I have been a trustee of CO Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice since 2010. I have served as their treasurer since 2011. They’re at it again! Congress! Another Anti-Choice/Anti-Abortion bill! Do not be fooled. This is not pro-life. It puts in danger the life and physical, emotional and mental well being of the women and girls and the families of those women and girls in need of services. Abortions beyond 20 weeks will be allowed to a sexual assault victim only after a 48-hour waiting period following ‘counseling’ or ‘treatment’. If the assault is also incest, the victim must be under 18 years of age. (Wouldn't you love to know what makes incestuous rape ok at age 18? So would I.)
Abortion providers will be required to report the procedures to the government. (Small government at work?) Fetal abnormalities will not be taken into account for decision making. (So much for genetic testing - oh, yes, that would count as science.) Physicians can be prosecuted by the law. They have been persecuted by the Anti-Choice activists for years; they, their families and their practices. According to the Guttmacher Institute, 205 anti-choice, restrictive reproductive laws have been past by states in the past three years. That is more than in the preceding decade. Along with this, in 27 states, more than half the Unites States, women are at risk of finding supportive, adequate health care; particularly low income and young women. You see, along with taking away support for choice, closing those clinics also eliminated health care providers for annual exams, urinary and vaginal infections, cancer screening, health and sexual education, pre-natal care, birth control and more. I am certain that our legislators would be happy to live in a house for an extended period of time with someone who has assaulted them - after they have reported it. I have no doubt that they are happy to have their medical records on impotence and premature ejaculation released to the government. But I doubt that they are willing to cross picket lines to have prostate cancer tests. Here in Colorado, the legislature attempted to circumvent two prior state votes against personhood by passing a personhood bill in April under the guise of ‘fetal homicide’. Fortunately, it was narrowly defeated. However, they did manage to block the funding that has reduced teen birth rates by 40 percent over the past five years. This brilliant action occurred the day after the funding program received a prestigious award recognizing the achievement at an annual conference by the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association. Do we really want to take the country back? Back to the days when we couldn’t discuss sexual issues, when we couldn’t find birth control, when having an abortion meant back alleys and the probability of not having children? If we are not vigilant, we will find ourselves back in the pre-Roe v. Wade era not only for abortion but for all women’s health issues. Don’t give away what was so hard fought and won. We’re near tilt now. #http://ppact.io/1JC6Kth www.PlannedParenthoodAction.com VOTE NO on 67
Some of you know that prior to my clergy work I was a medical social worker. My primary field was reproductive health. Amendment 67 is an even worse rendition of the two Coloradans have been smart enough to defeat. The wording of Amendment 67 is so broad and far-reaching that it would make ALL abortion a crime, including in cases of RAPE , INCEST and when a MOTHER'S health is AT RISK. This includes ectopic pregnancies and miscarriages that need assistance to save the mother's life. It would make pregnant women and their doctors subject to criminal investigation, including when a woman has a miscarriage. It would even restrict access to common forms of birth control! Amendment 67 goes way too far. Please keep reproductive health care for women in the hands, hearts and heads of the patients and their medical care givers. Vote NO on 67. |
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AuthorCommunity educator, choreographer, composer, performer, Becker, M.S.W., M.Ed., M.R.S., Ph.D., serves as rabbi for Temple Emanuel-Pueblo, cellist for Apples and Honey and is a Storahtelling Maven. Archives
November 2020
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ISRAEL https://www.standwithus.com/ http://www.standforisrael.org http://unitedwithisrael.org/ WOMEN OF THE WALL http://www.nytimes.com/video/2012/12/22/world/middleeast/100000001969698/women-at-the-western-wall.html |