Tag Archives: HB2036

Death of a Bill, Birth of an Activist

Posted on by

Editor’s Note: Liza Love, an Arizona pro-choice activist, testified against House Bill 2838 at the Arizona House of Representatives on February 15, 2012. She shares her experience speaking out for reproductive rights.

I am one of millions. We all have some sort of story that reflects the positive impact of Planned Parenthood in our world. There are some of us who honor that role loudly, there are those who allow it to have a quiet sort of resonance, and there are even some who refuse to acknowledge it at all, but that makes it no less true.

We must get to a place where ridiculous ideology is unacceptable from our leaders, where science and facts are not vilified. That will happen when our voices are louder and more coherent.

I have wanted to give back to Planned Parenthood for a long time. Not having much monetarily to share, I have given what I could over the years, yet still felt a need to do more. When I read about HB2838, which would ban abortions at 20 weeks, even in the case of fetal anomalies, I was astonished! I had just moved and had a ton of unpacking to do, but I knew I would be at the hearing for HB2838 to make my voice heard. The plan was that I was going to show up at the Arizona House of Representatives early, meet with my fellow pro-choice activists outside, and get the story of someone who couldn’t be present so that I could share it on his or her behalf. It would allow me to support women and health and see the process of lawmaking all at the same time.

When I arrived at the Capitol, I ended up in this tiny room that was so full it would be an understatement to compare it to being packed like sardines! There were people everywhere!  Rep. Cecil P. Ash, the chairman, was reading some guidelines for the hearing, and then some proposed amendments from Rep. Matt Heinz were being explained to the panel, and ultimately, all but one was voted down. That alone was eye-opening. First of all, Dr. Heinz is a friend to women’s reproductive health and overall well-being, and his efforts to make sure his peers are informed with facts and details was refreshing. Continue reading →

HB 2036 Hurts Women and Promotes Bad Medicine

Posted on by
Call Senate President Steve Pierce immediately!

Call Senate President Steve Pierce

The fight against women’s health continues and we need to put the pressure on! You still have the power to help stop these dangerous, anti-woman bills, some of the worst this legislature has ever proposed.

The Arizona Senate will be hearing HB 2036 tomorrow, March 22, and we need you to send a strong message
as soon as possible.

Call Senate President Steve Pierce immediately,
and click here to send YOUR senator a strong message!

Senator Steve Pierce, Senate President: 602-926-5584 Continue reading →

The Senate Judiciary Committee: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Posted on by

Editor’s Note: Suzanne, an Arizona pro-choice activist, was present for the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on February 27, 2012. She shares her experience watching state legislators debate House Bill 2036, which would ban abortion after 20 weeks, even in the case of fetal anomalies.

When State Sen. Paula Aboud addressed us at last year’s Planned Parenthood Legislative Day, she became emotional while speaking about her experiences in the Arizona Legislature. After having attended a recent committee hearing, I now know why this fight for our reproductive rights evokes such feelings. There, I witnessed the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Let’s start with some of the positives about the hearing:

  • women and men of all ages joining together to stand up to the Legislature
  • discussing issues with like-minded people as you wait for the hearing to begin — they usually never start on time
  • watching State Sen. David Lujan, who tried to interject reasonable discussion and later tweeted, “Committee passes bill interfering in a woman’s personal medical decisions. So much for limited government”
  • supporting fellow volunteers who are willing to share their very personal and emotional stories for the public record
  • observing our state’s political system first hand (and living to tell about it)

The bad and ugly list includes:

  • Chairman Gould telling a woman she couldn’t hold up a “Choose Life” sign so she simply placed it on top of her stroller making it still very visible to the committee
  • erroneous information being presented by and to legislators
  • vilifying a doctor trying to present information based on science, not philosophy, and enduring a grilling about the money to be made in the “abortion industry”
  • one legislator referring to a constituent as “just a resident”
  • using “creative” tactics to paste the contents of this bill that couldn’t generate enough support into an unrelated bill that had already passed the House

While preserving our rights will always mean a healthy dose of the good, bad, and ugly, it’s unfair to rely on the same people to be on the front lines. So I encourage you to attend at least one legislative hearing, send an email, or make a phone call in support of reproductive rights.

The new PPAZ Activist Council is one way for you to show your support. Visit our website for more info on this volunteer-driven project and its related committees.

Action Alert: House Bill 2838 Is Resurrected as House Bill 2036

Posted on by

All of your calls and emails really made a difference! HB2838 — the abortion bill that would impose harsh felonies and possible prison time on the physicians who provide care to me and my family — was pulled from the House Health Committee agenda and was considered dead!

But…

Rep. Kimberly Yee, the sponsor of the bill, has found another bill to use as a striker for 2838. House Bill 2838 has just become House Bill 2036.

A strike-all amendment is a little-known backdoor legislative maneuver that allows lawmakers to strip the contents of a bill and replace everything below the title with new bill language that died along the way, like HB2838, effectively resurrecting a dead bill.

House Bill 2036 now includes all the same language that was in HB2838. Anti-choice legislators and the Center for Arizona Policy have pulled out all the stops — even ignored the cries of constituents who opposed this bad bill. HB2036 is going to the Senate Judiciary Committee this Monday, February 27, and we have to make sure we show our power again! We helped kill this bill in the House — I know together, we can do it again in the Senate!!

TWO ACTIONS NEEDED NOW!

  1. Call Senate President Sen. Steve Pierce at 602-926-5584 and tell him: “Please do NOT allow HB2036 to be heard. It was already killed and it does not deserve to come back. I do not want doctors to have to face these kinds of liabilities and threats of jail.”
  2. CLICK HERE to send an important message to members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

We can kill this bill forever!