Advocates rally for abortion rights, contraceptive access
4/25/2006
By DAVID EGGERT
The Associated Press
Advocates rally for abortion rights, contraceptive access LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Hundreds of abortion rights advocates rallied at the Capitol on Tuesday, stressing the common concerns they and abortion opponents potentially share on issues such as guaranteeing access to birth control pills and other contraceptives. "We want to be the state where the battle is won to reduce unintended pregnancies," said Gov. Jennifer Granholm, adding that abortions should be "safe, legal and rare." The Democratic governor said both sides of the contentious abortion debate can find common ground in trying to reduce unplanned pregnancies, resulting in fewer abortions. Her comments were echoed by Nancy Keenan, president of the national abortion rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America. Keenan said prevention efforts are not new but have been drowned out by anti-abortion measures, including a recent South Dakota law banning abortion in the state unless it is necessary to save a pregnant woman's life. "People want solutions," Keenan said. "They're tired of the fight. ... There are ways to reduce the unintended pregnancies in this country. When you do that, you reduce the need for abortion." Keenan, Granholm and others pushed for legislation in the Michigan Senate that would require health insurers covering prescription drugs to include contraceptives in that coverage. Twenty-four states have such requirements, though many exempt religious organizations that oppose birth control for moral reasons. The bills have stalled in the Republican-controlled Legislature partly because insurers, automakers and businesses — including many that already have decided on their own to cover contraceptives — oppose mandated benefits, arguing that contraceptive coverage should be negotiated with workers. Also, the Michigan Catholic Conference, which believes the use of artificial contraception is immoral, opposes the legislation because it has no exception for religious employers. The Michigan Civil Rights Commission will hear arguments next month on whether employers who don't cover federally approved contraceptive drugs and devices are violating the state's civil rights law. Tuesday's rally — which capped off "Michigan March for Choice" day in Lansing, the second anniversary of a rally in Washington, D.C. — also drew a number of anti-abortion advocates. Judy Paga, a preschool teacher from Dryden, east of Flint, said she traveled to Lansing because she thinks abortion hurts women emotionally and physically and it is against her religious beliefs. "God's most powerful gift is the gift of life," said Paga, 54. "They're denying the gift of life." Anti-abortion organizers are campaigning in Michigan to define a person as existing from the moment of conception in the state constitution. As in South Dakota, they hope getting the measure on the November ballot could spark a challenge to the Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion. Ed Rivet, legislative director for the state's largest anti-abortion organization, Right to Life of Michigan, said the group is not opposed to contraception, but he added that contraception already is widely available. The state House on Wednesday could vote on separate legislation that would let insurers and HMOs refuse to provide a health care benefit based on ethical, moral or religious grounds.
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