women’s health

SCOTUS agrees to review Texas abortion case: does Roe v. Wade hang in the balance?

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Lyle Denniston at SCOTUSblog reports, Court to rule on abortion clinic restrictions:

ProChoice2Eight years after its last major ruling on abortion rights, the Supreme Court on Friday afternoon agreed to decide the constitutionality of a 2013 Texas law imposing new rules for clinics and doctors.  The earliest that the case would be heard is February.  The Court granted review of one of two appeals on such laws; the other was from Mississippi.

In a second order, the Court said it would hold a hearing on a constitutional test of a new congressional districting map for Virginia, but left open the possibility that the case would be dismissed for a procedural reason.  The case (Wittman v. Personhuballah) involves District 3, the one congressional district in the state that has a majority-black population.  The question is whether race was used unconstitutionally in shaping that district’s lines.

The new abortion case, Whole Woman’s Health v. Cole, is focused on two new restrictions in the Texas law: doctors who perform abortions must have the right to send patients to a full-scale hospital no further than thirty miles from the clinic, and each clinic must have the same facilities as a surgical center.

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SCOTUS grants review of religious objections to contraceptive coverage in ‘ObamaCare’

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ProtestorsThe broadly expanded “religious liberty” argument which is being wielded like a sword by the religious right to exempt themselves from having to comply with any law with which they disagree as a matter of a “personal sincerely held moral conviction or religious belief” is once again being  wielded against contraceptive coverage in the Affordable Care Act aka “ObamaCare.”

This is the natural progression of appeals resulting from the U.S. Supreme Court’s controversial decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby (.pdf). The coming decision on the birth-control mandate will have the title of the first such case filed at the Court: Zubik v. Burwell.

Lyle Denniston at SCOTUSblog writes, Court to hear birth-control challenges (UPDATED):

On Friday, for the fourth time in three years, the Supreme Court agreed to rule on challenges to the new federal health care law — this time, religious non-profit institutions’ objection to the Affordable Care Act’s birth-control mandate, which requires employers to provide their female employees with health insurance that includes no-cost access to certain forms of birth control.  The Court accepted parts of all seven cases on that issue filed with it under the ACA.  It has not yet spelled out how those will be consolidated for a hearing — planned for late March.

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The Planned Parenthood Inquisition

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In case you missed this last week, the caption from Charles Pierce at Esquire sums it up perfectly: Because Benghazi Went So Well, We Have a New Planned Parenthood Committee (and it’s chock full o’ wingnuts):

handmaids-tale_0Things went so well for the Republicans in Thursday’s Benghazi, Benghazi!, BENGHAZI! snipe hunt that departing Speaker John Boehner, who may just be pranking the bastards at this point, on Friday announced the members of the next Special Committee For Expanded Ratfcking. This one will look into the fictitious sale of baby parts by Planned Parenthood. Here are your dogged GOP inquisitors tasked with “investigating” “evidence” produced by phony videotapes:

Marsha Blackburn, Chairman (R-TN); Joe Pitts (R-PA); Diane Black (R-TN); Larry Bucshon (R-IN); Sean Duffy (R-WI); Andy Harris (R-MD); Vicki Hartzler (-MO); Mia Love (R-UT).

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The lunatics have taken over the asylum with House GOP reconciliation bill

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LunaticsTea-Publicans cried “tyranny!” when Democrats used the reconciliation process to pass necessary budget bills over GOP obstruction when they controlled the House and Senate.

But now that Tea-Publicans want to repeal “ObamaCare” and defund Planned Parenthood, and they are in control of the House and Senate, these hypocrites suddenly loves them some reconciliation.

President Obama has promised a veto, and Tea-Publicans have no hope of overriding his veto. The lunatics have taken over the aylum and are acting out in a partisan temper tantrum — a looming government shutdown be damned.

The budget package moving in the House this week is creating a headache for Senate Republicans. House’s Planned Parenthood fight is problem for GOP senators:

The budget package, which under budget reconciliation rules cannot be filibustered in the Senate, will block money for Planned Parenthood and gut ObamaCare.

The problem: It’s unclear whether Senate Republicans can gather the 51 votes needed to approve it.

Three Senate Republicans are on record as opposing an end to federal funding for Planned Parenthood.

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Carly Fiorina, the George Costanza of the GOP, attracts ‘Kochtopus’ support

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CostanzaCarly Fiorina is the female version of habitual liar George Costanza from Seinfeld who famously told  Jerry, “Just remember, it’s not a lie if you believe it.”

Anna North writes at the New York Times, Carly Fiorina’s Planned Parenthood Playbook:

When it comes to Planned Parenthood, Carly Fiorina appears to be playing out a relatively common political strategy: Say something forcefully and frequently enough, and people will start to believe you, even if it’s totally untrue. [This is known as the big lie technique of propaganda.]

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