Supporters of Abortion Rights Should Fear a Supreme Court Shaped by Romney 12JUN12

ABORTION rights, family planning, birth control, access to cancer screenings will all be at risk if romney should become president. American women will be pushed back to the 1950s and they, along with their families, will suffer. American pundits fret and stew about the rights of women in Islamic countries and the Third World while ignoring the real threat to women from mitt romney and the gop / tea-baggers. This from Mother Jones....

—By Nick Baumann

Mitt Romney, shown here waving goodbye to legal abortion in red states. Gage Skidmore/Flickr

Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court case that paved the way for legal abortions in America, is likely to be in serious danger if GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney is elected in November. The future of the nation's highest court hasn't gotten a lot of attention this election year, but the subject was thrown into stark relief on Friday, when Cecile Richards, the president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, discussed it with a group of journalists at Netroots Nation. "Oh my god, it's just immeasurable how bad it would be," Richards said in response to a question from my colleague Andy Kroll about Romney's potential impact on the court. "It's difficult to make it a voting issue for average Americans because they don't think of the Supreme Court every morning when they get up. But the next nominees to this court are going be critical."
Given the aging profile of the Supreme Court, the next president is expected to nominate several justices. The court already has an active conservative majority, and the next nomination is likely to be for the spot of liberal justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who is 79. Stephen Breyer, another liberal justice, is 73; conservative Antonin Scalia and Republican-appointed Anthony Kennedy (often the swing vote) are 76 and 75, respectively. If all four step down during the next administration—something that's certainly possible—whoever is president will have an opportunity to reshape the court in his image. Barack Obama, who supports abortion rights, would be able to ensure that abortion remains legal for the foreseeable future. Romney, who believes states should be allowed to outlaw abortion, would almost certainly be able to ensure that would happen. (The Senate does have to confirm Supreme Court nominees, so control of that body will matter, too.)
Here are more of Richards' comments:

Oh my god, it's just immeasurable how bad it would be. I think right now, there are several cases that could get to the court on Roe. I don't think anyone is confident that Roe will be upheld. You see more and more bills pass and signed at the state level that are unconstitutional under Roe and I think again the Supreme Court, it's difficult to make it a voting issue for average Americans because they don't think of the Supreme Court every morning when they get up. But the next nominees to this court are going to be critical. There's just no way to overstate that.
[...]
The real concern is what could happen in this country if Roe is overturned or just continues to get chipped away at, and it just becomes a country more and more where women are safe in some states and not safe in others. That's clearly what Mr Romney would like to see. I've seen that around the world and it's not pretty. The divide that you see and we're already seeing in this country is that women who have access to reproductive care—safe and legal abortion, birth control, cancer screenings—it becomes a have and have-not, and that's what really of concern. Reproductive health care will always be available to women who have money. But not for women who are struggling just to have access to basic care.

 

Nick Baumann

News Editor

Nick Baumann covers national politics and civil liberties issues for Mother Jones' DC Bureau. For more of his stories, click here. You can also follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Email tips and insights to nbaumann [at] motherjones [dot] com. RSS | Twitter

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Mitt Romney Wants to "Get Rid" of Planned Parenthood. Tell him no! 14MAR12

mitt romney continues his war against women by pledging to get rid of Planned Parenthood if he is elected president. He doesn't care about the millions of women who receive their breast cancer and cervical cancer screenings through planned parenthood. He doesn't care about the millions of women who receive their birth control, or the tens of thousands of individuals who receive health services through Planned Parenthood. He is so stupid, so blinded by his hatred of women's rights he can't even see that the birth control services provided by Planned Parenthood PREVENT ABORTIONS!!!! His views and plans for women are ignorant, and while his wife may choose to be subject to his ignorance the rest of us don't have to. Click the link to sign the petition telling romney American women and a lot of American men are watching him and don't support his plans for Planned Parenthood....

Get Involved

Mitt Romney Wants to "Get Rid" of Planned Parenthood. Tell him no!

Unbelievable. While campaigning in Missouri, Mitt Romney laid out his priorities if he becomes president. And he came right out and said what he and so many other anti-choice, anti-women's health politicians want to eliminate: "Planned Parenthood — we're going to get rid of that."

Watch the video for yourself — then take action. Tell Mitt Romney and every other candidate for office that you won't stand by while they try to tear down Planned Parenthood and turn back the clock on women's health.

To the 2012 candidates for office:
I hear what you are saying. I see what you are doing. And I'm watching...
I stand with the 157 million women and girls living in the United States. Women make up more than half of the nation's population, and we — women and men who care about women's health — are watching because our health and our lives are on the line. We are watching out for each other, and we are watching political candidates like hawks.
The coming elections will determine the futures of us all — sisters, mothers, grandmothers, daughters, aunts, and friends.
I pledge that I'll be one of millions of women and men across America WATCHING, THINKING, ACTING and VOTING to protect my health and that of my family, friends and neighbors.

Click here to see the full text of the pledge >>

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BREAKING: Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation restores partnership 3FEB12

STATEMENT from Planned Parenthood on the komen foundation's decision to restore funding for Planned Parenthood's breast cancer screening program.

Today, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation announced that it will continue to make grant funds for breast health and education available to Planned Parenthood health centers. It's terrific news, and we are gratified that Planned Parenthood's partnership with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation will continue to make this care available to women in need. We are also grateful for the simply astonishing outpouring of support for women's health this week. In the past few days, millions of Americans have rededicated themselves to protecting women's health and expanding access to lifesaving breast cancer screenings to every woman. This compassionate outcry of support for those most in need rose above political, ideological, and cultural divides, and will surely be recognized as one of our nation's better moments during a contentious political time. I am so proud and so grateful for each and every person who has contributed to elevating the importance of breast cancer prevention for so many women in need. Over the last three days, Planned Parenthood Federation of America's Breast Health Fund has received more than $3 million from thousands of people across the country. Every dollar we received for this fund will go directly to breast exams and diagnostic services, as well as breast health outreach and education so that more women can receive this critical care. Our first priority is to fill any gaps in service in the 19 communities where Komen Foundation grants support Planned Parenthood health centers' breast care programs. The extraordinary generosity will also allow us to help expand Planned Parenthood breast health services nationwide far beyond what we ever thought possible. Planned Parenthood provides nearly 750,000 clinical breast exams each year at health centers across the country, but we know there are hundreds of thousands of women who need these services but still don't have access to them. The Planned Parenthood Breast Health Fund will enable us to reach these women and ensure they have access to affordable, quality clinical breast exams. In short, this outpouring of public support will lead more women to detect breast cancer earlier, and will save more women's lives. We are enormously grateful that the Komen Foundation has clarified its grantmaking criteria, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with Komen partners, leaders, and volunteers. What these past few days have demonstrated is the deep resolve all Americans share in the fight against cancer, and we are proud to be a leading source for women seeking preventive care. Thank you for standing with Planned Parenthood, and for being a crucial part of the movement to protect and promote women's health. Sincerely, Cecile Richards, President Planned Parenthood Federation of America P.S. We've heard so many inspiring and deeply moving stories from Planned Parenthood supporters this week. If you'd like to share your story on women's health, click here. visit plannedparenthood.org © 2012 Planned Parenthood Federation of America | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use

Repost: What Planned Parenthood actually does, in one chart 2FEB11

WITH all the controversy about Planned Parenthood here is a chart and article and links about the services they provide from the Washington Post

(Planned Parenthood)
Judging from its unexpected jump into the most-read list, this graph showing the breakdown of care provided by Planned Parenthood’s health centers is proving useful to people. So here it is again, lifted from April. Note the light blue slice, which suggests that cancer screenings account for approximately one-sixth of Planned Parenthood’s activities.
With Planned Parenthood being either the major obstacle to a budget deal or one of the major obstacles to a budget deal, it’s worth taking a minute explaining what they do — and what they don’t do.
As you can see in the chart atop this post, abortion services account for about 3 percent of Planned Parenthood’s activities. That’s less than cancer screening and prevention (16 percent), STD testing for both men and women (35 percent), and contraception (also 35 percent). About 80 percent of Planned Parenthood’s users are over age 20, and 75 percent have incomes below 150 percent of the poverty line. Planned Parenthood itself estimates it prevents more than 620,000 unintended pregnancies each year, and 220,000 abortions. It’s also worth noting that federal law already forbids Planned Parenthood from using the funds it receives from the government for abortions.
So though the fight over Planned Parenthood might be about abortion, Planned Parenthood itself isn’t about abortion. It’s primarily about contraception and reproductive health. And if Planned Parenthood loses funding, what will mainly happen is that cancer screenings and contraception and STD testing will become less available to poorer people. Folks with more money, of course, have many other ways to receive all these services, and tend to get them elsewhere already.
The fight also isn’t about cutting spending. The services Planned Parenthood provides save the federal government a lot of money. It’s somewhat cold to put it in these terms, but taxpayers end up bearing a lot of the expense for unintended pregnancies among people without the means to care for their children. The same goes for preventable cancers and sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS. You can find a lot more information about Planned Parenthood and its services here.