Letter to the Editor: Alabama Callous to Women's Health Care

Originally published in the Albany Times Union on June 4, 2019

The majority of Americans are outraged at the hatred sweeping across Republican-controlled states. Alabama is the most recent extreme example of denying women health care. The callousness of the legislators is stunning. Women's lives will be in jeopardy, but they don't care.

If these legislators truly cared about saving lives, they should be working to fix a worsening health care problem in their state, not dismantling what little access to health care Alabamians have left. Watching the 25 white, male state senators who voted, it is clear they just want to control women and not allow them to have control over their own bodies and lives. Their hypocrisy is incredible since there are no laws restricting men's access to any form of health care. Medical decisions for a patient should be made by the patient and her doctor, not politicians.

This is a concerted effort to ban abortions. It is an attack on all women and everyone who loves them. Nearly a dozen states have passed restrictions or bans on abortion so far this year. With President Donald Trump in the White House and Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court, state politicians are emboldened to try to fully ban safe, legal abortion. It is a scary time to be a woman.

People across the country want more health care, not less. They want representatives who will fight the unethical Title X gag rule and increase support for crucial public health programs like sexually transmitted infections testing/treatment, cancer screenings and other essential care furnished by quality providers such as Planned Parenthood.

Cathie Love

Letter: We Will Not Go Back!

I am a retired female OB/GYN.

Doctors and nurses in my field are fortunate to live in the great state of NY where women are respected and valued. Here a woman enjoys privacy and trust in her relationship with her medical care provider in the most intimate part of her life, deciding when she is capable of becoming a good mother.

I graduated from medical school the year NYS legalized abortion and then began my OB/GYN training. The difference legalization made was profound.

Before that wealthy women had access to legal abortions by traveling out of the country, and the rest of the women had to seek out illegal providers (including mafia) or try to do it by themselves. As gynecology residents, we took care of the results in the Emergency Room; bleeding, febrile victims often in extremis.

It is alarming that presently politicians (usually well-off white males) in many states are targeting the health care safety net of women and their families by criminalizing abortion as well as threatening Medicaid and Title X with the gag rule. The cruel result of this will of course be to disrupt families that have a tenuous grip on middle class life and to take away the hope of the poor. Medical care for all women will be degraded, and sisters, mothers and daughters will suffer and die unnecessarily.

I am grateful to live in NYS where medical professionals do not have to worry about going to jail for doing our job properly. Access to the life saving benefits of modern health care should not depend on one’s wealth and gender.

Margaret M. Craven, M.D.

Letter to the Editor: Gag Rule is Unethical

Originally posted in the Hudson Register Star

To the editor:

I am writing to express my concern regarding the gag rule recently proposed by the Trump-Pence administration. This gag rule is medically unethical and a blatant attempt to infringe on women's basic rights.

Title X is a federal program which has for decades provided funding for reproductive healthcare, like preventative cancer screening and birth control, for women who could not otherwise afford this care.

Not only would this proposed gag rule make it illegal for health care providers in the Title X program to inform their patients on how to access safe, legal abortion; it would also implement other regulations designed to keep millions of women from accessing birth control and other preventative care, from providers like Planned Parenthood.

It is 2018. The fact that something like this is on the table is frightening and absurd.

Recent polling has shown an overwhelming opposition to Trump's gag rule as 73 percent of Americans - myself included - disapprove of these efforts to restrict women's rights and access to health care. More than 200 members of Congress, over 110 public health organizations, major medical associations such as the American Medical Association, and PlannedParenthood's 11 million supporters are coming out against this dangerous rule because it is just that: dangerous.

I urge your readers to stand against this proposed rule and see it for what it is: an assault on our basic rights.

Deborah Shakotko
Claverack

Letter to the Editor: Gag Rule is a Full Frontal Attack

Originally posted in the Catskill Daily News

To the editor:

I am a Registered Nurse writing to express my concern regarding President Trump's recently proposed gag rule. Frankly, it is a full frontal attack on women's basic rights. Not only would this rule prohibit health care providers under the Title X program from informing their patients on how to access safe, legal abortions; it would also implement other rules designed to keep millions from accessing birth control and preventative care, including cancer screenings from providers like PlannedParenthood. Fundamentally, it removes the guarantee that patients will receive complete and accurate information about their health care from their providers. I finds this absolutely frightening. No one should ever be denied basic information about their health care.

This proposed gag rule has already been met with opposition, especially from the medical community. The American Nurses Association has stated that this rule "violates basic ethics of the nursing profession." In addition, new polling shows 73 percent of Americans oppose administration actions like the domestic gag rule.

Planned Parenthood plays an enormous role in providing care and consistently outperforms other publicly funded providers. In New York, in 2015, Planned Parenthood served 144,640 or 52 percent of women in the Title X program. If Planned Parenthood were to be excluded from Title X, other Title X-funded sites would have to increase their caseloads by 111%. That is not only infeasible but morally wrong as this will result in a major blow to health care access for low-income people.

I urge your readers see this as what it is: an attack on our basic rights.

Christine Primomo, R.N.
Ravena

Letter to the Editor: Title X gag rule only hurts those in need

Reposted from the Times Union

I am a 72-year-old retired obstetrician/gynecologist. Before my retirement, I had my own private practice and also had various roles at our local Planned Parenthoods.

I am writing to express my dismay at the institution of what is a domestic gag rule on Title X providers (doctors, nurses, community health centers, etc.) as of May 22. Title X is the federal program that provides funding to subsidize people needing reproductive health care and contraception. None of the Title X money funds abortions.

The gag rule makes it illegal for health care providers to mention the word abortion. We cannot say that it is legal, that it is safe or how to obtain one.

What will the effect of this gag rule be? The underserved women who rely on Planned Parenthood clinics for their birth control and reproductive health care will not be able to go there anymore because Planned Parenthood will steadfastly continue to provide counseling and access to safe, legal abortion. Women who have the resources to see a private OB/GYN will not suffer from the gag rule.
Planned Parenthood serves 40 percent of Title X patients. A third of women who rely on Title X funding live in counties where Planned Parenthood is the only provider of contraceptive and reproductive services.

The obvious end result of this is that women with limited resources will not get contraception. No contraception will mean increased rates of unintended pregnancies and abortions for this marginalized group. They also will not get screening for sexually transmitted infections and cancer.

My question is: Why does our government want to make life even harder for women who are struggling with adversity already?

Margaret Craven, M.D.
Voorheesville

Political Courage and the Reproductive Health Act of 1970

By Dwight Smith
Ally for Reproductive Justice

Assemblymember
George Michaels

April 9, 1970 is a special day in New York State legislative history; Assemblyman George Michaels changed his vote from "No" to "Yes", thereby enabling the 1970 Reproductive Health Act to pass the Assembly (the state Senate had passed it previously; Governor Rockefeller signed it into law the following day).  The story of that day, and the history of illegal abortions in New York over the 150 years preceding it, are documented in "From Danger to Dignity: The Fight for Safe Abortion", produced by Concentric Media in association with KTEH-TV, San Jose, CA.  It is available on YouTube and is well worth watching.  Indeed, in today's political climate in which reproductive rights are under fierce attack its message may be more important than when it was released in 1995.

Yet even though significant in content and praiseworthy for its production values, the documentary glosses over two contributing elements of the 1970 story.  They concern Michaels himself, and the atmosphere in which that final vote took place.

First, a word about Michaels.  A native of Queens and a graduate of Cornell and Brooklyn Law School, he established a law practice in Auburn, New York, an upstate, largely conservative and Roman Catholic city.  A Democrat, he represented Auburn and Cayuga County in the legislature from 1961-1966, when through reapportionment his district was merged with its neighbor that encompassed Cortland County.  He declined to run in the new district until 1969, when he rejoined the Assembly.  At the time, he was noted primarily for his support of expanded state aid for rural school districts and (in 1970) for promoting the bluebird as the state's official bird.

He also favored a woman's right to choose to have an abortion on a personal basis, but how widely his position was then known is not clear.  He had twice complied with requests from his District's Democratic Committee to vote against reproductive rights, including legalized abortion.  April 9, however, was a different story.  As it is described in "From Danger to Dignity" Michaels' decision is clearly a significant event. But by incorporating only the final two sentences of his remarks that day it misses a tense, emotional drama.

That absence may reflect the fact that the documentary was prepared 25 years after the event by a team that had not been there to witness it.  My family and I were there, and we still recall it as an occasion that merits a more complete description.

That we were in the Assembly Gallery at all that afternoon was entirely happenstance.  We had gone to Albany City Hall that afternoon to apply for passports for a forthcoming trip abroad (in those days the process began by having your signature notarized by the town or city clerk).  The process took less time than we anticipated and as we walked back to our car parked by the State Capitol I sensed a teaching moment for our three young sons.  With no knowledge of what was up, I suggested: "let's go see what is going on in the legislature".  Since we were on the Assembly side of the building, we went up to its gallery just as Michaels was beginning to talk.

To set the stage: when a roll call vote is being taken in the Assembly, an electronic wall display shows each member's vote as well as a running total of all Yes and No votes.  Ultimately, the Speaker instructs the clerk to close the voting process and a final tally is announced and recorded.  Seventy-six Yes votes are required for passage of the matter at hand, and the Speaker votes only when his vote will make a difference.  On this occasion, the electronic display showed a tie vote, 74-74, so even if the Speaker had voted the measure would not pass.

While a roll call is in process members may address the Assembly to explain their votes, but this is not common.  When Michaels rose to speak no one knew what he was going to say, and given the voting deadlock, the atmosphere in the packed galleries was palpably tense.

I don't know how long he spoke; it seemed like ten minutes or more.  He rambled as he took us through his inner thoughts.  His intent became clearer when he told the Assembly of pressures from his family.  "One of my sons just called me a whore for the vote I (previously) cast against this"; a second son insisted: "Dad, for God's sake, don't let your vote be the vote that defeats the bill".  "I had hoped that this would never happen," Michaels said; "(my constituents will) condemn me for what I am about to do.  But what's the use of getting elected, or reelected, if you don't stand for something. … I realize, Mr. Speaker, that I am terminating my political career, but I cannot in good conscience sit here and allow my vote to be the one that defeats this bill."

He asked the Speaker, Perry Duryea, Jr., a Republican from Montauk, to change his vote to Yes.  The now- 75-73 vote required Duryea to vote: he voted Yes, declared the bill passed, and immediately adjourned the session.  A highly-charged incident ended in a collective sigh of relief and joy.

From my perspective, Michaels’ story deserves repeating in an era where #MeToo seems to be controlling the headlines. Despite current notorious examples of misogyny, there are men who have stood and continue to stand with women in the fight for equality. These are men who actively reject the premise that women are a subordinate class when it comes to managing their own lives. They don't do it for recognition and thanks but simply because they believe it is the right thing to do.  And some, like Michaels, have even been willing to accept the accompanying personal cost of standing up to established ways.

Watch the historic moment in this video:

45 Years of Roe v Wade!

45th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

#45thAnniversary of Roe v. Wade   Today is the 45th Anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade, giving women across the country the right to access safe, legal abortion. This year, leading up to our annual Roe v. Wade Reception, Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood will be hosting a series of FREE film screenings on access to abortion and reproductive health care across the country.  Our first screening will be of Birthright: A War Story. Birthright is a feature length documentary that examines how women are being jailed, physically violated and even put at risk of dying as a radical movement tightens its grip across America. The film tells the story of women who have become collateral damage in the aggressive campaign to take control of reproductive health care and to allow states, courts and religious doctrine to govern whether, when and how women will bear children. This is the real-life “Handmaid’s Tale.” Our FREE SCREENING of Birthright will be held TONIGHT on the 45th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Monday, January 22nd at Albany Law College.   GET YOUR FREE TICKETS NOW!  The Dean Alexander Moot Court Room 4th floor at Albany Law 80 New Scotland Ave, Albany Film starts at 6:15pm, panel discussion to follow #CelebrationForChoice   For more than forty years, the U.S. Supreme Court has affirmed that under Roe v. Wade, the constitution protects every woman’s right to make her own personal medical decisions about abortion. The landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court case was decided on January 22nd and each year we hold our Celebration For Choice event around this time in commemoration. This event honors leaders in our community who work to promote reproductive justice and protect access to health care. Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood supporters, including local and state legislative leaders, clergy, health care and women’s health advocates will attend this annual celebration to commemorate the 45th anniversary.   We hope you will join us and our supporters at this remarkable occasion on Thursday, February 22nd 2018 from 6:00pm - 8:00pm GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY!    The Renaissance Albany Hotel 144 State Street Albany, NY 12207 #RegisterToday   Join Reproductive Health Advocates from Across New York State! Our reproductive health care and rights are under constant attack, but YOU can make a difference. Mark your calendar now to save the date for New York State’s Day of Action for reproductive health on Tuesday, March 13, 2018, at our state capital, Albany, NY. There is no charge for our state’s Day of Action which includes: Educating lawmakers on reproductive health care issues  Lunch  Planned Parenthood rally  Pre-event educational webinar  Don’t miss this – plan now to use YOUR VOICE in Albany on  Tuesday, March 13, 2018.  REGISTER HERE TODAY!

Photos from the 2018 Women's March in Albany

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Chelly Hegan and Michele Goodwin on Spectrum News

From Spectrum News:

The Trump administration is rolling back Obama-era mandates by expanding the rights of employers to deny women insurance coverage for contraception. It is just one area where the federal government is questions women's reproductive rights. And it was a topic of discussion this week at Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood's annual Women's Leadership event. Joining us to talk more about this is the group's president and CEO, Chelly Hegan, and Michele Goodwin, founder of the Center for Biotechnology and Global Health and professor at the University of California.

Visit the Spectrum News site here.