Lame ducks, home birth, the connection between climate change and birth control…and more!

• The Paycheck Fairness Act and the DREAM Act will both be addressed during the lame duck session. Igniting Change has more information for you (including exactly how to take action)!

• Illinois legislators will vote on the Home Birth Safety Act (a bill which would license Certified Professional Midwives in the state) this week and midwifery advocates are asking folks to speak up on behalf of home birth access for women and families in the state. 

• How many different ways can the Catholic bishops continue to spread false information on health care reform, federal funding and abortion care for women in an attempt to justify why they held up a bill that will allow millions of men, women and children to access health care? The group is continuing to mis-state that health care reform, in any way, allows for taxpayer funding of abortions. Except when the woman who is pregnant may die if she doesn’t receive an abortion or she’s been the victim of rape or incest, the law is no different than what it’s been for almost forty years.

• First she did, then she didn’t. Does she? Cindy McCain speaks out (or tweets out) against “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and then comes out publicly in support. Slate’s XX Factor has more. 

• Environmental publication Grist’s Senior Editor, Lisa Hymas, tells “climate hawks” to “forget about carbon caps and start thinking about cervical caps.” Their next fight should be for…free birth control!

• Ms. Magazine’s Feminist Wire Daily reports that a new CDC report has found that inconsistent use of birth control accounts for much of this country’s unintended pregnancy rate. 

• Are women in the United States getting the message that they’re at risk for HIV? Are health providers who serve women when they go in for an annual exam or birth control doing enough to encourage an HIV test? Brooke at TheBody.com explores these questions in anticipation of World AIDS Day 2010.