I said that I would focus on health care reform and women; now that health care reform has reached the Senate for reconciliation, I have some feminist objections.
But first, good things in health care reform that help women's reproductive rights:
--contraceptives are covered under a package with required basic benefits that include maternity care and preventative care, such as mammograms
--more women have access to family planning
--limits on gender and age rating
OBJECTIONS:
--no public option
--the Nelson Compromise severely restricts women's right to choose: federal money will only go to abortions in the case of rape, incest, or fatal danger to the mother's health. Those who want an abortion option in their health care plan have to pay two different payments. Also, states can choose to not have abortion covered if they pass a law restricting their Insurance Exchange from including plans that offer abortion coverage.
What Women's Rights Organizations are Saying:
"[W]omen were forced to pay a price. Abortion was the only medical procedure singled out with punitive restrictions. We must repeal the Hyde Amendment"--Eleanor Smeal, President of the Feminist Majority Foundation
"The legislation includes an onerous provision that requires Americans to write two separate checks if the insurance plan they choose includes abortion coverage. This unacceptable bureaucratic stigmatization could cause insurance carriers to drop abortion coverage, even though more than 85 percent of private plans currently cover this care for women."--Nancy Keenan, NARAL Pro-choice America
Articles and Blogs about Health Care Reform and Women:
Feminist Wire
Ms. Magazine Blog
Bitch Magazine
Frances Kissling
Women's Rights Organizations and Activists Statements:
Nancey Keenan on the Executive Order
Nancey Keenan on Health Reform
Planned Parenthood
Eleanor Smeal
Image Courtesy of the National Women's Law Center's Being a Woman is not a Pre-existing Condition Campaign
Although I agree with the specific good things and objections listed in this blog post, I am pleasantly surprised by any coverage of abortion in a bill that was semi-bipartisan. The abortion coverage is limited, yes, but it is still made available to women in less than dire circumstances.
ReplyDeleteMore hurdles for health care may come with Senator Coburn's proposed amendments to the bill (http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2010/03/health-reform-and-viagra-for-sex-offenders.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter). These amendments include prohibiting the sale of erectile dysfunction medication to sex offenders. Whether this is constitutional is debatable, as we will see in the coming weeks. Coburn's amendments (and any future amendments like his) may cause many problems for the Democrats in the future.
-Rachel
Rachel,
ReplyDeleteI think with the controversial issue of abortion that value or personal moral judgments should not be imposed upon women or anyone else. I am somewhat happy with the health care bill (like the limits on gender rating) but abortion coverage and high costs for same-sex couples go against my political beliefs.
I have to agree with you that sex offenders and felon limits can be problematic. Thank you for pointing that out!
--Nona