Tag: GOP war on women’s rights

Republicans Prepare for Upcoming Abortion Vote

The following article by Sandhya Raman was posted on the Roll Call website January 26, 2018:

Votes not likely there in Senate, but measure could be a midterm issue

Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford is among the proponents of the legislation to ban late-term abortions. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Senate Republicans are readying for a vote next week on a late-term abortion bill. And while it’s unlikely they will have the votes to pass it, abortion opponents say the measure could play a role in the 2018 midterm elections.

The bill would ban abortions after the 20-week mark, while providing exceptions for rape, incest or the endangerment of a woman. It passed the House along party lines last year and has been waiting on a Senate vote.

However, with a 60-vote threshold for passage, Republicans face a tough path ahead. The legislation was recently listed as a top priority of anti-abortion groups. Continue reading “Republicans Prepare for Upcoming Abortion Vote”

Rhetoric vs. Reality: Why Access to Contraception Matters to Women

The following article by Shilpa Phadke, Jamila Taylor and Nikita Mhatre was posted on the Center for American Progress website November 15, 2017:

A demonstrator holds up a sign outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, June 2014. Credit: AP/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

On October 6, 2017, the Trump administration announced two rules that severely undermine the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) contraceptive coverage mandate.1 This attack on access to birth control and other forms of contraception is being touted as a protection of religious liberty, but it is really a justification to discriminate against individuals who want and need access to contraception. Under the ACA, religiously affiliated organizations could opt out of providing contraception but were required to notify the government or another third party that they were doing so.2 This guaranteed that employees would still have access to no-cost contraception through their insurance companies. The new rules, however, are much more expansive and allow any individual or organization—whether a private company, university, or insurer—to deny contraceptive coverage to their employees based on religious or moral objection. Employers no longer even have to report that decision to the government; they can simply deny birth control coverage to women who currently have it. Continue reading “Rhetoric vs. Reality: Why Access to Contraception Matters to Women”