Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

  • Shop
  • Subscribe to BMG
  • Contact
  • Log In
  • Front Page
  • All Posts
  • About
  • Rules
  • Events
  • Register on BMG

Harvard Students Stand up to Stupak

November 16, 2009 By leah627

As Gina Glantz, Chair of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund and longtime field organizer, gave an introduction and set up the meeting’s format, the bodies in the room and the energy buzzing in the air increased.  Kim Gandy, former president of NOW, sat beside her, having postponed a trip in order to help organize a powerful student movement that will pressure Congress to protect coverage for comprehensive health care.

The first steps in any advocacy movement are to understand the problem, decide what needs to be change, and establish goals to best effect that change.  We reviewed Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s thorough and accessible run-down of the Stupak amendment and what it does to women’s health care coverage, and went over the implications the amendment might have as the healthcare bill progresses to the Senate.  Gandy emphasized that the Stupak amendment goes beyond the compromise that CAPP established, which was to prohibit federal funding for abortion.  The Stupak amendment would, in addition, restrict women’s access to PRIVATE abortion coverage, affecting how we spend our own money out of our own pockets.

We established two primary goals in our advocacy:

1) Ensure that the Stupak amendment doesn’t end up in the final health care bill

2) Mobilize college students at Harvard and beyond to start a movement advocating for women’s health care, reproductive rights, etc.

Our immediate priority is to convince the Senate to bring a bill to the floor that doesn’t include Stupak or anything like it.  If the House and Senate bills differ (which they doubtless will), both bills will go to the Conference Committee, where the committee will mix and match the two bills and come up with a compromise.  The Conference Committee will be our next target, and we need to ensure that Stupak is stripped from this final bill.

Next, Glantz presented an acronym for urgent organization and planning: UNLOCK (Urgency, Need to plan quickly, Lead and leverage, Organize organize organize, Count real numbers, Kill Stupak Victory).  Gandy then briefed us on the Senate, emphasizing that we must focus pressure on states with an anti-choice democrat or a pro-choice democrat in a state that’s pro-life (Louisiana, for example).  These states (Pennsylvania, Indiana, Maine, Arkansas, Louisiana, Virginia, North Dakota, Nebraska, Nevada, Missouri) are essential in the fight to stop Stupak.

ACTION: if you are from one of these states, or know anyone from these states, it is imperative that you call your senator and urge him or her to oppose any bill that limits abortion funding more than it already has been from the CAPPS compromise.

So what action are we planning to STOP STUPAK at Harvard?

In conjunction with the upcoming national day of action this Wednesday, November 18th, we’re planning a STUDENTS STOP STUPAK rally at the Harvard Square T-stop at rush hour.  We’ll hold coat hangers, signs, and circulate petitions as commuters and students filter through the Boston subway system.  We’ll get media attention, and force our representatives to understand that students and voters care and are angry.  

Please join us!

If you are a student, feel free to adopt our plan of action and join us this Wednesday with a protest of your own.  

If you are in or near the Boston area, come to the Harvard Square T-stop between 3:30 and 5:30 PM to show your outrage and stand up for women’s reproductive rights.  

Follow Stopstupaknow on twitter for updates.

Join our facebook group to garner support for Students Stop Stupak.

Check out our website and get ready for a student revolution to STOP STUPAK NOW.

Stay tuned for more action alerts and ideas, and in the meantime, sign the petition to STOP STUPAK.

Questions? Ideas for student stopping Stupak?  Leave a comment below.

Crossposted on Amplify

Please share widely!
fb-share-icon
Tweet
0
0

Filed Under: User Tagged With: abortion, harvard, health-care, protest, rally, reproductive-health-care, student-activism, stupak

Comments

  1. bob-gardner says

    November 16, 2009 at 6:22 pm

      Have you asked them what they are doing to stop Stupak?  Kirk may or may not be there for the final vote, but Kerry will certainly be there.  And both of them should be in a position to influence the bill that is brought to the Senate floor.

    • hlpeary says

      November 16, 2009 at 7:13 pm

      n/t

  2. bostonboomer says

    November 17, 2009 at 6:48 pm

    If you can plan to come:
    Go to website and sign up!
    NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION
    DECEMBER 2, 2009

    <

    p>9:30 A.M. TO 4:30 P.M.
    WASHINGTON, DC
    http://www.ppaction.org/campai…

    <

    p>spread the word!  

Recommended Posts

  • No posts liked yet.

Recent User Posts

Predictions Open Thread

December 22, 2022 By jconway

This is why I love Joe Biden

December 21, 2022 By fredrichlariccia

Garland’s Word

December 19, 2022 By terrymcginty

Some Parting Thoughts

December 19, 2022 By jconway

Beware the latest grift

December 16, 2022 By fredrichlariccia

Thank you, Blue Mass Group!

December 15, 2022 By methuenprogressive

Recent Comments

  • blueeyes on Beware the latest griftSo where to, then??
  • Christopher on Some Parting ThoughtsI've enjoyed our discussions as well (but we have yet to…
  • Christopher on Beware the latest griftI can't imagine anyone of our ilk not already on Twitter…
  • blueeyes on Beware the latest griftI will miss this site. Where are people going? Twitter?…
  • chrismatth on This site (will be disabled on) December 31, 2022I joined BMG late - 13 years ago next month and three da…
  • SomervilleTom on Geopolitics of FusionEVERY un-designed, un-built, and un-tested technology is…
  • Charley on the MTA on This site (will be disabled on) December 31, 2022That’s a great idea, and I’ll be there on Sunday. It’s a…

Archive

@bluemassgroup on Twitter

#mapoli

bychrisvan Chris Van Buskirk @bychrisvan ·
27m

The four Mass. police officers suspended this week by the state’s law enforcement licensing agency are either facing or have been convicted of serious criminal charges, including bank fraud, child rape, and a high-profile overtime scandal at BPD. #mapoli https://www.masslive.com/police-fire/2023/02/overtime-fraud-to-child-rape-4-suspended-mass-cops-face-criminal-charges.html

Reply on Twitter 1621200631221391362 Retweet on Twitter 1621200631221391362 Like on Twitter 1621200631221391362 Twitter 1621200631221391362
alisonkuznitz Alison Kuznitz @alisonkuznitz ·
39m

Awaiting Gov. Maura Healey. #mapoli

Reply on Twitter 1621197680000077824 Retweet on Twitter 1621197680000077824 Like on Twitter 1621197680000077824 Twitter 1621197680000077824
quatoria anna phylaxis @quatoria ·
45m

Folks, we're expecting incredibly cold weather in the days to come, and our unhoused neighbors could use a little of yr generosity.

Won't you please pitch in? https://secure.givelively.org/donate/material-aid-and-advocacy-program-inc

#bospoli #mapoli #CambMA

Material Aid and Advocacy Program @MAAPMass

🧊 URGENT COLD WEATHER NEEDS! 🧊

We're expecting SUB-ZERO temps in
#bospoli / #cambma & across #mapoli this Fri & Sat.

Help us continue to support unhoused community members ahead of & throughout this extremely dangerous, potentially deadly, weekend!

linktree in bio

Reply on Twitter 1621196225985875968 Retweet on Twitter 1621196225985875968 5 Like on Twitter 1621196225985875968 4 Twitter 1621196225985875968
act_on_mass Act on Mass @act_on_mass ·
45m

Yesterday, the MA House rejected an amendment to make committee votes public—a measure supported by 87% of Bay Staters. The speaker stifled debate & promptly rejected it with no opportunity to stand for roll call. A shameful display of the speaker's concentration of power #mapoli

Reply on Twitter 1621196045131649025 Retweet on Twitter 1621196045131649025 6 Like on Twitter 1621196045131649025 11 Twitter 1621196045131649025
hi_hildreth Hildreth Institute @hi_hildreth ·
58m

Disinvestment from student financial aid has eroded the purchasing power of state grants and scholarships. The total state aid students receive covers only 12% of the cost to attend college. #mapoli

Reply on Twitter 1621192852557496321 Retweet on Twitter 1621192852557496321 1 Like on Twitter 1621192852557496321 Twitter 1621192852557496321
raiseupma Raise Up MA @raiseupma ·
1h

We had a big win in November with the passage of the #FairShareAmendment. But the fight isn't over.

Thank you to @SenJasonLewis and @RepJimODay for filing two bills to protect the revenue from Fair Share: HD2236/SD1166 and HD2310/SD1167!

#mapoli

Reply on Twitter 1621192154046414850 Retweet on Twitter 1621192154046414850 6 Like on Twitter 1621192154046414850 7 Twitter 1621192154046414850
Load More

From our sponsors




Google Calendar







Search

Archives

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter




Copyright © 2023 Owned and operated by BMG Media Empire LLC. Read the terms of use. Some rights reserved.