Blogs Comment On Tiller's Death, Sotomayor, Other Topics
The following summarizes selected women"s health-related blog entries.~ "Dr. Tiller -- A Gynecological Superhero," Frances Irwin, Below the Waist: Kansas abortion provider George Tiller, who was shot to death on Sunday, was "a superhero" who "never failed to serve his patients regardless of the level of property damage, physical injury and intimidation he was subjected to as a result of his service," Irwin, who works for a Wisconsin-based family planning agency, writes. Irwin notes that, for nearly a year, the clinic she works at has been targeted by "pro-life" demonstrators. At various points they"ve carried signs reading, "Family planners promote child promiscuity," "Stop ALL Abortion," "Birth Control Leads to Abortion," and that new signs mention her by name. In the wake of Tiller"s death, Irwin writes that she "realize[s] that I could be intentionally injured by someone who opposes my work." She concludes, "To some extent allowing myself to worry about this feels like cowardice because Dr. Tiller was a superhero. And that"s a lot to aspire to" (Irwin, Below the Waist, 6/4).~ "Let"s Make an Abortion Deal," William Saletan, Slate"s "Human Nature": Some participants in the White House meetings to discuss abortion in the U.S. "aren"t trying hard enough" to find "common ground" and are "refusing the simplest concessions," Saletan writes. Saletan offers four recommendations to advocates on both side of the debate, including removing the distinction between reducing the number of abortions versus reducing the need for abortions. He writes, "No ordinary person sees a difference" between the two,"[s]o let"s focus on reduction through voluntary means and stop quibbling over how it"s described." His other recommendations include antiabortion-rights advocates conceding to increased access to contraception and both sides giving up "extremism." Saletan"s final recommendation is that abortion-rights opponents allow federal funding for reproductive health groups that offer abortion information or services. He writes that a ban on direct funding for abortions is "fine, " but the "indirect funding Obama restored is hardly radical," adding, "You might even discover that the most efficient way to prevent abortions in the long term is to fund the family planning organizations you keep trying to defund" (Saletan, "Human Nature," Slate, 6/4).~ "The ABCs of Antiabortion Activism," Tracy Clark-Flory, Salon"s "Broadsheet": Tiller"s murder "has opened up a Pandora"s box for pro-lifers, giving rise to all sorts of troublesome questions about the culpability of lenient law enforcement and the movement itself," Clark-Flory writes. She continues, "They certainly won"t find salvation from Pandagon"s Amanda Marcotte, who got her mitts on a disturbing antiabortion activist handbook" now online from Justice for All "that lays bare some of the lies, deception and cynical manipulation that might have led to Tiller"s assassination." According to Clark-Flory, "The single justifiable situation for an abortion is ectopic pregnancy, the manual explains," adding, "Deception of that sort is found throughout the handbook." She writes, "Activists are instructed that when confronting targets they are to pretend that they"re A-OK with contraception" so that "their mark will let his or her guard down and think that, you know, there"s actually a rational, fact-based discussion to be had." Clark-Flory continues, "The truth, of course, is that the manual goes on to arm activists with medical misinformation that they can spread about birth control." She concludes that Marcotte "puts this tactical deceit in perfect context: "It shows one face to the initiated and another to the public, especially on the topic of contraception. Once you realize this, the movement"s half-hearted denunciations of Dr. Tiller"s murder, coupled with the enthusiastic return to calling Dr. Tiller a monster, become all the more chilling"" (Clark-Flory, "Broadsheet," Salon, 6/4).~ "Late-Term Abortions: Facts
Mental Health
State Experts Discuss Health Care Reform Efforts And Lessons At PFCD Event
The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) held a Capitol Hill briefing to discuss comprehensive state health care reform efforts, why some succeeded and others failed, and why focusing on reducing the burden of chronic disease should be at the center of our national effort to reform health care. "As Congress and the Obama Administration look to reform health care across the nation, state level reform efforts can offer important insights about navigating the politics and process while forming the policy," said Ken Thorpe, Ph.D., PFCD Executive Director, who moderated the event. "These reform efforts show that by focusing on core elements to improve the health of uninsured and insured citizens alike - such as supporting coverage as well as enhancing the primary care network, improving care coordination, and strengthening community level health res - we can control costs and do it in a way that achieves bipartisan consensus." Panelists discussed health reform efforts in several U.S. states, including Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts, North Carolina and West Virginia. In addition, Thorpe talked about the effectiveness of community health teams (CHTs), which already exist in Vermont, North Carolina, Rhode Island, and soon West Virginia and Pennsylvania, at managing and preventing chronic disease. CHTs have been included in health care proposals issued by the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. "Clearly, national reform encounters some different hurdles than state reform," said Thorpe. "However, many of these state programs adhere closely to the route proposed by President Obama and Senate leaders such as Max Baucus, which is why they will become even more important examples as we approach a turning point in the health care reform process. What they show is that fundamental national reform will require legislation designed to reduce the growth in spending, provide high-quality, efficient medical and preventive care for all Americans, and roll out community level res and support that make it easier for Americans to lead healthy, active lives." About the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease: The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) is a national and state-based coalition of patients, providers, community organizations, business and labor groups, and health policy experts committed to raising awareness of the number one cause of death, disability, and rising health care costs in the U.S.: chronic disease. Partnership to Fight Chronic DiseaseTeam amazing race commented:
Its quite interesting about knowing it from this information. I like it. Thanks for the information.
23.05.2012