The expressed opinions or views of this letter does not necessarily represent the opinion of the MiddletownMike blog:
As a District 4 constituent, I have contacted Congressman Chris Smith’s office on two issues that affect women in New Jersey. Statistics show that 52 women a month are killed due to domestic abuse in America (more than any other developed nation), but Smith, along with many other congressmen, has refused to support expanded national universal background checks that would help keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people. He has also voted against the Violence Against Women Act.
Smith’s voting record on women’s health care has resulted in the shuttering of accessible neighborhood health care clinics, necessitating expensive, long-distance travel for women who care for sick children, elderly parents or themselves. Turning the clock back on reproductive rights increases the suffering of women when access to a safe abortion is removed, especially in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother.
Smith’s bill to block private insurance and flexible spending money from paying for birth control also affects a couple’s right to plan for their family’s future and again causes undue financial burden.
In this election season, we have an opportunity to choose a forward-thinking candidate who will stand firm to help women on these issues, as well as increase aid in areas such as education, income equality, child welfare and social justice. After 36 years, District 4 deserves a representative who is interested in tackling head on all the issues that pose a threat to our health and well-being.
Rosalind Ressner
Millstone Township
Showing posts with label reproductive rights. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reproductive rights. Show all posts
Monday, May 23, 2016
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Looking for answers for eroding Women’s Rights….
Chair Monmouth County Democratic Women’s Caucus
We’ve all heard the expression, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Yet, the Republican-dominated U.S. House recently attempted to overturn the pragmatic Reproductive Health Non Discrimination Act (RHNDA), an amendment to the Human Rights Act of 1977, which was enacted to protect women in the District of Columbia from being fired for their choices to use birth control, in-vitro fertilization or abortion.
Last week’s House Committee vote on HJ Res-43 was a “resolution of disapproval”—and the first time in 23 years that members of Congress had gotten this far in the process of trying to overturn this local D.C. law. HJ Res-43 also applies to another “resolution of disapproval” on the Human Rights Amendment Act (HRAA) which protects LGBT student groups from discrimination at religiously affiliated schools. Most of us agree….this is a whole lot that “doesn’t need fixin’.”
Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, criticized the House for passing HJ Res-43 saying, “RHNDA is a common-sense bill passed unanimously by the D.C. City Council years ago to ensure that bosses cannot intrude upon decisions made in their employees’ exam rooms....just as politicians in Congress should not be intruding upon the District’s efforts to enact it.”
“Yielding to pressure by right-wing caucus members and outside groups who claim that RHNDA limits religious liberty suggests that GOP lawmakers are hypocritical for voting to overturn this law, given their party’s stance on reducing big government in favor of local control,” stated Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D—D.C.) She added that “the resumption of the war on women by Republicans, combined with the overturning of a local law by the House, will not be lost on the public.”
In addition to the overturn of RHNDA, which would result in more unplanned births, we cannot dismiss the fact that aggressive Republican budget cuts put low and middle income women in the crossfire of how to use their meager incomes to provide substantive healthcare, child care and education for those children.
Clearly, there is a great chasm in our country. We must ask WHY? If we are allowed to plan workdays, holidays and vacations but not allowed to plan Parenthood, we must ask WHY? If men and women cannot determine when and how many children they can afford, taking into account their personal resources, we must ask WHY? If a woman is required to answer to her employer in regard to her reproductive health decisions and a male employee is not, WHY? A doctor/patient relationship has always been protected, but women’s rights are now under siege, WHY?
Busy fixin’ women’s reproductive healthcare, our GOP lawmakers not only waste the time, energy and resources that brought them to Washington in the first place, but also impede the efforts of other elected officials from resolving some of the nation’s looming crises—income inequality, lack of job training programs, high college tuition debt, racial violence in our cities, immigration reform, inexcusable lack of good gun sense, global warming, to name a few. Could this distraction become so overpowering that real problems remain unfixable? Most of us agree…..there is a whole lot that
“does need fixin’.”
Let’s start by sending loud and clear messages to lawmakers who waste our taxpayer dollars. Tell them that finding solutions to the real problems, rather than using partisan tactics to deflect from them, will keep our nation strong. HOW?
Vote in every election and ask your neighbors to vote. Write a letter, even two lines will do! Make a phone call—voice your opinion. There is nothing that we, as American citizens, cannot accomplish when we have the collective will to do it. We owe it to our future generations.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
OP-ED: WE NEED TO CHANGE POLICY DIRECTION TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN WOMEN’S LIVES
The following Op-ed, written by Monmouth County Democrat Roz Ressner was posted yesterday on NJ Spotlight:
Women have listened closely to Congressman Chris Smith’s concerns; now it’s up to him to return the favor and listen to us
Women have listened to Congressman Chris Smith’s speeches on abortion issues. We take into consideration the convictions that propel him to enact healthcare legislation that impacts a woman’s most personal medical needs, but now ask that he listen to those voices he professes to care about. They are young teens and women -- married and single moms, those who are childless, those unable to conceive.
To a great extent, the ability to provide a safe, loving family environment is dependent upon quality of education and the financial stability provided to women. For most, bringing a child into the world is a joyous event, but oftentimes it is overshadowed by untenable situations -- low-paying jobs with little or no access to healthcare, too-short maternity leave, no flex time when children are sick. Fear of losing one’s job often results in children being left to fend for themselves or unsafe childcare. We can all agree that desperate women make desperate decisions.
Women have listened to Congressman Smith’s speech about HR7, misleadingly called “The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act.” Its real premise is that funds derived from an employee’s health insurance plan or pretax personal flex-spending account cannot be used to purchase contraceptives -- this being tantamount to so-called “abortion services” or taxpayer dollars paying for government-funded abortions. It further penalizes employers whose insurance packages include reproductive health benefits.
It is a known fact that the pill helps to reduce the risk of ovarian and endometrial cancer and is used for other serious conditions related to women’s health. Unless one believes that the pill (or other forms of contraception) is solely used as a form of abortion or a prevention of pregnancy, then “The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act” is truly a misnomer, allowing “fiction to win over fact.” Therefore, to deny insurance benefits forcing women to pay out-of- pocket for their medical expenses creates undue hardship to already strained budgets.
Congressman Smith has voted repeatedly for the Personhood Bill, which gives a fetus the same rights as an adult human, bans birth control, stem-cell research, and in-vitro fertilization. For thousands of women who require medical intervention, this bill would seriously threaten their ability to seek IVF treatment to become parents.
Congressman Smith rails against the sex-trafficking trade. Yet he did not vote for The Violence Against Women Act, even though hundreds of women are victims of rape, kidnapping, and forced prostitution every day. Women in trouble or who require affordable reproductive healthcare and screenings visit Planned Parenthood’s 700 health centers in the U.S. This provider offers educational programs that teach teens about the seriousness and great responsibility of parenthood. Yet these clinics are constantly under fire because 3 percent of their healthcare is for abortion services. Alas, there will always be abortions, safe, botched, or worse. Is there anything we can do to alter this landscape?
Yes, women have listened to Mr. Smith’s impassioned speeches, and although we respect his beliefs, they have caused a great divide. We ask now that his indefatigable energy be used to make a constructive difference; first, by promoting sex education -- proven successful in lowering the risk of teen pregnancy and reducing abortion rates -- and secondly, by enacting legislation that supports training, for higher-paying jobs, income equality, affordable housing, and childcare. Only then will women be able to make positive, empowered decisions. If asked, women will tell him that all of the above would be the answer to their prayers. Women have listened and now respectfully ask that he would do the same.
***********
Roz Ressner is the owner of Earth Friendly Organic Farm in Clarksburg. She serves as District 7 committeeperson in Millstone Township and as corresponding secretary for the Millstone Township Democratic Club.
Women have listened closely to Congressman Chris Smith’s concerns; now it’s up to him to return the favor and listen to us
Women have listened to Congressman Chris Smith’s speeches on abortion issues. We take into consideration the convictions that propel him to enact healthcare legislation that impacts a woman’s most personal medical needs, but now ask that he listen to those voices he professes to care about. They are young teens and women -- married and single moms, those who are childless, those unable to conceive.
To a great extent, the ability to provide a safe, loving family environment is dependent upon quality of education and the financial stability provided to women. For most, bringing a child into the world is a joyous event, but oftentimes it is overshadowed by untenable situations -- low-paying jobs with little or no access to healthcare, too-short maternity leave, no flex time when children are sick. Fear of losing one’s job often results in children being left to fend for themselves or unsafe childcare. We can all agree that desperate women make desperate decisions.Women have listened to Congressman Smith’s speech about HR7, misleadingly called “The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act.” Its real premise is that funds derived from an employee’s health insurance plan or pretax personal flex-spending account cannot be used to purchase contraceptives -- this being tantamount to so-called “abortion services” or taxpayer dollars paying for government-funded abortions. It further penalizes employers whose insurance packages include reproductive health benefits.
It is a known fact that the pill helps to reduce the risk of ovarian and endometrial cancer and is used for other serious conditions related to women’s health. Unless one believes that the pill (or other forms of contraception) is solely used as a form of abortion or a prevention of pregnancy, then “The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act” is truly a misnomer, allowing “fiction to win over fact.” Therefore, to deny insurance benefits forcing women to pay out-of- pocket for their medical expenses creates undue hardship to already strained budgets.
Congressman Smith has voted repeatedly for the Personhood Bill, which gives a fetus the same rights as an adult human, bans birth control, stem-cell research, and in-vitro fertilization. For thousands of women who require medical intervention, this bill would seriously threaten their ability to seek IVF treatment to become parents.
Congressman Smith rails against the sex-trafficking trade. Yet he did not vote for The Violence Against Women Act, even though hundreds of women are victims of rape, kidnapping, and forced prostitution every day. Women in trouble or who require affordable reproductive healthcare and screenings visit Planned Parenthood’s 700 health centers in the U.S. This provider offers educational programs that teach teens about the seriousness and great responsibility of parenthood. Yet these clinics are constantly under fire because 3 percent of their healthcare is for abortion services. Alas, there will always be abortions, safe, botched, or worse. Is there anything we can do to alter this landscape?
Yes, women have listened to Mr. Smith’s impassioned speeches, and although we respect his beliefs, they have caused a great divide. We ask now that his indefatigable energy be used to make a constructive difference; first, by promoting sex education -- proven successful in lowering the risk of teen pregnancy and reducing abortion rates -- and secondly, by enacting legislation that supports training, for higher-paying jobs, income equality, affordable housing, and childcare. Only then will women be able to make positive, empowered decisions. If asked, women will tell him that all of the above would be the answer to their prayers. Women have listened and now respectfully ask that he would do the same.
***********
Roz Ressner is the owner of Earth Friendly Organic Farm in Clarksburg. She serves as District 7 committeeperson in Millstone Township and as corresponding secretary for the Millstone Township Democratic Club.
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Middletown Congressman, Chris Smith, Redefines Rape To Prevent Victims From Seeking A Abortion If Impregnated By The Attack
by District 4 Coalition For Change
ATTENTION TO ALL WOMEN - THIS IS RECKLESS AND DANGEROUS FOR ALL WOMEN AND EMPOWERS RAPISTS.
Congressman Smith redefines RAPE in House Bill HR3 to prevent victims from seeking an abortion. To add insult to injury - He voted against the Violence Against Womens Act.
A bill redefining Rape to prevent abortions is ‘A Violent Act Against Women’ So if you get raped, make sure he beats you bloody and breaks your nose and maybe cuts your throat, just so you can prove to some people that it really WAS "rape-rape".
If he kills you, I guess that's a bonus, because you certainly won't need an abortion then.
**ALL INFORMATION CAN BE FACT CHECKED
ATTENTION TO ALL WOMEN - THIS IS RECKLESS AND DANGEROUS FOR ALL WOMEN AND EMPOWERS RAPISTS. Congressman Smith redefines RAPE in House Bill HR3 to prevent victims from seeking an abortion. To add insult to injury - He voted against the Violence Against Womens Act.
A bill redefining Rape to prevent abortions is ‘A Violent Act Against Women’ So if you get raped, make sure he beats you bloody and breaks your nose and maybe cuts your throat, just so you can prove to some people that it really WAS "rape-rape".
If he kills you, I guess that's a bonus, because you certainly won't need an abortion then.
**ALL INFORMATION CAN BE FACT CHECKED
Friday, September 21, 2012
CAUGHT ON TAPE: "ASPIRIN BETWEEN THE KNEES" - CHRIS SMITH REPUBLICANS
Wow, I'm shocked but I guess I shouldn't be.
Congressman Chris Smith(NJ-4) is a a staunch Catholic right to lifer, who believes that woman should not be in control of their own bodies and has declared war on a woman’s right to make choices that impact her health and her life.
Smith is part of the radical right-wing of the Republican Party that supports eliminating key preventive health services for women. He has fought against services like mammograms, cervical cancer screenings, and birth control, with no additional co-pays as provided for by the Affordable Care Act.
To him, women are second-class citizens.
Here is a video of a woman asking members of Republican Congressman Chris Smith’s staff about his policy on birth control. They reply by asking her if, "she has ever heard about keeping aspirin between her knees?... It works every time it starts".
When the woman asks if that was a serious comment their response was,"about as serious as you want to take it".
Well, I and others take this very seriously and I think Mr. Smith should clarify what his representatives meant by their statements and denounce their comments.
Congressman Chris Smith(NJ-4) is a a staunch Catholic right to lifer, who believes that woman should not be in control of their own bodies and has declared war on a woman’s right to make choices that impact her health and her life.
Smith is part of the radical right-wing of the Republican Party that supports eliminating key preventive health services for women. He has fought against services like mammograms, cervical cancer screenings, and birth control, with no additional co-pays as provided for by the Affordable Care Act.
To him, women are second-class citizens.
Here is a video of a woman asking members of Republican Congressman Chris Smith’s staff about his policy on birth control. They reply by asking her if, "she has ever heard about keeping aspirin between her knees?... It works every time it starts".
When the woman asks if that was a serious comment their response was,"about as serious as you want to take it".
Well, I and others take this very seriously and I think Mr. Smith should clarify what his representatives meant by their statements and denounce their comments.
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