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Originally Posted by Diamond Jim
Bump for Aquila
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No. However, I understand that abortion's legality is merely cosmetic. The real issue to address is abortion rate. This is done by advocating for contraceptives, thereby reducing unplanned pregnancies. Also I advocate for subsidized programs for single mothers such as WIC, day care assistance, extending S-Chip to cover mothers and children, increasing adoption tax credits and making them permanant, and strengthening laws against the abuse of pregnant women. After having studied what nations are most successful in reducing abortion rates I was absolutely amazed that the nations with the lowest abortion rates on earth were always pro-choice nations with progressive measures in contraceptives, child care, and universal health care. Some of the highest abortion rates are found in nations where abortion is banned, but there isn’t any relief for families or availability of contraceptives.
I support the “Reducing the Need for Abortion and Supporting Parents Act”, submitted by Tim Ryan (D-OH) and Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), both pro-life Democrats, which has gained support with both pro-life and pro-choice members of the Democratic Party. The Republicans stand against this Act simply because they are widely supported by Democrats. Here the titles of the Act:
• Sex Education (Title I): Grants for pregnancy prevention education will give preference to various programs, including those that encourage teens to delay sexual activity and provide information about contraception, but will be available only to applicants who agree to provide age-appropriate, factually and medically accurate and complete, and scientifically-based information. Grant recipients must be able to match 25% of the federal funds. This section is largely drawn from S. 2508, Senator Menendez’s “Teen Pregnancy Prevention, Responsibility and Opportunity Act.”
• After-School Programs (Title II): This section would reauthorize appropriations to various after-school programs, including the 21st Century Community Learning Centers, the Carol M. White Physical Education Programs, and Federal TRIO programs, and GEARUP. This section is drawn from the Menendez bill, S. 2508.
• Teen Pregnancy Prevention Incentive Grants (Title III): For fiscal year 2007, any state which submits a plan to decrease teen pregnancy and teen births that includes both young men and young women, involves parents or other caretakers, and makes a particular effort to reach communities or populations experiencing above-average teen pregnancy rates may receive a grant. For each of the fiscal years 2008-2011, the grants will be available only to “high-achieving states,” who achieve above average progress in reducing teen pregnancy rates and also submit a plan to decrease teen pregnancy, involve parents or other caretakers, focus on young men as well as young women, and pay special attention to communities or populations experiencing higher teen pregnancy rates. No matching funds are required to receive these grants. The Secretary of HHS will also establish a new national goal for teen pregnancy prevention and periodically update Congress on the related progress. This section was inspired by S. 657 of the 108th Congress, Senator Bayh and Lieberman’s “Strengthening Families Act of 2003,” and H.R. 3555, Representative Harman and Shays’ “Responsible Funding to Prevent Teen Pregnancy Act.”
• Demonstration Grants to Encourage Creative Approaches to Teen Pregnancy Prevention (Title IV): This grant program is designed to support creative approaches to reducing teen pregnancy. Grant recipients must provide a 25% match to the federal funds. They are also required to submit to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reports of their success, and the Secretary of HHS, in turn, must submit a report on the success of the grant programs to Congress. This section is also drawn from the Menendez bill, S. 2508.
• National Campaign to Enlist Parents in Preventing Teen Pregnancy (Title V): A significant grant will be available to establish a national center for the parents of teens. The center will work to support parents by equipping them with information and resources to promote and strengthen communication with their children about sex,
The Reducing Need for Abortion and Supporting Parents
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values, and healthy relationships; to develop and implement print, broadcast, internet and other new media campaigns to promote positive information and messages for parents about how they can help address teen pregnancy; and to provide challenge grants to states to promote parent education and involvement. This section is similar to language establishing a National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Resource Center that Senator Lincoln had included as an amendment in the Senate Finance Committee's welfare reform legislation in March 2005.
• Restoration of Medicaid Entitlement to Coverage of Family Planning Services (Title VI): The Deficit Reduction Act, now passed into law, puts countless low-income women’s access to family planning at risk through the creation of “benchmark” plans. Benchmark plans allow states to avoid federal requirements for required services in the Medicaid program, one of which is family planning. This provision would ensure that low-income women on Medicaid will continue to have access to contraception by restoring family planning to the status of mandatory for benchmark plans under the Medicaid program. This section can also be found in the “Unintended Pregnancy Reduction Act of 2006,” introduced as S. 2916 by Senator Clinton and H.R. 5795 by Representatives Lowey and DeLauro.
• Expanded Coverage of Family Planning for Low-Income Women (Title VII): Federal law requires state Medicaid programs to cover pregnancy-related care for women with an income up to 133% of the federal poverty line, and gives states the flexibility to set the income ceiling even higher. Over 40 states currently cover pregnancy-related services for women with income above the required level. This provision would amend the Medicaid statute to ensure that states extend coverage for family planning services and supplies to women who would be entitled to Medicaid funded prenatal, labor, delivery and postpartum care. This section can also be found in Clinton and Lowey/DeLauro’s S. 2916/H.R. 5795.
• Increasing Support for the Nation’s Title X Family Planning Program (Title X): This section would authorize increased funding for Title X of the Public Health Service Act, the only federal program dedicated solely to providing contraceptive and related reproductive health care services to low-income women. This section is drawn from the “Prevention First Act,” introduced as S. 20 by Senators Clinton and Reid and H.R. 1709 by Representatives Slaughter, DeGette, Johnson, and Greenwood.
• Contraception Information for New Moms (Title XVII): The bill authorizes new grants which would require providing accurate and complete information about contraception at nurse home visits to teenage and first-time mothers.
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