Kaiser News To Note

News from Kaiser:

Not "new" news, but Crisis pregnancy centers are using "deceptive tactics" to attract women seeking abortion services, according to a report released Thursday by the National Abortion Federation, the New York Sun reports. The report says that the centers -- which do not provide abortion services -- are deceiving women and using tax-payer funds to subsidize their work. The report cites several examples, including a pregnancy center in Massachusetts that used the title PP, Inc., or Problem Pregnancy, and moved into an office on the same floor as a Planned Parenthood Federation of America clinic. In addition, the report alleges that some women who went to crisis centers "describe being harassed, bullied and given blatantly false information". The report suggests adopting legislation that would regulate advertisements for crisis pregnancy centers. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) in April proposed legislation that would require the Federal Trade Commission to adopt policies barring health providers from advertising "with the intent to deceptively create the impression that such person is a provider of abortion services if such person does not provide abortion services." Maloney said that she drafted the bill with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union to avoid infringing on free-speech rights (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 4/3). Kristin Hansen -- spokesperson for CareNet, a national network of antiabortion counseling centers -- said the NAF report contains outdated and erroneous information.

Washington, D.C., Cardinal Theodore McCarrick on Thursday at a U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops meeting in Los Angeles reiterated a policy approved by the bishops in 2004 that the decision to deny communion to Roman Catholic politicians who support abortion rights is up to the local bishop, Reuters/ABC News reports. The USCCB in June 2004 at a closed meeting in Colorado voted to approve a statement saying that Catholic politicians should work against legalized abortion "lest they be guilty of cooperating in evil and in sinning against the common good." However, the statement also said the decision to deny Communion to Catholic politicians who support abortion rights should be left to individual bishops. "These dialogues are not about winning votes but saving souls." The task force has written a booklet, "Readings on Catholics and Political Life," that has been distributed to every Catholic member of Congress. The church also is arranging education and information sessions on Capitol Hill about Catholic teachings. McCarrick said the church needs "more, not fewer Catholics in political life" and announced that the task force is ending its work. Yuk.

The federal government has suspended $2.65 million in funding from a California program that offers breast and cervical cancer screenings at no cost to uninsured women after the state Department of Health Services neglected to correctly collect and report data on the program to CDC, Kevin Reilly -- deputy director of prevention services for DHS -- said Friday, the AP/San Jose Mercury News reports. About 270,000 women annually receive screenings through the state's "Every Woman Counts" program, which was launched in the mid-1990s, according to the AP/Mercury News. State officials were notified about six months ago that the federal funds would be suspended, the Sacramento Bee reports. Initially, state officials thought they would have to discontinue cervical cancer screenings and in a May 31 letter told clinic operators to stop enrolling new patients in the screenings by June 30. However, DHS on Friday said it would be able to use funds from the state's share of the national tobacco settlement for breast and cervical cancer screenings. "It is true that we need to improve our data collection to be more comprehensive," Reilly said, adding, "We're attempting to improve that system right now." CDC officials were not available for comment, according to the Bee. Why not just help them fix the problem instead of refusing medical access to 270,000 women???

Canadian sales of Barr Laboratories subsidiary Duramed Pharmaceuticals' emergency contraceptive Plan B have increased since nonprescription sales of the drug were approved in the country, according to figures released on Monday by DoctorSolve Healthcare Solutions, a company that sells drugs through its Web site, the Boston Globe reports. Canada's national health agency, Health Canada, in April 2005 approved Plan B for use without a doctor's prescription, allowing the pills to be sold at pharmacies nationwide. Duramed in January 2005 sold 23,000 pills to retail pharmacies, compared with 41,000 pills currently sold by Canadian pharmacies monthly, the DoctorSolve figures say. A Barr spokesperson said the company does not track product transfers to Duramed but added that inventory figures corroborate DoctorSolve's figures.

Wall Street Journal/Harris Interactive poll: The majority of U.S. adults believe information and access to birth control should be more available, according to an online survey conducted by the Wall Street Journal and Harris Interactive. The poll, which surveyed 2,689 U.S. adults between June 9 and June 13, finds that 89% of the adults surveyed believe that information about birth control should be more accessible; 81% believe that providing access to birth control is a good way to prevent abortions; 73% believe that a person's access to birth control should not be limited by someone's ability to pay for it; and 58% believe that emergency contraception should be easily available in all pharmacies. The survey also finds that 46% of participants believe teens should be allowed access to contraception without their parents' knowledge.