Civil & Human Rights

Not a good day for Arizona’s Planned Parenthood defunding law in the 9th Circuit

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The San Francico Chronicle reports on today's action in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, Judges grill Arizona lawyer over anti-abortion law:

Two
federal appeals court judges expressed skepticism Wednesday about an
Arizona law [HB 2800] that disqualified Planned Parenthood and other health
providers that perform abortions from receiving public funds for other
medical services.

Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judges Marsha Berzon and Jay Bybee grilled attorney Steven Aden during a hearing about the law. Aden, an attorney with the Alliance
Defending Freedom, argued that Arizona had a broad power to determine
that Planned Parenthood, and other organizations targeted by the law,
were not qualified Medicaid providers, allowing the state to withhold
from them Medicaid funds.

According
to the Medicaid statute, anybody eligible for medical assistance can
get it from an organization or person "qualified to perform the service
or services required."

Aden
said since the Medicaid statute does not further define "qualified,"
the state should have broad powers to determine its meaning.

Rep. Trent Franks channels Todd Akin

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

They just can't help themselves. Despite GOP attempts to 'rebrand" after the 2012 election, their Tea Party radical extremists keep shooting off their mouths pursuing their misogynist war on women. Arizona's right-wing anti-abortion zealot, Rep. Trent Franks, was channeling Todd Akin (legitimate rape) in a committee hearing today. Rep. Trent Franks: Rate of pregnancies from rape ‘very low’:

Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), whose measure banning abortions after 20
weeks was being considered in the House Judiciary Committee, argued
against a Democratic amendment to make exceptions for rape and incest by
suggesting that pregnancy from rape is rare.

“Before, when my friends on the left side of the aisle here tried to
make rape and incest the subject — because, you know, the incidence of
rape resulting in pregnancy are very low,” Franks said.

* * *

Democrats on the committee, including Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.),
responded by pointing to similar comments made by then-Rep. Todd Akin
(R-Mo.) in his 2012 Senate campaign. Akin suggested that the female body
can prevent pregnancy from occurring after a “legitimate rape” — a claim that is not backed up by scientific research and for which Akin apologized.

Misplaced Congressional Priorities: Pork for the Pentagon but Not for Children

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Pentagon-moneyby Pamela Powers Hannley

During the Bush II Era, excessive deficit spending was no big deal for Republicans. Congressional Republicans like Mitch McConnell, Jon Kyl, John McCain, Jeff Flake, Lindsay Graham, and even current “budget hawk” Paul Ryan “spent money like drunken sailors”– particularly when the spending benefited the 1% (remember the tax cuts we couldn’t afford?) or corporations (two wars, Medicare Advantage, off-shoring jobs, more tax cuts, privatization, etc.)

But as soon as a Democratic President occupied the White House, the siren song became: We must tighten our belts and live within our means! Cut government jobs…er… spending! Cut Social Security… er… “entitlements”! 

This austerity screed intensified after the Democratic “shellacking” in 2010 when Teapublicans took control of the House of Representatives and the budget, and Senate Teapublicans began playing games with people’s lives by filibustering everything. (No wonder Congress has a 16% approval rating.)

For the past few months, Congress has been weighing the pros and cons of budget cuts and pork barrel projects. Food stamps and schools lunches are on the chopping block, while the Congress considers passing the National Defense Authorization Act of 2014, which authorizes $640 billion more in defense spending than the Pentagon asked for. (This action was passed by the House Armed Services committee last week; the full vote in the House of Representatives is scheduled for today– Wednesday, June 12.) More details about Pentegon pork after the jump.

Comprehensive immigration reform bill advances to debate in U.S. Senate

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The "Gang of Eight" comprehensivie immigration reform bill is finally being debated in the U.S. Senate today. I love the caption Ed Kilgore at the Political Animal Blog gave his post on the subject, Slouching Towards Bethlehem (a reference to W. B. Yeats' poem Second Coming: "And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?"):

Mitch McConnell signaled early on
that there would be no leadership-backed filibuster against initial
consideration of the bill, in part because quite a few GOP senators who
will likely vote against the final product also want to claim they
support immigration reform generally, and/or hold out hope the bill will
be amended (i.e., gutted) to incorporate their views.

In fact, the "Gang of Eight" comprehensive immigration reform bill passed its first cloture vote tests today: the motion to proceed to a vote on whether to proceed to a floor debate passed 82-15, and the subsequent motion to proceed to a floor debate passed 84-15. (This is the Senate people). Now the real debate begins.

Obama administration agrees to comply with federal court order re: Plan B

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The Justice Department announced on Monday that it will allow the most popular morning after pill, Plan B, to be available over the counter to women of all ages, dropping its appeal of a federal court order. Obama Administration To End Age Restrictions On Plan B:

PlanBThe Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in a statement that it
has “asked the manufacturer of Plan B One-Step to submit a supplemental
application seeking approval of the one-pill product to be made
available O.T.C. without any such restrictions” and “intends to approve
it promptly.” Generic versions may also be eventually approved. The
morning after pill prevents conception “if taken within 72 hours after sexual intercourse.”

The decision comes after a federal judge in April ordered the FDA to
lift restrictions on the morning-after pill. The administration
responded to the ruling by lowering the age restriction from 17 to 15,
sparking the ire of health groups and district Judge Edward Korman,
who, in a series of contemptuous opinions, called the administration’s
defiance an insult to the intelligence of women” and “a charade” meant to stall his original order. Last week, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals ordered
the administration to make two-pill versions of emergency contraception
immediately available over the counter to women of all ages.