PAULA ABOUD

Arizona’s budget crisis is devastating families every day. We are working hard on solutions to protect every Arizonan’s well-being. So it is hard to fathom why House Republicans would fast-track legislation to create an even bigger burden for Arizona women.

A bill by Rep. Nancy Barto, R-Phoenix, to restrict women’s access to birth control and abortion care was quickly pushed through the House.

Now, to justify her proposals in HB 2564, Barto has misrepresented the facts (April 8 guest opinion, “Bill would guarantee that women seeking abortion get all the facts”).

Barto claims the bill provides informed consent to women considering abortion. She fails to mention this is already a standard practice in Arizona.

Women are fully informed about the decision when dealing with an unplanned pregnancy. Planned Parenthood Arizona and other health care providers give women professional, one-on-one counseling with medically accurate information so they can make an informed decision.

HB 2564, however, will also require medical professionals to provide information intended to coerce and shame a woman into changing her decision.

HB 2564 also imposes a mandatory waiting period before a woman can receive abortion care. This restricts women’s access and adds costs, particularly for women in rural Arizona.

There is no government-mandated waiting period for any other outpatient medical procedure, and there shouldn’t be a politically motivated waiting period imposed on women seeking abortion.

Barto claims her bill gives parents an opportunity to provide consent before their daughter can have an abortion. Arizona law already requires written parental consent for minors to access care.

HB 2564 would actually require third-party involvement in the private decisions that young women make with their parents by forcing a parent and the daughter to have their consent form notarized by someone who is not held to any ethical standards regarding patient privacy.

Another of Barto’s false claims is that HB 2564 will not prevent women from accessing emergency contraception.

This bill would exempt pharmacists from fulfilling their professional duty to provide complete, accurate information about birth control, such as emergency contraception or Plan B, by allowing pharmacists to withhold information and medication from women.

This exemption would override the policies put in place by private businesses that require their pharmacists to fulfill their duties. This is more government interference, this time into the ability of private businesses to create and enforce standards for employment.

Barto also claims HB 2564 reduces risks associated with abortion care by preventing highly trained nurse practitioners from providing early abortion care.

That would overturn an Arizona Board of Nursing decision that early abortion care is within the scope of practice of a specially trained nurse practitioner.

The nursing board’s ruling recognized the widely accepted opinion among medical professionals that nurse practitioners and other advanced practice clinicians are competent and qualified to perform abortions and have been doing so with impressive safety records for more than three decades.

By imposing this politically motivated restriction on medical professionals, HB 2564 would greatly reduce the availability of abortion services throughout the state, forcing women to travel greater distances, and significantly increasing the costs.

Despite Barto’s misleading statements, she is correct about one thing: This bill does not address prevention, which is, after all, the real problem.

Reducing the number of unintended pregnancies is the objective of organizations such as Planned Parenthood Arizona, where more than 90 percent of services are focused on preventive health care services and education.

Arizona has one of the nation’s highest rates of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.

We in the Legislature cannot continue to close our eyes to this problem. We must face it head on and focus our efforts on programs that prevent the need for abortion.

When a woman faces an unintended pregnancy, she should have the opportunity to make the best decision for herself and her family, whether raising a child, adoption or abortion.

We should make sure that all options are available to every woman. Barto’s HB 2564 would guarantee that fewer options would be available.

Paula Aboud (paboud@azleg.gov) and Linda Lopez (llopez@azleg.gov) are Democratic state senators from Tucson. Aboud represents District 28; Lopez, District 29.

LINDA LOPEZ

By Linda Lopez, Paula Aboud

Women have a long way to go to close the gender gap

Women comprise about 45 percent of Arizona's work force. We play an indispensable role in every industry and field, and yet, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, in Arizona we are paid only 83 cents for every dollar our male counterparts are paid.

As Labor Day approaches and we prepare to recognize workers’ contributions to the American economy, it’s hard to believe that nearly half of American workers are being paid less than their colleagues for doing the same or comparable jobs.

Who are these workers who are being paid less than they’re worth? We are America’s working women.

Women comprise about 45 percent of Arizona’s work force. We play an indispensable role in every industry and field, and yet, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, in Arizona we are paid only 83 cents for every dollar our male counterparts are paid.

Discrimination’s role in the wage gap is evident when you consider that women’s wages are affected as soon as we begin our careers.

Just one year out of college, women workers are already paid only 80 percent of what male counterparts receive, according to a recent study by the American Association of University Women.

After 10 years, we are paid only 69 percent as much.

The wage gap is very real and very much caused by gender discrimination.

It has a significant impact on the economic security of families.

The majority of families in the United States rely on women’s wages to make ends meet.

Nearly 30 percent of working women earn all of their families’ income, and 60 percent earn about half or more of their family income.

Women, in particular those raising children on their own, are more likely than men to work in low-wage service industry jobs, according to Women Work! The National Network for Women’s Employment.

Nearly 40 percent of poor working women could leave welfare if they received pay equity wage increases, according to the National Committee for Pay Equity.

As a state legislator, I witness the huge effect that the wage gap has on women in Tucson, many of whom are struggling.

In Arizona, there are 71,796 single mothers living in poverty.

The U.S. Senate needs to follow the U.S. House of Representatives’ lead and pass legislation to reverse the Supreme Court’s recent Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire decision, which weakened pay discrimination laws.

Once they’ve ensured that current protections won’t be weakened, Congress needs to take steps to proactively move us toward real wage equity by passing the Paycheck Fairness Act.

This legislation would close loopholes that enable employers to shirk accountability for pay discrimination,, help women get information on how their pay compares with that of male colleagues and ensure that regulatory agencies have the tools they need to reduce wage discrimination.

We can’t let another Labor Day go by without ensuring that all American workers are honored with fair compensation for the work we do.

When Congress returns to Capitol Hill after Labor Day, members must take swift action to demonstrate our national commitment to equal treatment for all workers.

State Rep. Linda Lopez, a Democrat, represents District 29 at the Arizona Legislature. E-mail: llopez@azleg.gov

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MAJOR DISPARITY

This chart shows how the salaries of women who received bachelor’s degrees in 2000 and were employed in 2001 compared with their male counterparts’ pay.

Humanities 73%

Biological sciences 75%

Math, other sciences 76%

Health professions 76%

Social science 81%

Psychology 86%

Public affairs/social services 87%

Business and management 93%

Education 95%

Engineering 95%

History 112%

Source: U.S. Department of Education

During my six years in the state House, we’ve argued about immigration. We’ve debated legislation that would preclude a woman’s bodily integrity and personal decision-making, and we’ve listened to countless speeches about who should have the right to declare their love and seal it with government approval.

The immigration issue must be settled at the federal level.

The public is exhausted by arguments on reproductive rights; 65 percent of America’s citizens support Roe v. Wade.

And Arizonans’ rejection of Proposition 107 should, but probably won’t, stop the introduction of legislation intended to limit whom a person can love.

All these issues deter the hard work necessary to meet the needs of residents in the second fastest-growing state.

Such debate during a 100-day session deters progress.

My constituents’ No. 1 concern year after year is affordable and accessible health care.

Yet each year, we pass legislation that pretends to address the issue but is only a cosmetic fix.

It’s like having a car that needs a new engine, so instead you give it a paint job.

Our time would be much better spent resolving this and other urgent issues.

Our primary job is to pass a budget. Again we’re looking at a strong economy with more revenues and a projected budget balance of more than $300 million.

We must first meet our statutory obligations, such as K-12 education growth. But then the battle begins.

Do we invest in infrastructure to support our rapid growth, or do we give tax cuts that are minuscule to the taxpayer but stifle our economy?

I support investment, particularly in our citizens.

I’ll fight to increase the child-care subsidy for the working poor, now at 75 percent of the 2000 market rate.

By not keeping this current, we hurt children, families, child-care providers and employers of low-income parents.

Heed what we do. Insist on work to meet Arizona’s needs, not just blustering speeches about issues that can’t be solved by us or don’t make a difference in your lives.

Linda Lopez is a Democratic state representative for Tucson’s District 29.