Contribute to WOC Speak
WOC Speak is a new blog carnival put together by the amazing Renee of Womanist Musings. It is dedicated to the voices of women of color and allies exploring and speaking out about race, class, gender, sexuality and all of those little “isms” we love so much.
The carnival is dedicated to giving women of color a voice and will be published on the 15th of every month and submissions for the carnival will be accepted until the 10th of every month. It is imperative to take notice of and discuss the issues surrounding race in our culture and society today. There is so much to teach and so much to learn and so I cannot urge you enough to write and/or submit your posts to WOC Speak and also check it out on February 15.
Submit your posts here and you have 10 more days to get your posts in so the clock is ticking.
Spot the Difference!
I was so completely moved by the following two pictures, originally posted by Jill as Feministe, that I just had to share.
These two pictures are the signings of two of the most important bill signings for women’s rights in the past few years.
The Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003
The Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009
These pictures really speak for themselves. It is astounding what can happen in six years, especially when it comes to women’s rights. Having a pro-woman administration really does wonders.
The SCHIP Expansion Bill has Been Approved
The Senate approved a bill to expand and reauthorize the Children’s Health Insurance Program in a 66 to 32 vote and President Obama plans to sign this legislation into effect. The State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) provides health insurance to children from low-income families who cannot afford private health care but do not qualify for federal Medicaid. SCHIP currently provides health insurance to more than 7 million children and passage of this legislation expands the program to cover 4 million more children, including for legal immigrants.
In the most blatant of terms, SCHIP provides health insurance to children of families who are stuck in the middle–Not poor enough to be considered for federal insurance, but too poor to even think of the possibility of purchasing insurance from private and major companies. It has been an unfortunate situation, to say the least, to exist in the middle of the spectrum as far as income goes, so often putting families in damned if you do, damned if you don’t positions.
Not surprisingly, this is a version of the same that had been vetoed twice by ex-President Bush because as well all know now, he and his administration was all about killing Americans whether it be restricting Americans access to health care, insurance, or in war. We have waited for quite some time, but we finally have an administration that works as hard for us as we do for them. We have an administration that genuinely cares about its people and is determined to ensure that every American is receiving what they deserve.
NBC Rejects CatholicVote’s $1.5 Million
About a week ago, CatholicVote launched a national media campaign titled “Life: Imagine the Potential” where they combine an ultrasound, kick-you-in-the-gut sappy music and our newly elected and inaugurated pro-choice president, Barack Obama.
CatholicVote was prepared to pay NBC $1.5 million for a commercial slot in the Superbowl and while NBC is home to MSNBC and left-wing political pundits like Keith Olbermann and my personal favorite, Rachel Maddow, it’s no surprise, really, that NBC rejected to air the controversial and in my opinion, completely out-of-left-field ad, considering it puts a pro-choice president in a pro-life campaign. However, NBC does not discriminate against distasteful ads, unluckily for us, but they do refuse to air commercials that promote political or activist agendas.
Brian Burch, President of CatholicVote.org reacted saying:
“There is nothing objectionable in this positive, life-affirming advertisement. We show a beautiful ultrasound, something NBC’s parent company GE has done for years. We congratulate Barack Obama on becoming the first African-American President. And we simply ask people to imagine the potential of every human life.”
Keep in mind that the people of CatholicVote and the Catholic and other major religious people and organizations as a whole were the same people warding the masses not to vote for Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign against John McCain based on the fact that he is pro-choice. This ad is hypocritical for the fact that they are congratulating Obama on becoming the “first African-American” president; not just for becoming president, but for becoming the first African-American president that they merely see as an opportunity to use in a campaign without a second thought that their message completely goes against their “star’s” personal beliefs in the first place.
When will “Pro-Life” Activists Start Protecting Lives?
Reproductive health clinics help women as well as men in a myriad of different ways. They provide breast and cervical cancer screenings, annual pap exams, birth control and emergency contraception services, pregnancy tests, prenatal care and free sexually transmitted disease and infection testing and treatment. These clinics save lives and without them, low income women and men especially would have nowhere to turn for health care.
However, during any given day across the country, these clinics become victims of hate and violent crimes by those claiming to be “pro-life.” But if these groups of people are pro-life, when will they actually start protecting lives?
Just a few days ago, we celebrated the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade and on that day alone, anti-abortion extremists called for a “return to the streets” in the wake of their massive losses during the 2008 election.
The Feminist Majority Foundation provided legal and security assistance and worked with federal and local law enforcement to respond to extremist activities at three different clinics.
In Lincoln, Nebraska a suspicious fire caused extensive smoke damage at the only abortion clinic in the state. The clinic’s physician and his family have been the target of threats and the victims of a previous arson by these anti-abortion extremists.
In Birmingham, Alabama at the New Woman, All Women’s Health Clinic (the site of the 1998 fatal bombing by a follower of the Army of God) a local anti-abortion extremist with long-standing ties to Operation Rescue/Save America and to the violent Army of God network has intensified their activities outside of the clinic.
In Charlotte, North Carolina Operation Rescue/Save America is leading a campaign against the Family Reproductive Health Clinic. Followers of this group have been frequently disrupting clinic operations with bullhorns as well as physically blocking access to the clinic.
It is abundantly obvious who is really “pro-life” of the two different groups. The clinics who work diligently to provide women and men with health care they potentially could not receive anywhere else and save lives of the people who are in need of their care and the groups of extremists who are bombing and setting fire to clinics intently focused on causing harm and death to the people who work in these clinics as well as to the patients who are inside of these clinics when these extremists decide to bomb and set fire to the clinic.
If you are really working towards acceptance of your message of life, it is perhaps important to demonstrate that you are really pro-life. Do you support war and the killing of innocent American soldiers as well as Iraqi and Afghan civilians? Then you can’t preach about how pro-life you are. Do you support the bombing and arson of reproductive health care clinics? Then you are obviously and purposely aiming to cause harm to someone’s life so you cannot preach about how pro-life you are. This is an argument that is widely brought up by pro-choice activists in this country, but the purpose of this article is to send the clear message that if you are pro-life, you should start protecting the lives of everyone, everywhere and not simply when it is convenient for you because that is called being a hypocrite.
Celebrate 8 Years with PAVE
On February 15, PAVE (Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment) is celebrating its eight year anniversary with a Love Fest!
The event will be held from 4pm to 8pm at Martyrs, located at 3855 N Lincoln Ave in Chicago, IL. Festivities include complimentary hair styles by Lather Chicago, music by Anne Harris, a burlesque show with Red Hot Annie, a variety show with Nikki Patin, local celebrities like April Rose who is a model and TV host, a raffle including W Hotel getaway, Bulls tickets and many other prizes and a variety of surprises throughout the evening.
If you’re in or will be in the Chicago area on February 15, you should really check out this event and help PAVE go on to do even more amazing work for survivors of sexual violence and shattering the silence around it. You can purchase your tickets at Paving the Way, $20 presale or $25 at the door. Also be sure to check out their Facebook page to see who else will be there and learn more about PAVE.
Ten Ways to Make America a Better Place to Live
Helen Keller once said, “Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.”
These days many people are suffering in America. Skyrocketing job losses (2.6 million in 2008, according to the Labor Department’s Jobs Report), skyrocketing foreclosures (up 81% from 2007 to 2008, per RealtyTrac), skyrocketing healthcare costs (and the many personal bankruptcies that have followed), rising college costs (up 6.4% at four-year public colleges this school year alone, according to the College Board), plummeting 401(K)s, the recession, war, terrorism, education, the environment, inequality…and that only covers a small portion of what’s usually featured on the nightly news! I don’t know about you, but I often find myself slamming down the remote (while considering throwing the television out the window) and thinking, “I know we can do better than this!”
We live in a country that has been a land of opportunity for millions. We live in a country whose doctors have helped the tiniest premature babies live. We live in a country that has put astronauts on the moon. We live in a country that invented Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. We have done better. We can do better. And when I look at my eight-year-old nephew, I know that we must do better. I also know that each of us needs to take an active role in doing better now.
In fact, with all the things that are happening in America now, most of us do feel a longing to help when and where help is needed. Most of us would gladly do whatever we can to make the poverty and war-kind of news stories a thing of the past. And most of us have spent time wondering, “What is it that I can personally do? How can I make a difference?” Here are ten ideas each of us could start with:
1. Decide that inclusion is a much better word to teach our children than exclusion. (As my friend Mary wisely says, “Whatever language we speak to children is the language they learn.”)
2. Spend our money on things that save people’s lives rather than do the opposite. (How many more people need to die from cancer, or get killed in a war, before we decide to re-work our budget?)
3. Start thinking of healthcare as fundamental a right for everyone as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
4. Keep jobs here! (And support companies that are making this choice!)
5. Use our money fairly, wisely, and in ways that will make our children and grandchildren proud. (If we have any doubt at all, we should make a different choice.)
6. Convince our companies that there is such a better use for money than commercials none of us like to watch anyway. (Job creation, disease research, health care, education and the environment…just to name five.)
7. Adopt the mindset “All About We” (rather than “All About Me”) since that really is the only way things will ever truly get better.
8. Know that the three R’s (reduce, reuse, and recycle) are just as important for our children to learn as those other three R’s (reading, writing, and arithmetic).
9. Do one thing…even if it’s just for one person…that can make things better because while doing one thing may seem small, it will feel huge to the person or people who benefit. (Visit a senior center, buy someone you don’t know lunch, give your scarf to a child you see shivering on the street…just to name three.)
10. Start today! As Anne Frank once said, “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”
My friend Meagan once told me about one of those pivotal, light-bulb-dawning-over-head moments she had as a teenager years ago. She was watching the news with her family and was just plain angry about the one-sad-story-after-another that was being reported. That’s when her dad said to her, “Meagan, there are enough people in this world who complain about things, but not enough people who do anything about them.” I can’t think of a better time than right now for each of us to take Meagan’s father’s advice!
Right now, each of us really can help someone or some cause somewhere. We really can do something to make America a better place to live. If each of us were ready, willing, and able to help in just one of the ways that we want to help…in the way that means the most to us…we would make the kind of beautiful difference and create the kind of beautiful America our children and grandchildren deserve!
What is the “something” that YOU are ready, willing, and able to do? What idea can YOU add to the “Ways to Make America a Better Place to Live” list? And, perhaps most importantly, how will YOU get started today?
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This post was written by Shelly Rachanow
The author of the successful book, If Women Ran the World, Sh*t Would Get Done, Shelly Rachanow is a graduate of The George Washington University and Emory University School of Law. Her latest book, What Would You Do If You Ran the World?: Everyday Ideas From Women Who Want To Make the World A Better Place, is the culmination of brilliant, creative, and totally possible ideas women have shared.
Goodbye Global Gag Rule!
President Barack Obama’s list of Bush administration reversals have been all over the news lately and the Obama administration has wasted no time making the changes that were promised to all of us doing the 2008 presidential campaign.
The Global Gag Rule, which was reinstated by President Bush his first day in office, prohibits any organization that receives US funds from counseling women on abortion as an option to an unwanted pregnancy has been overturned. The Global Gag rule also prohibited providing referrals or discussing the dangers of unsafe abortions. The impact of the Global Gag Rules has been deadly for women all over the world, given that approximately 70,000 women die each and every year from unsafe or illegal abortions. This number could be lowered significantly just by giving women the access to information that they desperately need. But, as we all know, the Bush administration did not care about the lives of women, just their unborn fetuses.
This is hopefully the first in a long series of positive changes for our government and for women in this country. It is so very important and mind blowing, really, to have a president that represents responsible leadership and gives women the opportunity to really think for themselves and make responsible decisions about their own lives and bodies.
Yes He Did! Obama Speaks About Roe Anniversary
A lot of people were skeptical as to whether or not Barack Obama would make a public comment about this day being the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. As an open and passionate pro-choice president, I was hoping for Obama to make a statement, but as the day rolled on and the pro-choice festivities continued, I didn’t hear about Obama making a public statement.
To my delight, and I am sure many others out there, President Barack Obama did make a public statement about the anniversary of this monumental day for women and women’s reproductive health and freedom:
On the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we are reminded that this decision not only protects women’s health and reproductive freedom, but stands for a broader principle: that government should not intrude on our most private family matters. I remain committed to protecting a woman’s right to choose.
While this is a sensitive and often divisive issue, no matter what our views, we are united in our determination to prevent unintended pregnancies, reduce the need for abortion, and support women and families in the choices they make. To accomplish these goals, we must work to find common ground to expand access to affordable contraception, accurate health information, and preventative services.
On this anniversary, we must also recommit ourselves more broadly to ensuring that our daughters have the same rights and opportunities as our sons: the chance to attain a world-class education; to have fulfilling careers in any industry; to be treated fairly and paid equally for their work; and to have no limits on their dreams. That is what I want for women everywhere.
As I read this statement I was filled with an overwhelming sense of pride. I am proud that I live in a time where I have access to reproductive health care and with reproductive health care clinics like Planned Parenthood, if I cannot afford their services, I am not penalized by being turned away. I am proud that 36 years ago women were given the right to choose and I am proud that 36 years later women as well as men are still recognizing and celebrating this day because the anniversary of Roe v. Wade is a call for celebration; this is our reproductive freedom and the right to choose and to have control over our own lives and our own bodies that we’re talking about. But most of all, I am proud of and truly grateful for every women and every man who stood up for what they believed in, who stood up for women and who made this day possible. And lastly, I am proud to have a president who feels as passionately about this day as I do.
Blog for Choice Day 2009 Open Thread
Today is the day for pro-choice bloggers and activists to get out there and rally to keep what is rightfully theirs–Access to safe reproductive health care. Today is the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade and also Blog for Choice Day 2009. I don’t normally allow post pimping on here, but to celebrate this anniversary even further, if you have any posts regarding the anniversary of Roe v. Wade and/or Blog for Choice Day 2009, feel free to post them in the comments!
If this is the first time you’re hearing of Blog for Choice Day 2009 and want to participate in the online pro-choice festivities, NARAL Pro-Choice America is asking the question: What is your top pro-choice hope for President Obama and/or the new Congress?
RH Reality Check is also having a live blogging event from 3-4PM EST about messaging and the reproductive rights movement. Check it out here.
Get Social
Flickr
Out Campaign
The OUT Campaign allows individuals to let others know they are not alone. It can also be a nice way of opening a conversation and help to demolish the negative stereotypes of atheists. Let the world know that we are not about to go away and that we are not going to allow those that would condemn us to push us into the shadows.
