Tag Archives: pro-choice

This Week In: Abortion

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“The Republican-led Arizona legislature has now taken measures to cut off Planned Parenthood’s access to taxpayer money funneled through the state for non-abortion services.” Use of taxpayer money for abortion was already illegal, but apparently that wasn’t good enough – now Planned Parenthood will receive no funding. It is unclear at this time exactly how this will affect its services, but it is certain that this inhibits its ability to provide health care services at a reasonable cost. For people – especially women – in Arizona without health insurance, this is a direct hit to their ability to receive lifesaving cancer screenings, STD prevention and treatment, and affordable birth control.

Utah now requires a 72 hour waiting period before an abortion. Previously, there was a 24-hour waiting period but, as of Tuesday, it has expanded to three full days. I’ll be honest: waiting period laws make me angrier than any other abortion law. There’s no pretense of protecting fetuses here; it’s all about “protecting” fragile women from their emotionally burdened lady brains. As if women need the government to remind them to think about their decision, to take it seriously! It’s insulting. The real kicker here is that there’s no loophole for non-viable fetuses, so women are forced to carry a pregnancy that could not and will not result in a live birth for three extra days which, frankly, is just plain cruel.

Wisconsin’s Planned Parenthood suspends non-surgical abortions. There is a new law in effect that “requires women visit a doctor at least three times before having a drug-induced abortion, forces physicians to determine whether a woman is being coerced into having an abortion, and prohibits women and doctors from using web cams during the procedure.” Three times? How unnecessary. In case you’re wondering about the web cam thing, they are referring to the possibility of a doctor counseling the woman about her medication via webcam – a good option when there is are a limited number of abortion providers in your state. Aside from the obvious problems here, like interfering with the relationship between the patient and her doctor and limiting a woman’s access to abortion, this poses an issue for women unique to this law – insisting that women have a surgical rather than a medical abortion. There are pros and cons to both methods (look for an upcoming post about abortion options!), but some women prefer the medical because it is more private and less physically invasive. Losing this option may make their abortion experience even more difficult for Wisconsin women.

If you live in Arizona, Utah or Wisconsin, consider contacting your representatives to let them know you’re unhappy with their shenanigans. If you want to do something about anti-choice activities in your area, contact your local representatives or sign up at Planned Parenthood Action Network to keep up to date. (Please note that our “action” site is provided by our C4, or political advocacy, arm.)

We’ve Kept Abortion Legal So Far. But What About Accessible?

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Mississippi ladies, you still aren’t safe. Even though the personhood amendment didn’t pass, the Mississippi government hasn’t given up. There is one abortion clinic in the entire state, and it may be about to close. House Bill 1390, already passed and awaiting the governor’s approval, will require that each doctor that works in the clinic have admitting privileges in a local hospital. Two major problems with this: One, many hospitals will not grant admitting privileges to out-of-state doctors, and a few of the clinic’s doctors live out of state to avoid harassment. Two, the nearby hospitals are religiously affiliated and have the right to deny any doctor admitting privileges; therefore, the doctors are unlikely to be able to comply. Governor Bryant argues that the bill is designed to “stop back-room abortions” by making sure that the doctors providing abortion services are certified OB-GYNS who may admit patients to a local hospital, if necessary. Clearly, the way to stop back alley abortions is to close your state’s only abortion clinic. For the record, the doctors at the clinic are board-certified OB-GYNs already, and lack of admitting privileges does not prevent the health center’s patients from being able to receive care, if necessary.

This bill has a good chance of becoming law soon, and what will this mean for Mississippi women? Traveling out of state is not easy for women who lack the funds, childcare, or ability to take time off work. A return to back-alley abortions is exactly what Gov. Bryant is proposing.

It’s important to remember what it was like before abortion was legal, especially for us younger women who didn’t live through that time. You can read the story of a 19-year-old’s illegal abortion in 1962 here at Alternet. As you read about her helplessness, the lack of support she had available to her, the financial strain, the travel to a foreign country, realize she was one of the lucky ones. She was able to come up with the money. She didn’t get an infection. Her uterus wasn’t perforated. She didn’t get sexually assaulted by the doctor who knew she wouldn’t be able to report it without getting in trouble herself. We can never, ever go back to this.

Let’s get real: Gov. Bryant’s statements about protecting women’s health are a lie, just like anti-choice advocates protestations about saving fetus’s lives are a lie. Law’s restricting abortion access are about restricting and punishing women’s sexuality, full stop. If this law goes through, Mississippi women are in trouble. It’s already an unhappy place for sexual health; it was found to have the highest teen birth rate in the nation a couple years ago, and schools weren’t even required to teach sex ed until last year. If this bill is signed, women in this state are going to need our help.  Activists, keep watch and get ready.

Pro-Voice: Speaking Out About Abortion

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Speak OutToday is a guest post from one of the other members of our affiliate who also works with a gender studies department at a local college.

A few weeks ago, when Rush Limbaugh attacked Sandra Fluke for talking about birth control, he reminded me of many things – first and foremost of which is that I really dislike Rush Limbaugh. After I got past the incoherent rage though, it made me think a lot about the fact that we don’t hear from many Sandra Flukes when we’re talking about reproductive health. And we hardly ever hear people’s personal stories about abortion unless it’s a pretty intimate conversation.

Politically, we talk about abortion a lot as a society. Whether a candidate supports choice is one of the main campaign issues that comes up in elections, and access to abortion services is a perennial topic in DC and in state capitals across the country. But it’s still rare to hear personal perspectives on abortion – last year, when Rep. Jackie Speier spoke about her abortion as she fought to stop the Republican efforts to defund Planned Parenthood, her remarks were a watershed moment. No other female politician had ever spoken about her abortion so publicly.

Since 1 in 3 women in the US will have an abortion by the time we’re 45, there are a lot of stories out there that aren’t getting told.  Rep. Speier isn’t the only female politician who’s had an abortion, but she remains the only one who’s talked about it so openly.  Part of this is because not everyone wants to talk – deciding to end a pregnancy is a very personal decision, and even if there were no debate around abortion, some people would choose to only discuss it with a small circle of friends.

But there are some people who want to talk about their experiences, and this volatile political environment makes it much, much harder to find a place to discuss it.

In the past few years, a lot of different projects have emerged that address this – some are focused on creating a platform for women to share their stories in an apolitical space (Exhale, Backline, The 1 in 3 Campaign, The Abortion Conversation), while others create a connection between personal stories and political support for choice. (I’mNotSorry.net, the #Ihadanabortion hashtag on Twitter). But all of them highlight the multitude of stories that come from women who have had abortions.

This overall movement is often called pro-voice – all of these projects exist to create a place where people can speak about their experiences.  Their reasons for speaking out vary widely and everyone’s story is unique.  This variety isn’t well-suited to the often narrow structures of political debate, but reality is complex – pretending otherwise doesn’t help any of us.  However, making sure that we’re listening to each other and creating ways for people to talk about their experiences openly will help us all.

FYI: I’ve worked with Exhale for a number of years as a freelancer and volunteer.

Abortion: New Language for a New Generation

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My Body is Not YoursI was lucky enough to spend time a few weeks ago talking about the language we use as a society to describe abortion. (Not everyone’s chosen way to spend a Saturday, but you can see why I enjoy my work at Planned Parenthood now, right?)

Continuing legal access to abortion has been one of the most important – and bitterly divisive – fights of the last 39 years. And yet we’re still using the same language to talk about abortion as we were 39 years ago – choice, privacy, rights – as society has changed all around us.

It’s time for some new words.

Let me make this very clear: no one wants to make the decision to have an abortion. But that’s what we are entitled to do – make a decision, not a choice. It’s not a choice of breaking the law anymore or disappearing from your hometown in shame. It is a decision that you are legally allowed to make and no one, especially the government, should be able to take that away from you. Women are not like livestock, much to the bewilderment of a Georgia State Representative; we are empowered individuals who can decide what is best for us. No bureaucrat should be involved in important life decisions better left to a woman, her family, her doctor, and her faith.

If we have to ask permission to make a decision that we are legally entitled to make? If there are restrictions put in place to hinder us from making this decision, from 24-hour waiting periods to forced transvaginal ultrasounds to being forced to carry a stillborn fetus to term?

Then, in a very real sense, the power to make a decision on abortion has been taken away from us and we are seeking reproductive justice. It’s justice for being wronged, justice that we deserve, justice for all to make a decision on whether or not to have an abortion. It’s a difficult decision, but it’s ours to make.

I don’t know about you, but the words “choice,” “rights,” and particularly “privacy” don’t mean anything to me, a woman born post-Roe and who grew up in the Facebook era, where your life is very public. Whether or not to have an abortion is a decision that I have been able to make my entire life – and maybe you have, too.

So, what words do you think we should use when it comes to talking about abortion and reproductive health? What words resonate with you?

Why Should Men Care About Women’s Rights?

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At many Planned Parenthoods, there are VOX chapters at nearby colleges and universities. VOX (Latin for voice) is a pro-choice voice in the community that seeks to educate, advocate, and make sure college students know that Planned Parenthood is there for them. Many don’t have health insurance and/or can’t get care on campus. One of the challenges that some VOX chapters have is getting men interested in joining. The men say things like, “that’s a group for women,” or “what’s a man to do about women’s rights?” Well, this got me thinking about how the general public feels about why men should care about and advocate for women’s rights. I posed this very question to my personal Facebook page and got answers like:

“What if it were their daughter that was being denied something?”
“Women’s rights + men’s rights = human rights. The equation doesn’t work without both!”
“Why do women always need to prove why they matter, why their needs and concerns matter, and why they matter as humans?”
“Who wants to have sex with a meek, un-empowered woman? Sounds awfully boring.”
And those responses were just from the women!

The men’s answers were short, but sweet:
“Because I refuse to be complicit to oppression.”
“Because it’s the right thing to do. Simple as that.”
“Because everyone has a mother.”

Why do you think men should care and be involved in advocating for women’s rights? Pose this question to your Facebook page and tell us about the most interesting responses.

Disappointed in a Friend: The Komen Foundation Stops Funding Lifesaving Cancer Screenings in Planned Parenthood Health Centers

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It was a sad day yesterday for Planned Parenthood – The Associated Press reported that the Susan G. Komen Foundation has decided to stop funding for lifesaving breast cancer screenings in hundreds of Planned Parenthood health centers around the country. The Komen Foundation says that “the cutoff results from the charity’s newly adopted criteria barring grants to organizations that are under investigation by local, state or federal authorities. According to Komen, this applies to Planned Parenthood because it’s the focus of an inquiry launched by Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., seeking to determine whether public money was improperly spent on abortions.

Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, has depicted Stearns’ probe as politically motivated and said she was dismayed that it had contributed to Komen’s decision to halt the grants to PPFA affiliates.”

While many would have you believe that this is women vs. women in the anti-abortion debate, it’s not. It’s yet another occasion of politics trumping the real issue: women’s health. The fact is: politicians aren’t thinking of women when they’re making yet another decision that harms them.

They aren’t thinking of a 23-year-old in a Planned Parenthood health center, just out of college and without health insurance, who found a lump in her breast.

They aren’t thinking of a 40-year-old woman, getting her first mammogram and thinking of her mother, who died from breast cancer.

They aren’t thinking of a 65-year-old woman, going through chemotherapy for stage 4 breast cancer, who’s hoping and praying that she’ll be able to meet her grandchildren.

Over the past five years, Planned Parenthood health centers with Komen program funding have provided nearly 170,000 clinical breast exams out of the more than four million clinical breast exams performed nationwide at Planned Parenthood health centers, as well as more than 6,400 mammogram referrals out of 70,000 mammogram referrals. Now those services are at risk.

We all know women who have been affected by cancer; the latest statistics say that 1 in 3 will hear that life-changing diagnosis in her lifetime. They may be your mother, your aunt, your grandmother, your sister, or your friend. It is these women that need to be thought of when decisions like this are made.

I’ve bought many a pink-festooned item in support of breast cancer, with the funds going to the Komen Foundation. I still support their work with women who have cancer and I still share their hope to find a cure.

Today, though, I’m disappointed. Politics should not get in the way of women’s health – and we here at the Feronia Project hope you think so, too.

If you would like to support our breast and sexual health services and ensure that women can access affordable, accessible health care, please click here and select Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida from the dropdown box. Any amount will be appreciated – and make a difference.

Pregnant by Choice

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Three years ago, I stood on the corner of a busy intersection, 7 months pregnant, proudly holding a sign that boasted, “Pregnant by Choice.” It was the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade and I wanted to remind people that choice means more than abortion. My mother’s pregnancy with me was unplanned, but not unwanted. It was 1979 and she had the choice to abort, but didn’t. Her boyfriend at the time wanted her to terminate the pregnancy, but she didn’t and left him instead. Take THAT for choice!

Two years ago, I stood on the same corner holding my 10-month-old in one arm and a sign in the other: “Pro-Privacy, Pro-Family, Pro-Choice.” Some young man walked past, pointed to my baby and said, “Wouldn’t she be dead?” He missed the point completely. Having a choice doesn’t mean having an abortion. Having a choice means that a woman has the right to decide what happens: parenting, adoption, abortion. Having a choice means that a woman has access to medical care, birth control, and community resources. It’s not a choice when a woman has to choose between paying for birth control and paying for her rent. Birth control should be free to all men and women who want to use it. Greater access to birth control, education, and medical care means fewer unplanned pregnancies and fewer abortions – it’s pretty simple.

This year, I again stood on that corner, reproductive justice sign in one hand, 13-week-old fetus in my uterus. I was standing next to an older feminist who actually knew what it was like to live in a time when abortion wasn’t legal and we were commenting to one another how there were so many more honks of support than in years past. I believe that the attempts to outlaw abortion (personhood, TRAP laws, etc) are helping people form their opinions about abortion AND helping them find their voice to speak up in support of the Roe vs. Wade decision. Most Americans are in support of the Supreme Court decision; many of them are just too afraid to speak up.

Before I drove down to the corner to rally, I dropped off some HIV tests at the Health Center. It just happened to be the day many abortion patients were scheduled. As I stood there on the corner looking at the few thumbs down/negative comments coming from the cars, I couldn’t help but think that these people looked just like the ones sitting in the waiting room. I know plenty of people who have had abortions, real women with jobs, families, degrees, and not one of them carries shame around with them. And you know some too – you just might not know it. After all, 1 in 3 women will have an abortion by the time they reach 45.

Happy Roe v. Wade Day!

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As you may know, January 22nd was the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court case that upheld women’s right to have an abortion based on her right to privacy in her medical decisions.  This decision legalized abortion in the United States, saving many women’s lives and granting them freedom over their reproductive choices.

An unmarried pregnant woman who sought abortion, a doctor who was at the time being prosecuted for performing abortions, and a married couple concerned about their future of pregnancy and contraception brought forth the class action suit in 1973.  Though it was determined that only the woman (Roe) and the doctor (Hallford) had standing to sue, after a month of debate it was decided that women could not be prohibited from having an abortion in her first trimester based on the right to privacy given by the Due Process clause of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.

Thanks to this decision, most of us have grown up living in a country where abortion is legal. Most of us have never had to consider having an illegal abortion, or worry about a loved one getting sick or dying from an unsafe procedure.

It may seem, especially to younger people who have grown up with the right to have an abortion if they choose, that Roe v. Wade is a solid institution, safe and here to stay. But please, don’t take your medical privacy for granted.  Enemies of reproductive rights are working hard to chip away at them, proposing laws that allow the government to intervene between you and your doctors medical decisions.

Already in Florida we have a law mandating that women view and hear a description of their ultrasound before a pregnancy, a move meant to shame and intimidate a woman seeking a termination. Personhood laws, which would outright ban abortion in the state in which they pass, are being proposed nationwide. Again in Florida, Representative Charles Van Zant is introducing for the 3rd time his Florida for Life Act that would ban abortion except if the mother’s life is at risk, a devastating move for women and an outright challenge to Roe v Wade.

Get involved in the fight, stay aware of what your politicians are working on, and don’t assume that your ability to obtain an abortion (or even birth control!) will be around forever without help. For up to date information about what’s going on in your state and how to take action, please consider signing up at the Planned Parenthood Action Center, or look at other ways to get involved at Planned Parenthood.

Awake the State

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Planned Parenthood has joined the growing movement to “awake the state” – the state of Florida, that is. Gov. Rick Scott and his allies in the Legislature have launched an all-out assault on Florida’s middle class and on women’s access to health care. They have cut billions from our public schools, cost thousands of people their jobs, harmed the quality of health care for Floridians, and attempted to put tough restrictions on women’s access to reproductive health care.
 
Average Floridians are fed up with the Governor and those legislative leaders, who insist on balancing the budget on the backs of hard-working Floridians – and who introduce bill after bill to curtail women’s rights. Enough is enough!
 
That is why the Florida Association of Planned Parenthood Affiliates (which includes our affiliate, Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida) has joined the Awake the State organization as a coalition partner, and it’s why we are urging all of our supporters to attend one of the many rallies that will take place around Florida on Tuesday, January 10th (that’s when the legislative session begins).  Please check out the Awake the State website for a rally near you, or go to the Awake the State Facebook page. We must join the struggle to inform our fellow Floridians of what’s really going on in Tallahassee!
 
It’s time to demand that our Governor and our state legislators end the war on women and on our middle class – and focus their energies on protecting and expanding our middle class by investing in our future.

“Uterus: it’s not a clown car”

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Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar are expecting baby #20.  When I posted those words to my Facebook page, I got responses like “wow,” and “holy cow,” and “geez.”  The funniest response was, “Uterus: it’s not a clown car.”

Mrs. Duggar is 45 years old and her last pregnancy ended with complications that resulted in a sick preemie and a sick mommy.  They relied on God and medical interventions to save them both.  A woman is considered “advanced maternal age” at the age of 35, which means that the risks posed to mother and baby grow with each year that passes.  At 45, a woman has a 1 in 30 chance of giving birth to a Down syndrome baby.  The Duggars are willing to take the risk.

When people hear that a woman is pregnant with her 20th child, their initial responses are usually of disbelief and then disdain.  Here’s the thing though: if you are pro-choice, should you support the Duggars’ decision to have 20 children?  It’s their right.  It’s their choice.  Pro-choice is not just the belief that a woman should be able to terminate her pregnancy or not, it’s also about her right to have as many children as she wants, when she wants them.  The Duggars do not live in debt, do not rely on social services for help, can afford all of their children, and want and love every single one of them.  They are also religious extremists who follow the Quiverfull Movement.

I’m not saying that it’s eco-friendly to have 20 kids, or that it’s fair to the older kids who have so much responsibility caring for the younger ones, or that having reality TV cameras in your house is good for your kids, or that I dig the Quiverfull Movement. What I am saying is that if you are pro-choice, I challenge you to let your attitudes about the Duggar Family reflect that, difficult as it may be.  You may not like many other things the Duggar Family says/does/believes, but let’s take away all that and just focus on their right to have the family they want.

Even though Mrs. Duggar is ready to lay down her life to grow her family, I do hope that she and baby come out of this healthy – I’d hate to see her ideology be the thing that leaves her children motherless.