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!

Life at Conception Act Introduced in the Senate

News update from feminist.org newswire:

Senators Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Rand Paul (R-KY) introduced the Life at Conception Act in the Senate yesterday that would establish that human life begins at the moment of conception. If passed, the bill would extend equal protection under 14th article of amendment of the Constitution to unborn fetuses and would reverse Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the US.

At the March for Life, held Monday at the National Mall, Senator Wicker pledged to overturn Roe v. Wade and stated, "We believe Roe v. Wade has led to a three-and-a-half decades-long holocaust in the United States of America."

Nancy Keenan, President of NARAL Pro-Choice America, criticized the bill stating, "This is the latest example of hypocrisy from politicians who said they want less government in our lives yet propose bills like this one that would open the door to more political interference in our personal, private decisions. If this bill resembles past versions, it would ban abortion - even in cases of rape or incest and threatens to outlaw birth control."

God has a Plan for Incestuous Rape Victim

Nevada Republican Senate candidate Sharron Angle has been making headlines with her absolutist anti-choice views. This Tea Party favorite has spoken about her belief that all abortions should be illegal, even in the case of rape and incest, on multiple occasions.

Most recently, the buzz has been centered on her radio interview on the Alan Stock Show in late-June. Stock asked about her recent television interview in which the host asked if she would tell a 13-year-old girl that was raped by her father that she has to have the baby. Angle responded with an anecdotal story of how she saved the life of a teen rape victim's daughter from abortion. Angle claimed that "two wrongs don't make a right" in reference to aborting a rape-induced pregnancy and that the people she counseled were able to make "a lemon situation into lemonade."

However, this is extremely problematic. If Angle had her way, girls impregnated by their fathers would be forced to give birth! It is bad enough to deal with the trauma of rape, let alone incestuous rape, but to deal with the government forcing her to give birth to a child that will forever be associated with such a horrendous event is ridiculous! In addition, it can be dangerous. Still developing, teenagers are at a much higher risk of having serious complications.

How is Sharron Angle ok with putting women's lives at risk to save what isn't even a person yet?

Well... She believes that "God has a plan and a purpose for each one of our lives." Personally, I am an Atheist and am accepting of others' religious beliefs, but I take issue with her statement. I am ok with religious individuals making statements like "it's part of God's plan" or "God works in mysterious ways," but would God really want a young teen to be raped and go through a pregnancy to end up dying? Sorry, but isn't God supposed to be just and loving? Why would he want someone to go through so much pain-- is he teaching a moral lesson or punishing these young women?

Sorry, Ms. Angle, but I don't think religion justifies forcing rape victims to give birth. Perhaps, you are confusing religion and politics, or maybe you should let other people worry about their fate and allow them their reproductive freedom.

Photo Credit: Huffington Post

Still Going After All These Years: The Fight For Choice

In the early 1970s, trail-blazing feminists had a vision for women’s health centers and abortion service providers. Clinics were to function as places where all women could feel strong, safe, and supported - true centers of female empowerment. With the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, guaranteeing women the right to abortion, the pro-choice campaign seemed to be headed towards this idealist destination.

Few feminists of that era would have predicted that in June 2010 the New York Times would publish an article highlighting 11 states that have passed laws restricting or regulating abortion this year alone. Feminists, particularly those who defended clinics in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, are left wondering, "How is the fight for choice still going on?"

According to the Times article about 370 state bills regulating abortion have been introduced in 2010. Regulations that have made it through state legislatures include an Oklahoma law requiring women to undergo an ultrasound and listen to a description of the fetus prior to abortion, the banning of all abortions after twenty weeks in Nebraska, and a Tennessee bill requiring clinics to post signs stating it is illegal to coerce women into undergoing an abortion procedure. Even scarier, Utah legislators have passed a law allowing a 17 - year - old girl who paid a man to beat her into a miscarriage to be charged with homicide. While my pro-choice colleagues and I are left baffled by this wave of anti-choice legislation, abortion opponents are welcoming the turning tide. As quoted in the Times, Mary Spaulding Blanch, director of state legislation for the National Right to Life Committee, said, "This is a good year as far as victories." She continues, "I do get the impression that the [state political] climate is friendlier." Friendlier to anti-abortion laws, that is.

In an era where many Americans are unaware or dismissive of the gender inequities that exist in our culture, the question I all too often receive when I reveal my feminist passions is, "What do feminists have to fight for these days, anyway?" While there are an unlistable number of answers to that question, one response the feminists of the 70s didn’t think I would have to say is "choice." As evidenced by the recent passage of restrictive laws in numerous states, however, abortion is very much still on the agenda. So alas, the battle rages onward.

photo credit:Leo in Canberra on flickr.com

Red Alert: Egg-as-Person Initiatives on Ballots this Fall

So-called "personhood initiatives", like the one we saw soundly defeated in the Colorado 2008 election, are trying to make a comeback in the 2010 election.

Personhood initiatives define a human life as beginning at the moment of fertilization. If passed, fertilized eggs would legally be considered people who are guaranteed constitutional rights, like you, I, or the woman with the fertilized egg in her uterus.

Anti-choicers hope that their egg-as-person laws would effectively ban abortion in the state in which the law was passed and subsequently challenge Roe v. Wade. Oh brother.

Not only that, but if passed, an egg-as-person law would attack women's rights to use certain forms of birth control, including the IUD and emergency contraception. Stem cell research and alternative reproductive technologies, such as in vitro fertilization would be hugely impacted as well.

While the 2008 Colorado Personhood Initiative was defeated with 73% of voters saying "hell no", don't underestimate these things. They are back and the anti-choice forces behind them are as well-financed and fanatical as ever.

Egg-as-person amendments have been approved to be on the ballot this fall in Mississippi and Colorado. Efforts are still under way in California (the anti-choicers need 700,000 signatures by April 29th), and while an attempt in Nevada failed, Personhood NV (the initiative's backers) have appealed the decision to the NV Supreme Court, which is expected to make a decision by May 18.

Not only are we seeing egg-as-person initiatives pop up on ballots, but state legislators have introduced bills that would do the same thing. In North Dakota, the House actually passed an egg-as-person bill last spring and the state Senate luckily knocked it out.

Furthermore, on a global scale, fertilized eggs are being granted constitutional rights at some countries' national levels - case in point: the Dominican Republic - entirely banning abortion throughout the country.

The language they use - equating a fertilized egg with a person - gives us a big clue about what they are trying to do. While the anti-choicers may know that their initiatives don't stand a huge chance of passing in most states, they know that if you tell people an egg is a person and should enjoy constitutional rights, enough times, people will start to believe it. That messaging, just like any of the other commercial messages we hear day in and day out, will start to be viewed not as a crazy idea, but as the truth - or at least something to pay attention to. And we can't let it get to that. We must shut these attacks down before they ever see that day.

Personhood initiatives are the anti-choicers' newest tactic and we are just seeing the beginning of them unless we can mobilize our pro-choice majority to, well first, have a good chuckle at the ludicrousness of these things, but then, seriously, VOTE NO. And tell others to vote no. And tell them to tell others to vote no. And so forth...you get the idea. VOTE NO AND MOBILIZE OTHERS TO DO THE SAME.

Anti-choicers want this to be an expensive fight for us. They want us to use all of our time and resources fighting something that probably doesn't stand much of a chance at this point anyway. This fight does not have to be expensive. We're grassroots organizers and we have the majority on our side. On your campus, there is an extremely good chance that the majority of the students are pro-choice.

So, if you are in Colorado or Mississippi don't waste any time! Get the word out now! Set the stage for major defeat come fall.

And if you're anywhere else, start talking now. Let's make sure these so-called "personhood initiatives" don't stand a chance.

This article was featured in our April 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!

Baltimore's CPC Ordinance vs. Anti-Choicers, Round 2

Last Fall, amid heated debate, the City of Baltimore passed the first ever ordinance requiring crisis pregnancy centers to post signs disclosing that they do not provide referrals or information about abortion or contraception. Though the existence of these centers still makes some of us uneasy, at least we could rest assured knowing that women entering the facility would know that they were not getting comprehensive, accurate, medical advice.

Well, we knew it was too good to be true.

Freed up from their recent attempt to hijack health care reform, the leadership of the Catholic Church is at it again. Yesterday, the Archdiocese of Baltimore filed a federal lawsuit against the city, claiming that the ordinance violates church members' rights to freedom of speech and religion.

A spokesman for the anti-abortion Center for Pregnancy Concerns expressed disappointment that the government was not supporting their "sacrificial efforts" and that "[their] stand for life draws opposition."

Let's be quite clear, here: it's not the stance that of these Centers that is the issue in this particular case. It's the fact that they pose as a clinic. They act as though they are qualified to dole out medical advice to vulnerable women. All the signs do is ensure that women that do go to a crisis pregnancy center do so knowing the types of services that will be available to them at that facility; nothing more and nothing less. I sincerely hope that this lawsuit will find in favor of the city.

Truth be told, it's about ending the deception. If these Centers are proud of their services, they should be proud to call them what they are, rather than misleading women as to what they are not.

Want to get involved with ending the CPC masquerade in your community? Check out our Campaign to Expose Fake Clinics!

The Morning After

I started watching the Super Bowl last night with a mix of excitement and trepidation. I had adopted the New Orleans Saints as my team for the evening, swept up in the "Who Dat" New Orleans spirit (supplemented by the feminist blogosphere's discovery of awesome new crush Scott Fujita, a linebacker for the Saints), and I anticipated a great game. I also nervously awaited the much discussed Focus on the Family ad, starring University of Florida star Tim Tebow.

I have been struggling with the Tebow controversy all week. On one hand, I am proud of the feminist movement for standing up, calling CBS on its hypocrisy, and forcing the general public to think about what Focus on the Family really stands for. Some really great responses were created, including this Planned Parenthood ad with Al Joyner and Sean James, and the Raging Grannies video. On the other hand, I feel that we lost control of the message. Feminists celebrate all choices, and I know we are happy that Pam Tebow made the best choice for her and her family. The problem is that when Pam Tebow, Sarah Palin, and others boast about "choosing life," they are dismissing the complicated decisions other women have had to make as selfish, frivolous, or downright sinful, and refusing to acknowledge that while the choice that they made was the best one for them, their experiences are not universal. I feel like this point was not made clear enough, and that the mainstream media focused instead on the "Feminists are mad! They love abortions!" angle.

Luckily, the ad was shown fairly early in the game.



It was simple, direct, and frankly, kind of boring. Abortion was not mentioned (if you go to Focus on the Family's website, you get a whole lot more of the nutty anti-choice stuff). It ended, and everyone I was sitting with had a collective "that was it?" moment. I couldn't help but worry that the feminist outrage had done more harm than good, giving Focus on the Family more bang for their advertising buck. A discussion with a few far-flung feminist activists (thank god for twitter and facebook) helped me sort out my thoughts.

Which brings me to my final point: Sure, this ad seemed innocuous. A lot about the anti-choice movement seems like that: crisis pregnancy centers, teenage protesters who only want to save babies, and purity balls. BUT that doesn't mean it isn't dangerous. It doesn't mean it isn't part of the larger movement that murdered Dr. Tiller and denies women of their right to access a legal and safe medical procedure. Last night, the Tebows went before 100 million viewers and represented an extremist anti-woman organization that actively fights against the rights of women, people of color, and LGBT individuals. I believe FotF would love to see the US look like a patriarchal Christian theocracy, like Gilead of The Handmaid's Tale. The playful tackling and teasing of the ad covers the real intentions of FotF. We could have let the ad run without a fuss, but we made some noise and people paid attention to the real message behind the ad. That's a good thing, and I am proud of our movement for taking a stand.

EDIT: I almost forgot the other awesome outcome of the Tebow ad--donations to groups like the National Network of Abortion Funds (NNAF) went through the roof thanks to the protest! FotF may have spent 3 million dollars on an ad, but NNAF is MAKING money that will go directly to helping women in need. Consider donating to NNAF today.

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.

Anti-Choice Groups Oppose Nevada Personhood Initiative

Via FeministNews:

Four anti-choice groups released a statement last week opposing a personhood initiative petition that is currently gathering signatures in Nevada. The measure in question would extend due process rights to "everyone possessing a human genome." The statement says that the proposed "amendment will harm the Pro-Life movement by giving pro-abortion courts more power to decide all matters relating to abortion, such as parental notification, informed consent, and taxpayer funding of abortion. These matters should be decided by the elected representatives of the people--state legislatures and Congress, not the unelected courts."

Conservative group Personhood Nevada originally filed the ballot initiative with the secretary of state's office," in October. In order for the initiative to reach the ballot, petitioners must obtain the signatures of at least 10 percent of registered voters that voted in the last general election, or 97,002 signatures. According to the Las Vegas Sun, a lawsuit was filed in district court that aims to prevent the measure from being placed on the ballot. This suit claims the petition violates the "core principles of the single-subject rule by proposing multiple unrelated and sweeping changes to Nevada law, while utterly failing to give voters notice of these changes."

Abortion opponents have pushed these so-called "personhood initiatives" in several states. These measures declare that a fertilized egg is a "person" who enjoys "inalienable rights, equality of justice, and due process of the law." They would threaten not only abortion itself, but IUDs, emergency contraception, in vitro fertilization clinics, and stem cell research. In the 2008 elections, Colorado's Amendment 48 (see PDF), failed by 73 to 27 percent. In addition to failing in Montana, petition drives for similar initiatives ultimately failed in Georgia, Oregon, and Mississippi for the 2008 elections.

Stupak is Whack

30 feminists descended on Capitol Hill today to protest the Stupak amendment. I was one of them.

The rally, sponsored by NOW, drew feminists from groups like the Feminist Majority Foundation, Southeast Asia Resource Action Center, and the National Women's Law Center.

We met in front of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, carrying signs that said "Keep Ur Stupak Off My Body," "Stupak is Whack!," and "Healthcare for All!" We were promptly greeted by Randall Terry of Operation Rescue and his anti-choice buddies. They followed us around, shouting "Abortion is murder!" through their megaphones.

Oddly enough, we got serenaded by Randall in a Grim Reaper costume. His lyrics bordered on sexual harassment and were pretty demeaning. "Don't worry ladies, I want all your children." "Girls, girls, keep abortion going." Oh well, religious nutjobs going out of their way to put you down is a sign that you're doing something right.

We did two laps around the office building before we were asked to leave by Capitol Police. You can only do so much with an impromptu protest and no permit.

I hope these protests pick up in size. We need our Congressfolk to kill this amendment!

Has Ira Glass wire-tapped the FMF headquaters?

While on my morning commute, ( which still involves zoning out to Ira Glass.) I noticed that he and the show have, yet again, picked a show subject that matches up perfectly with my life at FMF.

Yesterday I talked about the documentary Hell House and critiqued the moral-based Haunted House on its extreme scare tactics used to convert it's "Hell bound" visitors to the other side.

Today, I discovered that the PRI radio show This American Life had interview the film's director and Hell House's actors for this weeks show!

For a real Halloween spook tale, you can listen to the show here.

photo credit: sean dreilinger from flickr.com

Ditch the candy, this Halloween sign yourself up for some good ol' fashion fear mongering!

Everyone has their own Halloween traditions. In his documentary Hell House, director/ producer George Radliff shows the not-so-common Halloween traditions of a town on the outskirts of Dallas, where the production of "Hell House" is annually held.

Hell House is a haunted house-style play focused on decisions that will exempt a person from the pearly gates. Teens and parents alike try out in large numbers, hoping to play "rave master" or"school shooting kid."

During Halloween season, "those who dare enter" watch a series of five-minute skits, showing what each character did to get in Hell. There's the boy who "chose the gay lifestyle" and became HIV positive; the woman who cheats on her abusive, alcoholic husband; the girl who took the abortion pill and died from blood loss, the boy who was so fed up with teasing that he commits suicide in front of his class and (can't forget this one!) the girl who goes to a rave, gets drugged and raped and commits suicide because of her guilt!

After seeing the characters tortured and burned in the final "Hell" scene, the audience is taken to calm room. Here, a person asks the group if they know where they would go if they were to die that night. Those who would like to go to heaven are offered entrance into a room where they can pray with church members.

This is where I sat on my couch, watching and thinking "WHAAAAAT! WAY TO BLAME THE VICTIM!"

This movie put things in the most disgusting terms: It's not the rapist who goes to hell, its the poor survivor. It's not the abuser or the mean students, it's the abused and the taunted.

It's time to identify this as what it is: fear mongering! They are showing extreme situations as scare tactics to sway their audience towards their unrealistic cause. To find out more about Hell House, rent it!

Verdict: Anti-Choice and Disappointing

I have been a big fan of the television show "Law and Order" since high school, but I haven't been watching the new episodes recently. I've been sort of feeling nostalgic about the whole show, so imagine my feelings when I read the article on Salon today about the most recent episode that appeared to take the tragedy of Dr. Tiller's death and turn it into an anti-choice supporting episode.

How do you do that? By fabricating events that make the murdered abortion provider seem like a bad person, instead of someone who is performing a legal service that saves the lives of women. Gee, that strategy sure sounds like something the anti-choice movement would do.....

So, why did "Law and Order" do it?
Photo courtesy of www.flickr.com

Separation of Church and...Internships? Not at Loyola

The Cardinal Newman Society, a self-appointed organization dedicated to “maintaining a catholic identity” in Catholic institutes of higher education, has declared that Loyola and nine other colleges and universities have wrongfully given credit to students completing internships with organizations whose missions “directly contradict the views of the Catholic Church” (Loyola Phoenix). The majority of internships impacted by this are those that are available to students in the Women and Gender Studies Department.

The President of Cardinal Newman Society, Patrick J. Reilly, asked “under what definition of ‘Catholic education’ do students receive academic credit to work for leading pro-abortion organizations?”

Although I can not speak for all “in question” organizations, the Feminist Majority is by no means a pro-abortion organization; we are a pro-women’s rights organization. To quote our mission statement (which apparently is in opposition to Catholic views), the Feminist Majority aims to develop “bold, new strategies and programs to advance women's equality, non-violence, economic development, and, most importantly, empowerment of women and girls in all sectors of society.”

At no point does FMF advocate, pressure, or lobby with “pro-abortion” attitudes or initiatives. We support a woman’s right to choose what is best for her body and her future, whatever that may be. Just as the Catholic Church is not defined by one aspect of their belief system or their mission, neither are we or other organizations like us.

It is important to recognize, as junior Liz Kelliher-Paz noted, these organizations “uphold a lot of other ideals that are important, and students should get to decide what they think... It’s important to allow students to make up their minds about what they believe rather than being indoctrinated.” Not all students who attend Catholic Universities are Catholic, or Christian, and for their options to be limited because of the indoctrinating actions and beliefs of their University is inappropriate and inhibits their education; the same holds true for students who are catholic, and perusing these types of opportunities.

Students at Loyola are there, first and for most “for an education,” said Senior Chris Balmaceda. A career is the final goal, yes, and an internship is the path to that. However, a catholic education does not mean a catholic career. In denying students credit for such internships, Loyola is essentially denying them opportunities to pursue the career of their choice and complete the education they seek. It is important for educational institutions to offer the most comprehensive internship and career services so as best to serve the students and their personal goals, not the goals of the university or of the church.


photo credit : David Reber http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidreber/2997213236/

Judge Delays Enforcement of Anti-Choice Okla. Law

Enforcement of an anti-choice Oklahoma law set to take effect on November 1st has been delayed by a temporary restraining order granted Monday. Oklahoma County District Court Judge Twyla Mason Gray's order delays enforcement of the law to December 4th so she can "look further into the case," according to Women's E-News.

The law in question will require doctors to report extensive information about each abortion performed in the state, which will then be published on government websites. The questionnaire will ultimately be posted on the Oklahoma State Department of Health website and includes information as detailed as a woman's reason for an abortion, her age, the date the abortion, and the total number of previous pregnancies.

Though supporters of the law argue that the omission of a woman's name and address preserves her right to privacy, opponents assert that it would be possible to identify a woman from a small town from the information to be published. The law is also the first in the nation to ban sex-selective abortion.

A lawsuit was filed earlier this month by Wanda Stapleton, a former Oklahoma state representative, and Lora Joyce Davis, a resident of Shawnee, Oklahoma. The suit, filed on the plaintiffs' behalf by the Center for Reproductive Rights, alleges that the new law violates the state constitution by covering more than one topic and that it will cause unnecessary spending of taxpayer dollars. The Center for Reproductive Rights won a similar lawsuit in Oklahoma in August.

Source: Feminist News

Image credit: walknboston on flickr.com

Cupcakes For Life

Sadly, the content of this post has been pulled from REAL websites. Check out the links below for a look into the anti-choice movement's "rationale"...

I don't know if you've heard, but October 9th is National Pro-Life Cupcake Day! Celebrate by bringing in cupcakes adorned with pro-life messages into your school!

Why cupcakes? Well, because everyone wants them! Bring a tray of cupcakes into class and serve them to people. When people ask, "Who's birthday is it?" (ignoring the pro-life messages on the food), you can stop them mid-bite and say, "It's no ones birthday. These cupcakes represent the 50,000,000 children who weren't allowed to be born, who never had a birthday." Assuming that your classmates aren't choking on their cupcakes with grief, you can add, "If you and I were aborted, we wouldn't have a birthday either." For an even better effect, hand out plastic fetuses!

Why should we do this? We need to do the work of God and be the voice of the unborn. When talking to kids, tell them that God loves them and wants them to have birthdays. Abortion means some kids don't get to have birthdays. It's as simple as that! If you're a mom, take some young teenage girls aside to talk about abortion and teach them about the merits of abstinence and pregnancy. It works!

And remember, if those nasty, sinful pro-choicers (more like, pro-abortionists! Thanks Abort73.com!) smash the cupcakes in your face, just wipe them off and do God's work elsewhere!

Photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/bljfour/

Listening to Language

Language is an important and intricate tool that many people don't really consider before they say something. This great video and post (originally posted on Feministing) confronts this topic as it relates to the abortion discussion. It's important for the pro-choice movement to study its opposition and to listen to what they are saying. In doing so, we can strengthen our own side by better understanding the other side.




In an accompanying article to this video posted on Huffington Post, National Advocates for Pregnant Women's president Lynn M. Paltrow sums up this whole discussion on anti-choice language very well. She says, "so we need to ask -- do the people who use this language really think the mothers who have had abortions are the same as, or worse than, those who carry out torture, kill children, and commit mass-murder?"

She finishes the article by saying, "Claiming that the individual decisions of pregnant women and their families is like or worse than slavery (or genocide) denies the history, the meaning, and the lessons (of these events) and it should stop." I agree.

New Poll: Anti-choicers are NOT the majority

In May, a Gallup Poll found that 51% of Americans identified as “Pro-Life.” A new poll shows that this number is closer to 47%, and that the percentage of Americans that identify as “Pro-Choice” stands at 46%. So what has changed? Well, I am a big skeptic when it comes to polling thanks to numerous classes in statistics and research methods because there are so many variables that can contribute to these types of discrepancies. For the sake of this blog post, we will pretend that response bias is not at work, and we will pretend that this dichotomous question with its loaded rhetoric has no effect on the person who is surveyed. Just pretend, okay?

On May 31, 2009, an anti-choice extremist murdered Dr. George Tiller—this could definitely contribute to less people wanting to self-identify as “Pro-Life.” In my opinion, this upswing in violence and animosity on the part of anti-choice individuals has left those feeling mostly apathetic about the question of reproductive rights leaning toward a “Pro-Choice” self-identification. These are just my thoughts. What do you think?

Feel free to contact campusteam@feminist.org with any questions or comments.
Photo courtesy of www.flickr.com

Are you kidding me?!!

According to Vail Daily, the Colorado Title Board approved the personhood amdendment proposal.

Are you kidding me?!!! This proposal is utterly ridiculous and insulting to women. Now that the wording has been approved, these misinformed and misogynistic people can start "collecting" signatures.

I wrote about the personhood movement last week. If you want a recap, check it out. Basically, it is terrifying that something as extreme as this proposed amendment could garner support at a state level. Like I said before this amendment would destroy the reproductive freedom and rights that thousands of people have worked hard to protect.

Even if the amendment doesn't pass (if it does, I will be seriously disappointed in the people of Colorado), approving the proposal is encouraging this group to think that they might someday win, and to continue their war against women.

Photo courtesy of www.flickr/writefromkaren

FemNews: the Operation Rescue Counter Protest

Hello, everyone! So, as you saw yesterday, some of the FMF interns were planning to go to an Operation Rescue protest at the Capitol, and have a peaceful counter-protest. Well, we did it! It wasn't exactly what we expected it to be, but I think we did a good job of getting our message out! Check out the video!