The term “Black Friday” means something different for the residents of Colorado Springs, Colo. after what transpired in their Planned Parenthood the day after Thanksgiving this year. Robert Dear entered the Planned Parenthood building, and after a five hour long event and police standoff, surrendered to police after hospitalizing nine, and killing a police […]
Hobby Lobby and Religious Fervour: Birth Control is Now Your Boss’s Business
I was not going to comment on the recent US Supreme Court’s deeply disappointing decision in the Hobby Lobby case. But then I read Penelope‘s piece, and rethought – because she argues what I’ve been thinking: People who don’t actually experience what you’re experiencing should refrain from giving set-in-stone decrees on how to manage your experience. So, in […]
Looking in the Fun-house Mirror: Decoding Anti-Choice Spin
This post is originally published at Choice USA. It is cross-posted with permission. Do you ever look at anti-choice news websites? I wouldn’t recommend it, unless you want to spend a good hour or so hate-clicking on sensationally titled articles out of a masochistic fascination. Reading their take on things is like looking in […]
Even at the Catholic University of America, We Need Birth Control
As a reproductive justice advocate at one of the most conservative colleges in the country (that is The Catholic University of America) the last few years have been nothing short of challenging. Figuring out how to get around the no condoms policy, being slut-shamed by a doctor at my campus health center, getting my favorite […]

There is No Such Thing as Traditional Activism
Tweet Chat: On Thursday, February 28, at 2 PM ET Fem.2.0 will host a Tweet Chat with special guests, Cindy Cooper, creator of “Words of Choice“, and feminist writer, Soraya Chemaly , to discuss how important it is for women to keep fighting for their reproductive rights and the role the theater plays as a vehicle to transmit […]
43 Million American Women Shouldn’t Be “At Risk”
There are 62 million women of childbearing age in the United States, 43 million of whom are “at risk” for unintended pregnancy. This costs us a minimum of $12 billion dollars a year, and that doesn’t include long-term costs. “At risk” implies an uncontrollable danger. An unavoidable event that happens to a person by accident or as the […]
DCAF Winter Holiday Party: ‘Tis the Season for Peace, Joy, and Choice
DC Abortion Fund (DCAF) is an all-volunteer nonprofit that makes grants to women in DC, Maryland, and Virginia who cannot afford the full cost of an abortion. DCAF affirms women as decision-makers. We hope to make “choice” a reality because we believe that a woman’s right to healthcare should not depend on her wallet. Are […]
Do Women’s Reasons for Having Abortions Matter? No…and Yes, and Here’s Why
About 10 years ago, I moved in with my boyfriend at the time. Should have been exciting, right? No. While things between us were good at first, he quickly turned abusive. Arguments rapidly escalated as he punched me in the stomach, kicked me and tried to choke me. I knew I should leave. But it […]
I Wish My Mother Had Aborted Me
This piece is originally published on Role/Reboot. Republished here with permission. Lynn Beisner explains the difference between the two phrases “The best choice for both my mother and I would have been abortion” and “I wish I had never been born.” If there is one thing that anti-choice activists do that makes me see red, […]
Adopted and Pro-Choice
Last week, TLC aired a special called Birth Moms in honour of Mother’s Day, documenting the experiences of three young pregnant women considering adoption. When I first heard about this show I, being an open and proud adoptee, was thrilled; in the current political environment where abortion is constantly in the hot seat, many other […]