Where does your state rank?

Kaiser reports that three "liberal" advocacy groups -- Ipas, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, and the SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective -- on Wednesday released state-by-state scores and rankings of state laws related to reproductive and gay rights.

The rankings were released on an interactive Web site, which ranks the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on more than 20 indicators, including whether states allow public funding for family planning and abortion, whether health care providers can deny medical services because of their personal beliefs and whether abstinence-only curricula are taught in schools.

The rankings place New Mexico and New York state in first place for having laws that promote reproductive and gay rights, and Ohio and South Dakota in last place.

Leila Hessini, Ipas senior policy advisor, said: “Historically, the United States has represented ideals of liberty and equality for much of the world. But, as this project demonstrates, that freedom often depends on the state you call home.”

Loretta Ross, SisterSong’s national coordinator, said the map demonstrated how the issues of reproductive rights, and economic and social justice were intrinsically linked.

Clicked to find my clinging-to-the-heels of the bible belt, Florida:

Florida received 100 penalty points on the following filters:
Abortion method bans (also known as ‘partial-birth’ abortion bans)
Mandatory parental involvement in minors’ abortions
TRAP (targeted regulation of abortion providers) laws
Abortion coverage under the Medicaid program
Contraceptive equity in private insurance
Confidential family planning services for minors
Emergency contraception (EC) in the emergency room
Emergency contraception (EC) pharmacy access
Anti-discrimination laws for LGBT Community
DOMA (Defense of Marriage Acts) and similar constitutional amendments
Same-sex marriage laws
“Conscience” or refusal clauses
Fetal endangerment laws
Fetal homicide laws

Florida received 50 penalty points on the following filters:
Enjoined: Mandatory counseling before abortion
Lack of protection or restriction:
Second-parent/Step-parent adoption by same-sex partners