The House of Representatives is currently considering a bill which would reform medical malpractice laws. Several Congresswomen drafted an amendment to limit the bill’s malpractice protections if a claim is based on a violation of the health care reform law related to the women’s preventive health services. Republicans are blocking the amendment from a vote.
This week the U.S. Supreme Court held that states cannot be sued for denying workers sick leave. The majority opinion handing down on Tuesday should be a warning to women: the Supreme Court most definitely does not have our backs.
I would prefer to celebrate the birthday of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by recalling the enormous gains this legislation has made for women. Instead, I wait with baited breath for oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court this week, fearful that the Court’s majority – five conservative male justices – could dismantle the rights we fought so hard to secure.
This year marked the first time in history that the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women did not produced Agreed Conclusions. The most contentious issues, not surprisingly, were related to women’s access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care.