Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report Highlights Women's Health Policy Issues Related To 2006 Elections

The following highlights recent election-related news on women's health issues.

• South Dakota: The South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families, a coalition of opponents of a South Dakota law (HB 1215) that bans abortion in the state except to save a woman's life, through June 28 has raised $116,000 in campaign funds, and the group South Dakotans for 1215/VoteYesForLife.com through June 28 has raised $88,095 in campaign funds, according to financial records submitted to the Secretary of State's office, the AP/Sioux City Journal reports. Healthy Families, which successfully blocked the July 1 enactment of the abortion law by gathering enough signatures to put the issue on the November ballot, received about $25,000 from South Dakota residents, while supporters of the legislation received $38,881 in donations from state residents. The next financial report is scheduled to be filed one week before the election on October 31 (Kafka, AP/Sioux City Journal, 7/7).
  


• South Dakota: The Philadelphia Inquirer on Sunday examined how the debate over the South Dakota abortion ban has "splintered" the state in "unpredictable ways, turning Republicans against Republicans, Democrats against Democrats, wives against husbands." South Dakota residents, the majority of whom tend to be more opposed to abortion rights than the rest of the country, "have become proxies in a national battle" on abortion rights. The "same types of divisions" about abortion rights that are seen nationwide exist in the state, according to the Inquirer. According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, 58% of people in the U.S. say they would oppose a national law similar to South Dakota's and 34% say they would support such a law (Nussbaum, Philadelphia Inquirer, 7/9).
  


• Tennessee: The three candidates for the Republican nomination to replace retiring Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) -- former Reps. Ed Bryant and Van Hilleary and former Chattanooga, Tenn., Mayor Bob Corker -- all say they oppose Frist's support for federally funded human embryonic stem cell research, the AP/Knoxville News Sentinel reports (Poovey, AP/Knoxville News Sentinel, 7/9). Frist in July 2005 delivered a speech on the Senate floor backing legislation (HR 810/S 471) that would expand federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, breaking from his previous support of President Bush's embryonic stem cell research policy. Bush's current policy allows federal funding for embryonic stem cell research only when conducted using stem cell lines created on or before Aug. 9, 2001, while the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005 -- which has been approved by the House -- would allow funding for research using stem cells derived from embryos originally created for fertility treatments and willingly donated by patients (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 7/29/05). Frist, the Senate majority leader, last month came to an agreement with other Senate leaders to bring to the Senate floor by the end of the month the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act and two other stem cell-related bills (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 7/6). The likely Democratic nominee for the Senate seat is Rep. Harold Ford, a co-sponsor of the House version of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act (AP/Knoxville News Sentinel, 7/9).
  


• Wisconsin: The Washington Post on Sunday examined Gov. Jim Doyle's (D) re-election campaign against Republican gubernatorial candidate Rep. Mark Green and the role human embryonic stem cell research might play in the election (Broder, Washington Post, 7/9). Doyle in April signed an executive order to direct $5 million in funding to help recruit stem cell researchers to the state (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 4/27). According to the Post, Doyle has said he hopes that the embryonic stem cell research issue will motivate his supporters in the upcoming gubernatorial elections (Washington Post, 7/9). Alternatively, Green has supported limiting federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. He has said he thinks there are more research opportunities in adult stem cell research and that he does not approve of destroying human embryos for the purpose of research (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 6/13). "I'm excited about stem cell research," Green said, adding, "But I don't believe we have to leave our moral compass behind in pursuing the promise of stem cell research." Doyle has called Green a "relentless opponent of stem cell research" and says that Green in eight votes has "tried to ban or even criminalize proven methods of stem cell research" (Washington Post, 7/9).

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