~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services

10/03/2016 Nativegrl77

Fight Flu! Get a Flu Vaccine!

Flu season is around the corner! Protect yourself and your family this season with an annual flu vaccine for everyone in your family who is 6 months and older. While the timing of flu season is unpredictable, seasonal flu activity can begin as early as October and last as late as May. CDC recommends that people get vaccinated by the end of October, if possible. It takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body that protect against influenza virus infection.Learn More >>

Fight the Flu. Image of super hero arm with bandage.

Don’t Wait! Communicate!

If a disaster strikes when you are away from your family or loved ones, how will you get in touch with them? Communication networks, such as mobile phones and computers, could be unreliable during disasters, and the power could go out. Planning in advance will help ensure that all the members of your household—including children and people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs, as well as outside caregivers—know how to reach each other and where to meet up in an emergency. Learn More >>

Prevent Mosquito Bites: Keeping Your Kids Safe

Many diseases can be spread by mosquito bites, like Zika, chikungunya and dengue. You can protect yourself and your family from mosquito bites by using insect repellent. Be sure that you always follow the manufacturers instructions when applying insect repellent. Adults can spray some onto their hands and then apply it to their children’s faces. Get more tips on safely and effectively using insect spray to protect your child’s health. Learn More >>

BARDA awards funding to speed development of Zika vaccine

BARDA is transitioning the advanced development of an inactivated Zika vaccine from U.S. Government-led program to industry partner. Inactivated vaccines are often more stable than live vaccines and some have shown to be safe and effective when given to special populations including people with immunocompromised conditions and pregnant women. If approved, this vaccine could help prevent the birth defects that are associated with Zika. Learn More >>

HHS sponsors next-generation genetic sequencing platform

ASPR announced that it is supporting the development a next-generation genetic sequencing platform that could help speed the response to pandemic influenza and curb antibiotic resistance. The technology would be able to determine the genetic code of a sample and identify the organism within two to four hours. Learn More >>

HHS supports next-generation anthrax vaccine into advanced development

Today, ASPR announced that it is supporting a next-generation anthrax vaccine that could be used to protect health in the event of an anthrax attack. If approved, the new vaccine could be effective in as little as two doses. NuThrax is a modified formulation of the licensed vaccine BioThrax, an anthrax vaccine manufactured by Emergent that requires three doses to protect against anthrax. Learn More >>

From the ASPR Blog: From the front lines of the anthrax investigation to pre-staging our future health response

Fifteen years ago, anthrax was used as a terrorist weapon. Dr. Jaffe, Director of Medical Countermeasures Strategy and Requirement in ASPR’s Office of Policy and Planning, provides a behind-the-scenes look at the response and talks about some of the progress that we have made to prepare the nation since those attacks. Learn More >>

For bioterrorism preparedness, HHS sponsors inhaled chlorine antidote

This week, ASPR announced that the agency will provide funding and technical assistance for the next development stages of an antidote to treat people who have inhaled dangerous amounts of chlorine gas. Chlorine gas is a widely available industrial chemical with catastrophic consequences in industrial accidents and can be used as a chemical weapon. If approved, this product could be the first antidote to treat the life-threatening effects of chlorine inhalation. Learn More >>

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Hyde Amendment getting pushback … . 40 years later

10/01/2016 Nativegrl77

hydeamendment

Watch: The oldest anti abortion-law is turning 40 — and it’s finally seeing pushback.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Tell Congress to Repeal the Hyde Amendment – Fatima Goss Graves – nwlc.org – 40yrs later

10/01/2016 Nativegrl77

“I certainly would like to prevent, if I could legally, anybody having an abortion: a rich woman, a middle-class woman or a poor woman. Unfortunately, the only vehicle available is the…Medicaid bill.”
— Representative Henry Hyde

It’s clear that when Congressman Hyde introduced the Hyde amendment 40 years ago this week, he deliberately targeted women who get health insurance through Medicaid — including high numbers of low-income women and women of color. For 40 years, politicians have used the Hyde Amendment to deny abortion coverage to women enrolled in Medicaid, preventing people struggling to make ends meet from making their own personal health care decisions.

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Enough is enough.

Urge your members of Congress to pass the EACH Woman Act so that everyone has access to affordable abortion coverage.

The EACH Woman Act would ensure that every woman — regardless of her income, how she is insured, or where she lives — has the freedom to determine whether and when to become a parent. It’s vital that every woman have access to all of the options available to her when making such an important decision — one that should not include interfering politicians.

Tell your representative to pass this important bill now.

For 40 years, women in the United States have suffered under the Hyde amendment, a cruel federal law that targets women who need access to abortion coverage the most. But the tide is turning. A majority of voters support lifting the Hyde amendment and ensuring women who have Medicaid coverage have access to the full range of pregnancy related care, including abortion. You can help make this a reality by urging your representative to pass this important legislation.

Tell Congress to support reproductive freedom by passing the EACH Woman Act.

Thanks for everything you do.

Sincerely,
Fatima Goss Graves
Senior Vice President for Program
National Women’s Law Center

~ my 2cents ...

Has Congress embarrassed Americans … hmmmm the hyde amendment 40yrs

10/01/2016 Nativegrl77

just another rant …

So, over 50% voted to keep President Barack Obama for a 2nd term. In my opinion, republicans are still acting as if they had carpets pulled out from under them as they professed right up to the day we were informed that PBO won both the electoral and popular vote that Romney had won. Now, in this 2016 year, the 114th Congress is even worse than we could have all imagined as they meet less, seemingly vote against their constituents in every session and refuse to let President Barack Obama govern every chance they get. I need, want constituents to wake up and wonder how some of these folks got away with making millions to consider them as carpetbaggers now. Today, we must all be as patient as those who stood in line for hours to vote, be ready to fight back, stand up and speak out against Republicans members of the 114th Congress in Campaign2016 while they manage to continue to hold Americans hostage.

If you listen to FOX, they seem to be whipping up the notion to take hostages, Senator Cruz cost Americans $24 Billion so do not be surprised. I have major issues with FOX being considered a news program when they are actually a Republican station spreading the GOP word, so any use of them as a resource is just a distraction as they say oh we believe in progress while voting NO on the floor of Congress least we talk about what legislation republican Governors are signing. I get that POTUS negative numbers are media worthy but voters are starting to tune in. I am particularly concerned about a woman’s right to choose as some Republican Governors continue to pass unacceptable legislation to make abortion or contraceptives hard to get while screaming about their religious freedoms being violated. It is in all our best interests, as Women and as voters who care about equal rights to keep the image of the all-male panel in mind that not only refused to listen to Sandra fluke, they denied Eleanor Holmes Norton a seat at the table as well.

I don’t know about you but I was pissed, scared and determined not to let a group of men turn back the clock on women who fought and suffered from a lack of Equality in all its forms so that women of the future may have the right to choose maybe experience some respect and freedom. Yet, we all saw heard and watched gasping. I am still asking , are these men were serious and di they think women are too stupid to make their own health care decisions or is there another reason for the sudden need to ban birth control possibly trash roe V wade altogether. I know Women’s suffrage was about whole lot more than reproductive rights, we all must remember how long it took Congress to pass VAMA among many other legislation to help women. They(Republicans) continue to stall or filibuster bills that will help main street, single women with children and the poor while Congress, specifically republicans have decided, no business is good business for their future Elections, but as VP Joe Biden stated in his 2012 debate, roe V wade is only as safe as the Supreme Court justices allowed to sit on the court are objective.

In my opinion, The Hyde amendment was a knee jerk reaction from a man or group of men who believed they had the right to invade a Woman’s personal space, health care choice and their right to choose while demanding their religious freedom. Such hypocrisy by Republicans maybe a few Conservadems definitely needs more airtime.

Unfortunately, in the end it became a law.

Resources: Taken from the Center for American Progress :

The History of the Hyde Amendment – Click on the link below for more information

Click on link for the full story … below

Unhappy Birthday to the Amendment That Started the War on Women

We can thank former Rep. Henry Hyde (R.-Ill.) for setting us on this path. The attacks on contraceptive coverage can be traced back to an amendment of his that turns 36 years old today. The Hyde Amendment…

By Jessica Arons | Monday, October 1, 2012

Introduction: 30 Years is Long Enough, by Jessica Arons
Part One: Hyde Amendment History, by Marlene Gerber Fried
Part Two: Dignity and Justice for Some?, by Sarah Horsley
Part Three: Does the Hyde Amendment Violate Human Rights?, by Patty Skuster and Jamie D. Brooks
Part Four: Expanding Reproductive Choice, by Susan Jenkins
Part Five: The Future of Hyde, by Toni M. Bond Leonard