How many times do we have to say it? TRAP laws DO NOT benefit women’s health.
On September 15, 2011 the Board of Health (under pressure from the anti-choice Attorney General’s office) voted to approve regulations drafted by the Virginia Department of Health. Presented as a way to promote patient “safety” and “health,” these regulations will only serve to further limit patient access to first-trimester abortion care, as well as an array of services such as life-saving cancer screenings and access to birth control.
Under the new regulations, women’s health centers must come into compliance with three chapters of the 2010 Guidelines for Design and Construction of Health Care Facilities within two years. This means unnecessary and expensive construction, leaving women’s health centers closed for an extended period of time or, in some cases, closed for good due to cost. A staggering 86% of Virginia’s counties lack any abortion providers, so is hard enough for women to get access to abortion care. These building requirements that have no proven medical benefit will further reduce or eliminate that access.
We take comfort in knowing that our personal information is kept safe and confidential when going to a health clinic. However under the new regulations, the Department of Health now has the right to request all ownership information, such as security plans, without any requirement that these be kept confidential. This is a breech of trust and an absolute health risk, as abortion providers are often the targets of violence by anti-abortion extremists.
Patients are also targeted for harassment outside of health centers and there is a history of anti-choice activists attempting to obtain patient information to deter these women from receiving vital health care, so it is paramount that their information be kept safe. Now, though, Department of Health employees are allowed to request a surprise inspection of women’s health centers, disregarding whether the business is open that day or whether it is within normal business hours. This regulation requires women’s health center staff to appear within one hour and, once inside, the Department of Health employee has access to and will review patient records and may obtain a list of current patients. There is no mention of a confidentiality agreement during this inspection. It is a violation of our privacy as women who simply seek legal, safe, and affordable health care.
As you can see, the politically motivated regulations adopted by the Board of Health will put women’s health and safety at RISK. Board member James Edmonson must be applauded for standing up for women’s health by offering 17 amendments to protect the privacy, safety, and access to abortion care for Virginia women. The regulations are now headed to Governor Bob McDonnell’s office and pro-health activists are being mobilized around the state to speak out against the ridiculous restrictions brought on by TRAP.
Join us in Richmond on October 15 for the Rally for Women’s Health. The message is simple:
“The war on women ends NOW.” Buses will be arranged from several regions and you will receive all the training and materials you will need. It is important to show the governor that we are sick of being undermined and that we are ready to fight for our right to choose.
Register for the rally here: http://www.coalitionforwomenshealth.org/events/rally.shtml
As part of the health reform law passed by Congress last spring, new health insurance plans will be required to fully cover women’s preventive health care services with no co-pays. While the law does explicitly cover mammograms and pap smears as services that would now be provided to patients without out-of-pocket fees, birth control was not included in this initial list. It is now up to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to define the full list of services which will be covered under women’s preventive care.
Just a few days ago, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released their consensus report that reveals what critical gaps they found in preventive services as well as measures that will further ensure women’s health and well-being. The IOM provides independent, objective, evidence-based advice to policy makers, health professionals as well as the public. These experts recommended eight preventive health services for women be added to the services that health plans will cover at no cost to patients under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA). Guess what? Birth control is one of them!
This is such an important step in the right direction for women’s health because the cost of birth control is a major barrier to many women seeking to prevent unintended pregnancy. Not only that, but it has many other health benefits, including reduced risk of: osteoporosis, ovarian cysts, Pelvic Inflammatory Disease as well as endometrial and ovarian cancers. Not to mention half of all pregnancies in the United States are unintended and women with unintended pregnancies are more likely to have little or no prenatal care.
The eight services the IOM identified are truly necessary to the health and well-being of women. Unlike the TRAP laws (which were said to benefit the “health and safety” of women but in fact were medically irrelevant) the IOM’s recommendations are integral to supporting optimal health for women. Women need more preventive care than men because of reproductive and gender-specific conditions. It makes sense that women should be relieved of the financial punishment that has been brought upon them simply because of their sex.
The IOM’s report suggests the following services:
1) Screening for gestational diabetes
2) HPV testing as part of cervical cancer screening for women over 30
3) Counseling on STIs
4) Counseling and screening for HIV
5) Contraceptive methods and counseling to prevent unintended pregnancies
6) Lactation counseling and equipment to promote breast-feeding
7) Screening and counseling to direct and prevent interpersonal and domestic violence
8.) Yearly well-women preventive care visits to obtain recommended services
As mentioned before, it is up to the HHS to decide whether to heed the recommendations and add them into the health care reform. It is possible they will come to a decision as early as August. As you would expect, the issue of birth control coverage will be met with a certain level of opposition from anti-choice and religious groups such as the Virginia Catholic Conference. The VCC believes that contraception is a violation of “conscience rights” and claim contraception poses serious health risks. While birth control may not be something they agree with religiously, I hope people will see the big picture of the future of women’s health. Also, no one will be forced to use any of the IOM’s eight suggestions. They are there for those who want to take advantage of the services; just because you may have dental insurance doesn’t mean you absolutely must go to the dentist (even though it is for your own benefit).
The release of the consensus report is a ray of hope after the past few months of struggle. Clinics are being shut down and Planned Parenthoods around the US are being defunded. Legislators are muddying the lines of what “women’s health” really means. So, doesn’t it feel good to have credible experts stand up for you and what you have been fighting for?
For years anti-choice legislators in the General Assembly have tried to restrict Virginia women’s access to abortion via targeted regulations for abortion providers. They have tried and failed, up until now. February marked the end of the 2011 legislative session and after months of fighting against attacks on women’s health and reproductive freedom we were appalled when anti-choice lawmakers successfully implemented a last minute sneak attack on abortion providers and the women that rely on them. The attack was an amendment to SB924 – a bill that would force any facility that provided more than five first-trimester abortions a month to be redefined as a “hospital.”
Proponents of the TRAP amendment (to a bill that previously had nothing to do with abortion) assured that these regulations were, in fact, beneficial to women. They painted a picture that clinics that provide first-trimester abortions are currently unregulated and unsafe when in reality first-trimester abortion providers already adhere to regulations from the Board of Health and the Board of Medicine as well as other licensing and regulatory bodies. The truth is, first-trimester abortions are one of the safest out patient procedures – even safer than cosmetic surgery or a colonoscopy. But where are the targeted regulations to colonoscopy providers?
The changes that would be implemented by TRAP include building regulations such as the width of hallways and elevators. Clinics that do not adhere to the regulations must undergo expensive renovations which would, in some cases, simply shut the facility down. The changes TRAP would implement on clinics are completely unnecessary and do not deal with the delivery of safe first-trimester abortions in any way. This is just a way for anti-choice legislators to make access to abortion all the more difficult.
What will happen if TRAP laws are enacted? 17 of Virginia’s 21 facilities that provide abortion will be forced to shut down due to the expense of unnecessary renovations. Even the four Planned Parenthoods in the state are not safe. While Planned Parenthood facilities already adhere to a lot of the building code suggested by TRAP laws, the bill is extremely broad and detailed. The reality is Planned Parenthood could essentially be shut down because of the size of the parking lot or even the temperature of the water, depending on how far proponents of the bill go.
In a perfect world, there would be no need for abortion. But we live in a world where access to a woman’s full rage of reproductive health is being stripped away more and more each day. We live in a world that continues to teach our children abstinence-only sex education, which is a proven failure. Clinics such as Planned Parenthood not only provide abortion, but also annual exams, STI testing and treatment, cervical cancer screenings and birth control, to name a few. These clinics are also a safe haven for women to educate themselves on their reproductive health. Shutting down clinics will not stop abortions. This will only lead to women seeking alternative, and tremendously unsafe, solutions such as “back alley” abortions.
What is really scary is that we are running out of time. The new law requires that these regulations be put into action on an emergency basis. That means the Board of Health has very little time to consider comments from the general public, medical professionals and public health officials. The law, which Governor Bob McDonnell has said he will sign, gives the state Board of Health 280 days from the law’s enactment on July 1 to implement the regulations. The draft regulations will be proposed on September 1st and the public will have only TWO WEEKS to provide comments to the Board prior to, and only TWENTY MINUTES for comments during the hearing at which the Board votes on the regulation. The draft regulations voted on by the Board will go to the Governor, Attorney General and Secretary of Health for executive review. There is no period for public comment after the executive review. Moreover, the Board will not have the opportunity to vote on any changes made during the executive review before the regulations are implemented on or before January 1, 2012.
So what can you do to get involved? Write a letter to the editor or send an op-ed into your local newspaper, write a letter to the members of the Board of Health and the Commissioner’s office, visit the Department of Health offices to lobby against TRAP, testify in person to the Board of Health on September 15 or to the Health Commissioner’s Minority Health Advisory Committee on July 12. Volunteer with your local Planned Parenthood or independent clinic to help out in any way you can. Stay informed, stay involved.
Lawmakers across the country are taking steps to send women back to a time of back alley abortions and neglected reproductive health care. Anti-choice groups such as Right to Life are pushing for legislation that does not take the health and welfare of the woman into account. The anti-choice groups claim they simply want to “stop abortion”. In a perfect world, abortions would be unnecessary and everyone would have the tools and information they need to plan when and if to have children. However, this is not the case so all banning abortion without exceptions will result in dangerous and illegal procedures.
According to the Guttmacher Institute, about 570 bills to restrict abortions have been introduced in 48 states. In Texas, women will now be required to have an ultrasound 24 hours before terminating a pregnancy and doctors must give a verbal description of the fetus. Similar laws have been passed in five other states this year alone. In South Dakota, a new law requires women to undergo a 72-hour waiting period for an abortion. Last year, Nebraska became the first state to pass a 20-week abortion ban and more than a dozen states are currently debating similar bills.
Most recently, Indiana passed a far-reaching piece of legislation that enacts a 20-week abortion ban and will block $3 million in federal funding to Planned Parenthood health centers. This means patients will not be able to use Medicaid to pay for services and, potentially, 13 of the 28 clinics statewide could shut down. Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt denied Planned Parenthood’s request for relief in a lawsuit filed at the U.S. court in Indianapolis after Republican Governor Mitch Daniels signed the measure into law two days ago. Planned Parenthood officials in Indiana urged Daniels to veto the bill and said they would go to court to challenge the defunding.
Egregious anti-women’s health legislation is in direct violation of Roe v. Wade on the state level. It will end up in the Supreme Court and then we will find out if Roe v. Wade is still the law of the land or if abortion will be made unobtainable. Women have a right to safe and legal medical procedures. Laws that restrict abortion are dangerous and misguided. Help out in any way you can by volunteering at a local clinic or writing letters to the editor and stay up to date on anti-choice legislation.
On Wednesday, May 4, the House of Representatives voted and passed the new version of H.R.3, Rep. Chris Smith’s “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion” bill, which would impose an extra tax on millions of women seeking an abortion even when their health is at risk. Under current law, abortion receives no federal funding except in limited cases of rape, incest, and endangering the life of a pregnant woman. Rep. Smith introduced this bill earlier in the year (it was the third piece of legislation introduced in the new Congress; so much for job creation!) and it gained recognition for attempting to redefine rape to mean “forcible rape.” In other words, a Medicaid patient who is a victim of statutory rape would not be eligible. This version did not pass, but H.R. 3 has reared its ugly head again and has come back full force – going beyond any other proposed law to take private health care coverage away from women.
The majority of private health insurance plans (87%) include abortion coverage. This is a very common comprehensive plan that many businesses offer their employees. H.R. 3 will raise taxes on small businesses and millions of men, women, and families because the private health insurance they choose covers abortion, whether they use it or not. Small businesses are forced to make the decision to either go with a less comprehensive plan or pay the extra tax, which is ridiculous in the current economic climate. Those who have paid for private insurance plans are being told by Congress how they can use their own money that they set aside for emergencies (which is what insurance is for – emergencies). Just as no one plans to get sick or break a bone, no one plans to have an abortion, yet sometimes life circumstances make abortion a necessary medical option.
The Smith bill revives the Stupak/Pitts Amendment (defeated last year), which would force health plans to drop comprehensive coverage. This cuts off millions of women from the benefits the have today. The whole point of health care reform was to extend benefits to people who needed them, not take away benefits women already had. The Smith bill goes beyond the Stupak abortion ban because it would take existing protections away from women with life-threatening pregnancies, and it would raise taxes on those who have comprehensive health insurance which includes abortion coverage.
Should the bill pass in the Senate, the White House Administration has threatened to veto the egregious bill because it “intrudes on women’s reproductive freedom and access to health care… H.R. 3 goes well beyond these safeguards [federal funding allowed for abortions when the woman’s life is in danger, in cases of rape, incest] by interfering with consumers private health care choices.” This, however, is no guarantee. We must continue take a stand and urge the Senate to vote NO on the Smith bill and other outrageous attempts to undermine women’s access to comprehensive private health insurance coverage. Call Sen. Warner and Sen. Webb NOW and tell them to reject this attack on women’s health!
Sen. Mark Warner’s D.C. office: (202) 224-2023
Sen. Jim Webb’s D.C. office: (202) 224-4024
Governor Bob McDonnell is out for blood. He claims he is “protecting” women’s health and safety but what he is really doing is stripping away our options. The governor amended HB2434 so that Virginia healthcare insurance exchanges cannot offer coverage for abortions — and it actually passed in both the State House and Senate. This amendment also keeps women from purchasing optional riders that would cover abortion for those who want to pay for it separately outside their health plans. Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple said it best: “Since when are we telling people they cannot spend their own money on something private insurance companies offer? This goes farther than we’ve ever gone before.”
According to the Guttmacher Institute, more than 80% of private insurance plans now provide abortion coverage.” So what’s going on, Virginia? Why won’t our lawmakers get on the bandwagon? The government is prohibiting insurance coverage for a LEGAL medical procedure, which affects such a wide range of Virginia women. Our government officials are on a crusade to make it nearly impossible for women to make our own conscious and private decisions. Health insurance exists to protect ourselves for the unexpected. No one plans to have an abortion, but every woman has the right to make her own choice regarding her reproductive health.
McDonnell also added an amendment to reinsert abstinence-only funding in the Virginia budget. This funding was included in the House budget, but left out of the final budget, which the General Assembly approved and sent to the governor. Anti-choice Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling cast a tie-breaking vote in favor of McDonnell’s amendment, which would allocate $380,000 for an abstinence-only sex education fund.
In February, legislators voted to make Virginia the first state to require clinics that provide first-trimester abortions to comply with hospital-level restrictions. Mind you, these restrictions are not forced upon other doctors performing similar outpatient procedures such as Lasik eye surgery or oral surgery. The changes that will have to be made to many providers’ offices and procedures are costly and medically unnecessary, making it difficult for abortion providers to offer vital reproductive health services to women in Virginia. In this instance, Lt. Gov. Bolling also cast the tie-breaking vote.
Virginia lawmakers are doing everything in their power to limit women’s access to comprehensive medically accurate sex education and access to the full range of safe, legal reproductive care. It’s an all-out war on women’s health and it’s time for us to fight back!
A letter to the editor, published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch on March 29, 2011:
I am a woman. I require preventive health care such as annual pelvic and breast exams, cancer screenings and birth control. As a woman without insurance, my options are limited. Planned Parenthood has been there for women like me for almost 100 years, offering low-cost birth control and other preventive care.
A small but vocal minority of social conservatives are planning an assault on women’s health, proposing to bar Planned Parenthood from receiving any federal funds. This outrageous proposal does not reduce government spending since it is not a budget cut. All it will do is keep Planned Parenthood from receiving federal funds for preventive care from existing federal programs like Medicaid. The 1.4 million people who rely on Planned Parenthood for health services would have nowhere to turn.
Your tax dollars are not paying for abortions. Planned Parenthood does not receive federal funding (or state funding in Virginia) for abortions. At stake is routine health care that saves lives. Eliminating funding for Planned Parenthood means more women getting sick, more unintended pregnancies and women detecting cancer at a later, more dangerous stage. The cuts will not help reduce the deficit, as every dollar that is spent on prevention saves about $4 on future costs.
I am infuriated that social conservatives have put forth so much effort in taking away my options and access to basic reproductive health care when they campaigned on job creation. I am also excited that we have an opportunity to get a say in this decision thanks to the Stand Up for Women’s Rights Rally and Lobby Day on Thursday, April 7 in Washington. This is our chance to let Congress hear about the critical importance of protecting the full range of women’s health care.
Thursday, February 24, 2011 (exactly two weeks ago) was, as Senator Howell put it, “A sad, sad day for Virginia women and our families.” That was the day the Virginia General Assembly voted to restrict access to first-trimester abortion. Anti-choice Del. Kathy Byron added an amendment to SB 924, a bill with an amendment redefining “hospital” to include “facilities in which five or more first-trimester abortions per month are performed.” What makes four first-trimester abortions safe and five unsafe? This was a sneak attack on Planned Parenthood and the Board of Health will now have to make first-trimester abortion providers conform to hospital regulations in order to stay open. This includes hallway width, parking lot size, elevator door size and other building restrictions that have nothing to do with the health and safety of women in need of a first-trimester abortion. Renovations are extremely expensive, so these non-medical building restrictions would force providers who cannot afford an architectural update to shut down, in turn making access to first-trimester abortion more difficult for the women that need it.
After this TRAP (Targeted Regulations on Abortion Providers) bill was passed, we said that the fight was not over and we would never give up. Well, last night things began to look up as the United States Senate rejected two anti-choice proposals. The first, H.R.1, would eliminate the Title X family planning program and would prohibit Planned Parenthood from receiving any federal funding. This was defeated with a vote of 56-44. The second proposal that failed to pass by a vote of 58-42 was an alternative to H.R.1, which would fund Title X at current levels but would NOT include the devastating “rider” that keeps Planned Parenthood from receiving federal funding to provide preventative health care services.
Although this is a step in the right direction, we must realize the battle is not over. Anti-choice legislators are fighting to strip all funding from Planned Parenthood and will continue to aggressively propose egregious legislation that will do so. Budget cuts are to be expected, but to what degree and when this will happen, we do not know. Access to safe, legal abortion and preventative care is not something that we can afford to lose. It is so important to have supporters as we fight against anti-choice legislation and we must thank Virginia senators Mark Warner and Jim Webb for voting against these oppressive proposals and taking a stand to fight for women’s rights and health.
A secretly taped, edited video made by an organization whose mission is to close Planned Parenthood health centers is being used to make false claims about our services. This organization pretended to be engaged in the sex trade, involving young vulnerable teens, as a political hoax to further their agenda. We treat these accusations with the utmost seriousness, and firmly condemn using the issue of sexual exploitation as a political tool.
A man and woman posing as sex workers entered VLPP and inquired about sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing, birth control options, and abortions for underage girls. This anti-choice extremist organization has publicized these videos in an effort to pressure lawmakers to defund Planned Parenthood but what the video really showed was a Richmond clinic worker who acted professionally and appropriately, informing the couple of their legal rights to privacy under the law, regardless of their backgrounds.
Many states, including Virginia, require medical professionals to report evidence of alleged sex crimes involving minors. After the encounter, the staff member immediately notified her supervisor, who subsequently notified members of Planned Parenthood’s national security team, who are working with the FBI, which is investigating these visits.
The Virginia League for Planned Parenthood is proud of the high quality health care services we have provided to more than 12,000 women, men and teens each year for nearly 70 years. Our mission is to ensure that individuals and families have the freedom, information, and ability to make their own informed reproductive choices. These attacks have only reinforced the fact that Planned Parenthood is committed as ever to meeting the reproductive health needs of women in the Richmond area.
Last Thursday, January 13, 2011, Del. Bob Marshall and fellow anti-choice extremists organized rally to support anti-choice legislation and the passage of HB 1428: Targeted Regulations for Abortion Providers (TRAP).
The rally featured representatives of several anti-choice organizations as well as an audio of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s niece, Alveda King. What is outrageous is the fact that her uncle was a great advocate of women’s reproductive rights, and for this he was awarded the Planned Parenthood Federation of America Margaret Sanger Award on May 5, 1966. Alveda King is a Pastoral Associate of Priests for Life and continually takes Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s words out of context and uses them in her anti-choice extremist speeches.
Dr. John Seeds, M.D., former head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Medical College of Virginia, shared his support of TRAP, claiming that 17 of Virginia’s 21 abortion facilities do not meet minimum public health standards and should be closed. Watch his speech here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhsuBSZPr8I.
Patricia Phillips, a candidate from the 33rd District who is running for State Senate, was handing out business cards that read: “If it’s not that much money to Virginia, and it’s not that much money to Planned Parenthood, then it’s really just a matter of principle! Defund Planned Parenthood.” When asked how much money Planned Parenthood received from the state, Ms. Phillips was unable to answer the question.
At this rally, Del. Marshall’s supporters and followers spread outright lies about Planned Parenthood, our provision of health services, and most importantly, our mission. That is why it is SO IMPORTANT for all pro-choice activists to join us at Pro-Choice Lobby Day on Thursday, January 27, 2011. Our presence at the General Assembly is critical to keep the pressure on legislators to vote responsibly and not ideologically. Let your legislators know that the majority of Virginians support common-sense prevention!