The War on Women: More Than 400 Reasons to Fight Back

Nancy Keenan, PresidentDonna Crane, Policy Director

April 28, 2011

The War on Women:More Than 400 Reasons to

Fight Back

112th Congress At a Glance

155

34

246

0

100

200

300

Pro-choice Mixed-choice Anti-choice

House of Representatives

40

14

46

0

10

20

30

40

50

Pro-choice Mixed-choice Anti-choice

Senate

Federal Action, January-April 2011

• Attacks on health-care reform• “Stupak on Steroids” agenda: H.R.3 & H.R.358• Attempt to zero out Title X family-planning

program• Efforts to defund Planned Parenthood• D.C. abortion ban reimposed

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) called H.R.3 one of his “highest legislative priorities.”- ABC News, January 20, 2011

Attacks on Health-Care Reform

• House voted to repeal full law–H.R.2: 245-189

• House voted twice to defund law– Pitts amendment to H.R.1: 239-183–H.Con.Res.35: 240-185

“Stupak on Steroids” Agenda

Attempt to Zero Out Title X Family-Planning Program

• Title X (ten) is the nation's cornerstone family-planning program for low-income women

• House voted to eliminate the program: 235-189

• Final FY’11 budget cut $17 million from the program

Efforts to Defund Planned Parenthood

• House voted twice to defund Planned Parenthood:– Pence Amendment to H.R.1: 240-185– H.Con.Res.36: 241-185

• Failed in Senate: 42-58

NARAL Pro-Choice America in Action: On April 7, thousands of pro-choice activists stormed Capitol Hill as anti-choice House leaders bring government to brink of shutdown over defunding Planned Parenthood.

D.C. Abortion Ban Reimposed• In 2009, for the first time in 14 years, Congress

lifted its ban on the District's use of its own privately raised funds to provide abortion care to its low-income residents. 

• Final FY’11 budget reinstated the ban

• Once the ban was reinstated, Medicaid immediately stopped paying for abortion care in D.C.

Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, speaks out against D.C. abortion ban at news conference with Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Mayor Vincent Gray, and other local leaders.

Changes in States’ Political Composition

2010

2011

Pro-choice 17 17*

Mixed-choice 12 5

Anti-choice 21 29

2010 2011

Pro-choice

5 7*

Anti-choice

10 15

2010 2011

Pro-choice

11* 9*

Anti-choice

16 19

State Governments

State Legislatures

Governors

*including the District of Columbia

0

100

200

300

400

500

2010 2011

Anti-Choice State Legislation

Being Tracked

175

427

State Action, January-April 2011

• Abortion-coverage bans• Nebraska copycat bans• Mandatory-ultrasound legislation• “Personhood” measures• Race- and sex-based attacks

Abortion-Coverage Bans• Before health-care reform, 5 states

banned insurance from covering abortion

• Following health-care reform, 9 enacted some sort of abortion coverage ban– 5 states enacted bans in 2010– 4 states enacted bans in 2011 (and 1 ban

vetoed)

• Currently, a total of 11 states have some sort of abortion coverage ban (some states have enacted multiple bans)

• Legislation filed so far in 2011: 53 bills in 23 states

Abortion-Coverage Bans Pre-PPACA

Statewide abortion-coverage ban existed prior to health-care reform

Current Law: Abortion-Coverage Bans

Statewide abortion-coverage banAbortion-coverage ban in exchange

Abortion-Coverage Bans: Current & Proposed

Abortion-coverage ban proposed in 2011

Statewide abortion-coverage banAbortion-coverage ban in exchange

Nebraska Copycat Bans

• Bans abortion after 20 weeks with almost no exceptions

• Legislation filed so far in 2011: 31 bills in 15 states: AL, AR, FL, GA, IA, ID, IN, KS, KY, MN, MS, NM, OK, OR, and SC

• Enacted so far in 2011: ID, KS, and OK• National Right to Life Committee

anticipates 5 more states will pass similar measures this session

Mandatory-Ultrasound Legislation

• Before 2011 session, 21 states had some type of ultrasound provision on the books

• Legislation filed so far in 2011: 28 ultrasound-related bills in 14 states: AL, AR, AZ, CT, FL, IN, KY, MI, MT, NC, OH, RI, TX, VA

• Enacted so far in 2011: AZ• By comparison, only 9 ultrasound-related

bills were considered in 2010; 3 passed: FL (vetoed), LA (in effect), and OK (in litigation)

“Personhood” Measures

• Personhood USA now claiming activity in all 50 states

• On the 2011 ballot in MS• Threatened for 2012 ballot in FL• Legislation filed so far in 2011: 22 bills in

14 states: IA, KS, LA, MI, MT, ND, NH, NY, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA

• By comparison, only 7 bills were considered in 2010

Race- and Sex-Based Attacks

• Legislation filed so far in 2011: 8 bills in 5 states: AZ, KS, MA, RI, and WV

• Enacted so far in 2011: AZ• Billboards in 11 states: AR, CA, FL,

GA, IL, MO, NY, OH, TN, TX, and WI

State Rep. Nickie J. AntonioKellie Copeland, Executive

Director

Changes in Ohio’s Political Composition

State Government

State Legislature

2010

2011

Pro-choice

Mixed-choice x

Anti-choice x

Senate House

2010

2011

Pro-choice

Mixed-choice

Anti-choice x x

2010

2011

Pro-choice

Mixed-choice x

Anti-choice x

Effects of Ohio’s Electoral Changes

• A multitude of extreme attacks against women.–HB 125, the so-called “heartbeat bill”–HB 78/S 72, 20-week viability testing–HB 63/SB 8, judicial bypass–HB 7, Post-viability abortion ban with

dangerously narrow health exception–HB 79, ban on insurance coverage of

abortion

Resources

NARAL Pro-Choice Americawww.ProChoiceAmerica.org

NARAL Pro-Choice Ohiowww.ProChoiceOhio.org

Media Inquiries: 202-973-3032 or

Media@ProChoiceAmerica.org