Tag Archives: Hyde Amendment
“Making Use of America’s Talent”
We hope this message finds you well. As President Obama’s “Year of Action” continues, Senior White House Officials are joining him in taking this work to the Nation.
Valerie Jarrett, Chair of the White House Council on Women and Girls, recently participated in the New York Regional Forum on Working Families to talk about issues ranging from paid leave to flexible scheduling. Click here to read more about Jarrett’s personal journey to balance the schedules of work and family.
On Monday, May 19th, Dr. Betsey Stevenson, a Member of the Council of Economic Advisers, spoke at the Boston Regional Forum and talked about Making Full Use of America’s Talent. As Dr. Stevenson writes, “Workplaces can change — many already have. Workplaces that offer part-time schedules, scheduling flexibility, or work-from-home options have found that these policies can help recruit and retain workers, increasing productivity.” Click here to read more and be sure to visit www.workingfamiliessummit.org.
In related news, President Obama continued his push for an increase in the minimum wage. Women disproportionately work in low-wage jobs, and more than half of the workers who would benefit from an increase in the minimum wage are women. Read below or click here to learn more.
We couldn’t possibly finish our note without asking you to mark your calendars (May 27th) for the 2014 White House Science Fair! This year, there will be a special focus on girls in STEM. Click here to learn more and stay tuned for updates.
Visit us on the web at www.whitehouse.gov/women and follow @vj44 for updates on all this and more.
Thank you so much for all that you do!
White House Council on Women and Girls
A 21st Century Workplace for Today’s Working Families
Valerie Jarrett, Chair of the White House Council on Women and Girls shares her thoughts:
Every day in America, there are single moms struggling to take sick children to doctors’ appointments because missing work isn’t an option. Working dads find themselves straining to focus at work, because their employer doesn’t provide paternity leave that would enable them to contribute at home and bond with their new babies. Young women are questioning their ability to thrive in the workplace as they try to balance the needs of their families with their responsibilities at work.
Nearly half of America’s workforce is now comprised of women, and three-fourths of households are headed by a working single parent, or two working parents. Still, our workplaces have yet to catch up by implementing policies which empower women, and provide flexibility for parents.
Making Full Use of America’s Talent
Dr. Betsey Stevenson, Member of President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisors, shares her thoughts:
I told a friend recently that I thought that I was failing at everything — my kids weren’t getting enough of me, I wasn’t doing everything that I wanted to at work, and I wasn’t spending enough time with my partner. Her response was to congratulate me for getting my work-life balance just right…
Workplace flexibility enabled us to bridge the gap between our care and career responsibilities, but many working women still don’t have this option. Research shows us that women are deterred from entering certain professions with long hours or inflexible schedules because they worry about balancing work and family responsibilities, and are often forced into a less productive career paths as a result. Many workers — both men and women — also lack access to paid family leave and high quality affordable child care, forcing them to make difficult choices between work and family. By limiting career options of some talented workers, we are failing to build an economy that can operate at its full potential and jeopardizing our ability to compete on the world stage. In order to continue making the kind of economic progress we’ve seen in the last 100 years, we’re going to have to reshape the workplaces of today and tomorrow.
- Learn more about the upcoming White House Summit on Working Families.
- Learn how the President is taking action to ensure equal pay for women.
- Get the facts on how raising the wage will help women succeed.
- Get an economic update on the state of women in the workforce.
The Benefits of Raising the Minimum Wage for America’s Women
Raising the minimum wage is especially important for women, who are highly concentrated in low-wage jobs and occupations.
Learn more and then share this graphic with others.
Announcing the White House Science Fair and Celebrating Girls Excelling in STEM
President Barack Obama gets down on his hands and knees as he looks at the inner workings of a robot that plays soccer, built by a team from Blue Bell, Pa., as he tours science projects on display in the State Dining Room of the White House. President Obama hosted the White House Science Fair for winners of a broad range of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competitions. October 18, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Next week – on Tuesday, May 27 – the White House is going to be filled with robots, science projects, and more. Students from around the country are headed to the 2014 White House Science Fair hosted by President Obama, and we couldn’t be more excited. With students from a broad range of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) competitions, this year’s Fair will include a specific focus on girls and women who are excelling in STEM and inspiring the next generation with their work.
Stay tuned, because this week, we’ll be previewing some of the amazing girls who will be presenting their projects at the White House Science Fair. Since day one, the President has been committed to getting more underrepresented groups, including women and girls, excited to excel at STEM subjects. For example, in the Administration’s $4.35 billion Race to the Top competition, President Obama granted states competitive preference if they demonstrated efforts to close the STEM gap for girls and other groups that are underrepresented.
The President began the tradition of hosting White House Science Fairs in 2009 when he launched his Educate to Innovate campaign to inspire more girls and boys to excel in STEM subjects. As the President has noted, “If you win the NCAA championship, you come to the White House. Well, if you’re a young person and you produce the best experiment or design, the best hardware or software, you ought to be recognized for that achievement, too.” In the run up to the Science Fair, we also want you to share your stories, and we want to highlight YOUR First Science Fair project. So for this Thursday’s Throw Back Thursday, tweet us a photo of your science fair projects and other STEM work from when you were a kid using #TBTsciencefair!
Follow us here @WhiteHouse and @WhiteHouseOSTP as we plan to join in the fun as well.
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Drinking Chemical Out Of a Tank
5 Terrible Things That Happened In A Charleston Jail During The West Virginia Chemical Spill
It’s been over four months since West Virginia was thrown into a state of emergency after roughly 10,000 gallons of coal chemicals leaked in the water supply and left 300,000 people without potable water. The state took immediate action for many of its residents, shutting down schools and calling the National Guard to help distribute water. But in a detailed investigation released today, Think Progress reports on one group that didn’t receive the proper treatment: the 429 prisoners locked in Charleston’s overcrowded jail,entirely dependent on the state to provide them clean water.
The investigation, based on interviews with multiple current and former inmates, their family members and internal documents obtained by Think Progress, paints a dire picture. We’ve pulled out five of the most disconcerting pieces of information. Head over to the blog to read the entire story.
1. Jail officials initially said they provided inmates with a “plentiful supply of water,” then acknowledged later that was untrue. The only article prior to the Think Progress investigation included jail officials claiming they gave inmates eight 8-oz bottles of water per day. When confronted with jail documents instructing guards to give inmates four bottles per day, and inmate allegations that they sometimes received just two, officials openly said that “some of the information provided to the paper was in fact untrue.” The Institute of Medicine recommends men over 19 years old drink at least 12 8-oz bottles of water per day:
2. Inmates spoke of choosing between chemical-laced tap water or severe dehydration. One inmate, Eric Ayers, initially opted for the latter option. “That lasted about a day,” he said. “I was just extremely exhausted. I got headaches, felt like I couldn’t do anything. My urine was dark yellow, almost orange.” Some started selling bottles of water for $1.60 a piece, while another “saw a guy make coffee out of toilet water.”
3. Jail officials also exaggerated the extent of the flushing process for cleaning out the taps. Prior to the Think Progress investigation, the public thought that the jail went through a “very extensive” flushing process that lasted two to three days–similar to other public facilities. Jail logs show, however, that flushing occurred in a single day, not three. Officials said they followed formal protocol and ran taps for 20 minutes, but here is how one inmate described it: “After two to three minutes they said good to go you can drink the water. It tasted real strong. Just like drinking that chemical out of a tank.”
4. Inmates may have been placed in solitary confinement for getting sick from drinking the polluted water. From the Think Progress report: “In February, inmates say they were notified of a new policy. Anyone that made more than three sick calls in a month would be moved to medical isolation until they saw a doctor. If there weren’t any bunks there, inmates say they could be put in solitary confinement.”
5. The jail where this all took place has been called “the worst in the state” when it comes to overcrowding. South Central Regional Jail houses 476 inmates, which is over 50 percent above the jail’s intended capacity (currently, sixteen inmates are sleeping on mats on the floor). Perhaps as a consequence of this, the jail has also struggled to keep corrections officers on staff; one former administrator acknowledged that “the good people we do get, we work them to death, they burn out, and then they’re gone.” That’s led to a jump in assaults.
BOTTOM LINE: Thanks to breakthrough investigative reporting, the ramifications of the West Virginia chemical spill are still being discovered. When society’s more basic resources — like running water — disappear, it hits the most vulnerable among us the hardest. And when those people are already in a situation that is under-resourced, the negative impacts are magnified.
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A Death in St. Augustine … PBS
| By O’Connell Family |
| St Augustine, Florida |
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On September 2, 2010 our beautiful Michelle was taken from us all. Behind she left a precious young daughter, mother, sisters, brothers and many, many friends. Not a soul that knew Michelle believes for a moment that she was distraught in any way, we also know that there is no way under any circumstance she would have left her daughter behind without a mother to care for her.
We undoubtably believe that Michelle’s boyfriend, Jeremy Banks, an officer with the St. Johns County Sherriff’s Department, killed her and claimed she committed suicide. But after Jeremy told his fellow officers his story – that Michelle broke up with him and took her own life – the St. Johns County sheriff’s department effectively stopped their investigation. Jeremy was never treated like a suspect – police treated him like a brother.
No evidence was tested, no family or neighbors were interviewed and no data was downloaded from Michelle’s cellphone despite the fact that she had never shown signs of being suicidal before. Michelle would never have taken her own life. She loved her four-year-old daughter, Alexis too much. She had just received a promotion for a job she was supposed to start the next day. She sent a text to her sister stating she was leaving to get her daughter and less than 5 minutes later was shot and killed.
There are two neighbors who stated they heard a woman cry for help, then a shot, another cry for help, and another shot. They passed FBI issued polygraph tests.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement believes without a doubt that this was a homicide and still State Attorney Brad King refuses to take this case to a grand jury. In March of 2012 the FDLE wrote to King: “It is my office’s opinion based on the facts of this case and your memorandum that this case clearly warrants an Inquest into the death of Michelle O’Connell…”
We are calling on Governor Rick Scott to honor the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s request for a coroner’s inquest into the shooting death of Michelle O’Connell because the evidence is not consistent with a suicide. In ordering this inquest, the message will be sent that the protection of women involved in domestic conflicts will get the full benefit of the law.
Please watch the PBS Frontline documentary: “A Death in St. Augustine”
Read the New York Times investigation “Two Gunshots on a Summer Night”
Read the FDLE request for a coroner’s inquest.
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TGIF -Help Protect the Right to Choose
just another rant … tweaked
In March of 2011, the abortion debate- a topic that has
strong feelings in both Political Parties has changed and the
status quo or agreement that is the Hyde
Amendment has heated up … again. I post quite a few articles from
well-known activists and extremely knowledgeable and trustworthy organizations with great truthful information
regarding women’s health care, contraceptives, and abortion. I also post many
Petitions because they do work. The topic of abortion is a very personal one
that is a no brainer … at least to me. I still do not understand why any man
unless invited should tell women what to do with their bodies at all let alone
try to legislate it and tell us all we must not only have a possible unwanted
pregnancy we must do so no matter what the circumstance. In addition, some
politicians feel a pregnancy caused by rape is not a reason to terminate. I
gotta say if that ain’t some shit. I am still reeling over ex-Gov. Palin was
making women pay for their rape kits in Alaska. The attack on Women is not a
new thing right, but this is the 21st Century and while so many other things
have changed, the topic of abortion seems to bring out the barbarian in people.
These attacks on women are happening on the local and state level, have seen
some traction, and are now quickly moving to the Federal level. These moves
to control contraceptive sales and possible abortion procedures should tell
women that big government is only a bad thing if it regulates the JOB Creators
though they are not doing a hell of a lot these days. While The Family Values
Platform keeps creeping into politics a true lack of regard toward the
separation of church and state continues. The votes in the Republican led House
of Representatives should be all any Woman needs to vote these fools out of
office. I do not want to go into anyone’s bedroom any more than i want him or
her in mine. In 1973, the Supreme Court ruling made abortion legal and because
Rep.Hyde did not want federal funds used to provide such a procedure, the Hyde
Amendment created.
I do not understand how in the 21st Century… mostly men feeling comfortable trying to block not only a woman’s right to choose, but to have safe affordable aside from other health care services .
The Hyde Amendment Introduced by Henry Hyde (R-Illinois) in 1976,bears his name restricts federal funding for abortion. Passed by the House as part of the Department of Labor and Health, Education, and Welfare Appropriation Act in 1976, the Hyde Amendment prohibits appropriated funds to be expended on abortion except when the mother’s life is endangered by her pregnancy.
Each year since then, the Hyde Amendment has been attached to the annual federal spending bill; and over the years other exceptions for rape, incest, and “severe and physical health damage” to the mother have been added, removed, added, and debated as the numbers of pro-life and pro-choice members of Congress have fluctuated.
The 2009 version of the Hyde Amendment allows for exceptions in the cases of rape, incest or endangerment of the pregnant women’s life.
The Hyde Amendment does not allow Medicaid coverage for abortion. Also prohibited is abortion coverage for women in in the military, the Peace Corps, federal prisons, and those who receive medical care from Indian Health Services. FROM >> www.womensissues.about.com
Anyway, I posted an article from MoveOn and received a question and pictures in response to it. I appreciate the comments which came over a couple of days and tried to respond below .. .Abortion will always be met with strong words and feelings. I have friends, family and co-workers who have the right to choose at the moment,but, it is up to ALL of us to fight and keep it that way.
HIM:Choosing to kill a baby is not a right. http://www.abortiontruth.com/pictures.html
HIM: When do you believe life begins? Lets start with your measuring stick for life.
FYI: The word fetus (plural fetuses) is from the Latin fetus, meaning offspring, bringing forth, hatching of young. It has Indo-European roots related to sucking or suckling, from the Aryan prefix bheu-, meaning “To come into being”.
I prefer to speak English and just call the developing life form in women, I don’t speak Latin in my daily use of language.
HIM:You really need to relax, if you can’t handle someone disputing your opinion you need to stay away from blogs. Or just censor those that comment on your blog if that makes it easier for you.
You complain about a lot of things that I never brought up. I state that I do not think that the choice to kill a baby is not a right. Am I wrong?
I gathered from your rant that you consider an embryo with a heart beat is now a baby. Am I right?
To save time, I am going to ask the next question as if the last statement is true. Would you then still believe a women has the right to end the life of a baby, as long as it is in her womb?
I am not asking these questions out of hostility and I hope you are not offended by me asking them. I really do what to know what you stance is and how you justify that stance. It is too easy to box someone into a pro-life or pro-choice label, when that label probably does not fit.
HIM: One last question. Is there any point where you believe a baby has a right to life while it is in a women’s body?
This is based on normal pregnancy and not considering medical complications that put a women’s life in danger.
I thank you for taking the time to answer my questions and I am finding your answers very educational. I understand that we will not come to an agreement based on this discussion, but I do believe that if we understand each other more that we can eventually come to an understanding.
ME: I would like to know if you believe in less government at
all. If so, why shouldn’t my private life, my bedroom and my uterus be outside
your control, especially if i pay for the procedure myself and the most
important element being that the procedure is safe, affordable with women being
responsible and reasonable enough to make their own decisions. I feel any medical
procedure I am required to pay for or not is totally my personal business and in my opinion, everyone should mind your
own business . The Hyde amendment should be enough for anyone to accept.
Planned Parenthood is a company that provides a safe environment for women,
what part of that is hard to understand. I do not believe people in Congress think
about the number of women that go there and it is not to have an
abortion. Reports are that 3% of the visits are abortion related. Planned
Parenthood provides a great services beyond that sleazy image so many
Teapublicans prefer to project to the public. I would wager that under certain
circumstances even daughters/sons of the well to do go there as well as college
women in need. I don’t think you get
it-using Latin words instead of emotions about a very emotional topic for any
woman is a problem, while you may think it’s used improperly the point is women
are smart enough to decide on medical procedures on their own and having a
choice is the point. I do not think any woman has an abortion for fun. It is a
topic far deeper than the clinical crap you are spewing. The fact is there was
a time when women and young women were desperate enough to use coat
hangers drugs or fake doctors to “take
care” of the problem and the reality is having unwanted babies is not the
answer and a woman’s body does not belong to you or the government. I think the
current laws rules and attitudes are suffocating to women in general. Women all
over the World should be able to decide for themselves have consultations with
their doctors and hope that a great doctor will provide safe and affordable
health care. I just read your comment and you sound controlling, act like the
decider , the guy/gal who thinks women should be pregnant and barefoot which is
pure BS and i do not understand this logic. The clinical and or professorial
attitude shows just how little you know about women and giving up my personal
control to you or my government is definitely a definition of big
government .
———————————————
ME: i believe we can call a baby a baby when a heartbeat can be
heard, which is about at 9weeks depending on the woman but that does not change
my mind about abortion. Women should not
lose the right to choose; we should be treated as intelligent enough to decide
and contrary to popular thought doctors actually do counsel and discuss options
but those choices those options are being slowly taken away by the likes of Republican
Tea Party under the disguise or family values platform when in reality it is
family enforcement. It makes no sense to think this is anyone’s business except
for the woman and her doctor, it baffles my mind to think a member of congress,
a stranger thinks my uterus should be controlled by them because of their own
personal beliefs, religion, values. I do believe that the Senate will respect a
woman’s right to choose though Republicans feel women should be seen and not
heard i guess with the cutting slashing and burning of safe, clean and truly
great facilities that help girls, young women and older women on a daily basis
for all kinds of things not just abortion. The fact is that places like Planned
Parenthood also talk to young men about their responsibilities and about
contraceptive etc. The idea of trying to keep a strong hold on information, procedures and
personal choice can only be harmful to the progress in the realm of women’s
health care –
—————————————-
ME: That’s funny. If what you said were true i wouldn’t have
even responded to your comment”, choosing to kill a baby is not a right.” I
actually responded each time even with the first question because you sounded excessively
clinical to professorial and if it sounded hostile, that is because of the first
comment with pictures. The question you asked in it brings up abortion. The hilarity
of just reading the comment, “choosing to kill a baby is not right” and the sadness
of the tremendous hold that men and or politicians from the Republican Tea
Party
Actually, i did not say an embryo equals a baby; I said that
when a heartbeat is heard i would deem it as a baby, which is usually at 9wks
could be more. I am saying anything
before that i would say is not a baby … and i would say a woman has the right
to choose to do whatever she and her doctor have agreed to in private without
outside forces to interrupt because whatever is going on in a woman’s body,
womb, uterus is hers unless she so choses to share. I am somewhat offended
because you do not get it. I do not think you, me , the government, or anyone
else for that matter has a say in what a woman does with her body. I am both
pro-life …i have kids and pro-choice because women have the intelligence to
decide what they want, don’t you agree? What is missing is your justification
for saying choosing to kill a baby is not right and I have to ask… is it any of
your business to begin with. I know where i stand and why but i have no idea
why you feel the way you do.
As a woman, the passion or as you say hostility i show for a woman’s right to
choose is because the Republican led House cut slashed and burnt women and
children lately, these actions give me a bad feeling and could possibly create
situations where women of all ages will resort to desperate measures. I believe
in providing choices for women which men, politicians, women who have outdated
ideas about women ’s rights keep trying to take away, and it just does not make
sense at all
—————————
ME: That is the point isn’t it. We as individuals should have
the right to decide for ourselves. My response to your question as to when life
begins is just that my response, it is not meant to represent anyone else or
speak for others. I can only speak for myself so your question about ” holding
to the standard that a woman may only have freedom of choice before 9wks,” is
odd because there is no standard to health care as no one has the same issues
or complications or outcomes. I do not subscribe to nor did i say women should
be limited to 9weeks only that for me life started when a heartbeat could be
heard which is also different for each woman. I do subscribe to privacy with each
woman in America having the right to choose and no one has the right to enforce
laws rules and or control such a personal event. I am definitely offended but
baffled as well by those who still in this 21st Century believe that a Woman no
matter what economic status does not seem to have enough sense to make their own
decisions. Therefore, i will say i cannot relate to your questions regarding killing
a baby. That question used by folks who
want women to feel bad but the fact is the Hyde Amendment addresses the rights
and the rule of law of a woman considering an abortion and anything else
certainly is not my business nor are they yours or our Politicians who seem to
want to invade a woman’s privacy on so many levels. Now, conservative
Politicians want to make it harder than ever to purchase contraceptives and
while they feel this mission are important they have underestimated women and their
independent thoughts and behavior.
I think we are at an impasse and while I appreciate the comments, we definitely
do not agree on this particular topic. -thank you for the comments though
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