Roundup: Enforcement of Illinois Parental Notification Law Delayed Until 2010

Nov 23, 2009, 12:26pm

Enforcement of Illinois parental notification law delayed once again; A Montana resident challenges definition of "pro-life;" Robert P. Kennedy banned from receiving communion; Atlanta Journal Constitution columnist argues against Stupak.

NOTES FROM THE NEWS:

Illinois parental notification law put on hold again

According to Chicago Public Radio, a restraining order upheld in circuit court has once again delayed enforcement of the lllinois law requiring
doctors to notify parents that their teen daughter is seeking an abortion. The delay is in effect until at least January when the judge expects to hear briefs from
both sides before determining whether the law should stand. Attorney
Lorie Chaiten represented the American Civil Liberties Union in court. She says notifying parents about an abortion should be a matter
of choice for Illinois teens.

Helena, Montana Resident Reflects on "Pro-Life" Survey Robo-Call

In a letter to the editor of the Helena Independent Record, Helena resident Betty Lovelady writes:

“Do you consider yourself pro-life?” That was the question I was
asked by a robo call poll. I found myself in the position of having
to say, “No,” although that is far from the truth. I knew they were
really asking, “Are you against abortion?”

However, since I was raised a pacifist and have protested every war
in my lifetime, I consider myself pro-life. I am also against
capital punishment, another example of being pro-life. I believe in
the teachings of Jesus: “Love your enemies; feed the poor; take
care of the widows and orphans; return good for evil.” All of
these, in my opinion, are pro-life.

It is indicative of the sickness of our culture that the only lives
that some people are interested in are those not yet born, who are
not yet any more than potential human beings. As an ex-social
worker and juvenile probation officer, I have seen the scars, both
physical and emotional, of many unwanted children who would have
been better off never to be born to young or dysfunctional
parents.

Betty Lovelady

Helena

New York Times compares contradictory statements by Senators on health reform issues

An article in the NYT reveals just how confused the health reform debate has become, as various Senators make completely contradictory claims about the substance of the health reform bill released last week.

For example, Senator Kirsten Gilibrand (D-NY) states:

This bill will provide coverage for more than 94 percent of Americans — 98 percent when accounting for the elderly population.”

Meanwhile, Senator Chris Bond (R-MO) asserts:

“The bill still leaves 24 million Americans without insurance.”

See the article for the full range of mixed messages.

Atlanta Journal Constitution Opinion Piece Argues Against Stupak

An opinion piece in the Atlanta Journal Consitution by Cynthia Tucker compares the debates around breast cancer and abortion in health reform and asks why we don’t understand the role abortion plays in health care:

[U]nlike the advocates for breast cancer treatment, proponents of
reproductive rights battle a problem of perception. No one argues that
breast cancer is a disease requiring treatment. Pregnancy, however,
provokes a wide range of reactions — and the decision to end one stirs
controversy, sometimes among family and friends. Despite the fact that
abortion remains a legal medical procedure, its opponents would argue
that it doesn’t constitute legitimate health care.

That view springs from ignorance or callousness (or both). Let’s say
a 40-year-old mother of three finds herself unexpectedly pregnant
again. Since she suffers severe hypertension, her physician advises her
against taking the pregnancy to term because she’d risk a stroke or
worse. That’s not medical care?

Robert Kennedy banned from receiving communion

Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas Tobin has banned Rep. Patrick Kennedy
from receiving Communion, the central sacrament of the church, in Rhode
Island because of the congressman’s support for abortion rights,
Kennedy said in an interview by the Associated Press published Sunday in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

The decision by the outspoken prelate, reported on The Providence
Journal’s Web site, significantly escalates a bitter dispute between
Tobin, an ultra orthodox bishop, and Kennedy, a son of the nation’s
most famous Roman Catholic family.

According to Kennedy, the bishop told him that being refused communion was his penalty for not being "a good practicing Catholic because of the positions that
I’ve taken as a public official," particularly on abortion.

OTHER NEWS:

November 23

Just When You
Thought It Was Safe: 3 Potential Obstacles to Health-Care Reform AlterNet

Steve
Pagliuca woos female support Boston
Herald

Define pro-life Helena Independent Record

Opposing
Claims Cloud the Debate on an Overhaul New
York Times

Baltimore to
be center of abortion debate Baltimore Sun

Abortion in Tanzania: guardian.co.uk

Research by U
of A student on HIV in Africa gaining attention Edmonton Journal

Pregnant, and
in need of help Washington Post

Support is
stigmatised and scarce guardian.co.uk

Access to birth control guardian.co.uk