xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx CHOICE-NET REPORT For Week ending August 5, 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 Correction: Last week a draft version of the CHOICE-NET REPORT was distributed instead of the final version. The correct names of the people involved in the Florida clinic tragedy are: Dr. John Britton, James Barrett, and June Barrett. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx MURDERS IN FLORIDA: THE REACTION In the fallout from the clinic shooting in Florida, the FBI confirmed that they had been warned that the man suspected in the shootings, Paul Hill, was acting extremely violently toward staff and patients but the FBI had done nothing about it The director of the clinic had asked to have Hill arrested under the new Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE), but for undisclosed reasons, he was never even questioned. June Barrett, who was wounded in the attack that killed her husband said she will continue to work as a clinic escort. "My husband died for the cause of a women's right to choose," said Barrett. "I'm not going to sit back in a corner and not do anything. Somebody's got to stand." The American Center for Law and Justice, a law firm financed by Pat Robertson and the 700 Club, announced August 2nd that it will no longer represent Paul Hill. The ACLJ had been representing Hill in a disorderly conduct case resulting from an incident on June 17. In Washington, Representative Charles Schumer (D-NY) has asked the IRS to revoke the tax-exempt status of Life Enterprises Unlimited, an Alabama organization which advocates the killing of doctors who perform abortions. The head of Life Enterprises is a Roman Catholic priest, Rev. David Trosch, who recently stated that killing abortion doctors was not only justifiable, but mandatory. Attorney General Janet Reno ordered dozens of U.S. marshalls to the sites of clinics that have experienced violence in the past. The marshalls were sent to at least a dozen cities including Washington, D.C.; Falls Church, VA; Pensacola, FL; Jackson, MS; Des Moines, IA; Fargo, ND; Wichita, KS; and Fort Wayne, IN. The department is "trying to take all prudent steps using all federal tools," said Reno. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx HEALTH CARE REFORM, WILL WOMEN BE INCLUDED? The next two weeks will decide the future of health care for all Americans. Will women's reproductive health be included in whatever health care reform bill passes (if any)? To date, advocates of reproductive health care have managed to keep abortion in the package. Only the Senate Finance Committee passed a bill excluding abortion. But anything could happen at this point. Representative Richard Gephart has appointed two Democratic Representatives, Vic Fazio (D-CA), and David Bonier (D-MI) to craft the compromise abortion language in the House. They are under tremendous pressure to come up with compromise language on abortion that will garner enough votes to pass a health care reform bill. "Compromises" under consideration include: 1. Hyde Amendment-style language prohibiting funding for abortions for poor women who receive government-subsidized health care. In other words, having children will continue to be subsidized by the government, but abortion and some other contraceptive care that the Catholic church objects to, will not be subs that the Catholic church objects to, will not be subsidized. Think about this.n coverage. This is a blatent invasion of privacy which could also make insurance companies and employers that offer the rider a target of anti-choice attacks. Please call Gephardt and Fazio and ask them not to compromise women's health care. Also call the following and urge them to speak with both Gephardt and Fazio to insist on the inclusion of abortion coverage. They must become vocal right now: Your Congressmember (202) 225-3121 Congressmember Richard Gephardt (D-MO) (202) 225-2671 fax: (202) 225-7452 Congressmember Vic Fazio (D-CA) (202) 225-5716 fax: (202) 225-0354 Congressmember David Bonior (D-MI) (202) 225-2106 fax: (202) 226-1169 Congressmember Howard Berman (D-CA) (202) 225-4695 fax: (202) 225-5279 Congressmember Xavier Becerra (D-CA) (202) 225-6235 fax: (202) 225-2042 Congressmember Gary Condit (D-CA) (202) 225-6131 fax: (202) 225-0819 Congressmember Thomas Foley (D-WA) (202) 225-2006 fax: (202) 225-7181 If abortion is not included as a basic benefit: - Millions of women will lose their existing coverage. Currently, 2/3 of the nations private insurance plans cover abortion. - Abortion will be further marginalized to the fringes of medical care. Congress might as well draw a bullseye around doctors and clinics. Women seeking reproductive health care will be more vulnerable than ever to attacks by anti-choice fanatics. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx THE HIGH-TECH RELIGIOUS RIGHT Paul Weyrich, the architect of the Moral Majority and other right-wing computerized mailing list empires is the proud parent of another high-tech venture. His latest endeavor, National Empowerment Television (NET) has seen it's viewing audience jump from six million to more than 20 million people daily since it's inception in December of 1993. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Information Sources: California Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League-North, Alan Guttmacher Institute, Reproductive Freedom News, Voters for Choice, Culture Watch, Political Woman, various Congresspersons, various newspapers, C-Span, CNN, Reuters, AP, and UPI. Editor: Kathy Watkins, Administrative Director, CARAL-North .