Results tagged “liberty lowdown” from Blog for Choice

Barack Obama's inauguration shook DC all night long. Our staff here at NARAL Pro-Choice America joined in the craziness and welcomed our new pro-choice prez with open arms.

Check out our pics and video from the inauguration ceremony, balls, and events in this week's Liberty Lowdown.

Though we have a lot of work to do with President Obama and the new Congress, we're psyched that 2009 is starting off with a bang. Obama has already overturned the Global Gag Rule, which will positively affect women and health clinics worldwide. We also had over 400 bloggers participate in Blog for Choice Day on the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

Let's keep the pro-choice change a'comin! It should be a fabulous year. 

For your consideration, a short play:

[fade in Western music. A tumbleweed blows across the dusty street.]

Obama: This town ain't big enough for the both of us, Bushy.

Bush: I guess it's time for me to be hittin' the ol' dusty trail...peace out.

Obama: I reckon I'll be fixin' all the anti-choice policies you put in place. Now go on, git!

The End. 

I'm feeling a little Western today, clearly. But the point is that we were all psyched for Bush to leave town and take his anti-choice nonsense with him, but he couldn't resist hacking away at our rights just one more time. (Or at least this had better be the last thing he does, ugh).

Learn all about Dubya's newest - and hopefully final - outrageous attack against choice in this week's Liberty Lowdown. 

Bush's regulation to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is almost the perfect way for him to go out. With this regulation, women all over the country would quietly be denied reproductive health care - and wouldn't be able to do anything about it. They could be denied birth control, emergency contraception, and even referrals from their doctors, hospitals, even the clinic's front desk. NOT GOOD.

Take your first action to incoming President Obama (yay!) and tell him to reverse Bush's last stand against choice. Go'on now, ya hear?

'Tis the season to reflect on the past year. If I think back on all of our Liberty Lowdowns, I remember chasing people dressed as a voting booth, driving around Denver delivering Yes We Can cans, and forcing my co-workers to sing. Ah, what great times.

So in the spirit of the new year, I've decided to make a top five list of my fave and most fun Liberty Lowdowns:

1. Mamma Mia, here Bush Goes Again! (perfect now that Bush has dropped the HHS rule)

2. Lady Liberty on the Move

3. Get your vote on...or get chased

4. Get out the Vote: Obama for Pro-Choice America (the one with Jack Black!)

5. Keep McCain out of the White House? Priceless.

For this week's Liberty Lowdown, I'd like to ask ya'll to watch and forward one of our amazing free.will.power videos - POWER. "Choice is power - have it with no pickles or power steering."

I hope everyone's new year is filled with power, choice, and, if you want them, pickles. Mine will be filled with all three.

Everyone has that one t-shirt (or several) that they hold close to their heart for one reason or another. For me, it's a tough call between my </patriarchy> (end patriarchy) shirt and my comfy Ithaca College tee.

T-shirt taste seems to be very personal - so for this week's Liberty Lowdown, I investigated what makes a shirt someone's favorite.

Though I also have a deep love for my Bon Jovi shirt, I think a new contender could provide fierce competition for the old faves - and that would be, of course, my future free.will.power t-shirt.

A ton of people sent in creative and amazing designs - but we had to narrow it down to six. So make sure to go vote on your fave free.will.power t-shirt design today!

Voting closes tomorrow and we'll announce the winner on the 19th, so stay tuned! Which will be your new fave?

Are you feeling down now that the election excitement has passed? Do you miss the gut-wrenching suspense we experienced before November 4? Well, you're not alone, and the Liberty Lowdown is here to help.

Check out our uplifting (albeit slightly creepy) post-election Liberty Lowdown pick-me-up.

See, don't you feel better as you remember all our fabulous pro-choice victories? This election, we:

-Elected Barack Obama as our next pro-choice prez
-Picked up 20 pro-choice seats in the House and 5 in the Senate
-Made over 635,000 calls
-Defeated another attempted abortion ban in SD
-Sent over a million pieces of mail
-Helped Obama win all the states where NARAL Pro-Choice America volunteers knocked on doors and made calls
-Defeated anti-choice ballot measures in CO and CA

And if that hasn't quite brought you out of your post-election funk, you're in luck! There's still two undecided races: MN and GA.

The recount is still underway for the Franken-Coleman race in MN, so that should keep you on the edge of your seat for a bit.

And tomorrow is the runoff election between pro-choice Jim Martin and anti-Choice Saxby Chambliss for Georgia Senate. So if you live in GA, set the oreos aside and get out to vote for Martin! 

So chin up, all you crazy-for-choicers - sit back and be proud of everything we accomplished this election. Then get right back up and help us reverse eight years of anti-choice policies. We've got a lot of work to do.   

The Liberty Lowdown is taking a break this week. After the elections and launch of free.will.power, Lady Liberty is just exhausted! (We spoke on the phone this morning - she mumbled something about goldendoodles and hung up.)

But since ya'll need your fix of videos, I'll request that you watch our first free.will.power video, "Free" in place of the Liberty Lowdown this week. And if you've already seen this fabulousness, then please pass it on and help us reach new supporters!

Lady Liberty promises to be back in style for her next vlog.

This is it, folks. Tomorrow we can make history by electing Barack Obama. We can protect our right to choose from the frightening hands of McCain-Palin. We can elect more pro-choice members of Congress.

I know we're all exhausted from making calls and knocking on doors. Heck, the volunteers and staff here have made over 12,000 calls in the past three weeks. We've been working around the clock and losing sleep for months.

But I know ya'll still have the energy to do a few things to help cross the finish line tomorrow. For today's Liberty Lowdown, we're re-posting our Get out the Vote video. Please watch and forward to at least 5 friends. A lil' inspiration never hurt anyone.

Make sure you know all the pro-choice candidates running in your state. Tell your friends.

Send a free, automatic text message to remind your peeps to vote. It's been proven to increase voter turnout.

Make sure you know the voting rules in your state, and don't you dare leave without casting your ballot. The lines may be long, but the pro-choice majority is counting on your vote.

No slackin' till Wednesday!

What's your right to choose worth to you? Would it be worth a couple volunteer nights? A few phone banks? A day of canvassing? Making sure your friends vote? Forwarding a video? Spreading the truth about McCain-Palin?

On November 4, will you be able to say that you did everything you could to keep John McCain out of the White House, far far away from where he can attack choice?

Now is the time to pull out all the stops. Check out our state-by-state pro-choice voter guide. You'll also find info about voting early or absentee and how you can get involved locally to elect pro-choice candidates.

And you can always get involved with the Obama campaign in your town.

So this weekend, instead of lazing in bed watching your Scrubs DVDs, get up and make some calls, knock on some doors, and help to deny McCain the White House - because that will be priceless.

I really, really want people to vote in this election. And I'm not above begging you to go to the polls. I'm also not above putting on a giant voting booth costume and chasing someone down the street.

See? I wasn't kidding. I will chase you down if you don't vote. Watch yourself.

In case the magnificent costume distracted you from memorizing our voting tips, let me review:

• Some states require ID - check your state's rules and bring it just in case.
• Don't wear candidate gear (to the polls) - i.e., Obama shirts, buttons, etc. Some states won't allow candidate apparel into the polls.
• Know who else you're voting for aside from president.
• Leave enough time to vote. Lines could be even longer than usual this year because of the increase in voter registration (thank you, Obama!).
• If you don't want to wait in line, see if you can vote early or by absentee ballot. 

And the final, most important rule of voting: DO IT. Don't flake out. Drag your friends.

If the chance to vote in one of the most historic elections ever doesn't motivate you, maybe the words "President McCain and Vice President Palin" will? Or how 'bout "Roe v. Wade overturned"? 

Women all across America are speaking out: they're not fooled by the McCain-Palin ticket.

McCain and Palin aren't moderate, they're not mavericks, and they're not going to protect our reproductive rights.

The online community is buzzing about this frighteningly anti-choice ticket, and a lot of women are saying "thanks but no thanks" to Palin. "Women Speak Out on Sarah Palin" is a great blog that posts videos from individual women talking about why they don't support Sarah Palin.

Some of the ladies here at NARAL Pro-Choice America submitted a video of our own. Check out what they had to say in this week's Liberty Lowdown:

View video on YouTube here.

Make sure to visit speakoutonpalin.blogspot.com/ and submit your own video! 

And remember that MeetTheRealMcCain.com is your hub of info on the quotes and records of this anti-choice duo.

Did the Republican National Convention leave you feeling frightened, anxious, and angry? Don't worry - you're not alone, and we're here to help.

I know we've all heard a lot lately about how Palin managed to make McCain's ticket even more anti-choice. It's enough to make any pro-choicer want to run and hide. (Though I do love that even Palin's friends might not vote for her because she's so anti-choice).

So if you're in need of a post-RNC pick-me-up, I've got just the thing for you. Check out today's Liberty Lowdown for a reminder of what a convention should look like, and how psyched we are about Obama and Biden.

Let's make sure to carry that energy and enthusiasm forward into a victory for Obama, Biden, and reproductive rights in November!

Being positive might be hard some days - McCain-Palin is severely depressing, and there won't always be cheering, fireworks, and concerts - but with Obama and Biden, there will be choice.

Kirsten Suhr is Associate Director of Communications for Online Strategies for NARAL Pro-Choice America.

Our bloggers Molly and Lauren are busy, busy, busy in Denver at the Democratic National Convention (leaving the rest of us online communications folks crying in our coffee back in DC). This morning they were out delivering our "Yes We Can!" cans to the state delegations.

In this edition of the Liberty Lowdown, Lauren takes us with her as she and Molly meet the delegations, and shows us all the cool swag that the delegates got:

Up next? Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, will be speaking at the convention in just over an hour!

That's right, at about 4:30pm Mountain Daylight Time (that's 6:30pm EDT, 3:30pm PDT, 5:30pm CDT, and 11:30pm in Casablanca) Nancy will be on stage at the Democratic National Convention. You can watch the speech live on C-SPAN. We'll also post it on the blog as soon as we can, and I'm sure Molly and Lauren will be back with us soon for more exciting tales from Denver!

Check out our other videos, and a ton of photos, over on our convention website.

EDIT: I hear the speakers are running a little ahead of schedule (how often does THAT happen?) so Nancy might be on a little early. Tune in to C-SPAN now if you want to be sure to catch Nancy's speech.  

With Bush and McCain attacking choice so much lately, it's nice to know we still have someone on our side: the Democratic party.

Just this morning, the AP reported that the Democratic National Committee's platform committee has incorporated the strongest pro-choice language yet:

"The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and a woman's right to choose a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay, and we oppose any and all efforts to weaken or undermine that right."

View Liberty Lowdown on YouTube.

This is thanks to our 37,000+ activists who spoke up and signed petitions asking the party to continue standing up for choice.

Remember, the 2008 Democratic National Convention starts in just two weeks on August 25th. NARAL Pro-Choice America will be there in force, but we need your help before and during the convention!

Check out our convention site to sign up to host a convention watch party and find out what else you can do. 

This summer's blockbuster: Bush attacks birth control. Again.

Too bad this isn't a movie. But if it was...the trailer might look something like this: 

View on YouTube (and read the lyrics).

As Molly said, people aren't taking kindly to Bush's new assault on birth control. Why? 

• It deliberately confuses the definitions of contraception and abortion.
• It could discourage doctors and health-care clinics from providing birth control to women who need it.
• Rape survivors' access to emergency contraception in the ER would be threatened.

Huge kudos to Sens. Hillary Clinton and Patty Murray and Rep. Nita Lowey for jumping on this and voicing their opposition to Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt.

If you haven't already, make sure you tell Congress not to let Bush get away with threatening women's health (no singing required). 

Protecting your reproductive freedom and privacy is hard work. Add working to elect a pro-choice president to that, and it's darn near exhausting.

So, to take a well-deserved break and celebrate our endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama, friends of NARAL Pro-Choice America held quite a bash: "Change is on the Way...So Why Not Have a Drink While We Wait?"

Check out what these pro-choice, pro-Obama guests have to say about our next president in this week's Liberty Lowdown.

If you have trouble viewing this video, watch on our YouTube channel.

You've got X Factor comics, TV shows, and even wrestling teams. An X Factor is known as a certain indefinable quality that makes one person stand apart from the rest of the pack (this must be what Simon Cowell is looking for on Idol).

But let me introduce you to the Title X Factor. I'm going to define this as: certain indisputably necessary medical services (read: mammogram, cancer screening, STD test, pap smear) that over 5 million Americans only receive thanks to Title X.

On this week's Liberty Lowdown, Kate and I study up on our nation's family-planning program, which provides basic health care to millions of uninsured and low-income Americans.

If you have trouble viewing this video, you can watch on our YouTube channel.

Take action today to ensure that millions of Americans (perhaps even yourself) are still able to receive essential health care services.

Summer's here! (Clearly the summer solstice doesn't know what it's talking about).

Books recommended:

• Choice: True Stories of Birth, Contraception, Infertility, Adoption, Single Parenthood, & Abortion by Karen Bender and Nina de Gramont
• He's a Stud, She's a Slut, and 49 Other Double Standards Every Woman Should Know by Jessica Valenti
• This Common Secret - My Journey as an Abortion Doctor by Susan Wicklund

Also make sure to check out NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin and NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts' choice book clubs.

Just how different are Sen. Obama and Sen. McCain on choice? Find out in this week's Liberty Lowdown!

We're highlighting just some of the many issues where Sen. Obama is fully defending choice, while Sen. McCain is doing the opposite: Supreme Court nominees, sex education, and clinic violence. (Stay tuned for much more - this is just the tip of the iceburg, baby!)

Make sure to check out our downloadable comparison chart of Obama and McCain as well as today's Los Angeles Times article on the differences in Supreme Court justices they would each appoint.

If you have trouble viewing the video, you can watch on our YouTube channel.

What does our Magic 8-ball have to say about tomorrow's primaries? Watch this week's Liberty Lowdown to find out!

Also check out our Political Director Beth Shipp's recent blog on the Huffington Post!

If you have any trouble viewing the video, you can watch it on our YouTube channel.

I know Mondays can be a drag - especially when they're as rainy and humid as the one we're experiencing in DC right now. But cheer up! Surely meeting some fabulous defenders of choice will brighten your day.

This is our first edition of the Liberty Lowdown: a regular vlog series from the front lines of the pro-choice movement. In this week's edition, you'll get to meet staff members from NARAL Pro-Choice America's affiliates in New Mexico, Wisconsin, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and South Dakota.

The Liberty Lowdown will be posted every other Monday, so stay tuned!

If you have any trouble viewing the video, you can watch it on our YouTube channel.