Emily is on vacation today so I’m taking over the Roundup post. If I miss anything, feel free to email me (contact us anytime with ideas, suggestions or comments!).

There’s One Every Single Minute

I’m going to heartily encourage everyone to head over to EndPoverty2015.org on Wednesday, March 25th for what’s sure to be an extremely fascinating, important and productive discussion on the number one killer of young women in developing countries: pregnancy and childbirth. Every minute a young woman dies trying to give life in developing nations. The UN Millennium Campaign, in partnership with Women’s eNews, will host a livechat with experts from Africa and Asia about this devastating maternal and newborn health reality. I’d be there but I’ll be discussing my own version of maternal health in North Carolina at the Breastfeeding & Feminism Symposium at UNC-Greensboro. 

Archbishop Challenges 9 year-old Rape Victim’s Excommunication?

On Religion Dispatches, Frances Kissling has a fascinating dissection about the Archbishop ("the Vatican’s top bioethics official") who spoke out against the Vatican’s harsh actions last week when the Brazilian Cardinal publicly stated that the doctor who performed an abortion on the 9 year old rape victim, along with her parents, were excommunicated – while remaining silent about the perpetrator of the rape. Kissling notes that the Brazilian Cardinal, Cardoso Sobrinho, used the occasion to "warn others" of the punishment that awaits them should they decide in favor of abortion. 

But Archbishop Fisischella may have opened the door for the Vatican to take a more compassionate view. Kissling writes:

Fisichella thought the action instead harmed “the credibility of our teaching which appears in the eyes of so many as insensitive, incomprehensible and lacking in mercy.” He suggested that Sobrinho’s first task in this situation should have been pastoral – to care for the young girl.

Read more.

Standards? Licensing? That’s Not What We Had In Mind

According to the Waco Tribune, a Waco, TX crisis pregnancy center says that if the state requires them to hire actual licensed health care professionals and abide by other state sanctioned health care standards in order to receive state government funds, they won’t be able to remain in business. How’s that for the "walk a mile in my shoes" proverb? Care Net Pregnancy Center in Waco will fight HB 2592 filed by Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston. The executive director of Care Net doesn’t think they need these kinds of imposed "standards" of care for women in Texas:

McGregor also dismissed the idea that abortion alternative groups need licensed counselors on staff. The counselors at her agency aren’t licensed but provide a valuable service to women, she said. If they think a woman needs more help than they can provide, they make referrals, she said.

The opposing view from Planned Parenthood:

Pam Smallwood, executive director of Planned Parenthood of Central Texas, said she supports the idea of abortion alternative groups being licensed. For one thing, a number of the organizations, including Care Net, advertise medical services. Yet, they only provide a small range of services that don’t include key offerings that could reduce the number of abortions, such as contraceptives, she said.

"Not Emily’s List" Pro-Choice Political Women’s Group Hires New President

The Women’s Campaign Forum, a "non-partisan organization dedicated to advancing the political participation and leadership of pro-choice women by providing the necessary encouragement, education and resources…", has hired Sam Bennett to head the organization. 

If National Health Insurance Is the Answer, What’s the Question?

How about: How can the United States lower our higher-than-any-other-industrialized-nation rates of teen pregnancy and birth? Buzzflash.com notes that while conservatives and progressives can argue about the causes, we know one thing for sure: access to health care is critical now more than ever:

Just having a job that provides benefits doesn’t necessarily mean reproductive needs are covered, however. While American women have made great strides in the past decade in getting access to contraception and the whole contraception vs. Viagra debate was clearly blown out of proportion, the fact remains that 14 percent of private health insurance plans do not cover the basic need of contraception.

 

More news to note for you:

March 20: BBC: NI abortion guidelines published
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/7954077.stm

March 19: Brownsville Herald: Budget amendment could close Planned
Parenthood in the RGV
http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/rider_96025___article.html/planned_parenthood.html

March 20: Lusaka Times: Lack of Information on Sexual reproductive
health cause of High Maternal-complications
http://www.lusakatimes.com/?p=9850

March 20: Gloria Feldt Blog: WHM #20: Sex, Washing Machines, and The
Politics of Liberation
http://www.gloriafeldt.com/heartfeldt-politics-blog/2009/3/20/whm-20-sex-washing-machines-and-the-politics-of-liberation.html

March 20: Reuters Health: Convenience ups interest in post-sex contraceptive
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090320/hl_nm/us_convenience_ups_interest_post_sex_contrac

New Report: Family Planning Saves Lives
http://www.prb.org/pdf09/familyplanningsaveslives.pdf

March 19: DMN: First hearing held on pre-abortion sonograms
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/legislature/stories/032009dntexabortion.3a25317.html

March 20: The American Catholic: Does an abortion referral twice
removed exonerate Catholic Caritas?
http://www.pewsitter.com/view_news_id_16518.php

March 19: Life News: Planned Parenthood Prez Wants Abortion in Health
Care Plan, Common Ground
http://www.lifenews.com/nat4929b.html

March 20: Amsterdam University Press: An Innovative Study On The
Abortion Debate In Japan
http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=56322&CultureCode=en

March 20: Christian News Wire: Pro-Life Leader Calls on Notre Dame to
Cancel Obama Commencement Address
http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/374049796.html

March 20: Miami Herald: Bond for Miramar mom hiked in daughter’s abortion case
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/960555.html

March 20: One News Now: Will Sebelius sign ‘common ground’ abortion bill?
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Politics/Default.aspx?id=458252

March 20: SLT: Governor goes on a bill-signing frenzy, inks 103: Long
list » Controversial measures 0n long list
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_11964266?source=rss

March 20: Time: Amid a New Baby Boom, a Jump in Adult Unwed Moms
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1886814,00.html

March 20: USA Today: Unmarried women boost record ’07 U.S. birth rate
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-03-18-birth-rates-30s_N.htm

March 20: OBOS: Wanted: Physicians to Sign Letter Supporting Birth Centers
http://www.ourbodiesourblog.org/blog/2009/03/wanted-physicians-to-sign-letter-supporting-birth-centers

March 21: Chicago Tribune: Medical professionals look into abortion rumors
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-wi-cowdrug-abortions,0,1890470.story

March 21: Op-Ed News: SCANDAL: Obama to Deliver Notre Dame Commencement
http://www.opednews.com/articles/SCANDAL-Obama-to-Deliver-by-John-Wilson-090321-920.html

March 22: LA Times: Kansas abortion trial marked by twists
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/bal-te.kansas22mar22,0,5438418.story

March 22: UPI: Bail raised for woman in abortion case
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/03/22/Bail_raised_for_woman_in_abortion_case/UPI-86451237747237/

March 22: Mail Online: Fury as High Street pharmacy  offers bulk-buy
morning-after-pill
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1163955/Fury-High-Street-pharmacy-offers-bulk-buy-morning-pill.html

March 21: Catholic News Agency: Harvard Researcher agrees with Pope on
condoms in Africa
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=15445

March 22: International News Network: Taliban seal a family planning
center in Lower Dir
http://www.onlinenews.com.pk/details.php?id=142725

March 22: Houston Chronicle: Plan B Pill: bills ask what should women know
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/6330201.html

March 19: Colorado Independent: Contraception foes share bizarre
theories, intimate lives at House hearing
http://coloradoindependent.com/24621/contraception-foes-share-bizarre-theories-intimate-lives-at-house-hearing

March 20: Herald Net: Monroe’s Planned Parenthood will close its doors
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090320/NEWS01/703209862