Newsletter Summer 2008
Bush Administration to Expand Religious Refusal Rule
The Administration justifies this attack on critical health care services by claiming it is showing respect for individual conscience and religious freedom. In so doing, they impose through government mandate a single religious ideology and trample on the commitment of major religious traditions to accessible reproductive health care.
Specifically, the draft proposed regulations
PERMIT institutions such as St. Vincent Hospital as well as individuals to refuse to provide women access to contraceptive services and information.
PERMIT health care providers to refuse to perform any service they deem morally objectionable - which raises critical questions about access to all health care services.
REDEFINE pregnancy as beginning with fertilization of the egg - counter to the government's own longstanding policy, as well as that of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), which state that pregnancy begins with the implantation of a fertilized egg in the uterus.
REDEFINE abortion to include common methods of contraception which may work by interfering with implantation. Birth control pills and IUDs could be disallowed.
CONFLICT with requirements of the Title X family planning program to ensure that women have access to a broad range of contraceptive options and that pregnant women receive non-directive counseling upon request.
TRUMPS New Mexico state laws that protect women's access to reproductive health care,including our law requiring health insurance plans that provide drug benefits to include coverage of contraception; and our law that requires hospitals to offer emergency contraception to rape survivors.
These regulations are in draft form and have not been officially released by the Health and Human Services Department. There is still time to take action right now to prevent the release of these proposed regulations. We’re asking you to tell President Bush and Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt that you oppose this assault on individual rights, religious freedom and medical access by going to the Federal Action Center and let them know that you believe that these regulations are an affront to religious freedom.
Responsible Education About Life or Unproven Abstinence Only?
In recent years, hundreds of millions of federal dollars have been poured into unproven abstinence-only education for teens. While most sex education programs teach the value of abstinence, abstinence-only education does not provide basic information on preventing sexually transmitted diseases or pregnancy. Advocates of abstinence-only education oppose reproductive choice and women’s equality and seek to make narrow religious beliefs the law of the land. Make no mistake—they don’t represent most people of faith, who overwhelmingly support providing accurate information about sexuality.
Instead of wasting all that money and putting our children’s lives at risk, the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC) supports the Responsible Education About Life Act (REAL), (H.R. 1653, S. 972), federal legislation to provide $204 million to states for programs that provide honest, medically accurate, complete, age-appropriate sex education; programs that the public almost universally supports and that studies show can be effective in helping teens stay healthy. Senator Jeff Bingaman is a co-sponsor of the REAL Act.
As people of faith, we believe it is a moral imperative to provide children and teens with all the information they need to make responsible and informed decisions about their health.
Why the REAL Act is needed
Each year, there are 750,000 teen pregnancies, 82% of which are unintended.
31% of young women become pregnant at least once before the age of 20.
Teen mothers are less likely to complete high school.
Each year, 9 million teens and young adults acquire an STD.
What REAL Would Do
Provide states with much needed funding for programs that would:
be required to be age-appropriate and medically accurate;
teach that abstinence is the only sure way to avoid pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases and stress the value of abstinence while they also teach about the benefits of contraception and protection;
encourage family communication about sexuality;
refrain from teaching or promoting religion;
teach negotiation skills for young people;
teach young people about the effects of alcohol and drug use on responsible behavior.
Major faith traditions representing millions of Americans support comprehensive sexuality education. In keeping with our nation's constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion, they oppose civil laws that would impose specific religious views about sex education on all Americans. Please ask Representative Tom Udall to co-sponsor the REAL Act, while you are there please thank Senator Bingaman for his support.
Support the New Mexico Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
It’s hard to believe that the summer is almost over and soon the State Fair will be here. And with it comes one of the New Mexico Religious Coalition’s most important projects, our information booth in the Manual Lujan exhibit hall.
Each year thousands of New Mexicans stop by our booth to pick up information, sign a petition or share their opinion. Every year we hear the same question, “Aren’t all religious people against abortion?” Of course our answer is “No! Many New Mexicans and their denominations are pro-choice!” They are usually surprised and pleased when they find out that their denomination supports reproductive choice and that they can join us as a person of faith who is pro-choice.
But we must reach out to thousands more citizens of the state who still mistakenly believe being pro-faith and pro-choice is a contradiction. Nothing could be further from the truth! The fact is, freedom of choice is a mainstream religious and democratic principle. Because we are pro-faith and pro-choice we:
·
assisted 12 women with grants averaging $145 each for travel expenses to the state’s only abortion providers in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Since 2000 we have assisted 124 women. Our clients typically get by on less than $800 a month to care for themselves and their families.·
provided pastoral support to the staff of the Abortion Acceptance Clinic after it was fire bombed last December and provided escorts to the patients at their temporary clinic. We continue to provide escorts for patients at the Planned Parenthood clinic. These wonderful volunteers provide a comforting buffer between the patients and the hurtful words shouted by protestors.·
are a member of New Mexicans for Responsible Sexuality Education whose mission is to advocate for comprehensive sex education in our state’s public schools.·
are sponsoring two student organizers for our SYRJ or Spiritual Youth for Reproductive Justice Chapter at the University of New Mexico. Last year UNM SYRJ helped organize a campus wide response to a recent visit to the University by “Justice for All” an anti-abortion group that uses graphic 20 ft tall displays equating abortion to the lynching of African Americans, the Holocaust of WWII, the killing fields of Cambodia and the massacres of Native Americans during the Indian Wars.If you haven’t made a donation this year, please do so right away, and if you have, please consider making an extra donation. We have a lot of work to do. We must continue these critical programs and we must be actively involved mobilizing our families, friends, neighbors, and congregations to register and to vote their conscience in the fall elections.
I’m making my donation online at www.nmrcrc.org
I’d like to volunteer at the State Fair Booth.
I’m already a member of RCRC nationally.
What’s the difference between State and National membership? You may receive mail and/or email from both the New Mexico Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, and the RCRC national office located in Washington, D.C. If you send membership dues or donations to the New Mexico address, your money stays here and works to educate religious New Mexicans on the importance of protecting reproductive freedom. If you send money to D.C., it stays in D.C. You decide. Some people choose to be members of both the state and national organizations.
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