Article - Texas Considers Bill to Ban Almost All Abortions

Taken from: http://motherjones.com/mojo/2011/03/texas-moves-ban-abortions-case-rape-incest


From the Texas Independent:

House Bill 2988 by state Rep. Tan Parker (R-Flower Mound) would prohibit
abortions from being performed unless a physician determines there is a
substantial risk to the woman's life or a major body function. Parker's bill
comes on the heels of a bill by state Rep. George Lavender (R-Texarkana) banning
abortions except in cases of medical necessity, rape or incest.

Among other things, Parker's bill makes no exception for cases of rape or incest, an exception that's long been considered untouchable even by many pro-lifers. It also explicitly prohibits physicians from considering possible impairments to mental health. A spokesperson for Rep. Parker told Mother Jones that the legislator "does intend to include [exemptions for rape and incest] if it moves through the process." But they're not included in the version that was filed on Thursday because Parker didn't actually write the bill; it was drafted at the behest of the Grass Roots Institute of Texas, an organization founded by conservative activist Bill Burch.

Going Into Week 10

Please pardon any typos, my keyboard is a little glitchy right now... ^^;

So I can't believe I'm starting Week 10 now! My first day will be on Tuesday, but still! Wow does time ever fly. I had a slow week last week, missed 2 days and spent half my on-site time punching buttons for an event on campus. :/ So I'm looking forward to getting back into the swing of things this week.

Article - Pregnancy Drug Price Skyrockets

Taken from: http://www.themarysue.com/pregnancy-drug-spike/


A medication for pregnant women that prevents premature birth that currently costs $10 to $20 per dose will soon cost $1,500 per dose. Why and how did this happen? In a move that was intended to make the drug Makena more available and of a more consistent quality, its manufacturer, KV Pharmaceutical, was granted a retroactive monopoly, making it the only pharmaceutical company to sell the drug and, therefore, charge whatever they want according to their own labor, research, and manufacturing costs. So, if you had any doubts whose side the pharmaceutical industry was on …

Article - Texas Gang Rape Coverage Continues to Appall

Taken from: http://jezebel.com/#!5780291/texas-gang-rape-coverage-continues-to-appall


It's not just The New York Times coverage of the gang rape of an 11-year-old girl that's like a blueprint about how not to report on rape. Today, TV got in on the act.

The Houston Chronicle reporter who appears to have done the most in-depth coverage of the case (including an egregious analysis of the child's Facebook page) was on CNN today. We understand that it can be awkward or unsettling to talk about horrible things on live TV and the reporter was trying to burnish what few details are known, but was it really necessary to go on at length about how the basketball team in the town is third-ranked but lost this week after some of its players were charged with the rape of a child?

Article - Doctor Gets Court Order to Confine Pregnant Woman Against Her Will

Taken from: http://news.change.org/stories/doctor-gets-court-order-to-confine-pregnant-woman-against-her-will


With issues like the Stupak Amendment and Nevada's Personhood Initiative in the national spotlight, I am aware that a woman's right to choose whether or not to carry a fetus to full-term is under attack.

What I didn't realize, perhaps naively, is that her right to choose how to carry a fetus is also under fire. Last March, Florida resident Samantha Burton was in week 25 of her pregnancy when she paid a visit to her doctor. Burton was showing signs of potential miscarriage, so her physician ordered bed rest. Burton explained that, as a working mother of two toddlers, bed rest simply wasn't a viable option and then proceeded to ask for a second medical opinion. Seems reasonable, right?

Article - What the Battle Against Reproductive Rights is Really About

Taken from: http://skepchick.org/2011/03/what-the-battle-against-reproductive-rights-is-really-about/


Across the United States, the news from the reproductive rights front hasn’t been that great lately. Between trying to criminalize miscarriage in Georgia to whatever the hell is going on now in South Dakota (I’ve lost track at this point), the legal right of a woman to have a child when she judges is best to is under more simultaneous attacks than it has been in quite some time.

To me, this is glaringly apparent right now in my home state of Ohio. At the beginning of 2011, we learned the newly-elected state legislative body proposed five different bills that limit abortion rights in the first eight days of the session. Five bills. In eight days. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty relieved we’ve cleared out of the way every other political issue Ohio currently faces so that we can devote most of our time and energy to introducing bills that infringe on the rights already guaranteed at the federal level to all U.S. women by Roe v. Wade and have a slim chance of making it to law.

Some People Are Just Full of Shit

Article - No Jail For Rapist Because Victim "Wanted to Party"

Wow. Alberta is the Texas of Canada, but Manitoba's not far behind. :/

~

Taken from: http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/02/24/no-jail-for-rapist-because-victim-wanted-to-party/


A convicted rapist will not go to jail because a Manitoba judge says the victim sent signals that “sex was in the air” through her suggestive attire and promiscuous conduct on the night of the attack.

Kenneth Rhodes was given a two-year conditional sentence last week that allows him to remain free in the community in a decision likely to trigger strong debate.