LEGISLATIVE
UPDATELEGISLATIVE
UPDATE| ABORTION ACCESS FOR MILITARY WOMEN FAILS TWICE | Reproductive rights advocates held out hope that the prohibition against
obtaining an abortion overseas at military hospitals would be repealed
in this Congress when the House subcommittee on military personnel approved
an amendment offered by Rep. Loretta
Sanchez (D-CA) in late May. The subcommittee make-up has changed to
include more abortion rights supporters since the last Congress. However,
when the bill -- a Defense Department Appropriations measure --
reached the full Armed Services Committee, a majority supported an amendment
by Rep. Steve Buyer (R-IN) to restore the prohibition which denies servicewomen
and military dependents abortion services at military hospitals -- even
when using their own funds. Rep. Sanchez will offer her amendment again
when the full House considers the Defense Authorization bill later in June.
Likewise, the Senate narrowly (51-49) supported a tabling motion to prevent having to take a recorded vote on a similar amendment offered by Sens. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME). Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) who had previously supported removing the ban, changed his vote and supported the motion to table. Senators are now able to camouflage their anti-reproductive rights positions on the overseas abortion ban because no recorded vote was taken on the amendment. Under the ban, military women and dependents are deprived of access to reproductive health services that they have in the United States and risk unsafe procedures which may be practiced in other countries. For that reason, any young woman who may be thinking about a career in the military should seriously consider whether she wants to be denied vital health care services when stationed abroad. |
| ACTION NEEDED: | Thank Sens. Murray and Snowe as well as Rep. Sanchez for their efforts to remove this discriminatory and dangerous ban. Call your Senators to urge that a recorded vote be taken on the repeal amendment and make certain that your House member will vote to support the Sanchez amendment when it comes up. |
| FEDERAL EMPLOYEES CONTRACEPTION COVERAGE UNDER ATTACK | Reproductive rights opponents on the House Appropriations Committee may attempt to delete a provision that guarantees contraception coverage in health insurance plans used by federal employees. This measure was one of the very few reproductive health care victories achieved in the last Congress; although the plans are still prohibited from covering abortion services. Rep. Rosa DeLauro may be poised to offer an amendment to strike the ban on abortion services. |
| ACTION NEEDED: | Urge your Representative to protect coverage for prescription contraception in Federal Employees Health Benefits Plans and to work for repeal of the ban on coverage for abortion services. |
| HEARING HELD FOR "TEEN ENDANGERMENT" ACT | After being beaten back in the last Congress, abortion opponents are
attempting again to move forward the misleadingly-named Child
Custody Protection Act (CCPA - H.R. 1218) which is meant to deter
teen-agers from crossing state lines to obtain an abortion by threatening
to imprison any adult who accompanied her. A hearing was held on May 27th
in the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, headed by abortion
foe Rep. Charles Canady (R-FL). The legislation would make criminals of
grandmothers, adult siblings or friends of teen-agers who assist them in
obtaining reproductive health services in another state without meeting
the home state's parental involvement laws.
Studies have shown that in states which do not have parental involvement laws 60-75% of girls under 18 do consult their parents when pregnancy occurs. But not all teens can consult their parents and those who cannot may be prevented from obtaining adequate health services. Witnesses testifying against the bill included a representative from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Society of Adolescent Medicine and Advocates for Youth. Testimony noted that the bill would have a counter-productive outcome by placing a chill on teenagers' ability to discuss such questions with adults since those adults may face criminal prosecution if they choose to provide assistance. Four other major medical associations have long opposed the CCPA, including the American Medical Association, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, The American College of Physicians and the American Public Health Association. The CCPA will be taken up in mid-June by the full House Judiciary Committee where it will likely be passed out of committee for a floor vote later in the month. A late report indicates that the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution may move the bill to mark-up on June 8th. |
| ACTION NEEDED: | Please call, fax or e-mail your House member and urge him/her to oppose this dangerous bill. |
|
FDA FUNDING FOR MIFEPRISTONE (RU 486) AT STAKE |
Arch-abortion rights foe Rep. (and Dr.) Tom Coburn (R-OK) will offer
his amendment, as he did last year, to prohibit the Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) from using funds to test, develop
and manufacture drugs used for early, medical abortion. The prohibition,
if approved, would prevent approval and release of mifepristone
(otherwise known as RU 486). The amendment will be advanced when the Fiscal
Year 2000 Agriculture Appropriations bill is considered by the full
House, expected to happen in the next few weeks. Last year, the House approved
a similar amendment (223-202), but this was dropped from the final bill.
If there are no constraints placed by reproductive rights opponents in Congress, mifepristone may be available for general use late this year. The drug would provide women access to a safe and effective medical alternative to surgical abortion, plus possibly provide treatment for other serious medical conditions such as endometriosis, uterine fibroids, HIV, Cushing's Syndrome, certain types of breast cancer and burns. |
| ACTION NEEDED: | Call your Representatives
as soon as possible to let them know that Rep. Coburn intends to offer
this amendment. Please urge them to be present for the vote and to oppose
it.
Reproductive rights advocates should note that Rep. Coburn has announced his intention not to run for re-election in 2000. Oklahoma activists should be scouting for a strong feminist candidate for that seat. The record of the Oklahoma Congressional delegation on reproductive rights and other important women's votes is pitiful -- see NOW Voting Record Analysis of the 105th Congress on the NOW Website, http://www.now.org/issues/election/analysis1998/ |
| INSURANCE CONTRACEPTIVE COVERAGE BILL TO BE RE-INTRODUCED | On June 10th, both House and Senate sponsors of the Equity in Prescription
Insurance and Contraceptive Coverage Act (EPICC) at a press
conference with celebrities Kathleen Turner and Sally Kellerman. Sponsors
are Sens. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Harry Reid (D-NV) and Reps. Nita Lowey
(D-NY) and Jim Greenwood (R-PA).
It is a travesty that contraception is the only prescription drug benefit that is regularly excluded by insurers, thus requiring that the three-quarters of women of child-bearing age pay for contraception out-of-pocket. Studies have shown that costs for coverage are modest and would significantly reduce health care expenses for millions of women. It is especially unfair to deny women access to contraceptive coverage when some companies are now offering men coverage for viagra, the male potency drug. |
| ACTION NEEDED: | There is a good chance that EPICC can be passed in this Congress, but we will have to bring much pressure. It is important that reproductive rights advocates contact moderate members of both the House and Senate to urge their support. |
| HATE CRIMES BILL STYMIED IN JUDICIARY COMMITTEE | A hearing on hate crimes was held on May 11th by the Senate Judiciary
Committee, although Committee chair Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) refused to
seriously consider the Hate
Crimes
Prevention Act of 1999 (S. 622). The Senator's introductory
remarks indicated his opposition to what he sees as an expansion of federal
authority into traditional state jurisdiction under S. 622. Instead, Hatch
urged that a fund be established in the Justice Department to assist state
and local authorities in investigating and prosecuting hate crimes.
He also said that a comprehensive analysis of the data collected under the 1990 Hate Crimes Statistics Act should be undertaken to determine whether there is a problem with certain states' prosection of hate crimes. The Judiciary chair recommended that a model hate crime statute for states be developed as well as an overhaul of the federal hate crimes statutes (passed originally in 1969) to restrict these even further to cover only hate crimes committed when a state line has been crossed. Testifying in support of the bill was Judy Shepard, mother of the murdered gay Wyoming college student, Matthew Shepard. Ken Brown, Chief Deputy Prosecutor in Laramie, WY, testified how expensive it has been for his jurisdiction to prosecute this case, but said that he did not believe that an expansion of federal authority was needed for better prosecution. He did say that more federal funding would be helpful. Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder testified in support of the legislation, indicating that it would strengthen federal-state law enforcement capabilities without encroaching upon state responsibilities. He also denied the claim, made by some federal officials in the past, that the federal law enforcement agencies would be overwhelmed if the bill were passed to include new hate crime categories prohibiting bias crimes based sex, sexual orientation and disability. Finally, Robert Knight of the Family Research Council (FRC) testified and, according to NOW activists who were present, his remarks contained many homophobic and sexist slurs. The FRC, as many are aware, has done much to advance the right-wing agenda of gay-baiting and this forum allowed Knight to make numerous absurd and irresponsible statements. The FRC spokesperson said that the bill would make freedom of speech a federal crime; that the Littleton, CO massacre suggests that athletes should be added to the list of bias crime categories; and, that victims of hate from homosexuals should be given consideration. Knight closed by saying that he was tired of the "homosexual agenda being shoved in American's faces." Knight advanced the standard opposition argument that the legislation gives undue protection to "special groups," who are otherwise not in need of protection. His presence on the witness list was an insult to the bill's sponsors and to the hundreds of religious, civil rights, law enforcement and other groups who support the legislation. |
| ACTION NEEDED: | Call Sen. Orrin Hatch and urge that he schedule a mark-up session for S. 622 and report it out of committee. The bill currently has 36 co-sponsors; we need another 15 Senators for it to pass. Please make certain that your Senator has signed on. If we secure a majority of the Senators to support S. 622, this may be an incentive for Sen. Hatch to take action. |
| PRESIDENT'S CRIME BILL CONTAINS VAWA, LACKS HATE CRIMES PROVISION | It has been reported that President Clinton's crime package contains re-authorization for the Violence Against Women Act (H.R. 357), but does not contain the Hate Crimes Prevention Act (S. 622). The omission is especially curious because the President has on numerous occasions expressed his support for the hate crimes bill. |
| ACTION NEEDED: | Please call the White House as soon as possible and ask the President to include the Hate Crimes Prevention Act in his crime package. The White House comment line number is (202) 456-1111. |
| BWESSA FINALLY INTRODUCED IN SENATE | The much anticipated Battered Women's Economic Security and Safety Act (S. 1069) has been introduced in the Senate by Sens. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Paul Wellstone (D-MN), although it is missing the title that would re-authorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Another bill, S. 51, sponsored by Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) has the re-authorization component, but does not reflect changes requested by domestic violence service provided or any new programs. Nonetheless, the time has come for a massive up-welling of support for both re-authorization of current VAWA programs as we face possible expiration of funds this year. A petition is being readied for circulation to gather tens of thousands of signatures to present to Congress. The House bill which contains all of the provisions requested by advocates and service providers is H.R. 357; a fallback re-authorization measure (which does not contain the new programs) is H.R. 1248. |
| ACTION NEEDED: | Time is running out for legislative days in this session of Congress. There is likely to be a deadlock over many budgetary issues and there is a chance the VAWA funding re-authorization may fall between the cracks. As a result, many effective programs, like the National Domestic Violence Hotline, may have to be curtailed. Every member of Congress should be aware of this danger; remind your Representative and Senators that the vast majority of women, when polled, list violence against women as one of their top three concerns. |
| SENATE PASSES "JUVENILE JUSTICE" BILL; HOUSE VOTE UP SOON | Timing a vote in the wake of Littleton, CO tragedy, the Senate passed
the regressive Violent
and Repeat Juvenile Offender Accountability and Rehabilitation Act
of 1999 (S. 254) on May 20th. The bill would ease federal restrictions
which prevent incarceration of children and adult offenders in the same
facilities and enact many other undesirable provisions. The House was scheduled
to take up the legislation as soon as members re-convene following the
Memorial Day recess.
The bill would facilitate treatment of juvenile offenders as young as 14 (lowered from age 16) to be tried and convicted as "adults" under a wide array of offenses. It would also institutionalize a massive new federal juvenile crime bureaucracy with greatly expanded federal jurisdiction. S. 254 grants federal prosecutors the new power to charge as an adult in federal court those as young as 14 -- even in nonviolent, non-repeat offenses cases. Worse, the legislation says that this prosecutorial power is "not reviewable in any court;" so once a lower court has convicted a young person, there are no other legal options. The only positive note is that several new gun control measures were added. An amendment offered by Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) to preserve the Disproportionate Minority Confinement program, which aims to reduce the disproportionately higher numbers of imprisoned non-Caucasian child offenders, was also defeated. Fortunately, the House version of the bill contains protections for that program. |
| ACTION NEEDED: | Call your House member and urge that the Disproportionate Minority Confinement remain in the bill and that provisions which allow children to be housed with adult offenders be stricken from the bill along with those which greatly expand the federal juvenile crime bureaucracy. More efforts must be made to rehabilitate and educate at-risk youth. |