Landmark Healthcare Reform: Have You Weighed In?

After a historic week for our nation’s health care reform, we want to highlight women’s voices on the bill and on the issue.  To OpEd Project alums with expertise in healthcare, we urge you to weigh in – we’ll happily match you with one of our mentor-editors if you’d like support.  We also urge you to send women with expertise in healthcare to the Project – this month, we will be reserving a set number of scholarships in our seminars nationwide for women in this field.  Meanwhile, thanks to The Women’s Media Center for gathering the below links – which spotlight key statements on behalf of women.

• NARAL  http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/news/press-releases/2010/pr03212010-finalhousehcr.html
• NOW http://www.now.org/press/03-10/03-21b.html
• Planned Parenthood http://www.ppaction.org/network/hcr10fvng?source=hcr10fv_pphp
• Raising Women’s Voices http://www.raisingwomensvoices.net/raisingwomensvoices-blog/2010/3/21/health-reform-passes-congress-in-historic-vote.html
• Women’s Campaign Forum  http://www.wcfonline.org/sites/wcf/index.php/sn/pyc2010_release_equality
• Catholics for Choice  http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/OneStepForwardOneStepBack.asp

Op-Ed Opportunity: Superbowl Ad Crying out for Commentary

A new anti-choice advertisement slated to run during the Superbowl that “uses one story to subtly dictate morality to the American public, and encourages women to disregard medical advice, potentially putting their lives at risk.”

This situation is particularly striking, considering that CBS’s Superbowl ads have, in the past, been carefully vetted to exclude ads where “substantial elements of the community (are) in opposition to one another” – for example, ads from PETA and MoveOn.org.

In the ad—paid for by the conservative Christian group Focus on the Family—Pam Tebow explains how, after contracting amoebic dysentery on a missionary trip to the Philippines, she refused to listen to the doctors who advised her to abort her pregnancy when “the medicines used for her recovery threatened her unborn fetus.” That fetus turned out to be football superstar Tim Tebow.

“An ad that uses sports to divide rather than to unite has no place in the biggest national sports event of the year – an event designed to bring Americans together regardless of background, faith, ideology or political affiliation,” says Jehmu Greene, President of the Women’s Media Center.

Please consider writing an op-ed about this!

The Women’s Media Center has launched a campaign calling CBS to immediately pull this anti-choice advertisement set to air during Super Bowl XLIV and has been blogging about the issue here. Here are some angles they’ve suggested:

- faith perspective
- medical (doctor/nurse) perspective
- woman who faced same situation as Pam Tebow, made different decision
- diehard sports fan, keep your politics out of my football game
- parents of children watching Super Bowl – having the discussion the ad will bring up
- female athlete perspective – how would this conversation be different if a woman athlete was talking about choice