Mermaid Musings

It’s nice when there’s good news in the news for a change!

First, the US Senate is moving toward legislation that will get rid of the global gag rule permanently. The back-and-forth that has ensued from this dispicable policy may finally be coming to an end. The rule prohibits any agency that receives US foreign aid from even talking about abortion. It has put millions of women’s lives and health at risk. There is reason to hope that this legislation will pass the full Senate, as a recent attempt to make the global gag rule permanent was soundly defeated.

The 9th District Court upheld a Washington State law that mandates pharmacies stock Plan B. The implications of this just make me giddy. Washington State, apparently believes that women’s health and reproductive rights trump the consciences of pharmacists, particularly when they are using faulty logic in claiming that Plan B is equivalent to an abortion when in fact it helps prevent abortions.

The House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies just released their 2010 budget eliminating funding for abstinence-only sex education. Still much work to be done on that particular document, but this is a good start.

And finally, the state of Massachusetts is suing the federal government over the Defense of Marriage Act, stating that the feds have overstepped their bounds and violated the constitution by recinding the right of states to make their own decisions regarding marriage. Go Massachusetts!

What a lovely way to start the weekend!