Dana Milbank of the Washington Post thinks the debate surrounding abortion, or what he refers to as “Roe Week,” is absurd. In his latest column, Milbank criticizes abortion provider Merle Hoffman for raising a ‘false alarm’ about the threat to reproductive rights in this country. He then goes on to cite the numerous marches and [...]
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Intimate Wars: The First – And Next – Time I Stood Up For Abortion Rights
The first time I stood up for abortion rights was back in 1994 in the middle of a freezing cold North Dakota winter. As I stood in the sub-freezing wind outside that clinic, being screamed at by a hysterical mob of religious zealots, I was terrified. I had never even been out of town without [...]
Intimate Wars: My Body, My Choice, My Intimate War.
What does war look like? Taste like? Smell like? Images and soundtracks come to mind from centuries of conflict: guns roaring, cannons booming, flesh burning, bombs exploding. These are the sights and sounds that remind us of what we know to be a universal truth: no matter where, when, how, or why . . . [...]
Intimate Wars Blog Series: My Abortion Story
It’s been over 40 years since I founded Choices Women’s Medical Center, one of the first and currently the largest and most comprehensive women’s health care centers in the country. Two years before the Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade, I opened the doors of Choices to provide women with services they desperately needed. [...]
Girl Power in the Age of Millenials
Glued to the television in 2008, I remember many of my female friends and I holding our collective breath as we watched with fascination the rise of female contenders for the United States presidential ticket. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s magnetic appeal first captured my imagination as a teenager in the 90’s when I watched her speak [...]
The Iowa Caucus, What’s in it For Women?
The U.S. ranks 40th in the world for women’s political empowerment and we’re losing ground. Fortieth. This ranking, based on 2010 data, is a comparative measure of the gap between men and women in political decision-making at the highest levels. (Here is the entire report.) Not 1st. Not 12th. Not 19th. Not 32nd. And, that’s [...]
How Exactly Does the Global Impact of Women Elected Officials Affect Public Policy?
We always hear that having more women in office is some version of “good.” But what does that mean, exactly? And where’s the data? Stephenie Foster, a long time supporter and guest contributor to Fem2.0, lays out the specifics regarding democratic governance, critical mass, and constituent service: The political empowerment of women is one of [...]
What’s So Intimate About War, Anyway? (Book Giveaway Contest Announcement!)
Two weeks ago, I attended a presentation by Gary Johnson, the former Governor of New Mexico and a candidate for the Republican nomination for President. This lecture was part of a series I had to attend for my graduate school program in Global Security Studies, and the speech and Q&A afterwards focused on issues like [...]
Professional Fridays: The #1 Best Technique for Acing the Interview
Interviewing is one of the most important aspects of professional development. Without a successful interview, it is not only hard to land a job, but it is also difficult to advance your career. As a college student I am not used to talking about my accomplishments. While I had received tips on interviewing, prior to [...]
The Catholic Church Wasn’t on My Ballot: What’s Next for President Obama and Birth Control
The Catholic Church and I have had a bit of a contentious relationship, to say the least. From its longtime suppression of women’s rights to its absurd defense of the Pope’s infallibility, well, it’s hardly the institution I look to for the be all and end all in moral direction. That said, there are things [...]