Blog for Choice 2010: Trust Women
Happy anniversary, Roe v. Wade! On this day 37 years ago, the Supreme Court ruled that it was about time to let women make their own decisions about their health and what does or does not happen with and within their own bodies. The anniversary of Roe v. Wade is a day to be celebrared. Women having the right to think for themselves and to make their own informed, logical, emotional and difficult decisions is something to be celebrated.
Today is also the fifth annual Blog for Choice Day, a day in which pro-choice bloggers dedicate a post to answering a question presented by NARAL Pro-Choice America about some facet of their activism, of their passion for keeping abortion accessible, safe, legal and rare.
This year, we continue to mourn the tragic, untimely and unnecessary death of Dr. George Tiller who was murdered in the foyer of his church on May 31, 2009 by an anti-choice extremist in an act that can only be described as domestic terrorism. Dr. Tiller often wore a button that simply read, “Trust Women;” two words that have had a tremendous impact on the people he dedicated 33 years of his life to. Dr. Tiller knew very well the dangers of his profession and became one of the most well-known abortion providers and subsequently, a target of anti-choice extremists. Before he was murdered, a bomb had been placed and exploded on the roof of his Women’s Health Care Services clinic. Outside of his clinic during summer-long protests, approximately 2,000 protesters were arrested outside of the same place women were going to for help. He was shot in both arms by an anti-choice activist while driving away from the clinic and after a six year investigation of his practice, he was acquitted of charges that claimed he had performed 19 illegal late-term abortions. After he was acquitted, several members of anti-choice groups across the country declared that they were dedicated to getting him put in prison and that they would drudge up more false claims in order to do so. Dr. Tiller trusted women and ultimately had his life stolen from him and from his family, friends, colleagues, patients, future patients and the entire pro-choice population for being dedicated to trusting women and to providing a safe and legal procedure.
Dr. LeRoy Carhart, a friend and colleague of Dr. Tiller's and an image in memory of the late abortion provider.
So on this 37th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, NARAL Pro-Choice America is honoring Dr. George Tiller and his 33 year career and commitment to women and asking, What does “Trust Women” mean to you?
When laws go into effect that require abortion providers to extensively counsel women in person, instead of over the phone (and it is clearly stated that it must take place in person,) force them to see the ultrasounds of their unwanted fetuses or to have these ultrasounds explained to them and then that woman is forced to wait 24 to 48 hours after being counseled to go home and mull it over before she is permitted to actually have the abortion performed, I am offended. I am offended that laws like these exist to treat women like children who can’t make up their minds or who don’t know the severity of their own situation. It is extremely condescending to put in place multiple hurdles in order to obtain a safe and legal abortion due to the fact that the people who authored these laws and the lawmakers who voted for them think women are incapable of making an informed and logical decision for themselves that they believe is right. Laws such as these shame women and bring us right back to childhood when we’ve done something wrong and were sent to our rooms to think about what we’ve done. I probably should not give these lawmakers any more ideas, but I unfortunately would not surprised if in order to obtain an abortion, women would be required to write a 500-word essay on what they learned through making and going through the most difficult decision they will probably ever make in their lives.
It is a cliche feminist slogan of sorts, but there is that saying that is printed on endless t-shirts, buttons, stickers, hoodies, you name it, that says, “Feminism is the radical notion that women are people,” and in regard to what it means to truly trust women, it is completely correct. Women are people. Women, like men, are adults and, like men, are capable. We are capable of educating ourselves or seeking the information we wish to know more about and we are capable of making logical decisions that will affect our lives and our bodies. Pregnant women are often viewed as less rational as women who are not pregnant; as hormonal and who don’t really have any idea about what they are doing or the “consequences of their actions,” which brings woman shaming down to a whole new, disgusting level. I trust all women because I know that we are strong, amazing, miraculous, kick ass beings who deserve to be taken seriously and who refuse to be seen as, talked to or treated as less-than.
If you are also participating in Blog for Choice 2010, link your post here.
Blog for Choice 2010 Open Thread
Today marks the 37th anniversary for the landmark decision that gave women the right to have access to safe and legal abortion, Roe v. Wade. Today is also the fifth annual Blog for Choice Day from NARAL Pro-Choice America.
If you’re not familiar with Blog for Choice Day, it is when each year, NARAL Pro-Choice America asks a question directed to pro-choice bloggers before the anniversary of Roe v. Wade and on January 22nd, bloggers let their voices be heard by answering that question. From the official site:
“Blog for Choice Day provides us with an opportunity to raise the profile of reproductive rights in the blogosphere, all the while celebrating Roe’s 37th anniversary. Plus, it’s a great way to let your readers and the mainstream media know that a woman’s right to choose is a core progressive value that must be protected and advanced.
This year’s topic is What does “Trust Women” mean to you? in honor and in remembrance of Dr. George Tiller. Dr Tiller was an abortion provider who often wore a button that simply read “Trust Women.” He was murdered on May 31, 2009, in the foyer of his church by an anti-choice extremist.
I am still working on my Blog for Choice Day post, but in the meantime, if you have yours up please link it in the comments.
If you would like to participate in Blog for Choice Day, sign up here and don’t forget to come back and link your post!
Oklahoma Will Soon Start Publicly Shaming Women Who Have an Abortion
On November 1st, a new Oklahoma law will go into effect that will collect personal details about every abortion performed in the state and post the information collected on a public website for every person with an internet connection to access. The information that will be asked of women who have an abortion includes:
1. Date of abortion
2. County in which abortion was performed
3. Age of [woman] (the law’s wordage is ‘age of mother’ but I find this extremely offensive so I will not be spreading this offensive language)
4. Marital status of [woman] (married, divorced, separated, widowed, or never married)
5. Race of [woman]
6. Years of education of [woman] (specify highest year completed)
7. State or foreign country of residence of [woman]
8. Total number of previous pregnancies of the [woman] (live births, miscarriages, induced abortions)
While some (meaning the anti-choice) will undeniably argue that the questions asked of women who seek abortions does not identify any single one woman for public prosecution by her peers for having a completely legal procedure, as Feminists For Choice points out, the information collected could easily be used to identify any member of a smaller community, especially if that woman’s race is a minority in a specific county.
Information regarding any person who seeks medical attention for any reason falls under medical records and medical records are, under the law, to be kept confidential. This is nothing but an anti-choice extremist tactic to publicly shame women and put their medical history in the hands of potentially violent extremists; people who are to blame for not-so-peaceful protests, vandalism, death threats and murder. People who will stop at nothing to outlaw a woman’s law-given right to an abortion. People who have obviously pressured Oklahoman law to obtain information that frankly, is no one’s business other than the doctor who performs the abortion. What also troubles me about this law is the fact that women will be forced into divulging the total number of previous pregnancies she has had in the past. Anti-choicers and also those who technically classify themselves as pro-choice but think that women are only entitled to one abortion in their lifetime will undoubtedly begin passing judgment on women who have either had an abortion before, or, as people’s privilege has taught us, begin passing judgment on women who have several children at home. People will begin wondering if the abortion they are reading about online is the abortion had by the 24 year old woman who dropped out of high school living down the street with three children she’s already struggling to take care of; because they have narrowed down the “suspects” and she is the only 24 year old woman who dropped out of high school who has had three previous live births in the community. We know that anti-choicers believe that they have the right to publicly question the morals and principles of those who do not carry around the same belief system as they do and we know that they think nothing of publicly shaming that woman in a community atmosphere; so what’s to stop an angry anti-choicer who is taking stock in how many abortions were performed in their counties and going to pass their judgment and hatred on that woman living down the street from them?
This law is only the beginning of the “final product” anti-choice Oklahomans have in mind–to outlaw abortion and to publicly prosecute any woman who has one, plain and simple.
Luckily, the Center for Reproductive Rights is challenging the law on the grounds that it “covers more than one subject.” This argument has worked before to strike down an abortion ultrasound law and hopefully will work to the advantage of Oklahoma women again.
Pharmacists in Washington Being Forced to Do Their Jobs
Since the pharmacists in Washington cannot be trusted to do their jobs themselves, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday to force them to carry out their duties.
Two Washington pharmacists had filed a lawsuit saying that their religious beliefs should exempt them from carrying and providing emergency contraception to their customers; that the requirement to do so would make them choose between keeping their jobs or supporting a medication that they regard as a form of abortion. However, the federal appeals court ruled that their personal convictions do not outweigh a person’s right to timely medication. When it comes to the fundamental right to freely exercise one’s religion, the 9th Circuit panel made up of two conservatives named to the court by President George W. Bush and a liberal named by President Clinton, wrote that it “does not relieve an individual of the obligation to comply with a valid and neutral law of general applicability… Any refusal to dispense — regardless of whether it is motivated by religion, morals, conscious, ethics, discriminatory prejudices, or personal distaste for a patient — violated the rules.”
Damn straight! I’ve said this so many times before, but for the record, if you are unable to perform the tasks in which your career depends, you should have pursued a different career. I honestly don’t see what the problem is. It isn’t like a woman who walks into a pharmacy to purchase emergency contraception is going to make the pharmacist who gives it to her take the first dose or something. It has nothing to do with the pharmacist; they are merely the supplier of a medication and if pharmacists are going to start preaching when they hold a job that heavily relies on science and taking the lives of these people into their own hands, they should have never been allowed to hold that job in the first place; however, if we instituted that pharmacy could only be seen as a viable career option for non-judgmental people who are going to do their jobs, there would be even more law suits filed for discrimination. Religion is not being seen and treated as it is supposed to; to be religious is to have a belief in a higher power, not to use it as an excuse for why you’re so much better than everyone else.
The Feminist Majority Foundation Works to Expose Crisis Pregnancy Centers
This Spring, the Feminist Majority Foundation has worked to expose fake clinics, which are known publicly as “crisis pregnancy centers.” The campaign has two goals: to warn women, especially students, about the fake clinics in their communities and to let the government know that deception on the public dime has got to stop.
I used to live in a large city whose downtown area is an entire college campus. Because I grew up and lived in this city next door to a college campus, I have seen the billboards these clinics put up specifically to lure students to their facilities–Billboards that read “Scared and pregnant? We can help, call us now for a free pregnancy test!” and then end with a 1-800 number. While these clinics may offer free pregnancy tests, going to their facility will cost you quite a bit.
Crisis Pregnancy Centers are known to report false negatives in order to make a woman wait until it is too late to have an abortion. They use scare tactics and blatant lies about abortion procedures and “health risks.” They are known to shame women who have premarital sex and counsel against birth control. While they may paint a pretty picture for themselves on billboards, fliers, and newspaper ads, the work they do is deceiving and very harmful to women. They mislead women into going to their clinic, thinking that they are able to discuss their real, viable options, and instead are counseled about how horrible their life choices have been and how they need to give birth and thereafter, remain abstinent so they won’t have to give birth again. Basically, if you are looking to speak with someone who will give you the same counseling as a person at a crisis pregnancy center, you’re better off going to church because those are the same ideologies that will be past to you if you enter one thinking you are actually going to be able to speak to someone in a nonjudgmental space.
These clinics are hurting women and while it is so widely known that they are deceiving those they claim to want to help, these clinics continue to receive federal funding across the country which needs to stop immediately.
Here is a great video of young women and men discussing their findings about Crisis Pregnancy Centers. To say the least, their findings echo what many feminists, womanists, and humanists have been warning for years. This video also shows Kathy Spillar and Eleanor Smeal of the Feminist Majority Foundation calling for these clinics to be de-funded.
Our Reality: A Look at Crisis Pregnancy Centers from RH Reality Check on Vimeo.
Dr. LeRoy Carhart Steps In to Fill Void After Dr. George Tiller’s Death and Clinic Closing
News that The Women’s Health Care Services clinic, the clinic that Dr. George Tiller ended up giving his life for, will remain closed broke a few days ago, and while I have not published the news and my opinion on the topic, not a day has gone by where I have not thought about it. Cara over at Feministe shares my exact sentiments on the issue.
We can’t blame Dr. Tiller’s family for their decision to keep the doors of the clinic closed and we wouldn’t have been able to blame Dr. Tiller if he had decided to close the doors of the clinic after the several acts of domestic terrorism that had been carried out against the clinic as well as to him throughout the years; even after having his clinic bombed, his roof tampered with before a horrible storm, droves of protesters in front of his clinic daily, being shot in both of his arms, death threats, and finally, murder, Dr. Tiller’s life was stolen from him, his family, his friends, his patients, and everyone who ever cared for him because he believed in saving women’s lives and putting those lives before the not-yet life of a fetus. He was assassinated because he firmly believed and worked for reproductive freedom, so no, we could never blame him if he had made the decision to close his clinic’s doors at any point in his career.
The people who are to blame are anti-choicers. The people who stalked Dr. Tiller and continue to stalk other abortion providers, using scare tactics, lies, and violence to attempt to stop reproductive health service providers from doing their jobs; from doing what they believe is right; from helping the lives of countless women every single day; from doing something that the law protects them under. The people who are to blame for Dr. Tiller’s murder, his clinic closing, and sending waves of fear, disgust, and anger throughout the world are those who claim to be “pro-life,” “against violence,” and working with those same women who they are hurting in the process of their war on reproductive health in mind.
Which brings me to another point… People who advocate for reproductive rights are not going out to protests or anti-choice organization buildings where we know a large group of anti-choicers meet and opening fire on those meeting to plan their next move on reproductive rights. We are not going to churches and insisting that every pregnant woman immediately run to her nearest reproductive health care clinic and get an abortion. We are not forcing our beliefs on you, we are simply advocating for choice which we then respect women and their intelligence enough to be able to make that choice on her own.
When news of Dr. Tiller’s clinic closing, founder of the original Operation Rescue group, Randall Terry, had this to say:
Randall Terry, the founder of the original Operation Rescue group, responded to news that Tiller’s clinic would remain closed with, “Good riddance.” He said history would remember Tiller’s clinic as it remembers Auschwitz and other Nazi concentration camps.
“What set him apart is that he killed late-term babies,” Terry said. “If his replacement was going to continue to kill late-term children, the protests would continue, the investigations would continue, the indictments would continue.”
Current Operation Rescue president Troy Newman, who had condemned Tiller’s killing as vigilantism, called the announcement “a bittersweet moment.”
When Randall Terry insisted that the anti-choice movement had nothing to do with the assassination of Dr. Tiller he was obviously lying; well, we pro-choice folks already knew he was lying, but he just contradicted himself publicly by saying that if someone hadn’t killed Dr. Tiller he would still be working to promote and support trumped up charges be cast against him for his work and he would still be working to promote and support domestic terrorism. Nice going, asshole!
So where do we go from here?
Well, for women in Kansas who had feared that they too would be forced to travel around the country looking for a doctor who would help save their life when threatened by the fetus they are carrying as well as women from around the country who have to travel to Kansas, reproductive rights will not just go away, as anti-choicers had hoped.
It was announced Wednesday that Dr. LeRoy Carhart, a Nebraska doctor, will begin performing third-term abortions in Kansas to fill the shoes of late Dr. Tiller.
A Nebraska doctor said Wednesday that he will perform third-term abortions in Kansas after the slaying of abortion provider George Tiller, but would not say whether he will open a new facility or offer the procedure at an existing practice.
Dr. LeRoy Carhart declined to discuss his plans in detail during a telephone interview with The Associated Press, but insisted “there will be a place in Kansas for the later second- and the medically indicated third-trimester patients very soon.”
“I just think that until everything is in place, it’s something that doesn’t need to be talked about” in detail, Carhart said a day after Tiller’s family announced his Wichita clinic was permanently shutting its doors.
Tiller’s clinic was one of the only facilities in the country that performed third-trimester abortions. Carhart has run his own clinic in Bellevue, Neb., since 1985, but had performed late-term abortions at Tiller’s clinic because of Nebraska’s more restrictive abortion laws.
It is understandable why Dr. Carhart will not release information on if he will be opening a new clinic or where his place of business will be located due to obvious reasons (but if you’re still lost, it’s probably because he doesn’t want to murdered–Just a thought!) Dr. Carhart has been an abortion provider since 1985 and since Dr. Tiller’s death, he has seen an increase in patients at his own clinic; seeing an obvious need for his services is what we can assume prompted his decision to offer his services to women in Kansas.
We know for sure that the act of performing a legal medical service to grown women sparks violence and even murder within the “pro-life” movement, so we must be sure to keep Dr. LeRoy Carhart in our thoughts as he continues to stand up for the reproductive health of women everywhere.
Victory for Reproductive Rights in Nepal
The Supreme Court of Nepal recently ruled in favor of expanding abortion access throughout the country for all women in need of reproductive health services. The legislation requires that the government create a fund that will cover the costs of abortion services for low income women in the country who could not otherwise afford access to a safe abortion procedure. The new fund will also be used to educate health providers as well as the public about the country’s abortion laws, since 80% of rural women in the country are not even aware that abortion is legal.
Abortion only became legal in Nepal in 2002, before then it was common for women to be imprisoned for abortion-related offenses. Abortion is now legal in the country during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy and up to 18 weeks of pregnancy in cases of rape, incest, fetal impairment, or risk of maternal mortality. It is increasingly important that the population of Nepal be educated about the country’s abortion laws and their commitment to providing abortion services to all women of all financial classes because it is common for the women of Nepal to suffer extreme health complications and even die due to receiving unsafe and damaging abortion services.
Melissa Upreti of the Center for Reproductive Rights in Asia has stated that this new ruling is one of the most important legal victories for women in Nepal in almost a decade. The country’s decision to expand abortion access shows that Nepal is committed to protecting the health and the lives of the women who reside there. Many women have been forced to suffer in silence before this ruling due to their inability to pay for safe abortion services as well as their lack of information. This new legislation means more than merely keeping reproductive health services legal–It means that every single women in need of those services are able to receive them regardless of financial means.
Missouri State Senate Passes Additional, Traumatizing Anti-Choice Legislation
Just three days ago, the Missouri state Senate passed a bill in a 25 to 7 vote to expand restrictions currently on access to abortion in the state.
The additional restrictions would include requiring women who are seeking an abortion to be informed of certain information–in person–24 hours prior to the abortion procedure. The “certain information” the bill speaks of includes a description of the procedure and associated health risks (which I am guessing includes all of those anti-choice lies such as abortion causing breast cancer, the oh so popular post-abortion syndrome buzzword anti-choicers are so fond of, and equally as ridiculous propaganda.) Women seeking abortion services are currently being informed of the so-called health risks that are associated with an abortion, but they are currently being allowed to receive this information over the phone. With this new bill, women will have to be told about so-called health risks in person; it bodes well for the woman shaming and anti-choice intimidation aspect of seeking a safe and legal medical procedure. Women will also be given a description of fetal development, information on possible fetal pain after 22 weeks gestation, information on options other than abortions (such as keeping your unwanted child and adoption, although I’m betting they will leave out the information about children aging out of the foster care system and leading a life of poverty or finding a foster care family that neglects and beats the child while collecting a monthly check), and an offer to show the patient ultrasound images and make the heartbeat audible.
This is yet another series of abortion bans to scare women out of the fundamental right of having control over their reproductive organs and freedoms. Access to abortion should always be safe, legal, and rare for all women living all around the world and while there are so many women around this world dying every year because of the lack of abortion access and the laws that prohibit the pro-choice population from offering reproductive health services to women, society is too busy condemning women for their reproductive health choices.
The entire 24 hour waiting period legislation is completely lost on me. In most, if not all cases, women have already thought about their options and have made the educated decision to seek abortion services. Just because the anti-choice population doesn’t like that decision does not mean that that woman has not put thought into her decision.
To force a woman to hear about fetal development, possible fetal pain, and see an ultrasound is traumatizing to that woman, especially considering that she has already given thought to the options regarding her pregnancy. It is regulations like this that would lead to a woman becoming depressed or regretting her decision to have that abortion. It is the anti-choice legislation that claims it is enforcing regulations for the safety of women that is actually hurting and traumatizing women.
Judy Blume Plus Planned Parenthood = Widespread Anti-Choice Hysteria
Judy Blume wrote a Mother’s Day letter for Planned Parenthood soliciting donations for the organization. For Judy Blume and Planned Parenthood to team up seems only natural to me, with Judy Blume being a household name for girls and women spanning several decades and in some cases, was the only introduction to puberty for girls around the world. As a true mentor for young girls, Judy Blume has made the excellent decision to share her thoughts about Mother’s Day and the importance of mothers through an organization that truly cares about the well being, the health, and the happiness of every person who seeks their unrelenting support and guidance without any sort of judgment.
But anti-choicers were not only outraged about Judy Blume’s decision to write this letter soliciting donations for Planned Parenthood, they decided to skew the entire situation to best fit their agenda. Really, are you surprised?
Life News distorted the facts of what Blume wrote, which Jezebel points out. Life News reported:
Blume notes how more woman are seeking abortions form Planned Parenthood because of the difficult economy and she urges readers of the email to use that as a reason to support the abortion business.
The accurate wordage from Blume herself goes a little something like this:
If you know a mother who is struggling to raise strong, independent, and confident children in the face of unbelievable odds… Say thanks. Say thanks this Mother’s Day with a gift that honors her courage by making a donation to Planned Parenthood in her name. I guarantee you that she’ll be pleased. I know I would be.
It’s not easy to be a mother these days. And right now – with more and more women seeking care from Planned Parenthood health centers – we need to do all we can to support them. By honoring a mother in your life, you’ll be making a gift to millions of mothers and families who seek care from Planned Parenthood. That’s a gift any mother will appreciate.
Other anti-choice blogs are mimicking the same falsities and also adding that Blume is a “controversial” children’s author (controversial? Because puberty and learning to grow into your maturing body as you morph from child to tween to teen is a bad thing and something we should shield the kids from?) who supports what they are calling the United States’ largest abortion provider.
Obviously, (and as per usual) these anti-choice “advocates” need some clarification. Planned Parenthood is not an abortion provider, they are a reproductive health clinic. In fact, a great deal of Planned Parenthood locations do not even perform abortions; I should know, I live in one of those locations. In fact, where I live, if you want a safe and legal abortion, you have to drive up to 3 hours away to a town not so pressured by anti-choice smears and bullying. The services provided at a Planned Parenthood reproductive health clinic include screenings for breast, cervical, and testicular cancers, birth control services, emergency contraception, pregnancy testing, pregnancy counseling where options are discussed which include carrying the fetus to full term and giving birth and adoption (Imagine that! Options!), testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases and infections, comprehensive sex education, menopause treatments, vasectomies, and tubal ligation.
Because of the anti-choice hysteria that ensued as soon as they saw Judy Blume’s face sitting on an email from Planned Parenthood, Planned Parenthood has issued a call to action to support and stand up for Judy Blume. No one should face the email harassment that Blume has since this email hit inboxes by the anti-choice brigade, so show your support for Judy Blume and her decision to support Planned Parenthood.
I’m also willing to bet that Judy Blume does not necessarily need the book sales she may lose from anti-choicers now, but for good measure, I’m sure every free-thinking feminist out there will be buying Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret for their children, friends, themselves, whichever.
Hillary Clinton Explains Why Family Planning & Reproductive Rights are Important & Needed
Republican Chris Smith of New Jersey is very concerned about the future of pro-life laws and policies in African and Latin-American countries that the the prior, eight-year-long administration circus had definitely worked its ass off on instating. So concerned, in fact, that he brought the question up to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who not only spoke for herself, but for every woman who believes that women everywhere are entitled to access to safe and legal reproductive health services. Yes, that includes abortion.
Is the Obama administration seeking, in any way, to weaken or overturn pro-life laws and policies in African and Latin-American countries, either directly or through multi-lateral organizations, including and especially the United Nations, African Union, or the OAS, or by way of funding NGOs like Planned Parenthood; and, secondly, and so we can have total transparency—you know, you know, as a former lawmaker, we always have definition pages when we write legislation; definitions do matter—does the United States’ definition of the term “reproductive health,” or “reproductive services,” or “reproductive rights,” include abortion? I yield to the distinguished gentleman.
And Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s response:
Congressman, I deeply respect your passionate concern and views, which you have championed and advocated for over the course of your public career. We obviously have a profound disagreement.
When I think about the suffering that I have seen of women around the world—I’ve been in hospitals in Brazil where half the women were enthusiastically and joyfully greeting new babies and the other half were fighting for their lives against botched abortions. I’ve been in African countries where 12- and 13-year-old girls are bearing children. I have been in Asian countries where the denial of family planning consigns women to lives of oppression and hardship. So we have a very fundamental disagreement.
And it is my strongly held view that you are entitled to advocate, and everyone who agrees with you should be free to do so anywhere in the world, and so are we.
We happen to think that family planning is an important part of women’s health—and reproductive health includes access to abortion, that I believe should be safe, legal, and rare. I spent a lot of my time trying to bring down the rate of abortions, and it has been my experience that good family planning and good medical care brings down the rate of abortion. Keeping women and men in ignorance and denied the access to services actually increases the rate of abortion.
During my time as First Lady, I helped to create the Campaign Against Teenage Pregnancy, and while we were working to provide good information, access to contraception, and decision-making that would enable young women to protect themselves and say no, the rate of teen pregnancy went down. I’m sad to report that, after an administration of 8 years that undid so much of the good work, the rate of teenage pregnancy is going up.
So, we disagree. And we are now an administration that will protect the rights of women, including their rights to reproductive healthcare.
h/t Shakesville
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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.
