xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx CHOICE-NET REPORT For Week ending March 19, 1994 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx CHOICE-NET REPORT is a weekly update on reproductive rights issues distributed through E-mail, Women's Wire, gopher.WELL.sf.ca.us, Usenet groups alt.activism, talk.abortion, soc.women, and other Internet channels. Please reprint, distribute and TAKE ACTION. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx MICHAEL GRIFFIN FOUND GUILTY Michael F. Griffin, 32, was found guilty of the March 10, 1993 murder of Dr. David Gunn in Pensacola Florida. Griffin was sentenced to life in prison with parole possible after 25 years. Defense lawyers had contended that anti-abortion videos, literature and rhetoric had driven Griffin temporarily insane at the time of Gunn's slaying. This argument was apparently not successful with the jury. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx WHAT'S THE DELAY? The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE) was passed by both houses of Congress in November. There were slight differences in the bills passed, which means a conference committee made up of members of both houses, needs to be appointed to work out those differences before the bill can be submitted to the President for his signature. In November we were told that a conference committee would be appointed in January when Congress reconvened. As of March 12, no conference committee has been appointed. Will it take yet another death at a clinic to get Congress moving on this? Call your Congress Members and demand the final enactment of the Freedom Of Access to Clinic Entrances Act NOW. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The Congressional Switchboard Number is: 202-224-3121. You have one Representative and two Senators. If you don't know their names you can give your zip code to the friendly Capitol Hill operators and they will give you the correct names. Then they will connect you with your legislator's office and you can leave a message with an aide which WILL BE COUNTED in the daily tallies. Keep it short, make it clear you are a constituent. This is the process being used by anti-choice organizations every day. Your legislators would really like to hear another point of view. Give them a call today. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx WHY SHOULD ABORTION BE INCLUDED IN HEALTH CARE REFORM? 1. ABORTION IS ALREADY COVERED BY PRIVATE INSURANCE--WOMEN COULD LOSE EXISTING COVERAGE A study of private insurance coverage and reproductive health services, conducted by the Alan Guttmacher Institute, found that two-thirds of typical health plans cover abortion and that about nine out of 10 cover sterilization. Representative Nita Lowey, D-NY who chairs the Congressional Women's Caucus pro-choice task force, said the study shows that "abortion coverage is currently the norm" and that it is "an integral component of basic women's health care." Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-CA said "We are not talking about providing women with a new benefit. We are talking about offering women the same coverage and benefits that they already receive from most private health insurers." The Guttmacher study, paid for by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, was based on a 1993 survey of the 100 largest commercial insurance companies, all 73 Blue Cross/Blue Shield plans and 213 health maintenance organizations. For more information, contact the Guttmacher Institute, 120 Wall Street, New York, NY 10006 (212) 248-1111. 2. RISKY DELAY Excluding abortion would impose financial and other constraints that cause delay and increase health risks for women who choose to terminate their pregnancies. Although abortion is substantially safer than childbirth, after eight weeks the risks of death or major complications from abortion significantly increase for each week of delay. 3. UNSAFE ABORTION When legal abortion became widely available in the U.S., the number of abortion-related deaths and complications was significantly reduced. These gains would be reversed if women who could not afford the procedure or who were unable to locate trained providers were forced to turn to unsafe illegal abortion. 4. FORCED PREGNANCY AND CHILDBEARING Excluding abortion from health care reform would endanger women's health by forcing some to carry unwanted pregnancies to term. Compelled continuation of an unwanted pregnancy can subject even healthy women to serious physical risks that range from prolonged discomfort and pain to a substantial risk of medical complications and even death. 5. SHORTAGE OF ABORTION PROVIDERS. Excluding abortion from health care reform would exacerbate the already severe shortage of abortion providers, further isolate physicians who perform abortions, and deter medical schools from providing training in the procedure. The American Medical Association recently concluded that "a reduction in the number and geographic availability of abortion providers, and a reduction in the number of physicians who are trained and willing to perform first-and second-trimester abortions have the potential to threaten the safety of induced abortion." Call your Representative and Senators and let them know that you feel strongly that the full range of reproductive services, including abortion be included in any health care reform. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx JUDGE REFUSES CLASS ACTION SUIT AGAINST NORPLANT Judge William Cahill tossed out the class actions claims of a San Jose California woman after finding that she and other who had used Norplant birth-control did not have sufficient common questions of fact to form a class. Susan Lynn Williams who suffered severe migraines, unusual menstrual period, weakness, fatigue and blurred vision after having Norplant inserted in her arm, will still be allowed to sue Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories and Dow Chemical, Dow Corning Corp. and several other Dow and Corning companies as an individual. However, the 80 other women who had wished to join her to bring a class action suit will not be allowed to do so because the judge found that the differences in medical histories made the plaintiffs too diverse to constitute a class. Williams lawyer, Caesar Belli of the Law Offices of Melvin M. Belli in San Francisco, said his clients are considering their options. The women could file 80 individual suits or could appeal to the 1st District Court of Appeal. The case is Williams v. Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories, 956198. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Information Sources: California Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League-North, Alan Guttmacher Institute, Reproductive Freedom News, Culture Watch, 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 .