xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx CHOICE-NET REPORT For Week ending June 11, 1994 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx CHOICE-NET REPORT is a weekly update on reproductive rights issues distributed through email, 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 UNUSUAL COALITION OPPOSES WELFARE REFORM PROPOSAL A coalition of over 80 organizations has formed to oppose the Clinton welfare reform plan which allows states to deny additional benefits to women who give birth while on welfare. The policy, known as a "family cap", is designed to discourage illegitimate births. Anti-choice groups claim the rule will lead to more abortions. Pro-choice organizations claim the policy punishes welfare mothers who exercise their personal choice. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx SENATE COMMITTEE VOTES TO KEEP ABORTION IN HEALTH CARE REFORM In an 11 to 6 vote, the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee defeated an amendment by Dan Coats (IN-R) that would have taken abortion out of the basic insurance package except in cases of rape, incest or danger to the woman's life. In a related vote, the committee rejected an amendment by Judd Gregg (NH-R) that would have explicitly protected states' rights to enforce waiting periods, parental consent rules, or other Casey-type restrictions. Abortion rights advocates led by Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) noted that roughly two-thirds of health plans already cover abortions, and said that the majority of private insurance companies already cover abortion and that taking that provision away would turn the clock back to an era of unsafe abortions, particularly for poor women. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx IT'S BACK -- THE HYDE AMENDMENT Should federal funds be used to provide abortions to women on Medicaid? During the Reagan/Bush years, Representative Henry Hyde led the fight against federally-funded abortions for poor women. Currently, the law provides funding only in cases where the pregnancy results from rape or incest or where the woman's life would be endangered. Some states including Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, and Utah have balked at even those basic allowances, refusing to release federal funds to women on Medicaid. Planned Parenthood Federation of American and the Center for Reproductive Law and Policy have filed lawsuits in several of these states arguing that the federal Hyde standard is mandatory. On May 5 a Denver judge agreed and ruled that they Hyde amendment supersedes the Colorado state constitution ban on abortion funding. Within the next few weeks, Congress will again consider the Hyde amendment language as part of the fiscal 1995 Labor-Health and Human Services Appropriations bill. Subcommittee mark-up is scheduled for June 14, with full committee and floor consideration likely to follow within a few days. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx CALIFORNIA CHOICE-NET NOTES The following rally dates have been announced for the Operation Rescue/Missionaries to the Pre-Born Caravan throughout California this summer. These two groups have a long history of illegal clinic blockades and have promised to continue to try to shut down clinics this summer. Stay tuned to the CHOICE-NET REPORT for more information. Rally dates: San Clemente-June 25, Escondido-June 19, Pacific Beach-June 30, Anaheim-July1, South Bay-July 2, Santa Barbara-July 3, Monterey-July 8, Danville-July 9, Redding-July 15, Sacramento-July 16, Fresno-July 21, Bakersfield-July 22, San Fernando-July 23. 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, Reuters, AP, and UPI. Editor: Kathy Watkins, Administrative Director, CARAL-North .