Undermining Women’s Rights & Women’s Health

I want to send my voice of support to Hillary Rodham Clinton, Democrat Senator from New York, and Cecile Richards, the President of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America in their campaign the Blocking Care For Women against the Bush Administration proposed new rule that would prevent US women from having full access to quality medical care, including reproductive health and family planning services. The new rule from the Department of Health and Human Services said that any health care entity that recieves federal financing need to certify in writing that none of its employees are required to assist in any way medical services they find objectionable. It is estimated that this new rule will affect services of about 600,000 hospitals and clinics and other health care providers. It will allow health providers to refuse to participate in abortion or other medical procedures that contradict their religious beliefs. More than a decade ago, the US government joined in the world’s consensus by adopting the Platform for Action of the Beijing Fourth World Conference on Women. The Platform defines reproductive health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, implying that women and men are able to have a satisfying and safe sex life, the capability to reproduce and freedom to decide if, when and how often to do so. Implicit in this freedom are the rights of women and men to be informed, and to have access to safe, effective, affordable and acceptable methods of family planning of their choice to regulate fertility. This new proposed rule is working against the human rights of women to have quality health care services that have been recognized by the world’s community decades ago. Care for the health and well-being of people should be provided by government as citizen’s rights, free from interference, coercion in any shape or form by any religious ideology.

Filed under Gender Issues, World Affairs |