Choice News June 21st 2010

Stateside

The U.S. Senate voted down an amendment that would have extended Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) funding, $480 million of which state legislators depended on when they passed the budget last session. This could force the legislature to go into another special session to figure out a way to close that hole in the budget.

The Governor's budget office released a forecast showing that state lawmakers will face a $3 billion budget deficit when they return to Olympia in January to write the next two-year budget. The budget forecast also shows the state will take in $200 million less than anticipated through June 2011.

Marcy Bloom, of El Grupo de Informacion en Reproduccion Elegida/The Information Group on Reproductive Choice, has a post on RH Reality Check on our vigil for Dr. George Tiller and a reflection on his life and work.

Last week Florida Gov. Charlie Crist vetoed a bill that would have required women to undergo an ultrasound - and pay for it out of pocket - before having an abortion.

Other News of Note

An FDA panel of reproductive health experts has recommended for approval a new emergency contraceptive, Ella, that is effective up to 5 days after unprotected sex or contraceptive failure.

Politico reports that women's heath advocates see signs of momentum in improving the military's policies on reproductive health care. In February, military hospitals began stocking emergency contraception, and a Senate amendment under consideration would allow women to have abortions at military hospitals.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops denounced the group of Catholic nuns who broke ranks with the bishops in support of health care reform, and said that the nuns are responsible for the passage of the legislation. The Conference of Catholic Bishops had advocated for more draconian restrictions on abortion access.

Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson notes that Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, who may be a contender for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination, is inclined to be less strident on issues like abortion rights, a characteristic that alarms social conservatives within the Republican Party.