Go Team!

Check this out! We won an award to recognize our hard work!

Each year NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut hosts an Annual Fall Auction & Gala—this year on Friday, October 1st in Hartford at the Bushnell.  At the Gala we present Catherine Roraback Awards to individuals or organizations that have demonstrated leadership, courage and activism in the struggle to protect privacy rights, the legal right to obtain an abortion and access to reproductive health for all women.  We would like to present the Wesleyan Clinic Escort Group with the Catherine Roraback Award for your long term volunteer commitment to the work of choice.We would be honored to have your group attend our event to receive the award.  Thank you for the work you do to protect women’s access to reproductive healthcare in Connecticut and congratulations on being awarded the 2010 Catherine Roraback Award.

Lawsuit Filed to Block Enforcement of New Oklahoma Ultrasound Law

Source:

The Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR) filed a lawsuit yesterday to stop the enforcement of a new Oklahoma state law that extends existing ultrasound requirements for women seeking an abortion. The law in question requires medical professionals to show women the ultrasound image and give women a detailed description of the fetus.

The lawsuit argues that the new elements of the ultrasound requirement intrude upon patient privacy and, according to a CRR press release, "forces a woman to hear information that she may not want to hear and that may not be relevant to her medical care [and] also dangerously discounts her abilities to make healthy decisions about her own life by forcing her to hear information when she's objected."

The suit was filed by the CRR on behalf of Nova Health Systems, operators of a Tulsa, Oklahoma, clinic, and Dr. Larry Burns, an Oklahoma abortion provider. According to the Associated Press, the suit seeks a temporary restraining order that would block enforcement of the new law, which went into effect immediately following the veto override yesterday.

Early in March, the Oklahoma Supreme Court upheld the February ruling of a state District Court saying the law was unconstitutional on the basis that it violates state rules requiring legislation address only a single subject.

The bill was vetoed last Friday by state Governor Brad Henry, but then the Oklahoma state legislature overrode the veto this week. Governor Henry told CNN he rejected the bill because "State policymakers should never mandate that a citizen be forced to undergo any medical procedure against his or her will, especially when such a procedure could cause physical or mental trauma...To do so amounts to an unconstitutional invasion of privacy."

The Oklahoma state legislature also overrode the veto of a second anti-choice bill that prohibits women from suing doctors who intentionally withhold information or provide misleading or inaccurate information about a pregnancy, reported the Associated Press. Henry responded to the override votes and told the Associated Press, "both laws will be challenged and, in all likelihood, overturned by the courts as unconstitutional...I fear this entire exercise will ultimately be a waste of taxpayers' time and money."

In March 2010, the Oklahoma Supreme Court upheld the February ruling of a state District Court saying that an anti-choice law that included the ultrasound provision was unconstitutional on the basis that it violates state rules requiring legislation address only a single subject.

In addition to the two vetoes, Henry did sign one anti-choice bill into law Friday. This law requires abortion clinics to post signs in their facilities stating that women cannot be coerced to have an abortion, that a woman's voluntary consent is required to obtain the procedure, and that sex selective abortions are illegal, reported the New York Times. Henry also signed three anti-choice bills into law on April 5. The first of these bills outlaws sex-selective abortion, the second bill institutes a "conscience clause" allowing healthcare providers to refuse to participate in abortion procedures or refer patients to abortion providers, and the third bill puts restrictions on the administration of mifepristone (also known as RU-486) by requiring it be administered in the presence of a physician.

Abortion Clinic Terrorism

Reposted from the Feminist Majority Foundation:

Terror in Charlotte

The posters have the word “WANTED” in large black letters at the top and contain the following language: “We would like to introduce you to Drs. X and Y [names withheld here]. Their specialties are Obstetrics, Gynecology and Murder. Not only do these two men assist women and deliver babies, but they also harm women and kill babies…. You may contact them at their office or the clinic in which they perform the abortions.”

Read full article by Carol Joffe, Ms. magazine Washington Correspondent

Violence Escalating at Abortion Clinics

A post-election call by anti-abortion extremists to “return to the streets” has resulted in an escalation of activity, threats, and violence around several women’s health clinics nationwide. Threats have again intensified since the May 31, 2009 murder of Dr. George Tiller in Wichita, Kansas.

The Feminist Majority Foundation is working with local and federal law enforcement to protect threatened clinics. However, in some local jurisdictions law enforcement has been allowing varying levels of harassment. There must be nationwide zero tolerance of violence and harassment aimed at vilifying doctors, health care workers, and denying women’s fundamental right to reproductive health.

Current Threats

Some doctors and clinic administrators are being taunted with chants of “you’re next.” Right now, clinics in the following states are reporting harassment and threats:

Alabama California Colorado Iowa Kansas

Michigan Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska

North Carolina Ohio Pennsylvania Wisconsin

Operation Rescue's New Target

With the closure of Women’s Health Care Services Clinic in Wichita, Kansas, following Dr. Tiller’s murder, Operation Rescue, based in Wichita, has announced a new target: Dr. LeRoy Carhart of Bellevue, Nebraska. Dr. Carhart regularly traveled to Wichita each month to work with Dr. Tiller and has announced he intends to continue providing late abortion services and may open a clinic in Kansas.

Troy Newman of Operation Rescue along with Larry Donlan of Rescue the Heartland and Nebraskans United for Life announced a new multi-group campaign called “Keep it Closed.” The campaign aims to make sure Dr. Carhart does not open a late abortion clinic in Wichita, any other place in Kansas, or nearby Nebraska. And Newman hoped “through the use of peaceful, legal means” that Dr. Carhart “will soon be out of the abortion business for good.”

Operation Rescue launched its “Keep it Closed” campaign with targeted demonstrations and so-called “street counseling” in Omaha and at Carhart’s Bellevue clinic August 28-29. Also present was Norman Weslin, leader of the Lambs of Christ.

Escalating activities targeting Dr. Carhart and his staff eerily resemble the harassment of Dr. Tiller. Operation Rescue has posted photos of Dr. Carhart on its website and in a meeting with Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning submitted “evidence” of alleged “illegal” activity at Dr. Carhart’s clinic which Bruning referred to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. Jon Bruning has previously spoken against Dr. Carhart and said “I hate it that he’s in America.”

As threats against doctors and clinics continue in some 14 states, a Molotov cocktail was thrown at a Planned Parenthood in Lincoln, Nebraska on August 28 but fell just short of the building, burning the pavement.

Dr. George Tiller: A Man Who Trusted Women

Dr. George Tiller, one of the few late abortion providers in the country, was murdered May 31, 2009, allegedly by anti-abortion extremist Scott Roeder. He was. For years, Dr. Tiller endured countless threats, stalking, and harassment at the hands of anti-abortion extremists. In 1993, he was shot in both arms, surviving an assassination attempt by an Army of God follower, Shelley Shannon. His clinic was bombed and frequently vandalized. In early May, the clinic sustained $10,000 of damage by vandal(s) who purposefully disabled security cameras and sliced the roof prior to a rainstorm.

Scott Roeder was caught both the week and day before Tiller’s murder maliciously gluing shut the locks of a clinic in Kansas City, a tactic taught in the Army of God manual. The clinic director reported the vandalism and identified Roeder, who was captured on security cameras, to both federal and local law enforcement, but nothing was done.

Justifiable Homicide

Shockingly, some anti-abortion extremists are still calling "justifiable homicide" -- the murder of doctors -- a legitimate strategy to close clinics. Anti-abortion extremist Paul Hill, who in 1994 killed Dr. John Britton and a volunteer escort in a Pensacola, Florida was an early proponent of "justifiable homicide." Prior to the murders, for which Hill was ultimately executed by lethal injection, Hill was known to protest continuously outside the clinic, often holding a sign that stated “Execute murderers, abortionists, accessories?”

Even office holders have made statements that support justifiable homicide by anti-abortion extremists. During his 2004 US Senate campaign, Senator Tom Coburn (D-OK), said "I favor the death penalty for abortionists and other people who take life.”

2008 Clinic Violence Survey

The Feminist Majority Foundation’s 2008 Clinic Violence Survey found that severe violence in 2008 impacted 20% of all abortion providers participating in the survey.

Strict Abortion Measures Enacted in Oklahoma

The New York Times reports that a bill we posted about earlier has been passed in Oklahoma, and it even has a scarier second bill:

The Oklahoma Legislature voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to override vetoes of two highly restrictive abortion measures, one making it a law that women undergo an ultrasound and listen to a detailed description of the fetus before having an abortion.

Though other states have passed similar measures forcing women to have ultrasounds, Oklahoma’s law goes further, requiring a doctor or technician to set up the monitor where the woman can see it and describe the heart, limbs and organs of the fetus. No exceptions are made for rape and incest victims.

The second measure passed into law Tuesday protects doctors from malpractice suits if they decide not to inform the parents of a unborn baby that the fetus has birth defects. The intent of the bill is to prevent parents from later suing doctors who withhold information to try to influence them against having an abortion.

Also, apparently

two other antiabortion bills are still working their way through the legislature. One would force women to fill out a lengthy questionnaire about their reasons for seeking an abortion and then post statistics online based on the answers. The other restricts insurance coverage for the procedure.

"Lake of Fire" Film Showing

Filmmaker Tony Kaye, best known for American History X, has been working on Lake of Fire for the past fifteen years and has made a film that is unquestionably the definitive work on the subject of abortion. Shot in luminous black and white, which is in fact an endless palette of grays, the film has the perfect aesthetic for a subject where there can be no absolutes, no 'right' or 'wrong.' He gives equal time to both sides, covering arguments from either extremes of the spectrum, as well as those at the center, who acknowledge that, in the end, everyone is 'right' - or 'wrong.'

Professor Mary-Jane Rubenstein will lead a discussion after the film. Sponsored by FemNet and Wesleyan Clinic Escorts.

ADVISORY: The film contains graphic images and language that may be upsetting to some viewers.

Facebook event here.

Date: Tuesday, April 27
Time: 7pm
Place: PAC 001

Scott Roeder Sentenced to 51 Years

From CBS News:

District Judge Warren Wilbert gave prosecutors what they wanted, a so-called "Hard 50" sentence for anti-abortion zealot Scott Roeder, 52, meaning Roeder won't be eligible for parole for at least 50 years for shooting Dr. George Tiller of Wichita.
...
Roeder, 52, also was sentenced to an additional year in prison on each of two counts of aggravated assault for threatening two church ushers as he fled. With time off for good behavior, Roeder won't be eligible for parole for 51 years and eight months.
...
District Judge Warren Wilbert could have made Roeder eligible for parole on the murder charge after 25 years. But he said there was evidence Roeder stalked Tiller and added that killing him in a church made the crime heinous because a house of worship is meant to be "a place of peace and tranquility."

And then the part where Roeder proves he's a hate-filled fruit loop:

Roeder also took the opportunity to describe abortion procedures in detail, which he had been forbidden from doing during his trial. Most abortions are legal in Kansas, and prosecutors were careful not turn the trial into a referendum on the issue.

Roeder accused Wilbert of "duplicity" and said his trial was a miscarriage of justice because he wasn't allowed to present testimony then about the evils of abortion. He also said God's judgment against the U.S. will "sweep over this land like a prairie wind."

"He will avenge every drop of innocent blood," Roeder said.

Forty minutes into his remarks, Wilbert stopped Roeder as he was about to publicly attack District Attorney Nola Foulston.

"It is not a forum for you to get on a soap box for you to give your entire political beliefs," Wilbert told Roeder.

Roeder later interrupted Wilbert several times as the judge pronounced sentence. When Wilbert read from a previous court decision saying that allowing vigilantism would promote chaos, Roeder said, "Baby murder is anarchy and chaos."

As he was being led away in handcuffs after the sentencing, Roeder shouted, "Blood of babies on your hands."

And I feel that the last part just demonstrates how messed up all of this is:

"Scott longs to be a law-abiding citizen," said Dave Leach, an anti-abortion activist from Des Moines, Iowa. "He hates anarchy. He wants to do what he can to make America better."

Lee Thompson, the Tiller family's attorney and friend, called the murder an act of domestic terrorism. He said his office still receives calls from women seeking medical services.

"The impact of his death on women throughout the world is like an earthquake," Thompson said. "They ask, where can I go? What will I do?' I have to say, 'I'm sorry, I can't tell you.' That's the impact of this crime."

The New Health Care Reform Legislation: Pros and Cons for Reproductive Health

The Guttmacher Institute has a rundown of the health care bill and its implications for reproductive health. Check it out here.

Georgia Senate Passes New Abortion Bill

I'm not sure how I feel about this bill. It claims to only punish those who try to coerce women to have an abortion, which is good. Obviously having the right to choose involves having the right to choose to not have an abortion. But for some reason this bill makes me somewhat nervous. The language feels too vague, and it kind of stinks of paternalism. I'm worried that this would be used to restrict access to reproductive services under the guise of protecting women. A few quotes from the debate to get you thinking:

While it is clear that black women make up more than a majority of the state’s abortions, Pearson said that in 64 percent of abortions in Georgia, “some form of coercion is present.”...

The bill drew intense criticism from pro-choice senators, who questioned the bill’s purpose and legality.

“This bill was created under the false assumption that abortion doctors solicit women of color, particularly, black women,” said Sen. Donzella James of College Park. “This bill calls into question all who make a deeply private and personal medical decision. Every woman, regardless of ethnic background, should have the ability to make personal decisions. Not the people in this room. It is between, she, her family and God.”

Obama signs executive order on abortion funding limits

Ugh. From CNN:

President Obama signed an executive order Wednesday ensuring that existing limits on the federal funding of abortion remain in place under the new health care reform law. ...

The White House has said the executive order reaffirms abortion funding restrictions first enacted in 1977.

"While the legislation as written maintains current law, the executive order provides additional safeguards to ensure that the status quo is upheld and enforced, and that the health care legislation's restrictions against the public funding of abortions cannot be circumvented," the White House said previously. ...

At one point, the abortion issue nearly derailed the reform bill. But after Obama promised the executive order, the anti-abortion Democrats switched their votes to "yes" to help pass the measure pass 219-212 on Sunday night.

Stupak had led the anti-abortion Democrats in opposition to the new health care law because, he claimed, it would allow federal funding for abortions beyond the current limits of cases of rape or incest, or if the woman's life is in danger.

The controversy centered on whether the bill would force all taxpayers into paying for abortions, by subsidizing insurance policies that pay for the procedure and by funding federal health clinics that might offer abortions.

Leading up to the vote Sunday night, the main focus of anti-abortion activists was the insurance "exchanges" created by the law, the new marketplaces in which businesses and individuals will be able to buy insurance.

Under the exchanges, there must be a plan that offers abortion coverage and another that doesn't, according to the measure.

To appease abortion opponents, Democrats also added language requiring anyone whose policy does cover abortion to pay -- separately -- a small surcharge, with the funds kept separate.

Stupak and other abortion opponents also complained about a lack of anti-abortion restrictions for new, federally run community health clinics, which would receive $7 billion under the legislation.

Yes they did. Great.

An Overview Of Abortion In The United States

From the Guttmacher Institute:

• Nearly half of all pregnancies to American women are unintended; four in 10 of these end in abortion.
  
  
• About half of American women have experienced an unintended pregnancy, and at current rates more than one-third (35%) will have had an abortion by age 45.
  
  
• Overall unintended pregnancy rates have stagnated over the past decade, yet unintended pregnancy increased by 29% among poor women while decreasing 20% among higher-income women.
  
  
• In 2005, 1.21 million abortions were performed, down from 1.31 million abortions in 2000.
  
  
• Nine in 10 abortions occur in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
  
  
• A broad cross section of U.S. women have abortions:
• 56% of women having abortions are in their 20s;
• 61% have one or more children;
• 67% have never married;
• 57% are economically disadvantaged;
• 88% live in a metropolitan area; and
• 78% report a religious affiliation.

EXPERT STATEMENTS

“Many Americans will welcome the news that there are fewer abortions, particularly among teens, and that a larger proportion of abortions are now happening very early in pregnancy," saysSharon L. Camp, president and CEO of the Guttmacher Institute. "But at the same time, abortions are becoming more concentrated among women of color and low-income women. This presents a clear challenge to policymakers to redouble their efforts to improve access to subsidized contraceptive services for these women, thereby helping them to prevent the unintended pregnancies behind these abortions from occurring in the first place.”

"For a long time, nearly 90% of abortions in the U.S. have taken place in the first trimester, but in recent years, women having an abortion have been able to do so earlier and earlier in the first trimester. Currently, more than six in 10 abortions occur within the first eight weeks of pregnancy, and almost three in 10 take place at six weeks or earlier,” says Rachel Jones, lead senior research associate at the Guttmacher Institute. “Medication abortion, which provides women with an additional option early in pregnancy, clearly reinforces this trend.”

"The United States has one of the highest abortion rates in the developed world, with women from every socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, religious and age-group obtaining abortions," says Lawrence Finer, associate director for domestic research at the Guttmacher Institute. "We study abortion so we can learn more about how well current efforts to improve contraceptive use and reduce unintended pregnancy are working, the circumstances under which women have difficulty accessing abortion and, ultimately, how to reduce the need for abortion."

“There really is no need to resort to far-flung conspiracy theories. Behind virtually every abortion is an unintended pregnancy. And because women of color are much more likely to experience unintended pregnancies than any other group, they are also more likely to seek and obtain abortions than any other group,” says Susan A. Cohen, director of government affairs at the Guttmacher Institute. “Fundamentally, the question policymakers should be asking is not why women of color have high abortion rates, but rather what can be done to help them have fewer unintended pregnancies and achieve better health outcomes more generally.”

See also: No Conspiracy Theories Needed: Higher Abortion Rates Among Women of Color Reflect Higher Rates of Unintended Pregnancy

U.S. Abortion Rate Continues Long-Term Decline, Falling to Lowest Level Since 1974; More Effort Still Needed to Reduce Unintended Pregnancy

Poorest U.S. Women Increasingly Likely to Face Unintended Pregnancies

Frustration Makes Pro-Lifers More Anti-Abortion Than Ever

(Sorry for the lazy hack job on this, I'll add more later)
"Anti-abortion advocates coined the moniker "pro-life" because they wanted to connect with the majority of Americans who supported abortion restrictions. A new poll shows just how anti-abortion the "pro-life" movement really is.

The new poll, by Gallup, shows that, since the nineties — and the wholesale adoption of political evangelicals into the Republican Party — anti-abortion Republicans have become increasingly opposed to abortion. In a bit of good news, the increasingly crazed rhetoric from those people has seemingly driven more Democrats to the pro-choice position.

Since 1990, however, Republicans polled by Gallup increasingly have grown more conservative about the issue while Democrats have become more liberal.

By 2009, more Republicans — by a 21-point margin — said abortion should be illegal "in all circumstances," and more Democrats - by a 19-point margin — said abortion should be legal "under any circumstances."

In all circumstances these days — if the Stupak Amendment for the health insurance "reform" bill is any guide — means they believe that abortion should also be illegal in the case of rape, incest, life of the fetus or health of the mother. For many anti-abortion advocates, it also means opposing Plan B emergency contraception, IUDs, birth control pills, the patch, the ring, women who fall down the stairs and probably any woman caught thinking bad thoughts about babies."

From Jezebel

Check out a related post at Sociological Images. Click for larger image:

Oklahoma House Passes Ultrasound Anti-Abortion Bill

The Oklahoma House voted 87-7 to require women who are considering an abortion to first undergo an ultrasound. From Valley Central:

The bill requires an ultrasound exam be performed at least one hour prior to the abortion. It says a physician or technician must explain what the ultrasound is depicting and display images of the fetus so the pregnant woman can see them. They must also provide dimensions of the fetus.

Best part though? It was already voted unconstitutional by the State Supreme Court two years ago. Way to spend those taxpayer dollars, dickbags.

Help Get Racist Anti-Choice Posters Taken Down

Remember that post I wrote earlier about those racist anti-abortion posters? Pissed off about them? Well now there is something you can do about it! SPARK Reproductive Justice Now has a campaign to get the posters taken down. Take action here.

See also: "Womb Lynching" at Jezebel and "To Court Blacks, Foes of Abortion Make Racial Case" at The New York Times

AIDS Walk New Haven Sign Up

AIDS Walk New Haven is taking place on April 11th at 1 pm; buses will run from campus to New Haven. A Wesleyan team is being organized and it would be great if you all could join! It is an awesome event to be a part of and will be a lot of fun.

If you're interested, please email your name, phone number, and wesbox number to wesleyanaidswalk2010(at)gmail(dot)com. You really need to email them as soon as possible because they need to know how many buses we need. I hope you all consider doing this!

Nicaraguan Abortion Law Puts Pregnant Cancer Victim at Risk

From Amnesty International:

Amalia (not her real name), 27, is 10 weeks pregnant and was diagnosed, on 2 February, with cancer which may have already spread to her brain, lungs and breasts.

The Nicaraguan authorities are impeding doctors from providing cancer treatment to her while she is pregnant because medical staff could face prosecution if they cause harm to the fetus during her treatment, even if the harm is caused unintentionally.
...
In 2006, prior to the ban on abortion introduced [sic], 21 Nicaraguan medical associations from across the spectrum of medical disciplines issued a joint public statement against the proposed total ban on abortion, with an explicit warning that health professionals’ ability to provide health care and practice their profession would be limited if the prohibition was passed.

On 18 February Nicaraguan NGOs and the largest professional gynaecological association in Nicaragua asked the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to request "special measures," which would require the government to fulfil its legal obligations to protect Amalia’s right to life and health and ensure she is immediately provided with treatment which could save, or at least prolong, her life.

Thanks to Lindsay Walsh for the submission!

Is there love after abortion?

Over at Viva la Feminista, Veronica asks:

Are we socialized to believe that despite study after study saying that women overwhelmingly feel relief after an abortion, that two adults in love must break up? That having an abortion dooms their romance?
...
what if an abortion was what saved a relationship instead of dooming it to be feel like a forced marriage? Allowing the characters to reexamine their lives and move on together?

Woman Live-Tweets Her Abortion

From The Frisky:

“I’m doing this to de-mystify abortion,” she says. “I’m doing this so other women know, ‘Hey, it’s not nearly as terrifying as I had myself worked up thinking it was.’ It’s just not that bad.”

Also, check out I'm Not Sorry

Spain Declares Abortion a Woman's Right, Pope says GRR

Finally, good news! Spain ftw!

From MSNBC:

Spain on Wednesday approved a sweeping new law that eases restrictions on abortion, declaring the practice a woman's right and doing away with the threat of imprisonment, in part of a drive toward liberal policies that has angered conservatives and the Catholic Church.

The new law allows the procedure without restrictions up to 14 weeks and gives 16- and 17-year-olds the right to have abortions without parental consent. The senate's passage of the bill Wednesday gives it final approval.

Under Zapatero, Spain has also legalized gay marriage and made it easier for Spaniards to divorce.

Utah Bill Criminalizes Miscarriage

Seriously Utah? Again? A bill passed by the House and Senate in Utah this week could make it a crime to have a miscarriage, with penalties up to life in prison. RH Reality Check reports:

The bill passed by legislators amends Utah's criminal statute to allow the state to charge a woman with criminal homicide for inducing a miscarriage or obtaining an illegal abortion. The basis for the law was a recent case in which a 17-year-old girl, who was seven months pregnant, paid a man $150 to beat her in an attempt to cause a miscarriage. Although the girl gave birth to a baby later given up for adoption, she was initially charged with attempted murder. However the charges were dropped because, at the time, under Utah state law a woman could not be prosecuted for attempting to arrange an abortion, lawful or unlawful.

The bill passed by the Utah legislature would change that. While the bill does not affect legally obtained abortions, it criminalizes any actions taken by women to induce a miscarriage or abortion outside of a doctor's care, with penalties including up to life in prison.

Lynn Paltrow of National Advocates for Pregnant Women tells RH that while other states have feticide laws specified to prosecute third-party attackers, directing it at the woman will have severe repercussions. It could create cases where women are prosecuted for having an unintentional miscarriage if there is any indication of "reckless behavior," like drink alcohol and miscarry, or do any number of other things that could be deemed "reckless."

"This statute and the standards chosen leave a large number of pregnant women vulnerable to arrest even though they have no intention of ending a pregnancy," Paltrow said. "Whether or not the legislature intended this bill to become a tool for policing and punishing all pregnant women, if enacted this law would permit prosecution of a pregnant woman who stayed with her abusive husband because she was unable to leave. Not leaving would, under the 'reckless' standard, constitute conduct that consciously disregarded a substantial risk," Paltrow explained.

Disabled Kids are God's Punishment for Abortion

Sigh.

From Newsleader.com:

State Delegate Bob Marshall of Manassas says disabled children are God's punishment to women who have aborted their first pregnancy.

"The number of children who are born subsequent to a first abortion with handicaps has increased dramatically. Why? Because when you abort the first born of any, nature takes its vengeance on the subsequent children," said Marshall, a Republican.

"In the Old Testament, the first born of every being, animal and man, was dedicated to the Lord. There's a special punishment Christians would suggest."

What cruel ableism. But he keeps spewing dumb shit out:

"Looking at it from a cultural, historical perspective, this organization should be called 'Planned Barrenhood' because they have nothing to do with families, they have nothing to do with responsibility," Marshall said.

Nelson suggested that the organization be called "Klan Parenthood," saying that the group's founder, Margaret Sanger, made racist comments in the 1930s and that the organization has shown a "willingness to take donations from people who are racist."

Does NO ONE read scientific studies anymore?! And I like his use of the race card, even though he is a person who is sexist and ableist, just to start.

Side note, a commenter on the original news story wrote "the bible also says "speak softly and carry a big stick".......maybe ... he should think of that" Just, you know, an fyi. That was actually Teddy Roosevelt, and not the Bible. Ah teh interwebs.

What Exactly Happens in an Abortion?

This is a question that many escorts have, but are afraid to ask. This is an important thing to know, however, so I'll give a quick outline of the two most common proceedures. I suggest following the links to the original Planned Parenthood site to get a more in-depth idea of what happens during these procedures. Also, the Helpful Links section on the right of the blog includes many websites that are great sources to start learning more.

First off, Plan B (a type of Emergency Contraception, or EC) is not a type of abortion. It won't end a pregnancy, but it can help make one less likely after unprotected sex or birth control failure. It also shouldn't be used as regular birth control because it isn't as effective.

The Abortion Pill (Medication Abortion)

• Take medicines to end an early pregnancy
• Safe and effective
• Available from many Planned Parenthood health centers
• Costs about $350–$650

The abortion pill is a medicine that ends an early pregnancy. In general, it can be used up to 63 days — 9 weeks — after the first day of a woman's last period. Women who need an abortion and are more than 9 weeks pregnant can have an in-clinic abortion. It works about 97 out of every 100 times.

In-Clinic Abortion Procedures

• Medical procedures that end pregnancy
• Safe and effective
• Available from many Planned Parenthood health centers
• Costs about $350–$900 in the first trimester

There is more than one kind of in-clinic abortion procedure. The most common is called aspiration. It is also known as vacuum aspiration. Aspiration is usually used up to 16 weeks after a woman’s last period. D&E — dilation and evacuation — is another kind of in-clinic abortion. D&E is usually performed later than 16 weeks after a woman's last period. In-clinic abortions work almost every time they are done.

Source: Planned Parenthood

Are Those Posters the Antis Have Legit?

The answer is both yes and no. Often the facts are blatant lies. This video is an interesting look at what some women are told when they attempt to access reproductive health services. It's only about two minutes long, so please check it out:


But one of the most disturbing things about escorting is the images that the antis use to demonstrate what an abortion really looks like. They are graphic, bloody, and upsetting. They are also misrepresentations of what doctors refer to as the products of conception.

Many abortion protest photographs are artist's renderings or the result of image manipulation, and the bulk of the rest are of very late-term fetuses aborted for emergency medical reasons. The most well-known graphic abortion poster is of a 30-week-old fetus, aborted six full weeks into the third trimester. The vast majority of abortions are performed during the first trimester, and Roe v. Wade only protects first and second trimester abortions.

Utah House OKs ultrasounds before abortions

From The Salt Lake Tribune:

A bill that would give a woman seeking an abortion the option to first view her ultrasound passed the Utah House on Friday.

Before HB200 cleared the chamber in a 53-15 vote, Minority Leader David Litvack, D-Salt Lake City, unsuccessfully attempted to amend the bill to delete language he believed to be flat-out false, referring to viewing the heartbeat of a fetus at three weeks.

"It is not medically accurate," Litvack said. "It's not possible. It does not exist."

Litvack read from a physician's e-mail that said you could expect to see embryonic cardiac activity at about six weeks from the woman's last period.

Rep. Carl Wimmer, the bill's sponsor, disputed Litvack's claim.

"There are arguments on both sides of the issue," Wimmer, R-Herriman, said.

Rep. Neil Hansen, D-Ogden, supported Litvack's amendment because of the added costs the bill would incur. Enactment of Wimmer's measure is projected to cost $7,000 in 2011, then $4,000 each year thereafter.

This makes me really uncomfortable, as it feels less like allowing women to hear the heartbeat and more like requiring them to, potentially by having to wait another 3 weeks before they can get an abortion. Where there really that many women asking to hear the fetus's heartbeat and being denied by their doctors? Couldn't that money be used more productively?

Do You Trust Women?

A post over at Bitch Ph.D discusses the implications of being pro-choice.

An excerpt of the post:

The bottom line about abortion is this. Do you trust women to make their own moral judgments? If you are anti-abortion, then no. You do not. You have an absolute moral position that you don't trust anyone to question, and therefore you think that abortion should be illegal. But the second you start making exceptions for rape or incest, you are indicating that your moral position is not absolute. That moral judgment is involved. And that right there is where I start to get angry and frustrated, because unless you have an absolute position that all human life (arguably, all life period, but that isn't the argument I'm engaging with right now) are equally valuable (in which case, no exceptions for the death penalty, and I expect you to agonize over women who die trying to abort, and I also expect you to work your ass off making this a more just world in which women don't have to choose abortions, but this is also not the argument I'm engaging right now), then there is no ground whatsoever for saying that there should be laws or limitations on abortion other than that you do not trust women.

I, personally, am not sure that I agree with her opinion: I find her ultimatum to be a bit harsh when she seems to say that one can not be pro-choice while still finding certain types of abortions/situations to be morally uncomfortable. It is an interesting piece, however, and well worth reading. I feel that this brings up an issue that one often finds when discussing freedom of speech, as the quote atributed to Voltaire puts it: "I may not agree with what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it." While I may not agree with some women's choices, I do believe they have the right to choose to make that choice. However, that does not mean I no longer have a right to decide what feels right or wrong for me. The whole point is that everyone should have the right to do what feels right for them, and not tell others what that right feeling is. So I am entitled to my discomfort in the same way I am entitled to access to reproductive health care.

I feel that eventually she comes around to this, writing that

If you're pro-choice, you have to give up the right to have a "say" in someone else's choice. If you're pro-feminist, you have to give up the right to expect your personal feelings to be more important than women's public rights--including the right to be unpleasant, if, in her judgement, unpleasantness is called for.

AIDS Walk New Haven - get involved!

ASHA (AIDS and Sexual Health Awareness) is organizing a Wesleyan team for AIDS Walk-New Haven. The walk will take place on April 11th at 1pm and we will be running buses from campus to New Haven. Anyone who is interested should e-mail their name, phone number, and wesbox number to wesleyanaidswalk2010@gmail.com

From the site:
AIDS Walk New Haven is an annual 5K Walk to raise money for local HIV/AIDS care and treatment services in New Haven, Connecticut. The 2010 Walk will take place on Sunday, April 11th, 2010. AIDS Walk New Haven starts and ends on the New Haven Green.
(http://www.aidswalknewhaven.org/AboutUs/FAQ)

This is an awesome and super successful event - get involved!!!

Seriously?

Found here:

Ryan Bomberger, co-founder of the Radiance Foundation, said 35 should be up by Feb. 15. “We’re aiming for a lot more, but that’s where we’re at,” Bomberger said.

The billboards were announced at a state Capitol news conference at which another group, Georgia Right to Life, announced that it would back legislation this session that would make it a crime to “solicit a woman to have an abortion based on the race or sex of the unborn child.”

The two groups are citing what they say are federal statistics that indicate 56 percent of abortions in Georgia are performed on African-American women, though black make up 30 percent of the general population.

Not that they are ignoring anything like access to birth control or socioeconomic status or anything. And not that comparing African-Americans with animals has a long history of racism and oppression.

Spring '10 Schedule

This semester's schedule is now up! View it here. (You have to be signed in to your Wesleyan account to view it)

Please double-check your information and make sure you know your dates. And remember, you can call or email your captain (the name in bold on the schedule) or Heather or Jessica if you have any questions!

Counter-Protesting: the Awesome Way

Sometimes, it's the little things that fill you with joy. Take these for example:

Damn right you just got Rick-rolled.

Countering hate with humor. Rock on friends, rock on.

Scott Roeder Found Guilty Of Murdering Dr. George Tiller

Via Kansas Star:

A Kansas jury just found Scott Roeder guilty of first degree murder in the killing of abortion doctor George Tiller at his church last May.

The jury reportedly deliberated for less than hour. Roeder, an extremist anti-abortion activist, admitted on the stand that he killed Tiller.

Roeder was also found guilty on two counts of aggravated assault for pointing his gun at church ushers.

He will getting life in prison, with a chance of parole after 25 years

Nancy Keenan has made a statement,

"The jury examined the facts of this case and rightfully convicted Scott Roeder for the brutal murder of Dr. George Tiller inside his church in Kansas. Our thoughts are with Dr. Tiller's family and friends. Even though this conviction brings a murderer to justice, it won't replace the husband, father, and grandfather they lost last May. Dr. Tiller was a tireless advocate for reproductive health who called on us to 'trust women' to make the personal, private decisions that are best for them and their families. We will continue to honor his legacy of compassion and resolve."

Wes Clinic Escorts 2.0

We have a blog! Hopefully you'll all find this to be a helpful place to find information, learn some new things, start a dialogue, and connect with each other.

Let us know if we can improve this blog in any way, and please be patient, as this is definitely a work-in-progress.

Up so far: links, group discussion, some news, and the new schedule. Check it out!