Michigan Representative Adam F. Zemke has introduced a bill to prohibit the harmful practice and protect LGBT youth. Imagine being told every day during adolescence that there was something terribly wrong with you, and that you’d never be loved or happy until you changed it — even though it wasn’t something within your power to change. That’s exactly what happens […]

Eclectablog readers are informed voters. There are plenty of reasons to support the work we do here at Eclectablog. But one of the best reasons I can think of is this: We work for you. And our work helps you take action that makes a difference in Michigan. It’s especially important in an election year when we stand poised to […]

Why the current Congress isn’t working for the people — and how Democrats can change that. Do you miss “Schoolhouse Rock”? Me, too. And there’s no question that many members of the current U.S. House of Representatives, particularly Republicans, could benefit from a re-run, a refresher course on how legislating is actually supposed to work. During the Netroots Nation conference […]

Advocates are working to get the same services covered for trans men and women that are covered for everyone else. Jay Maddock has known he was a man for most of his life, even though that’s not the body he was born with. At age five, he told his dad he wanted to be a man, and was fortunate to […]

Democratic legislators demand hearings on women’s health rider repeal bills, while Republican Gov. Rick Snyder aligns with employer who sued over contraception coverage. The distinctions between Michigan’s Democratic and Republican legislators are clearer every day, leaving no question about which party stands with women. State Senate Democratic Leader Gretchen Whitmer and State Representative Sarah Roberts have delivered letters to Senate […]

Treating a craft supply store like a religion is an affront to faith — and sets a very dangerous precedent for healthcare access and equality. I’m not going to try to argue the finer points of the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Hobby Lobby case. I’m not a SCOTUS scholar. But I am a woman, and I have some very […]

People are still signing up thanks to ongoing Marketplace enrollment opportunities and Medicaid expansion. June 28 marks the two-year anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling upholding the Affordable Care Act (ACA). As of June 27, an estimated 8.6 million people had signed up for a qualified health plan, with another 6.4 to 8.6 million signing up for Medicaid and CHIP, […]

In a blatant display of bias, opponents of choice keep trying to stack the deck against women’s legal access to abortion. I’m not sure which of these pieces of news makes me angrier, so I’ll start with the most recent. On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously struck down Massachusetts’ buffer zone law, siding with anti-abortion extremists who think they […]

Get Covered America weekend of action offers opportunities to volunteer and spread the word. The task of getting more people insured is never done. That’s why the Get Covered America campaign is kicking off a weekend of action on Friday. While celebrating its one-year anniversary of educating consumers about their new health insurance options, the campaign will be sending volunteers […]

The response has been outstanding, but there are still more uninsured Michiganders to reach—and Enroll Michigan is on it. You might say there was some pent-up demand. Michigan’s Medicaid expansion program under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) didn’t launch until April 1, so uninsured Michiganders had to wait three extra months to enroll in the Healthy Michigan Plan. That’s because […]

Bills would undo the law that requires women to buy extra insurance for miscarriages and abortions, even in cases of rape or incest. See update below. In a decisive move, Democratic State Representative Sarah Roberts and State Senator Gretchen Whitmer introduced bills on Monday that would repeal a controversial law that forces women to buy additional health insurance coverage for […]