Reproductive Rights Prof Blog

Will the New Abortion Bans End up in the Supreme Court?

MSNBC - Andrea Mitchell Reports: New bans could send abortion back to Supreme Court:

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With all of the experimentation going on in the state legislatures, it's quite possible that one of these measures will end up in the Supreme Court.  I doubt, however, that it will be North Dakota's six-week ban, as I explained on MSNBC's Martin Bashir show yesterday:

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Faith and Abortion Providers

MSNBC - Melissa Harris-Perry: Faith’s role in the fight for abortion access, by Rev. Matthew Westfox:

As both a person of faith and an advocate for reproductive freedoms, I often find myself talking about the connection between religion, spirituality, and reproductive justice. We talk about religious questions raised by patients and clients, and we talk about how to use religious language in reproductive justice activism.

Yet one group seems to be left almost completely out of these conversations—abortion providers . . . .

Video available here.

On "Parenthood," Rare Television Episode Dealing with Abortion

Salon: “Parenthood” bravely tackles abortion, by Willa Paskin:

Because they happen with such rarity, I feel obliged to take note when they do: There was an abortion on prime-time television last night. On “Parenthood,” shy, quiet high-schooler Drew and his increasingly manly eyebrows found out that his girlfriend Amy was pregnant. Amy decided to have an abortion . . . .

Pro- and Anti-Choice Advocacy Groups' TV Ads Target Swing States

The Hill – Healthwatch blog: Abortion groups target swing-state voters, by Elise Viebeck:

Groups on both sides of the abortion debate are focusing their advertising on swing-state voters in the closing weeks of the presidential campaign.

As Mitt Romney nabbed headlines with his comment that abortion bills would not be part of his agenda, voters in four swing states were already viewing a slew of ads from Planned Parenthood's political wing, on the left, and the Susan B. Anthony (SBA) List, on the right.

The two groups have spoken loudest for their sides of the abortion debate this presidential election, particularly through television spots aimed at convincing undecided voters of the dangers of the opposing candidate. . . .

AP 'Trash' Abortion Story Lambasted by Rachel Maddow

 

MSNBC: AP stands behind abortion story Rachel Maddow called 'trash', by Zachary Roth:

 

The Associated Press is standing behind a recent story—labelled "trash" by MSNBC's Rachel Maddow—on the ongoing political fallout from the murder of a Kansas abortion doctor. . . .

 

Here is Rachel Maddow demanding a retraction or apology:

 

 

Lawrence O'Donnell Questions Santorum Donor Over Comment on Aspirin As Contraception

MSNBC: The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell:

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"The Pregnancy Project," A Film Focusing on Teen Pregnancy, Premieres on Lifetime

TIME - Healthland: The Pregnancy Project: Why One Girl Decided to Fake Her Baby Bump, by

Gaby Rodriguez' mother got pregnant for the first time at age 14. Her sisters got pregnant as teens too. Rodriguez decided to buck the trend — and get creative at the same time.

Last year, high school senior Gaby Rodriguez tucked a faux baby bump under her shirt and went to class. She attracted stares and the usual mean-spirited gossipy comments, all of which she jotted down. She then took her notes and parlayed them into a book, The Pregnancy Project, and a Lifetime movie of the same name that premieres on Jan. 28. . . .

Rachel Maddow on Anti-Abortion Intimidation Tactics and Abortion Politics in Presidential Race

The Rachel Maddow Show: Anti-abortion extremists introduce new intimidation tactic:

Randall Terry Hopes to Bring Aborted Fetus Ads to Super Bowl

Huffington Post: Randall Terry Bringing Aborted Fetus Ads to Super Bowl: 

Randall Terry, the anti-abortion activist who announced last year that he would challenge Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination, has resurfaced with a bigger platform to get his message out.

Terry is known for his gruesome ads featuring what look to be aborted fetuses, which have already hit the air in Iowa, and now they are coming to the Super Bowl if he can raise the funds. Television stations and affiliates are normally allowed to block indecent content, but Terry is exploiting an FCC loophole that prevents censorship of political ads within 45 days of a presidential primary or caucus. Christian News Wire reports that the ads will air in 40 markets whose primaries fall in that window after Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 5--should Terry get sufficient response from his fund-raising appeals. . . .

Television Series on Dr. George Tiller May Influence Perspectives on Abortion

Jezebel: True Blood's Alan Ball Developing Series That Could Change the Way We Talk About Abortion, by Lane Moore:

According to the Hollywood Reporter, True Blood mastermind Alan Ball is currently developing a series called Wichita about "a Kansas surgeon who inadvertently becomes the focal point of a contemporary political, cultural and ethical war."

Ball is also teaming up with Devin Friedman, the writer behind the 2010 GQ article "Savior vs. Savior" about the late doctor Dr. George Tiller, one of the few physicians to provide late-term abortions. . . .

Rachel Maddow on Mitt Romney and Embryonic Personhood Amendments

MSNBC - The Rachel Maddow Show: The Rachel Maddow Show Man Cave - Romney edition:

 

Ron Paul Ad Graphically Portrays Anti-Abortion Sentiment

ABC News: Ron Paul Ad Recalls Graphic Abortion, by Jason M. Volack:

Texas Rep. Ron Paul is out with a new TV ad focusing on abortion.

The 60-second ad titled “Life” features Paul recalling a graphic story from his time as an obstetrics-gynecology resident to explain his opposition to abortion.

The GOP presidential candidate told a story of witnessing doctors deliver a baby via Caesarean section and then “put it in a bucket in the corner of the room and pretended it wasn’t there.”

The ad continues with Paul, 76, contrasting the harsh realities of an abortion to seeing only moments later the inspirational act of doctors trying to save a premature baby. . . .

Rachel Maddow Blasts Republican's Focus on Abortion Laws

MSNBC - The Rachel Maddow Show: Republicans dither with 'other' as America waits for jobs:

 

Little Fuss Over Character’s Abortion on Grey’s Anatomy

Los Angeles Times: Critic's Notebook: Abortion a muted matter on 'Grey's Anatomy', by Mary McNamara:

What to make of the fact that not much of a fuss was made — on TV or off — over Sandra Oh's character having an abortion?

Caught between a bunny and a new girl, the talk of TV this season has been double-X, as in chromosome.

What's up with all the women? They're saying "vagina" and going all Count of Monte Cristo! "New Girl" is adork-able (or is she?), "Pan Am" is a female-centric "Mad Men" (or is it?), "The Playboy Club" glamorizes sexism and "Charlie's Angels" is even more ridiculous the second time around! After the 2010-11 season proved dismal for non-males, women came back with a vengeance.

We were all so busy talking about the Big Trend that we missed the revolution. During the recent eighth-season premiere of ABC's "Grey's Anatomy," Dr. Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh) had an abortion. . . .

Bill O'Reilly Back to Attacking Dr. George Tiller

Media Matters: O'Reilly Returns To Demonizing Slain Abortion Clinic Doctor George Tiller, by Adam Shah:

Bill O'Reilly has a history of demonizing the late Dr. George Tiller, a Kansas doctor who provided abortions at his Women's Health Care Services clinic. O'Reilly repeatedly referred to Tiller as "Tiller, the baby killer" and even once said: "[I]f I could get my hands on Tiller -- well, you know. Can't be vigilantes. Can't do that. It's just a figure of speech."

After Tiller was gunned down by anti-abortion zealot Scott Roeder, O'Reilly tried to whitewash his attacks on Tiller.

But on today's edition of his Fox News show, he was back to demonizing Tiller. . . .

HBO To Air Documentary on Gloria Steinem

CBS News: Gloria Steinem reflects on her Playboy bunny days:  

Gloria Steinem has been described as a feminist, journalist, and social political activist, and recognized around the world as the articulate, outspoken leader of what's known as the women's liberation movement of the late 1960s and 1970s. Monday night, she will be the subject of a documentary on HBO called "Gloria: In Her Own Words.". . .

Survey Shows Millenials' Views on Abortion, Same-Sex Marriage, and Contraception

USA Today: MTV teen pregnancy shows prompt pro-abortion rights views: Survey, by Cathy Lynn Grossman:

 

Many Americans are able to be simultaneously pro-choice and pro-life.

 

Watching reality shows on unmarried teens such as 16 and Pregnant or Teen Mom makes folks more sympathetic to legal abortion. Call it "The MTV effect."

 

And, with the exception of support for same-sex marriage, Millennials often think like their parents (but not their grandparents) on values issues.

 

Those are among the widely varied findings in a new survey on Millennials' views on abortion and same-sex marriage released today by the Public Religion Research Institute. . . .

Comedian Chelsea Handler Reveals She Had an Abortion at Age 16

Entertainment Weekly: Chelsea Handler tells 'New York Times' about her abortion, how she really feels about 'Chelsea Lately', by Hillary Busis:

Chelsea Handler isn’t exactly known for being reserved. Still, it was a little surprising to see just how outspoken she got when Cathy Horyn interviewed her for The New York Times. In the piece, Handler doesn’t hold back, especially when railing against every candid comedian’s favorite punching bag: political correctness. . . .

See: NY Times: Comedy With a Side of Disgust, by Cathy Horyn

The Daily Show on "Forcible Rape" in Rep. Chris Smith's Proposed Abortion Funding Ban

Daily Show: Schaal - Rape Victim Abortion Funding:

Kristen Schaal doesn't think hard-earned tax dollars should go to women who have only been rape-ished.

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In Dallas, Surge in Sex Trafficking Expected as Fans Gather for Super Bowl

Newsweek Magazine: The Super Bowl of Sex Trafficking, by Michelle Goldberg:

While football fans are eagerly anticipating the Feb. 6 Super Bowl showdown in Dallas, some state officials are gearing up for the big game’s dark side: the surge in human trafficking that tends to accompany major sports and entertainment events. “What we’ve learned is that sexual trafficking, sexual exploitation of children in particular, is all about supply and demand,” says Ernie Allen, president of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. With more than 100,000 fans descending on Dallas, that demand is going to be great. There is a “looming potential explosion of human trafficking around the Super Bowl,” says Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, who is expecting hundreds of girls and women to be brought to the area. . . .