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[EdibleKnife]

From MIC:

The Department of Health and Human Services is adding language to a draft of its “strategic plan” that echoes language used by anti-abortion activists to stigmatize abortion in the U.S.

A line in the overview section of the new document, first discovered by Politico, states: “HHS accomplishes its mission through programs and initiatives that cover a wide spectrum of activities, serving and protecting Americans at every stage of life, beginning at conception.”

Defining human life as “beginning at conception” has long been a key tenant of anti-abortion platforms, attempting to redefine the termination of any pregnancy as an act of murder.

In 2017 alone, multiple conservative state legislatures have introduced bills that would do everything from forcing a woman seeking an abortion to read anti-abortion literature about life beginning at conception, to redefining the concept of life under state law to make abortion illegal — a measure that has historically been found to be unconstitutional by the courts.

The plan was likely drafted before Tom Price’s departure from his role as Health and Human Services secretary. Price had previously served as a member of Congress with a strongly anti-abortion voting record.

...

As Politico noted, the plan also avoids talking about the the specific health needs of certain minority communities, as HHS strategic plans have in the past. Instead, the new plan speaks more generally about “populations at high risk.”

If Trump were to appoint a new secretary of Health and Human Services in the coming month, the department’s overall objectives could be subject to changes. The public will have until Oct. 27 to provide public comment on the new strategic plan before it takes effect.

Tom Price may be gone as Health and Human Services secretary, but his efforts to put a conservative stamp on the $1.1 trillion agency, from promoting faith groups to scrapping Obamacare implementation, are likely to move forward without him.

A “draft strategic plan” for HHS, published before Price resigned last week, references “faith” or “faith-based” organizations more than 40 times in its five-year statement of priorities. The Obama administration’s last strategic plan contained only three such references.

The Price draft also repeatedly mentions protecting individuals from “conception to natural death” — language similar to that used by anti-abortion groups.

Conspicuously absent is virtually any mention of the agency’s responsibility to carry out provisions of the Affordable Act, which had dominated the Obama administration’s plan. Also gone are most references to the health needs of minority groups, from African-Americans who have some of the nation’s worst health outcomes, to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals.

Price’s yet-to-be-named successor would be free to change the agency’s road map and priorities, of course, after he resigned Friday after POLITICO reported he took more than $1 million in taxpayer-funded flights on charter and military planes.

...

“Their priority is to get rid of [the Affordable Care Act] as soon as possible and to do whatever they can to sabotage it in the meantime,” said Tim Jost, a legal expert and supporter of the health law.

An HHS spokesman stressed the document is a draft and the agency will accept public comments on it until Oct. 27.

"The purpose for public comment is to obtain feedback that will assist in refining and strengthening the plan," the spokesman said in an email.

The bulk of the draft document is uncontroversial. It talks about expanding access to affordable health care, bolstering medical research, using scientifically rigorous data and improving vaccination rates. It also puts a strong emphasis on combating the opioid epidemic, which the Trump administration has set as a top priority. The Obama administration’s plan contained no references to the painkiller addiction crisis.

“There’s a lot of good stuff in there,” acknowledged Carl Schmid, deputy executive director of the AIDS Institute.

But Schmid's advocacy group is one of several expressing worries the changed emphasis could marginalize groups that already have poor health outcomes.

“It’s not that we’re against faith-based groups,” Schmid said. “We just want to make sure that these groups will not withhold condoms, withhold messages that are important to prevent HIV, particularly among gay men, among transgender people. That’s been the issue that we’ve seen in the past.”

For instance, language in the draft plan to “affirmatively accommodate” religious beliefs echoes that in several state laws — including one passed and then revised in Indiana when Vice President Mike Pence was governor — that might allow organizations and businesses to refuse to serve gays and lesbians, said Sean Cahill, health policy research director at Fenway Health, which serves the LGBT community.

“If it stays this way, it would certainly be a step backward” from the progress that gay rights groups made under Obama’s watch, Cahill said.

The Trump administration draft makes no mention of LGBT health, meanwhile, in contrast to the Obama administration plan, where it pops up in at least four different places.

...

Reproductive rights groups are also alarmed by the document. They fear that the language about protecting individuals “from conception” will be used to limit access to care, particularly abortion services.

“This is a license to discriminate,” said Susan Berke Fogel, director of reproductive health at the National Health Law Program. “All of that language brings back all of these things that we’ve seen in the past that are just incongruous with really protecting health care and really improving people’s lives.”

As mentioned, until October 27th 2017, the HHS will not accept any public comments on the draft. Regulations/Rules & links for making comments can be found on the HHS site. Until then the draft and the dangers it poses regarding this specific language should be shared openly before it's challenged by the public. Many reproductive rights groups are beginning a blitz to gain the support of pro-choice individuals to help in the battle against the Trump administration to stop Christianity and fundamentalist ideals from defining policy meant for all Americans under the guise of religious liberty.

MIC
Politico
VICE
Topic on Religious Liberty Memo in regards to LGBTQ+ peoples
Topic on Contatcting Politicians, Joining Local Politically Active Groups and Supporting Reproductive Rights Groups
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services: Comment on Open Rules

Women's/Reproductive Rights Groups You Can Support:
Emily's List
Planned Parenthood
NAARL Pro-Choice America Center for Reproductive Rights
National Organization for Women
National Network of Abortion Funds

 

[Trojita]

Are miscarriages going to be murder too?

 

[liquidtmd]

Tom Price may be gone as Health and Human Services secretary, but his efforts to put a conservative stamp on the $1.1 trillion agency, from promoting faith groups to scrapping Obamacare implementation, are likely to move forward without him.

Likely to move forward without him because he was busted telling his mistress to get an abortion

Edit: my bad, that's Tim Murphy. Apologies

 

[buttery fistful]

Are miscarriages going to be murder too?

god is #1 in the known universe in abortions

 

[OrangeGrayBlue]

Likely to move forward without him because he was busted telling his mistress to get an abortion

I think you're mixing up your conservative hypocrisy here. I believe Tom Price is private jet guy.



Anyway, were there to be some legal codification of life beginning at conception, wouldn't this even make things like Plan B illegal? It's like they watched The Handmaid's Tale and said, "That seems nice."

 

[Trojita]

Likely to move forward without him because he was busted telling his mistress to get an abortion

Wrong guy?

 

[erragal]

Are miscarriages going to be murder too?

Easy way for these misogynist ditch apes to replace their ' wives ', so it doesn't seem that far fetched.

Fucking garbage humans.

 

[Polioliolio]

How are sperm and egg not life then?

How about we just get practical about things instead of bullshitting your way through life with vague impressions of biblical nonsense directing your self righteous shriveled brain.

Enough with this shit. Keep abortions. They are fine. Do something about guns and how they kill children all the fucking time, if you love life so much.

 

[Zophar]

A new day, a new horror in America.

 

[Darknight]

This shit is so stupid. Like how can you think this way and then be like "Oh but those black people dont matter" or "Who cares if 20M people lose their heathcare" BS.

HOW?!

Oh wait you are a racist cunt and don't really give 2 shits, thats why.

 

[NoblesseOblige]

Funny what they'll do to redefine legislation in order to punish women for 'murder' but they'll do nothing to combat guns that contribute to actual murder.

 

[Beartruck]

Funny what they'll do to redefine legislation in order to punish women for 'murder' but they'll do nothing to combat guns that contribute to actual murder.

If that baby had a gun in the womb it wouldn't have been aborted.

 

[Ogodei]

Are miscarriages going to be murder too?

They're investigated in some states. The results are about what you'd expect.

 

[Abstrusity]

The stress is already doing a number on my weight and sleeping habits. My state of mind has been in a 'seething, burning hatred' place for months.

It's not going to get better any time soon, is it?

 

[astroturfing]

dont let anti-intellectuals stay in power.

 

[Stinkles]

Both sides were the same right?

 

[bionic77]

So surprising that America is doing something shitty again.

 

[Rektash]

Are miscarriages going to be murder too?

Anything that puts woman in their place is good game.

 

[Apharmd]

Every fuckin' day.

 

[cakely]

I think they should go all the way and redefine life as beginning at intention.

Yeah, thanks for this 45. It will take decades to undo all the damage his flunkies have caused.

 

[Heshinsi]

This is what happens when you allow the American Taliban into positions of power, and allow them to subvert separation of church and state. Now the church is in everyone’s business.

 

[-Plasma Reus-]

Small government. We just decide when life begins. Won't touch your guns though!

 

[WaffleTaco]

1197 Days folks. We will survive.

 

[eagledare]

Another step towards the vanilla flavor of Sharia law.

 

[jstripes]

Are miscarriages going to be murder too?

Involuntary manslaughter.

 

[Dynasty]

I'm pro-life so I do think life is at the beggining of conception but trying to take away/reduce access to abortion isnt going to solve the problem. I say it all the time, if you view abortion as murder and are truly pro-life the best way to combat abortion, is to provide free contraceptions and invest in sex-ed instead of abstinence-only education.

 

[norm9]

Life begins when I ejaculate.

 

[Madness]

Life beginning at conception, roll back access to abortions, and then also cut back on birth control support. And I keep remembering the majority of white women voters in the US wanted this administration over the first Woman President.

 

[EdibleKnife]

Both sides were the same right?

I truly don’t know what those people were seeing

 

[adamsappel]

Both sides were the same right?

Hillary would have done something even worse!

 

[Blader]

Life beginning at conception, roll back access to abortions, and then also cut back on birth control support. And I keep remembering the majority of white women voters in the US wanted this administration over the first Woman President.

About half of American women are pro-life, so that would make sense.

 

[turmoil]

If Trump replaces a liberal SCOTUS justice, Roe v Wade would be dead, right?

Or is there something that can be done to save it?

 

[M3d10n]

As everything the hypocritical party does, their goal isn't to prevent abortions, it's to create new ways to put poor, specially poor minorities, into jail since the elites will always have access to abortions to get rid of their bastards.

 

[Brandson]

There's only so much BS governance the people will take before the US is going to be facing a serious emigration problem of its most valuable enterprising citizens. Either that, or some States will not allow enforcement of offensive Federal laws, which is a dangerous path to start down.

 

[Alcotholic]

Funny what they'll do to redefine legislation in order to punish women for 'murder' but they'll do nothing to combat guns that contribute to actual murder.

Don't you know? Abortions kill more republican brain cells than guns kill people.

 

[benicillin]

If Trump replaces a liberal SCOTUS justice, Roe v Wade would be dead, right?

Or is there something that can be done to save it?

It's not really that simple. Overturning a previous SCOTUS ruling is no small task, and rolling back that kind of progress is even harder.

Nonetheless, we resist.