By Lauren Kalina, Advocates for Youth Intern On November 8, the state of Mississippi will vote on ballot initiative 26, which will attempt to change the Mississippi constitution to define human life as beginning at conception. The actual text of the initiative is as follows: Section 33. Person defined. As used in this Article III […]
Losing Your Rights Via Personhood
By Janet Hill, Coalition of Labor Union Women, National CLUW Vice President (United Steelworkers) Don’t be fooled by Initiative 26, Mississippi’s the “personhood amendment.” Government has gone too far and this amendment raises many disturbing questions about the status of women if enacted. The essential question to ask is, if a woman is lying unconscious […]
Wisconsin Rep Planning “Personhood” Bill to Criminalize Abortion
By Sofia Resnick, The American Independent The “personhood movement” has recently grown legs in Wisconsin, where state Rep. Andre Jacque (2nd Assembly District) has promised to introduce a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would change the definition of a person to include “preborn” babies. The intended effect of “personhood” amendments is to criminalize […]
HERvotes Takes On the Mississippi “Personhood” Amendment
By Eleanor Smeal Welcome to the fourth #HERVotesBlog Carnival! This time, we’re writing with an especially urgent focus. There’s an extremely dangerous constitutional amendment to the Mississippi state constitution on the November 8th ballot. It grants personhood and constitutional rights to a fertilized egg. Election day is just one week away. We must stop the […]
Let(ting) Her Die is NOT an Option
“I was pregnant, I was miscarrying, I was bleeding. If I had to go from one hospital to the next trying to find one emergency room that would take me in, who knows if I would even be here today. What my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are trying to do is […]
Women Have Lives On The Line With Health Care Reform
by Jessica Mason Pieklo Like thousands of other families the recession has hit ours hard, but it could be worse. My family currently has health insurance, and both my husband and I still have jobs. We live paycheck to paycheck but still I feel lucky. It’s a tenuous luck, a luck that is one medical […]
Public Funding of Family Planning is Essential, Even Under Health Reform
This week, as we celebrate the first anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, which promises to bring great benefits to women in this country, new threats to women’s health care have emerged. Last month the House of Representatives voted to eliminate federal funding of Planned Parenthood and cut entirely the Title X program, which supports […]
The Affordable Care Act and Women
By Desiree Hoffman YWCA USA Director of Advocacy and Policy March 23, 2011, marked the first anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Yet polls show that less than 47% of Americans know how it affects them.1 Lack of understanding was highest among low-income households and the uninsured. When asked, “Do you feel you have […]
#HERvotes Blog Carnival Takes on Health Care
Welcome to the third #HERVotes Blog Carnival! This time, the focus is on women and health care. The blog posts below share personal stories and details about the new benefits from the health care reform law, while also offering original insights on what’s at stake for women and health care. You’ll also find personal stories […]
Got Equality?
By Emmy Bengtson and Mehrin Rahman LGBT rights have certainly been a hot topic this year, and the 2010 Senate race in California is no exception. However, whereas Senator Boxer has consistently proven she is a proud supporter of gay rights, Fiorina seems to want to waste no more time on a civil rights discussion […]