All over the world, vaginas and what comes out of them are considered dirty – much like women themselves. In first world countries like the U.S., our periods are gross and embarrassing. In so-called developing nations, women’s periods and the health of their vaginas aren’t just disgusting – they’re evil and dirty. Some girls are [...]
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Rio +20: Women + Environment = Empowerment
This week, hundreds of organizations will gather in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, while the Heads of State and Government will meet as part of the United Nations Conference on sustainable Development, Rio +20, to review progress on issues about environment and development. Activists around the world come to attend the discussions, share and exchange ideas, [...]
Waging a Global War FOR Women
I just returned from the “2012 International Parliamentarians Conference on the Implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action,” an international conference in Istanbul focused on the global effort to make life-saving family planning and reproductive health care available to all women around the world. The clear message at the conference was that we absolutely know [...]
Honor Dr. Tiller: Keep Late-Term Abortions Available
May 31, 2012 marks the third anniversary of the assassination of Dr. George Tiller, a Kansas physician who provided late-term abortions in his Wichita clinic. An abortion opponent fatally shot Dr. Tiller in the eye while he was handing out bulletins inside his church during worship services. Dr. Tiller became a target of antiabortion activists [...]
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 [...]
Undecided Women, Don’t be Fooled: Your Control of Birth IS ABOUT Jobs
Women, especially young childless undecided women voters, are talking about jobs, not abortion rights, right? What women really care about is not contraception, not access to family planning resources, not social issues like gay marriage, abstinence-only sex “ed” or Mitt Romney’s 50 year old bullying. Nope – it’s the economy. Women, “like everyone else,”– that [...]
Uniting on the War Against Women
On Saturday, April 28, in the shadow of the 60 Centre Street courthouse engraved with the words, “The true administration of justice is the firmest pillar of good government,” a crowd of over 500 people assembled. It was a gathering that was part of a network of events taking place across the nation, put into [...]
3 Videos Everyone Who Assumes Women Are Free Should See
Most women (and their spouses), whether personally comfortable with abortion or not, don’t automatically think about whether or not they might end up in jail, arrested while in labor or strapped to a hospital bed to undergo a forced Caesarian when they get pregnant. Laura Pemberton certainly didn’t before it happened to her. And what [...]
A Letter to the GOP From An Active Female College Republican: Why I’m Leaving You
Ever since I became aware of the debate in this country about the proper size, structure and role of government, I have been a believer in limited federal power, fiscal restraint and keeping as much power as possible in the hands of states, communities and individuals. For me, the Republican Party was a natural fit. [...]
A Nasty Turn in the War on Women
I spent part of my weekend reading about the resurgence of the feminist movement, much of it in response to the War on Women. Debating, legislating and restricting our rights have finally woken us up, along with much of the American public and the media. Sitting down at my computer Monday morning to see the [...]