About Reproductive Choice

This page contains an archive of the last 100 entries posted to ProgressNow.org Daily News Digest in the Reproductive Choice category. They are listed from newest to oldest. You can find older entries using the search box below.

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Reproductive Choice Archives

February 29, 2008

Bishops haven't endorsed state conception amendment - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8400204...
The Colorado Catholic Conference says it has not endorsed a Colorado ballot measure that would grant personhood and constitutional rights from the moment of conception. The conference, which speaks for the state's three Catholic bishops, issued a statement Thursday contradicting the petitioners — Colorado for Equal Rights — which claimed Wednesday that the church's state leaders are on board. Colorado for Equal Rights organizer Keith Mason had issued a statement listing the anti-abortion group's prominent supporters. Mason said that Pueblo Bishop Arthur Tafoya, Colorado Springs Bishop Michael Sheridan and Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput had "personally expressed their support."
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February 27, 2008

Dr. Seuss's Horton embraced by abortion foes - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8369738...
The Dr. Seuss tale of an elephant named Horton who struggles to protect a microscopic community from a larger world oblivious to its existence may become a plot twist in Colorado's debate over a proposed constitutional amendment on personhood. The children's classic "Horton Hears a Who" will hit the big screen March 14. It strikes abortion foe Colorado for Equal Rights as an opportunity to celebrate the story's central theme that "a person's a person, no matter how small." The group is petitioning for a ballot measure asking voters to say personhood begins at conception. "It's so true that whatever stage of life you're in, you're a person, whatever your size," says Kristi Burton, the group's 20-year-old founder. The amendment seeks to guarantee constitutional protections from the moment of conception. It would lay a legal foundation for banning abortion in the state.
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The Longmont Times-Call - Parents see sex-ed option

http://www.timescall.com/News_Story.asp?id=6833...
A detailed discussion of birth control being offered in the St. Vrain Valley School District’s ninth-grade health classes may give some students too much information, a few parents said Tuesday night. Seven parents attended a presentation of what Niwot High School students will see in April — if their parents allow them to attend one class that will discuss specific types of birth control and how to use them. Parent Beth Piper said families should be the teens’ source for such information. “It’s up to each parent to teach their child such an intimate topic,” Piper said. “I never received any of this information until I was in college.” The one-day discussions are new this spring to the St. Vrain Valley School District, after the board last summer approved a policy change from directive abstinence to a comprehensive health-class curriculum.
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February 26, 2008

Law would curtail some anti-abortion protests : State and West : Boulder Daily Camera

http://dailycamera.com/news/2008/feb/26/law-would-curtail-some-anti-abortion-pro...
People protesting outside the homes of abortion doctors and others would be limited to one sign each and would have to keep moving under a new bill being considered by state lawmakers. Sen. Steve Ward, R-Littleton, said Monday that the bill doesn't take a position on the issues being protested and is aimed at keeping the peace in neighborhoods. Ward, who opposes abortion rights, pointed out that the bill is sponsored by lawmakers from both parties on both sides of the abortion issue. "We have a right to be secure and peaceful in our homes," Ward said.
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February 22, 2008

Debate over DPS contraceptives : Education : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/22/contraceptives-plan-for-dps-sp...
Debate began Thursday night on a proposal that would make contraceptives available at health clinics in Denver Public Schools. The school board took no action but accepted a report from a task force that mapped out the future for the 12 school-based health centers throughout the system. The report calls for a wide array of improvements, such as a pilot project for preventive dental care, hiring additional school nurses and providing an intensive day school for students with severe and chronic mental illnesses. But it was the recommendation on providing reproductive health services that drew most of the comments. Carol Bowar, vice president for program services with Girls Inc. of Metro Denver, urged the board to adopt the task-force recommendation. "Research tells us that contraceptives do not make girls more sexually active or promiscuous," Bowar said. "Quite the opposite, it makes them safe." Opponents, however, urged the board to do more research and move cautiously.
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DPS board mum on birth control - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8330750...
Students and health care providers said access to birth control in schools is as sensible as putting seat belts in cars, but a pastor said condoms in Denver's high schools would be a moral step backward. Thus went the argument before a muted school board Thursday — whose members chose not to discuss the controversial issue and instead directed district staff to examine the recommendation. A task force's eight recommendations to improve student health include making birth control available in health centers in high schools — with the principal and community advisory committee's permission. Steve Federico, director of Denver Health's school-based health centers, said the recommendation is a way to cut the teen pregnancy rate. Students are having sex but don't use contraception because it is too expensive and hard to access, said several high school students who appealed to the board to approve the recommendation. Birth control should be provided in the health centers where students get most of their medical services, they said.
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February 19, 2008

Low-income birth control bill passes house despite Republican objections | News | The Tribune

http://greeleytribune.com/article/20080219/NEWS/993612655...
A bill aimed at providing more low-income Colorado residents with birth control options passed the state House on Monday despite objections from House Republicans that the bill will indirectly provide money for abortions. The bill -- Senate Bill 3 -- was sponsored in the House by Rep. Jim Riesberg, D-Greeley, and passed by a vote of 41-23 after succeeding in the Senate in late January. It now goes to Gov. Ritter's desk for consideration. Riesberg said the bill will save Colorado money by expanding how the federal government pays for low-income people who receive reproductive health services, including contraception and sterilization, from health-care providers. Riesberg said similar bills in Arkansas, Alabama and Florida have saved those states millions of dollars by keeping some unintended pregnancies from happening, though it is unclear how much money, if any, this bill would save Colorado if signed by Ritter. Colorado pays for half of the services it provides to many such residents. If the bill is signed, it would almost ensure that the federal government pays 90 percent for most such services while also expanding the definition of low-income residents.
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February 18, 2008

Takeover of hospitals raises control issue : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/18/takeover-of-hospitals-raises-c...
The dispute over the proposed Catholic takeover of two metro-area hospitals isn't just about whether patients can undergo procedures like tubal ligations that religious rules prohibit. It's also about control - who gets to call the shots at Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge and Good Samaritan Medical Center in Lafayette. Exempla Inc., which owns and manages both hospitals, is locked in a bitter power struggle with its parent organizations, Kansas- based Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System and Community First Foundation of Arvada. Four court cases on the transaction are pending. Under the proposed deal, Community First would sell its interest in Exempla to Sisters of Charity for $311 million. Sisters of Charity also would invest $300 million for hospital expansions and growth needs at Exempla's three facilities, including St. Joseph Hospital in Denver. In return for its financial commitment, Sisters of Charity would gain control over Exempla's CEO and board and thereby direct operations at Lutheran and Good Samaritan hospitals. As it is with the other nine hospitals owned by Sisters of Charity, Lutheran and Good Samaritan medical staff would have to follow Catholic ethical and religious directives, which prohibit abortions, tubal ligations, vasectomies and other forms of birth control unless deemed medically necessary. The rules also restrict removing feeding tubes from people in a persistent vegetative state.
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February 15, 2008

Ball allows fathers, daughters to unite in call for abstinence | News | The Tribune

http://greeleytribune.com/article/20080215/NEWS/395010250...
Fresh from a dance with her father, Alexandra Sanford, 14, turned her attention to a subject she feels strongly about -- abstinence. "I definitely think its very, very important to keep myself pure until marriage, and this is just one way of promoting that," Alexandra Sanford said. Fathers and daughters from across the region joined in echoing a message of "just wait" Thursday night at the 2008 Weld County Father-Daughter Purity Ball at St. Michael's Event Center, 3050 67th Ave. in Greeley. The event, sponsored by the Weld County Abstinence Education Program, aimed to give fathers and daughters a chance to spend time together and join in the call to refrain from sex until marriage.
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February 14, 2008

The Denver Post - Birth control an issue for DPS

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8254636...
Denver Health has determined it cannot provide birth control to the city's school-based health centers — unless the school board undoes a 22-year-old ban on contraceptives. If that happens — and the matter is scheduled to be presented to the board next week — contraceptives would have to be made available without parental consent. "There are two major issues," said John Kechriotis, Denver Public Schools attorney. "One is the decision on whether you distribute contraceptives in a school clinic. That is a big issue that needs to be resolved. Beyond that decision, there is the whole other issue of the parental consent."
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February 12, 2008

Grand Junction Sentinel - Senate committee rejects abortion ultrasound measure

http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2008/02/11/021208_1b_Abortio...
A state Senate committee rejected a Colorado Springs lawmaker’s assertions Monday that doctors should have to offer ultrasounds to women seeking abortions as a way to help women make better decisions. “Basically this is a bill, as Hillary Clinton would say, to make abortion safe, legal and rare,” Sen. David Schultheis, R-Colorado Springs, said while presenting Senate Bill 95. The Senate State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee, however, rejected his proposal on a party line, 3-2 vote with Democrats saying Schultheis’ bill is the wrong way to cut down on unintended pregnancies. “It puts a burden on certain people … and it’s not the right way to go,” Sen. Chris Romer, D-Denver, told his colleague. Schultheis’ bill would have required abortion providers to give pregnant women considering ending their pregnancies information about receiving ultrasounds. The bill also required doctors to administer an ultrasound if the woman requests one. Women seeking abortions, under Schultheis’ bill, also would have been required to wait 24 hours between signing off that they were informed of their ultrasound rights and obtaining an abortion.
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February 8, 2008

The Denver Post - Catholic charity to try new tack in hospital feud

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8201817...
In an effort to speed a decision in a proposed $311 million sale of two Denver-area hospitals, the buyer — Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System — said it will seek binding arbitration Monday. Sisters of Charity said it will ask a Denver district judge to suspend proceedings in a Jan. 8 lawsuit filed by Exempla Inc. to block the purchase of two hospitals. The Kansas-based Sisters of Charity agreed to pay its partner, the Arvada-based nonprofit Community First Foundation, $311 million for its 50 percent interest in Exempla Lutheran and Good Samaritan hospitals in Wheat Ridge and Lafayette. Upon becoming the sole sponsor of the two hospitals, Sisters of Charity officials said, it also would provide $300 million in additional funding to the hospitals' operator, Exempla Healthcare. The Exempla board opposes the transfer because as a Catholic manager, Sisters of Charity will not permit abortion, tubal ligation and birth-control services in its hospitals. Exempla chief executive Jeff Selberg said the sale would change the basic character of its health care system.
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February 7, 2008

Headlines: 40-day, round-the-clock vigil will protest abortion | vigil, parenthood, planned - Gazette.com

http://www.gazette.com/articles/vigil_32848___article.html/parenthood_planned.ht...
For the next 39 days, a group of Catholics and Protestants will gather around the clock on a sidewalk outside a Planned Parenthood office to protest abortion. The vigil began at 12:01 a.m. on Ash Wednesday, when the Rev. Bill Carmody prayed outside Planned Parenthood at 1330 W. Colorado Ave. Two or more protesters plan to be there on a rotating schedule to pray, read biblical verses and talk to women arriving for appointments. “We find this issue so important that we are willing to sacrifice and be here at 1 in the morning praying for them,” said Carmody, Respect Life director for the Catholic Diocese of Colorado Springs. “We want conversion. We are not about condemnation.” Members of about a dozen Catholic parishes and several Protestant congregations have said they will take part in the vigil, called Forty Days for Life. It’s the first of its kind in Colorado Springs and the second in the state. The protest includes a plan to hand out anti-abortion materials door-to-door throughout the city.
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January 29, 2008

ProgressNow in the news - Proposal would give AG more power over hospitals - Denver Business Journal:

http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2008/01/28/daily9.html...
A bill that would give Colorado's Attorney General the authority to stop hospitals from reducing or eliminating medical services is scheduled to be reviewed by the House Health and Human Services Committee Monday afternoon. Sponsored by Rep. Morgan Carroll, D-Aurora, and Sen. Betty Boyd, D-Lakewood, House Bill 1203 allows the attorney general to issue an opinion on hospital transactions that result in the "likely deterioration or reduction in the quality, accessibility, or availability of health care services in the affected communities served by a hospital." ProgressNow Action, a liberal activist organization, urged constituents to support the bill, saying that it ensures "potential loss of vital services (like women's health)" are factored into the attorney general's decisions. But Steven Summer, president of the Colorado Hospital Association, said while proponents of the bill may be well intentioned, HB 1203 would have "unintended consequences" for hospitals if it became law.
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Exempla asks judge to toss AG's approval of hospital sales : Updates : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jan/29/exempla-court-again-stop-sale/...
Exempla Healthcare has asked a judge to toss out a state attorney general's ruling that OKs the proposed Catholic takeover of two area hospitals. The lawsuit, filed Friday in Denver District Court, is the third court case initiated by organizations opposed to the pending sale of Exempla Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge and Exempla Good Samaritan Medical Center in Lafayette. It seeks to reverse John Suthers' ruling from last month. State lawmakers also have introduced two bills aimed at restricting similar hospital transactions and ensuring that all proceeds from such sales be spent on medical services. If the $311 million sale goes through, both hospitals would be completely owned by Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System, a Kansas nonprofit that already controls 50 percent of the two hospitals. Arvada nonprofit Community First Foundation wants to sell its interest to Sisters of Charity.
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The Denver Post - Exempla sues AG to block hospital sale

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8104313...
Exempla Inc., operator of Exempla Lutheran and Good Samaritan medical centers, is suing Attorney General John Suthers to block the sale of two hospitals to a Catholic health care system. Exempla Inc. filed a suit late Friday in Denver District Court to force Suthers to set aside his Dec. 27 opinion that the transfer of the two hospitals to Kansas-based Sisters of Charity Leavenworth Health System did not violate state laws for nonprofits. Suthers said the transfer wouldn't materially change services. Exempla argues in its complaint that the AG lacks jurisdiction to review the transfer under the Hospital Transfer Act. The Sisters of Charity system is seeking to become sole sponsor of the hospitals by paying its co-sponsor, the Arvada nonprofit Community First Foundation, $311 million. The Sisters of Charity would discontinue some services now available at the hospitals, such as abortion and sterilization. "The proposed transaction would drastically change the fundamental character of Exempla Healthcare," the complaint states.
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Summit Daily News - More mountain moms exploring alternative birth options

http://summitdaily.com/article/20080128/NEWS/777736034...
When she was 27 weeks pregnant, Tracy Mathison checked into a hospital in Vail for a minor complication. Nurses hooked her to an IV, ran tests, and in the end, she figured out she did not want a similar experience when she gave birth. For her, the setting was uncomfortable and impersonal. So, Mathison, of Silverthorne, began looking into different options, and through her sister, who was studying herbology and was also pregnant at the time, she found Cocoon Enterprises childbirth classes in Idaho Springs and Mountain Midwifery Center in Englewood. She learned everything about birth she could possibly want to know and discovered she wanted to have her baby girl at a birth center — an option an increasing number of women are exploring. “I see quite a few Summit County moms,” said Tracy Ryan, certified nurse midwife and owner of Mountain Midwifery Center, the only free-standing birth center in the state.
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January 23, 2008

Grand Junction Sentinel - Lawmaker seeking new requirements for abortions

http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2008/01/23/012308_1b_abortio...
Women in Colorado seeking to end their pregnancies would have to be offered an ultrasound before they undergo an abortion under legislation proposed by Sen. David Schultheis, R-Colorado Springs. “Whether a person’s for abortions or not, they certainly, I would think, would not want to limit a woman from being aware of what’s going on before she does it,” Schultheis said. Senate Bill 95, introduced Monday, would require abortion providers to give information about receiving ultrasounds to pregnant women who are considering abortion. The bill would require doctors to administer an ultrasound if the woman requests one. Women who are informed of their ultrasound rights and still choose to have the abortion would be required to wait 24 hours before having the procedure. “If we’re trying to whatever degree we can to reduce the number of abortions in Colorado and the United States,” Schultheis said, “I think it’s a good idea (for women) to get full knowledge before they do that.” Abortion rights advocates, however, said Senate Bill 95 does nothing to cut down demand for abortions. Toni Panetta, deputy director of NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado, called Schultheis’ bill “a solution without a problem.”
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Grand Junction Sentinel - GJ anti-abortion group rallies

http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2008/01/22/012308_1b_Anti_Ab...
The hope that a small gathering might change minds and hearts about abortion brought Patsy LaHue of Grand Junction to the chilly yard of the old Mesa County Courthouse, where more than 60 people kept vigil Tuesday night on the 35th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which made abortion legal. “It matters to me that I care enough to come out on a cold evening and participate,” she said. “It matters to God.” LaHue and dozens of other members of Mesa County Right to Life stood on the courthouse lawn holding flickering candles while listening to Mesa County physician Carl Melito invoke the words of Martin Luther King Jr. to characterize the group’s opposition to legal abortion as a “human rights struggle.”
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The Denver Post - Abortion-rights advocates rally

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8048136...
With a cold wind blowing and a possible anti-abortion ballot measure in the balance, abortion-rights groups gathered Tuesday on the state Capitol steps to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade ruling. Leaders of NARAL — a nationwide group that supports abortion rights — called Colorado "a testing ground" and lauded the state for actions such as rejecting abstinence-only sex education. "Lead the conversation. Lead the nation," charged the group's president, Nancy Keenan, before a crowd of placard-carrying supporters. Colorado, among the first states to liberalize abortion laws before the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalized the procedure, may revisit the issue in the voting booth. In November, voters may decide whether to define a fertilized human egg as a "person" and grant it protections under the state constitution. The proposed ballot measure makes Colorado one of at least a dozen states considering new definitions of personhood that would likely be steps toward making abortion illegal and may also have ramifications for stem-cell research and in vitro fertilization.
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January 22, 2008

Naropa class explores reproductive rights : County News : Boulder Daily Camera

http://dailycamera.com/news/2008/jan/22/class-explores-reproductive-rights/...
A class of Naropa University students assigned to social-action research projects have studied a spectrum of "reproductive rights" ranging from abortion to the treatment of pregnant prisoners to fertility problems of men who returned from the Gulf War. Their discoveries -- which will be presented Feb. 1 at a community-wide dialogue, "Fertile Grounds" -- were that the personal is political, and that behind every statistic there is a more intimate story, said Fiore Grey, a Naropa student who helped organize the event. Today marks the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. Organizers of "Fertile Grounds" say they want the event to explore reproductive rights, and go beyond the polarizing, two-sided abortion debate.
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January 16, 2008

Colorado Daily News - Clash over rights, morals

http://coloradodaily.com/articles/2008/01/16/news/c_u_and_boulder/news1.txt...
Colorado activists from opposite ends of the abortion issue will soon be doubling their efforts in response to a single event. As a precursor to Jan. 22 marking the 35th anniversary of the Supreme Court's 1973 decision to uphold abortion as a constitutional right in its ruling of Roe V. Wade, Pro-Life and Pro-Choice organizations on a local and national scale are rallying their various supporters to come together and speak out on a variety of residual issues that are still as prevalent and pressing today as they were more than three decades ago. One such event on the horizon will be taking place Feb. 1st on the Naropa University campus, where student-coordinated event “Fertile Grounds” will touch on a myriad of pregnancy issues that effect women from all walks of life. “We're not trying to polarize the issue,” said Elaina Verveer, adjunct undergraduate instructor and advisor to students coordinating the event. “It's more about sharing stories and opening up a dialogue to the public, that might otherwise remain unheard. The objective of the event is to show that reproductive rights are not an isolated issue - it affects all of us.”
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January 14, 2008

The Pueblo Chieftain Online - Sex ed program abstains from funding

http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1200117600/13...
A decision by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to turn down close to $500,000 in federal funds for abstinence-only sex education won’t have any effect on the Pueblo City Schools’ program. But the person in charge of that program here said she would like to see a more aggressive program in the schools and a lot more support from families and the community. Bev Samek, the district’s director of social services, said the Colorado Department of Education does provide grant funding for comprehensive health education from kindergarten through 12th grade, but the district has not used the federal money pushing the other program. In the mid-1990s, she said, the district did offer an abstinence-only option but dropped it and now offers an abstinence-based program that students can be excused from if their parents wish.
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January 11, 2008

Extra!, January 11 : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jan/11/extra-january-11/...
Forbes magazine in its December issue has determined that Denver is "the most lustful city in America." The criteria (criterium, actually): Denver has 189 percent more over-the- counter contraceptive sales than expected for a city of its size. Not that Denver doesn't embrace this distinction with gusto, but couldn't those contraceptive sales mean a safe and sensible approach toward . . . you know?
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January 9, 2008

The Denver Post - Exempla board sues to halt hospital sale

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_7917038...
The Exempla Healthcare board filed suit Tuesday in Denver County Court to stop the transfer of two of its hospitals, Lutheran and Good Samaritan, to sole Catholic sponsorship. The board said the sale would eliminate traditionally provided reproductive services prohibited by the church. Exempla chief executive Jeff Selberg, in a statement released late Tuesday, said a second reason for the lawsuit was that the $311 million the Sisters of Charity Leavenworth Health System is to pay to the current co-sponsor of the hospitals, Community First Foundation, would be directed away from community hospital care. The Exempla board, officials said, could not support the co-sponsors' Oct. 19 agreement unless they found an acceptable replacement for lost services, such as tubal ligations and emergency abortions. "Exempla's purpose was to sustain the historic missions and values of two very different organizations. Lutheran Medical Center and St. Joseph Hospital," Selberg said.
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Exempla sues to block sale : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jan/09/exempla-sues-to-block-sale/...
Exempla Healthcare filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to block the sale of Lutheran and Good Samaritan hospitals to a Catholic nonprofit, citing aspects of the $311 million deal that it finds "unacceptable and wrong." The suit, filed in Denver District Court, seeks to prevent Community First Foundation of Arvada from selling its 50 percent share of the two hospitals to the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System. Exempla has been the system responsible for management and governance of Exempla Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge and Exempla Good Samaritan Hospital in Lafayette for the last 10 years. Exempla had worked with the two nonprofit sponsors for a year to find a compromise on a transition plan.
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January 8, 2008

DPS eyes plan for pregnant students : Education : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jan/08/dps-eyes-plan-for-pregnant-stu...
Denver Public Schools officials are putting together guidance for schools on the attendance of pregnant students, crafting a plan expected to give them four to six weeks after childbirth to recover. The new mothers would be expected to complete work from home to keep up with their classmates. "We're all in agreement we want these young ladies back in school and catching up," said DPS board president Theresa Pena. "We also need to be very mindful of the time they need for bonding with their babies and for healing." Board members sought the clarification after hearing complaints that new moms were being told to report to class the day after they're released from the hospital - or begin racking up "unexcused" absences that could hurt their grades.
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The Tribune - Weld sex-ed programs won't be affected by state rejection of federal money

http://greeleytrib.com/article/20080108/NEWS/476334075...
Despite a report Monday of the state rejecting nearly $500,000 in federal funding tied to abstinence-only programs, programs in Weld County won't be affected, said a county official. Colorado officials this year are rejecting nearly $488,000 from the federal government for programs that teach "abstinence-only" sex education. They say the program is ineffective when it comes to preventing teen pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, the Associated Press reported. Roger Fiedler, community relations director for Greeley-Evans School District 6, said Monday the district did not use any of the federal grant money, and the state's decision should not impact schools directly. It shouldn't affect local county programs either, said Gay Morrison, spokeswoman for the Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment.
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January 7, 2008

Colo. rejects sex-ed funds : Schools : Boulder Daily Camera

http://dailycamera.com/news/2008/jan/06/colo-rejects-sex-ed-funds/...
Colorado officials this year are rejecting nearly $500,000 from the federal government for programs that teach "abstinence-only" sex education, saying the teaching tactic is ineffective when it comes to preventing teen pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Friends First -- an organization that was started by Longmont and Denver residents nearly 15 years ago -- will be among the four groups whose budgets will be affected by state health officials' decision. Rebecca Descalzo, marketing director for Friends First, said the group is disappointed the state has forgone the money that has helped fund programs that encourage youths to engage in "healthy behaviors" by abstaining from sex, alcohol and tobacco. In the past, the federal government had provided up to $60,000 annually to Friends First. The group still has other funding sources, including other grants, donations, tuition paid by teenagers attending summer conferences and money earned by selling curriculum, Descalzo said. "School districts already teach comprehensive education in the classroom," she said. "This is an after-school program that is optional. Otherwise, kids are home alone after school waiting for parents to get home. We're trying to prevent all high-risk behavior." But state officials say abstinence-only education isn't working.
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January 3, 2008

Kaiser members worry over possible Good Samaritan sale : Lafayette : Boulder Daily Camera

http://dailycamera.com/news/2008/jan/03/hospital-sale-triggers-worry/...
Connie Herbst and her husband are big fans of Kaiser Permanente. The Niwot couple get all of their medical services at Kaiser's Rock Creek facility and the adjoining Exempla Good Samaritan Medical Center in Lafayette. It's close and convenient, Connie Herbst said. "We have doctors that we love and that we get great care from," she said. But the Herbsts, who are both 70, are concerned that a pending sale of Good Samaritan to a Kansas-based Catholic organization means that some end-of-life decisions they have been drawing up -- including do-not-resuscitate orders -- could be scuttled by religious directives the hospital would have to follow. Louisville resident and Kaiser member Jessica Orange, who gave birth to twin boys at Good Samaritan two years ago, also has worries about the sale. She said she fears it could pose challenges for local mothers facing complicated births or difficult reproductive decisions.
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January 2, 2008

Kaiser may steer patients from Lafayette's Good Samaritan : Lafayette : Boulder Daily Camera

http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/dec/30/good-samaritan-kaiser-may-steer-patients...
Kaiser Permanente is preparing to direct its members away from Exempla Good Samaritan Medical Center if the Lafayette hospital restricts medical procedures under Catholic ownership. The Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System, a Kansas Catholic nonprofit, wants complete ownership of Good Samaritan, one of two hospitals primarily serving Kaiser's more than 400,000 local members.
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December 28, 2007

ProgressNow in the news: Hospital takeover proposal advances : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2007/dec/28/hospital-takeover-proposal-adv...
The pending Catholic takeover of two metro hospitals cleared a significant hurdle Thursday when Attorney General John Suthers said he did not find grounds to block the sale. But the transaction, scheduled to be completed by Jan. 31, faces another obstacle - a state court challenge that could tie up matters for months. Suthers said the sale of Exempla Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge and Exempla Good Samaritan Medical Center in Lafayette would not result in a "material change in charitable purpose" and therefore would not violate a state law governing the sale of nonprofit hospitals. The decision was applauded by Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System and Community First Foundation of Arvada, the two parties to the proposed sale. But it drew sharp criticism from opponents of the sale. "It's terrible for the residents of Jefferson County, of Clear Creek County and Gilpin County" because it would restrict medical services at the only hospital close to those residents, said Michael Huttner, executive director of ProgressNow. If the sale goes through, medical staff at both facilities would have to follow Catholic ethical and religious directives, which ban abortions, vasectomies, tubal ligations and other forms of birth control, unless deemed medically necessary. Doctors also would be restricted from removing feeding tubes from people in a persistent vegetative state. Suthers said he could look only at a narrow aspect of the proposed sale.
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The Longmont Daily Times-Call - Attorney general refuses to challenge Exempla change

http://www.timescall.com/News_Story.asp?id=5482...
Colorado Attorney General John Suthers on Thursday said he will not object to a transfer in sponsorship of Exempla Healthcare’s facilities. In October, Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System became the sole sponsor of Exempla’s health-care facilities, including Exempla Good Samaritan Medical Center in Lafayette. The same week, Exempla’s board of directors challenged the change of sponsorship — a type of not-for-profit ownership. Sisters of Charity had been co-sponsors of Exempla Healthcare with the Community First Foundation, formerly known as the Lutheran Medical Center Community Foundation. The Exempla board feared that under the sole sponsorship of the SCLHS, which adheres to the Catholic Ethical and Religious Directives, birth control and abortion services would no longer be available to Exempla’s patients.
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AG won't challenge hospital sale : Lafayette : Boulder Daily Camera

http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/dec/28/ag-wont-challenge-hospital-sale/...
In his finding, the attorney general determined there would be no "material change in the charitable purposes" of the hospitals once they are sold, and thus there was "no basis to challenge the transfer." A lawsuit was filed last week by several plaintiffs -- including Boulder resident Ami Sadler -- opposing the transaction. It was not affected by Suthers' decision and is pending in Boulder County District Court.The sale of Lafayette's Good Samaritan and Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge to the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System, which is scheduled to close at the end of January, caused an uproar when it was proposed in the fall. Detractors said medical services such as abortions, vasectomies and tubal ligations would no longer be available at Lutheran and Good Samaritan because Sisters of Charity would be required to follow Catholic health directives that prohibit those types of procedures. Certain end-of-life decisions could also be curtailed. Lenexa, Kan.-based Sisters of Charity now shares control of the hospitals with Arvada-based Community First Foundation.
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The Denver Post - AG backs hospitals' sale despite church conflict

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_7824856...
The proposed sale of two Exempla Healthcare hospitals — Lutheran and Good Samaritan — won approval from state Attorney General John Suthers on Thursday despite a conflict over services banned by the Catholic Church. Suthers' legal opinion removes an obstacle from the sale of the two hospitals to a Catholic health system that follows Catholic ethics directives. The opinion sparked an outcry from community organizations opposing the loss of services such as abortions, forms of sterilization including tubal ligation and vasectomies, and emergency contraception pills. There is also concern about so-called end-of-life procedures, such as removing a patient from life support in accordance with family wishes.
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December 4, 2007

Coalition: Hospital deal violates law : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2007/dec/04/coalition-hospital-deal-violat...
A coalition of advocacy groups contends that the pending sale of two metro-area hospitals to a Catholic organization would violate state law. In a letter to state Attorney General John Suthers on Monday, the Colorado Center on Law & Policy said that the Catholic takeover would be illegal because donor money would be spent on operations it was not meant for. The coalition also asked Suthers to step aside until a court considers the issue. No move has been made to put the proposed sale before a judge. Under the proposed deal, which is scheduled to close at the end of January, Exempla Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge and Exempla Good Samaritan Medical Center in Lafayette would come under the complete ownership of Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System, already a part owner. Community First Foundation of Arvada wants to sell its share for $311 million to the Kansas Catholic organization.
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December 3, 2007

Catholic-run hospitals not new : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2007/dec/03/catholic-run-hospitals-not-new...
The pending Catholic takeover of two local hospitals isn't treading new ground. The company that is poised to take control of Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge and Good Samaritan Medical Center in Lafayette has long owned St. Joseph Hospital in Denver. Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth has operated St. Joseph since 1883 and also owns seven other hospitals in the west. At least eight other hospitals in Colorado are owned by Catholic organizations. Doctors at St. Joseph and other Catholic-owned hospitals must follow ethical and religious directives that include not performing tubal ligations, vasectomies, abortions or birth control counseling. Doctors also are directed not to remove feeding tubes from a person in a vegetative state.
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The Denver Post - Exempla sale foes warn of impact

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_7612235...
Comprehensive women's health care will no longer be available in Jefferson County next year if full ownership of Exempla Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge is transferred as planned to a Catholic health organization, critics of the plan charged Friday and Saturday. "It can have life-threatening consequences for some patients," said obstetrician Doug Minton. He and several other Exempla Lutheran physicians asked state Deputy Attorney General Dennis Ellis on Friday to block the sale. "Our patients are going to suffer because of the transaction," Minton said after the meeting with Ellis. Attorney General John Suthers has the power to block the transfer if he determines that it would result in a material change in the purpose of the charitable assets involved. Suthers has until the end of December to decide, and his staff gave no indication Friday of how they will determine it. On Saturday, about 62 people concerned about the hospital merger showed up for a meeting held at First Universalist Church of Denver.
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The Denver Post - Couple's joy born of new fertility method

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_7612340...
Even a month after tiny Hayden Henzel's birth, the simplest of things amaze his parents. "He eats. He sleeps. He cries. He goes to the bathroom. He's awesome," said proud father Gregg Henzel, 40, as he cradled his son. Hayden was the first Colorado baby born from a mother's egg frozen and then stored for a month in liquid nitrogen. For five frustrating years, Gregg and Carolyn Henzel tried but couldn't conceive. Even though they met with a slew of fertility doctors and experts, no one was able to give them any answers, she said. Then they got a call from Dr. William Schoolcraft, who offered in vitro fertilization without cost at the Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine. "You don't get this opportunity every day. It was a chance to have a baby," Carolyn Henzel said Friday. "It was also exciting because it gave us a chance to participate in medical history."
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November 30, 2007

Coalition fighting sale of two hospitals : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2007/nov/30/coalition-fighting-sale-of-two...
Powerful civil liberties groups have joined forces to oppose the proposed sale of two metro hospitals to a Catholic health care organization. Many doctors at the hospitals - Exempla Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge and Exempla Good Samaritan Medical Center in Lafayette - also oppose the sale. The civil liberties coalition is considering legal action to stop the sale. If the $611 million transaction goes through, medical staff at both hospitals must follow Catholic ethical and religious directives. That means doctors could not perform vasectomies, tubal ligations and abortions in the hospitals. They also could not give birth control counseling or remove feeding tubes for those in a persistent vegetative state.
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The Denver Post - Exempla doctors working to block sale of hospital

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_7594835...
Physicians from Exempla Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge were set to meet today with state attorneys to block the sale of the hospital to a Catholic health organization. The delegation of physicians issued a statement Thursday that they object to the transfer of control to the Sisters of Charity Leavenworth Health System because medical practices deemed unethical by the Catholic Church, such as abortion and tubal ligation, would no longer be offered. Exempla Lutheran is the only community hospital in Jefferson County. "For more than a hundred years, Lutheran has served the entire community," said Dr. Carla Murphy, president of the Exempla Lutheran medical staff. "What might be appropriate for a Catholic hospital serving a predominantly Catholic population is not appropriate for a community hospital," she said. Under Colorado law, the state attorney general must approve the transfer of assets between nonprofit organizations. Attorney General John Suthers has until Dec. 30 to decide.
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November 29, 2007

Hospital sale risks services : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2007/nov/29/hospital-sale-risks-services/...