Erie County

4.18.13 - Just moments ago, the Ohio House of Representatives voted to pass the state budget, Sub HB 59. The Ohio House made the sensible decision to remove the vague restrictions related to comprehensive sex education from the Ohio budget; however, the measures that hurt the most vulnerable women, limiting their access to health care remain.

Call Governor Kasich at (614) 466-3555 or text EnoughOH to 69866. Tell him to take a stand for Ohio women and vow to line-item veto these dangerous provisions.

4.17.13 - Yesterday, the Ohio House Finance & Appropriations Committee passed the state budget bill. Despite an attempt by our legislative allies to strike the Planned Parenthood defunding language, it remains intact.

Governor Kasich's allies in the State House were hard at work sending women's health and sex education back to the Stone Age. The latest Republican attack is so utterly bizarre and ridiculous you just might not believe it.

A new bizarre amendment on so called 'gateway sexual activity' was added to the budget to impose limits on comprehensive sex education. This proposal would fine educators $5,000 if they teach a medically-accurate, age-appropriate comprehensive sex education curriculum.  

In other words, the GOP effort would prohibit all comprehensive sexual education from our schools! In addition, if an organization supports anything other than abstinence, they'd be banned from classrooms. 

This is outrageous! Send your selected officials an email to demand they stop these attacks on women and teens.

04.10.13 - The Ohio House Finance & Appropriations Committee released its substitute budget bill reallocating family planning funds from trusted health care providers such as Planned Parenthood. 

Once again legislators are playing politics with women's health care. Funds that currently go to Planned Parenthood health centers for preventive care would be given to other providers first.

Show Ohio you want to protect women's access to health care. This is not a partisan issue—women don't come to Planned Parenthood to make a political statement. Your voice is critical in this fight.

Adding insult to injury, the budget amendment appears to hand these funds over to "crisis pregnancy centers" that often provide misleading information to women who are deciding whether to choose adoption, end a pregnancy, or raise a child. Medical decisions are personal and should be left to a woman, her family, her faith, and her health care provider—not politicians.

Take action now by calling Governor Kasich. Tell him to take a stand and commit to line-item veto the Planned Parenthood defunding language. His number is (614) 466-3555. Help protect access to care for more than 100,000 Planned Parenthood patients today!Log your call here so we know just how many of you took action. We won’t be ignored!

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely, Stephanie Kight President and CEO Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio

Many single women, a key bloc, are avoiding GOP
By By NICHOLAS RICCARDI, Associated Press
AP Polling Director Jennifer Agiesta in Washington contributed to this report.

12.15.12 - DENVER (AP) — Sara Stevenson (photo to the left) spends her working hours surrounded by Republicans, namely the married men who work alongside her in a Denver oil and gas firm company. But after hours and on weekends, she usually spends her time with other single women, and there's not a Republican in sight among the bunch.

"There was just no way I could have supported any Republican this year," said Stevenson, 31. "They skew so much to the religious right. ... They focused so much on taxes. It's not something that women in my demographic really care about. I've never heard my friends lament their taxes."

As Republicans dust off their Election Day drubbing last month, their party must confront the reality that the ranks of unmarried women are growing rapidly, and these voters overwhelmingly have backed Democrats for decades.

Women increasingly are graduating from college and joining the workforce, and postponing marriage. From 2000 to 2010, the number of unmarried women increased 18 percent, according to census data.

Republicans have spent the past month tallying up all their demographic weak spots, including with Hispanics and Asian-Americans. But some warn that single women, already one-quarter of the electorate, represent the most serious threat to the party's viability.

"It's a faster-growing demographic than most others," said Kellyanne Conway, a Republican pollster. "That's a cultural zeitgeist that demands a political response."

In 1960, the average American woman married at age 20. Now it's 27. That reflects, and is partly the cause of, a boom in solo living, with nearly one-third of all U.S. households comprised of single people living alone, according to Eric Klinenberg, a New York University sociologist and author of a book on the subject. In 1950, it was 9 percent.

Around the world, as women gain more education and earn more money, they increasingly are delaying marriage, said Stephanie Coontz, who teaches history and family studies at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash., and is director of research for the Council on Contemporary Families. "Nowadays, women don't feel so driven to get married because they can support themselves," she said. "A lot of this is driven by women and a combination of lowering payoffs to just marrying any man and rising expectations" of what marriage will bring, she added.

For decades, Conway said, Democrats targeted unmarried women while the GOP dismissed them.

In the Nov. 6 election, President Barack Obama's campaign targeted this group in a series of direct mail and email pieces featuring the singer Beyonce and activist Lily Ledbetter, whose name was on the first bill Obama signed, making it easier for women to sue over unequal pay. The campaign also released an online video by actor and writer Lena Dunham that compared a woman's first time voting to losing her virginity.

Now, Conway said, "the Republicans have to decide if they want a one-party response or a two-party response."

In a presidential election dominated by debates over women's health and abortion, unmarried women backed Obama over Republican Mitt Romney by a 67-31 margin. Since 1992, when exit polls began identifying single voters, unmarried women have favored Democrats by similar margins.

Celinda Lake, a Democratic pollster who wrote a book with Conway on the women's vote, said unmarried women are a tough group for the GOP to crack.

"Any way you cut it, this demographic is much more on their own and much more precarious and much more interested in a safety net," Lake said. "If you're married, you're much more likely to be a churchgoer and have your church as a community. If you're married, you're much more likely to have owned your home for a while and have that community to rely on. If you're married, you're more likely to have your spouse to depend on."

Single men are also significantly more likely to back Democrats than Republicans, but that is largely a function of their age, because they are largely younger. Unmarried women, however, are more evenly spread across all age groups and consistently lean Democratic, said Page S. Gardner, president of the Voter Participation Center, which tries to increase voting by single women. They also are much more likely to support abortion rights.

In Colorado, Democrats have assiduously focused on abortion and other health issues to win support from both married and single women. In 2010, Sen. Michael Bennet defied the Republican wave by hammering his tea party challenger on his opposition to abortion rights. This year, Obama campaigned in the state with activist Sandra Fluke, an unmarried law student branded a "slut" by commentator Rush Limbaugh for testifying before Congress in support of requiring that employer-provided health insurance covers contraception.

The Obama campaign attacked Romney on the airwaves over his refusal to support the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, his opposition to federal dollars for Planned Parenthood and his opposition to abortion rights.

Katy Atkinson, a GOP consultant in Denver, said that two elections in a row should be a warning sign for the GOP.

"That whole fighting social issues with economic issues just doesn't work," she said. Atkinson noted that both Romney, as well as Bennet's opponent, Ken Buck, contended that women really cared about pocketbook issues rather than reproductive issues. "While women care about pocketbook issues, they don't want to elect an extremist."

Conway said the GOP can win over unmarried women on economic matters. "What do women, married or unmarried, do every week?" Conway asked. "Do they fill up the gas tank or get an abortion?"

Lauren Koebcke, 32, is a glimmer of hope for Republicans. She is single, favors gay marriage and abortion rights but sides with the GOP on economic issues. The bad news for the GOP is that she's the only one of her single friends who votes Republican.

"Most people I know are Democrats and most Democrats I know are single," said Koebcke, a project manager in Austin, almost 300 miles west of Denver. "Most Republicans want home and hearth. They want babies and that family life."

Stevenson isn't sure whether she wants a family. "Most of us didn't make any money until we were 26 year old and we want to enjoy ourselves," she said. She logs 11 hour days analyzing legal issues for her energy company. "I can't imagine coming home and having to cook dinner and deal with someone else's problems," she said. "I'm not there yet."

She also knows that Republicans won't be getting her vote anytime soon.

Republican Senate candidates in Missouri and Indiana infuriated her when they tried to explain why they think rape victims shouldn't be allowed to have abortions. Stevenson stayed up late on election night just to confirm that they both lost.

The women's issues that Obama emphasized, such as equal pay for women and contraception coverage, are pocketbook issues to Stevenson. The fact that GOP candidates denigrated them as social issues just shows how out of touch the GOP is, she said.

"There are just so many off-putting comments from the Republican party," Stevenson said. "It's crazy to me that they're still acting as if women are a niche market."

 Copyright © 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

11.27.12 - The leader of the Ohio Senate put a stop Tuesday to a bill that would have imposed the most stringent restriction on abortions in the nation.

The chamber doesn't plan to vote on the so-called "heartbeat bill" before the end of the legislative session next month, Republican Senate President Tom Niehaus said, citing concerns the resulting law might have been found to be unconstitutional.

"I want to continue our focus on jobs and the economy," Niehaus told reporters. "That's what people are concerned about."

The bill proposed banning abortions after the first fetal heartbeat is detected, as early as six weeks into pregnancy. It had fiercely divided Ohio's anti-abortion community, while energizing abortion rights proponents who protested against it.

Backers hoped the stringent nature of the bill would provoke a legal challenge with the potential to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion up until viability, usually at 22 to 24 weeks.

Ohio Right to Life, the state's largest and oldest anti-abortion group, and many state lawmakers expressed concern the limit would be unconstitutional — jeopardizing other abortion limits in Ohio and expanding access to legal abortions.

The measure initially had stalled in both chambers as leaders sought legal advice as to whether the bill could withstand a court challenge. It passed the House in June 2011 and had remained pending in the Senate since.

Niehaus, who is leaving the Senate at the end of the year due to term limits, said a number of factors went into his decision not to bring the bill to a floor vote during the lame-duck session. He cited lingering constitutional concerns but would not elaborate on other issues he had with the measure.

Supporters had offered various versions of the proposal in recent weeks, Neihaus said. And a new draft had been brought to him as recently as Tuesday morning.

Niehaus wouldn't speculate on whether the bill would have cleared the Senate had he decided to bring it to the floor for a vote.

He said he respected the views of his Republican colleagues, who hold 23 of 33 seats in the Senate. But, he said, "Ultimately it's my decision not to move this bill in lame duck."

The heartbeat bill's demise Tuesday marked the end of one of the noisiest lobbying efforts in recent state memory.

One crowded House hearing featured what supporters called "the state's youngest legislative witness," an in utero fetus. Ultrasounds were performed at the hearing on two women who were early in their pregnancies, so legislators could see and hear the fetal hearts. People whose mothers had sought abortions that failed — labeled "abortion survivors" — were featured at another hearing.

Proponents delivered bouquets of red heart-shaped balloons and teddy bears to lawmakers, flew banners over the Statehouse and eventually turned to angry full-page ads in the Columbus newspaper.

Opponents also grew vocal. They rallied at the Statehouse during key votes, arguing the legislation could endanger the lives of women, forcing them to seek the procedure in unhealthy circumstances.

Janet Folger Porter, president of Ohio-based Faith2Action and the bill's champion, said she was confident the legislation would be upheld in court.

"This is the closest we have ever been to protecting babies with beating hearts," she said when it passed the House. "When this passes, it will be the most protective legislation in the nation."

Porter led a charge to line up a host of high-profile supporters. They included Cincinnati physician Jack Willke, a former president of the National Right to Life Committee and founder of the International Right to Life Federation, and Phil Burress, whose Citizens for Community Values led the charge to ban gay marriage, among others.

But Ohio Right to Life's then-executive director, Mike Gonidakis, called it "the right idea at the wrong time."

Battling negative publicity over its neutrality on the bill, his chapter was selected to launch a 50-state effort to pass informed-consent bills tied to the fetal heartbeat, requiring that pregnant women see and hear the rhythm before agreeing to an abortion.

Supporters of that effort said statistics show women exposed to the fetal heartbeat are far less likely to go through with an abortion.

State Sen. Shannon Jones, a Springboro Republican, said she thought the bill would have passed in the Senate.

"I am hopeful and confident it will come up in the next General Assembly," she said.

That's what the head of one abortion rights group feared Tuesday.

"We don't believe for a second that this threat is over — perhaps delayed, but not over," said NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio director Kellie Copeland.

As with defunding of Planned Parenthood, the Heartbeat Bill - HB 125 -
was stopped in April 2012.
We can - and will - do it again!!

 11.18.12 - Ohioans are tired of the War on Women.  We're not going to allow the GOP to take us backward.

"The people demand that the Ohio Legislature immediately retire the Family Planning Defunding bills HB298 and SB201, as well as the "Heartbeat Bill," HB125.

If the Legislature is concerned with the health and well-being of women and children, and if the Legislature is genuinely interested in preventing unintended pregnancies, abortion, and unwanted children, then the following bills should be advanced right away: 

• SB 190 / HB 281 The Ohio Prevention First Act 
• SB 232 / HB 338 The Act for Our Children's Future  
• SB 283 / HB 419 The Compassionate Assistance for Rape Emergencies Act"

To sign this petition, please click here:
http://signon.org/sign/ohio-legislature-stop?source=s.em.mt&r_by=5047889

 
11.15.12 - Last week voters in Ohio clearly rejected an anti-choice agenda and made their support clear for letting women make their own private medical decisions.

Clearly some legislators didn’t get the message.

This week the ‘heartbeat bill’, a proposal too extreme even for Ohio Right to Life, is being considered again in our Statehouse. The bill is an unconstitutional affront on women’s reproductive health care. It violates the Constitution by removing a woman’s right to choose, starting as early as six weeks.

That some of our legislators would attempt this major attack just a week after the election shows that they haven’t gotten the message. Click here for full instructions on how you can call your legislator and drive the message home: our priority needs to be fixing the economy, not attacking the medical rights of women.

P.S. – If you’ve never called your legislator before, it’s easier than you think. Click here and find out how.

Heartbeat Bill - HB 125 - to get new look
By pkostyuB

11.08.12 - COLUMBUS — Cooperation between competing right to life groups revived controversial legislation to restrict abortions that now looks like it will be considered in the legislative lame duck session, which begins next week.

Ohio Right to Life, which approved of the concept of the bill, withheld support of it because the organization said the bill could not withstand a court challenge under Roe v. Wade. It believed that a failure at the U.S. Supreme Court could have the opposite effect, leading to more abortion restrictions. The landmark Court ruling sought to strike a balance between states’ rights to limit abortion and a woman’s right to privacy.

On the other hand, Faith2Action, a group formed by local chapters of Ohio Right to Life, including those in Cincinnati, Clermont and Warren counties, pushed for passage of the bill in the Ohio House in 2011. It said the time was right to pass a tougher abortion measure here, even though similar efforts in other states failed.

“I think we’re close,” said Mike Gonidakis, president of Ohio Right to Life.

He would not comment about details of a compromise or what issues are still keeping the groups apart.

“We’re going to keep the process close to the vest,” he said. “We don’t want this to play out in the press. We’re still working on it, trading messages about the language. It’s not final yet.”

Attempts to reach Janet Porter, leader of Faith2Action, were not successful. 

Porter’s group took aim at Niehaus and other legislators, including Sen. Shannon Jones, R-Springboro, trying to pressure them into moving the bill. They and other legislators were inundated with telephone calls, emails and post cards from supporters of the bill. TV ads, billboards and even an airplane circling the statehouse dragging a sign targeted legislators.

Niehaus, who is term-limited, and Jones, who was not up for election this year, withstood the pressure. Niehaus said he wanted cooperation from the two groups on compromise language for the bill.

He would not say today what that language is, but he said an agreement was reached and he will take a look at it next week. He is also consulting with state Rep. Lynn R. Wachtmann, R-Napoleon, the sp0nsor of the legislation. Watchmann could not be reached for comment.

Niehaus said he set conditions for reconsidering the bill. He would not say what those conditions are or whether the bill’s proponents had met them. That’s what he’s going to consider next week, he said. 

Kellie Copeland, executive director of Naral Pro-Choice Ohio, said her organization expected movement on the bill in the lame duck session and heard rumors about a compromise for some time, but can’t figure out “what a compromise could be.”

“I saw in their post-election press release that they intend to continue their efforts to defund Planned Parenthood,” Copeland said. “It makes you wonder if they’ve seen the election results. Voters in Ohio and across the country clearly rejected this anti-choice agenda, the ability of women to make their own private medical decisions. That they would attempt these kind of major attacks less than a week after the election just shows that they don’t care what voters have to say. It’s their extremist agenda and voter sentiments be damned.”

4.12 — To defeat House Bill 125, which bans all abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detectable,
click on the following link:  Take action on this issue

 _________________________________________

Don’t let the Heartbeat Bill fall off your radar—anti-choice activists are determined to see the bill heard in Senate committee as soon as possible. On Valentine’s Day, supporters of the bill delivered dozens of roses to Senators to urge them to pass the bill (photo here). Please be ready to spring into action, as we will need to make sure Senators hear the voices of all Ohioans, not just anti-choice activists!

_________________________________________

Thanks to the efforts of grassroots activists across Ohio, the Heartbeat Bill has been stopped -- for now. 

Although Republicans and far-right extremists had hoped to pass this bill before the end of the year -- making Ohio home to the most restrictive anti-choice laws in the country—Senate President Tom Niehaus put a hold on the bill and indicated that we will NOT see the Heartbeat Bill revisited in 2011. 

Each of you who spoke out against the Heartbeat Bill deserves a piece of the credit. Your calls, your emails, your letters to the editor, and your presence in those committee hearings showed Senate Republicans that we are watching. While Republicans quibbled with each other, and ultimately brought down this bill, we stood united against the war on women.

Here’s just a sample of what you did:

• 2,415 of you clicked to take action on the emails we sent asking you to call and email Senate committee members;
• You spread the word through constant social media efforts on Facebook and Twitter;
• You jammed the phones at the State Legislature to send a message that the Heartbeat Bill is wrong for Ohio;
• Dozens of letters to the editor were submitted to get the word out in your communities, and three of these were placed in media markets around the state;
• You showed up to committee hearings in full force to let Senate Republicans know that we are paying attention.

We can celebrate that women's health care options remain safe a little longer. But we know our work is far from over.

Republicans in the legislature can and will raise this issue again. Their far-right supporters will demand it. You can be sure that Republicans will spend the holiday break creating a strategy to ram this through, one way or another. 

Dissention in the Republican ranks gave us an opportunity to stop the Heartbeat Bill in 2011… this should be a reminder to all of us of just how essential it is that we stay connected with one another, remain united in this fight, and keep the pressure on next year. So let’s take a deep breath, enjoy the holidays, and come back ready to work hard for even more successes in 2012!

Thank you for all you have done and continue to do. Your commitment has been extraordinary and I’m proud to be in this fight with you.

Onward to 2012!

Best,

Lauren Harmon
Women's Caucus Director
Ohio Democratic Party

P.S. Here’s one more reason we need to stay united – check out this article in the Cleveland Press on why Ohioans may see a Mississippi-style “Personhood Amendment” on the ballot in 2012. Keep in touch, and keep fighting!  Click on the links to other articles that represent opinions on this issue around the state at the top of this page.

We need to continue sending a message to Republicans on the committee this bill is wrong for Ohio!  The Ohio Senate Health, Human Services and Aging Committee Members include:

• Scott Oelslager, Chair: (614) 466-0626
• Dave Burke, Vice Chair: (614) 466-8049
• Troy Balderson: (614) 466-8076
• Shannon Jones: (614) 466-9737
• Kris Jordan: (614) 466-8086
• Peggy Lehner: (614) 466-4538

What will HB 125 do?

• The bill criminalizes a woman’s right to choose – before most women even know they’re pregnant.
• The bill makes NO exceptions for cases of rape, incest - limited exceptions when the health of the mother is at risk.
• This bill puts Ohio women’s health at risk.
• If this bill passes, Ohio will have the most extreme anti-choice legislation in the country.  Colorado and Mississippi voters have already overwhelmingly defeated similar language at the ballot box.
• This bill is so extreme, even Ohio Right to Life won’t endorse it.
• The bill is unconstitutional. It could drag Ohio into costly federal lawsuits at a time when our state is already facing budget deficits.

What will HB 125 NOT do?

• Create jobs and rebuild our economy.

"I have met thousands and thousands of pro-choice men and women. I have never met anyone who is pro-abortion. Being pro-choice is not being pro-abortion. Being pro-choice is trusting the individual to make the right decision for herself and her family, and not entrusting that decision to anyone wearing the authority of government in any regard."

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

11.14.12 - Ohioans are tired of the War on Women.  We're not going to allow the GOP to take us backward.

"The people demand that the Ohio Legislature immediately retire the Family Planning Defunding bills HB298 and SB201, as well as the "Heartbeat Bill," HB125.

If the Legislature is concerned with the health and well-being of women and children, and if the Legislature is genuinely interested in preventing unintended pregnancies, abortion, and unwanted children, then the following bills should be advanced right away: 

• SB 190 / HB 281 The Ohio Prevention First Act 
• SB 232 / HB 338 The Act for Our Children's Future  
• SB 283 / HB 419 The Compassionate Assistance for Rape Emergencies Act"

To sign this petition, please click here:
http://signon.org/sign/ohio-legislature-stop?source=s.em.mt&r_by=5047889

After Personally Working With GOP Legislative Leaders in October to
Schedule Lame Duck Priorities, Kasich Cannot Claim Ignorance on
Session’s First Priority – Defunding Planned Parenthood
Jerid Kurtz - ODP

11.14.12 - COLUMBUS – For weeks, Republicans plotted and schemed about what extreme ideas they could get away with in the final days of legislative session, and in late October Governor John Kasich even met with legislative leaders to plot out the lame duck calendar.

Despite Election Day losses in Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, and all across the nation by GOP candidates that opposed women’s health care, today – during the very first day of lame duck session in the Ohio Statehouse – Ohioans will learn that at the very top of Kasich and the Republicans’ list of priorities is effectively defunding Planned Parenthood for the nearly 100,000 Ohioans that depend on it for critical health care services. 

In response to the many efforts Republicans have made during 2012 to defund Planned Parenthood, supporters of the Ohio Democratic Party have sent members of the Kasich Administration, and members of the State House Health and Aging Committee, more than 198,702 emails urging them to end their extremist attack on women’s preventive health care (a copy of one of these emails follows below). This latest Republican bill is rigged to ensure Planned Parenthood, and the women that depend on Planned Parenthood for cancer screenings, HIV tests, and birth control, might lose convenient access to these critical services. Governor Kasich cannot dodge commenting on this pending legislation he played a part in shaping, since he has repeatedly commented on pending legislation in the past, including the state budget and changes to the Ohio turnpike.

“Governor John Kasich cannot claim ignorance about this latest attack on women, since he sat down with state legislative leaders to personally calendar out priorities for the Statehouse’s final days of 2012,” said Jerid Kurtz, spokesman for the Ohio Democratic Party. “After appointing opponents of women’s health care to top positions in his administration, including seats on the State Medical Board and Supreme Court Vacancy committee, Kasich’s silence on this push to defund Planned Parenthood is no surprise, and sends a blunt message that job creation is not his top priority. The Governor is building a record that sends an incredibly clear message, women just can’t trust John Kasich with their health care.”

BACKGROUND

During 2012, Ohioans have sent nearly 200,000 emails to the Kasich Administration and members of the Health and Aging Committee urging them to end their extremist attacks on women’s health care and Planned Parenthood.

SUBJECT: These attacks must end

I want to encourage you to take a step back and think about what you’re doing. Nearly 100,000 Ohioans depend on the preventive care and women’s health centers your bill will defund.

The Republican Party’s near-continuous attacks on women’s rights and working families caused women to desert the GOP in waves on Election Day. From right here in Ohio, to Indiana, Missouri, and elsewhere, voters defeated major Republican candidates that stood to harm women’s health. The only way we can move forward and put Ohio back on track is if we respect the message the voters sent.

Governor Kasich and the Republican legislature’s latest attack on planned parenthood and women’s health and preventive care is both puzzling and extremely misguided. Not only are the citizens of Ohio standing against you, but the voters spoke last Tuesday that they are sick of these types of attacks.

The services planned parenthood provide are vital to the well-being of the neediest residents of our state — the very same people who are struggling the hardest just to put food on their tables. Cutting access to the already thin safety net available to them is not just wrongheaded, it’s cruel.

Stand with fair and reasonable people all across Ohio demanding an end to these attacks and have the courage to focus on what really matters: Creating and protecting good-paying jobs for hardworking Ohioans.

There’s nothing more important right now.

Sincerely,

[NAME]

11.13.12 - In late October as all eyes were on the presidential campaign, Governor Kasich met with Statehouse Republicans behind closed doors to plot his agenda for the rest of the year, and tomorrow he begins to implement it.

First on Kasich and the GOP's list of priorities? Defunding Planned Parenthood for the nearly 100,000 Ohioans that depend on it for critical health care services.

Please click here to write to Kasich and Statehouse Republicans demanding they back down from their latest attacks on women and preventive care.

It's as if Kasich and the Republicans didn't pay attention to Tuesday's election results: Republicans who opposed women's health care lost races in Ohio, Indiana, Missouri and elsewhere and the country stood with President Obama who respects women. Instead of focusing on getting Ohio back on track, Republicans are back to their normal playbook full of extremist attacks on women's health care. We must stop them.

Since Kasich and the Ohio GOP didn't pay attention to Tuesday's election results, we need to send them a message now. Click here to stand with Planned Parenthood and demand Kasich and the Republicans end their attack on women's preventive health care!

Ohio Republicans don't want family planning dollars to actually help women unless it fits their radical, ideological definition of "help." They started their attacks on preventive health care nationally by pushing to defund Planned Parenthood in Congress and followed with statewide efforts in Indiana, Texas, and elsewhere across the nation. Now, they're here in Ohio, peddling the same thing and setting up what they're calling a “new priority system.”

Unsurprisingly, this "new priority system" is rigged to ensure Planned Parenthood, and the women that depend on Planned Parenthood for cancer screenings, HIV tests, and birth control, are shut out from any state support.

Without your signature and support, the Republicans just won’t stop. Click here to send the Governor and his Republicans friends a clear message: lay off Planned Parenthood and stop attacking women's health care.

Yours in the fight,

11.07.12 - The GOP believes in waiting periods for some things, but not others --
on Wednesday, November 7th, the legislature will be bringing back two of its worst attacks
for the lame duck session:

• On Wednesday morning at 9:30am, the House Health committee will be hearing Planned Parenthood defunding.
• In the afternoon on same day, time TBD, the Senate Health committee will be hearing the Heartbeat Bill.

Republicans were stopped on their second try to defund Planned Parenthood
back on May 25, 2012 - THANKS TO YOU! 

We can - and will - do it again!

Click the button below and we'll send a fax on your behalf to your House representative with the following message: "I strongly oppose the bill to defund Planned Parenthood in Ohio, and urge you to vote against House Bill 298. State funds to provide health care services like cancer screenings, family planning, and gynecological exams through Planned Parenthood are critically important to women's health in our state." Click here to send a free fax: Learn more about this campaign Stop the Ohio bill to defund Planned Parenthood The latest attack on Planned Parenthood is happening in Ohio. Even after a presidential election where Ohio voters clearly voted no on the Republican War on Women, Republicans in the Ohio House are still trying to pass a bill to deny Planned Parenthood the funding it needs to serve women in some parts of Ohio. The bill has already passed out of a House committee, on party lines. Now it will head to the House floor, where legislators will have the chance to vote on it.1 We need to make sure that every member of the Ohio State House, no matter whether they are Republican or Democrat, pro-choice or anti-choice, hears that Ohioans oppose any attempt to defund Planned Parenthood. Anti-choice representatives need to know their constituents vehemently disagree with their stand. And pro-choice representatives need to know we have their back. Tell Ohio legislators: Vote against HB 298. Don't play politics with women's lives and defund health care for Ohio women. Click here to send a free fax to your legislator now. Each year, Planned Parenthood in Ohio receives over a million dollars in Department of Health funds to provide critical health care services for over 100,000 low-income women, like affordable birth control, prenatal care, cancer screenings, family planning services, and services for survivors of domestic violence.2 This is not about abortion. It's about denying women access to crucial health care services. Defunding Planned Parenthood in Ohio would jeopardize cancer prevention screenings, STI care, hypertension testing, and many of the preventative measures the organization provides to low-income women.3 The attacks on Planned Parenthood are part and parcel of a national extremist vendetta against the organization, and the women who depend on its clinics for basic care. Anti-choice organizations, politicians and activists are relentless, and they are conducting a state-by-state campaign to undermine Planned Parenthood in state legislatures around the country, no matter what the cost to women's health. Don't let the national campaign against Planned Parenthood take health care away from low-income Ohio women. Tell Ohio legislators: Vote against HB 298. Don't play politics with women's lives and defund health care for Ohio women. Click here to send a free fax to your legislator now. Ohio HB 298 was introduced by State Reps. Kristina Roegner (R-Hudson) and Cliff Rosenberger (R-Clarksville), but it was written with the help of national anti-choice groups and is almost identical to a bill passed in Arizona, and ones being considered in other states. It puts Planned Parenthood at the bottom of a prioritized list of health care providers who can receive funding. It's a clever way to cut off Planned Parenthood funding in practice, without defunding the organization by statute. Anti-choice activists in Ohio working in concert with national organizations are already pressuring their representatives in the state legislature to pass this legislation. We need to push back and make sure legislators know that playing political games with women's health has no place in Ohio. Tell Ohio legislators: Don't throw women's health under the bus just because national anti-choice groups want to score another victory in their vendetta against Planned Parenthood. Click the link below to send a free fax. http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6990878&p=ohio_house_pp&id=50567-5736124-V1ZHgUx&t=10 Every time and everywhere Planned Parenthood is attacked, we need to fight back. Please help us stop this latest effort to destroy Planned Parenthood and block women's access to health care. Thank you for standing up for Planned Parenthood and Ohio women. Becky Bond, Political Director CREDO Action from Working Assets 1. Aviva Shen, "Ohio House Committee Votes To Defund Planned Parenthood," ThinkProgress, 11-14-12. 2. Jim Siegel, "House panel might move to cut funding for Planned Parenthood today," The Columbus Dispatch, 11-14-12. 3. Ezra Klein, "Repost: What Planned Parenthood actually does, in one chart," Wonkblog, 02-02-12. Share on Facebook Post to your wall Tweet this Post to Twitter

5.25.12 - Republicans were stopped again on their second try to defund Planned Parenthood.  THANKS TO YOU!  Almost 14,000 petitions were signed and more than 131,000 letters were sent to members of the Ohio House Health, Human Services and Aging Committee.  Your response was overwhelming and your voice was heard in Columbus!

You stopped the Republicans attack on Ohio's women and their families once again.  However, as we all know, Ohio is the epicenter for continued attacks on women's health care and choices and women's rights and safety as November 2012 quickly approaches.  They won't stop.  Their sneak attacks will continue.

Make sure you are informed on all the issues as Election Day, Tuesday, November 6th quickly approaches!  Once again - THANK YOU!

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Pink carnations sent to Ohio Legislators to stand with
Ohio women and families to stop HB 298
RedAlert:  Send a message NOW!
Over 120,000 messages sent so far!

5.16.12 - Today, Ohio Statehouse Republicans scheduled a third hearing on House Bill 298, their bill to reprioritize and ultimately defund, Planned Parenthood's preventive health care programs.  However, the bill was NOT voted out of committee!  Over 120,000 women and men have sent a message to the Republican House members that their attacks on women and their families must stop NOW.  Will you add your voice to the fight?  Click here to email the legislators and let them know that you stand with Planned Parenthood and the women who rely on them for their critical health care services!  Click here to read what Planned Parenthood has meant to countless women:  Ohio Women for Planned Parenthood.

This morning's hearing in the Ohio House of Representatives Health and Aging Committee is the first scheduled legislative action on efforts to defund Planned Parenthood since Republicans withdrew an amendment they placed in the "Mid-Bienium Budget Review" approximately three weeks ago that had a similar goal. In response to the renewed effort to end funding for Ohio Planned Parenthood and their ability to provide preventive health care like life-saving cancer screenings, breast exams, pap tests, counseling, family planning, and sexual education, the Ohio Democratic Women's Caucus Director Lauren Harmon sent the following letter to Legislators:

Dear Representative,

I am writing today on behalf of the Ohio Democratic Women’s Caucus to express our deep concern about House Bill 298, and its companion, Senate Bill 201.

Women are incredibly alarmed that Ohio Statehouse Republicans have brought this defunding bill up for another committee hearing, and appear intent on following Mitt Romney and Josh Mandel in their efforts to attack women’s preventive health care and ultimately “get rid of” Planned Parenthood. Please wear the attached pink carnation to demonstrate your support for preventive health care, and your opposition to HB 298.

Make no mistake, HB 298 would effectively defund Planned Parenthood, harming the nearly 100,000 Ohio women and families that rely on the essential preventive health care services Planned Parenthood provides. In some cases, there are no clinics or hospitals nearby to provide the same level of preventive care Planned Parenthood provides throughout some parts of Ohio.

For these patients, Planned Parenthood is their only option for receiving preventive health care. Planned Parenthood clinics have offered their patients high-quality services at a lower cost than other health care providers for almost 80 years in Ohio.

More than  96% of the services Planned Parenthood provides are preventive care—life-saving cancer screenings, breast exams, pap tests, counseling, family planning, and sexual education. In these tough economic times, we ask that our legislators stand with the Ohio families who rely on Planned Parenthood to keep these essential health care services affordable.

Yesterday, within hours after being called to action, our supporters sent Representatives on the Health and Aging Committee over 65,000 emails urging Committee Members to respect the view of the majority of Americans, and end this latest attack on Planned Parenthood. Ohioans want our legislators to focus on improving the economy and creating jobs for Ohioans, not attacking our right to access health care services. We hope you will listen to these women urging you to protect their preventive health care.

Please accept this carnation and stand with Ohio women and families to stop HB 298.

Sincerely,

Lauren Harmon
Director, Ohio Democratic Women’s Caucus

Will you add your voice to the fight as have over 120,000 others?  Click here to email the legislators and let them know that you stand with Planned Parenthood and the women who rely on them for their critical health care services!

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RedAlert: 
Republicans moving to defund Planned Parenthood...AGAIN!

5.15.12 - Just two weeks ago, your involvement made the difference, and these radical Republicans curbed their legislative attack on women's health organizations like Planned Parenthood.  But – no surprise – now they’re trying to pull a classic bait-and-switch.

Right now, Statehouse Republicans are fast-tracking a bill that could defund Planned Parenthood and the important work they do on cancer screenings, HIV testing, and birth control.  And even worse, it could be voted on in the House as early as tomorrow - Wednesday, May 16th.

We rallied once before and stopped them.  This time, we need to send these extremists thousands of messages they won't soon forget.  Click here to send a message to Republican House members that we won't tolerate these attacks on working women and their families: http://action.ohiodems.org/redalert

If we stand together, we can beat back the radical right wing's attempts to defund critical women's health services.  But to do that, it's critical that you and your friends and family get involved today.

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5.11.12 - On Wednesday, May 16, in the morning, Republicans plan to hear HB 298 -- a stand-alone bill to defund Planned Parenthood as its sole objective.  Over 100,000 Ohio women and families who rely on Planned Parenthood for their critical preventive care -- such as breast exams, birth control and life-saving cancer screenings -- are at risk.  

We need you to help us stop them.

1. Click here to sign the ODP petition calling on the Republicans to end their attacks on Planned Parenthood and women’s health care options. Over 14,000 Ohioans have already signed. Please add your voices to theirs so that we can deliver your message to the anti-woman forces in the Legislature, and don’t forget to forward the link to your friends!
2. Call House Speaker Bill Batchelder to tell him to stop this bill. Click here for the Speaker’s contact information. 
3. If you can, join Planned Parenthood supporters at the legislature to attend the hearing and show Republicans that women will not stand for these continued attacks on our health care. Meet on Wednesday, May 16, at 8:30 am in State House room 116—and don’t forget to wear pink!

House Speaker Bill Batchelder (R)

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4.26.12 - Thanks to your efforts last week during the Republican’s latest attacks on women as they tried to defund Planned Parenthood and other preventive health care services, they pressed pause on their latest assault. Unfortunately for Ohioans, we expect that more of their attacks on women are right around the corner.  Although the Planned Parenthod defunding language has been pulled from the budget bill, there is a stand-alone bill (HB 298) that will do the exact same thing. This bill has already had proponent testimony in committee and is ripe to be fast-tracked.

After discovering that buried within Kasich’s budget do-over bill was a sneaky way to ensure that Planned Parenthood lost all of its funding, there was no time to waste as we took action to fight for women across the state. Within a matter of hours, we had over 10,000 signatures on our petition to stand with Ohio women—and that number continues to grow.  Together, we made our voices heard—and Ohio Republicans had to listen.

But make no mistake, their attacks on women have been ongoing, and we haven’t seen the last of them.  Even while they yanked the plan from the budget bill yesterday, the Republican leadership was already reminding us that they have a separate Planned Parenthood defunding bill that will start to gain more traction in the Ohio House.

As the Columbus Dispatch reported today:

“In fact, GOP leaders said a separate Planned Parenthood defunding bill introduced last year is likely to start getting more attention.”  This is the stand-alone bill - HB 298 referenced above.

Ohio Right to Life, the group who behind closed doors has major influence over Republicans in the Statehouse, said yesterday:

“This issue is not over, and it’s not the last you’re going to hear from Ohio Right to Life.”

Republicans slowed down this recent attack because they knew you were paying attention, and that together we would continue our fight to protect these preventive health services for women.

But they’re determined to attack women’s preventive care and Planned Parenthood again, possibly very soon. We’ve shown that there truly is strength in numbers, so if you haven’t already, add your name to the list of Ohioans who are in it for the long-haul.

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4.18.12 - Governor Kasich and his idelogical pawns in the Statehouse are kicking back and celebrating right now because they just declared Ohio the epicenter of the national Republican attacks on women.

Will you stand up and support Ohio Planned Parenthood and show Republicans we won't accept their attacks on women?

Late yesterday, they snuck a provision into a sprawling budget bill that is meant to block state funding for Planned Parenthood in Ohio, effectively ending access to preventive health care for many women.

Ohio Republicans don't want family planning dollars to actually help women unless it fits their radical, ideological definition of "help." They started their attacks on preventive health care nationally by pushing to defund Planned Parenthood in Congress and followed with statewide efforts in Indiana, Texas, and elsewhere across the nation. Now, they're here in Ohio, peddling the same thing and setting up what they're calling a “new priority system.”

Unsurprisingly, this "new priority system" is rigged to ensure Planned Parenthood, and the women that depend on Planned Parenthood for cancer screenings, HIV tests, and birth control, are shut out from any state support.

While you're reading this email, Republican lawmakers are literally over at the statehouse fast-tracking this legislation. We need to act quickly to try to stop this thing: 

Click here to stand with Planned Parenthood and demand Republicans end their attack on women's preventive health care!

Without your signature and support, the Republicans just won’t stop. They're determined to ensure that the nearly 100,000 Ohioans that depend on Planned Parenthood for a wide range of critical services. Many low-income and working families don't have access to anything else. 

This bill is bad for everyone but it's absolutely devastating for Ohio's women and families.

Sign our petition and help Planned Parenthood provide critical services to families in need.

As soon as we gather enough signatures, we will deliver the petition to Governor Kasich and statehouse Republicans responsible for this attack.

With your help, we'll shine a bright light on their extremism and build a powerful movement that stops these attacks on women in Ohio, and nationally, once and for all.

In solidarity,

Lauren Harmon
Women's Caucus Director
Ohio Democratic Party

Please check out the links to various articles concerning this issue:

• Toledo Blade Editorial: Protect Women’s Health
• ABC 6 (with video): Ohio Bill Would De-Fund Planned Parenthood
• AP: Dems blast amendment to demote Planned Parenthood (they got my title wrong but I’ve reached out to the AP reporter to correct it)
• WKSU / Jo Ingles: Ohio Republicans move to block funding for Planned Parenthood; Minority Democrats cry short-sighted politics (radio piece)
• ProgressOhio Blog: Senator Turner reacts to proposal to cut funding to Planned Parenthood
• Plunderbund: Anti-Planned Parenthood budget bill could cost Ohio $9.8 million in federal funds
• Plunderbund: Ohio bill would block domestic violence, cancer screening, HIV / AIDS funding for Planned Parenthood (this is really awful - part of the article is reprinted below)

CALL TO ACTION: Say NO to Defunding Planned Parenthood!

2.28.12 - An Ohio House committee heard testimony on HB 298 - sponsored by House Representatives Kristina Roegner and Cliff Rosenberger - a bill to defund Planned Parenthood. An identical bill, SB 201 sponsored by Senator Kris Jordan, is before the Senate.

Ohio Senator Kris Jordan (R-19th District)

First, read coverage of the bills here:

• Abortion foes want women’s health funds rerouted from Planned Parenthood (Columbus Dispatch)
• Senator Kris Jordan lies about purpose of anti-Planned Parenthood bill (Plunderbund)

Then, click here to find your legislators. Call your Ohio Representative and Senator to urge them to vote NO on HB 298 and SB 201!  To contact Senator Jordan:  Phone: (614) 466-8086  Email: SD19@senate.state.oh.us

Check out these news clips concerning the war on women's health care choices:

• Connie Schultz: A woman’s womb – America’s new sports arena (Appeal-Democrat)
• The War on Women: Ohio Edition (Plunderbund)
• Ending the downward spiral on women’s rights (Salon.com)

Check out the new campaign from the National Women’s Law Center:  “My Health is NOT Up for Debate!”

7.04.12 - An anti-choice group failed to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot that would have declared that life begins when a human egg is fertilized.  Approximately only 30,000 signatures were collected.

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6.29.12 - An Ohio anti-choice group is facing a significant shortfall in the number of signatures needed to place a constitutional amendment on the November 2012 General Election ballot that would ask voters to declare that life begins when a human egg is fertilized.  This amendment is also known as the 'personhood' initiative.

The group's director said only about five percent of the roughly 385,000 signatures have been collected so far.  To place the initiative on the November 2012 ballot, roughly 385,000 signatures are required to be submitted by July 4th to the Secretary of State's Office.  Other similar ballot initiatives have fallen short on signatures in Nevada and California.

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Proponents of Personhood Ohio are continuing to try to trick voters about what their constitutional amendment would really do. In the campaign’s very first “PolitiFact” fact check, Personhood Ohio director Patrick Johnston got a “Pants-on-Fire” rating for his comments that abortion is “the most common surgery in the country” (article here). 

This ballot initiative has come up for vote in Colorado and Mississippi most recently.  Several other states are considering such amendments.  The language declares life begins at fertilization, a proposal that supporters sought in Bible Belt states as a way to prompt another legal challenge to abortion rights nationwide.  This is a dangerous bill that could alter a woman's right to choice.

Click on the above links to articles to help you stay informed as this issue comes to a head in the Ohio legislature and possibly to the voters of Ohio.

“The men in our lives, including members of the General Assembly, generously devote time to fundamental female reproductive issues—the least we can do is return the favor,” Senator Tina Turner said in a release. “It is crucial that we take the appropriate steps to shelter vulnerable men from the potential side effects of these drugs.”

Senator Nina Turner (D-Cleveland) has received a great deal of national attention for her tireless efforts on behalf of vulnerable men everywhere to make sure they understand the consequences of their actions.  SB 307 seeks to regulate men's sexual health -- from Viagra to vasectomies -- by requiring physicians to inform patients in writing of the risks involved in taking erectile dysfunction drugs and requiring men to sign a document acknowledging the risks in taking such drugs and/or having such medical procedures. 

Don’t miss this video of Senator Turner talking about her legislation on MSNBC.

Click on these articles for more information:

• Senator Proposes Men Get 2^nd Opinion for Impotence Drugs (Dispatch)
• Viagra Would Need Sex Therapist’s Approval Under Ohio Bill (Bloomberg)
• Ohio Senate Bill Offers Male Lawmakers a Taste of their Own Medicine (Talking Points Memo)

To read the full bill as introduced, click here.