This week, President Obama spoke at the Planned Parenthood conference and the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, met with the King of Jordan, made five personnel announcements, celebrated the sciences and the Joining Forces Initiative, and embarked on a trip to Mexico and Costa Rica.
President Obama spoke at the Planned Parenthood National Conference in Washington, DC, reaffirming the core principle that has guided the organization for nearly a century: that women should be allowed to make their own decisions about their own health. Speaking at the conference, he said, “No politician should get to decide what’s best for you. No insurer should get to decide what kind of care that you get. The only person who should get to make decisions about your health is you.”
This week the Senate took bipartisan action today to confirm Sylvia Mathews Burwell as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. The President released a statement, saying, “Sylvia has spent a career fighting for working families, and she was part of an OMB team that presided over three budget surpluses in a row… Sylvia will be a key member of my economic team, and I look forward to working with her in the years ahead.”
Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President, participated in a number of events over the past week. Last week the White House, she joined with the World Bank and the U.S. Department of the Treasury to host a high-level dialogue of the Equal Futures Partnership – an initiative to break down barriers to women’s economic and political participation. Valerie Jarrett also wrote a blog about attending the launch of EMPOWERED, Alicia Keys’ new campaign to reach and inform women about HIV/AIDS.
Thank you for all that you do.
White House Council on Women & Girls
Today, President Obama spoke at the Planned Parenthood National Conference in Washington, DC, reaffirming the core principle that has guided the organization for nearly a century: that women should be allowed to make their own decisions about their own health.
President Obama thanked the doctors, nurses, advocates and staff who work tirelessly to keep the doors open for the millions of women who depend on the health services Planned Parenthood offers.
“Somewhere there’s a woman who just received a new lease on life because of a screening that you provided that helped catch her cancer in time. Somewhere there’s a woman who’s breathing easier today because of the support and counseling she got at her local Planned Parenthood health clinic. Somewhere there’s a young woman starting a career who, because of you, is able to decide for herself when she wants to start a family.”
“One in five women in this country has turned to Planned Parenthood for health care,” he said. “And for many, Planned Parenthood is their primary source of health care — not just for contraceptive care, but for lifesaving preventive care, like cancer screenings and health counseling.”
When politicians threaten to cut funding for Planned Parenthood, they’re “talking about shutting those women out at a time when they may need it most — shutting off communities that need more health care options for women, not less.”
Read the President’s complete remarks.
Last week, Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President and Chair of the Council on Women and Girls, wrote a blog about attending Equal Futures Partnership: From Promise to Progress event at the World Bank:
“Last week, I attended the Equal Futures Partnership: From Promise to Progress event at the World Bank, to share progress made by the Obama Administration since the launch of the Equal Futures Partnership last September. The Equal Futures Partnership is a multilateral initiative that seeks to break down barriers to women’s economic empowerment and political participation so that every woman and girl can reach her full potential. It is a response to the challenge issued by President Obama in September 2011 at the UN General Assembly. He said, “Next year, we should each announce the steps we are taking to break down economic and political barriers that stand in the way of women and girls. That is what our commitment to human progress demands.”
“During the meetings, I was greatly encouraged by the enthusiasm and commitment of other countries to empower women. Together, I know that we can create a world where every woman and girl has the chance to live up to her potential.”
Also last week, as a part of the Equal Futures Partnership, the White House launched the Equal Futures App Challenge to spur the creation of apps that inspire girls to become leaders in our democracy.
Learn more about the App Challenge and the notable app, Girl emPower, and read Valerie’s complete blog about the Equal Futures Partnership.
Last week, Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President and Chair of the Council on Women and Girls, wrote a blog about attending the launch of EMPOWERED.
“I attended the launch of EMPOWERED, Alicia Keys’ new campaign with Greater than AIDS to reach and inform women about HIV/AIDS, at an event hosted by the Kaiser Family Foundation. This is the second event that Alicia Keys and I have attended at Kaiser within the last year, both focused on ending AIDS.”
“The HIV crisis touches every corner of the globe. And it’s personally touched so many of us, including here at home. We all have tragic stories about how HIV/AIDS has affected our family and friends, and these stories propel us all to continue to fight to end this disease.”
“On our end, President Obama has recognized the need for immediate action. Here are just a few of the steps we’ve already taken to defeat AIDS:”
“President Obama released the nation’s first comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy, a blueprint for how to make greater progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS, through reducing health disparities and improving health and wellness for everyone living with HIV.”
“In addition to the progress that the Obama Administration is making on a policy level, Monday’s EMPOWERMENT launch by Alicia attests to the fact that all of us have the responsibility and ability to help end the disease. And that’s why Alicia’s campaign is so exciting.”
Twelve years ago, Zillah High School in Washington state had no engineering classes. The science curriculum was lagging behind, and students had to go off campus to take technology classes.
Jeff Charbonneau, who returned to his hometown 11 years ago to teach at Zillah High, was determined to change that. And he did. Science enrollment is way up. Kids are graduating with college-level science credits. The school expects to have to hire more teachers now to meet the demand.
And earlier this week, President Obama honored Jeff as the 2013 National Teacher of the Year.
President Obama said that what’s true for Jeff is also true for the other state Teachers of the Year, who stood behind President Obama at the event.
“They understand that their job is more than teaching subjects like reading or chemistry. They’re not just filling blackboards with numbers and diagrams. In classrooms across America, they’re teaching things like character and compassion and resilience and imagination. They’re filling young minds with virtues and values, and teaching our kids how to cooperate and overcome obstacles.”
Read more about this year’s National Teacher of the Year.
On Monday, President Obama celebrated the remarkable achievements of student science fair winners and extraordinary kid innovators from across the nation in the third White House Science Fair. The Fair brought 100 students from more than 40 states to an all-day, hands-on celebration of the power and potential of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education.
As the President said in 2009, when he announced the first-ever White House Science Fair, “If you win the NCAA championship, you come to the White House. Well, if you’re a young person and you’ve produced the best experiment or design, the best hardware or software, you ought to be recognized for that achievement, too.”
Planned Parenthood volunteers help bring the fight for health insurance reform to the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Just another rant …
In an interview, Rep. Bette Grande, ever so casually stated, “Banning abortion will help Women realize they don’t want one after all. “ My first reaction was could she be any more disrespectful; most people want the freedom to make their own decision. The second; this is definitely not the conservative party our parents battled debated or “compromised” with when needed. However, as SpeakerBoehner said in an interview, “I reject the word.” This latest Republican comment was not a gaffe but a clear indication that the mission to kill safe health care choices as well as the Affordable health care Act, which btw is already helping millions of middle and lower class families shows just how out of touch Republicans on all levels are.
In addition Boehner stated,” now we are going to have a fight over women’s health”, “Give me a break. This is the latest plank in the so-called war on women. Entirely created, entirely created by my colleagues across the aisle for political gain.” Contrary to what we heard from Speaker Boehner, there is a conservative movement waging War on Women with a mission to take away the rights of women to decide what health care we want need or can access.
The time is now … this is a call to Stand up and Fight back against this unseemly attempt to destroy and dismantle the Affordable health care Act while rolling back the contraceptive clock for a complete ban on abortion and possibly repealing Roe V Wade.
We are all Freedom Fighters on some level every day.
For more than 90 years, Planned Parenthood has worked to improve women’s health and safety. They have made it possible for nearly 170,000 women to obtain low-cost clinical breast exams while providing more health services than any organization in the country such as mammogram referrals, all supported by grants. The attacks by Republicans on women, our health care and insurance rights have been growing and now include Republican Governors. It is important to remember that quite a few Republicans supported Planned Parenthood only a few years ago.
Now, since President Barack Obama took office Republicans are set on and desperate to win at any cost. The party of No has taken an extreme right on a path that should scare the middle class by engaging in flip-flopping on financial issues, a willingness to abandoned women and the poor . The fact is over 65% say they do not want anyone defunding Planned Parenthood but the message has been ignored.
Women’s health care should NOT be used as a political football.
Women and Men who support protecting the right to choose need to ask Republicans to put Women and access to safe affordable health care ahead of politically driven, conservative religious, anti-abortion groups to aid or fund tax breaks for the wealthy.
Leave @SpeakerBoehner a message
… And thanks for taking action
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Its been nearly a year since George Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon Martin, an unarmed 17-year-old on his way back to his fathers townhouse.
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A federal judge last Friday overturned HB 2800, a state law in Arizona that banned Planned Parenthood from contracting with Medicaid. From The New…
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The overwhelming empirical consensus shows little if any effect of the minimum wage on employment.
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Anti-abortion activists in Iowa are taking a new tact when it comes to efforts to criminalize abortion. Instead of writing new abortion restrictions, Iowa…
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Whether it’s a revolution of the people or the act of a militant dictator, war is never pretty. Lives are lost, cultural landmarks destroyed,…
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Between long lines, incomplete voter lists and misplaced absentee ballots, a lot of people have encountered problems when trying to vote. Nowhere is that…
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Beasts of the Southern Wild is a mythic, dreamlike, coming-of-age, “eco-threat movie” and a fairy tale about climate change.
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This is a guest post from Phyllis Cuttino, director of clean energy at The Pew Charitable Trusts. Energy security took on a more personal meaning for many…
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author: Center for Biological Diversity
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When a viewer left racist comments about meteorologist Rhonda Lee’s hair on her TV stations’ Facebook page, she thought she defended herself with a polite and thoughtful response. But instead of supporting her, Rhonda was surprised when she was fired from KTBS-TV for violating an unwritten social media policy. Rhonda says that she alerted her boss of the offensive comment but never received a response, and decided to address it herself. After she was fired, the Network Director informed her that the social media policy was discussed a month prior at a meeting she says she was not present for. Claudia Zayas heard about Rhonda’s story and was outraged. As a mother, she says that stories like Rhonda’s are important to kids who grow up feeling like they are valued based on their looks alone. She started a petition on Change.org asking Rhonda’s TV station, KTBS, to give Rhonda her job back immediately. Click here to sign. The commenter suggested that Rhonda “wear a wig or grow some more hair” and she replied by saying that she is proud of her African-American ancestry, which includes her hair. She said, “women come in all shapes, sizes, nationalities, and levels of beauty”, and that kids need to see that their goals can be reached regardless of how they look. Claudia wants her daughter to grow up feeling confident about herself and her hair as a young black woman. She believes that when women are publicly punished for speaking up, it sets an example to young girls and women of color everywhere that their opinions aren’t important. After Claudia started her petition she had over 1,000 signatures within just a few hours. She knows that the more signatures her petition has, the more likely KTBS will respond to the groundswell of pressure, and give Rhonda her job back. Thanks for being a change-maker, Tim and the Change.org team |
2012 was a busy year in the fight for abortion rights. Not surprisingly, 2013 is shaping up to be just as contentious as anti-choice advocates push for… read more
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The past two years have not been kind to voting rights. However, this year could be different, thanks to increased awareness of the issue.
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With immigration policy counted as a growing issue, more labor organizing, and more awareness of farmworker issues, there just might be.
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Oct 12, 2012 by BarackObamadotcom
Share this: http://OFA.BO/yrVgoj Tweet this: http://OFA.BO/rbFeSC
Voiceover: “As you’re making your decision … maybe you’re wondering what to believe about Mitt Romney.”
“Well, when it comes to protecting your access to birth control … and the basic women’s health care services Planned Parenthood provides … one thing we must remember, is this:”
Mitt Romney: “I’ll cut off funding to Planned Parenthood.”
Voiceover: “He’ll cut it off. Cut us off.”
Mitt Romney: “Planned Parenthood. We’re going to get rid of that.”
Voiceover: “Women need to know … the real Mitt Romney.”
Oct 12, 2012 by BarackObamadotcom
Are you in? http://OFA.BO/DLnzBr
President Obama has fought for Native American communities to increase opportunities for tribes and individual tribal members. The President has respected and worked hard to strengthen our government-to-government relationships. This administration also recognizes our history together and acknowledges the unique heritage of Native peoples that includes you in the dreams that we all share.
Aug 24, 2012 by BarackObamadotcom
Learn more: http://OFA.BO/WbWDgC
Republican women share their history with the Republican Party and how the party’s views are no longer aligned with their own. They don’t support Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan and share how Romney and Ryan are wrong for women.
As they share:
“If you truly believe in a small government. That government shouldn’t be deciding what I can and cannot do with my own body.”
“There is no way on God‘s green earth that I would consider voting Republican.”
“I don’t even want to think about them having control—as a woman I don’t.”
“If you’re a conservative woman, and you believe in small government, then Barack Obama is your candidate because he’s keeping the government out of the decisions that should remain between you and God, and you and your own conscience.”
As we enter the final four weeks of the campaign, Mitt Romney’s strategy is apparently to hide his real positions on everything from taxes to Medicare to covering people with pre-existing conditions when it’s convenient for him to do so. As President Clinton said yesterday, it’s as if Romney is now saying, ’I didnt say all that stuff I said the last two years.’
We got a vivid example of this strategy yesterday when Romney tried to disappear his extreme position on abortion. “There’s no legislation with regards to abortion that I’m familiar with that would become part of my agenda,” Romney told the Des Moines Register.
After securing a favorable headline in a key swing state, the Romney campaign quickly reversed course. A Romney spokeswoman later told a conservative publication, ”Governor Romney would of course support legislation aimed at providing greater protections for life.”
Let’s take a closer look at Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan’s real positions on women’s health and some of the anti-abortion legislation they support:
Romney claims that he is for certain exceptions to a ban on all abortions, but the actual policies he supports preclude any such exceptions. And he once said that he would be “delighted” to sign a bill banning all abortions.
And you don’t have to take our word for it. Anti-abortion activists today expressed supreme confidence that Romney does indeed share their extreme views. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) told conservative radio host Laura Ingraham that Romney is “deeply committed” to an anti-abortion agenda.
Ryan told reporters this afternoon that Romney’s anti-abortion views had not changed, adding that the two of them were “unified” when it came to opposing abortion.
Finally, even Mitt Romney reminded reporters of his extreme views today, including re-upping on his promise to defund Planned Parenthood:
“I think I’ve said time and again that I’m a pro-life candidate and I’ll be a pro-life president,” Romney said. “The actions I’ll take immediately is to remove funding for Planned Parenthood. It will not be part of my budget. And also I’ve indicated that I will reverse the Mexico City position of the president. I will reinstate the Mexico City policy which keeps us from using foreign aid for abortions overseas.”
Just for the record, a provision known as the Helms Amendment already bans foreign aid from being spent on abortion care. The Mexico City policy would deny funds for voluntary family planning services to any organization that uses non-U.S. money to provide, refer for, or advocate for abortion.
For the complete rundown on how Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan threaten women’s health and economic security, check out this recent report from our colleagues at the Center for American Progress Action Fund.
BOTTOM LINE: As Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards said today, “There’s no way for [Romney] to hide from the positions he’s taken repeatedly over the years.”
Romney attacked Obama for wanting to hire more teachers.
Obama “foreign donation scandal” hyped by right-wing based on use of inaccurate Google translation.
Romney drops story about Navy SEAL killed in Libya after his mother attacks Romney for politicizing her son’s story.
Romney campaign claim directly refuted by article written by Romney’s own top aide.
Labor is stepping up its ground game in Ohio.
Pro-life congressman pressured his mistress to get an abortion.
Ann Romney visited a Florida cancer center that benefited from $23.9 MILLION in stimulus funds.
Timeline: Romney’s ever-evolving tax plan.
An federal appeals court temporarily blocked Montana’s Citizens United on steroids ruling.
