Reproductive Health Amendment Included in Defense Bill
An amendment offered by Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) that extends reproductive health services to servicewomen was approved yesterday by the Senate Armed Services Committee and will be included in the National Defense Authorization Act. Under the amendment, armed servicewomen will be granted the same rights as civilian women under federal policies that provide affordable abortion care to women who are the victims of rape or incest. Under the current policy, servicewomen are only eligible for abortion care if the woman's life is at risk.
Senator Shaheen said in a press release from Stand with Servicewomen, "This is about equity. Civilian women who depend on the federal government for health insurance - whether they are postal workers or Medicaid recipients - have the right to access affordable abortion care if they are sexually assaulted. It is only fair that the thousands of brave women in uniform fighting to protect our freedoms are treated the same."
The Armed Services Committee approved the amendment in a 16-10 vote. It will now go to the floor for consideration by the full Senate. According to the press release, there are almost 214,000 women serving in the military and servicewomen who are sexually assaulted are often forced to seek unsafe abortion care.
Media Resources: Stand with Servicewomen Press Release 5/24/12; Huffington Post 5/24/12; Air Force Times 5/24/12
6/18/2013 Supreme Court Strikes Down Proof of Citizenship Voter Requirements - On Monday, the United States Supreme Court struck down an Arizona law requiring voters to provide proof of citizenship before being allowed register to vote.
In an opinion written [PDF] by Justice Antonin Scalia, the Court ruled that the Arizona statute violated the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA, also known as the "Motor Voter Law") of 1993, which created a federal form that individuals can mail in to register to vote in federal elections. . . .
6/18/2013 Pakistani Women's University Bus, Hospital Bombed - A bus for a women's university in Pakistan and the hospital that treated victims from the blast were bombed on Saturday, killing 14 students and 24 others at the hospital.
The bus was transporting female students and teachers from Sardar Bahadur Khan Women's University in Quetta, located in the southwestern part of Pakistan. . . .
6/18/2013 Taliban Attack In Afghan Capital As NATO Transfers Power - Yesterday, NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) transferred responsibility for the country's security forces to the Afghan government after a bomb blast targeting a political official left three civilians dead in Kabul. . . .
