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Dear Friend,
We usually think of spring as the time for change
and rebirth, but I have to say that this year, fall is looking
like the season for major change, especially when it comes to
women's health. The coming changes could mean a new health care
system that provides affordable access for every woman, every
man, every family — or new restrictions and barriers to
access that would harm us all for a generation or more.
It's up to us — you, me,
and pro-choice leaders in Washington — to make sure this
season of change provides new hope, expanded access, and a
fairer health care system for all. That's why it's so important to tell your
representative to stand strong for women's
health.
On Capitol
Hill, the health care reform debate is reaching a decisive
turning point. Senate leaders are crafting a final health care
bill that will come before the full Senate for the first time in
American history. We've never had a better opportunity to fix a
broken system that costs too much and leaves out too many.
But the biggest dangers for
women's health are still ahead of us. At any moment, a senator
can propose an amendment that could harm women's health and even
eliminate access to reproductive care for millions who are
currently covered — and you can bet that before this
debate is over, anti-choice legislators will do all they can to
cut women's health care from reform. That's nothing new —
they try it every chance they get.
We can't afford to wait for them to make the
first move.
Please contact your representative today and
tell them to reject any efforts to undermine the bill's
protections for women's health. The changes are coming, and women's health is on
the line — we have to act now.
Sincerely,
 
Cecile Richards,
President
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
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Ask Zak
When Zak
Kirwood was a senior in high school, he pinned the word "Ask" to
his backpack -- the backpack was stuffed with condoms. A member
of Students Teaching About Responsible Sexuality (S.T.A.R.S.)
with Planned Parenthood of Connecticut (now Planned Parenthood
of Southern New England), Zak was awarded the 2009 PPFA Young
Volunteer of the Year for his outstanding peer education work.
Zak is now a student at Wesleyan University, where an article about this award and a video of his
acceptance speech has been posted
online. » |
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Oklahoma to Post Details of Abortions on the
Web
A new law could go into effect
this year in Oklahoma, the state already infamous for its
anti-choice policies. This time, lawmakers have decided to force
doctors to post online details about abortions and the patients
who receive them. The information will be collected using a
questionnaire requiring so much detail that some people believe
the online medical records could be used to identify individual
patients. The potential for this law to serve as a scare tactic
against women seeking abortion is clear when you read more about
it. » |
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Emily X is
back!
Radical anti-choice
extremists are protesting Planned Parenthood health centers all
across the country. But Planned Parenthood workers and
volunteers are fighting back. Emily X tells their stories
here. »
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HERE:
Dr. Kenneth Edelin Speaks at
UHPP 75th Anniversary Celebration
Noted physician
and author speaks about his recent book and his long struggle to
ensure access to reproductive choice. Read More!
UHPP Teams Up With University
at Albany to Address Health Disparities in
Hudson
The
Women’s Health Project initiative is a collaborative
project involving Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood (UHPP) and a
research team from the University at Albany, funded through a
grant from the National Center of Minority Health and Health
Disparities at the National Institutes of Health. Read
More!THERE:
Peru's Surprise Debate Over Abortion
Law
 Unexpectedly, the committee
reviewing Peru's criminal code decided to consider
decriminalizing abortion under certain conditions. This move has
generated a fierce debate in the country, and Planned
Parenthood's partner PROMSEX (Center for the Promotion and
Defense of Sexual and Reproductive Rights) is in the thick of
it. Watch this Spanish-language interview with
PROMSEX Director Susana Chavez
here. »
EVERYWHERE:
Abortion Bans Do More Harm Than You
Think
 A new report from
the Guttmacher Institute reveals two important facts. First, the
number of abortions has dropped worldwide as the rate of
unplanned pregnancies has fallen. That's the good news. But the
report also shows that the number of unsafe abortions worldwide
has barely budged. Guttmacher found that the bans and other
restrictions that force women into unsafe abortions do not
reduce the number or rate of abortions — they simply
increase the risks to the health and lives of women. The facts
speak for themselves: restrictions force women to face
incredible dangers without making abortions less common.
Click here to read more analysis from
Salon.com's
Broadsheet. »
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EVENTS:
UHPP To
Hold Community Meeting Nov. 12 on Troy Hospital
Mergers
Northeast Health
proposes to merge with St. Peter's and Seton Health, creating a
single provider hospital system that will be bound by the
Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care
Services. Call 434-5678 x137 or read
more.
Final
Phone Banks for Health Care Reform
Can you help keep the pressure on to save access
to abortion and other reproductive health services in health
care reform legislation? Phone banking scheduled for
November 10 and December 8. Call 434-5678
x133.
Save January Dates: Roe Reception and
Advocacy Day
Jan 11: Family Planning Advocates Statewide Day of
Advocacy; join the UHPP delegation. More info to
come.
Jan 21: Roe Anniversary
Reception
The 2010 UHPP Advocate for Choice award will be
presented to Denise O'Donnell, Commissioner, NYS Division of
Crimnal Justice Services.
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 Speaking of Sex is Planned
Parenthood's award-winning podcast and videocast that takes a
fun, yet informative, look at sexuality and its important role
in our lives and relationships. Listen
here. » |
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