March 2009

 

Women's History Month

 

Dear Friend,

March is Women’s History Month, a good time to remember and honor the many women who have shaped our country, and a good time to celebrate the accomplishments and victories in the struggle to affirm that women have the same rights and opportunities as men.

One of those victories — overlooked by many but critically important nonetheless—occurred less than two weeks ago when President Barack Obama announced that he would reverse a regulation put in place by the former administration to limit a women’s access to the full range of family planning services, from reproductive information and birth control to emergency contraception and abortion.

On August 28, 2008, the Bush Administration issued a controversial regulation which allowed any health provider: doctor, nurse, clinician or pharmacist, to refuse to provide any service which violated their personal or religious beliefs. While this “Conscience Rule” protected the religious beliefs of providers, it did nothing to protect the rights of patients to medical or clinical services or prescription drugs. Particularly in small towns and many rural areas, there are already few healthcare providers. If the only pharmacist in town refuses to fill a prescription for birth control or dispense a ‘morning after’ pill, what alternative does a woman have? Even in the case of rape, women could be denied procedures or medications, guidance or referrals for necessary services.  

No-one takes the matters of abortion and reproductive rights lightly. But this regulation created an inevitable clash between the rights of a patient and the personal beliefs of a healthcare provider. I have always believed that in matters of medicine, the welfare of the patient has to be of paramount importance.

I cosponsored legislation, the companion House bill to a measure by Senator Hillary Clinton, to prevent the regulation from being enforced, and on January 22nd, I wrote to President Obama asking that he overturn the regulation using his Executive authority. The Obama Administration announced its intention to rescind the rule on February 27th. 

The Administration took another step forward for women’s reproductive rights by including the Medicaid Family Planning Option in their 2010 budget proposal, to ensure that lower income women have access to quality, affordable family planning services within Medicaid.  This would help women prevent unintended pregnancies and allow them to plan, not only their families, but their futures.

Women’s History Month is a fitting time to recognize that the history of women in America has been a story of struggle, and to acknowledge that the struggle for women’s rights is far from over. 

Aloha,

Neil Abercrombie

Member of Congress