In a video posted today on AAUW's national website, Director of Public Policy and Government Relations Lisa Maatz presented our organization's response to the State of the Union address given by President Obama last night.

Click HERE to watch the video.

AAUW CA Public Policy Director, Anne Henke, has posted a statement from the Public Policy Committee regarding the position that has been taken.

AAUW CA members are asked to vote YES on the budget items.  To read the ballot measures go to www.sos.ca.gov and click on ballot measures.

There are just 17 days left to complete your every member survey and send it to the AAUW CA office!  Get it HERE.  Deadline is December 1.

Anne Henke, Director of Public Policy AAUW-CA

California Congressman Henry Waxman has submitted a letter to Secretary Michael Leavitt head of the Department of Health and Human Services challenging the process used by HHS to review and rewrite the proposed healthcare provider conscience/right of refusal regulation that seeks to protect “the right" of health care individuals and entities to refuse to perform medical procedures, including abortion and sterilization, and to refuse to sell birth control. Mr. Waxman is the Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

I don’t usually take political maneuvering personally but I may change my mind. As we are preoccupied with the economy and with the election the outgoing administration in Washington DC is proposing regulation and program funding changes that would reduce the accessibility of contraception to all American women.

First, the Department of Health and Human Services has proposed new regulations to expand the Right of Refusal for healthcare providers and redefine some legal contraception tools as abortifacients. Both AAUW and AAUW CA have protested by submitting comments and questions during the public comment period. Read the AAUW California comment letter by clicking here.

Many states already have conscience laws on the books that give healthcare providers, physicians and pharmacists for example, the right to refuse to provide legal services if that service is opposed by their religion. In California, the law allows the right of refusal by an individual but the provider network or pharmacy must provide the service by assigning another staffer or referring the patient to where she/he can receive the service in a timely manner. The proposed regulations expand the right of refusal to include the right to refuse to provide the patient the information about where to get the service. The right to refuse is also extended to hospital emergency personnel and is vague about which staffers have the right to refuse service.

Both the California governor and attorney general have submitted letters opposing the proposed new regulations as an unwarranted intrusion into state’s rights.

A second issue will directly impact California families. California has been notified that the Family PACT 1115 Waiver will end on October 31, 2008. Just what does this mean; what is Family PACT and what is being waived?

Family PACT is California’s innovative approach to provide comprehensive family planning services to low-income women and men. What makes the program unique is on site, point of service determination of eligibility for an entire year. The new terms and conditions that California must accept to maintain matching federal funding is that point of service determination of eligibility will no longer be possible. Each applicant will now apply at a state office and will be required to return and complete the forms quarterly rather than once a year.

Currently, women and men are eligible for the program if they reside in California, are at risk of pregnancy or causing pregnancy, have a gross family income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level and have no other source of health care coverage for family planning services. Screening for breast and cervical cancer is also covered.

The objectives of Family PACT are to reduce the rate, overall number and cost of unintended pregnancies, increase access to family planning services and improve the reproductive health of low income Californians. California receives $9 in federal matching funds for each $1 of California tax revenue spent on the program. In the eight years since the program began we have experienced a dramatic decrease in unwanted pregnancies in California noticeably among teenagers.

Seventeen states have been given similar waivers for family planning programs. Here in California AAUW CA has been working with our coalition partners to resolve the conflict and save the program in its present form. Oregon accepted the new conditions/guidelines last year and has seen a significant drop in service provided and an increase in unwanted pregnancies. We will keep you informed of developments.

Prepared by Rita Wustner, Approved by AAUW CA Public Policy Director

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November 2008 Ballot: AAUW CA Opposes Proposition 4 that requires doctors to notify parents before performing an abortion for a minor.

We all want our children to come to us for support and guidance when life-altering decisions must be made. We do our best to protect our children from dangers and prepare them to enter the world as confident adults. Our children will come to us first and they can count on us to support them in trying times.

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