Roe v. Wade Weekend Wrap-Up

The East Coast Campus Team had a very eventful week with all of the Roe V. Wade events going on! On Thursday January 20 the Team attended the “We are the Champions Event” hosted by Choice USA, where several pro-choice leaders went “head to head” to discuss reproductive issues facing women today. Among these women were the amazing Amy Richards, Shelby Knox, and Kierra Johnson engaging the packed hall and answering questions. It was a great event to unite the reproductive choice movement and get people involved nation-wide with their live twitter feed displaying quotes and ideas from the speakers and attendees.

On Friday, the campus team attended National Organization for Women’s vigil at the Supreme Court to commemorate the anniversary of Roe V. Wade. Dozens of feminists faired the freezing cold to come out and chant, talk, and celebrate our right to choose abortion. Followed by a wonderful social at the Mott House, advocates had the opportunity to thaw out and enjoy refreshments while they got to know other pro-choice activists.

On Sunday, the Campus Team attended a counter-protest at Germantown Reproductive Health Services where anti-choice groups gathered to have a press conference and a “Prayer Walk.” This walk and conference focused on rallying people to help “kick out” Dr. Carhart, a late-term abortion provider who recently started working in Germantown. Several pro-choice advocates attended this walk to show the community their support for the clinic and Dr. Carhart, including people from FMF, NOW and World Can’t Wait. These advocates marched up and down the sidewalk with signs and chants showing their appreciation and support.

On Monday, we attended the annual “Walk for Life” in Washington, D.C., where thousands of students and anti-choice supporters come to walk and rally against the Roe V. Wade decision. Although the pro-choice crowd was grossly outnumbered, they held their own with their signs and chants showing the crowds that there were supporters for Roe V. Wade and the right to choose. Among them were an inspirational group of local Catholic School students who broke away from their mandatory attendance to the walk to join the pro-choice group with wonderful signs such as “Use Condom Sense.” It was definitely an intense experience with anti-choice advocates surrounding and screaming at the pro-choice group. But we will never forget that we are the majority!

Ho Ho, Hey Hey, Roe v. Wade is Here to Stay

DC is one of the most influential places in the world. Such much goes on in this city that it's residents get a chance to take part in events and such that deal with issues that affect the entire country.

Today, I got the opportunity to march in front of the Supreme Court Building to celebrate the 37th Anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Court Decision. Unfortunately, this anniversary is also the date when anti-choice groups decide to flood the National Mall for the March for Life and protest the landmark abortion decision. We knew that we would be out numbered so keeping this in mind, we just wanted to make our presence known.

This was my first time participating in a march like this and it was quite a unique experience. Prior to the march, I was warned that anti-choice demonstrators would try to get in my face and how many of these demonstrators would be young, high school teenagers. This made me a little anxious but I assured myself that if I did not respond to their taunting, they would give up and move onto the next person.

When we walked up to the building and began marching in a circle with our pro-choice signs and chants, dozens of 13-year-olds descended upon us with blue and pink face paint, "I love babies" written on their faces, and red duct tape inscribed with "LIFE" covering their mouths. I really wish I had gotten a picture because it was quite humorous. For these teens, this march was just a fun field trip for which they got to play dress up, hang out with their friends, and yell about things they knew nothing about.

At one point, we were chanting "Stupak has got to go, when you're pregnant let us know" (one of my personal favorites because many of these teens may very well have abortions later on in their teen-years) and many of them ran up to their friends and asked "What is Tupak? Why are they chanting about Tupac?" This just made me shake my head because you would think that if you were really passionate about a cause and were willing to attend a march to speak about your beliefs that you would be educated about your cause. But no, these children are given no valuable information about what they're marching about. All they are told is pro-choice advocates love killing babies and that is what they believe. Sigh.

Thankfully nobody got up in my face, but I may or may not have shouldered a couple of teenagers that tried to get in my way. I had a blast and my new raspy voice is evidence that I chanted to my fullest.

Above is a picture of FMF interns, Khatera, Mariel, and Elena at the march.

Viva Roe!

For Goodness Sake, Just Trust Us!

In honor of the 37th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, NARAL is holding the 5th annual Blog for Choice Day!

I would like to start off with a response to the Newsweek blogpost in The Gaggle about this years Roe v. Wade Anniversary March. I'm slightly offended by some of the assumptions they made.

For example, this years march is shorter and is earlier in the day than in previous years. There could be many reasons for this alteration, but the blogger thought the only clear choice was that "the organizers are getting older, and it’s more difficult for them to walk a long distance". Excuse me? Just because a lot of the protesters are some of the original participants in the abortion movement are over 60, does not mean that they have difficulty walking.

The Gaggle also assumes that there is going to be a lack of young feminists because “older generations had friends and family members who died of complications or found themselves sterilized because of abortion. Young women today don’t have that personal connection.” While we may not have a connection to the past, the current threats to abortion rights are direct threats to our bodies. Abortion laws may not affect our past, but they affect our future so it is our responsibility more than anyone else's to make sure our rights aren't threatened.

Younger feminists are criticized for not being as out there as past generations of feminists. Because of new technologies that allow us to stay home and still reach thousands of people through blogging, we receive a lot of slack for not knowing how to protest. Well I would like you all to know that today I am going to blog and protest. So take that Newsweek! Maybe we are a little physically inactive, but we are able to spread our feminist voice in other methods. You just need to trust us.

This brings me to this year's Blog for Choice Day Question is: What does "Trust Women" mean to you? This is in honor of Dr. George Tiller's famous tag line and button that he frequently wore.

I think that "Trust Women" is one of the more powerful pro-choice statements. It is concise and manages to tell people to stay out of everybody else's business without being offensive. Simply, just trust women and the decisions they want to make about their body and their lives.

Everyone is constantly telling women what to do, what to think, who to be, what to wear. Why is it that people think they have a say in our lives? They say they are trying to protect us from the big bad world, but is it really because they see us as incompetent girls who are unable to decide what is right for us? You don't know me, how could you possibly know what's right for me? Get out of my life and away from my uterus! TRUST ME! You need to trust all women because believe it or not, they are people to.

To see more blog posts about trusting women go to NARAL's Blog for Choice

Guest post: 10 ways to celebrate Roe v. Wade!

Guest post by Jesse Michener, treasurer of Kutztown University's Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance!

Friday was the 37th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that re-legalized abortion in the United States. This is a day we feminist activists are supposed to be celebrating, but when looking at all of the barriers to obtaining safe, legal abortion, it’s difficult to celebrate.

There are more barriers to a woman’s right to choose today then there have been for decades. Many states have parental consent laws and mandatory delays. Add to that the lack of abortion providers and the harassment they face, and one can see how truly a woman’s right to choose is in jeopardy. That’s why on this anniversary, I think it’s important to remember a quote by Mother Jones, a labor activist, who once said, “Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living.”

Before Roe, women died because they were unable to find safe abortion providers, and 37 years later we are still fighting to keep abortion safe and legal. That’s why we as pro-choice activists need to redouble our efforts to protect a woman’s right to choose, so that hopefully we can work to break down many of the barriers to choice that now exist. For this anniversary, I thought of ten things we all can do to support the pro-choice movement.

1. Online Activism: Everyone has a Facebook or a Myspace or a Twitter account. Use yours to support choice. Post pro-choice articles, make your status a pro-choice message, join pro-choice groups and become a fan of pro-choice organizations.

2. Join a group: There are many great pro-choice organizations out there from FMLAs on campus to local NOW chapters. Become involved in these organizations and work with others to make a difference.

3. Donate: Give what you can to organizations that support abortion rights. Organizations like the Feminist Majority, Planned Parenthood and the National Abortion Federation do amazing things. Giving just a little to these organizations can make a big difference.

4. Expose Fake Clinics and other anti-choice organizations: Many people are unaware that Crisis Pregnancy Centers do not refer for or perform abortions. It’s important to educate people on campus and in the community about this, so that people are aware and can make educated choices on where to go for reproductive health care.

5. Come Out: Come out as being pro-choice, discuss the issue with your friends and family, put a pro-choice bumper sticker on your car, wear a pro-choice shirt or button and be proud that you support a woman’s right to choose.

6. Volunteer: Many abortion providers need volunteers and there are many different ways one can. Clinic escorting is just one way to volunteer; this is where people walk patients and their support people through anti-choice protesters into the clinic. To find out how to help, call your local abortion provider and ask how you can help out.

7. VOTE: Becoming politically involved is one of the most important things we can do. Why not join a campaign, sign a petition or run for office. Being politically involved will ensure that future generations will still have the right to choose.

8. Educate Others: Organize an event on campus or do a presentation for a class on a woman’s right to choose. This is a great way to help others become more aware of important issues and to help more people get involved.

9. Advocate for others: Not everyone feels comfortable standing up for their own rights so it’s important for those of us who feel comfortable to speak up. Find out where your campus health center refers students who face an unintended pregnancy. If they don’t give students all of their options, speak up and fight for change.

10. Support All Choices: Last but not least, we need to remember that being pro-choice isn’t just about abortion, it’s about supporting self-determination. Over the last several decades the social safety net in our country has been eroded and it has become harder and harder for women who choose to become parents and adoption is a complicated process. We as feminist need to support women who choose to become parents and women who choose adoption as well.

Photo credit: KU FMLA

Thanks for weighing in, Jesse! If you would like to showcase your feminist group's activism around Roe v. Wade and abortion rights, send your 350 word post to campusteam (at) feminist (dot) org :D

Pro-Choice is Our Choice Too...Roe at 37

First of all, let me say, happy 37th anniversary of Roe v Wade! Now that that's out of the way - don't celebrate, ACTIVATE!

Yesterday, West Coast Organizer Jacqueline, new FMF intern Laura Garnett and myself attended an event called "Pro-Choice is Our Choice Too...Roe v. Wade at 37". It was put together by the National Council of Jewish Women in Los Angeles, along with the Hollywood chapter of NOW and local Planned Parenthood chapters.

The awesome, super-pro-choice speakers included: Rebecca Iaacs, the President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Advocacy Project Los Angeles; Dr. Arthur Fleisher, an OB/GYN who has been practicing medicine since the 50's and performing abortion since BEFORE Roe v. Wade (because abortion became legal in California in 1970); Professor Laurie Levenson of Loyola Law School; and Abbe Land, former Mayor of West Hollywood, current West Hollywood City Councilmember, Co-CEO of the Los Angeles Free Clinic and a past FMF staff member!

The message I would like to convey to you (in case you didn't know) is: OUR RIGHTS ARE NOT SAFE! Roe v. Wade basically ruled that abortion can't be entirely outlawed, but it can be regulated to death - and the anti-choice movement is sure taking advantage! From the Hyde Amendment, to state funding restrictions, to parental notification and consent, biased counseling requirements, mandatory delays, ultrasound requirements, reporting requirements, and more - when it all boils down, abortion is accessible for women with means, and for everyone else, it is not. In fact, 87% of counties in the U.S. do not have a single abortion provider.

In addition to having hugely negative consequences on women's ability to exercise their legal right to abortion, these types of anti-choice tactics are slowly chipping away at the legality of the right itself. Personhood amendments in particular, which we are seeing increasingly (several states had them on the ballot in 2008, state legislatures have considered them and North Dakota's House has even passed one, and we can expect to see them on the 2010 ballots in CA, NV, AK and CO, if not in more states) aim to directly challenge Roe v. Wade.

The North Dakota bill which has passed in the ND House (but has yet to pass in the Senate or be passed into law) defines "personhood" as beginning "at the moment of conception". Of course, the meaning of "moment of conception" is up for debate, but nevertheless, this bill's sole purpose is not only to ban abortion, emergency contraception, and even some forms of birth control in North Dakota, but to make its way to the Supreme Court and overturn Roe v Wade.

And as Laurie Levenson stated yesterday, "We are one vote away from overturning Roe v. Wade". We don't know how Justice Sotomayor will vote on the issue of choice. We know that the two most pro-choice Supreme Court justices, Ginsburg and Stevens, are also the oldest and most likely to retire. So, if Roe v. Wade gets overturned, what next? Well, 15 states actually have unenforceable abortion bans on the books, that would immediately go into effect should Roe be overturned. Oy!

Furthermore, the anti-choice movement has been very successful at making "abortion" a dirty word and making people feel it is a procedure they should be ashamed of. The constant messaging that "abortion is murder" and increased messaging about the connection between fetal/embyronic "life" and "personhood" surely serves their goals well as people internalize these messages like they're a McDonald's marketing campaign.

The reality is that 1 in 3 American women will terminate a pregnancy at some point in their lives. Abortion is one of the most common surgical procedures performed. So why is it so stigmatized?!

Today, on the 37th anniversary of Roe, please treat it not as a celebration, but a call to action! Make sure young people realize the very real and constant threat our rights are under. Raise awareness about abortion - the procedure itself, how common and safe it is, and encourage people to speak up and speak out for our rights!

Palin: "Pro-Life...is Pro-Woman"

Happy Birthday Roe v Wade! What better way to celebrate than have to listen to Sarah Palin say "the Pro-Life movement is Pro-Women."

In a recent facebook post, entitled "Marching for a Beautiful Life," Palin makes claims like the one I just mentioned, but also that overturning Roe will actually give women more options, and that CPCs are, in fact "helpful pregnancy resource centers." As interesting, upsetting, maddening, and sometimes hilarious some of her claims are, I would really like to comment on one of her facebook supporters comment, Sharla, who posted the following.

"The ironic thing about the pro-choice movement is that most women don't feel they have a choice. They are pressured into having an abortion by the boyfriend/husband, a parent or a friend. You are right when you say that pro-life is pro-woman!"

Obviously, women never make their own decisions, we must have our boyfriends and husbands do it for us; we are incapable of making a decision about our futures. This woman's claim that women have no agency is the most anti-woman accusation. Furthermore, by accusing the anti-choice movement of actually providing no choices at all is nothing short of ludicrous, which is probably why Palin agreed and posted something similar.

Palin urges us to not buy into the pro-choice rhetoric because, in fact, "the culture of life empowers women by offering them real choices."Apparently, women are offered more opportunities and choices for the future if they 'choose life.' So.....by offering women fewer options, you are in fact offering them more? That makes about as much sense and is about as correct as Palin's explanation of the Bush Doctrine. The reality is that the pro-choice movement gives women 100% control over their bodies; they can choose between life, abortion, adoption but more than that, they can make choices about their future, as a mother, as a student, as a worker.

As so off base as the majority of her post was, Sarah Palin was correct in saying that a woman who chooses life when her situation is less than ideal is strong; it absolutely takes a strong woman to do that. But it takes a strong woman to choose abortion too; pregnancy decisions are not for the weak. By taking the option of abortion away, it is taking away a personal strength that all women are capable of. It is taking away a right to OUR life. It forever implies that we lack agency and are incapable of making the right decision, and so the decision must be made for us.

Similarly, what the anti-choice movement fails to do, is recognize women as individuals rather than one large group that all want the same thing. Each and every one of us have different life experiences, different living situations, different dreams, and different aspirations. To overturn Roe would make the claim that despite all of these differences, all women are the same; all women want to be mothers, all women want the same future.

Losing the right to choose is losing the right and freedom to be a woman, to be an individual, to be a human being. Anti-choice is not pro-woman. Pro-woman means allowing women 100% control over her body, her life, her future. Not her husband or her boyfriend or her baby daddy, not her government, not her church and certainly not Sarah Palin, but her.

So here is to THIRTY SEVEN amazing years of pro-woman, pro-choice Roe v. Wade.

Check out Jezebel's open letter to Sarah Palin in response to her Facebook post!

Celebrate the Anniversary of Roe v. Wade on January 22nd

January 22, 2010 marks the 37th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision that guaranteed American women the right to a safe and legal elective abortion. Our fore-feminists dedicated their lives to obtaining this integral human right and it is not free from threats, even today. To commemorate the fight for the right to abortion and to stand up against current attacks on that right, take action on January 22nd!

History
Abortion has been performed in every culture and society for thousands of years. It wasn't until the mid to late 1800's that abortion was criminalized in the U.S. Of course, making abortion illegal didn’t stop it from happening, or even reduce the number of women who sought abortion.

It is estimated that as many as 1.2 million abortions happened each year in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These “back-alley” abortions by untrained practitioners, in addition to self-induced abortions often cost women their lives – in fact, many thousands of women died or suffered serious medical problems during the time that abortion was illegal (accurate records could not be kept).

Thankfully, in 1973, Jane Roe, a Texas woman seeking to terminate her pregnancy, brought a class action lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Texas law prohibiting her from doing so and the Supreme Court sided with her, 7-2. Delivering the opinion of the Court, Justice Blackmum stated:

“The right to privacy…is broad enough to encompass a woman’s decision whether or not to terminate her pregnancy. The detriment that the State would impose upon the pregnant woman by denying this choice is altogether apparent.”

Abortion rights proponents rejoiced.

Right v. Access
Unfortunately, the Roe v. Wade decision was not perfect, by any means. The wording of the decision left doors open for states to regulate abortion through restrictions on third-trimester abortions, parental consent and notification laws, “informed consent” laws, waiting periods, refusal or so-called “conscience” clauses, and even spousal consent laws (which were later made illegal with the Planned Parenthood v. Casey ruling in 1992).

Additionally, Roe v. Wade sent anti-abortion forces into a tizzy (just as its anniversary does every year), and in 1977 we saw the passing of the Hyde Amendment, which, to this day, prohibits Medicaid funding of abortions.

What’s the significance of all these various types of restrictions? Well, abortion may be legal, but it is not necessarily accessible or affordable. This distinction persists today, varying state by state. If you are under age 18, don’t have a provider near you, don’t have transportation, are a victim of incest or rape and don’t want to come forward, don’t have health insurance or don’t have the means to pay for an abortion, we’re sorry – the right to abortion doesn’t apply to you.

Furthermore, for several decades, anti-abortion forces have mounted escalating attacks on reproductive health clinics and health care providers throughout the nation, making access to the very clinics that provide reproductive health services even more difficult.

Continued Threats
While abortion remains legal, there are constantly rising threats jeopardizing access.

Currently, abortion has become a major divisive issue in Congress’ Health Care Reform efforts. By using women’s health and lives as a pawn to stop health care reform from happening, opponents of both reform and reproductive rights have managed to introduce some very restrictive abortion language – the Nelson amendment. By requiring separate payment systems for abortion coverage in the new health insurance exchange, the Nelson amendment will effectively eliminate abortion coverage for all women participating in the exchange – forcing millions of women who currently enjoy abortion coverage to pay out of pocket in the future.

Year after year, voters in referendum states are faced with anti-abortion ballot initiatives and state legislatures consider and often pass bills that limit abortion access. We see these bills and ballot initiatives in the form of: abortion bans (that are placed on the books in order to challenge Roe v. Wade), biased counseling requirements, mandatory delays, gag rules, refusal clauses, restrictions on low-income women’s access, restrictions on young women’s access, personhood initiatives and targeted regulation of abortion providers. In the fall 2010 mid-term election, don’t be surprised to see plenty of the above-mentioned threats present on your ballot!

And lastly, anti-abortion organizations such as Operation Rescue, Army of God and many others are creating a rising tide of extremism and violence against women’s health care clinics and providers. You may be familiar with the “Justice for All” or “Genocide Awareness Project” displays that often set up shop on college campuses. You also may have seen anti-abortion protesters outside of your local clinic. In addition to spreading lies and misinformation and making access to clinics difficult and intimidating, anti-abortion efforts often go far beyond protests and demonstrations and begin to threaten the safety and lives of women’s health care providers and clinic staff. Sometimes these threats escalate into real violence, as with the murder of Dr. George Tiller in his church in May, 2009.

What You Can Do on Jan. 22
On January 22nd, TAKE ACTION! Educate your campus, show support for abortion rights and the feminists who fought for that right, and fight the current threats we face. Let 'em know that we will never go back! Here are some ideas:

- Oppose the Nelson Amendment and show your support for woman-friendly health care reform. Find out how your Senators voted and let them know how you feel. Table with information on this issue and encourage other students to contact their Senators as well.

- Start gearing up for the onslaught of anti-choice ballot initiatives we are likely to see in this fall’s mid-term elections. Parental notification and personhood initiatives will likely be prevalent. Find out what’s likely to happen in your state, and begin educating your campus about why they should vote NO!

- Find out if there will be any anti-choice protests, demonstrations or events happening on campus and organize a counter-protest. Pass out medically accurate information about abortion, as well as information about the local reproductive health clinic.

- Adopt-a-Clinic. Call your local reproductive health clinic and find out how you can help them. They may be faced with protesters and need your help escorting patients into the clinic safely, showing your support through a rally or counter-protest, or just need your volunteer time in the clinic.

This article was featured in our January 2010 monthly Choices eZine. Sign up for our alerts to stay up-to-date with the latest feminist news and to receive the monthly eZine.