Today Governor Kaine [DNC Chair] announced that he will sign SB 817, which authorizes the creation of a “Choose Life” license plate and will funnel thousands of dollars to anti-choice, deceptive “crisis pregnancy centers.” “We are disappointed that Governor Kaine refused to recognize that when faced with an unintended pregnancy, women need information, not ideology,” said Tarina Keene, Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia. “In their zeal to prevent women from accessing abortion services, crisis pregnancy centers frequently mislead women about their options and completely disregard the neutrality that is a commonly accepted tenet of counseling. Organizations like these should not benefit from a state-approved funding stream.”

I respect that the issue of abortion is a very volatile one for many. There is certainly room for debate and common ground but the answer is education and making resources available to women, not denying them their options. We can see quite clearly where DNC Chair Governor Kaine falls on this issue and it is anything but progressive. NARAL President, Nancy Keenan, in abandoning Hillary Clinton last year during the primary in order to endorse Barack Obama, turned her back on the lady who helped put her organization on the map. Keenan is a hypocrite of the first order and is getting her comeuppance in having to protest Kaine’s actions.

While I firmly believe in a woman’s right to choose, I am in agreement with Secretary Hillary Clinton’s long stated position on abortion: safe, legal and rare. But wherever one is positioned on this debate, we have to trust that a woman is capable of making a moral, healthy and informed decision for herself and her family.

It is preposterous to me that we were voting on the possibility of a woman being president and vice president, yet in this day and age we are still debating whether a woman has the right to dominion over her own body. This is an equal rights issue. Women should not have to be legislated to by rich old white men. Until a man has the ability to pass something the size of a bowling ball through his privates, he can keep his big mouth shut about my reproductive rights. Period.

Governor Kaine is the man hand picked by President Obama to be the new leader of the DNC. This is a man who is anti-choice, anti-stem cell, anti-GLBT and pro-Iraq. Wow. Sure sounds like a Democrat to me. I wonder to whom President Obama was pandering with this choice of the most un-progressive, reactionary Democrat he could find. As he did during the campaign, President Obama wishes to have it both ways.

According to Boston Globe’s article, NARAL blasts DNC chief, “[t]he abortion-rights wing of the Democratic Party is none too happy today with a top leader.” I can see why. Governor Kaine today….

…signed a bill including state funding for crisis pregnancy centers, which abortion right advocates calls “anti-choice organizations.”

The NARAL Pro-Choice America political action committee said today that Kaine has “taken action that’s inconsistent with the strong pro-choice platform adopted by party leaders last August.”

“This is the first piece of legislation involving a woman’s right to choose that Kaine considered since being elected chairman of the national party,” said the committee, which says it sent 17,266 messages from activists to the DNC urging Kaine to veto the measure.

Nancy Keenan further stated:

“It is unfortunate that, even after receiving thousands of messages from Virginians and pro-choice activists across the country, Gov. Kaine has opted to sign a bill that advances a divisive political ideology at the expense of women’s health… This action reminds America’s pro-choice majority that we must hold elected officials in both political parties accountable when they take actions that are inconsistent with mainstream pro-choice values.”

Unfortunate? Perhaps. But not unexpected.

This is another time we get to say, ‘I told you so, Nancy.’ When she went against her district offices and much of her membership, unilaterally deciding to come out and endorse Barack Obama for President, she left many in her organization fuming. She endorsed a man who, in his interview with The Advocate last year, said that “many Democrats do not understand that abortion is a wrenching moral issue.”

Oh? Do we not? How insulting. I can assure you that is not the case. And now, he demonstrates not only his insensitivity to his constituency, but chooses someone to lead his party who panders more to a right leaning agenda than anything else. Who did his voters select again? Even if Kaine wishes to say he is acting as Governor of his state in this instance and not wearing his other hat, he is sending a powerful message by signing this bit of legislation in Virginia. And well he knows it. Governor Kaine’s action is hardly consistent with President Obama’s stated platform to his supporters.

And by the way, the right of choice means exactly that – which means defending Governor Sarah Palin’s choice as much as anyone’s.

Hillary Clinton always fought for women’s rights and cared about their reproductive health. As Secretary of State, she continues to fight for the rights of women.

How ironic that Nancy Keenan chose to ignore this fact and abandoned the principles her organization is supposed to stand for, only now to be abandoned in return.

Just desserts, anyone?

It appears that President Obama is finally going to make good on his campaign promise to lift the restrictions on stem cell research for federally funded projects. Monday may be the day when President Bush’s Executive Order will be reversed. In the meantime a little Devil called the Dickey-Wicker Amendment could toss a monkey wrench into the mix.

It’s a complicated story, but basically the amendment banning federal fund use for embryonic stem cell research was attached as a rider to the 1996 appropriations bill for the Department of Health and Human Services. Congress has continually renewed some version of the ban. The only human embryo research currently conducted is in the private sector. (For more detail on the complex politics of stem cell research see here and here .)

So even if the President signs a new Executive Order will that little devil drag it down?

Democratic Representative Diana DeGette of Colorado is paying attention. She believes that Congress will approve a bill that would make Obama’s executive order law. This would make it more difficult for future administrations to oppose the use of stem cells. (Executive orders can pass back-and-forth like 4 years per move chess games.) But what about the Dickey-Wicker amendment? Can it just be dumped? Not if the “culture of life” legislators have anything to say about it.

In the meantime, some of our leading stem cell researchers are at NIH, and top experts at other sites depend on federal grants to implement their promising projects. They don’t want to wait another day.

Stay tuned!

As far as I can tell, executive orders can be signed relatively quickly and easily. Certainly, it can be done in less than a month. Write something up and sign it. Not to difficult, right?

Perhaps its much more time consuming and difficult than we thought. Back in early February, we heard Obama and Axelrod promise that an executive order overturning Bush’s ban on embryonic stem cell research was to be signed.

(The first link has a time stame of 2/7/09, the second a time stamp of 2/15/09.) One would have expected this bill to be signed and to have become the law of the land by now, right? Not so. Today we get a new promise: that an executive order will come on Monday. So after a month, we *might* see the promise fulfilled on Monday.

This may not matter to many, but it does matter to scientists. If one takes a look at the NIH grant submission deadlines, you’ll see that resubmission, renewal, and revision deadline for RO1 grants–a major source of academic funding–was yesterday. Had Obama followed through with his promise in a timely manner, researchers could have amended their grants to take into account of the new executive order. Now they have to wait several more months. So much for the fierce urgency of now. It’s more like the fierce urgency of tomorrow.

One of the most compelling pledges made by Barack Obama on the campaign trail was the reversal of the executive order set forth by George W. Bush drastically limiting the use of embryonic stem cells in federally-funded research.

It seemed unthinkable that embryos destined for the dumper anyway took precedent over the potential to find cures for adult diabetes, Parkinson’s, and many other debilitating diseases that that ravage millions of fully-formed, living human beings.

So, needless to say, hearts sank when now President Obama was asked on January 16th, 2009, if he was now going to use his executive power to swiftly lift the federal ban on embryonic stem cell research as promised. His answer was more than disappointing:

Well, if we can do something legislative then I usually prefer a legislative process because those are the people’s representatives. And I think that on embryonic stem cell research, the fact that you have a bipartisan support around that issue, the fact that you have Republicans like Orrin Hatch who are fierce opponents of abortion and yet recognize that there is a moral and ethical mechanism to ensure that people with Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s can actually find potentially some hope out there, you know, I think that sends a powerful message.

So we’re still examining what things we’ll do through executive order. But I like the idea of the American people’s representatives expressing their views on an issue like this.

We would have to wait for Congress to get an act together. That could take months or even years. Why? Many thought it was because he was afraid to actually take a controversial stand all by himself. He hasn’t been known for that kind of courage.

I don’t know exactly what happened, and that key is not in the lock yet, but Obama’s primary strategist, David Axelrod, stated last Sunday that we can expect an executive order soon allowing federal funding for embryonic research. Yes!

Who knows what may have changed President Obama’s mind. Surely he was hounded by those who were counting on his promise-keeping. Maybe he wants to show Congress that he can take charge, following on his not-so-successful attempt to bring them quickly on board with his stimulus package.

Whatever the reason, this is great news. We won’t see cures overnight, of course. But we are late getting started, and the promise is great. Stay tuned…

In one of his first acts as president, Barack Obama is planning to lift a rule that prevents federal money from going to international family planning groups that counsel women on abortion or perform the procedure. [This will help women worldwide.]

Obama’s repeal of the abortion aid policy is one of several executive actions he will take soon after his inauguration today, according to Obama transition aides. He is also considering lifting Bush administration restrictions on federally funded stem cell research. …

Then there’s this story from a pro-life publication with a chilling title: “Bioethicist: Obama Letting Congress Kill Bush Stem Cell Policy Smacks of Politics.” Obviously the “bioethicist” is opposed to stem cell research but, like me, he sees Obama as choosing the cowardly route of putting the onus on Congress, not on himself.

I have a strong hunch that President Obama is vacillating due to pressure from the powerful black ministers who brought him busloads of votes as well as his cozy alliances with conservative mega-church ministers like Rick Warren. It’s just a hunch. Surely those religious leaders are also pressuring Obama on the abortion rule. So, I’m a skeptic, and I believe in Obama’s “change” when I see him actually bring about change. The first way I will see his “change” is when he has some guts and nerve, and overrides Bush’s executive orders. Passing the buck to Congress is an “easy out” for a man who campaigned vigorously promising reversals on stem cell research.

I checked the new White House Web site — do check out this site! — and confirmed that President Obama has signed no Executive Orders or Proclamations:

Now for my January 18th piece, which Ani asked me to republish. Why? It’s important. If Obama passes this off to Congress, it’s a “tell,” as they say in poker. If Obama comes through, I’ll begin to change my mind about his character — as in, maybe he has some. Character, I mean. Although he’s going to have to come through with a lot more before I ever become a fan. A whole hell of a lot more.

As so many readers said here the other day, if Hillary had been sworn in today, she’d have already rescinded Bush’s Executive Order on stem cell research, as well as that affecting women around the world.

ORIGINAL STORY: As the great political thinker Mae West once said, “An ounce of performance is worth pounds of promises.”

Institutions, scientists, and states’ governors across the nation are giddy with anticipation that President Barack Obama will strike Bush’s stem cell executive order. Twenty-one Nobel Laureates wrote a letter to PEBO last month; the letter organizer said that “he feels sure the incoming president will be receptive.” Writes a San Francisco Chronicle reporter in “Californians optimistic Obama will reward state” on January 18, 2008:

[O]ne of the most high-profile initiatives the incoming administration supports is stem cell research. That would reverse eight years of Bush opposition – and no region is better positioned to benefit than the Bay Area.

The UCSF Mission Bay project in San Francisco is the state’s stem cell research hub, and throughout Silicon Valley and the East Bay, research scientists are already bracing for a funding boom. …

There are stories like this across the nation.

Those stories also come from Atlanta, Georgia, which is counting on an infusion of funding for its research facilities which, of course, also means new jobs, new tax revenues, and all the benefits that state governments accrue from a growing industry like stem cell research. (See the Atlanta Journal-Constitution‘s “Stem cells could be big business for state.”) Then there are the hundreds of thousands who suffer from debilitating diseases who are counting on Obama’s promise of immediate action. We recall that Obama attacked John McCain for not strongly supporting the research. And we note that Obama’s transition team promised lightning-fast action.

But then there came Obama’s statements to CNN’s John King today — the same day that those hopeful stories in San Francisco, California and Atlant, Georgia were published.

The REALITY: Obama is backtracking on rescinding Bush’s executive orders and instead, he told King today, he prefers that Congress pass a bill, which will take, oh, how many months and/or years?

So much for an “ounce of performance”:

Here is CNN’s and The New Yorker‘s Jeffrey Toobin discussing the POWER that Barack Obama will have as of noon, January 20, 2009, to undo Bush’s stifling restrictions on stem cell research, abortion counseling, and other important issues to millions of Americans:

But, instead, here’s what Obama told John King today. I’ll title this section this way:

Well, you know …

KING: You will have the power at the end of that parade to, at the stroke of a pen, lift the federal ban on embryonic stem cell research. There may be the votes to do it in Congress now, but you don’t have to wait, you could do it in your first few minutes in office, will you?

OBAMA: Well, you know, if we can do something legislative, then I usually prefer a legislative process because those are the people’s representatives. 

And I think that on embryonic stem cell research, the fact that you have a bipartisan support around that issue, the fact that you have Republicans like Orrin Hatch who are fierce opponents of abortion and yet recognize that there is a moral and ethical mechanism to insure that people with Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s can actually find potentially some hope out there, you know, I think that sends a powerful message.

So we’re still examining what things we’ll do through executive order. But I like the idea of the American people’s representatives expressing their views on an issue like this. …

Blah, blah, blah.

“I like the idea of the American people’s representatives expressing their views on an issue like this. …”

TRANSLATION: “I am passing the buck so I don’t have to take any heat from any religious leaders. And to HELL with the millions of people who voted for me in good part because stem cell research restrictions were what they expected– KNEW and had GOOD FAITH — that you would undo.”

California and Georgia, you can sit and wait. Boy, can you imagine the feelings of all of the people who were interviewed for those news stories in today’s San Francisco Chronicle and “Atlanta Journal-Constitution?

Obama just knocked the breath right out of them.

How about people like Amy Comstock Rick, interviewed for CNN’s article that accompanied the above video, “Obama may reverse Bush policies on stem cells, drilling, abortion,” which was written in December 2008, while there was still reason to HOPE that Obama would act quickly and decisively:

Obama is expected to use his executive authority to reverse Bush’s order limiting the types of embryonic stem cell research that can receive federal tax dollars.

Advocates for those suffering from a host of diseases — including diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and spinal cord injuries — are eagerly awaiting the Bush-era restrictions to be lifted.

“We have every reason to believe — if not on Day One, then in the very near future — they will be issuing an order rescinding this policy,” said Amy Comstock Rick, president of the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research.

Ms. Comstock Rick, I’m afraid you’ll have to wait. And given how inefficient the Democratic Congress is, you’re very likely going to have to wait quite a long time. Which is nuts, when Obama could undo this with the stroke of his pen. I’m sorry for you, Ms. Comstock Rick. I bet you voted for Obama expecting that he’d act very quickly for you. You counted on him. And why not? He gave you every reason to “hope” that there would be “change,” didn’t he? But, as those of us who scrutinized his history very closely came to find out, for Barack Obama those are often mere words to use to win elections. Because winning is the prize. Governing, not so much.

We were excoriated for our opposition to Sen. Obama. Yet, we felt compelled to warn people this is that was going to happen.

Now, if stem cell research is important to you — as it is to me because I have conditions from which such advances would be meaningful — please write to President Obama immediately, and DEMAND that he fulfill his campaign promises.

The AFP has a story, “Obama wants Congress to act on lifting stem cells ban” as does Politico.com, “Obama may not lift stem cell limits.”

Now there’s change for you.

Not.

Oh I love this quote from the AFP article cited above:

If the research could yield hope for victims of degenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, “I think that sends a powerful message,” [Obama] said.

Isn’t that touching. A powerful message. What in the hell about the millions of people whose lives could be changed for the better?

Who in the hell cares about a “powerful message”?

People want their lives back!

Show some guts, would you?