Choice

It's Friday! And, at least in DC, the weather is beautiful, so I'm in a good mood today.  And, I'll admit it, a little of it might also have something to do with this kind 'kudos' post I read this AM. It feels good to know that all of the hard work the NARAL Pro-Choice America staff put into our blog and social networking sites is noticed and appreciated by others. Thanks Viva La Feminista!

Anyway... enough of that, and on to some Friday must-read articles:

• The White House Isn't the Only House at Stake on May 6: Check out this blog post from NARAL Pro-Choice America political director, Elizabeth Shipp. In this piece, Beth examines the importance of the May 6 primary (in Indiana and North Carolina), and why voters need to remember the down-ballot races.
• McCain swings outreach to right: Oh dear. This USA Today article discusses McCain's upcoming pitch to conservatives, including a Tuesday speech on judges.  McCain and judges... I can't wait to hear him speak on that one, given that he has voted in favor of four anti-choice U.S. Supreme Court nominees during his 25 years in Congress. Yikes.
• N.C. hospitals bill rape victims: This one really frustrates me. I mean, should rape survivors have to pay for the cost of rape kits? Some North Carolina hospitals are charging rape survivors for the cost of collecting evidence during an emergency room examination. Click here to sign a NARAL Pro-Choice North Carolina petition demanding that survivors not be forced to pay for these costs.

So, Happy Friday all, and be sure to check back on Monday for the new edition of "The Liberty Lowdown!"

Have any of you out there seen Silent Choices, by the fabulous Faith Pennick?? Fun fact: Did you know that Faith Pennick was honored as one of our "Everyday Heroes" during the Roe v. Wade 35th Anniversary Luncheon in Washington, DC.  You can watch our video by clicking here.

Anyway, according to the website:

Silent Choices is a documentary film about abortion from the perspective of African Americans.  The film explores the thorny intersection of race, gender, personal freedom and reproductive choice. Silent Choices won the Best Documentary award at the 2007 Roxbury Film Festival.

Featured commentary includes Dorothy Roberts, Byllye Avery, Rev. Carlton Veasey and Elaine Brown, as well as three Black women who had abortions.

It really is an incredibly powerful movie that you should really go see if ever you have the opportunity. I know a couple of our affiliates have shown the film, and the response has been overwhelming. So, for those of you that don't live in a NARAL Pro-Choice America affiliate state, you can check out the next showing of Silent Choices here (according to the website):

Sunday, May 4 - 11:30 a.m.
Black Lily Film and Music Festival
International House
3701 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA
Tickets are $7 adults/$5 students and seniors
www.blacklilyfilm.org

If you are in the Philadelphia region, definitely stop by and check it out.

(Purchase the educational DVD from New Day Films. The film is ideal for classes in African American Studies, Women's Studies, History, Sociology and Law. Women's health organizations and clinics can also use Silent Choices for outreach purposes and counseling. Go to www.newday.com for more info or call 888-367-9154.) 

I just wanted to check in and welcome you to the new home of our new blog, BlogForChoice! If you were directed here from our old blog, BushvChoice, please take a moment to update your bookmarks and RSS feeds so you can keep up to date with our content!

[I apologize for the excessive use of exclamation points, but I'm just so dang excited for this blog to finally launch!]

As you can see, we have a new name, new design, and new features, so feel free to surf around and check it all out. If you see anything screwy - links not working, dead pages, etc. - please email us at blog@blogforchoice.com so we can fix it.

And please be sure to check back later this week, when we make the launch official!

Amber Wobschall is Assistant Director of Affiliate and National Programs for NARAL Pro-Choice America

Hey, I'm Amber and I've worked at NARAL Pro-Choice America for more than five years. You may know me from my antics on YouTube dressed up as a pro-choice voting booth.

This past weekend, I made my way to Hampshire College for the Civil Liberties and Public Policy program's annual conference on reproductive rights. On a side note, the campus is home to a museum dedicated to the author of "The Very Hungry Caterpillar". Awesome.

Anyway, one of the best things about my job is attending conferences and events like these and getting to see my friends from our partner organizations - folks from the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, Choice USA and NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts are in this fine photo with me:

This is the second year in a row that I have attended this particular conference- learning from workshop presenters, meeting other great pro-choice activists, and spreading the word about NARAL Pro-Choice America's work. There were a wide variety of workshops including Art and Activism, Empowering Birth, Healthcare Politics, Careers in the Movement, and Organizing for Reproductive Justice in Immigrant Communities.

One of the most inspiring speakers I heard from I will not name. I will not name her because she is an abortion provider. She and her family are the targets of violence, intimidation, and harassment in their community. She had to ask the crowd not to take her picture, as it could be used to target her. As she pointed out in a joke that I wish she did not have to make, "It's hard to accessorize a bullet proof vest" on your way to work every day.

The story of this provider inspired me, reminded me why I need to keep doing my job and lit that fire in my belly all over again. As did Loretta Ross, Ellen Story, Byllye Avery, and other presenters I heard throughout the weekend.

If you were at the conference too, I want to know what you thought. Please share in the comments section below.

Here is some massively terrible news:

The Virginia Senate voted Wednesday to cut off state funding to Planned Parenthood of Virginia because it offers abortions, an action that could endanger hundreds of thousands of dollars in state aid for women's health-care programs.

The decision, a major setback for the Senate's new Democratic majority, marks the first time in more than a decade that the Senate has decided against giving state aid to the organization because of its abortion-related activities.

Can someone say slippery anti-choice slope? Senate Majority Leader Richard L. Saslaw (D-Fairfax) noted that, "Once we start down this road, there will be no stopping."

Sen. Janet D. Howell (D-Fairfax) pointed out that Planned Parenthood does a lot more than provide abortions - it provides affordable contraception!

"The irony is, Planned Parenthood probably prevents more abortions than any other organization in the country," she said. But of course, anti-choicers aren't concerned about preventing abortion - if they were, they'd be touting birth control - their real concern is limiting women's choices and rolling back our rights.

Better women get cancer than doctors be forced to provide health care to sinners. At least, that's the sentiment of some Canadian doctors.

RH Reality Check reports that in Canada, some doctors are refusing to give unmarried women pap smears, citing religious objections. (You know, because we shouldn't be having sex to begin with.)

To look for answers, I turned to Patricia LaRue, Executive Director at Canadians for Choice, to see what she could tell me if doctors have the right to refuse ANY procedure that they see as going against their religion. She reminded me that doctors have a "conscience clause," allowing them to refuse prescriptions for birth control, abortion, and now pap smears. The conscious clause is put in place by the Canadian Medical Association so that physicians are not forced to act in any way that goes against their personal beliefs.

Even if that means risking women's health. Charming.

Via Pandagon.

Looks like I spoke too soon in South Dakota, where the legislature has struck down the Birth Control Protection Act, which would have ensured women's access to contraception at pharmacies.

Kate Looby, Planned Parenthood South Dakota Director called the decision "a missed opportunity to take a positive, concrete step toward reducing unintended pregnancy and the need for abortion in South Dakota."

If you're interested in hearing more about this decision, Karina (the web editor at PP Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota) has a great podcast interview with Looby.

Get this:

Twenty of Manila's poorest residents have filed a legal challenge against what they say is a ban on contraception.

The group - 16 women and four of their husbands - are fighting a policy which they say denies them access to condoms, to the pill and other effective forms of family planning.

It seems a policy touting "natural" family planning (you know, none) made sure that free contraception was removed from local health centers and that access was pretty much impossible.

Clearly, this policy is effecting low-income women disproportionately. Just horrible.

Republican Mitt Romney has suspended his presidential run. From The Wall Street Journal:

But in the end, Mr. Romney didn't fit the part. Amid cries from critics of changing stances on key issues, the former governor of Massachusetts never connected with voters. He devised a message that alienated party stalwarts. And although he was the first to air negative ads against opponents in Iowa, the millionaire investor proved weak at blocking his rivals' last-minute punches.

The result: a dismal performance in the coast-to-coast primaries on Tuesday, the moment that Mr. Romney, who lost Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida, needed to shine. The passion he lacked on the campaign trail instead came during his concession speech, when he suspended his candidacy. Fighting back emotion, he told the crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference here that he was withdrawing "for our party and our country."

Any thoughts?

Yesterday I was at NARAL Pro-Choice America's luncheon celebrating the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. It was really great: Sarah Weddington - the lawyer who won Roe (!) - spoke, as did Nancy Keenan and Dana Delany.

But what really stuck out for me was this amazing video NARAL played at the event, Everyday Heroes (above). I think it serves as an important reminder that these issues aren't just talking points and politics - they're women's lives.