Late last night, Senator Mikulski offered an amendment (Mikulski Amendment #201) to the health care reform bill moving through the Senate HELP Committee. This important amendment is co-sponsored by Senator Harkin, Senator Sherrod Brown, and Senator Murray. It does two key things for women’s health: 1) it provides coverage—with no or limited cost sharing—for women’s preventive health care and screenings; and 2) ensures patients’ access to essential community providers, including women’s health centers like Planned Parenthood, community health centers (a.k.a. federally qualified health centers), HIV/AIDS clinics, and public hospitals.

As you know, these are both big priorities for women's health organizations and we need your help TODAY in making sure your members on the Senate HELP Committee support this critical amendment. This amendment could be voted on as early as tomorrow, so please reach out to your member of Congress with both an e-mail and a phone call today. The calls coming into the HELP Committee this week from activists are a huge help, but it’s essential that offices hear directly from you.

Please call Sherrod Brown at 202-224-2315 and tell him...

Thank you so much for co-sponsoring Senator Mikulski’s women’s health amendment number 201. Expanding affordable health care coverage and protecting patients’ access to essential community providers is a critical part of health care reform, and we really appreciate everything you are doing to improve our health care system. This amendment will go a long way towards ensuring that millions of women and their families actually receive the essential health care services for which they are eligible.

Thank you for making women’s health care a priority by supporting coverage of women’s preventive care and ensuring access to the essential community providers that millions of women trust.

-Gabriel

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The Akron Beacon Journal paid tribute to Planned Parenthood of Northeast Ohio's Roberta Aber, who is retiring after 26 years of service. The full article is pasted below.

By Michael Douglas
Beacon Journal editorial page editor

Published on Sunday, Jun 28, 2009

Part of growing older involves a certain envy of those who spend an entire working career doing precisely what they enjoy (most of the time). Actually, the feeling is more complicated. Envy shares the stage with an element of delight, the pleasure in watching someone fulfill his or her passion.

Roberta Aber is one who has traveled the path she desired and chose. She has spent the past 26 years working here for Planned Parenthood, first, as the executive director of Planned Parenthood of Summit, Portage and Medina Counties and then, in 2007, becoming vice president of organizational systems for Planned Parenthood of Northeast Ohio.

On Tuesday, she will depart her office for the last time, probably after conducting the meticulous business of an inventory audit. Her colleagues have been showering her with admiring words. They talk about her quiet confidence, her capacity to think strategically, her ability to get things done well, her role as a mentor and attention to detail. (In her desk drawer, you will find every yearly calendar, recording her appointments since 1983.)

All of the accolades ring true, believe it or not. Yet one, especially, resonates. The Rev. Sandra Selby, a member of the board of directors of Planned Parenthood of Northeast Ohio, recently reminded a gathering that Aber graduated in 1965 from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, the school using the phrase ''an uncommon woman'' to describe its students. The words fit Aber perfectly.

For many today, the conventions of four decades ago are as removed as rotary phones and 26 cents for a gallon of gas. Aber remembers the many paths closed to women, her mother without a driver's license until her daughter was a teenager. Then, the Supreme Court ruled in 1965, overturning state prohibitions on birth control.

Things began to change dramatically, and Aber wanted to be part of it.

All of us can cite defining moments in our cultural life, from air flight to television to the microprocessor. Few have been as momentous as the high court decision in Griswold v. Connecticut. The world opened to women in a profound way. They now could control their childbearing. They could participate fully and seize new opportunities.

Hard to argue against the benefits, the country and families enriched by the unleashing of so much talent (with ceilings still to crack and frontiers to conquer). Aber embraced the mission of Planned Parenthood, the cause of ensuring that women of all backgrounds and stations have access to services expanding choices in shaping their lives. She started in Massachusetts, and then arrived in Akron, barely two months after the Supreme Court ruled in Akron v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health, a 6-3 majority striking down several restrictions on the right to an abortion.

Abortion rights had weathered a severe test, the affirmation having lasting resonance, or so it seemed. The court held to the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that stemmed directly from the principles of privacy asserted in the Griswold ruling. What Aber soon learned is that the political fight had just begun.

The past quarter-century has featured a steady assault on abortion rights. The core of the Roe decision remains, yet restrictions have been applied and others still are sought.

Read through past articles in this newspaper, and you find Aber, in 1988, explaining to Norton residents why Planned Parenthood has opened an office in their city. To a parent concerned that Planned Parenthood seeks to erode ''my rights to my child,'' she pointed to the responsible course of providing information to sexually active teens with the aim of reducing pregnancies, avoiding consequences for which they are ill prepared.

On the 25th anniversary of the Roe decision, Aber addressed the question: Why can't we resolve the abortion debate? She challenged the notion that both sides are ''so extreme,'' reminding that Planned Parenthood hardly qualifies as a fringe group.

The observation deserves emphasis. Aber recalls those who built Planned Parenthood in Akron before she ever arrived, a Mary Babcox or Helen Paige. They weren't radicals. They were leading conventional lives, Paige serving as a nurse, Babcox the daughter of an Akron mayor who married into the well-known publishing company.

Aber explains that practically every woman has thought about birth control, the practice playing a central role in their lives. Consider that Planned Parenthood of Northeast Ohio serves roughly 55,000 clients a year. One in four women in the country have used Planned Parenthood. Six in 10 patients who receive care at such women's health centers view the facility as their primary source of health care, where they receive examinations, treatment and counseling.

In no small way, then, Planned Parenthood helps the country cope with the many lacking health insurance and ready access to medical care.

One consequence of the political turmoil long surrounding Planned Parenthood has been the curtailing of its outreach, the organization's footprint no longer as prominent in community centers and churches. Yet lately that has begun to change. Aber cites new federal Food and Drug Administration rules for prescribing medications and the development of urine screening for sexually transmitted diseases. Both advances invite a broader presence.

And what better way to propel the effort than the Roberta E. Aber Fund for Outreach Services? Established last fall, the fund already has collected $96,000, donors honoring a mission and a legacy, an uncommon woman's enduring contribution to choice.
Douglas is the Beacon Journal editorial page editor. He can be reached at 330-996-3514, or e-mailed at mdouglas@thebeaconjournal.com.

Part of growing older involves a certain envy of those who spend an entire working career doing precisely what they enjoy (most of the time). Actually, the feeling is more complicated. Envy shares the stage with an element of delight, the pleasure in watching someone fulfill his or her passion.

Roberta Aber is one who has traveled the path she desired and chose. She has spent the past 26 years working here for Planned Parenthood, first, as the executive director of Planned Parenthood of Summit, Portage and Medina Counties and then, in 2007, becoming vice president of organizational systems for Planned Parenthood of Northeast Ohio.

On Tuesday, she will depart her office for the last time, probably after conducting the meticulous business of an inventory audit. Her colleagues have been showering her with admiring words. They talk about her quiet confidence, her capacity to think strategically, her ability to get things done well, her role as a mentor and attention to detail. (In her desk drawer, you will find every yearly calendar, recording her appointments since 1983.)

All of the accolades ring true, believe it or not. Yet one, especially, resonates. The Rev. Sandra Selby, a member of the board of directors of Planned Parenthood of Northeast Ohio, recently reminded a gathering that Aber graduated in 1965 from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, the school using the phrase ''an uncommon woman'' to describe its students. The words fit Aber perfectly.

For many today, the conventions of four decades ago are as removed as rotary phones and 26 cents for a gallon of gas. Aber remembers the many paths closed to women, her mother without a driver's license until her daughter was a teenager. Then, the Supreme Court ruled in 1965, overturning state prohibitions on birth control.

Things began to change dramatically, and Aber wanted to be part of it.

All of us can cite defining moments in our cultural life, from air flight to television to the microprocessor. Few have been as momentous as the high court decision in Griswold v. Connecticut. The world opened to women in a profound way. They now could control their childbearing. They could participate fully and seize new opportunities.

Hard to argue against the benefits, the country and families enriched by the unleashing of so much talent (with ceilings still to crack and frontiers to conquer). Aber embraced the mission of Planned Parenthood, the cause of ensuring that women of all backgrounds and stations have access to services expanding choices in shaping their lives. She started in Massachusetts, and then arrived in Akron, barely two months after the Supreme Court ruled in Akron v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health, a 6-3 majority striking down several restrictions on the right to an abortion.

Abortion rights had weathered a severe test, the affirmation having lasting resonance, or so it seemed. The court held to the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that stemmed directly from the principles of privacy asserted in the Griswold ruling. What Aber soon learned is that the political fight had just begun.

The past quarter-century has featured a steady assault on abortion rights. The core of the Roe decision remains, yet restrictions have been applied and others still are sought.

Read through past articles in this newspaper, and you find Aber, in 1988, explaining to Norton residents why Planned Parenthood has opened an office in their city. To a parent concerned that Planned Parenthood seeks to erode ''my rights to my child,'' she pointed to the responsible course of providing information to sexually active teens with the aim of reducing pregnancies, avoiding consequences for which they are ill prepared.

On the 25th anniversary of the Roe decision, Aber addressed the question: Why can't we resolve the abortion debate? She challenged the notion that both sides are ''so extreme,'' reminding that Planned Parenthood hardly qualifies as a fringe group.

The observation deserves emphasis. Aber recalls those who built Planned Parenthood in Akron before she ever arrived, a Mary Babcox or Helen Paige. They weren't radicals. They were leading conventional lives, Paige serving as a nurse, Babcox the daughter of an Akron mayor who married into the well-known publishing company.

Aber explains that practically every woman has thought about birth control, the practice playing a central role in their lives. Consider that Planned Parenthood of Northeast Ohio serves roughly 55,000 clients a year. One in four women in the country have used Planned Parenthood. Six in 10 patients who receive care at such women's health centers view the facility as their primary source of health care, where they receive examinations, treatment and counseling.

In no small way, then, Planned Parenthood helps the country cope with the many lacking health insurance and ready access to medical care.

One consequence of the political turmoil long surrounding Planned Parenthood has been the curtailing of its outreach, the organization's footprint no longer as prominent in community centers and churches. Yet lately that has begun to change. Aber cites new federal Food and Drug Administration rules for prescribing medications and the development of urine screening for sexually transmitted diseases. Both advances invite a broader presence.

And what better way to propel the effort than the Roberta E. Aber Fund for Outreach Services? Established last fall, the fund already has collected $96,000, donors honoring a mission and a legacy, an uncommon woman's enduring contribution to choice.

Douglas is the Beacon Journal editorial page editor.

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Planned Parenthood Affiliates of Ohio released their monthly Thanks and Spanks last week. The organization's cheers and jeers go to two groups or individuals who have made a difference in reproductive rights, either good or bad.

The regular state budget process ends June 30th. Unfortunately, one provision still in the budget is a request for federal funding for abstinence-only programs. This needs to go!

Last month, over 1,200 Planned Parenthood supporters sent emails to all of the legislators on the budget conference committee, letting them know that abstinence-only funding is a waste of taxpayer money and leaves our teens without the information they need to make smart decisions.

Here's what some of them had to say:

I teach sexuality education to health teachers, and we are all frustrated by abstinence-only programs that deny students basic educational information. Abstinence should absolutely be included in the health curriculum but should not comprise the entire sexuality unit. Beth – Alliance, Ohio

If abstinence-only education worked, there would be NO unwanted pregnancies. Abstinence-only education leads to the need for abortion. To avoid abortion, educate people about preventing pregnancy.
Amy - Silver Lake, OH

Ohio has been ineffective in stopping teen births especially among lower income and minority students. Teen mothers are at the bottom economically and will never be able to rise out of poverty. Ohio must stop its antiquated approach to sex education and start trying to solve the problem. David - Columbus, Ohio

As a nursing instructor, I tell my students to only use evidence based practice and to leave ideology at home. Abstinence-only programs are not based on valid research and do not reduce rates of teen pregnancies or abortions.
Dorothy - Chardon, OH

I have children and I told them the facts about sex and birth control by the time they were in middle school. My daughter thanked me later, saying she was told all sorts of nonsense about sex by her peers who had not been taught. Two teens I know have contracted venereal disease. Abstinence-only teaching FAILS. We cannot let ourselves be locked in by accepting funding that limits our ability to help protect our children. Cheryl - New Straitsville, Ohio

When a woman seeks an abortion without notifying the man who impregnated her, there is usually more to the story. We just don't know. That's why we trust women to make the best decisions about their bodies, and provide them with access to doctors who can give advice and services in a confidential manner.

In the coming days, Representative John Adams (R-Sidney) has indicated he will be introducing a bill that he's nicknamed the "Father's Rights Act." We call it the "Abortion Veto" bill. This legislation would require a woman seeking an abortion to ask the man's permission before receiving an abortion. If the identity of the father was in doubt or unknown, then a paternity test would be required, costing up to $2,000. Even the non-partisan Legislative Service Commission cautioned the idea "raises constitutional questions, particularly as it applies to pre-viability abortions."

Trust women, Representative Adams. They know better than you do.





-Gabriel

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The Columbus Doo Dah Parade is a very irreverent celebration of free speech that is held every Fouth of July on High Street in Columbus. This year, following the abrupt resignation of Sarah Palin, these Ohioans decided to honor her work to highlight the need for Comprehensive Sex Ed for all our teens. Good work, ladies!




Flickr photocredit: wormwould

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