Blogs Comment on State Legislation, Supreme Court, Family Planning and More

July 17, 2012 — We've compiled some of the most thought-provoking commentaries from around the Web. Catch up on the conversation with bloggers from Slate, RH Reality Check and more.

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN: "Hey Nikki Haley! Preventing Violence Against Women Helps Everyone," Amanda Marcotte, Slate's "XX Factor": South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) last week "vetoed a whole slate of budget items, including half a million dollars for domestic violence and sexual assault prevention," and "her justifications for these cuts are finally getting some publicity," Marcotte writes. She notes that Haley said the "special add-on lines distract from the agency's broader mission of protecting South Carolina's public health." Marcotte argues that "it seems self-evident that rape and domestic violence aren't 'distractions' from public health issues so much as major public health issues in and of themselves" (Marcotte, "XX Factor," Slate, 7/13).

ANTIABORTION VIOLENCE: "Man Planning To Murder Planned Parenthood Doctor Ruled Competent To Stand Trial," Robin Marty, RH Reality Check: "In May of 2011, Wisconsin man Richard Lang was arrested after he shot the walls in a Madison hotel," Marty writes, adding that Lang "admitted his plans to go to the local Planned Parenthood clinic and murder the doctor who provides abortions there." Marty writes that Lang was "ruled competent to stand trial" on Thursday and notes that two months ago, he was found incompetent (Marty, RH Reality Check, 7/16).

What others are saying about antiabortion violence:

~ "Another Anti-Choice Terrorist Says 'Don't Blame Me, Blame God,'" Marty, RH Reality Check.

GLOBAL FAMILY PLANNING: "Family Planning Unleashes the Girl Effect," Maria Eitel, Huffington Post blogs: Despite more than $2.6 billion in commitments pledged during the London Summit on Family Planning last week, "we're still only at the starting line when it comes to adolescent girls and family planning," Eitel writes. Girls account for at least 26 million of the 120 million females with unmet family planning needs worldwide, she notes. To overcome this problem, Eitel suggests explicitly including girls in family planning commitments, collecting more data about girls and connecting family planning initiatives with child marriage prevention efforts (Eitel, Huffington Post blogs, 7/13).

What others are saying about global family planning:

~ "The Time To Save Women's Lives Is Now," Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), Huffington Post blogs.

~ "When Saving Women's Lives Becomes Controversial," Annie Urban, Care2.

TRAP LAWS: "Mississippi TRAP Law Upheld, Clinic Given Reprive To Comply," Jessica Pieklo, Care2: Pieklo calls the latest ruling on Mississippi's newest antiabortion law "a partial win for both the Jackson Women's Health Organization and the state." A judge gave the clinic more time to comply with the law, while allowing the state to enact provisions that require abortion providers to have admitting privileges at local hospitals. Although abortion services will continue in Mississippi for the time being, "those services remain isolated to one clinic and with additional pressure to close down," which is "hardly a win when women's lives are on the line," Pieklo writes (Pieklo, Care2, 7/13).

What others are saying about TRAP laws:

~ "A.G. Cuccinelli Refuses To Sign New Clinic Regulations, Says Board of Health 'Exceeded Authority,'" Robin Marty, RH Reality Check.

AFFORDABLE CARE ACT: "Six Things You Need To Know About the Supreme Court's Ruling on Medicaid Expansion," Jessica Arons, ThinkProgress: Arons outlines key points about how the Supreme Court's ruling on the Affordable Care Act's (PL 111-148) Medicaid expansion "will affect women, the working poor, and state and federal governments." She notes that "[w]omen have the most to lose" if states opt of the expansion. About 10 million of the approximately 15 million adults eligible for coverage under the expansion are women, many of whom "are among the working poor -- maids, waitresses, and home health aides whose jobs do not offer benefits and who earn too much to currently qualify for Medicaid but too little to purchase private insurance on their own," Arons writes (Arons, ThinkProgress, 7/13).

What others are saying about the Affordable Care Act:

~ "War On Women: The Impact of Republican Governors Rejecting Medicaid Expansion," Annie-Rose Strasser, ThinkProgress.

SUPREME COURT: "Supreme Court Review: 2011-2012 Term," Amy Matsui, National Women's Law Center's "Womenstake": The Supreme Court's ruling on the federal health reform law was a victory for women because it upheld "a law that offers critical protections for women's health and economic security," Matsui writes. However, the Coleman v. Maryland decision -- which denied state employees the right to fully redress violations of the Family and Medical Leave Act -- and a ruling "that certain employees may not bring employment discrimination claims against their religious employers ... not only limited women's legal rights, but in so doing, reinforce[d] the concern" raised by past decisions "that women suffer greatly from the Court's disinclination to protect the rights of individuals seeking justice under law," she adds (Matsui, "Womenstake," NWLC, 7/13).

CRISIS PREGNANCY CENTERS: "Virginia Promotes CPCs, Along With Anti-Abortion Agenda," Anna Bahr, Ms. Magazine blog: In conjunction with a controversial Virginia law requiring women to receive an ultrasound before an abortion, the state Department of Health recently "released a list of clinics offering no-cost ultrasounds -- and every single one listed is a crisis pregnancy center," Bahr writes. She adds, "State sanctioning of CPCs [is] just one more attempt to make abortion disappear from Virginia," and "considering CPCs' lack of privacy, medical standards and medically accurate information, recommending them is certainly no way to protect the health of Virginia's women" (Bahr, Ms. Magazine blog, 7/16).