Latest News

Abortion Proposal Sets Condition on Aid

akimmell — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:56:17 -0500

New York Times
By ROBERT PEAR
July 15, 2008

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration wants to require all recipients of aid under federal health programs to certify that they will not refuse to hire nurses and other providers who object to abortion and even certain types of birth control.

Under the draft of a proposed rule, hospitals, clinics, researchers and medical schools would have to sign “written certifications” as a prerequisite to getting money under any program run by the Department of Health and Human Services.

95 groups unite to push health care agenda

akimmell — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:08:49 -0500

By Lisa Greene, St. Petersburg Times
Wednesday, July 9, 2008

TAMPA — Making health care more affordable is so important to 95 local and national advocacy groups that they have formed a coalition to push health care reform.

The coalition, Health Care for America Now, launched a national media campaign Tuesday with news conferences in Tampa and 52 other cities, including six more in Florida.

"We will either have a guarantee of quality, affordable health care," said Bill Newton, executive director of the Florida Consumer Action Network, one of the groups participating. "Or we will continue to be at the mercy of the private insurance industry … putting company profits before our health."

Participating groups include the National Education Association, the Campaign for America's Future, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the Service Employees International Union and MoveOn.

States turn down US abstinence education grants

akimmell — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 09:52:07 -0500

Associated Press

June 24, 2008

By KEVIN FREKING

WASHINGTON (AP) — Skeptical states are shoving aside millions of federal dollars for abstinence education, walking away from the program the Bush administration touts for slowing teen sexual activity. Barely half the states are still in, and two more say they are leaving.

Editorial: States getting realistic about abstinence; time for feds to do the same

akimmell — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 09:06:04 -0500

Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

June 27, 2008

ISSUE: More states rejecting abstinence grants.

It is no great surprise that states are having doubts about the effectiveness of federal abstinence education programs.

Seminar brings regional AIDS awareness home to Collier

akimmell — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 08:23:56 -0500

Naples Daily News

June 24, 2008

When it comes to HIV/AIDS numbers, the South is definitely facing an uphill battle, one AIDS official said.

“I think the statistics are still pretty amazing,” said Kathie Hiers, CEO of AIDS Alabama, a nonprofit group in Alabama that provides housing and supportive services to low-income persons with HIV/AIDS. “Look at the South ... by far the fastest-growing area in the country.”