Amendment 48 Goes Too Far

My very first job after graduating from Harvard Law School was as a part-time lawyer for Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains in Denver. I was working on cases related to expanding access to birth control to all couples regardless of their marital status. At the time the birth control pill was recently approved as safe, but it was not yet legal in all states for all women. The Supreme Court in 1965 established basic privacy rights to birth control, but only for women who could produce a marriage license.

Abortion, Reproductive Health: Not Just Rights to Me

Throughout a long election campaign, the future of abortion rights and the right to choose has remained a silent concern for many women and men as the higher-profile issues of the economy and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan dominated debate. But the question on Roe v. Wade put to the presidential candidates at the final debate on Wednesday moved the issue front and center once again. It is an intensely personal and relevant issue for women, and for most of us it is not an abstraction.

McCain Works Against Access to Contraception

Once again, the media and even Democratic candidate Barack Obama, have failed to follow-up on McCain's stated opposition to abortion by questioning his equal opposition to contraception - the primary means to reduce the rate of abortion.

Endangering Choice

Do you remember the New Yorker cartoon showing a couple in their living room reading the newspaper? "Gays and lesbians getting married," reports the husband to his wife, whereupon he adds, "haven't they suffered enough?"

This was an arch and ironic commentary on the image of a beleaguered minority actually trying to break into an institution.

The Bush Sex Ed Doctrine

With domestic and global attention turned to the financial crisis and the last four weeks of the race for the White House, the Bush administration is taking the opportunity to quietly check off some nefarious boxes in its efforts to spread the American culture wars beyond our shores.

Actually, It's Pro-Family to Advocate Policies That Give Women Choices

Dear, dear Reader,

May we clear something up?

Just because I advocate for regulated child-care spaces, pay equity for women and reproductive freedom, does not mean I am anti-family. Nor does it mean I have a hate on for women who do not work outside of the home for pay, and who choose to be full-time moms.

Not every woman can choose.

I'm not talking about families who have a computer, flat screen TV and DVD player in every child's room. I'm talking no options, no way out.

Population, Family Planning and Presidential Priorities

Over the last week, the American people and financial markets around the world watched as Congress debated an eye-popping $700 billion dollar economic rescue for the American economy.  Lost amidst the media's coverage of the rescue plan was another Congressional decision - to punt to the next President and new Congress tough decisions on funding for most FY 2009 government programs, including foreign assistance.