September 30, 2011
Healthcare Prof:
The following summarizes selected women’s health-related videos.
NARAL Pays Tribute to Tiller: At its annual luncheon, NARAL Pro-Choice America presented the family of murdered abortion provider George Tiller with a lifetime achievement award to recognize the doctor’s service. The presentation came just days soon after a Kansas jury convicted Scott Roeder of first-degree murder for shooting Tiller inside the doctor’s church last May. During the luncheon, NARAL showed a video tribute to honor Tiller’s legacy (NARAL Pro-Choice America, 2/2).
Rachel Maddow on Roeder Trial: On Tuesday’s “The Rachel Maddow Show,” host Maddow recapped the Roeder trial and previewed the sentencing, which is scheduled for March 9. Maddow also highlighted statements from Tiller’s family along with the Center for Reproductive Rights, which is calling on the Department of Justice to investigate whether Roeder collaborated with other antiabortion activists (Maddow, “The Rachel Maddow Show,” MSNBC, 2/1).
Colbert Grills Ford on Abortion Position: Former Rep. Harold Ford (D-Tenn.) — who plans to challenge Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) inside the Democratic primary — on Monday appeared on Comedy Central’s “Colbert Report,” where fake news anchor Stephen Colbert questioned his shifting positions on abortion rights and same-sex marriage (Colbert, “Colbert Report,” Comedy Central, 2/1). Later within the week, Ford met with NARAL Pro-Choice New York officials, who said that the former House member’s muddled track record on choice solidified their decision to endorse Gillibrand.
Richards on Antiabortion Super Bowl Ad: In a YouTube video, Cecile Richards, president with the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, discusses Focus on the Family’s planned antiabortion-rights Super Bowl ad. The ad is expected to feature college football star Tim Tebow and his mother discussing her choice to continue her pregnancy with Tim, despite serious wellness threats. Richards notes that Pam Tebow was able to create a personal medical choice in private, without government interference — as PPFA believes all ladies ought to be able to do (Richards, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, 2/2).
CNN on Reaction in Wichita: A CNN multimedia feature focuses on the history with the abortion debate in Wichita, Kan., such as perspectives of local residents. Based on CNN, following years of constant antiabortion protests outside Tiller’s clinic, some residents are hoping that Roeder’s conviction will bring an end towards the town’s reputation as the epicenter of the debate. The feature also includes excerpts of Roeder’s testimony and comments from Tiller’s colleagues (Grinberg, CNN, 2/1).
Reprinted with type permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the whole Daily Women’s Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for e-mail delivery here. The Daily Women’s Wellness Policy Report is a free of charge service with the National Partnership for Females & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.
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Healthcare Prof:
The following summarizes selected women’s health-related blog entries.
~ “We Can’t Overlook Reproductive Well being Needs in Haiti,” Sharon Camp, RH Reality Check: Camp, president and CEO of the Guttmacher Institute, writes that the Haitian earthquake has created “displacement” within the culture, where “the well being and lives of Haiti’s women and girls — many of whom were already in a precarious situation simply because of poverty or low social status — are threatened by severe living conditions, such as the virtual absence of reproductive wellness services.” Based on Camp, “Most immediately, there is an urgent need for clean delivery kits to ensure that childbirth is safe for mothers and their newborns.” She continues, “Likewise, displaced women and girls are especially vulnerable to sexual violence and exploitation, and proper care — including emergency contraception and HIV prophylaxis — must be produced widely available to any victims of sexual violence.” She also writes that “many Haitian girls who find themselves cut off from their usual sources for family planning services and supplies, including condoms, must be provided with free contraceptives.” In accordance with Camp, “A failure to address these needs heightens the risk for unwanted pregnancy and botched abortion, HIV and other [sexually transmitted infections] and high-risk, life-threatening pregnancies and childbirth.” She adds, “The U.S. government’s response towards the Haitian earthquake has been each swift and strong. But Haiti’s ladies also need the United States to reassert a leadership role in ensuring that sexual and reproductive wellness care can be a core component with the humanitarian response towards the crisis” (Camp, RH Reality Check, 2/5).
~ “‘Friday Night Lights’ Abortion Plotline Must-See TV,” Sarah Seltzer, RH Reality Check: “Two weeks ago, DirecTV aired an episode of ‘Friday Night Lights’ that very quietly made a mini-kind of television history” by depicting a character’s struggle with whether or not to obtain an abortion for an unintended pregnancy, Seltzer writes. The show “depicted a character having an abortion in a very nonpolitical, personal way,” Seltzer notes. The season will be re-broadcast by NBC in April, Seltzer reports, adding, “It’s going to be very, very important to keep an eye on how this series is treated by NBC and whether it garners protests, since [the] abortion will really be momentous if it gets depicted on a major network.” Seltzer describes the series as “humane” for examining the “moral potential of females who have abortions and help each other have them, and while that shouldn’t be remarkable, it is” (Seltzer, RH Reality Check, 2/5).
~ “CBS Helped With Tebow Ad,” Tracy Clark-Flory, Salon‘s “Broadsheet”: Clark-Flory highlights responses to news reports that CBS coordinated with Focus on the Family in developing its antiabortion-rights Super Bowl commercial. National Organization for Ladies President Terry O’Neill called the collaboration “appalling” and “extremely, extremely disturbing,” Clark-Flory says. Focus on the Family said that it worked with the network to fine-tune the ad’s wording and that the process was “very cordial, very professional,” according to an organization spokesperson. CBS says that it often works with advertisers on their ads’ scripts and that Focus on the Family did not receive “special treatment,” based on Clark-Flory. “The vetting process for Super Bowl ads has always been controversial,” Clark-Flory writes, adding that this year, “CBS has simply pumped up the volume by changing its policy to allow advocacy ads.” Clark-Flory exhorts opponents with the Focus on the Family ad to “disagree with all the policy change, call for fair representation, respond with a competing message, criticize the ad’s content, skewer CBS for irresponsibly airing a dishonest and misleading ad — assuming that actually turns out to be the case.” Nevertheless, she says that “calling for opposing views to be censored ?- just doesn’t seem pro-choice to me” (Clark-Flory, “Broadsheet,” Salon, 2/3).
~ “Breaking News on Emergency Contraception,” Kristin Koch, NARAL Pro-Choice America’s “Blog for Choice”: Koch, deputy director of communications for online advocacy strategies for NARAL, writes that the Department of Defense’s new policy of making emergency contraception available on every overseas military base is “a major victory for women’s health and women’s rights.” Based on Koch, “It’s probably not surprising that the Bush administration” overruled a similar proposal “without explanation.” She writes, “To add insult to injury, anti-choice groups … have since opposed efforts by members of Congress to fix this difficulty.” Koch continues, “Fortunately, unlike his predecessor, President Obama supports the decisions of medical experts and policy recommendations based on science, not politics.” She writes, “Now we just need to make sure that anti-choice ideologues don’t threaten military women’s access to emergency contraception again” (Koch, “Blog for Choice,” NARAL Pro-Choice America, 2/4).
~ “A Blueprint for High-Quality, High-Value Maternity Care,” Maureen Corry, WBUR’S “Commonhealth”: A “well-planned roadmap toward wellness care nirvana” already exists for maternity care, in accordance with Corry, the executive director of the not-for-profit research and advocacy organization Childbirth Connection. She says, “Maternity care is the sweet spot for what we all want: high-quality, high-value care,” adding that it is “one of the only sectors of the health care industry where less care often implies better care.” Corry notes two recent reports released by her organization that “lay out the values of and recommendations for a maternity care system in which females receive high-quality evidence-based care at an appropriate cost.” The first report — called 2020 Vision for a High-Quality, High-Value Maternity Care System — presents “a shared view of fundamental values, principles and attributes that constitute a high-quality maternity care system,” she writes. The second report — called Blueprint for Action — includes “detailed recommendations and action steps” and outlines specific strategies in 11 critical areas, such as performance management, disparities, clinical controversies and consumer choice, based on Corry. “The reports are only the first step in a concerted effort to transform maternity care,” she writes. Corry calls on hospitals and health plans that have successfully implemented quality improvement programs to share their knowledge and experiences. She concludes, “Health care reform offers numerous opportunities, but with or without it, there’s work to be done to ensure optimal care for women and newborns” (Corry, “Commonhealth,” WBUR, 2/3).
Reprinted with type permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. It is possible to view the entire Day-to-day Women’s Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Everyday Women’s Wellness Policy Report is really a free of charge service of the National Partnership for Females & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.
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Focus on the Family’s Super Bowl commercial featuring former University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow and his mother, Pam, was “a soft sell,” despite the controversy surrounding the advertisement before it was broadcast, the AP/San Francisco Chronicle reports (Fredrix, AP/San Francisco Chronicle, 2/7). The ad sparked a “furious debate” in the weeks leading as much as the Super Bowl. Abortion-rights advocates criticized CBS for accepting the ad, which was the first political ad accepted for a Super Bowl broadcast.
The ad, which was unseen until Sunday’s broadcast, aimed for “a lighthearted take on a mother-son relationship,” the Los Angeles Times reports. Inside the ad, Pam Tebow calls Tim her “miracle baby,” but the word “abortion” is never mentioned. She says, “He almost didn’t make it into this world. … [Y]ou know, with all our family’s been through, we have to be tough.” As Pam Tebow is talking, she appears to be tackled by Tim, but then stands back up and tells him that he is “not nearly as tough as I am.” The ad directs viewers towards the Focus on the Family Web site (Abcarian, Los Angeles Times, 2/8).
Tim Calkins, a marketing professor at Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, said that the use of humor could make the ad seem more accessible to viewers but that the ad’s hidden message might be confusing to those unfamiliar with all the controversy. “I think they took a very interesting strategy,” Calkins said, adding, “It’s clearly an effort to steer away from controversy. I suspect the people they had been going soon after understood the message, but … for most people, I don’t think the ad really did a good deal for them.” Villanova School of Business marketing professor Charles Taylor said, “To the extent that there are people that they can influence, this probably does a good job of driving them to the Web site and getting them to check it out.”
Some women’s and abortion-rights advocates objected to Tim Tebow’s tackling of his mother, the AP/Chronicle reports. Women’s Media Center President Jehmu Greene stated there was an undercurrent of violence against females, adding, “I think they’re attempting to use humor as another tactic of hiding their message and fooling the American people” (AP/San Francisco Chronicle, 2/7).
However, former Catholics for Choice President Frances Kissling said, “It’s absurd to claim that this is an endorsement of violence against females,” adding that the Tebows “came across as affectionate, loving, funny and happy.” Kissling also stated that Focus on the Family was fortunate that abortion-rights groups protested the ad prior to it aired. “If there had not been all of that publicity over the last two weeks, this ad could have passed almost unnoticed,” Kissling stated, adding, “Who would have known what they’re talking about? It is so subtle” (Los Angeles Times, 2/8).
Reprinted with type permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You’ll be able to view the whole Everyday Women’s Wellness Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Day-to-day Women’s Health Policy Report can be a free service with the National Partnership for Females & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.
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Susan Hill, a nationally known women’s rights advocate and owner of several abortion clinics, died Jan. 30 at age 61, McClatchy/Los Angeles Times reports. Hill, who had breast cancer, focused on establishing clinics in rural areas where girls otherwise would not have access to abortion services. According to McClatchy/Times, Hill “opened more clinics than anyone else within the United States, sometimes drawing 1,000 protesters at a time.”
Hill filed lawsuits against protesters 34 times for blocking clinics and preventing girls from entering. Ann Rose, a longtime friend of Hill’s, stated Hill refused to wear a bulletproof vest, despite threats on her life. “She was not going to let them control her life,” Rose stated, adding, “She wasn’t going to be intimidated.” Dan Hill, Susan Hill’s brother, said, “She’s probably the toughest person I ever knew,” adding, “People really wanted to kill her, and she never flinched.” A doctor at one of Hill’s clinics, David Gunn, was shot and killed in 1993 by an antiabortion protester, who is now serving a life sentence.
Hill, who had a degree in social work, opened a clinic outside Miami, Fla., one week right after the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. She recalled in a 2007 interview that a girl with cerebral palsy came to the clinic that day after becoming pregnant by an abusive uncle. The girl “was too stricken and disabled to speak about her difficulty, but her mother had driven her 250 miles that morning to fix it,” based on McClatchy/Times. Hill stated women’s stories motivated her to continue her work within the face of threats. “If people knew the stories, they wouldn’t be so vicious,” she said (Friedman, McClatchy/Los Angeles Times, 2/8).
Reprinted with type permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the whole Everyday Women’s Wellness Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for e-mail delivery here. The Day-to-day Women’s Health Policy Report is a free of charge service with the National Partnership for Females & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.
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An antiabortion-rights billboard campaign in Atlanta has drawn fire from abortion-rights supporters, who argue that the campaign is misleading and portrays black ladies in a negative light, the New York Times reports. The campaign currently consists of 65 billboards that show an image of a “worried-looking” black child together with the message, “Black children are an endangered species” at the top, the Times reports.
According to the Times, the campaign was created in conjunction with a Web site, toomanyaborted.com, which claims that all of Georgia’s abortion clinics are located in “urban areas where blacks reside.” The site also claims that abortion is linked to segregation and is “the tool [racists] use to stealthily target blacks for extermination.” The Web site contends that Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger wanted to reduce the black population, a claim that Planned Parenthood refutes.
The campaign’s sponsors — including Georgia Right to Life along with the Radiance Foundation, a group that encourages adoption — say that the purpose with the campaign is to highlight data showing a disproportionate number of abortions among black ladies, especially females in Georgia, and to show that the number is rising within the state. Davis claimed, “The impact of abortion has become so great that it has begun to impact [the black] fertility rate.”
According to the Times, blacks make up about 30% with the state’s population. Federal data show that black girls obtained 57.4% of abortions in Georgia in 2006, the Times reports. Even so, the fertility rate among black ladies — the number of births per 1,000 women of childbearing age — is higher than the national average and has increased in recent years, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Loretta Ross, executive director of SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Wellness Collective, said that the billboards portray black girls as either victims of whites who control abortion clinics or girls intent on destroying their own race. “The reason we have numerous Planned Parenthoods inside the black community is simply because leaders within the black community inside the ’20s and ’30s went to Margaret Sanger and asked for them,” Ross stated, adding, “Controlling our fertility was part of our uplift out of poverty strategy, and it still works” (Dewan, New York Times, 2/5).
Reprinted with type permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You’ll be able to view the entire Every day Women’s Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Day-to-day Women’s Health Policy Report can be a totally free service with the National Partnership for Females & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.
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Republican National Committee Chair Michael Steele and potential Democratic Senate candidate Harold Ford at a University of Arkansas at Little Rock forum on Thursday discussed a range of issues, such as abortion and well being care reform, the AP/Baxter Bulletin reports. Ford, a former member of Congress who represented Tennessee, is considering challenging Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) in the Democratic primary.
During a question-and-answer portion of the forum, Steele and Ford had been asked about abortion rights, which is an “issue that has vexed each of them politically,” the AP/Bulletin reports. Ford described himself as “pro-choice” but also stated that he is opposed to abortion later in pregnancy. The AP/Bulletin reports that Ford has been targeted for giving contradictory explanations of his position on abortion-rights.
Steele, who has received conservative criticism for saying that abortion is an “individual choice,” stated that he supports the Republican Party platform’s opposition to abortion. Nonetheless, he also stated that the choice should be left to the states, adding, “This is actually a choice that in my view must be more left to communities to decide than the federal government to decide.”
When discussing well being care reform, Steele said that most U.S. residents are not opposed to well being reform but want it “in a way that represents genuine effort to build consensus towards national well being care reform as opposed towards the partisan back and forth they’ve seen over the past year.” Ford, who has stated he supports a public plan option, said that the recent election of Republican Sen. Scott Brown (Mass.) could mean that Democrats in Congress “have to start over” on health reform efforts (DeMillo, AP/Baxter Bulletin, 2/5).
Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You’ll be able to view the entire Day-to-day Women’s Wellness Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women’s Wellness Policy Report can be a cost-free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.
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Healthcare Prof:
The following summarizes recent action on state legislation related to abortion rights and sex education programs.
~ Kentucky: During a rally at the Kentucky Capitol on Wednesday, antiabortion-rights advocates urged lawmakers to support a bill (SB 38) that would require a woman seeking an abortion to undergo an ultrasound and obtain counseling 24 hours before the procedure, the Louisville Courier-Journal reports. The bill passed the state Senate Jan. 25 and is pending within the state Home Wellness and Welfare Committee. In 2009, a similar bill died inside the committee after a tie vote (Yetter, Louisville Courier-Journal, 2/4). Meanwhile, advocates for sex education in public schools rallied at the Capitol on Thursday to advocate for a bill (HB 119) that would require a science-based curriculum for teaching sex education, the AP/Lexington-Herald Leader reports. Although the bill does not require that schools teach sex education, it would require that such curricula include age-appropriate, culturally sensitive and medically accurate information (AP/Lexington Herald-Leader, 2/5).
~ Iowa: A subcommittee with the Iowa Legislature on Thursday approved a bill that would give inheritance rights to Iowa children born as much as two years following the death of a parent, a change intended to extend the rights to children conceived through in vitro fertilization, the AP/Chicago Tribune reports. The bill would overturn a 150-year old state law that limits inheritance only to children conceived throughout marriage, allowing children conceived via in vitro fertilization to receive various benefits, such as Social Security survivor payments, even if they were gestated right after a parent’s death. Iowa lawmakers stated they hope to continue discussions on the bill but are concerned that issues such as abortion-rights and assisted suicide will enter the debate (Glover, AP/Chicago Tribune, 2/4).
~ Vermont: A second Vermont car accident that resulted inside the death of twin fetuses has renewed attention on legislation that would enable criminal charges in such situations, the Burlington Totally free Press reports. Several versions with the legislation (S 273, S 175, H 605) have been introduced, some of which would grant fetuses constitutional rights. Abortion-rights advocates say granting rights to fetuses would interfere with state abortion laws. Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Richard Sears (D) said his version with the legislation would sidestep abortion-related issues by increasing penalties for harm to a pregnant woman without granting fetal rights, though he added that some abortion-rights lawmakers oppose his measure as well. The girls involved inside the car accidents — Sarah Cardinal, was eight-months pregnant with twins, and Patricia Blair, who was six-months pregnant with twins — each survived and are advocating to allow criminal charges for fetal deaths (Hallenbeck, Burlington Totally free Press, 2/4).
Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You are able to view the entire Every day Women’s Wellness Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Day-to-day Women’s Wellness Policy Report can be a free of charge service with the National Partnership for Ladies & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.
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The Middleton, Wis., Police Department has declined to release a report conducted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security assessing the threat posed by local groups opposed to and supporting abortion rights that had been demonstrating at a February 2009 meeting held by the University of Wisconsin Hospital Board to decide whether to open an abortion clinic, the AP/Washington Post reports. The report concluded that there was no serious threat from the groups. The board ultimately approved the clinic, and there were no incidents with any demonstrators.
According to a DHS memorandum issued in December 2009, the agency destroyed its copies with the report, which it had shared using the Middleton Police Department and the director of the Wisconsin Statewide Information Center (Foley, AP/Washington Post, 2/8).
The threat assessment sparked internal criticism at DHS, where many officials felt the groups did not pose a threat to homeland security. The threat assessment’s author was subsequently required to undergo remedial training ( Daily Women??s Health Policy Report, 12/17/09). The American Civil Liberties Union also has criticized the report, in accordance with the AP/Post.
The report??s existence became known soon after the DHS memo was released by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, along with the New York Times reported on it. A lawyer representing Pro-Life Wisconsin asked Middleton police to release the report, citing Wisconsin’s open records law.
Middleton Police Department Capt. Noel Kakuske stated that the Wisconsin Department of Justice, which runs the intelligence center, and DHS believe the report has sensitive law enforcement information. In a Feb. 4 statement, Kakuske wrote, “Disclosure would result within the identification and public disclosure of individuals affiliated with groups on both sides with the issue, which would place them in danger from opposing radical extremists.” Kakuske stated the report resulted from his department’s request for assistance from the state to prepare for the protest.
Pro-Life Wisconsin will continue its efforts to obtain the report, in accordance with Peggy Hamill, the group’s state director (Foley, AP/Washington Post, 2/8).
Reprinted with type permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You are able to view the entire Daily Women’s Wellness Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Everyday Women’s Well being Policy Report is actually a cost-free service of the National Partnership for Ladies & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.
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The following summarizes selected women’s health-related videos.
O’Neill, Dannenfelser on CNN: On CNN’s “Rick’s List,” NOW President Terry O’Neill and Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser debated Focus on the Family’s Super Bowl ad featuring Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow and his mother, Pam. While Dannenfelser called the Tebows’ story “uplifting and beautiful,” O’Neill noted that Focus on the Family’s underlying agenda is to overturn Roe v. Wade (Sanchez, “Rick’s List,” CNN, 2/5).
Rachel Maddow Talks Health Reform: In her “Ms. Information” segment on Monday, Maddow weighed in on “what happens if wellness reform doesn’t pass?” Based on Maddow, the result would be a major blow to the economy. She cited wellness care cost data from the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services that project dramatic increases in health spending within the coming decade (Maddow, “The Rachel Maddow Show,” MSNBC, 2/11).
?Willie Geist on Super Bowl Ad: In a segment on MSNBC’s “Way Too Early,” commentator Willie Geist parsed the Focus on the Family ad the morning right after its Super Bowl debut. Although the ad “was supposed to be controversial,” it was “anything but,” based on Geist (Geist, “Way Too Early,” MSNBC, 2/8).
Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You’ll be able to view the whole Daily Women’s Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Everyday Women’s Well being Policy Report is really a totally free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.
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The Senate Judiciary Committee approved several judiciary nominees Thursday but again delayed consideration of Dawn Johnsen, President Obama’s nominee for assistant attorney common at the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel, CQ Today reports. The delay will allow absent Republicans on the committee an opportunity to comment on her nomination, in accordance with CQ Today. Obama re-nominated Johnsen to the post on Jan. 20, after the Senate failed to confirm her prior to the nomination expired last year. The committee has delayed consideration of Johnsen three times (Scholtes, CQ Today, 2/11).
Johnsen’s nomination has drawn fire from some Republicans because of her past work for NARAL Pro-Choice America and her opposition to terrorism policies put in place below President George W. Bush. Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said that he has not spoken with Obama about a possible President’s Day recess appointment for Johnsen. When asked if the administration should consider a recess appointment in Johnsen’s case, Leahy said, “It must probably be one they would.” Johnsen’s home state Republican senator, Richard Lugar (Ill.), has stated he supports her confirmation, though Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson (Neb.) has said he opposes it (Hunt, Politico, 2/11).
Other Nominees Approved
Meanwhile, the full Senate approved 27 of President Obama’s nominees to other federal posts (Phillips, “The Caucus,” New York Times, 2/11). The confirmations include Susan Carbon of New Hampshire to serve as director of the Violence Against Females Office at DOJ, Sara Manzano-Diaz of Pennsylvania to direct the Women’s Bureau at the Labor Department, Ellen Gloninger Murray of Virginia as Assistant Secretary ofResources and Technology at HHS, and Bryan Hayes Samuels of Illinois to be the new commissioner of Children, Youth and Families at HHS (Lesniewski, CQ Today, 2/11). All with the nominees approved Thursday were “largely uncontroversial,” based on The Hill‘s “Blog Briefing Room.”
The confirmations, which were produced by unanimous consent, came right after a confrontation between Obama and Senate Republicans over the fate of nearly 70 presidential nominees. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) had placed holds on the nominees to protest Obama’s handling of counterterrorism and defense projects in his home state, according to “Blog Briefing Room.” In a statement Thursday, Obama stated the holds “had nothing to do together with the nominee’s qualifications or even political views, and these nominees have already received broad, bipartisan support inside the committee process” (Fabian, “Blog Briefing Room,” The Hill, 2/11).
At a meeting at the White Residence Tuesday, Obama called on Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to move forward on the nominees. The president said that if the holds had been not lifted, he would consider making recess appointments for the contested nominees (Allen, Politico, 2/12).
Post Editorial Criticizes Shelby’s Tactics, Calls for Consideration of Johnsen
Shelby “has brought congressional hostage-taking to new lows,” a Washington Post editorial states, noting that the “type of arm-twisting and obstructionism” the senator displayed by placing the holds is “unacceptable.” The editorial continues that a “hold may be appropriate if a senator has serious concerns about a nominee’s qualifications or character, but it is obnoxious for a lawmaker to refuse to let a nomination move forward unless he gets concessions on a pet project or policy matter.”
The editorial also calls for the confirmation of Johnsen — a “well-qualified nominee” whose confirmation has been “in limbo for almost one year.” Based on the editorial, “At the very least, she deserves to have her nomination voted on by the full Senate” (Washington Post, 2/12).
Reprinted with type permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. It is possible to view the whole Day-to-day Women’s Wellness Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Every day Women’s Wellness Policy Report is really a totally free service of the National Partnership for Females & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.
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