xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx CHOICE-NET REPORT For Week ending May 21, 1994 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx CHOICE-NET REPORT is a usually weekly update on reproductive rights issues distributed through E-mail, Women's Wire, gopher.WELL.com, Usenet groups alt.activism, talk.abortion, soc.women, and other Internet channels. Please reprint, distribute and TAKE ACTION. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx RU486 TESTED FOR USE AS "MORNING AFTER" PILL The University of California at San Francisco is one of 14 sites (and the only one in the U.S.) chosen for simultaneous clinical trials designed to test the effectiveness of RU486 as an emergency contraceptive. The trials are sponsored by the World Health Organization and involve much lower doses of RU486 than are prescribed when the drug is used as an abortifacient. The trials will focus on the drug's ability to prevent pregnancies up to five days after unprotected sex. The goal of the study will be to determine the best dosage of the drug for preventing pregnancies. Women will be tested at three dosages up to five days after having unprotected sex. Possible side effects to RU486 include bleeding, nausea, dizziness, breast tenderness, and abdominal pain. RU486 is a steroid known also known as mifepristone and is most widely known for its ability to induce abortion by blocking the action of the hormone progesterone which is essential for beginning and maintaining a pregnancy. Women interested in participating in the trial may call 415-502-0299 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx FREEDOM OF ACCESS TO CLINIC ENTRANCES ACT (FACE) FINALLY PASSES! On May 5, After months of deadlock, Congress passed the conference committee version of FACE. The bill imposes penalties of up to 18 months in jail for people who use force or the threat of force to injure or prevent anyone from entering an abortion clinic. Stiffer sentences, ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment would be imposed in the event of serious bodily injury or death. FACE originally passed both the House and Senate with two slightly different versions in November of 1993, but anti-choice wrangling managed to hold up the conference committee process until now. The President is expected to sign FACE soon. House vote: 241-174 Senate vote: 63-30 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx JUDGE RULES THAT STATE CANNOT REFUSE TO PAY FOR INCEST AND RAPE ABORTIONS In December, the Clinton administration ordered state Medicaid officials to pay for abortions in cases of rape or incest. But several states including Pennsylvania, Colorado, Arkansas, Michigan and Utah refused to comply saying they are forbidden to do so by state laws or state constitutions. In early may, a federal district judge in Denver issued an order upholding the Clinton administration directive. Judge Edward W. Nottingham ruled that the federal law supersedes the Colorado restrictions on the use of public money for abortions. Similar suits are pending in the other states. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx HEALTH CARE REFORM COMMITTEE UPDATE The House subcommittee on Labor-Management Relations (Rep. Pat Williams, D-MT, chair) of the Education and Labor Committee is now in the process of marking up a beefed-up version of the Clinton bill. Several improvements have been made over the Clinton version, including a better schedule for Pap smears, mammograms and clinical breast exams, the elimination of co-payments for family planning visits, the elimination of co-payments for contraceptive drugs and devices for low-income people, and improved subsidies for small business and low-income households. The bill contains the same abortion language as Clinton's bill. On May 12, with a 16-11 vote, the subcommittee killed an anti-choice amendment by Rep. Ron Klink (D-PA). The subcommittee is also planning to mark up a single-payer bill. In late March, the Health Subcommittee of the Ways and Means committee narrowly reported a health reform plan authored by the Subcommittee Chair, Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA). This plan is an expansion of Medicare to cover uninsured and low-income Americans and also contains some market reforms. The full Ways and Means committee is expected to take up health care in May. The plan does cover reproductive services, including abortion and family planning services. The Energy and Commerce Committee is also in the process of working on a plan developed by its Chairman Rep. John Dingell (D-MI) which as of May 10, would offer coverage for the full range of reproductive health care. The Chairman is trying to recruit a majority in his committee, hoping to markup before Memorial Day. The Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources chaired by Kennedy (D-MA)began markup this week with Republican members offering over 90 amendments as their opening move. Stay tuned to CSPAN for the best debate to date on Health Care Reform. The Senate Committee on Finance is also trying to move a bill by Memorial Day. A constant message from Congressmembers is that they need reinforcement (aka pressure) from the grassroots to take a pro-choice position, as they are hearing from the other side. The message is that ANY health care reform bill MUST include the full range of reproductive services including abortion as basic services. Simple message. The following people need to hear it: Senator Daniel Moynihan, Senate Finance Committee Chair, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. 20510 Senator Edward Kennedy, Senate Labor & Human Resources Committee Chair, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. 20515 Congressman Dan Rostenkowski, House Ways and Means Committee Chair, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 20515 Congressman John Dingell, House Energy and Commerce Chair, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 20515 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Information Sources: California Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League-North, Alan Guttmacher Institute, Reproductive Freedom News, Culture Watch, Political Woman, various Congresspersons, various newspapers, C-Span, CNN, AP, and UPI. Editor: Kathy Watkins, Administrative Director, CARAL-North If you wish to be added or deleted from the E-mail distribution list, please E-mail: dtv@well.com xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx .