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Volume XIV, Number 37 / April 16, 1999
CONTACT MEMBERS OF THE SENATE
the time is now to ask senators to co-sponsor the Equity in Prescription Insurance and Contraceptive Coverage legislation that will be introduced shortly in the Senate. Special attention should be given to those who signed on the last session and those who are new to the Senate.
Important Dates
May 28-June 1
Memorial Day recess
June 8-10
PPFA Political Academy and Lobby Day in Washington, D.C.
July 3-11
July 4th recess
Plan now to meet with members while they are home.
House Committee Includes UNFPA Funding In State Department Reauthorization Bill
On April 14th there was a significant victory for international family planning when the House International Relations Committee approved a pro-family planning amendment to the State Department Authorization bill (H.R. 1211) by a vote of 23-17. The amendment, which was offered by Rep. Tom Campbell (R-CA), would allow for a U.S. contribution to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
The bill was voted out of the International Operations and Human Rights Subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), with a prohibition on funding for UNFPA if it continues to work with programs in China. The prohibition would have been lifted only if the president certified to Congress that no coerced abortions have taken place in China the previous year.
The Campbell amendment replaces the Smith language. It authorizes $25 million for UNFPA in FY 2000 and $35 million in FY 2001. None of these funds could be used in UNFPA’s programs in China, and they must be held in a segregated fund to assure that they are not co-mingled with other UNFPA funds. In order to receive the funds, UNFPA must certify that it does not fund abortions. The amount of the U.S. contribution would be reduced on a dollar-for-dollar basis for each dollar that UNFPA spends in China unless the president certifies that its program in China:
- Focuses on improving the delivery of voluntary family planning information and services;
- Conforms to internationally recognized human rights principles;
- Implements activities only in 32 countries in China where all targets and quotas have been abolished and coercive practices eliminated;
- Works in consultation with and under the oversight of its Executive Board, composed of representatives of 36 member-states including the U.S.;
- Subjects itself to regular independent monitoring; and
- Suspends operations in any country found to be in violation of program guidelines.
PPFA to Provide Reproductive Health Supplies For Kosovar Refugees; Vatican Objects
PPFA has announced $50,000 contributions to two relief organizations to help with the reproductive health needs of Kosovar refugees. One donation will go to UNFPA, which is shipping emergency reproductive health kits to Albania. UNFPA's goal is to provide enough kits to serve 350,000 women for a three- to six-month period. The kits, which have been developed by a group of UN agencies and non-governmental organizations, include clean delivery supplies to assist women with the birth of babies in areas without medical facilities. UNFPA expects between 5,500 and 6,000 deliveries a month among the refugees. The kits also contain emergency contraceptives for the untold number of women who have been victims of rape as they have been forced from their homes.
PPFA also will be providing $50,000 to the Albanian Family Planning Association, which reportedly is in desperate need of supplies and personnel to provide a variety of health care and counseling services to the refugees.
According to the State Department, Kosovo has one of the two highest fertility rates in Europe. The State Department reports that approximately 10 percent of the refugees are either pregnant, breastfeeding or caring for very young infants. Their need for supplies and services is extremely pressing.
In addition to the $100,000 contribution, PPFA also will be coordinating efforts among its staff and volunteers nationwide to raise additional funds. In a press release, PPFA President Gloria Feldt said she hoped the fund drive could at least match the initial PPFA contribution.
"We are pained by the terrible suffering refugee women and their families are enduring," said Feldt, "and believe it should not be compounded by ignoring their reproductive health needs. ... Reproductive health is a basic human right and Planned Parenthood is proud to support efforts to ensure these emergency needs are met."
Meanwhile, the Vatican has raised objections to the use of emergency contraception among the refugee women. According to an Associated Press story, Monsignor Elio Sgreccia, vice president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, called emergency contraception an "abortion technique." He said a distinction must be made between "the act of violence suffered and the reality of new human beings who have begun their life."
Feldt responded to the Vatican's criticism saying that it was unthinkable to deny women access to these services "when you take into consideration the horrible psychological and physical damage of sexual assault."
IN THE STATES - State Legislative Update
California Senate Approves Contraceptive Equity Bill
On April 12, the California Senate voted 23-11 (two more than the two-thirds majority needed for the bill's approval) to send the contraceptive equity bill to the House for consideration. The bill would require insurance companies that provide prescription coverage to their clients to provide coverage for contraceptive drugs and devices in the same manner. A similar bill is being considered in the House. The House bill also would require the same coverage equity in health maintenance organizations. Similar legislation has been approved by the legislature in the past, but former Gov. Pete Wilson (R) repeatedly vetoed it. Newly elected Gov. Gray Davis (D) says he supports this measure.
Iowa House Resists Attempt To Rescind Increase In Family Planning Funding
In part through the lobbying efforts of family planning advocates, including Planned Parenthood activists and those from the Family Planning Council of Iowa, the state legislature approved increased funding for family planning services in the state's budget. According to Suzi Alexander of PP of Greater Iowa, the increase will bring the program to a level that will cover approximately three-quarters of the women in the state in need of family planning services.
Last week, Senate opponents attempted to transfer $400,000 from the family planning budget to fund an abstinence-only sex education program. This was rejected by a vote of 35-61. Alexander says she expects a similar effort to cut funds to be proposed when the budget is debated in the House.
Abortion Ban Bills Fail In Florida And Maryland
The Florida Senate Health, Aging and Long Term Care Committee voted 4-3 to defeat a so-called "partial birth" abortion bill, entitled by its sponsor, the "Fetus Transitioning into a Person Act." This appears to end the bill's chance for passage this year, and likely next year. This was quite a shock for proponents of the measure, who assumed that with an anti-choice majority in the legislature and anti-choice Gov. Jeb Bush (R) in office, this bill would be a cinch to pass. A similar bill that passed two years ago obtained the necessary super-majority to override Gov. Lawton Chiles's (D) veto. That bill was enjoined by a federal judge last summer and ruled unconstitutional in November.
In Maryland, the House of Delegates defeated a so-called "partial birth" abortion bill by a two-vote margin. The Senate had approved the bill by a vote of 25-22 two weeks earlier. Proponents of the measure say they will "retool" the bill and bring it back next year. Gov. Parris Glendening (D) has said he will not support a bill that does not protect a woman's health as well as her life.
Contraceptive Equity Stalled In North Carolina
Approval of a bill requiring insurers to cover contraceptive drugs and devices in the same manner that they cover other prescription drugs and devices hit a snag in the North Carolina House. The bill already has been approved by the House Health Committee and was set for floor debate. A coalition of opponents of the bill - opponents of family planning and abortion and those with ties to the insurance industry - sent the bill to the House Insurance Committee. According to a story in the April 12 edition of the Winston-Salem Journal, the delay also may be a result of a power struggle in the state House and in state politics.
Other Florida Anti-Choice Bills Still Pending
The Florida bill that would require that onerous regulations be imposed on those doctors and facilities that provide abortions in Florida appears to have reached a dead end for this session. It has been approved by one committee, but still awaits action in another. According to a story in the April 7 edition of the Tampa Tribune, John Dowless, executive director of the Florida chapter of the Christian Coalition, wrote a letter to the Senate president on behalf of his organization and other anti-choice groups including the Florida Catholic Conference, Florida Right to Life and the Eagle Forum. In the letter he said he believed that the only way the bill would progress would be if the Senate leader would appoint another member who was known to support this anti-choice measure to the committee for the duration of the session. The Senate president refused to stack the committee, and the bill has not been acted upon despite the fact that it is sponsored by the committee's chair. In the House, the bill has been approved by one committee, but has not been scheduled for debate in a second.
The bill with the most likelihood of success is a one that would require that parents of a minor be notified prior to the minor obtaining an abortion. This bill is scheduled for action this week in both houses of the legislature.
Oklahoma Legislature Imposes Regulations On Abortion Providers
On April 12, anti-choice members of the Oklahoma legislature included a number of abortion regulations on unrelated bills. In the Senate, an amendment to a substance abuse bill would make doctors liable for all future medical expenses related to abortions performed on a minor if the doctor does not obtain the consent of a parent before performing the procedure. The amendment also requires that only a licensed anesthesiologist administer anesthesia during an abortion procedure. Further, it would require that clinics and hospitals the perform abortions "rank" doctors' performance and make it available to prospective patients upon request.
In the House, an amendment requiring parental notification for a minor to obtain an abortion was attached to a Medicaid bill, which then was passed 100-0.
Both bills now go to conference committees to work out differences, including the anti-choice amendments.
Kansas House Further Restricts Access To Abortions of Viable Fetuses
By a voice vote, the Kansas House gave first round approval to a bill that would further restrict access to any abortion performed in the latter stages of pregnancy. The bill bars all abortions on viable fetuses except to prevent "substantial and irreversible" damage to "a major bodily function" of the pregnant woman. This is the same language that was approved by the legislature last year and signed by Gov. Bill Graves (R) with the understanding that the language included mental health considerations.
This bill does not include any reference to so-called "partial birth" abortions and does not include a specific exemption for mental health problems.
The legislature devised these changes specifically to impact Wichita Dr. George Tiller's late-term abortion practice. Dr. Tiller's practice appeared unaffected by last year's legislation.
According to an article in the April 14 edition of the Wichita Eagle, the bill will face a more difficult road in the state Senate. Gov. Graves has said he cannot support the bill in its present form, and Senate leaders say they are not likely to approve a bill they know will be vetoed by the governor.
Indiana House Approves License Plate Bill That Would Fund Anti-Choice Groups
On April 12, the Indiana House approved a bill that allows several new specialty license plates in the state. One of the plates is the "Indiana Life Trust" license plate. Originally it had been entitled the "Indiana Child Protection Trust" plate, but objections were raised that people might think they were funding groups working to end child abuse.
The money raised through the $25 fee for the plate would be distributed to Indiana Right to Life, Indiana Citizens for Life, their local chapters, and so-called "crisis pregnancy centers." An attempt to eliminate the anti-choice license plate from the bill was rejected by a vote of 67-26.
A bill with similar provisions was passed by the House earlier in the session, but did not move in the Senate.
Opposition Watch
Philadelphia Catholic Hierarchy To Produce Voter Guide
The Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia plans to become involved in the city election in a big way. They are producing the first-ever official archdiocese voter guide. The questions asked for the voter guide will include questions about the candidates' views on abortion, but will cover many other issues including: condom distribution in school-based clinics without parental consent; the city's needle exchange program; recognition of same-sex marriages.
The archdiocese is sending out a nine-question questionnaire. The candidates responses or their refusal to respond will be published in the Catholic Standard and Times, the archdiocese's newspaper just before the May 18 primary. Mini-guides will be available specifically tailored to the council districts in each of the city's 121 parishes.
A spokesperson for the archdiocese estimates that the Catholic vote in the city is between 25 and 30%.
Surf the Web
A new Web site from the National Journal and The Hotline
This site reviews the coverage of the "women to watch" in national and state politics providing information and links to the news stories reviewed. The address for this site is http://www.womenconnect.com/politicsdaily
Send Them No Flowers
The story is slightly dated, but still deserves note. In February, PP of the Rocky Mountains (PPRM) sent vases of flowers to the 22 members of the Senate who had voted against a so-called "partial birth" abortion bill. The President of the Senate ordered the vases to be removed from the Senators' desks. He maintained that he had changed previous policy, insisting that any gifts - candy, flowers, mugs, etc. - that are not given to all senators, should be sent to the senators' offices, and not delivered and displayed on the Senate floor. The sponsor of the bill then sent PPRM a note accusing the affiliate of using taxpayers dollars for the followers and demanding an accounting.
A spokesperson for PPRM pointed out that no taxpayers funds ever went to any aspect of lobbying.
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