Just when we think we've seen it all, the Bush Administration has drafted regulations that would undermine women's access to birth control.
Under the guise of clarifying existing federal laws that allow health professionals to refuse to provide abortion services, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has drafted regulations that redefine abortion to include commonly used, FDA-approved methods of contraception, such as birth control pills and IUDs.
This radical redefinition of abortion is at odds with science and the government's own definition -- that pregnancy begins with the implantation of a fertilized egg.
This is a shameful political ploy in the waning days of the Bush Administration, which could cause immeasurable harm to the 17 million women in need of publicly funded contraceptive services.
Please sign your letter to Secretary Michael Leavitt today, and urge him to abandon these radical, dangerous regulations.
We signed the “Tell the Bush Administration: Birth Control Pills Are Not Abortion” letter!
# 14,236:
3:42 pm PDT, Sep 6,J Roberts, Oregon
# 14,235:
3:02 pm PDT, Sep 6,Dee Halzack, Massachusetts
The choice of whether or not to use birth control should be up to a woman, not the State. Religion and ethics aside, it is a medical decision. When religion and ethics enter into it, any effort on the part of the State to enforce a particular approach (in this case, by denying access to birth control) is a violation of the constitutional protection of our right to freedom of religion, and a violation of the establishment clause that forbids our government supporting a particular religion. And I take our Constitution very seriously.
# 14,234:
12:34 pm PDT, Sep 6,Kirsten McGorman, Arizona
# 14,233:
12:28 pm PDT, Sep 6,Kim Kraemaer, Oklahoma
# 14,232:
9:57 am PDT, Sep 6,Bekah Moster, Ohio
# 14,231:
9:12 am PDT, Sep 6,Dr. Theresa M. Kelly, South Carolina
Basic woman's health care needs should never be limited, only ever increased. We are a nation of innovation and progression. Creating health obstacles for woman today is regressive and reversionary.
# 14,230:
9:08 am PDT, Sep 6,Joy Foye, Wisconsin
# 14,229:
7:29 am PDT, Sep 6,John Donaldson,ll, West Virginia
# 14,228:
7:06 am PDT, Sep 6,Elle Jordan, Massachusetts
This is just plain wrong!! Contraception is not abortion. This is a wedge issue in an election year and it is ludicrious to even imply that the use of contraceptives is in anyway connected to abortion. Stop misleading the public, we are smarter than that.
# 14,227:
7:01 am PDT, Sep 6,Name not displayed, South Carolina
# 14,226:
6:57 am PDT, Sep 6,Vickie King, Missouri
# 14,225:
1:42 am PDT, Sep 6,Sheila Di Salvo, Massachusetts
# 14,224:
10:13 pm PDT, Sep 5,Miki Twining, California
# 14,223:
9:12 pm PDT, Sep 5,Name not displayed, Colorado
Republicans say they're for freedom, and keeping government out of what should be private, individual decisions. These "say one thing, do another" practices must stop. Protect the right to birth control in America now.
# 14,222:
6:28 pm PDT, Sep 5,Kassandra Allbright, Texas
# 14,221:
4:51 pm PDT, Sep 5,Melody Houston, New Hampshire
# 14,220:
3:56 pm PDT, Sep 5,Cheryl Ewald, Arizona
# 14,219:
3:28 pm PDT, Sep 5,Jennifer Moller, New Mexico
# 14,218:
2:18 pm PDT, Sep 5,Kathleen Mead, New Mexico
# 14,217:
1:24 pm PDT, Sep 5,Jason Morrow, Illinois
# 14,216:
10:17 am PDT, Sep 5,Judith Rosen, Massachusetts
# 14,215:
9:29 am PDT, Sep 5,Tony K Boatright, Georgia
# 14,214:
6:23 am PDT, Sep 5,Stacey Koepke, Texas
# 14,213:
5:49 am PDT, Sep 5,Pamylle Greinke, New York
# 14,212:
12:24 am PDT, Sep 5,Pamela Hall, California
# 14,211:
12:16 am PDT, Sep 5,Gabriele Rodriquez, Oregon
# 14,210:
11:33 pm PDT, Sep 4,Marilyn Drury, Washington
# 14,209:
11:31 pm PDT, Sep 4,Name not displayed, Texas
# 14,208:
9:37 pm PDT, Sep 4,Andrea Ayala, Texas
# 14,207:
8:30 pm PDT, Sep 4,Jessi Kiroyan, Australia
Birth Control pills: The first two words explain clearly what they are designed to do. I think it's paradoxical the Bush administration seeks to redefine abortion by including birth control pills and IUDs, since these means are there to ensure women (and if with partners) can plan their pregnancies. Clearly more planned pregnancies equate to fewer abortions, which seems to be the initial goal of the proposal to begin with! Not only is the proposal irresponsible as it would restrict women's access to these methods of contraception, our Earth is overpopulated as it is; this proposal is anti-environment! The last thing we need is even MORE people.
# 14,206:
8:03 pm PDT, Sep 4,Roger Woitte, Virginia
# 14,205:
6:51 pm PDT, Sep 4,Jennifer Hernandez, Michigan
# 14,204:
6:18 pm PDT, Sep 4,Bud Mcallister, Connecticut
# 14,203:
6:13 pm PDT, Sep 4,Name not displayed, New Jersey
# 14,202:
6:10 pm PDT, Sep 4,Marion Townsend, Alaska
I think women should be allowed to make their own choices and not the government.