Aug. 1, 2012, was a momentous day for women, marking the official beginning of a process of ensuring that millions of women across the United States will -- finally -- have access to a full range of preventive health care services without a co-pay.

These include a wide range of...

Dear Mr. Beck,

I understand it is your contention that "only hookers go to Planned Parenthood."

There must be a lot of hookers out here. 

I am one of them.

When I was in college, I went to a Planned Parenthood for a pelvic exam, and for my...

The GOP war on women has gone global. Contained in the Continuing Resolution (CR) passed by the House of Representatives, among the severe cuts in publicly-funded domestic programs affecting corporate oversight, legal aid for the poor, food safety, community health centers,...

I was a soccer mama for Obama.

And depending on the day and the kids in my car, I was a hockey mama or a baseball mama.

But sometime this year, I hung up my cleats.  And I think losing me is a big problem for the Democrats.

It's not...

Originally published by RH Reality Check.

At this point it's not news to anyone that our ostensibly pro-choice President has presided, through a combination of silence and pre-emptive capitulation, over some of the greatest setbacks to women's reproductive rights in more than a generation, culminating with the recent...

Cross-posted from RH Reality Check.

Consider these truths:

Men don't get pregnant.

Completely preventable complications of pregnancy, labor, unsafe abortion and AIDS-related illnesses remain the leading causes of death and disability among women in countries throughout the world due to lack of political will,...

Yet another in a lengthening line of legislative moralizers will resign today as a result of his own hypocrisy.

Today's example is Congressman Mark Souder (R-IN), who has spent his time in Congress telling everyone else what is right from wrong and how to live their lives according to...

A correction to this article was made at 4:40 pm Thursday, May 13th, 2010.  The earlier version incorrectly attributed comments  in the Congressional Record from 1997 on to Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) that were made by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).

By now it is clear that the...

This article was originally published at RH Reality Check.

The terms "centrist," "pragmatist," and "moderate" most often are used these days to describe politicians who make deals based on their own political calculations (e.g. what is good for them and their re-election campaigns, or what is best for...

This article was originally published by RH Reality Check.

Early last Friday morning, I started a workout at the gym by getting on the elliptical and plugging my headphones in so I could alternate between two of the four televisions provided. One of those sets is tuned...

This article was originally published by RH Reality Check

If you are, like me, confused about the answer to this question, please raise your hand....or better yet....ask your Congressperson and Senator.  And ask the President.

Why is a pedophilia-ridden, pedophilia-hiding, child-abusing Church allowed to write laws controlling...

Congressman Bart Stupak (D-MI) does not garner a lot of sympathy among American women these days.  In fact, quite the opposite.  And his (literally and figuratively) 11th hour conversion on health reform cost us a great deal in regard to our basic rights to decide whether and when to carry...

Updates and additions to the original information provided in this analysis can be found below, including "right to pump" mandate extended to every state to allow mothers to pump breastmilk at work and expansion of efforts to address postpartum depression.

Today, President Obama signed the Affordable Health Care for...

In interviews Wednesday, Michigan Congressman Bart Stupak revealed a great deal about himself, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, politics and the internal workings of our "pro-choice" Democratic party.

First, in what shouldn't be surprising to anyone, Stupak told Fox News that he doesn't listen to nuns.

In an act that appears to reflect a global epidemic of political absurdity, aversion to evidence, and "un-reality" show searches for "common ground" efforts that do not address the core problems we face, the Canadian government has decided to exclude support for contraceptive programs, supplies, and information from its initiative...

This article was originally published at RH RealityCheck.

Yesterday and this morning, I spoke briefly with Connie Saltonstall, the former county commissioner from Kent County, Michigan who is working on filing to mount a primary challenge against Bart Stupak.

While our conversation was brief and RH...

Could it be divine intervention?  Or would that be divine punishment?

This week, just days after Catholic Charities cut off spousal insurance and employment benefits for all employees to protect itself from the scourge of gay marriage in the District of Columbia, the Vatican is embroiled in a gay sex...

This article was originally published at RH RealityCheck

Like a petulant child, Congressman Bart Stupak (D-MI) is all over radio and television stomping his feet on health care reform.

He now says that unless he and his supporters in Congress "get their way," they will refuse to vote...

As health reform seems to be approaching final passage, anti-choice advocates are ratcheting up pressure to completely eliminate coverage of abortion care, now a basic component of the insurance coverage held by the majority of currently-insured women in the United States.

Meanwhile, discriminatory restrictions contained in the Senate bill--originally incorporated...

On Saturday, with the aide of some 60 Democrats, women's rights were effectively negated by the US Congress as the House passed the Stupak amendment to HR 3200, the Affordable Health Care Act of 2009.

More in-depth analysis of how we got here is forthcoming. But one...