My Voice, My Choice, My Blog

War on Contraceptive Discussion

2012-02-03T09:51:00.000-08:00

So I know I'm late blogging about this, but I'm blogging now. So Monday we had this discussion about the current state of access to contraceptives. Of course the sneaky anti-choice found out about it and showed up and they were on edge. So this is what I don't get about the anti-choice/"pro-life" people,they are suppose to be so much for life but fail to tend to the services of the actual living. Like for instance this lady had the nerve to ask do we go into these communities we service and tell them that they are at high risk for being single mothers and not finishing high school. I was really thrown off guard by this question because for one it had nothing to do with the topic at hand and also why remind the poor of their slim chances they have in life to be successful because of their economic situation. This was a very asinine thing to ask,so i thought, especially coming from a white privileged woman.This is the exact reason why I do the work that I do because I am poor myself for now and I don't need anyone reminding me of that and adding to my oppression because that's in fact what your doing when you tell a poor black girl that instead of giving her the information to keep her from being that statistic and giving her the support to believe that she can rise above her circumstances.

versus

2012-02-01T14:58:00.000-08:00

In my hometown, Louisville, Kentucky-you're either a sports fan of University of Kentucky or University of Louisville. If a U of L student wears a UK sweatshirt on U of L's campus: "They should have went to UK!"

The rivalry has broken up homes, pitted brother against brother and spouse against spouse. Not in the literal sense, but who ever wins the annual U of L/UK basketball game-wins big bets and most importantly bragging rights and reminders of how, "You´re team lost!" But, the sore loser will continually remind their foe of how the last time their team beat theirs, no matter how long ago it was.

The game between pro-life and pro-choice is not that simple and downright vicious at times. An anti-choice protester at the door of the abortion clinic will use baby doll props, their own live children, Jesus pictures, statues of Mary and yell through a bullhorn to prove their point.

The anti-choice opposers will offer protection to the client as she enters the door. But that´s only some of them, while the pro-lifers are trying to recruit the others of pro-choice to be on their team with a bible in hand or their own baby on their chest, hanging from a harness.

In the end, there are no losers or winners. But if their is a so-called winner, it is the woman who finds the way to do the best for her and/or her circumstances. But this decision could be unhealthy or deadly, depending on the means that are available.

"Abortion will not be stopped...the question becomes simply that of what kind of abortions society wants women to have," stated Shirley Chisholm, in her book: Unbought and Unbossed. "clean, competent ones performed by licensed physicians or septic, dangerous ones done by incompetent practitioners."

It would be great if this debate was as simple as scoring points or getting personal fouls, but it is not. Unfortunately it seems in its current state of debate, there will never be "a side" that wins.

Contraceptives are starving the baby!!!

2012-01-27T12:58:00.000-08:00

Wow the anti choicers have really done it this time. I mean who comes up with such ridiculous conclusions. The definition of contraceptive is to deliberately prevent conception or impregnation. So first of all you can't starve something that hasn't even been conceived. Secondly you can't starve a fetus. Like i said before I was having wishful thinking that people would stop being air heads, but I see that's all I can do for now and keep fighting the fight of choice.

Missed Connection

2012-01-23T16:45:00.000-08:00

Last week the mayor of the third largest U.S. city closed branch libraries on Mondays and laid off 176 of its library staff! Literacy is a huge problem in Chicago (and nationally) and cutting off access to the possibility to be or become more literate is going to make this city worse.

People are already limited on resources and limited to increase their resources. The job market is kaput and those looking for jobs don't have the skills set that the "good" jobs are looking for. Also, the majority of job applying is done via the Internet.

The library provides Internet.

The reduction in libraries in a city like Chicago is dangerous. Shut down the libraries, and we will be left with a Red Eye, with bold letters on the front stating: HOMICIDE REPORT.

The family-oriented branch I live near is now closed on Mondays.

What a way to start out the week? Wouldn't you rather have your child going to the neighborhood library after school, than returning the first day of the school week after school to sit on the couch watching TV?
TV has limited options, despite the increase in cable channels. Libraries offer you an array of choices at no charge to the patron. Including CDs and DVDs.

Many youth these days could probably give you a break down of the major text lingo out there: OMG, BRB, or LOL. But we should not be laughing if they never used a dictionary book to look up a word or checked out a book at the library. The youth are our future and we seem to forget that.

There is no truer statement than: "Knowledge is Power." Disenfranchised groups, such as girls and women are already at a disadvantage when it comes to access of knowledge. For the most part females are not encouraged to "be smart." Many are in limited situations: confined to their homes, their neighborhoods or no graduation from high school.

Pregnancy rates of high schoolers and in some cases middle schoolers in Chicago are alarming! Because education is lacking, especially sexual health education. Hearsay and misinformation is taking many girls down the wrong path. And unfortuantely this path can be generational.

I remember in my Sociology class my professer saying that education is a great way to get out of poverty. As a recent college grad, I would say student loans can lead you to poverty. But, I do believe that higher education can open the door to more opportunities.

In order to get to complete a higher education, you must know how to read and have access to reading.

Chanting for Roe V. Wade!!!!

2012-01-20T09:22:00.000-08:00

So excited to be kicking off the chants for this years rally. Even though it's like 9 degrees I still feel just as excited as if it were a breezy 72 degrees. It is so important that we remember the women that opened the doors and made choice possible. Now its up to us to carry the torch and make sure those doors stay open and new ones open up. I'm so excited and I just can't hide it!!! Peace, Love and Choice!!!

Roe V Wade Rally

2012-01-19T23:33:00.001-08:00

Today the women in the leadership group and myself will be participating in the annual Roe v. Wade rally at the Thompson Center. I am quite excited about this event because it will be the first Roe v. Wade rally that I have attended. I am happy to be a part of this. However, I am quite nervous also because I will be speaking. I have always been one to shy away from public speaking because it has never been one of my strong points. If I am to continue to do this work and to be a leader this one aspect that I will always have to face. So today I will be facing my fears and standing up for what is right. There's nothing like killing two birds with one stone.

Vote NO! on single issue voting

2012-01-18T14:29:00.000-08:00

"There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives."
-Audre Lorde

A 2008 cover of Ms. Magazine featured President Barack Obama bursting out of his jacket, shirt and tie like Superman, but instead of a S, a fitted t-shirt hailing: “This is what a feminist looks like."

The feminist magazine is an obvious supporter of abortion access and Obama said out loud that he supports abortion access as well.

But that is not the only platform he ran on for increasing rights for girls and women. He also addressed, "women's rights, opportunities, [and] advancement," according to Eleanor Smeal article in The Huffington Post Web Site. Smeal is the president of the Feminist Majority Foundation and publisher of Ms. magazine.

Now it's four years later and instead of focusing on all of the United States ills, such as war, poverty, unemployment, philandering elected officials, and police's abuse of power (to name a few). The focus once again will be given to a polarizing issue: gay marriage or abortion. Take your pick!

This is foolishness on all parties involved, those running for a political office and the voters who put them in office. As the Election Day gets closer and closer, the single issue mud slinging has begun!

As Mitt Romney has been the forerunner as the presidential Republican candidate, former Speaker of the U.S. House and Republican presidential nominee hopeful Newt Gingrich has sent postcards to South Carolina residents stating that Romney was a pro-abortion as former governor of Massachusetts.

"The Record is Clear: Massachusetts Moderate Mitt Romney Can't Be Trusted to Protect Life," the mailing stated. It also stated that he allowed abortion pill access and appointed a pro-abortion judge as governor. The South Carolina Primary is January 21.

Hopefully the politicians running on a single issue platform and the voters who side with them, will get the hint that the abortion issue, like another issue is and has never been single or by itself. With lack of education running amok, sexism still a deadly disease of society and girls receiving mixed and influential media messages, and unequal pay among males and females, abortion and access to it will always be an issue of other issues.

Let's see the bigger picture, instead of seeing only part of the picture.

The links in this article are in no affiliation with the Chicago Abortion Fund.

Roe v. Wade Rally

2012-01-18T13:03:00.000-08:00

This Friday is CAF's annual rally in support of the historic Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion! Thank you in advance for your support! Come on down to the Thompson Center from noon to 1 pm to show your support of women choosing to control their bodies (as we should be). Cannnot wait to see you guys and give the opposition some food for thought:)

OMG Finally!!!!!

2012-01-10T20:49:00.000-08:00

So as you can see from my blogs I have been catching up on TV. So tonight was the premier of The Game which was already one of my favorite shows and has definitely won a place in my heart now. So as you would know if you were watching last season that Melanie had got an abortion without Derwin knowing. So as usual he was upset and talking about she killed his "baby". Melanie was totally unapologetic for her decision and stood by her choice. This was the first time that I have seen the subject of abortion presented on TV where their not showing the woman being totally distraught over her choice. She reminded me of myself when she said Yes I had an Abortion!!! The only thing I didn't like was her reason behind having it though it was suppose to be because she didn't want to lose Derwin because it wasn't his fetus,but hey whatever the reason it was her choice just like it was mine. Kudos to the writers of The Game.

New Year Same Issues

2012-01-06T10:44:00.000-08:00

So I love that I am the way I am and I am not blinded by people manipulations and own opinions and I stand strong on my own. I know it's a new year but people have the same issues. Sometimes I think people will change with time but I finally realized some people are just stuck in their ways and don't feel like they can learn anything from anyone. The anti-choicer"s are still trying to limit rights as a woman and so is the government but like I said last year I will not be silenced. I hope that more people will change just wishful thinking.

What is the proper age for a young woman to be on birthcontrol?

2012-01-04T13:03:00.000-08:00

So I was at the doctor yesterday and in came three girls that were 14yrs. old this I knew because they were having a conversation that gave out there age. So they were talking about things that 14yr. old talk about music, boys. parents, the usual. So one of the girls was there to see the doctor and she had a prescription in her hand that she had brought with her. So the girl asked her what it was and she was like it's my birth control shot. Now I did not know how to feel when I heard this, I was kinda happy but then it clicked like she is 14 is she having sex already. When I was 14 my mom had me scared straight out of boys and the only ones I was really interested in were the ones in the magazines. Boy times have changed! I was glad that her mother had that talk with her and decided to take preventative measures but on the other side I was thinking why does she need this at such a young age. Sex should be the last thing on her brain but it all has to do with society and how girls are automatically sexualized at a young age and the fact that sex is every where on the TV, magazines and radio. The media really takes a toll on society.

Pregnancy Free!

2012-01-03T18:20:00.000-08:00

It occurred to me last week that this is the longest I've went without being pregnant since my first pregnancy in 2001. My last abortion was in August of 2007, coincidentally the same year that I received funding from the Chicago Abortion Fund and joined the leadership group. Since, I have learned about several birth control options including tracking when I ovulate. This is a huge deal to me because this proves that with knowledge comes power. I am taking back my body with the work that I do and I am learning and teaching others along the way. Truly an awesome feeling!!!! Peace!

Glee

2011-12-20T05:42:00.001-08:00

So I know Im probably super late seeing this but hey I can be busy sometimes. So I'm up watching glee on netflix the first season when Quin got pregnant and the story surrounding her pregnancy was so crazy first off the guy who she told she was pregnant by didnt even have sex with her he just ejaculated in a hot tub next to her and this showed how uneducated our youth can be about sex second he ask her if she was going to have it and she said yes without a doubt even though she new that her mom would be furious with her being in that predicament and that she had a whole future ahead of her that having a baby would throw a monkey wrench in then the guy went and told the teacher and he asked if he needed money for her to go to planned parenthood which was quite amusing because him being a male that was his first thought suprisingly so I guess Mr. Shuester is pro-choice. It just really tickled me how they skipped around the issue of abortion and thru the episode no one she told sat down and told her that she needed to think about all her options and decide what would be best for her.They either just criticized her and made her feel shameful for instance like kicking her off cheerleading team or posting that shes pregnant in the newspaper noone showed the least bit of empathy towards her or try to figure out how she got in that situation and see how she can avoid it again. It's funny how fiction is so close to the realities of society.

Outreach

2011-12-19T09:14:00.000-08:00

Every time I get to do outreach it is so refreshing because you get to educate and interact with people and hear their thoughts.It was snowing and cold but the work has to get done people need this information. I am so happy when I get positive feed back or even just see someone reading the piece of information I gave them.This lets me know that what I am doing can never be in vain. So I can't wait till the next one!

Welcome Home Troops!

2011-12-19T07:22:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to say welcome home to the troops. It has been too long. And let us not forget the lives that were lost. Fighting for this country and our beliefs should not end in Iraq. We as a people must continue to fight against all injustices, especially the ones that affect us on a daily basis. Let's not pretend that the war is over. The war against the poor and marginalized continues.

I Was A Poor Black Kid

2011-12-16T10:23:00.000-08:00

I was a poor Black kid and oh how I wish I could talk face to face with Gene Marks. I do believe that even under the most restricting circumstances that there is still hope for the marginalized and oppressed people can still become successful. However, I DO NOT believe that it as simple as Gene Marks writes. Not once does he address why poor Black kids still have to fight three times as hard to obtain an education or job that privileged Whites were simply handed. Don't attempt to write an article on how poor Blacks can succeed without actually being a poor Black person who is dealing with struggles that some can't even begin to understand. Don't attempt to walk in my shoes without never even trying them on. If everyone would "pull themselves up by their bootstraps" their wouldn't be any White privilege! #Outragedandreadytoeducatetheignorant

If This White Man was a poor Black Kid

2011-12-14T12:55:00.000-08:00

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2011/12/14/trolling-the-internet-with-if-i-were-a-poor-black-kid/
This is a prime example of how people try to put a blanket on the all the underlying issues.As always some things are easier said than done. If you feel so different, then let's see if you put those kids up north in the schools out south and put the kids out south in the schools up north and see what the outcome is. This is frustrating that people think like this instead of how to make education equal no matter what the economic status.

16 and pregnant

2011-11-30T11:15:00.000-08:00

So this morning I was watching this TV show that's been out for awhile called 16 and Pregnant which displays how it is to be pregnant at a young age. Even though this show has been out for so long I never really payed attention to it, but this morning I could not stop watching. So The first episode I watched was about a young black girl who had dreams of going off to a good college and becoming an English teacher for underprivileged kids. Her boyfriend was the star of the football team and had dreams of going off to college on a scholarship he gained from playing football. So long story short, she got pregnant and both of them had to put their dreams on hold. They got married because she was pregnant and they were living with his mother who was not happy with her at all. Then I watched another episode which I didn't get to finish but I got to see enough in the second episode. There was a young white girl who was still in high school and so was her boyfriend.Now the differences I noticed in these two episodes besides the color of their skin was what each girl admitted that they knew about having sex. The young black girl admitted that she didn't know anything and that they had used condoms until one time while having sex the condom broke and she was just following his lead because he was her first and she didn't know anything and she was disclosing this information to her friends who didn't say why didn't you use birth control or did you explore your other options like adoption or abortion i was just disgusted but not surprised at that conversation and not only that the boy friends mother was just horrible she placed all the blame on the girl for the situation and then went as far as to tell the girl that she needed to see a DNA test as if her son didn't participate in the actions it took to get someone pregnant. Last time i recall it takes two. So in the episode with the white girl she was having a conversation with her friends also on how she got pregnant and the difference was that her friends said to her I mean what happened you weren't using condoms or birth control there are all kinds of ways this could have been prevented. Which tells me that they had access to sex education and preventative services that they chose not to use where as the black girl didn't. Also instead of the white girls parents judging her and blaming the boy or the boy parents judging her and blaming her they came together collectively to get through the situation that was going on. It was just very upsetting to me seeing how the situation with the black girl played out verses the white girl. I know people get tired of hearing about how these things happen because of the differences made between races and classes but this fact will not stop being pointed out until it is no longer a fact and watching these two episodes lets me know that it still is and that is why i must continue to do the work I do even though it isn't always easy.Peace, Love, and Choice!

Another Year Approaches

2011-11-28T10:45:00.000-08:00

As another year approaches I can't stress enough how important it is for our people to use our voices and stand up for what is right not only in the reproductive justice movement but in other aspects of our lives. Election time will be here before you know it and we have to be smart and know that our vote does count and know that you can never get what you want by being silent voluntary or involuntarily. So I just hope that as the new year approaches and the holidays pass when people are making those resolution that on that list will be taking a stand on more issues that affect us,because if you stand for nothing you will fall for anything.Peace,Love,and Choice.

How can something meant to be so beautiful be so dangerous?

2011-11-21T10:55:00.000-08:00

Yes I'm talking about sex. I am literally scared about it since i have been researching the different STD's and STI's and with so many risk when you decide to take the step of sex you think people would talk about it more openly. I mean with less message about it being cool and not explaining how it can be a beautiful experience but also explaining the risk behind it. I mean looking at the statistics we have really high rates for HIV,chlamydia, herpes and other sexually transmitted diseases and the younger the age the higher the rates and allot of it is because lack of education. When will we get a handle on this situation.

Outreach

2011-11-16T12:33:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday we headed to the west side and did what we call outreach getting out in the community and getting important info out to the people that it affects the most. It was a nice beautiful day and people were really positive. I really enjoy the work I do.

Whats the real issue?

2011-11-07T10:04:00.001-08:00

While I'm glad that there has been more conversations within the House and Senate regarding either funding for comprehensive sex-education programs; or just its implementation into the schools systems, there is still those that are trying to force this abstinence only teaching upon us. I don't think that there is any argument against abstinence being the safest way to prevent unintended pregnancies and STD/STI's. However, the reality is that people are having sex and do so in an unhealthy manner. They are either misinformed or uninformed. So how is anyone comfortable with this? We live in a country where there are 39 births per 1,000 girl ages 15-19; or in a state like Illinois who takes the 1st and 2nd place for chlamydia and gonorrhea. These are our friends, neighbors, classmates, and acquaintances who are being affected. So it just seems like a no brainer to me to implement a comprehensive sex education program in schools where youth spend majority of their day. But apparently it's not, so whats the real issue?

IT'S ABOUT TIME

2011-11-04T13:51:00.000-07:00

Democratic Bill Would Expand Grants for Comprehensive Sex Education

November 4, 2011 — House and Senate Democrats on Wednesday unveiled legislation that would provide federal grants to high schools and colleges for comprehensive sex education programs, The Hill's "Floor Action Blog" reports. The House bill (HR 3324) was introduced by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), while the Senate bill was introduced by Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.).

The Real Education for Healthy Youth Act would expand "age-appropriate comprehensive sex education programs" that are "medically accurate and evidence-based." The bill specifies that no federal funds would be given to programs that withhold information about HIV/AIDS, are "medically inaccurate or have been scientifically shown to be ineffective," promote gender stereotypes, or are "insensitive and unresponsive to the needs of sexually active adolescents" or "the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender youth."

The bill also stipulates that grantees include information about abstinence, methods to prevent pregnancy and transmission of sexually transmitted infections, and how to avoid abusive relationships. Educational institutions that serve "needy students" and minorities would be given priority under the measure.

The bill would require HHS to measure the effectiveness of programs that receive grants. The assessment would evaluate whether students' behaviors changed as a result of the program and measure students' knowledge and skills in areas such as decision-making and condom use.

Lee said, "Research has shown programs that combine information about abstinence and contraception effectively delay the onset of sexual intercourse, reduce the number of sexual partners and increase contraceptive use among teens."

The bill does not recommend a specific funding level for the grants but would authorize appropriations deemed "necessary" to fulfill the bill's objectives (Kasperowicz, "Floor Action Blog," The Hill, 11/3).

Rights for All Except Women

2011-11-02T10:08:00.000-07:00

Giving hospitals the "right" to deny women an abortion even if it's life saving is ridiculous. That's exactly what th U.S. House of Representatives have done. The anti- choice community is fixated on giving everyone rights, even a fetus, but fail to give women theirs. This has to stop. When will everyone realized that abortion is a personal decision, a choice for women to make. Please do not allow the U.S. Senate to pass this bill!

UNplanned Parenthood

2011-10-11T18:23:00.001-07:00

I happened to come across this cartoon while reading Ms. Magazine. It's funny but undeniably true.

Slowpoke Comics

Voting Is a Right, Duty, and Privilege

2011-09-29T17:08:00.000-07:00

America is on the heels of another big election year. That past four years have flown by, but not quite the way most Americans had hoped it would. With that said, I hope more people will go out and exercise their right to vote in the upcoming year. Especially women of color.

We need to take a more active role in politics. Although we live in a "free" country, the laws that are in place are a constant reminder that we don't always have total control. The issue with not participating is what happens when you don't. At best you'll have a representative who supports and follows through with some of the issues. At worst you'll have a representative who is not only misleading the masses, but is also on a destructive warpath to annihilating everything we have worked for. I refuse to let this happen. I don't want someone in office who knows or cares nothing about the issues that affect me as an economically disadvantaged black woman and manipulatively misconstrues the modicum of information they think they know about me. We need someone in office who will actually make a valiant effort to fight for our rights. We need someone who looks like us and thinks like us.

Although we may not have many freedoms, one of the beautiful things about being an American citizen is that we can actively participate in our government. So please take advantage of this! As Plato said it best,"One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.”

Michele Bachmann, Think Before You Speak

2011-09-28T16:20:00.001-07:00

Republican Michele Bachmann of Minnesota was recently quoted as saying,

"President Obama in a stunning, shocking level of power now just recently told all private insurance companies you must offer the morning-after abortion pill because I said so and it must be free of charge."

There are several reasons why this quote disturbs me. To begin, the morning- after pill is NOT the abortion pill. It is an amped up dosage of BIRTH CONTROL! How many times does that need to be reiterated before people finally understand?! They even explain it in the commercials. Bachmann should do her homework before she opens her mouth to spread lies. Another thing that perturbs me is that Bachmann is misinforming the masses. This is a powerful and dangerous thing. Lies spread like wildfires and before you know it they become out of control. This hurts and undermines our cause. Luckily, we have facts and the determination to spread the truth on our side.

Feminist Daily News 9/5/2011: Appeals Court Rules Women Have Existing Relationship with Fetus

2011-09-23T00:37:00.000-07:00

On Friday, the 8th US Circuit Court of Appeals overturned US District Judge Karen Schreier's ruling to block aprovision in a South Dakota law requiring that doctors tell women seeking abortions that they have "an existing relationship with that unborn human being and that the relationship enjoys protection under the United States Constitution and under the laws of South Dakota." Judge Schreier struck down the provision two years ago stating that a relationship can only exist between two people and according to the US Supreme Court, fetuses are not legally people. The provision is part of an anti-abortion law that states that in order for an abortion to be considered voluntary, doctors most provide women with certain pieces of information.

Elizabeth Nash, public policy associate at the Guttmacher Institute, stated, "This law really isn't about health and safety, it's really about forcibly trying to dissuade a woman from getting an abortion any way the state can."

The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals did, however, rule to uphold Judge Schreier's decision to block enforcement of another provision of the law that requires that doctors tell women seeking abortions that women who undergo the procedure are more likely to commit suicide, which the court argued was unsubstantiated.

Feminist Daily News 9/5/2011: Appeals Court Rules Women Have Existing Relationship with Fetus

Outlaw of abortion at six to seven weeks

2011-09-22T15:08:00.000-07:00

This is very disturbing because most women don't even know they're pregnant until they are six to seven weeks, not to mention how long it takes to come up with the 500 dollars it costs to get the procedure.They just keep trying to restrict our personal choices by any means.What they don't realize that if this ludicrous law ever gets passed (which I don't see happening) how many women's lives will be in jeopardy.For some women they would rather die than carry an unwanted pregnancy to term, and this can lead to women doing some dangerous things to abort the pregnancy.The anti-choice people are constantly trying to send us into the back alley abortions. I personally refuse to be pushed back as if my voice doesn't matter.

Tsk, Tsk

2011-09-13T10:03:00.000-07:00

Once again the anti-choice community has conjured up another plot to stop women from exercising their right to choose abortion. Not only will congress be voting on this bill but several republican presidential candidates are supporting this bill. They all claim to be pro-life but do absolutely nothing to support the lives of the millions of Americans who are living below the poverty line, struggling to find unemployment, and not receiving a suitable education. Protect the lives of the people who are here. Help build strong communities that will continue to flourish long after you leave office. And stop trying to pass laws that continue to oppress women so you can gain political power!

Found While Doing Some Research

2011-08-30T10:40:00.000-07:00

I Think This Video Is Awesome!!

SB1037 Finally Someone Gets It !

2011-08-30T09:29:00.001-07:00

I think this bill is awesome! Finally someone realizes that no young girl grows up thinking I wanna be a prostitute. Also that the past is the past and in order to move towards a better future the past needs to be dropped allot of times. I was at a conference before and listened to a former prostitute express how hard it was for her to stay out of that lifestyle,because of the barriers placed on her because of her past. Like not being eligible for foodstamps or housing,that system leads to an unfortunate spiral of crime because people have to be able to at the very least clothe,feed, and shelter theirself. So kudos to gov. Pat Quinn for this change in law. It is a step towards complete reproductive freedom but there are plenty more to be taken.

Sexuality, the Media Monster and Mess

2011-08-29T12:59:00.000-07:00

Being a part of the RJ movement has meant and done a lot of things for me. Not to mention all the things I've learned along the way. Some of those things are exploring and owning my sexuality. Whether I wear a t-shirt and jeans or simply a g-string, that is my choice. That does not make me a whore or an obvious rape target. Even the most natural thing such as breast feeding has become seen as a sexual act, thanks to society and the media monster. We as women must take back our sexuality and be unashamed and unapologetic for doing so. Next time I blog I'll be sure to post the poem "Why I Gotta Be a Ho?!" I read it again earlier and it has my creative juices flowing. Till next time......signing off with my fem-fist raised high!

Capacity Building

2011-08-16T12:49:00.000-07:00

I attended a workshop addressing effective advocacy work. Some of the key topics that stuck with me were: determining what your issues are, choosing a target (legislator or not) who will possibly support your issues and building a relationship with them. Often times we can identify problems without hesitation but everyone has problems. The key is turning those problems into issues and then focusing on getting some influential people on board. Sure, money (or lack there of) are issues within themselves BUT that should not deter you from seeking out those individuals of "power." You should also work on building a relationship with other organizations. Alone the battle seems impossible but together we can move mountains. Needless to say, I am looking forward to having some in- district visits with some of my future supporters.

Signing off with my fem- fist held high!

Jon Stewart Supports Free Birth Control

2011-08-08T20:59:00.000-07:00

The Daily Show - Culture War Update - The Dividening of America - Dana Perino vs. Free Birth Control
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Free Birth Control: For Some...

2011-08-06T11:19:00.000-07:00

The United States Department of Health and Human Services has recently approved free birth control to be included in health insurance plans without a co-pay. You know what this means, right? I am going to have an exorbitant amount of premarital, no strings attached, unprotected sex! 'Cause you that's what all the right-wing conservatives are expecting me to do. For some odd reason they believe the sky is falling whenever a groundbreaking victory for women occurs. And here's a little advice for all you right-wingers out there: Just because you give someone free and easy access to contraceptives doesn't mean she'll turn into a nymphomaniac!

But I digress. It is truly amazing that many women will have access to free birth control. It's also amazing that the HHS's decision also includes breastfeeding supports and screening for gestational diabetes, HIV infection and domestic violence to be covered in health insurance plans without co-payment. However there's a loophole here: Religious employers have the option to refuse contraceptive coverage to their employees. What? I thought one of principles this country was founded on was the separation of church and state. Why must people's spiritual beliefs hinder people from accessing proper healthcare? Those right-wing beliefs have so stealthily slithered into what is supposed our victory. Don't get me wrong, I am absolutely ecstatic about being able to access birth control for free. I will definitely take advantage of that resource. I just feel that it should be available to all women. So we as women must continue to fight until all women have access. We've won the battle but not the war.

Feminist Quote

2011-08-06T11:17:00.001-07:00

I found it with Feminist Quotes on the Android Market. : Because women's work is never done and is underpaid or unpaid or boring or repetitious and we're the first to get fired and what we look like is more important than what we do and if we get raped it's our fault and if we get beaten we must have provoked it and if we raise our voices we're nagging bitches and if we enjoy sex we're nymphos and if we don't we're frigid and if we love women it's because we can't get a 'real’ man and if we ask our doctor too many questions we're neurotic and/or pushy and if we expect childcare we're selfish and if we stand up for our rights we're aggressive and 'unfeminine’ and if we don't we're typical weak females and if we want to get married we're out to trap a man and if we don't we're unnatural and because we still can't get an adequate safe contraceptive but men can walk on the moon and if we can't cope or don't want a pregnancy we're made to feel guilty about abortion and...for lots of other reasons we are part of the women's liberation movement. ~Author unknown, quoted in The Torch, 14 September 1987

We've Won One of Our Battles!

2011-08-03T11:47:00.000-07:00

How awesome is it that the U.S. Department of Human Services is requiring health insurance plans beginning on or after August 1, 2012 to cover several women's preventive services, including birth control and voluntary sterilization? And that's with no co- payment! We need this now but we'll take it in 2012. So many conservatives are upset at this decision but they're also anti- choice. All together now, "CONTRADICTION!" Anyway, seeing this with my own eyes really motivates me to continue to advocate for all women. We are here and we deserve equal rights. This world could not exist without us so when I think of all the battles we have to fight I am truly baffled. Women can do far more than prepare meals and take care of home. So to all my women out there please continue to fight all those who seek to oppress us. As you can see, we can move mountains! Saying "PEACE" with my left hand and with my right hand my FEM-FIST is raised high!

How Conservatives Love America

2011-07-28T01:13:00.000-07:00

I saw this quote on another blog. I thought it would be good to share:

“They love America the way a four-year old loves her mommy. Liberals love America like grown-ups. To a four-year-old, everything Mommy does is wonderful and anyone who criticizes Mommy is bad. Grown-up love means actually understanding what you love, taking the good with the bad, and helping your loved one grow. Love takes attention and work and is the best thing in the world. That’s why we liberals want America to do the right thing. We know America is the hope of the world, and we love it and want it to do well. We also want it to do good.” -

— Al Franken

SisterSong Conference: A Holistic Exeperience

2011-07-27T14:46:00.000-07:00

Before the Let's Talk About Sex Conference I had anticipated becoming a more empowered black woman and becoming more passionate about reproductive justice. All of that happened as I expected. What I didn't expect was how it would affect me spiritually and intellectually. To say the least, it was very moving to witness so many women of color, not just black women, all fighting for the same thing. It was comforting to know that we're not alone and that the issues that affect us affect other women of color in equal measure. It was great to be around women who are progressive and have a heightened sense of social consciousness.

The conference did not just focus on reproductive justice either. There were workshops where we discussed how our sexuality is interconnected with our individuality and spirituality. I felt like I was in a safe place where I wouldn't be judged. The conference holistic and I needed that.

It was deeper than just another conference about abortion or reproductive justice. It was about expressing and sharing our uniqueness. Which inspires me even more to fight for my reproductive rights. I don't want anyone, especially someone who doesn't understand women of color or the issues that affect us, to make decisions regarding what I can and cannot do with my body. That stifles my individuality and it stagnates, stalls, and hinders progression.

So, I Went to Miami to Talk About Sex!

2011-07-20T11:27:00.000-07:00

This weekend I went to Miami for the Sister Song Conference and it was amazing! Sure the city and weather was nice but the actual workshops were better! One of my favorites was the Brown Boi Project workshop. Brown Boi is a community that is committed to bringing racial and gender justice to society (google them please). I also loved the workshop that brought awareness to "Project Prevention." That is an organization that was founded by a white woman who offers drug addicted individuals money to undergo sterilization. The former name of Project Prevention was C.R.A.C.K. Children Requiring A Caring Kommunity. Yes, I spelled that correctly. I'd heard of the organization before but it was a lot of information I wasn't aware of. We need to stand up for all women and marginalized poor people's rights because there are plenty of organizations trying to strip us of every right we have!

SisterSong in Miami!

2011-07-12T22:19:00.000-07:00

I am so excited about attending the conference and going to Miami! I have been anticipating attending a SisterSong conference ever since I have been aware their existence. I am fairly new to the movement and as of late I have just been getting my feet wet. I hope to become fully immersed in the reproductive justice movement as result of my experience. As a young woman of color involved in the movement (I refuse to use the word minority because there's nothing minor about us) I feel that it is a duty, honor, and privilege to convene with other like-minded women to discuss and conquer the issues that affect us. I look forward to all the aspects of this trip from serious to fun.

LETS TALK ABOUT SEX CONFERENCE!!!!

2011-07-12T07:32:00.000-07:00

I'm super excited about attending this conference for more reasons than one! The idea of a sea of people, who feel just as passionate about an issue as me, meeting up in one place to formulate a game plan to combat the issues that we all fight against. Its so powerful! I can't wait. As a young woman of color who is passionately involved in feminism, I often times feel that its my obligation to attend conferences like this one. Because I am a young woman of color, I am a minority in this movement, therefore, I feel the NEED to be present as a representation of the young women of color who can't be present or will never be able to . These issues are bigger than me and I understand that. So its my duty to further educate myself so that I can take what I learned at the conference back to my community. SISTERSONG HERE I COME!!!!

SisterSong in Miami is awaiting me!!

2011-07-11T13:12:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to be attending this conference for the second time. ith it only being two days away my heart and mind is filled with anticipation about what is to come this year.Miami is such a beautiful place of scenery and that is going to add to the mood of empowerment and celebration of women, especially colored women.I know I am going to have a spectacular time!I am going to learn,grow,laugh,cry and of course have fun.I will tell you all about it when I get back, so toodles until my return.

Miscarriage as Murder?

2011-07-05T23:13:00.000-07:00

I was reading an article on the World Socialist Web Site on how an increasing number of states are charging miscarriages as crimes. The charges go as far accusing the mothers of murder. This saddens and angers me. Isn't already enough that these women have to deal with the emotional and psychological pain of miscarriage?! These lawmakers' sense of justice and logic are completely derailed! It is such an injustice that women are under attack whether we choose not to carry a pregnancy to term or whether it happens naturally.

US women charged with murder following miscarriage

Are you really Pro Choice?

2011-07-05T12:56:00.001-07:00

So, I was on twitter and people were blowing up about the Casey Anthony case and how she was acquitted of murder charges. So someone had the audacity to make a comment telling some women they need to shut up because they know some of them get abortions on the way to the club.So me being the person I am, I commented telling them that getting an abortion does not compare to throwing a living viable child in the trunk on the way to the club.Unbelievable, the response of, "You're right, you just paid to kill your baby."So I hit them with the knowledge of how a fetus is not a child and I assumed they were anti choice. They told me they were pro choice but that doesn't mean you made the right choice. So I'm confused because I thought being pro choice meant being about what that woman feels is the right choice for her and not what you personally think is right or wrong for her to do.So are you really pro choice?

My Heart is Breaking, My Fem-fist is Held High!

2011-06-30T17:09:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe the latest anti- choice attacks on the women in Kansas. They are closing the abortion clinics that are not up to par due to some stupid bill taking effect. Ever since the Roe v. Wade ruling the anti-choice community has been stopping at nothing to make sure women cannot access abortion services. It is very disturbing and heart-wrenching to think that women, who have chosen to exercise their right to not parent, are being forced to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term. Regardless to any circumstances regarding a woman's choice to have an abortion, it it still her choice to make. Where is this world headed? We must stand firmly together to protect a woman's right to choose abortion as a birth control option without any barriers or shame from anyone!

Why women are better at everything? Reply

2011-06-30T10:25:00.000-07:00

It just makes me ecstatic that somebody finally realizes this and addresses the reason why women are constantly faced with problem of being oppressed and torn down. People who feel bad about themselves and what they lack have to tear others down to build themselves up.So just the fact that we have the strength to be good at all these things and surpass the obstacles that some people can't [is amazing.] We will always have to fight the good fight.

Why Women Are Better at Everything

2011-06-28T23:20:00.000-07:00

This article isn't particularly about reproductive rights but I thought it would be an interesting and informative article for any woman.

Recently in the Wall Street Journal, MarketWatch columnist David Weidner noted that women "do almost everything better" than men — from politics to corporate management to investing.

Weidner cites a new study by Barclays Wealth and Ledbury Research, which found that women were more likely than men to make money in the market, mostly because they didn't take as many risks. And why are they risk-averse? Because they're not as overconfident as men, the study found.

The study's findings backed up those of previous research on the topic: in a 2001 study [PDF] of 35,000 American households with an account at a discount brokerage, financial scholars Brad Barber and Terrance Odean found that women's risk-adjusted returns beat men's by 1% annually. A 2005 study by Merrill Lynch found that 35% of women held an investment too long, compared with 47% of men. More recently, in 2009, a study by the mutual fund company Vanguard involving 2.7 million personal investors concluded that during the recent financial crisis, men were more likely than women to sell shares of stocks at all-time lows, leading to bigger losses among male traders. It also meant fewer gains when some of the stock values began to rise again.

LIST: The State of the American Woman

What's the problem with men? "There's been a lot of academic research suggesting that men think they know what they're doing, even when they really don't know what they're doing," John Ameriks, the author of the Vanguard study, told the New York Times.

The reason for that overconfidence may come down to biology, research suggests. There's a growing field of study called "neuroeconomics," in which scientists are examining the link between hormonal and neurological impulses and financial decision-making. One such recent study by John Coates, a research fellow in neuroscience and finance at Cambridge University, tested male traders' hormone responses to workplace decisions. He found that testosterone — the stuff that makes men, well, men — surges during winning streaks. And that may drive both risk-taking and an attitude of infallibility.

The so-called "winner effect," which has been seen in athletes during competition, also seems to apply to male traders. As the U.K.'s Guardian explained:

This occurs when two males enter a competition and their testosterone levels rise, increasing their muscle mass and the ability of the blood to carry oxygen. It also enhances their appetite for risk. Much of this testosterone stays in the system of the winner of a competition, while the loser's testosterone melts away fast; in evolutionary terms, the loser retires to the woods to lick his wounds. In the next round of competition, though, the winner already has high levels of testosterone, so he starts with an advantage, and this continues to reinforce itself.
"Steroids," Coates explains, "like most chemicals in your body, display what is called an inverted U-shaped response curve." That is to say, when you have low levels of them you lack vitality, and do very poorly at mental and physical tasks. But as the levels rise you get sharper and more focused until you reach an optimum. The key thing is this, however: "If you keep winning, your testosterone level goes past that peak and sliding down the other side. You start doing stupid things. When that happens to animals, they go out in the open too much. They pick too many fights. They neglect parenting duties. And they patrol areas that are too large." In short, they behave like traders on a roll; they get cocky.

Women, who have only 10% of the testosterone that men have, seem inured to the phenomenon, according to Coates. He is currently studying the small group of women who make their living on the trading floors of New York City — but because there are so few of them, he hasn't amassed enough data to make any conclusions about the way their hormones and chemistry may affect behavior.

VIDEO: Women Then & Now: The Welder Janie Cottrell

"We know that opinion diversity is crucial to stable markets," Coates told the Guardian. "What no one talks about is endocrine diversity, a diversity of hormones." It's an unorthodox concept, but Coates believes it's worth investigating.

So, basically, the more women around, the better, as the Journal's Wiedner said. His column referred to a recent book by Dan Abrams called Man Down: Proof Beyond a Reasonable Doubt That Women Are Better Cops, Drivers, Gamblers, Spies, World Leaders, Beer Tasters, Hedge Fund Managers, and Just About Everything Else. Wiedner wrote:

As Abrams notes, women are better soldiers because they complain about pain less. They're less likely to be hit by lightning because they're not stupid enough to stand outside in a storm. They remember words and faces better. They're better spies because they're better at getting people to talk candidly.

Of course, to most women none of this is much of a revelation.

Find this article at:
http://healthland.time.com/2011/06/28/why-women-are-better-at-everything/

In SD, abortion counseling meant to discourage

2011-06-26T16:31:00.000-07:00

CHET BROKAW | June 26, 2011 03:20 PM EST |

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — The small sign outside the Alpha Center in Sioux Falls quietly announces a roster of available services: "Free pregnancy tests, abortion information, STD testing."

Inside the brick building, women can get a free ultrasound and hear about birth programs. But if you're a woman looking for help finding a legal abortion, you've come to the wrong place. Nowhere within this crisis pregnancy center will a visitor find help getting an abortion, in part because a new restrictive state law would such referrals illegal.

The center that says its goal is to counsel and educate pregnant women is one of three statewide that have signed up so far to be a required stop for those seeking an abortion if South Dakota's new abortion law survives legal challenges.

The state's new law requires women seeking abortions to first participate in one free counseling session at a pregnancy help center, defined as an organization that does not offer abortion referrals but works "to educate, counsel and otherwise assist women (to keep) their relationship with their unborn children." The centers would determine whether a woman is being pressured to have an abortion, and provide information to help her give birth and keep a child.

The law also establishes the nation's longest waiting period at three days by prohibiting an abortion from being performed until 72 hours after a woman meets with an abortion clinic doctor. The doctor ultimately would determine whether she is being coerced.

Supporters say the law was necessary because many women are pressured to seek abortions by husbands, boyfriends or relatives. Alpha Center founder Leslee Unruh said about half the women who visit her facility face such pressure.

But abortion rights supporters say no other state has such stringent counseling requirements and the law encourages coercion against abortion and amounts to yet another obstacle to obtaining a legal abortion.

"Of course, we feel giving her child life is a better experience than having an abortion," said Unruh, who had an abortion for medical reasons more than three decades ago but since founding the Alpha Center in 1984 has become one of South Dakota's leading anti-abortion campaigners.

Abortion-rights supporters filed a federal lawsuit in late May to block the new law from taking effect July 1, claiming it interferes with the legal right to abortion established in the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. A hearing is scheduled Monday in Sioux Falls on a request to suspend the law while it's being challenged.

Care Net Pregnancy Resource Center, located about 400 miles west in Rapid City, and Bella Pregnancy Resource Center in Spearfish, are the state's only other registered facilities, though state officials expect more will sign up after the law takes effect. All three pregnancy centers are private, nonprofit organizations. Unruh said Alpha Center is reliant on private donations and, according to federal tax records, was armed in recent years with an annual budget ranging between $700,000 and $1 million.

Critics say the new law will force mostly low-income women to make long, costly journeys to receive required counseling. Advocates say that's folly because the Sioux Falls and Rapid City centers are located in the state's two most populated cities.

Unruh says she's ready to take her center's services on the road if necessary, armed with Alpha Center's "Fleet for Little Feet" – a motor home that's been converted into a mobile medical and counseling operation.

Elizabeth Nash of the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive-health research organization that supports abortion rights, said the law "really makes a mockery of informed consent."

Women who get counseling under the law will only be getting part of the story, said Nash, a public policy associate.

"It'll all be designed to steer her in one direction, which is to continue her pregnancy," Nash said.

Alpha Center is South Dakota's best-known crisis pregnancy center, mostly because of Unruh, who said she changed her position on the issue after her young son picked up a doll showing a three-month-old fetus at a Right to Life booth and said, "baby." Since then, she has taken prominent roles in every recent attempt to ban or restrict abortion in South Dakota.

Unruh said Alpha Center counselors don't pressure women to avoid abortion. She said they simply give women information about fetal development, offer an ultrasound and provide information about medical, financial and other services that can help them keep their babies or give them up for adoption,.

"It's not like we as counselors are saying: `She still wants an abortion so now I have to talk her out of it.' It's really her decision," Unruh said.

Kathi Di Nicola of Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, which operates South Dakota's only abortion clinic in Sioux Falls, disagrees with Unruh.

"The stated mission of a crisis pregnancy center is to dissuade a woman from seeking abortion care," Di Nicola said.

The new law provides little detailed guidance on how counseling sessions would be conducted. The Alpha Center declined a request by The Associated Press to interview counselors or see guidelines for counseling sessions, citing its intention to join the legal defense of the counseling law.

But during a facility tour, Unruh described staff procedures. In a room where ultrasounds are done, posters around the examination table show paintings of fetuses and describe what a fetus can do at various stages of development.

Unruh said a counseling session mostly deals with finding solutions to problems faced by pregnant women. A counselor can refer women to services that help them find or keep jobs, get back into school or get free medical care, she said. Women also can talk to others who've had abortions.

A woman who chooses to give birth can visit the center's Baby Closet to get diapers, baby clothing and other items – a privilege earned by going to school, getting a job, performing community service or meeting other goals.

Alpha Center's website leaves little doubt about its mission: prevent abortions and help women give birth.

A fund-raising page tells about a woman identified only as Kari who visited Alpha Center after she had scheduled an appointment to get an abortion at the Planned Parenthood clinic.

"Every day, because of your support, we have the privilege of not only helping to save God's precious little babies, but to save their mothers as well," according to the fundraising pitch signed by Unruh.

___

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20110626/us-south-dakota-abortion/

2011-06-22T06:38:00.001-07:00

The anti-choice billboards on 58th and State St are down! Yes, we are powerful and yes, we will continue to stand against injustices everywhere! We will not rest until all of them are down nationwide!

OMG!!!! When Will the Madness Cease......"Susan B. Anthony's List Pro-Life Presidential Pledge"

2011-06-20T11:05:00.000-07:00

So once again women's bodies and choices are being attacked. The "pro- life presidential pledge" is absurd and its entire purpose is to strip us of our reproductive and human rights! Let's make a pledge that ensures women resources to decrease unwanted pregnancies or a pledge that finally 100% upholds our right to choose when/if we want to parent. Most importantly, let's make a pledge to stomp our feet on the necks of the boneheads who constantly try to take away our right to CHOOSE! Maybe not literally......OK... I did mean literally.....

Romney and Cain Opt Out of Signing Anti-Abortion Pledge - ABC News

2011-06-18T23:39:00.000-07:00

By OLIVIA KATRANDJIAN

June 18, 2011

Republican presidential hopefuls Mitt Romney and Herman Cain have announced that they won't sign the Susan B. Anthony's List Pro-Life Presidential Pledge, which five other Republican contenders --Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty and Rick Santorum -- agreed to sign.

Romney announced his decision in an oped today on the National Review's website. He called the pledge "overly broad" and said signing it could have "unintended consequences."

"It is one thing to end federal funding for an organization like Planned Parenthood; it is entirely another to end all federal funding for thousands of hospitals across America," Romney wrote. "That is precisely what the pledge would demand and require of a president who signed it."

Cain issued a statement today on why he choose not sign the pledge. While he said he "adamantly" supports the first three parts of the pledge -- appointing pro-life judges and selecting pro-life appointees to his cabinet and the executive branch as well ending taxpayer funding for abortions -- he has a problem with the last part of the pledge, which demands the signee "[advances]" the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.

"As president, I would sign it, but Congress must advance the legislation," Cain wrote. "I have been a consistent and unwavering champion of pro-life issues. In no way does this singular instance of clarification denote an abandonment of the pro-life movement, but instead, is a testament to my respect for the balance of power and the role of the presidency."

Romney also said he is pro-life, but he didn't always feel that way, a fact Rick Santorum has pointed out on several occasions. In 1994, when running for the Senate against Ted Kennedy, he said, "I believe abortion should be safe and legal in this country." In 2002, during his bid for the Massachusetts governorship, Romney vowed to "preserve and protect a woman's right to choose."

"[Romney] obviously still has to be concerned with presenting himself as a conservative," ABC News political director Amy Walter said. "He has had a track record on abortion that does upset some voters. Some conservatives were not convinced of his conservativism on the issue, but it would do him little good for him to look dogmatic on an issue that he has already had a change of heart on."

How much will this decision affect Romney and Cain's presidential campaigns?

"The broader question is, what role will social issues play this year when the economy is front and center?" Walter said. "This might have been a bigger problem for some of these candidates in a different year, but I don't know that it will have the same impact this year.

"This is hypothetical right now, not reality," Walter added. "We know the reality of how the system works -- you can pledge to do a lot of things as president."

Susan B. Anthony List's Presidential Pledge:

One, only nominate to the U.S. Supreme Court and federal bench judges who are committed to restraint and applying the original meaning of the Constitution, not legislating from the bench;

Two, select pro-life appointees for relevant Cabinet and Executive Branch positions, in particular the head of National Institutes of Health, the Department of Health & Human Services, and the Department of Justice;

Three, advance pro-life legislation to permanently end all taxpayer funding of abortion in all domestic and international spending programs, and defund Planned Parenthood and all other contractors and recipients of federal funds with affiliates that perform or fund abortions; and

Four, advance and sign into law a Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act to protect unborn children who are capable of feeling pain from abortion.

ABC News' Emily Friedman and Katie Slaman contributed to this report.

Im Enraged!!

2011-06-09T12:33:00.000-07:00

So apparently targeting Black women wasn't enough. Now the anti-choice folks are targeting Latina women! This has got to stop. I refuse to believe that we will sit and allow the anti-choice party to start a war against women of color. Although the billboards have not been placed in Chicago, who is to say that it won't. Which means that we need to do whatever it takes to prevent it from happening. They embarrassed, shamed, and ridiculed us already for our decisions to have an abortion. I refuse to let it happen to our sisters in the Latina communities. You definitely have our voices behind you. Much love

The billboards are now targeting Latina Women

2011-06-09T12:00:00.000-07:00

Colorado Protest

2011-06-04T13:13:00.000-07:00

I'm out here for fund abortion conference and during one of the workshops a lady announces there are anti-choice protesters around and she could hear them this morning when she opened her window so we should go over there being the powerful group of women we are that's willing to make change and not stand for ignorance being spread.So I say why not be daring, I must take this walk.As I walk around this clinic, I see these anti-choice idiots like never before.I see baby dolls in strollers with signs posted saying "keep your baby".I see a guy in a nurses outfit with what is suppose to be blood on it and a baby doll hanging on a stick with a rope around the neck. I'm thinking to myself this is outrageous and it just empowers me to keep doing the work that I do,even though what they are trying to do is to try to take my power away and it just gases me up more to keep speaking out, doing outreach, telling my story, calling my alderman, devoting my time and voice to not only my choice, but my daughters choice ,my sisters choice,my friend's choice and EVERY WOMANS'CHOICE.Then its always an old white guy who cant carry a pregnancy right on the forefront trying to tell a woman what to do with her body.Not only did he pull the women are too dumb too keep there legs closed card but also the black genocide and the racism was legal does that make it right and then he had the nerve to pull a black woman aside and tell her you know planned parenthood doesn't like black people. These people stoop so low for people who are suppose to believe in preserving life.These comments only make me strive harder to use my intelligence and be proud of being a woman and be insanely proud to be a BLACK woman.So I just want the anti-choice people to realize that if the point of you doing all this crazy crap is to shame me and manipulate my choices when it comes to my reproductive rights. I just wanna let you know your mission has been aborted,its not affective.Peace,Love,Choice!!!

May's Episode of "The A Word" is Up!

2011-06-01T09:20:00.000-07:00

And if you missed it live- did you miss a good show! Check it out online!

The description:

Nicole and Damillia host May 2011's episode of "The A Word" and discuss the racist/sexist billboard targeting African American women who have abortions, the sheer amount of bills introduced this year to restrict abortion (especially one that legalizes killing doctors who perform abortions), why they open the show by saying that they've had an abortion, and discuss a recent article about black women's supposed unattractiveness.

My vagina is my vagina!

2011-05-28T15:21:00.000-07:00

I have the right to full control of my reproductive health! I have the right to have sex and LOVE IT! I have the right to decide whether I want to parent or not! Did I say I have the right to have sex...plenty of it...and love it!

I think that is the problem with the anti-choice. They hate the fact that women can have sex, not have babies and live fulfilling lives that are not tied to marriage or commitment. They hate the fact that women can decide what they want to do with their lives. They hate the fact that they cannot control vaginas....and they are doing everything in their power to turn the time back. But here is the thing....we will continue to control our lives....we will not go back. Abortion has been around since the beginning of time and if you don't like it....that is just too bad! I control my body and there is nothing you can do about it!

21 week old survive

2011-05-27T16:16:00.000-07:00

So I seen a article on yahoo that said a 21 week old twin survived. As a pro choice woman I really believe that this is a true miracle. There is a constant debate about when a fetus is viable outside of the womb. I really think it's important that pro choice folk be vocal when we see stories like this, because so many people mistake pro choice for pro abortion. When a pregnancy is this pre term the chances of survival are very slim so it really touched me to see a miracle like this happen.

The story didn't really give a background on whether the woman was high risk, but this was a multiple birth and multiple births are at risk of being preterm. However, no matter what the case was with the pregnancy this woman had the choice to continue with her pregnancy and give birth to twins. Although, only one of the twins was able to survive she had the autonomy to make the decision that was best for her!

Why are black women less attractive than other races?

2011-05-26T15:02:00.000-07:00

That is what I saw as the headline on the news as I stopped what I was doing to pay close attention to whose opinion this was. So as I listen further they go into where I can find the article where this statement was made and the attempt to justify it can be found. So quickly I Google it from my phone and read the article which was found in a psychology magazine by a doctor who has came up with some scientific reason to justify the way he personally feels about black women. Which is just a wake up call to people who think racism doesn't exist anymore. Well news to you it does also along with classicism,genderization, and a long list of other ism's and tions that people try to act like don't exist.Not only did this article say black women were less attractive physically, it also said intellectual wise too. Reading this article just made me realize how important it is for me to exercise my rights as a woman,as a black person, and just as a human being period. I will continue to speak up and speak out and not let my voice go to waste.I hope you do the same. Peace,Love and Choice!!!

April's "The A Word": Racism and Billboards

2011-05-19T11:29:00.000-07:00

The latest episode of "The A Word" is up! In April's episode, Nicole hosts and starts by going over the demographics of the women we've funded in April. Next, she discusses CAF's "Clean The Lot" outreach event in response to the racist anti-choice billboards put up on the Southside of Chicago.

Check it out here! It's 19 minutes long, cut over3 videos.

The Last 2010 Episode of "The A Word" Is Up!

2011-05-17T12:08:00.000-07:00

Damillia hosted December's episode of "The A Word," giving the low-down on the Chicago Abortion Fund!

Check it out here. It's 20 minutes long, with 3 videos.

"The A Word" on the NuvaRing and Domestic Violence Awareness Month

2011-05-15T20:59:00.000-07:00

Another new playlist added!

Damillia & Jessica, members of Chicago Abortion Fund's leadership group My Voice, My Choice, hosted October's episode of "The A Word." They discuss the NuvaRing and domestic violence awareness month.

Check it out here! Three videos total, 24 minutes long.

If you, or someone you know is involved in an unhealthy relationship that you need to talk to someone about, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at: 1−800−799−SAFE (7233)

September's Episode of "The A Word" Is Up!

2011-05-13T11:40:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay! We have a small backlog of our leadership group's amazing call-in, public access show, "The A Word."

September's episode is now up! Click here to be directed to the playlist. It's in 3 parts on Youtube, totaling 25 minutes.

In September, Brittany & Nicole discussed Depo Provera (aka "The Shot") and why talking about abortion is so important. They also brought up issues on poverty, welfare, women of color, the Hyde Amendment, and reflected on what being in Chicago Abortion Fund's has afforded them.

Check it out!

Jill Scott - "My Petition" - Live In Paris+ DVD

2011-05-10T16:03:00.000-07:00

I have been really feeling this song. It talks about our rights as a person in society and I don't think a lot of people realize the message or meaning of this song.Which I didn't at first either.I thought she was talking to a man but shes talking to the "man" and this song fits today just as much as it did yesterday.

2011-05-10T16:01:00.000-07:00

2011-05-10T15:53:00.000-07:00

OUR Community

2011-05-05T07:34:00.000-07:00

I know the title of this piece is real vague, but just stay with me.... Over the past few months so much as happened to US as a people. We've lost jobs, homes, grants for schools, rights and privacy. OUR communities and people are in such turmoil. They've lost hope and respect not only for themselves but for others as well. Which brings me back to the title "OUR Community". We, more often than not, complain about whats being taken from us or whats not being given to us. Well why would the state or federal government care anything about what we want when we can't even care about ourselves! We as a people lack accountability and that sense of community. During these tough economic times, we should all come together as a community more than ever!

I was on the CTA Red line this morning when this black man boarded the train. He introduced himself and said that he just wanted to pass out job opportunities for his fellow brothers and sisters. This stranger exemplified community. This man didn't know any of us, yet he felt obligated to inform us about job opportunities. This is what I mean when I say "we lack that sense of community". We need to all become one unit and educate each other on these issues that are plaguing our communities. These issues like homelessness, birth control, health care, sex education, nutrition, education, employment etc. Because if we don't, who will?

Real Community Engagement!

2011-04-27T21:20:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we were out in full force with other organizations cleaning dirty lots on the South Side of Chicago at 58th State Street (the site for the first anti-choice billboard). That afternoon we walked the neighborhoods and passed out resources and information to a community in need! It was amazing! Real community engagement! Getting information into the hands of those that need it! Not forcing our beliefs on anyone! Not shaming women about their personal decisions! Not saying one thing and then doing another (you know like "caring about women" but no where to be found in the community)!

You see caring for a community requires you to get your hands dirty - and that would require real engagement - not just blowing steam. Something others tend to do very well until PEOPLE NEED REAL RESOURCES!

This is only the beginning! We will be back!

Another Billboard

2011-04-18T16:52:00.000-07:00

I saw another one of those anti-choice billboards near 63rd and St. Lawrence. I cannot wait until these billboards are finally taken down. Thus I will not stop protesting for their removal! People, we've got to stand for something or we will surely fall for/ accept anything. Life Always simply cannot be allowed to come into our neighborhoods and disregard a woman's right to choose! Please come out and support us Saturday April 23rd at 58th and State St, 9:00 a.m. Let's show them what supporting life and our communities is supposed to look like!

Let's Agree to Disagree!

2011-04-17T12:44:00.000-07:00

After reviewing the latest posts by Anonymous or Tom...or what ever his/her name is....it got me to thinking.

First and foremost I am brought back to why this blog page exists. The Chicago Abortion Fund helps a poor woman or teenage girl pay for her abortion procedure. In 2007 we added another component to our work that was critically important. We began to engage the women that we have served, provide them with leadership development opportunities and a place where they could make their voices heard on issues that affect their lives. The "My Voice, My Choice" leadership group was born. The women in this group have had abortions and believe that they have the right to participate in this discourse.

As Audre Lorde said, "your silence will not protect you" and as bell hooks continued, "to move from silence to speech is a revolutionary act". So that is the point of this blog. To give those women the opportunity to be who they are and speak what they feel on abortion, reproductive justice and any other topic at hand. So pretty much this is about their choice and their voice.

It is obvious that both sides of the abortion argument continue to not see eye to eye on this issue. Furthermore, there is no convincing those that don't see outside their frame of reference. What I can agree on is that everyone has their opinion and is entitled to it. However, this blog is pretty much like our home. You can visit, drop in and check us out. If you are disrespectful or want to rant and rave - this is not the place for you. If you don't like what we say that is fine too. You don't have to visit. And because it is our home, we can monitor the activity and behavior here - just like you would do in your own home.

This is not a place to debate people from the other side back and forth. There is no point to that. This is where we can agree! Neither side is going to be convinced so the energy it takes to go back and forth is not worth it. It is not about not seeing or even understanding the opinion of someone else. This is a blog for women that have had abortions (I've had several). If you want to rant and rave - you have the right to make your own blog and completely express yourself.

No one is scared or intimated by the opinions you or others that don't believe in choice spew. However, this is not the place for it. As for following this blog so that you can "know the tactics of our opposition" - I hope you are getting something out of allowing a woman the opportunity have her voice heard on these issues. Being a coward is hiding behind cloaks of secrecy and afraid to put your name to your opinions. I am not going to debate someone that can't, won't or refuse to think outside their framework.

I came to this movement 5 1/2 years ago with no experience in this movement. I had abortions but didn't know what the terms of pro-choice and anti-choice meant. I am still learning so much and that is why is important that the women we serve be able to participate as well. After becoming a grandmother and seeing my beautiful grandson, that cemented in my heart my belief that every woman deserves choice....whether we agree with it or not. My grandson was his mother's choice. No one tried to talk her into anything. And that I can appreciate, understand and value. She has the support systems in place to help her. My grandchild eats every day, is clean and well taken care of. This is choice!

My children - the ones I chose to have - have been well cared for, are well adjusted and extraordinary human beings. I was not forced to parent before I was ready or able. That is choice. Choice is also the women that call for help but change their mind and continue their pregnancy. There are so many shades of gray to a woman's life - and it is not up to me to force my opinions and what I believe at her. This is choice.

I don't garden but I grow beautiful green plants in my home.
I follow the political climate of this country more than I really want to.
I give back, mentor women and girls, help the homeless, clean the city streets and a host of other volunteer give backs.
I work.
I help children here in the United States - you know the ones that people choose to ignore.
I also am a sounding board for teenage girls that need someone to talk to.
I go to church and tithe because it is about the building of our spiritual community.
I fast, pray, meditate and do yoga because it is good for me.

Matthew 7:1 - "Do not judge, or you too will be judged"
Romans 2:1 - "You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things"
John 8:7 - ""If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."

Now back to our regularly scheduled program!

2011-04-16T10:22:00.000-07:00

good am! for all the haters that have nothing else to do but follow our blog....LOVE it!

so legislative updates:

your representatives are on spring break....perfect time to do in-district visits! write letters to the editors! spread the word!

vote YES to HB1619
vote NO to HB786
vote NO to HB3156

women deserve choice! :)

George Carlin: Pro Life, Abortion, And The Sanctity Of Life

2011-04-12T21:01:00.000-07:00

Sonya Renee "What Women Deserve"

2011-04-06T20:54:00.000-07:00

Life Always, Where Art Thou REAL Support of Life?

2011-04-06T20:47:00.000-07:00

I am furious about these ignorant billboards being posted in our communities! Being pro-life means supporting life. These billboards are in no way supporting life. Every 21 minutes our next possible leader is denied the proper education and resources needed to succeed. Every 21 minutes our next possible leader is neglected and ignored by people who share the same way of thinking as Life Always. What Life Always should have done was invested the time, energy and funds they used to put up those billboards into these neighborhoods and their schools. Fund and advocate for comprehensive sex education in the schools. Provide us with employment resources. Teach us to properly fill out job/school applications. These are ways in which you support life. "Give us the means to survive and watch us all grow!"

Life Always means commitment to the neighborhood....not just a rhetoic statement!

2011-04-06T07:23:00.000-07:00

The games people play....."Life Always" and their billboards posted up to buildings that sit in areas of neglect. Do they believe in "Life Always"? Well not really, but it makes for good media exposure. Give me a break!

Free Health Screening Monday in Lake Forest – April 4

2011-04-03T15:35:00.000-07:00

Take advantage of free heath screenings that will be performed by Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital Care Coach from 10 am to noon Monday, April 4th in the parking lot of Dickerson Hall, 100 East Old Mill Road, in Lake Forest. While in, stop and pick up a current newsletter for the Lake Forest/ Lake Bluff Senior Center and learn about their schedule of programs and activities. For more information, call (847) 810-4670. Pass it along!

OUTRAGED BY THE BILLBOARD IN MY COMMUNITY....

2011-03-30T22:54:00.000-07:00

It wasn't until today that i heard anything about this preposterous billboard. I rode pass it today and couldn't believe what i saw and couldn't believe what it read..... Every 21 minutes a possible leader is aborted. As i drove home i paid more attention to all the other billboard in the community all promoting alcohol and cigarettes. None promoting safe sex nor condoms. Maybe if they focused on the bigger picture, being education and start educating promoting condoms abortion would be less of an issues. This billboard was place in a low class neighbor targeting women of color who have very few resources and lacking comprehensive sex education. Abortion is a choice and i know everyone is entitled to the own opinion however i still being this billboard should be removed. growing up in this community many would be surprise to know what goes on and what woman have to endure so i feel that attempting to alter someone minds and choice is wrong. Allow these woman to make there own choices who knows a few years down the road they too could be the next possible leader.... Give these woman a chance. Their body there choice.

Sickening Billboards!!!!

2011-03-29T19:46:00.000-07:00

The billboards by Life Always have me beyond outraged! If you're not outraged, you're definitely not paying attention! These billboards are targeting the black community and wrongfully so. Every 21 minutes our next possible leader is broken down before they even get a chance to try, with poor school systems, no comprehensive sex ed in these schools and not to mention lack of resources. Abortion isn't genocide. These billboards are; Genocide of the Mind!!!

"Every 21 minutes, our next possible leader is aborted."

2011-03-29T12:21:00.000-07:00

That's what it reads on a billboard in my hometown Chicago in a predominately black neighborhood, next to a picture of President Obama.I wish someone would tell me why is this garbage always targeted at my communities and not things like access to contraceptive,sex education, and reproductive information.You people who's "smart" idea it was to put up this billboard are very ignorant to the fact that abortion is going to happen until the day people realize that more needs to be done than just people making snooty remarks about a woman's choice. When people stop dividing people because of social class,gender,race and an array of other things maybe women will be less likely to have abortions,but solutions start with education. Also you cant tell me whats best for me and my body because just as well as you say the next possible leader is being aborted, the next possible dope dealer,or the next possible rapist,or the next possible serial killer could be being aborted also.With that being said few people want to live there life or make decisions concerning there life on possibilities that may never happen,because a possibility is simply a chance and I know in my community because of the barriers that are faced that the chance of the next possible leader "president" being aborted is slim to none. So this bill board is a horrendous sore to my eye and a low blow to my people and our communities.

The current state of women's reproductive heath options!

2011-03-24T07:58:00.000-07:00

Discuss: Wave of bills to limit abortions advance in states nationwide

Protestors outraged over the video rallied outside Planned Parenthood on the Northwest Side. (WOAI.com)

NEW YORK (AP) — Dozens of bills are advancing through statehouses nationwide that would put an array of new obstacles — legal, financial and psychological — in the paths of women seeking abortions.

The tactics vary: mandatory sonograms and anti-abortion counseling, sweeping limits on insurance coverage, bans on abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. To abortion-rights activists, they add up to the biggest political threat since the Roe v. Wade decision of 1973 that legalized abortion nationwide.

"It's just this total onslaught," said Elizabeth Nash, who tracks state legislation for the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive-health research organization that supports abortion rights.

What's different this year is not the raw number of anti-abortion bills, but the fact that many of the toughest, most substantive measures have a good chance of passage due to gains by conservative Republicans in last year's legislative and gubernatorial elections. On Tuesday, South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard signed into law a bill that would impose a longest-in-the-nation waiting period of three days before women could have an abortion — and also require them to undergo counseling at pregnancy help centers that discourage abortions.

"We're seeing an unprecedented level of bills that would have a serious impact on women's access to abortion services that very possibly could become law," said Rachel Sussman, senior policy analyst for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

On the other side, anti-abortion strategists such as Mary Spaulding Balch of the National Right to Life Committee have been scrambling to keep up with legislative developments: "Until the bills get on the governors' desks, it's premature to claim victory. But it's moving faster than it has in previous years. ... We're very pleased with the progress thus far."

In a number of states, lawmakers are considering bills that would ban elective abortions after 20 or 21 weeks of pregnancy. These measures are modeled after a law approved last year in Nebraska that was based on the disputed premise that a fetus can feel pain after 20 weeks.

The Idaho Senate approved one such bill Wednesday. Similar bills have made progress this session in Kansas and Oklahoma.

In Ohio, there's been a hearing on an even tougher measure that would outlaw abortions after the first medically detectable heartbeat — as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. At that hearing, two pregnant women underwent ultrasounds so lawmakers could see and hear the fetal hearts.

The Ohio bill and the bans on abortions after 20 weeks are direct challenges to the legal status quo, based on Supreme Court rulings that permit abortions up to the point of a fetus' viability — approximately 24 weeks — and allow states to impose restrictions for abortions after that stage.

In Texas, a bill passed by the House would require that pregnant women have an opportunity to view a sonogram image, hear the fetal heartbeat and listen to a doctor describe the fetus. While the doctor would be obligated to provide the information, the woman could close her eyes or cover her ears, according to the bill, which doesn't exempt victims of rape or incest.

"We don't believe these bills will dissuade women who've already made their decisions," said Donna Crane of NARAL Pro-Choice America. "What we think they will do is harass and intimidate women who don't deserve it."

Balch disagreed, insisting that the South Dakota bill and the sonogram measures in several states were not coercive.

"When a woman is pregnant and doesn't want to be, the more information she has, the better," Balch said. "That's what these laws are trying to do — give a thoughtful pause so the mother can understand the options that are out there."

In more than 20 states, bills have been introduced to restrict insurance coverage of abortion. In Utah, one such measures — affecting both private and public plans — has cleared both legislative chambers and been sent to Gov. Gary Herbert.

Of the various types of bills, the insurance bans could have the broadest impact, according to some abortion-rights activists.

"You could have nearly half the states where you couldn't buy regular insurance coverage for abortion even with your own money," Crane said. "This is having a transformational effect on the insurance industry and the way abortion is viewed."

While routine first-trimester abortions generally cost $400 to $700, later and more complicated abortions can run into the thousands of dollars, especially if hospitalization is needed.

"A lot of these bills have an edge to them that really discounts the complications that can occur in pregnancy," said Planned Parenthood's Sussman. "There's a disregard for women's health."

Florida is a prime battleground. With a new Republican governor, Rick Scott, who touts his anti-abortion beliefs, conservative lawmakers have introduced at least 18 bills on the topic — including proposals to require ultrasound and to ban most insurance coverage of abortion.

"That could result in tens of thousands of women losing coverage," said Stephanie Kunkel, executive director of the Florida Association of Planned Parenthood Affiliates.

A different tactic is being tried in Virginia, where lawmakers last month passed a bill requiring abortion clinics to be regulated on the same basis as hospitals. Abortion-rights group said this could entail higher costs and force several clinics to close.

Many of the states where anti-abortion bills are advancing have new Republican governors who made campaign pledges to support such efforts.

For example, Gov. Sam Brownback of Kansas urged legislators to create a "culture of life" and is considered likely to sign a pending bill that would tighten restrictions on abortion after the 21st week of pregnancy.

The sponsor of the Idaho bill to impose a similar ban after 20 weeks, Sen. Chuck Winder, summoned out-of-state medical and legal experts to tell colleagues that a fetus at that point will suffer pain during an abortion. It's a disputed assertion; the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says it knows of no legitimate evidence showing a fetus can ever experience pain.

Thus far, the year-old Nebraska law banning most abortions after 20 weeks has not been challenged in court. That has emboldening abortion foes to promote versions of it in other states this year even though the nationwide norm is to allow elective abortions up to roughly 24 weeks.

Jill June of Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, which operates in Nebraska and Iowa, said she expected the 20-week ban to be challenged at some point — either in Nebraska or some other state that passes such a law.

She cited the case of Danielle Deaver, a Nebraska woman who — under the new law — was denied the option of terminating a pregnancy at 22 weeks after she learned the baby was nonviable.

Deaver ended up going into natural pre-term labor and gave birth to a girl who died after 15 minutes. She later told her story to local media, expressing hope that other legislators would consider the ramifications as they contemplated such bans.

"There will be more women like her who will be harmed if these laws continue to be passed in other states," June said.

___

Bitter Sweet Victory!!!

2011-03-16T11:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday a group of us went down to Springfield to show our disgust at how a House Bill regarding women's reproductive health access is being reviewed by the Agriculture Committee! Yes, you read correctly the agriculture committee. So we went down wearing T-Shirts that displayed a cow on the front and "women are not live stock" on the back.

It was both sad and ridiculous that we had to sit and hear the committee discuss bills pertaining to muskrats, farming, road kill etc. then in the same breath discuss a bill on abortion facilities regulations. I felt so degraded and unimportant. It felt like everyone that sat on that committee had embodied the messages that the several billboards displayed "Black children are an endangered species"! Is this h0w they really feel about us as black human beings? Is this how they really feel about women? We are human just as those people that sat on that committee were; so how dare you discuss my well being in terms of farm animals.

So we sat there and heard them discuss HB 3156 which would impose medically unnecessary and expensive regulations on abortion providers. Abortion providers would have to remodel facilities and go through new licensing procedures in order to comply. The goal of this legislation is make it more complicated and expensive so that medical providers are driven away from providing abortion care. HB 3156 is a direct assault on a Consent Decree in the federal lawsuit Ragsdale v. Turnock. There is no medical evidence that adding more regulations beyond what was agreed to in Ragsdale will make abortion safer. What is true is that, if enacted, HB 3156 will result in renewed litigation and a big legal bill for the State of Illinois. So the end result was it passed through committee. Although thats bad news, the fight is not over. We have contact our legislators and encourage them to vote NO!

Phenomenal Woman #5

2011-03-16T11:48:00.000-07:00

Which Mexican -American woman has repeatedly been the leading money winner in the Ladies Professional Golf Association?

NANCY LOPEZ

Nancy Lopez (born January 6, 1957) is an American professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1977 and won 48 LPGA Tour events during her LPGA career, including three major championships.

March for Women

2011-03-10T11:24:00.000-08:00

March is National Women's history month. I think this is so awesome that women are granted a month for celebration although I celebrate just being a woman everyday because we are marvelous creatures.I entitled this blog March for women because I think that's exactly the gesture that should be done in honor of all the many women that make history everyday and not just the ones we read about also the ones that make history unacknowledged. So I March for Women in my life and in my heart and so should you.

Abortion Provider Appreciation Day!

2011-03-10T10:02:00.000-08:00

Today I want to personally give thanks to all the courageous and brave abortion providers that show constant commitment to women!

This is a bittersweet day because on the same day in 1993 abortion provider Dr. David Gunn was killed in Pensacola, FL. These men and women put their lives on the line daily to save women s lives. It deeply saddens me that so many providers lives were taken just because they trusted women. We have make sure that the providers know how grateful we are for them, and that we are here to support them no matter what!

Thank you to all the abortion providers that risk their lives constantly for women!!!!

Phenomenal Woman #4

2011-03-09T08:45:00.000-08:00

Who opened up social work as a profession for women, also won the 1931 Nobel Peace Prize for her anti-war organizing work?

JANE ADDAMS (1860-1935)

Jane was the first American woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In a long, complex, career, she was a pioneer settlement worker, founder of Hull House in Chicago, public philosopher (the first American woman in that role), sociologist, author, and leader in woman suffrage and world peace. She was the most prominent woman of the Progressive Era and helped turn the nation to issues of concern to mothers, such as the needs of children, public health and world peace. She emphasized that women have a special responsibility to clean up their communities and make them better places to live, arguing they needed the vote to be effective. Addams became a role model for middle-class women who volunteered to uplift their communities. She is increasingly being recognized as a member of the American pragmatist school of philosophy.^[1]

International Women's Day

2011-03-08T14:24:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we celebrated the 100th year anniversary of International Women's day. So to honor it, I thanked every woman in my life that is doing remarkable things and I told them that I appreciated all the work that they do. There are so many women out here who are doing work surrounding reproductive health access, HIV/Awareness, sex education, mentoring, blackgirlhood, and just advocacy and grassroot organizing in general on a daily bases. So I wanted to honor them yesterday with a simple thank you. Thank you for your time; thank you for your efforts; thank you for all the work that you do!

From another woman that's making a difference!

Women's Herstory

2011-03-04T12:03:00.000-08:00

So it's women's herstory month! I just want to pay homage to the amazing women that I see making herstory everyday.

The women of the My Voice, My Choice leadership group! These ladies are doing something that has never been seen before. They are making their voices heard all around the country and at the same time staying employed, being single parents, students, and mentors. I know you all hear this alot, but I can't say it enough. You ladies are writing your own stories within the RJ movement. Without you alot more women would be deprived of their right to make a choice.

Thank you again for all you do and have an amazing weekend!

House Judiciary Committee Approves Bill Restricting Insurance Coverage of Abortion

2011-03-04T10:19:00.001-08:00

March 4, 2011 — The House Judiciary Committee on Thursday voted 23-14 to approve a bill (HR 3) that would codify existing federal policies that prohibit federal funding of abortion in almost all cases, CQ Today reports (Weyl, CQ Today, 3/3).

The bill, titled the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act and introduced in January by Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), codifies current federal policies that prohibit federal funding for abortion except in cases of rape, incest or life endangerment. These restrictions, including the most sweeping provision known as the Hyde Amendment, have been attached each year in appropriations legislation. House Democrats have said that the bill removes tax breaks for small businesses who purchase insurance policies that include abortion coverage and prohibits individuals from receiving tax deductions for abortion care (Women's Health Policy Report, 2/9). The legislation also bans health care organizations that use their own funds for providing abortion care from receiving the use of U.S. foreign assistance and prohibits the District of Columbia from using local funds to pay for abortions.

The measure originally included an exemption for federal funding of an abortion in the case of a "forcible" rape. However, in light of criticism from women's groups, the Judiciary Committee adopted by voice vote a substitute amendment that removes the word "forcible" and modifies an exemption for abortions in the case of incest to exclude references to the woman being a minor. Democrats on the panel made several unsuccessful attempts to remove the tax-related provisions from the bill.

"This bill seeks to expand restrictions in current law and to impose an unprecedented penalty by use of the tax code on privately funded health care choices made by women and their families," Judiciary Committee ranking Democrat John Conyers (Mich.) said, adding, "Its goal, and effect if ever enacted, is to make abortion and coverage for abortion services completely unavailable" (CQ Today, 3/3).

Committee Chair Lamar Smith (R-Texas) said, "HR 3 does not ban abortion. It also does not restrict abortions, or abortion coverage in health care plans, as long as those abortions or plans use only private or state funds." He added that "now is the time for Congress to pass one piece of legislation that prohibits the federal funding of abortions and prohibits the use of fiscal policy to encourage or subsidize abortions" (Hooper, The Hill, 3/3).

Phenomenal woman #3

2011-03-04T09:22:00.000-08:00

What Black woman refused to give up her seat to a White man in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955, thus sparking the civil rights movement of the following decade?

ROSA PARKS(1913-2005)

Rosa Parks was an African-American civil rights activist, whom the U.S. Congress called "the first lady of civil rights", and "the mother of the freedom movement".^[1]

On December 1, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, Parks, age 42, refused to obey bus driver James Blake's order that she give up her seat to make room for a white passenger. Her action was not the first of its kind. Irene Morgan in 1946, and Sarah Louise Keys in 1955,^[2] had won rulings before the U.S. Supreme Court, and the Interstate Commerce Commission, respectively, in the area of interstate bus travel. Nine months before Parks refused to give up her seat, 15-year-old Claudette Colvin refused to move from her seat on the same bus system. In New York City, in 1854, Lizzie Jennings engaged in similar activity, leading to the desegregation of the horsecars and horse-drawn omnibuses of that city.^[3] But unlike these previous individual actions of civil disobedience, Parks' action sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Parks' act of defiance became an important symbol of the modern Civil Rights Movement and Parks became an international icon of resistance to racial segregation. She organized and collaborated with civil rights leaders, including boycott leader Martin Luther King, Jr., helping to launch him to national prominence in the civil rights movement.

At the time of her action, Parks was secretary of the Montgomery chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and had recently attended the Highlander Folk School, a Tennessee center for workers' rights and racial equality. Nonetheless, she took her action as a private citizen "tired of giving in". Although widely honored in later years for her action, she suffered for it, losing her job as a seamstress in a local department store. Eventually, she moved to Detroit, Michigan, where she found similar work. From 1965 to 1988 she served as secretary and receptionist to African-American U.S. Representative John Conyers. After retirement from this position, she wrote an autobiography and lived a largely private life in Detroit. In her final years she suffered from dementia and became involved in a lawsuit filed on her behalf against American hip-hop duo OutKast.

Parks eventually received many honors ranging from the 1979 Spingarn Medal to the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Gold Medal and a posthumous statue in the United States Capitol's National Statuary Hall. Her death in 2005 was a major story in the United States' leading newspapers. She was granted the posthumous honor of lying in honor at the Capitol Rotunda.

Phenomenal Woman #2

2011-03-03T10:03:00.000-08:00

What woman was the first African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature?

TONI MORRISON

Morrison began writing fiction as part of an informal group of poets and writers at Howard University who met to discuss their work. She went to one meeting with a short story about a black girl who longed to have blue eyes. The story later evolved into her first novel, The Bluest Eye (1970), which she wrote while raising two children and teaching at Howard.^[4] In 2000 it was chosen as a selection for Oprah's Book Club.^[6]

In 1975 her novel Sula (1973) was nominated for the National Book Award. Her third novel, Song of Solomon (1977), brought her national attention. The book was a main selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club, the first novel by a black writer to be so chosen since Richard Wright's Native Son in 1940. It won the National Book Critics Circle Award.

In 1987 Morrison's novel Beloved became a critical success. When the novel failed to win the National Book Award as well as the National Book Critics Circle Award, a number of writers protested over the omission.^[4]^[7] Shortly afterward, it won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction and the American Book Award. Beloved was adapted into the 1998 film of the same name starring Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover. Morrison later used Margaret Garner's life story again in an opera, Margaret Garner, with music by Richard Danielpour. In May 2006, The New York Times Book Review named Beloved the best American novel published in the previous twenty-five years.

In 1993 Morrison was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Her citation reads: Toni Morrison, "who in novels characterized by visionary force and poetic import, gives life to an essential aspect of American reality." Shortly afterwards, a fire destroyed her Rockland County, New York home.^[2]^[8]

In 1996 the National Endowment for the Humanities selected Morrison for the Jefferson Lecture, the U.S. federal government's highest honor for achievement in the humanities.^[9] Morrison's lecture, entitled "The Future of Time: Literature and Diminished Expectations,"^[10] began with the aphorism, "Time, it seems, has no future," and cautioned against misuse of history to diminish expectations of the future.^[11]

Morrison was honored with the 1996 National Book Foundation's Medal of Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, which is awarded to a writer "who has enriched our literary heritage over a life of service, or a corpus of work."^[12]

Although her novels typically concentrate on black women, Morrison does not identify her works as feminist.^[13] She has stated that she thinks "it's off-putting to some readers, who may feel that I'm involved in writing some kind of feminist tract. I don't subscribe to patriarchy, and I don't think it should be substituted with matriarchy. I think it's a question of equitable access, and opening doors to all sorts of things."^[13]

In addition to her novels, Morrison has also co-written books for children with her younger son, Slade Morrison, who works as a painter and musician.

Phenomenal Woman #1

2011-03-02T09:20:00.000-08:00

Who founded Bethune-Cookman College, estabilished the National Council of Negro Women, and served as an advisor on minority affairs to President Franklin D. Roosevelt?

MARY McLEOD BETHUNE (1875-1955)

was an American educator and civil rights leader best known for starting a school for African-American students in Daytona Beach, Florida, that eventually became Bethune-Cookman University and for being an advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Born in South Carolina to parents who had been slaves and having to work in fields at age five, she took an early interest in her own education. With the help of benefactors, Bethune attended college hoping to become a missionary in Africa. When that did not materialize, she started a school for black girls in Daytona Beach. From six students it grew and merged with an institute for black boys and eventually became the Bethune-Cookman School. Its quality far surpassed the standards of education for black students, and rivaled those of white schools. Bethune worked tirelessly to ensure funding for the school, and used it as a showcase for tourists and donors, to exhibit what educated black people could do. She was president of the college from 1923 to 1942 and 1946 to 1947, one of the few women in the world who served as a college president at that time.

Bethune was also active in women's clubs, and her leadership in them allowed her to become nationally prominent. She worked for the election of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932, and became a member of Roosevelt's Black Cabinet, sharing the concerns of black people with the Roosevelt administration while spreading Roosevelt's message to blacks, who had been traditionally Republican voters. Upon her death, columnist Louis E. Martin said, "She gave out faith and hope as if they were pills and she some sort of doctor."^[1] Her home in Daytona Beach is a National Historic Landmark,^[2] her house in Washington, D.C. in Logan Circle is preserved by the National Park Service as a National Historic Site,^[3] and a sculpture of her is located in Lincoln Park in Washington, D.C.^[4]

Women's History Month Celebrates 100 years!!!

2011-03-02T09:01:00.000-08:00

March is finally here!! This month is devoted to celebrating the works of the wonderful women who came before us; and who laid the foundation for the work that we do today. So I decided to give a little history on Women's History Month.

The event traces its beginnings back to the first International Women's Day in 1911.

In 1979, the school district of Sonoma, California, participated in Women's History Week, an event designed around the week of March 8 (International Women's Day).

In 1981, responding to the growing popularity of the event, Congress passed a resolution recognizing Women's History Week. This week was well received, and soon after, schools across the country began to have their own local celebrations. The next year, leaders from the California group shared their project at the Women's History Institute at Sarah Lawrence College. Other participants not only became determined to begin their own local Women's History Week projects, but also agreed to support an effort to have Congress declare a national Women's History Month.

Maryland, Pennsylvania, Alaska, New York, Oregon and other states developed and distributed curriculum materials in all of their public schools, which prompted educational events such as essay contests. Within a few years, thousands of schools and communities got on the bandwagon of National Women's History Week. They planned engaging and stimulating programs about women's roles in history and society, with support and encouragement from governors, city councils, school boards, and the U.S. Congress.

In 1987 Congress expanded the focus to a whole month. In 2001, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Rep. Barbara Mikulski (D-Maryland) co-sponsored the first Joint Congressional Resolution proclaiming a "Women's History Month". Soon, other state departments of education began to encourage celebrations of National Women's History Week as a way to promote equality among the sexes in the classroom.

So Women's History Month 2011 marks 100 years of celebrating the accomplishments of women. So I will be posting a blog everyday about significant women figures that have impacted women's history. Be on the look out!!

Pence Introduces Bill to Deny Federal Funding to Planned Parenthood

2011-02-23T16:05:00.000-08:00

The Pence Amendment ?

2011-02-23T09:08:00.001-08:00

So Rep. Mike Pence R-IN Title X wants to completely defund Planned Parenthood . His defense is anti choice tax payers shouldn't have to pay for abortions. However, the reality is because of the restrictive Hyde Amendment Planned Parenthood can't use the funds for abortion procedures.

The title X funding is an amendment that will drastically affect millions of low & middle income women by eliminating their access to preventive health care services like including cancer screenings, breast exams, STI & HIV testing as well as family planning services.

Since Planned Parenthood is already prohibited from using taxpayer funding for abortions then it looks like the Pence amendment is intended so stop women from being healthy.....

Of course he is going to blame everything on abortion and to think this passed in the House. If we don't take a stand thing are going to get more restrictive. It's time for us to stand up and make our voices heard!

Sonogram to be conducted two hours before termination of pregnancy even if woman doesn't want it

2011-02-22T14:28:00.000-08:00

So I'm reading up on news in abortion and it's laws and I come across this heading "Abortion bill is unwarranted state intrusion on woman’s right to choose". In Texas the legislators are trying to pass a bill that would require a woman that chooses to terminate a pregnancy to have an audible sonogram within two hours of a planned abortion and also she has to wait 24hrs within her first visit before receiving procedure. Now is it just me or does this sound like a slick way for the government to put a guilt trip on a woman about her choice. Abortion is a hard enough decision to make for most women. Especially when your going into a clinic and you have all these anti choice people hanging around with gory pictures of bloody babies and yelling there are other options. I know there are other options but this is the option I know is best for me is what allot of women are thinking. There are lots of reasons why women choose the option of abortion and for the woman who truly wants to come to terms with her pregnancy but is losing her home and can barely afford dinner for that night why would I try to put her on a guilt trip and show her an audible sonogram. You people are just sick and relentless.

Mayor?

2011-02-22T13:55:00.000-08:00

So today is the day to vote for whose going to run for the Mayor of Chicago..... I haven't voted yet and I am so confused on who I'm going to vote for. As far as the alderman candidates I have made solid decisions on who I am going to choose. The mayoral race is a horse of a different color. It is really bothering me that I really don't identify with the plans of any of the candidates. It's really sad that after having the same mayor for so long when it's time to choose a new one I can't.

As an activist I know how important it is to vote, and I also know that it's important to vote for candidates that want to work for the citizens in Chicago..... So confused! I really don't know what to do..... However, I am going to vote no matter what....

On another note I'm excited about the walk for choice this Saturday.........

Rep. Moore Tells Anti-Choice GOP Where to Shove Black Genocide Lie

2011-02-22T13:11:00.000-08:00

House Approves FY 2011 Spending Proposal, Including Amendment Blocking Federal Funding to Planned Parenthood

2011-02-22T12:15:00.000-08:00

February 22, 2011 — The House on Friday voted 240-185 to approve an amendment to the continuing resolution (HR 1) that would block any federal funding for Planned Parenthood, Politico reports. The amendment was introduced by Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.). Ten Democrats supported the amendment, and seven Republicans voted against it (Nather/Nocera, Politico, 2/18). On Saturday, the House voted 235-189 to approve the continuing resolution -- an appropriations bill that will fund government programs for the remainder of fiscal year 2011, the New York Times reports. President Obama has said he would veto the spending bill if it passes the Senate (Herzenhorn, New York Times, 2/20).

The House Republicans' spending plan also cuts the Title X family planning program. The program helps provide family planning and reproductive health services to low-income women, including contraceptive counseling and supplies, pelvic and breast exams, safer-sex counseling, and basic infertility counseling. No Title X funds can be used for abortion services (Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 2/14).

Let's STRIKE DOWN Barriers to Abortion Access!

2011-02-09T15:51:00.000-08:00

Chicago Abortion Fund is hosting our third annual Bowl-A-Thon to raise funds for the women we serve.

This year, for the second time, we’re teaming up with all our sister funds around the USA (and world!) to raise money for women who can’t raise money for themselves. Last year, we exceeded our best expectations and we’re hoping to blow the lid off of our 2011 goal!

If you’d like to donate, you can do so at our bowl-a-thon fundraising site. You can donate to the event itself, an individual player, or a team.

Our site has been live for a few days and we already have several returning teams: Crooked Brew Crew, Pin Pals & the Vegan Vixens! Thanks to everyone who signed up early! If you’d like to join in on the fun, sign up at the website. If you have any questions, contact Emelda at: veganemelda@gmail.com

Hope to see you there!

Chicago Abortion Fund’s 2011 Bowl-A-Thon
Saturday, April 30th from 2:30 – 4:45