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Blogs Comment On Obama's Notre Dame Speech, Gallup Poll On Abortion Views, Other Topics
The following summarizes selected women"s health-related blog entries.~ "Nine Key Developments in Obama"s Notre Dame Speech," Dan Gilgoff, U.S. News & World Report"s God and Country: When speaking at the University of Notre Dame"s commencement ceremony Sunday, President Obama "devoted a good-sized chunk of the address to confronting the basis for the controversy" surrounding his invitation to speak "head on," Gilgoff writes. He goes on to list nine key points in the speech, including Obama"s decisions to acknowledge the controversy surrounding his appearance at the commencement; highlight his policy proposals of increasing adoption availability and assistance to pregnant women who carry pregnancies to term, which "go way beyond pregnancy prevention;" and voice his support for "drafting a sensible conscience clause," which represents a step away from completely rescinding the Bush administration provider "conscience" rule. Gilgoff writes that Obama also "argued, despite his hopes of achieving common ground around the hottest-button issue, the two sides in the abortion debate really are at loggerheads," adding that his statement was "incongruous with a speech that argued common ground is always possible between ideological combatants." Gilgoff also discusses media coverage of the event and the fact that "Obama never stated his pro-abortion-rights position," which likely will "rile" abortion-rights advocates. In addition, Obama "peppered his speech with shows of respect for those on the other side of the issue," according to Gilgoff. Lastly, Obama addressed the moral issue surrounding abortion, which "represents a break from Democrats who, for a long time, declined to do so," but also spoke on other moral and religious issues beyond abortion -- an important move "because most religious Americans don"t see their faith mostly in terms of stopping abortion" (Gilgoff, U.S. News & World Report"s God and Country, 5/18).~ "Has the Public Become More Opposed to Abortion?" John Sides, The Monkey Cage: Recently released polls from Gallup and the Pew Research Center were based on "hopelessly mushy" questions, and the "findings obscure far more than they reveal," Sides writes. The Gallup data showed that the percentage of people who said they are "pro-life" has risen and is larger than the percentage who calls themselves "pro-choice." The Pew data showed a decline in the percentage of people who think abortion should be legal in "all" or "most" cases, with an increase in the percentage of people who think it should be illegal in all or most cases. However, "a wider array of data do not appear to show notable trends," and the "movement appears to be among Republicans," Sides writes, adding that the two research groups "purport to show shifts in opinion that are not evident in other data." The two groups "employ vague questions that do not easily map onto actual policy debates," he continues, concluding, "Once more precise data are employed, it becomes clear that opinion strongly depends on the circumstances under which the abortion would occur" (Sides, The Monkey Cage, 5/16).~ "Discussion: Obama at Notre Dame," Washington Post"s On Faith: The Washington Post"s On Faith blog posted several entries regarding President Obama"s speech at the University of Notre Dame"s commencement ceremony. Susan Brooks Thistlewaite, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, writes that she "appreciated" that Obama"s speech "acknowledged that women are the central decision makers" when it comes to abortion "and that women engage in moral reasoning to make the decision." However, this has "kept religious authorities from making the connection between insights from the history of ethics and the abortion question." Brian McLaren, an evangelical pastor, writes that the speech "was an example of the kind of respectful discourse we need when grappling with issues over which we disagree, while author Susan Jacoby says that the speech and reaction from the audience "will h

News Conference: Physicians Invite President Obama To Texas' Border To See Health Care Delivery System
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Palliative Care Research To Benefit From $1.5 Million Award
The American Cancer Society and the National Palliative Care Research Center (NPCRC) are awarding $1.5 million in research grants to researchers at eleven institutions for studies aimed at reducing suffering for seriously ill patients and their family caregivers. The studies will be conducted over the next two years. The NPCRC, in collaboration with the American Cancer Society, has directed over $5 million towards supporting 38 palliative care research projects since starting this initiative three years ago.
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American Lung Association Applauds EPA For Taking Critical Steps To Protect Public Health From Global Shipping Pollution

Statement of Captain Charles D. Connor, U.S. Navy (Ret.), American Lung Association President and CEO: The American Lung Association applauds the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for advancing federal government efforts to protect the millions of people affected by dangerous air pollution generated by ocean-going vessels. Today, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson signed a notice of proposed rulemaking to put into place procedures for an Emissions Control Area that will require foreign-flagged ships within American waters to greatly reduce the volume of air pollution they produce. The pollution from these vessels jeopardizes the health and the lives of people living thousands of miles inland. The Administrator"s action today brings the United States one critical step closer to gaining the authority of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to enforce the cleanup of shipping pollution. In my career as a U.S. Navy Captain, I saw firsthand the staggering amounts of pollution that cruise ships, container ships, tankers and other ocean-going vessels released into the atmosphere. These ships dock at over 100 ports along our coastline and along navigable waterways far inland. Their smog-and soot-forming emissions threaten the health of those living far from our nation"s maritime ports. By comparison, the U.S. Navy has made great strides to comply with the United States" emission standards during normal operations. Air pollution sends people with lung disease to the hospital, shapes how children"s lungs develop, causes heart attacks and can even kill. Fighting for healthy air remains the highest priority of the American Lung Association. Children, seniors, those with lung disease, cardiovascular disease and diabetes will benefit most of all because they face the greatest risk from these dangerous pollutants. The American Lung Association looks forward to the cleaner air that will come because of the journey undertaken with the full support of the EPA. American Lung Association


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