's attention.’

This all ties into the Blunt Amendment that would allow health plans to deny coverage for any service that violates the employer’s beliefs, which could include HIV/ AIDS treatment, maternity care for unmarried women, or contraception.  Read the full article here.

~Carmen, Planned Parenthood Advocate

Senate Committee Bans Presidents from Playing Politics with International Family Planning Programs

Last week, the Senate Appropriations Committee adopted an amendment to a bill that, if signed into law, will block re-imposition of the Mexico City Policy, also known as the Global Gag Rule.

The amendment, introduced by Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), would mean that future presidents will not have the authority to refuse funding to foreign NGOs that provide advice, counseling or information regarding abortion, or that lobby a foreign government to legalize or make abortion available.

A bill approved this summer cut international family planning funding by 25 per cent from current levels and re-instated the Global Gag Rule. It also included a blanket prohibition on U.S. funding to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). This week¹s bill reversed all that, approving funding for international reproductive health programs and U.S. contributions to UNFPA. The current senate bill includes $700 million for family planning programs.

The Global Gag Rule has been an intermittent government policy, put in place by President Reagan in 1984, rescinded in 1993 by President Clinton, re-instituted in 2001 by President Bush, and rescinded again in 2009 by President  Obama.

The original policy directed the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to withhold funds from NGOs that provided advice, counseling, or information regarding abortion, or lobbied to legalize or make abortion available, even if the NGOs engaged in those activities with non-USAID funds. Some NGOs that did decline U.S. funding under the Gag Rule were forced to close clinics and/or cut services.

In addition to reducing the overall funding provided to those NGOs, the Gag Rule cut off their access to USAID-supplied condoms and other forms of contraception. This lead to a decrease in contraception use and, as a result, an increase in unintended pregnancies, abortion, and transmission of STIs.

By Anna, Web Correspondent, Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota Action Fund

Just when you thought the Tea Party was bad…

…Here come the 2012 GOP Presidential Contenders!

On the heels of President Obama’s decision to run for re-election, we thought it would be a good time to take a look at the political positions of the GOP contenders. And – what a surprise – it’s a regular bonanza of extreme, anti-choice views coming from the GOP Presidential Players. Let’s take a quick look at some of their stances.

Mike Huckabee – At a fundraiser, Huckabee said abortion was basically the same thing as slavery before the Civil War. [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/24/huckabee-likens-abortion_n_178433.html] 

Tim Pawlenty – Decided to declare April 2010 a state-wide “Abortion Recovery Month,” and did so because the anti-choice group ‘Silent No More’ told him to. [http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0410/35687.html]

Sarah Palin – Doesn’t support abortion rights, even in cases of rape and incest. [http://juneauempire.com/stories/101906/sta_20061019031.shtml] 

Michele Bachmann – Once warned that public schools might begin to offer abortions if President Obama’s healthcare passed. [http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/61099-bachmann-warns-of-abortions-at-school]

Of course, all of these candidates (including Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich) have also reaffirmed their opposition to all services of Planned Parenthood. This goes beyond the abortion debate, too, as the vast majority of Planned Parenthood’s services include life-saving pap smears and breast exams.

Instead of following the mainstream views of most Americans, the GOP 2012 Candidates are all part of the most extreme segment of the Republican Party. They are ignoring that in Minnesota alone, Planned Parenthood has provided served over 60,000 people, many of whom consider Planned Parenthood to be their only option for basic and preventive health care. 

So get ready for the election of 2012--it should be an interesting time! 

 

--by Kyle, Web Correspondent, Planned Parenthood Advocate

Planned Parenthood Applauds Passage of Women's Health Amendment

Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota today hailed the passage of the important Women's Health Amendment, offered by Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), to the "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act." The amendment will guarantee health insurance coverage for women's basic preventive care and screenings at no cost to the patient.

"Ninety five percent of the care Planned Parenthood provides is primary and preventive, and the doctors and nurses who deliver that care witness on a daily basis the real need to ensure that women have access to critical tests, screenings, and regular check-ups. That's because preventive health care is life-saving health care," said PPMNS President and CEO Sarah Stoesz.

"Women of childbearing age spend 68 percent more in out-of-pocket health care costs than men, in part because of reproductive health-related needs. It is time that women's health is made a priority, and providing affordable access to essential care is key. We applaud Senator Mikulski and her colleagues for working to make sure that women are better off under health care reform," Stoesz said.

"Last year PPMNS provided more than 20,000 breast cancer screenings and over 17,000 cervical cancer screenings to women and families in need of health care. We see the need for meaningful health care reform each day in our 27 clinic throughout the region. On behalf of the more than 60,000 women and familes we serve each year, PPMNS would like to thank Senator Klobuchar (D-MN), Senator Franken (D-MN), Senator Conrad(D-ND), Senator Dorgan (D-ND) and Senator Johnson (D-SD) for supporting preventative health care for women in our region and across the country," said Stoesz.

The Women's Health Amendment would require health plans to cover comprehensive preventive care and screenings that address women's unique health care needs without cost sharing. Currently, coverage of comprehensive preventive health care is not guaranteed at zero cost sharing under the bill - for example, regular well-women visits, breast exams, and contraceptive services are not required to be covered at zero cost-sharing.

This amendment would require that, in addition to the care and screenings specified in the recommendations of the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), the women's preventive care outlined by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)-supported guidance would also be covered at no cost to patients. The Women's Health Amendment is critical to guaranteeing that access to women's comprehensive preventive health care is increased under the health care reform bill.

 

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PRESS CONTACT: Kathi Di Nicola
651.755.9557