Attacks on Women's healthcare

Paul Farmer has essays in his reader (Partner to the Poor*), on health and human rights, the structural violence of poverty, and global inequality; but here in the US we think that we have adequate health care. Unfortunately we do not--even though we spend more per capita on health care than any other country (#1), we still ranked 37th overall. In 2006, the United States but ranked 39th for infant mortality, 43rd for adult female mortality, 42nd for adult male mortality, and 36th for life expectancy*. (Why do we spend so much to get so little?)
Yet, even with the health care reform, we are still behind in health care provision. And, the GOP seems to be paying more attention to attacking women's health care than they are fixing the deficit. A sample of the articles/editorials starting with the editorial from today's New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/03/opinion/03fri1.html?_r=1&hp

http://www.theithacajournal.com/article/20110603/VIEWPOINTS03/106030305/Funding-cuts-would-hurt-women-s-health?odyssey=nav%7Chead

http://www.adn.com/2011/04/13/1808850/gop-move-is-an-attack-on-womens.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/10/opinion/10tue2.html

http://colorlines.com/archives/2011/03/womens_progress_around_the_world_vetoed_by_congress.html

http://www.alternet.org/health/150118/why_the_right-wing's_insane_attacks_on_women's_health_may_be_backfiring

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/273-40/5884-new-attacks-on-womens-rights

* WHO Statistical Information System (WHOSIS). Geneva: World Health Organization, September 2009.

GOP's True Colors

The GOP is anti-women and anti-baby based on their proposed budget cuts.

Republicans are taking aim at women's health--not only their reproductive health, but also cancer screenings. And, not only here in the US but globally.

The GOP's hypocrisy is showing. For all the pro-life sentiments, it seems that they are only pro-life when the fetus is in utero, and not even fully then (monies are being drastically cut for WIC pre-natal and early childhood nutrition programs). The US is also number one in infant mortality among industralized nations accoring to the IMF.


Here are two pieces from today's NYT:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/26/opinion/26sat1.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/26/opinion/26blow.html?src=me&ref=general