ACTION ALERT Reproductive Health and Education Coalition of Alabama May 17, 2007

Dear RHECA Action Network members:

I know it’s been some time since you’ve heard from us. As you probably know, the Senate has been almost at a standstill for weeks now due to wrangling over power. One result of that is that the status of the six bills we’ve been monitoring and writing you about has not changed in several weeks and, as promised, we don’t want to take up your time unnecessarily so we have refrained from writing.

This kind of stagnation is bad news for HB 199, the pro-choice measure RHECA supports which would expand birthing options for Alabama women by creating a certified midwife license. It is certainly welcome news, though, for the dangerous anti-choice measures that are pending.

We are writing today because the logjam, having gone on for several weeks now, may break soon and after that there will be time left in the session for the choice bills to move. Therefore, we’re asking you to take (or take again) the actions suggested in this alert as soon as possible so that we will have the best chance to end the session without anti-choice measures passing and with HB 199, the pro-choice measure, being voted out. The anti-choice measures are listed in the attached alert in order of their importance for action.

Thank you.
Olivia Turner
(On behalf of RHECA’s Legislative Committee)
334-265-2754 x 204
otaclual@bellsouth.net

Action Needed
(Contact information for the Alabama Legislature and bill sponsors is below.)

Anti-choice Bills

HB314

Sponsors: Galliher

Status: Pending committee action in the House Health Committee

Content of bill: Harmless sounding measure for the unitiated. This bill requires that abortions be performed in a hospital or that doctors performing abortions have admitting privileges at local hospitals.

Action recommended in order of effectiveness:

1. Personal letter to sponsor and your ownlegislator opposing the bill. Letters can be mailed or faxed.
2. Phone call to sponsor/s and your legislator.
3. E-mail to same.

Talking points:

• Singles out abortion providers.
• Comparable medical facilities are not required to meet this standard. For example, Ambulatory Surgical Centers and nursing facilities do not require admitting or staff privileges for physicians associated with those facilities.
• No exception for rural areas
• No requirement that hospitals grant such privileges
• Will limit ability of qualified individuals to perform abortions and exacerbate shortage of abortion providers.
• Not medically necessary to improve outcome of procedure that is already safe.
• Unnecessary because federal law already requires hospitals to accept patients with emergencies.
• Current law is sufficient to provide AL women with safe, adequate emergency care.

HB329

Sponsors: Collier

Status: Pending committee action in the House Health Committee

Content of bill: Ban on abortion procedures to “the fullest reasonable extent federal law shall permit” except to 1) save life of mother or 2) “prevent an irreversible injury to the mother’s health, which is likely to cause a very significant impairment of the quality of a mother’s life” as verified by two doctors not in same facility and 3) in cases of rape and incest when victim reports according to specific requirements in the bill. Requires doctor involvement with law enforcement investigation of rape and incest. Provides legal penalties for violations.

Action recommended in order of effectiveness:

1. Personal letter to sponsor and your own legislator opposing the bill. Letters can be mailed or faxed.
2. Phone call to sponsor/s and your legislator.
3. E-mail to same.

Talking points: In addition to the points below re: HB128:

• This is an extreme ban that threatens the health of women in AL.
• The government should not be in the business of setting up roadblocks to basic health care
• The bill will disproportionately affect young women, poor women and women of color.

HB128

Sponsors: Ford, Guin, Curtis, Robinson (J), Letson, Dukes, Irons, Schmitz, Keahy, Thigpen, Boothe, Sherer, McLaughlin, McDaniel, Spicer

Status: Pending committee action in the House Health Committee

Content of bill: Defines personhood as beginning at fertilization. Intended to be a near-total ban on abortion. Could lead to prohibitions on most contraceptives and fertility treatments.

Action recommended in order of effectiveness:

1. Personal letter to sponsors and your own legislator. If you can write all sponsors that would be best. If not, please write Representative Ford. Letters can be mailed or
   faxed.
2. Phone call to sponsor/s and your legislator.
3. E-mail to same.

Talking points: Your legislature and the House Health Committee should reject this bill because:

• It defines personhood as beginning at fertilization, this bill could ban contraceptives and fertility treatments.
• It is also intended to ban abortion.
• Politicians should not legislate medical decision-making. Women should be able to make decisions and receive care based on their individual circumstances.
• This bill is an unconstitutional attempt to prohibit abortion and, as such, interferes with the doctor-patient relationship.
• Banning abortion will not reduce the number of unintended pregnancies in AL. It will, however, put women and their families at risk because history has shown that women denied access to abortion resort to desperate measures.
• Women and families in AL would be better served if the legislature would focus on common sense solutions aimed at reducing unintended pregnancies such as funding medically accurate sex education and ensuring access to birth control.

SB59

Sponsors: Erwin

Status: Pending a vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee

Content of bill: Bans abortion except “in an extreme case where the pregnancy threatens the life of the mother”.

Action recommended in order of effectiveness:

1. Personal letter to Senate Judiciary Committee chair and vice chair and your legislator if he/she is on the committee asking him/her to oppose the bill.
2. Phone call to chair/vice chair and your legislator.
3. E-mail to same.
   

Talking points:

• This bill is intended to ban abortion
• Politicians should not legislate medical decision- making. Women should be able to make decisions and receive care based on their individual circumstances .
• This bill is an unconstitutional attempt to prohibit abortion and, as such, interferes with the doctor- patient relationship.
• Banning abortion will not reduce the number of unintended pregnancies in AL. It will, however, put women and their families at risk because history has shown that women denied access to abortion resort to desperate measures.
• Women and families in AL would be better served if the legislature would focus on common sense solutions aimed at reducing unintended pregnancies such as funding medically accurate sex education and ensuring access to birth control.
• Broad extreme bans on abortion have been struck down by the federal courts. Instead of involving the state in costly litigation, the Legislature should focus on real ways to reduce unintended pregnancies like funding medically accurate sex education and access to birth control and family planning.

SB399

Sponsors: Erwin

Status: Pending committee action in the Senate Judiciary Committee

Content of the Bill: Amends the Constitution to ban abortion except “in an extreme case where the pregnancy threatens the life of the mother.”

Action recommended in order of effectiveness:

1. Personal letter to sponsors and your own legislator opposing the bill.
2. Phone call to sponsors and your legislator.
3. E-mail to the same.

Talking Points: See the points re: SB 59 (above).

Pro-choice Bill

HB199

Sponsor/s: Hall

Status: Pending committee action in the House Health Committee, Medical Procedures Subcommittee

Content of bill: Provides for the development of a Certified Professional Midwife License. Includes provisions for state regulation, penalties for violations, information for consumers, etc.

Action recommended:

• Write a personal letter to the House Health Committee, Medical Procedures Sub-Committee chair and vice chair and your legislator asking him/her to support it.
• Phone call to chair/vice chair and your legislator
• E-mail to same.

Talking points:

• Alabama's midwifery law has not been updated in over 30 years old. It is too restrictive.
• Alabama families deserve more choices.
• Recent studies show that home birth is as safe or safer for healthy women with normal pregnancies as hospital deliveries
• More families are considering home birth a desirable way to bring their babies into the world.
• AL should join the 22 other states that credential and regulate the practice of certified professional midwives. This bill will accomplish that.

Contact information

To find out who your Legislative representatives are and how to contact them, click http://www.legislature.state.al.us./misc/zipsearch.html.

To read the bills or track their status yourself, click http://alisdb.legislature.state.al.us/acas/ACASLogin.asp.

Contact info for bill sponsors listed above: (All info below is listed as appropriate regarding legislative business.)

Rep. Alan C. Boothe, Room 627-A, 11 S. Union St. Montg., AL. 36130, (334) 242-7710 (legislative office), (334) 670-3968 (in district)

Rep. Spencer Collier, Room 540 – D, 11 S. Union St. Montg., AL. 36130, (334) 242-7719 (legislative office), (251) 208-5480 (in district), e-mail scollier@alabamasafetyinstitute.com

Rep. Mike Curtis, Room 522-E, 11 S. Union St. Montg., AL. 36130, (334) 242-7725 (legislative office), (256) 757-2792, 767-4237 and 760-0832 (additional listings), e-mail curtism5@nationwide.com

Rep. Bill J. Dukes, 11 S. Union St. Montg., AL. 36130, (334) 242-7689 (legislative office)

Sen. Hank Erwin, Room 738-B, 11 S. Union St. Montg., AL. 36130, (334) 242-7873 (legislative office), (205) 620-0116, e-mail senatorerwin@aol.com

Rep. Craig Ford, Room 517 – F, 11 S. Union St. Montg., AL. 36130, (334) 242-7690 (legislative office), (256) 547-2727 (home), (256) 413-7611 (district)

Rep. Blaine Galliher, Room 628 – C, 11 S. Union St. Montg., AL. 36130, (334) 242-7760 (legislative office) (256) 442-7517 (home), (256) 832-1202 (work), e-mail blaine@mindspring.com

Rep. Ken Guin, Room 517 – E, 11 S. Union St. Montg., AL. 36130, (334) 242-7771 (legislative office), (205) 924-0061 (work), (205) 924-0040 (fax in district), e-mail ken guin@alhouse.org

Rep. Laura Hall, Room 518, 11 S. Union St. Montg., AL. 36130, (334) 242-7688 (legislative office), (256) 859-2234 (district), (256) 539-5441 (other listing), (256) 539-5444 (district fax), e-mail laura.hall@att.net

Rep. Tammy Irons, Room 526 – B, 11 S. Union St. Montg., AL. 36130, (334) 353-9032 (legislative office), (256) 760-0950 (home), (256) 766-9201 (work), (256) 335-3600 (cell), (256) 766-9220 (fax in district), e-mail tammy@ironslawfirm.com

Rep. Mac Keahy, Room 630-A, 11 S. Union St. Montg., AL. 36130, (334) 242-7748(legislative office), (251) 275-3541 (other listing), (251) 275-3127 (work), (251) 275-3129 (cell)

Rep. Jody Letson, Room 541- A, 11 S. Union St. Montg., AL. 36130, (334) 242-7767 (legislative office), (256) 637-6607 (home), (256) 974-5175 (other listing), (256) 974-7164 (in district), e-mail legislativeoffic@aol.com

Rep. Frank McDaniel, Room 522-B, 11 S. Union St. Montg., AL. 36130, (334) 242-7697, (256) 582-0610 (district), (256) 582-7049 (district fax)

Rep. Jeffrey McLaughlin. Room 526-B, 11 S. Union St. Montg., AL. 36130, (334) 242-7600 (legislative office), (256) 582-5696 (home), (256) 582-2520 (work), (256) 582-0619 (district), e-mail jeff@meedlaw.com

Rep. John Robinson, Room 534-D, 11 S. Union St. Montg., AL. 36130, (334) 242-7728, (256) 259-24334 (home), (256) 259-6190 (work), (256) 259-6189 (district fax)

Rep. Sue Schmitz, Room 524-D, 11 S. Union St. Montg., AL. 36130, (334) 242-7704 (legislative office), (256) 852-7003 (work)

Rep. Tommy Sherer, Room 522-A, 11 S. Union St. Montg., AL. 36130, (334) 242-7694 (legislative office), (205) 387-1321 (home), (205) 522-2348 (other listing), e-mail tommysherer@yahoo.com

Rep. Terry Spicer, Room 630-B, 11 S. Union St. Montg., AL. 36130, (334) 242-7773 (legislative office), (334) 897-3862 (home), (334) 347-2623 x 2246 (work), (334) 242-7773 (district), (334) 393-6223 (other listing)

Rep. Thigpen, Room 538-D,11 S. Union Street,Montgomery, AL 36130, (334) 242-7766, Home Phone: (205) 932-3317, (other) (205) 932-4510, Work Phone: (205) 270-0749, (other) (205) 932-2902

Senate Judiciary Committee:

Chair, Rodger Smitherman, Senate Judiciary Committee, Room 732 11 S. Union Street Montgomery, AL 36130(334) 242-7870; 2029 2nd Avenue, N. Birmingham, AL 35203 (205) 322-0012(205) 324-2000 (f) rodger99@bellsouth.net

Deputy Chairperson, Myron Penn, Senate Judiciary Committee, Room 731, 11 S. Union Street, Montgomery, AL 36130, (334) 242-7868; 5 Court Square, PO Box 688, Clayton, AL 36016, (334) 775-9778, (334) 775-9779 (f), myronpenn28@hotmail.com

House Health Committee, Medical Procedures Sub-Committee:

Chair, Locy Baker, House Health Committee, Medical Procedures Sub-Committee Room 522-D, 11 S. Union Street, Montgomery, AL. 36130, (334) 242-7693, 115 Bryant Street, Abbeville, AL. 3613-, (334) 727-1144 ( c), (334) 588-0251 (f)

Vice Chair, Jim Barton, House Health Committee, Medical Procedures Sub Committee Room 540D, 11 S. Union Street, Montgomery, AL. 36130, (334) 242-7754, 3824 St. Andrews Dr. Mobile, AL. 36693, (251) 208-5480, jbarton@msg_inc.com

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