Posts Tagged ‘Stam’

And now for something completely different…

Just kidding! Did you actually think that anti-choice legislators would take a break from their attacks on your reproductive freedoms (not to mention a side trip to deny you cancer screenings and birth control) to actually do the business of the people? How silly!

As we wrote yesterday, the House GOP hosted a press conference on Tuesday to make the case for their anti-LGBT constitutional amendment that will be debated during the General Assembly’s “special session” later this month. Not surprisingly, it was led by Representative Dale Folwell and Majority Leader Skip Stam who has become quite the familiar face on this blog. (He’s not called the “Prince of Pelvic Politics” for nothing.) Stam is now dedicating a portion of his questionable talents to bigotry and defending our state from polygamy, adult incest, and protecting “the children of the next generation.”

Not only has this Won’t Someone Think of the Children sentiment been the rallying cry against everything from rock and roll to the integration of public schools (in addition to making pretty much zero sense in this context), the American Academy of Pediatrics has said that, “There is ample evidence to show that children raised by same-gender parents fare as well as those raised by heterosexual parents.”

It’s also important to note here that same sex marriage is currently illegal in North Carolina and always has been. This proposed amendment would be placed on the 2012 general election ballot and, if passed, would write this same discrimination directly into our state’s constitution. But that’s not all. It would also prohibit any kind of civil union between same sex partners and could effectively nullify domestic partner benefits.

The goals of proponents of this amendment are two-fold. Writing discrimination into the state constitution will mean that it will be extremely difficult to ever change that language (it also can’t be vetoed) but their real aim is to secure another big win for their party in 2012. Republican Representative Mark Hilton accidentally went on the record (thanks to a live mike in a closed committee room) saying just that– this amendment is needed to help conservative groups “get their ground game working.” Meaning that this amendment is a means to an end of making sure a certain sector of the Republican Party’s base shows up to vote on Election Day.

Of course Stam and Folwell deny these ulterior motives—didn’t you believe them when they said they’re only thinking of the children? But Tuesday’s press conference did give Stam a platform to go on the record with gems like, “In countries around the world where they have legitimized same-sex marriage, marriage itself is de-legitimized. About a fourth of the world allows polygamy. Polygamy would be next.”

Stam went on to say that a philosophical argument for same-sex marriage could not be established without also accepting polygamy and “adult incest”. He may be way off base but at least we know now what Stam thinks about in his free time!

So what’s next? On September 12 the General Assembly will return for a “special session” (and spend $50,000 of taxpayer dollars a day) to consider this very issue of whether this anti-LGBT amendment should be placed on the ballot and to see if they can wrangle a budget provision that will defund Planned Parenthood’s preventative health care services in spite of a federal judge’s injunction.

If you think this is exactly what we DON’T need from our elected officials in the worst economy in 80 years, join Equality NC and other pro-equality partners (like us!) for an anti-amendment rally on Tuesday, September 13 at noon on the Halifax Mall behind the Legislative Building in Raleigh. Our friends at Equality NC have more on this important event as well as information on the candlelight vigil for those that would be impacted by this hateful amendment on September 12.

Do it for yourself, your friends, your state or—what the heck—do it for the kids. We should all grow up in a world free from this kind of hate.

“Poor women who got unexpected and unwanted pregnancies for Christmas…are truly out of luck, because North Carolina’s fund for poor women’s abortions has already run out.” So begins an editorial written by the News & Observer on December 28, 1989. The N&O editors went on to take the NC General Assembly to task for cowing to Rep. Paul Stam’s anti-choice zealotry and voting to decimate the State Abortion Fund. 

Of course, fast forward twenty years and nothing has improved. The State Abortion Fund remains hostage to the kind of zealotry and lack of courage that’s not going away any time soon.  

The North Carolina Legislature created the State Abortion Fund in 1978, following the passage of the federal Hyde Amendment, which prohibited the use of Medicaid to pay for abortions under any circumstances. Lawsuits stemming from the Hyde Amendment eventually forced the federal government and states to allow Medicaid coverage for abortions in cases of rape, incest or life endangerment of the woman.  

The NC State Abortion Fund was designed to ensure that a woman’s constitutionally recognized right to make childbearing decisions for herself was not based solely on her ability to pay for that right. Therefore, eligibility for the State Abortion Fund was originally based solely on the woman’s income. 

Back in the day when the News & Observer and other media had ample reporters on the ground the State Abortion Fund featured prominently in their legislative coverage. Each year there was a fight for additional funding and challenges to eligibility. The apex of funding reached more than a million dollars, which still fell short of the need. Given today’s economy, no doubt women would turn to the Fund for help if help were still available.  

The 1989 editorial challenged legislators to imagine themselves as a low-income woman facing an unwanted pregnancy. They describe her utter desperation and then, in my favorite N&O writing ever, they go on to say, “Such a woman, caught in such a trap, doesn’t need a lecture on morals….What the poor and pregnant woman does need, and should get, is the same latitude of choice about continuing her pregnancy that is available to richer women—and was available to poor women who had the ‘luck’ to get pregnant before November.” 

I take this editorial out every time I need to be reminded that I’m not crazy. There was a time—albeit short lived–when abortion politics really centered on women’s lives, when women’s lives really mattered.

We’ve written a lot about the Republican takeover  in the NC General Assembly and what an anti-choice majority will mean for women’s rights. NC’s new small Big in your Bedroom government and Protect our Bodies from Eminent Domain.  

Speaker Thom Tillis, Senate Leader Phil Berger, and Rep Paul Stam

Not even a month after the election, we’re getting closer to seeing exactly what that picture will look like when the Legislature convenes in January. In a (only slightly) surprising move yesterday, House Republicans voted Mecklenburg County legislator Thom Tillis as Speaker of the House.

This represents a surprising move in that Tillis beat out Minority Leader Skip Stam having held office for only four years. The not-so-surprising part is that he won his place as Speaker after having been credited with masterminding the Republican takeover of the General Assembly.  First runner-up Stam was voted Majority Leader.

So what does this mean for reproductive freedom? According to the N&O: “Tillis’ selection as speaker may mean that some social issues won’t have the same priority they might have under Stam who, for instance, is a dogged abortion opponent.”  

We can only hope that’s the case considering Tillis came out of the gate the morning after Election Day with this: “We’re a centrist state. We’re a small government, we’re a limited-government, free-market, stay-out of my-personal-life electorate.”

If that’s truly what soon-to-be Speaker Tillis believes then I sincerely hope that he’ll prove it by focusing on the issues that really matter to the state like jobs and education.

I have a sneaking suspicion, however, that limiting reproductive freedom may just have a special place on the “priority list of legislation that got nowhere under the Democrats”.

We’ll certainly be prepared for every last anti-choice bill that may be on that list. Let’s just hope that Tillis remembers his own advice from the day after Election Day as well as the fact that the independents that he appeals to do not like to re-elect candidates who actively restrict their reproductive freedom.

Likely future Speaker of the NC House, Paul "Skip" Stam

“We’re a centrist state. We’re a small government, we’re a limited-government, free-market, stay-out of my-personal-life electorate.” So declared Republican NC Representative Thom Tillis, the mastermind strategist behind the Republican take over of the NC House on WUNC this morning.

Really. I wonder what soon-to-be Republican Speaker Paul Stam thinks about the “stay-out-of-my-personal-life-electorate.” I can’t say that he’s ever been a fan. Well, at least as far as the female portion of the electorate is concerned.

Stam makes it clear at every turn that his number one priority is restricting reproductive freedom. He did it in the 80s when he led the effort to dismantle our State Abortion Fund, which helped low-income women pay for safe, legal abortion care. And, earlier this year, he led an almost one man crusade to deny abortion coverage to public employees across the state. 

Let’s not forget 1994, when Republicans took over the NC House. In one short session, they successfully overturned comprehensive sex education, enacted parental consent for abortion and rendere the State Abortion Fund permanently inaccessible.

Stam is no believer in a “stay-out of my-personal-life electorate” unless by personal life we’re talking personal income tax. When it comes to a woman’s most profoundly personal and private concerns, Stam is all about having a say.

 

And let’s not forget Stam’s steadfast opposition to the anti-bullying bill last legislative session. Who can remember how many times he took to the floor to oppose protecting all children in North Carolina from bullying?

He didn’t like the bill because it named the very children who are likely to be bullied based on perception or reality. The kids he didn’t want to protect were those whose gender identity or sexual orientation were called into question. The rash of suicides this year alone by LGBT kids underscores the importance of last year’s bill, which passed by one vote—the one cast by Democratic Speaker Joe Hackney.

The Raleigh News and Observer recently endorsed Paul Stam in his bid for reelection. 

This is the same Paul Stam who has bullied local municipalities into dropping comprehensive health coverage for women.

The same Paul Stam who worked tirelessly against the Healthy Youth Act.  Of it he said, “This curriculum teaches respect for marriage and ‘committed relationships’ whatever that is.  Well, that could be polygamy; that could be ‘well, this semester we’ll be together.’”

The same Paul Stam who tried his best to defeat the anti-bullying School Violence Prevention Act, fearing that protecting students, particularly gay and lesbian students, will lead eventually to marriage equality.

The N&O published this response by Carey Pope, Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice North Carolina:

I’ve never been one of those voters who need to be persuaded to vote. Knowing how hard women fought for my right to vote in this country is motivation enough for me. Knowing there are still places in the world where women are not allowed to vote or hold office is enough to keep me begging women in my own country to participate despite my total frustration.

I am frustrated. There’s all this talk about an “enthusiasm gap” between those who voted for Obama in 2008 and the Tea Party sort of activists who are likely to vote in Election 2010. At least one pundit has called it a “complacency gap,” which seems far more fitting to me.

Many have compared this year’s election with 1994 when Republicans won control of both the U.S. House and Senate led by Newt Gingrich and his Contract with America. It’s worth noting that the 1994 Election also put North Carolina Republicans in charge of the NC House for the first time in almost a century.

NC House Republicans, led by Rep. Paul Stam (a.k.a. Prince of Pelvic Politics) wasted no time in their assault on reproductive freedom. In one session, the new leadership replaced comprehensive sex education with abstinence until marriage, decimated the State Abortion Fund for low-income women and mandated parental consent for teenagers seeking abortion care.

But Election 2010 is no Election 1994. It’s far more critical. Whoever wins Election 2010 will be in charge of drawing Congressional and legislative districts for the next decade. There’s no doubt about it. Election 2010 is about the next ten years of our lives.

There’s far too much at stake to sit this one out. I don’t care how enthusiastic you are or complacent, if you care about reproductive freedom, you’ve got to vote. And, get your friends to the polls, too.

Here’s a little sampling of what anti-choice Rep. Stam, (current Republican Majority Leader and would be Speaker), has in mind for us.

->Choose Life license plates that require the state to raise money for anti-choice crisis pregnancy centers that deny women any information about abortion as an option.

->Mandatory delays and state-scripted counseling for abortion care. The so-called “Woman’s Right to Know” bill is a favorite of Rep. Stam. It would put the state in the counseling room with women and their doctors and dictate an unnecessary and harassing mandatory waiting period for women seeking abortion. As if a woman who chooses abortion has not thought carefully about her decision for at least 24 hours!

Just thinking about how degrading these laws are to women makes me want to add a few hours to my volunteering efforts in Election 2010. I hope you feel the same. We could really use your help.

North Carolina makes registering to vote and voting easier than almost any other state in the country. The Planned Parenthood Action Fund of Central North Carolina makes getting involved in helping to elect pro-choice champions equally easy.

It doesn’t matter how enthusiastic your vote is in Election 2010. If you are enthusiastic about reproductive freedom, we just need you to cast a pro-choice vote on Election Day.

As you may have read about in an earlier blog posting, anti-choicers in North Carolina have been trying out a new tactic in their fight to restrict women’s rights. They’ve been attempting to convince town councils and county commissioners to strip abortion coverage out of insurance plans for town and county employees. This initiative has, unfortunately, met with some success. State House Republican Leader Paul Stam has led the fight for the anti-choicers, citing a case he argued in front of the state Supreme Court in 1981.

Recently, the Carrboro Board of Alderman took up the issue and, as you might expect if you’re familiar with Carrboro and its citizens, passed an altogether awesome resolution. What did it say? Well, it was so fantastic, that I’m going to quote a fair chunk of it:

“Section 1. The Board of Alderman rejects this intrusive suggestion of N.C.Rep. Paul Stam, relying on a misinterpretation of the holding of Stam v. North Carolina and other hypotheses, that municipalities “must refuse to fund medically unnecessary abortions.”

Section 2. The Board of Aldermen continues to support a woman’s constitutional right to privacy, pursuant to the law of the land as articulated by our United States Supreme Court.

Section 3. The Board of Aldermen resolves that the Town of Carrboro will endeavor to provide Town employees with health insurance coverage that covers the full range of reproductive services.”

That’s right. Carrboro’s town council went out of their way to pass a resolution upholding a woman’s right to choose. One of the things I think we’re often guilty of in this movement (or, at least, one of the things I’m definitely guilty of) is focusing on the negative, and glossing over the positive. So I want to pause here and take a minute to say thank you. Thanks to the Carrboro Board of Alderman for passing this resolution. Thanks for standing up to those who distort truths and bully elected officials. And thanks for reaffirming your commitment to reproductive rights and choice. I’m proud to be your constituent.

You can read the whole resolution here. And if you’d like to send an email to the Board thanking them, click here for contact info.

By now, you’ve likely heard about the Apex Town Council’s January 19^th decision to strip abortion coverage from their town employees’ health plan.

What you may not have heard about was their follow up meeting last week.

The Apex vote in January was unanimous because Mayor Keith Weatherly presented it as settled legal matter. (Check out our previous post for background on Mayor Weatherly.)

Of course, the truth came out immediately following the vote.  Within days, lawyers from the ACLU, the NC League of Municipalities and the NC Association of County Commissioners all issued statements or opinions defending a county or town’s authority to determine which benefits are appropriate for their employees.

As soon as Apex Town Council Member Bill Jensen found out the issue was driven by politics rather than settled law, he called on the Apex Town Council to take it up again. Last week at their February meeting, Councilman Jensen moved to have abortion coverage placed on the agenda. The lone Democrat couldn’t get a second to his motion. Not a single other Apex Town Council member had the courage to debate the merits of taking comprehensive healthcare coverage away from town employees.  

During the meeting, Mayor Weatherly admitted publicly that Apex has the authority to provide abortion coverage to its employees. He also admitted it was a moral issue rather than a legal one.

The truth is the Apex decision was purely political.

Mayor Keith Weatherly is the legislative assistant to NC Representative Paul Stam who filed the original court case being trotted out as the rationale for denying women reproductive health coverage.

Back in the late 80s when Stam first served in the NC House, he was referred to as the “prince of pelvic politics” because of his relentless crusade against reproductive freedom.

When Mayor Weatherly told the Town Council this was a legal decision, he must have known he had the backing of Apex Town Attorney Hank Fordham–Paul Stam’s law partner.

It would be bad enough if the small town politics of Apex were confined to Apex. But since the Apex vote, several counties have moved to deny their employees abortion coverage because they fell for the settled law ruse.

It’s hard to believe its 2010 when an all-male town council led by a politically-connected mayor can deny thousands of women reproductive health coverage and get away with it. It’s hard to believe but it’s happening right here in North Carolina.  Please help us fight back.

At the very least the elected leaders who are stripping coverage should get their stories straight on why they thought it appropriate to force their personal belief systems on the rest of us at the detriment of their female employees.

As coverage from Cary News points out, the issue was initially cast by Weatherly as one that would protect the taxpayer from lawsuits.  But, after the decision was passed, Mayor Weatherly proclaimed, “The issue is the protection of the unborn.”  

But wait, didn’t you tell us that it was about protecting the town from lawsuits? The N&O quotes Wake County Board of Commissioners chair, Tony Gurley spoke on this theme saying, “As soon as we were made aware it [abortion coverage] was illegal, we stopped doing it.”

Except that it’s not. Turns out the only legal precedent that statement is founded on is a case brought by Representative Paul Stam in Stam vs. State of NC.  Also turns out, the 1991 precedent does NOT apply in this case as it does not address health insurance coverage.

The bottom line here is that city and county employees deserve full insurance coverage and that council members don’t get to decide who has access to legal medical procedures based on their political agendas.

Are city councilpersons and county commisioners elected as morality police?  You might think so if you’re following the news out of Wake County.

Last month’s decision by the Apex Town Council to strip abortion coverage from their town employee’s insurance coverage was initiated by Apex Mayor Keith Weatherly.  Mayor Weatherly, as noted in a previous post, works as a legislative assistant to Representative Paul Stam, a longtime crusader against a woman’s right to make child-bearing decisions.

The Apex abortion coverage ban triggered the Wake County Commissioners to consider stripping abortion coverage from county employees’ benefits. That proposal was added to the Commissioners’ agenda for their February 15 meeting… That is, until today.

The News and Observer reports that Wake County has followed Apex’s lead in cherry picking what health insurance benefits they deem “acceptable” and what they do not.

In case you were wondering, Wake County Government leaders determined that abortion coverage (which is covered by more than 80% of private insurance plans) falls into the latter category and, therefore, is out. The change has already been made administratively by the County Manager

It was just that simple. No public comment. Not a single vote on the matter. Is this our democracy at work? Now our local government is stepping into the role of “morality police”? Is this what anyone elected their County Commissioner or Town Council member to do?

Wake County residents: tell your Commissioners that you are outraged that the decision to cut comprehensive employee health coverage was brought about with no public comment and that you are strongly opposed to the change.