Oklahoma Voice of Reason

10 healthiest cities for women

2011-11-23T08:58:00.000-06:00

10 healthiest cities for women - Well, Oklahoma City and Tulsa made the top 100 for once!

The Politicization of Birth Control and Abortion from NPR

2011-11-10T09:43:00.000-06:00

The worst states to be female

2011-09-29T13:57:00.000-05:00

The worst states to be female

Students Stripping, Doing Sex Work and Seeing Sugar Daddies? In Hard Economic Times, This Media Obsession Is Based in Reality | Personal Health | AlterNet

2011-08-03T09:48:00.000-05:00

Students Stripping, Doing Sex Work and Seeing Sugar Daddies? In Hard Economic Times, This Media Obsession Is Based in Reality Personal Health AlterNet

This is disturbing on many levels...

Victory!

2011-06-01T10:42:00.000-05:00

This is great news. SB 709 is dead and session is over. Planned Parenthood's WIC program is safe (for now). It's good to know that there are sane people out there who are willing to stand up for programs like WIC, which provides nutrition and food vouchers to low-income mothers and children. But it's too bad that some legislators were (and still are) willing to sacrifice real families' health in order to win political points or to "punish" Planned Parenthood. That's why every victory like this one means something. So celebrate! Be thankful, and drink a glass of your favorite beverage in honor of Oklahoma's women and children.

Keep Crossing Those Fingers

2011-05-26T12:16:00.001-05:00

Session is almost over, but we have to wait until tomorrow at 5 to breathe a sigh of relief. For now, it certainly looks like Planned Parenthood will have escaped for now unscathed. Keep hoping! And keep your fingers crossed for our friends in Tennessee. There are some mysterious goings on at the state capitol there and the final results still remain to be seen. It appears that Planned Parenthood's funding will remain intact unless Gov. Bill Haslam decides to veto the whole budget bill, which he does not seem keen to do. Oh the trials, tribulations, and murky messy mayhem of state politics!

2011-05-20T14:27:00.000-05:00

Video of our pink wave event last week. Looking good, ladies! Thanks to everyone who came out to support us!

More Pink Wave Photos!

2011-05-19T09:44:00.000-05:00

Here are a few more. We all look gorgeous, of course!

Compare/ Contrast

2011-05-18T12:35:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple articles about our awesome pink wave event last Thursday @ the Capitol. Should we compare them? The details are so interesting. Even the headlines say volumes about the writers' attitudes towards reproductive health. "Abortion rights group plan rally at Oklahoma Capitol, decry Legislature's 'war on women'" here, while the more balanced KOCO.com reports that "Women Call For Reproductive Rights at Rally". It's interesting (not surprising) that the first article's focus is abortion. It mentions Oklahoma's new laws further restricting abortion in the state, but also not surprisingly fails to mention its attack on the WIC program, which is targeted because the Planned Parenthood in Tulsa receives WIC funds. That's it. To this person, abortion (even just the hypothetical thought of abortion) is all that is worthy of mention. There is of course no mention of the many other services Planned Parenthood in Oklahoma DOES provide. No mention of how cutting WIC funding would affect women and children in the state.

What we need most of all is to recognize how complex these issues surrounding reproductive rights and womens' health are. The speakers at the pink wave realized this, and their talked covered a wide variety of topics that should be widely discussed. Shrill newspaper articles, on the other hand, don't seem to understand this. Like reality television stars, their only goal seems to be as loud and as brainless as possible.

The Pink Wave

2011-05-13T17:01:00.000-05:00

Thank you everyone who showed up yesterday to join the Pink Wave! Your support means a lot to us. It was a busy day, but we had fun and heard some great speakers. Of course everyone looked STUNNING in their pink shirts. We will tell you about some of the speeches in detail next week, but for now here is a picture from yesterday.

Indiana makes history

2011-05-11T16:24:00.000-05:00

But for all the wrong reasons! Among other things they become the first state to prohibit the use of Medicaid at Planned Parenthood clinics. The law also tightens restrictions surrounding abortion. And earlier today, a federal judge denied Planned Parenthood's request to delay the law from taking effect. So you tell us. What does targeting the people who rely on Medicaid in Indiana have to do with abortion? Hmm. It almost seems as though this attack is about more than just the right to choose, doesn't it?

THE PINK WAVE

2011-05-10T14:37:00.000-05:00

Join us Thursday, May 12th from 12-1 for the PINK WAVE! Come to the Capitol to protest the Legislature's war on women and women's health. Show your support for your local Planned Parenthood clinic, and wear PINK! There will be speakers, 300 free t-shirts (in both English and en espanol), stickers, buttons and lots of other cool stuff. Also lots of cool people. What, you'd rather be be working?

RSVP on facebook. Friend us if you haven't yet! And keep on checking back, we will have updates of all the action as it happens.

This is serious stuff, y'all.

The same but different

2011-05-05T15:55:00.000-05:00

Like us, South Africa has a high rate of teen pregnancy. The African National Congress Youth league has a controversial solution. Instead of abstinence they take a different approach. Too extreme? Perhaps. But is this a more realistic attitude towards teen sexuality? Perhaps!

Norway: much colder and fishier than here, but also healthier than us too

2011-05-04T13:44:00.000-05:00

Every year around Mother's Day, the nonprofit group Save the Children releases a "Mother's Index" that ranks and reports on the best and worst places in the world for mothers and children. This analysis is based on health, economic and education conditions in 164 countries. Norway takes first place in the rankings (followed by Australia, Iceland and Sweden) while Afghanistan, unsurprisingly, ranks dead last. The US places 31st out of 43 developed countries, behind most western European countries, Canada, Japan and New Zealand.

On the surface, of course, these results are nothing to brag about, but it is the details of this report that are the most disturbing. For example:

Should we be proud that the U.S. has the highest rate of lifetime maternal mortality of any industrialized country, performing better only than Moldova, Russia and Albania? This means that among other things, American women are more than 7 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than Irish or Italian women.

Compared to other wealthy countries, the U.S. has the least generous maternity leave policy (taking into consideration both amount of time given and wages paid).

Only 17% of our Congressional seats belong to women. (This number is 43% in Sweden and 45% in Iceland).

American children under 5 also do not fare well in the study. Compared to other developed nations, they are more likely to die and less likely to be enrolled in preschool.

The group even offers some advice on how countries can improve the health of their mothers and children: "Governments and international agencies need to increase funding to improve education levels for women and girls, provide access to maternal and child health care and advance women's economic opportunities". They also offer a specific suggestion to the U.S. and other developed countries: "Governments and communities need to work together to improve education and health care for disadvantaged mothers and children".

Very interesting. I guess this means that our politicians who attack Planned Parenthood, Medicaid, the WIC program etc. know another way to improve women and children's health. After all, America does not tolerate mediocrity. Surely we aspire to more than 31st place, especially concerning something as important as the health of our citizens... right?

Check out the full report here- it has a lot of interesting facts, factoids, and factlets:
http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6748295/k.BE47/State_of_the_Worlds_Mothers_2011_Statistics_and_Facts.htm

Women's Health Week

2011-05-02T15:47:00.000-05:00

Hello, Happy Monday!

Did you know that May 8th -14th is National Women's Health Week? Ok, we all know that being "healthy" takes effort and sometimes hard work, but isn't it worth it? And don't forget there are plenty of easy things you can do to improve your health. How many can you think of?
(go to http://www.womenshealth.gov/whw for more info and their healthy suggestions)

If you have been meaning to come in for an appointment, stop procrastinating! For Women's Health Week we are offering a special $100 rate on annual exams in all our clinics. ALSO when you come in for the annual exam special, you will get a free gift bag with lots of goodies.

Keep checking back here this week, and on our facebook page, for more info on Women's Health Week.

A little long but worth the watch...

2011-04-14T10:14:00.001-05:00

Group Wants Reproductive Decisions Left To Women, Not Oklahoma Lawmakers

2011-04-11T13:57:00.000-05:00

Group Wants Reproductive Decisions Left To Women, Not Oklahoma Lawmakers: "The debate over abortion hit a fever pitch Thursday. Pro-choice rallies rose up in our nation's capital at the same time as news conferences sounded off across the sooner state."

Thank you Senator!

2011-03-25T11:37:00.000-05:00

Psycho-what? Services for Women Are Disappearing. | RHRealityCheck.org

2011-03-11T11:16:00.000-06:00

Psycho-what? Services for Women Are Disappearing. RHRealityCheck.org

Planned Parenthood needs your help!

2011-02-18T16:09:00.000-06:00

Go to http://www.istandwithplannedparenthood.org/ for more information.

STOKING FIRE: Today is Purity Day - Is Your Local School Pushing Chastity Pledges? | RHRealityCheck.org

2011-02-15T09:33:00.000-06:00

STOKING FIRE: Today is Purity Day - Is Your Local School Pushing Chastity Pledges? RHRealityCheck.org

Fury over doctor's book on sex education for Muslims

2011-01-10T15:43:00.000-06:00

Dr. Akhtar has provided Pakistan with an incredibly necessary text...when teens are committing suicide because they see puberty as a disease...something needs to be done. By integrating passages from the Quran, he proves that accurate sex education and Islam CAN be combined with good taste.

Check out the article, here!

Couldn't have said it better myself!

2011-01-06T14:13:00.000-06:00

"We can and should tell young people that HIV is very bad and they don't want to get it, but we can do that without condemning or stigmatizing people who already have HIV. And we can and should tell people with HIV that a diagnosis is not the end of their lives, that they still pursue their dreams and seek everything anyone else can extract from life without sending a message to young people that HIV is no big deal." -Sean Strub

*Check out this excellent blog post here!

Really???

2011-01-03T11:18:00.000-06:00

Check out this new study that claims eating more vegetables can lead to women giving birth to girls vs. boys: Eat greens to have girls
Then check out how many people were involved in the study!
A whopping 32 people?
Nevermind!
A nice reminder to always read between lines and do your own fact checking.

Any chance we'll see a safe sex flash mob in OKC?

2010-12-14T15:32:00.002-06:00

NO MORE FUNDING OF ABSTINENCE ONLY!!!

2010-11-30T14:02:00.000-06:00

Woman Live-Tweets Her Abortion

2010-11-23T13:22:00.001-06:00

Crisis Pregnancy Centers: A Special Report

2010-11-10T13:18:00.000-06:00

Free birth control...

2010-11-01T10:26:00.000-05:00

Wow! Birth control may be free under the healthcare overhaul...keep your fingers crossed...

Is Teen Parenthood Glamorized on TV?

2010-10-19T11:57:00.001-05:00

Oklahoma currently ranks 5th in the country for teen births...what do you think?

PPCO Gives A Damn! Do You?

2010-10-06T12:43:00.000-05:00

http://www.wegiveadamn.org/

Monday Morning Inspiration

2010-09-27T09:55:00.001-05:00

A brief description of the video from Brett himself:

"It is our routines and our comforts that allow us to ignore social issues. For some of us, it is our privilege to be ignorant. This video tells the story of social issues challenging our privileges and entering our routines making them impossible to ignore. Social injustice cannot be ignored when you are forced to deal with them. That is the idea behind this video.

What would happen if you were forced to deal with something that you may think has nothing to do with you? If suddenly the world's problems came into your own home? You would have to realize that you are connected to everything and everyone one earth."

I Just Don't Understand

2010-08-18T13:42:00.000-05:00

RH Reality Check has an interesting piece up about raising young girls in the Quiverfull movement. The article has been reprinted from a really fascinating blog developed by ex-members called No Longer Quivering. I was a home schooled kid (not for religious reasons) and I came across people like this (I don't know if they were quiverfull or not) a lot. The lack of autonomy for girls was astounding to me then, when I didn't even know what that meant, as it is now. To go through life as an extension, an arm, rather than an actual human being is just devastating to me. Mind you, I think we're all in this together, and individualism can certainly be damaging...but forcing self sacrifice onto women isn't self sacrifice. It's human sacrifice.

Yay for California!

2010-08-04T16:09:00.000-05:00

Proposition 8 has been ruled unconstitutional by Judge Vaughn Walker, on the grounds that it violates the due process and equal protection clauses. Proposition 8 banned same sex marriage in California.

I look forward to the awesome wedding photos that will now ensue.

Are You Taking Notes, Palin?

2010-07-30T16:29:00.000-05:00

Long time anti-feminist and blatantly racist Phylis Shlafly has some more choice words for the single woman of today. It turns out they all voted for our current president because they needed someone to provide for them after they kicked their husbands out. Oh, and women are evidently having more children out of wedlock just to spite her or something.

Never mind that Schlafly is herself a self-supporting single woman herself, albeit widowed. I doubt her money came from her husband though...I'm sure she's made a lot of money stabbing women in the back for decades.

Breast Ironing in Cameroon in the Absence of Sex Education

2010-07-27T14:32:00.000-05:00

Usually when I hear about videos and news stories about practices like this in western media outlets I feel a little queasy. They can be exploitative, as if what they are saying is "Look at what those crazy Africans are doing now!" Any criticism of an outside culture should be done carefully, especially coming from a standpoint of western privilege.

That being said, this video does a fairly good job of being objective (in my opinion) about the practice. There aren't a lot of interviews with white ivory tower types condemning the practice and demonizing those who practice it. The video shows a Cameroonian woman, who is a part of a Cameroonian organization, who has suffered the practice, speaking out against the practice to a group of children (I wish we could openly talk about breasts in any way in a classroom here in Oklahoma). We see a woman advocating for a cause that is relevant to her and her country's interests, not some westerner trying to "educate" kids on why their practices are bad. The ban on wearing hijab in France from a few years ago is an example of the latter on a wider scale. It makes a world of difference to everyone involved when people know what they're talking about when a group condemns a practice, as opposed to just having knee jerk reaction to difference.

The video for the most part presents the whole picture; mothers with inadequate access to sex education themselves feel they have little recourse but to iron their young daughter's breasts in order to hide them from the male gaze. They aren't trying to harm or traumatize their daughters, they're trying to save themselves and their daughters from personal calamity so they will have better lives later on. This doesn't mean that this is the "right thing to do" ( and it certainly is painful and traumatic according to the woman in the video). It just means there is just as much reasoning behind this as there is reasoning behind a lot of bizarre and potentially damaging bodily modifications we do here in the states (granted, many of which are arguably consensual) and we should take that into account.

Inadequate and inaccessible sex education is a global phenomenon, and it's consequences play out in many different and painful ways throughout the world, including western countries.

Sigh...Oh White House...

2010-07-15T13:01:00.000-05:00

According to feministing, The White House will not include birth control in its upcoming list of free preventative services. Because it's not like birth control is expensive or anything. Or pregnancy, for that matter. Hopefully PPFA will get it in a separate list surrounding reproductive health care coming out a few months afterward...but itsn't kind of sad that our Government seems to not think that reproductive health care and prevention are just as important as any other health care need? Why does this even need to be on a separate list? The issue was too small to be put on the big boy list? Arrrggh...

12th and Delaware! You. Must. Watch. This.

2010-07-13T09:26:00.001-05:00

From our facebook page:

"On an unassuming corner in Fort Pierce, Florida, it’s easy to miss the insidious war that’s raging. But on each side of 12th and Delaware, soldiers stand locked in a passionate battle. On one side of the street sits an abortion clinic. On the other, a pro-life outfit often mistaken for the clinic it seeks to shut down.

Using skillful cinema-vérité observation that allows us to draw our own conclusions, Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing, the directors of Jesus Camp, expose the molten core of America’s most intractable conflict. As the pro-life volunteers paint a terrifying portrait of abortion to their clients, across the street, the staff members at the clinic fear for their doctors' lives and fiercely protect the right of their clients to choose. Shot in the year when abortion provider Dr. George Tiller was murdered in his church, the film makes these fears palpable. Meanwhile, women in need become pawns in a vicious ideological war with no end in sight."

This is gonna be so awesome you guys.

Won't Somebody Think of the Children?

2010-07-09T12:19:00.000-05:00

From RH Reality Check: Angle Says Pregant Rape Victims Should Turn A "Lemon Situation Into Lemonade."

I really just can't wrap my head around some people. Sharron Angle, Republican candidate for the Senate in Nevada, is one of those people. Angle's astonishing lack of empathy for rape an incest victims is mind blowing. The fact that she was ever allowed into any situation to "counsel" 15 year old girls is even more so. This ain't getting a bad grade on a report card, breaking up with a boyfriend, or losing a job. This is rape and incest.

Crisis Pregnancy Centers

2010-06-25T11:35:00.000-05:00

Surfin3rdwave over at Feministing has painted a brief picture on what a real, pro-choice, feminist, crisis pregnancy center would look like.

A number of places already do take care of these needs in some areas, but it would be nice to have all of this under one roof, instead of having to run around town making different appointments with different people about overlapping stuff.

New Anti-Choice Tactics in Indiana

2010-06-15T10:06:00.001-05:00

RH Reality Check reports that a new county ordinance in Fort Wayne, Indiana will effectively run its single abortion provider, Dr. George Klopfer, out of town. This is some scary news, Oklahoma only has a few providers itself, we can only hope that anti-choicers around here will not adopt that tactic (or at least if they do, it won't hold water).

In other news, also from good ol' RH, Governor Crist of Florida has vetoed their version of the ultrasound bill. Here's hoping it's sustained.

Medical Professional Can Sometimes Be A Misnomer

2010-06-04T16:05:00.000-05:00

The National Health Law Program, a public interest firm, has put out a stunning report on health care restrictions in hospitals and clinics. They report that 1 in 6 Americans will visit medical practices that have restrictions of some kind, more than likely based on ideological principals instead of scientific and ethical medical practice. Reproductive health is, of course, the category that a large number of those restrictions fall under.

A particular side bar story on page 7 of the report caught my eye, mostly because it took place right here in Oklahoma :

"Carla, who lives in eastern Oklahoma, thought
she had the flu. Her family doctor referred her to an
Obstetrician/Gynecologist (OB/GYN) who discovered
she was pregnant and that she had a large mass
growing on her uterus. Carla’s youngest child was
already 16, and she decided to have an abortion, but
when she went to the abortion clinic she was told
that she needed to have the mass removed before she
could have the abortion. Then her encounter with
health care refusals began. The OB/GYN refused
to remove the mass because it would endanger the
pregnancy. The anesthesiologist in the practice group
refused to give her any drugs that would harm the
pregnancy. At this point the mass was shutting off her
colon and bladder. Eventually Carla found a doctor
an hour and a half away in another city, but due to
the substantial delay, he had to remove her uterus,
a procedure that would have been unnecessary if the
abortion had been performed earlier in her pregnancy.
Carla and her family were left with $40,000 in
medical bills."

"Doctors" more than willing to let a patient die to preserve a pregnancy that will terminate anyway when the patient dies. Not seeing the logic here.

First do no harm indeed.

Six Degrees of Scott Roeder

2010-06-03T16:39:00.000-05:00

As I we bask in the victory of the sustained veto of HB 3290, I came across this chilling article by Amanda Robb, niece of the late Dr. Barnett Slepian, who was murdered for the same reasons as Dr. Tiller. The article gives us a little peek into the many circles that Roeder ran in, most of them actively, if covertly, promoting "justifiable" homicide toward abortion providers. The gang's all there; Operation Rescue, Army of God, Frye, Kopp, and Bray to name a few. Robb's point is that it's ludacris to call Roeder a lone wolf with all of these besties (a few of which are denying their relationship to him.

It's terrifying what goes on in our own backyard.

Baby Steps.

2010-05-26T10:56:00.000-05:00

Well, the veto for HB 3284 has been overidden. This is of course really bad news.

I was present in the senate chamber as the overide took place yesterday along with around 30 or so pink clad pro-choice men and women. We would like to thank Senators Andrew Rice, Jim Wilson, Judy Eason McIntyre, Constance Johnson, Tom Adelson, and (not without a hint of surprise) Jim Reynolds for putting forth a good debate for us as well as the other 9 senators that voted our way.

It was a sad sight to watch, but The Center for Reproductive Rights will more than likely get it declared unconstitutional (for the second time). Our fingers are crossed.

And to the Senators that saw fit to deprive women of their medical privacy, their right by law...all I have to say is that it is an election year. Until then, enjoy as the rest of the nation yet again declares you a laughing stock, as well as this great state that you sully with this ridiculous legislation.

Heinous.

2010-05-18T13:20:00.000-05:00

7 year old Aiyanna Jones was murdered in her own home in Detroit, MI on Monday. She was accidently shot in the head by a policeman during a raid after being set on fire by a flash grenade that had been ejected into her home. There are conflicting reports as to when the fatal shot occured. The police are saying that she was accidently shot by an officer during an altercation that the officer was having with her grandmother. The family's lawyer is now saying that he has video evidence that the shot was fired from outside the home.

Exercises in Futility

2010-05-12T12:38:00.001-05:00

RH Reality Check Roundup: If Crist Vetos Mandatory Ultrasounds, Does It Even Matter?

The answer, as Oklahoma is well are of now, is, not really. It will happen over and over again, wasting money and time better spent on legislation that would actually help the state.

Florida may have the same problem Oklahoma does. It will be a broken record in Oklahoma until the majority of us wake up and nip the problem where it starts.We're electing legislators that are unfit for office. These legislators are either in it for the game, or on a moral crusade. Neither mind set should be allowed in government, period. We need legislators on both sides of the fence that realize this.

The state looks bad right now, and it's not just a problem with our government. We elected them. We can't just sit back with our buddies in other states and marvel at the insanity of our current legislation as if we were an impartial party. They depend on this. We need to act. Not just now, but for as long as Oklahoma exists. We need to stop being angry after the fact and actually stop this stuff before pen hits paper. This requires a lot more attention than just reading the paper, watching the news, and scoffing and complaining about it over coffee. They will keep doing this until they wear us down, or we oust them. Period.

Support and get involved with those on the front lines, your abortion clinics, non-profits, rights groups, and especially, your friendly legislators. Educate yourself about election dates, lobbying, and when certain senators and represenatives may be terming out. Please?

Moms in America

2010-05-07T13:23:00.000-05:00

The Right Kind of Mother: Intersections of Race and Class and Choice Brandann Hill-Man talks about how race and class effect a woman's choice to be a mother or not.

The Longer I'm A Mom, The More I Am Pro-Choice Robin Marty on how her pregnancy and miscarriage only strengthen her pro-choice views.

Generally, pretty much every feminist blog out there has some awesome articles on blogger's mothers, motherhood, and choice.

Lastly, the U.S. is the 28th best place to be a mother. But hey, at least we beat Luxembourg.

Just an FYI

2010-05-05T09:35:00.000-05:00

Bridget Potter from Guernica has an article on Alternet that is a not so friendly reminder of what a woman had to go through to get an illegal abortion in the 1960's.

It could happen again people.

New Abortion Laws and Rape by Instrumentation

2010-04-30T10:30:00.000-05:00

An argument is going around the reproductive rights community that the new ultrasound law is state-mandated rape by instrumentation. Representative Hamilton, who supports the ultrasound bill and the authored the state's rape by instrumentation law, claims that it's a "silly" argument. It isn't rape because instruments are used during abortion anyway in this segment from KOKH Fox 25:

http://www.okcfox.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/kokh_vid_1448.shtml

Hamilton seems to forget what the word "consent" means. A woman does not have the option of consenting to the ultrasound. It is state mandated. This could be construed as rape by instrumentation. Especially when the instrument looks like this: http://www.bandafix.com/files/429807s16.jpg

A woman does consent to an abortion when she chooses to have one (which could be medically induced, so instrumentation might not be used anyway). Thus it is not rape.

It Takes A Special Kind of Expletive...

2010-04-28T09:18:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a dark day for Planned Parenthood here in Oklahoma. The vetos for HB 2656 and HB 2780 were overruled. Two bills, now laws. One that make it perfectly legal for a doctor to lie in order to adhere to his personal beliefs instead of ethical medical practice. Another that forces a woman to undergo a humiliating procedure in order to satisfy some self righteous, hand wringing, last ditch effort of people not even present in the room or known at all to the woman in question, no matter what trauma she has undergone.

Because they don't care about her. Representatives Billy and Sullivan don't care about her. Her life doesn't matter. If she did jump up after the ultrasound and run out of the room, having "seen the light" or whatever scenario anti-choicers envision and continue with the pregnancy and have it, they wouldn't care about the kid or what it would take to raise it. They are obsessed with this concept of preborn humanity, because it is hypothetical. Real life is a lot more complicated.

Thank you, Senators Adelson, Rice, Wilson, Leftwich, McIntyre, Lerblance, Johnson, Ballenger, Crutchfield, Sparks, Sweeden, and Wyrick for caring about her.

Please watch in the coming days as we rip these bills to shreds in court.

Belated Earth Day Round Up

2010-04-23T13:12:00.000-05:00

Harmful chemicals abound in tons of household products (a lot of which are products relating to the cosmetic industry, suprise suprise) that can really mess with your reproductive system according to a number of sources:

The Battle over BPA by Amie Newman

Toxic Chemicals: Neglected Threats to Health and Reproduction by Jennifer Rogers

http://greenischoice.blogspot.com/

This has become my personal product bible: Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database

Also...contrary to popular belief, I think most people for reproductive rights aren't involved in Earth Day because of the whole population control thing, which is actually kinda racist and classist...and sexist.

Veto! Veto! Veto!

2010-04-20T11:06:00.001-05:00

A special message from Planned Parenthood of Central Oklahoma's Director of External Affairs, Keri Parks:

Dear Friend,

Yesterday, the Oklahoma Senate passed five onerous pieces of anti-choice legislation which are now sitting on Governor Henry's desk. While we oppose all anti-choice legislation, we are extremely concerned with the following and believe the Governor will veto with your help. The anti-choice bills are:

House Bill 2656 allows a medical professional to intentionally withhold important medical information, fail to perform available tests, even when requested, or even lie about the results of testing to the parents of a fetus without fear of legal consequences.

House Bill 2780 requires that a woman seeking a legal abortion receive an ultrasound prior to the abortion; listen to a detailed description of what’s on the ultrasound screen; and be forced to undergo the type of ultrasound that will give the clearest picture (usually the more invasive transvaginal procedure), regardless of a doctor’s medical judgment and recommendations. While the woman may “avert her eyes” from the screen, she – and the doctor – have no discretion to decide if undergoing this procedure and listening to the mandated information is right for her.

House Bill 3284 requires doctors who provide abortions to grill their patients about minute and very personal details of their intimate lives and then report that information to the state. Even more disturbing, the state is then required to compile this information and post it on the internet, threatening the patient’s right to privacy and rattling the very core of doctor/patient confidentiality.

House Bill 3290 regulates RU-486 (the abortion pill) and recently added in the Senate, prohibits abortion coverage by private health insurance except to prevent the death of the mother or for cases of rape and incest. The need for medically-necessary termination of pregnancy is something that no family anticipates or plans for; but the purpose of insurance is to cover potential financial losses that we can't foresee.

Please call, fax or email Governor Henry today and ask him to VETO these terrible bills. You can follow this link for his information: http://www.governor.state.ok.us/contact.php

We have five days to convince him to veto!
Thanks for your help!

Keri Parks
Director of External Affairs
Planned Parenthood of Central Oklahoma
619 N.W. 23rd Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73103
Work - 405-528-0221
Fax - 405-528-1517

Talkin' 'bout My Generation

2010-04-20T11:00:00.000-05:00

Newsweek recently posted an article detailing the supposed lack of young persons' support present in the reproductive rights movement, to which a good portion of the reproductive rights supporting blogosphere said: "I beg your pardon?" I myself am one of those young women they claim don't exist or is apathetic, so I kind of feel like I'm sitting on a clover shouting "We're here." or something.

April!

2010-04-14T13:28:00.000-05:00

April is both Sexual Assault Awareness Month and National STD Awareness Month, issues that are very important to us here at Planned Parenthood of Central Oklahoma.

I would like to bring to light a few campaigns in support of alleviating these issues:

Men Can Stop Rape organizes male youth to help stop violence against women by challenging problematic ideas about traditional masculinity. It is great to see a group of people publically acknowledges that sexual assault is not just a "women's issue." It affects all of us.

For National STD Awareness Month, the GYT: Get Yourself Tested 2010 campaign, of which Planned Parenthood is proud to be a part of, is well under way. The campaign was developed to get a social movement around getting information about and getting tested for sexually transmitted diseases.

Palin's PSA

2010-04-13T15:54:00.000-05:00

The Candies Foundaton has put out a PSA featuring Bristol Palin. While I guess their heart is in the right place, I can't help but feel the classism emanating from the ad. First it seems to be aimed at low income women from people who are decidely more well off, which is incredibly paternalistic and patronizing. Palin admonishes working class teens to, "pause before they play." Rich people don't have to deal with the consequences, so they can do what they want.
She also does not address the reason why the consequences for working class teen motherhood is so dire. Which is mostly caused by little public funding for low-income pre-natal and post-natal care, daycare, etc...which Palin's mother isn't exactly friendly towards.

Not to mention the fact that they use physical appearance as the benchmark. Funky hair, plain clothing, and second hand furniture are used for shock value, but...having nice things and looking hawt isn't exactly necessary for parenthood.

Stupak Retires

2010-04-09T15:10:00.000-05:00

Anti-choice Rep. Stupak will not seek re-election.

A Great Loss

2010-04-07T13:15:00.000-05:00

Wilma Mankiller, first female chief of the Cherokee Nation, passed away yesterday due to complications from pancreatic cancer. She was 64.

"Friends describe me as someone who likes to dance along the edge of the roof. I try to encourage young women to be willing to take risks, to stand up for the things they believe in, and to step up and accept the challenge of serving in leadership roles."

How...Annoying

2010-04-06T11:50:00.002-05:00

Governor Brad Henry is signing three anti-choice bills into law today.

One could utter a number of expletives in such a case, but this blog does carry a certain brand name with it.

No body in Oklahoma actually obtains an abortion based on the sex of the fetus (in fact, in most cases of abortion, it’s done before the sex of the fetus even develops). I know there are fears of people doing this in other countries, aborting females in favor of males. If they’re really being truthful that they think this is a problem, what research did they find about Oklahoma abortions that gave them the desire to enact this bill in this state? If there isn’t any, what is the actual reasoning behind this bill? It would seem that this bill would have a woman state a clear cut reason for having an abortion, but it does not (thankfully) stipulate that.

No body is going to try to sell RU-486 on the black market. The drug was already under the restrictions that apply to most drug distribution laws for medical professionals. The bill was most likely really developed to sneak in Section F of the bill…that the “father of the unborn child,” or its “grandparent” can file suit against the abortion provider.

The Freedom of Conscience act makes it impossible for a medical practitioner to come under fire for opting out of performing an abortion based on religious beliefs as long as the woman is not in imminent danger. I don’t think this happens much either. Has anyone ever been sued or fired for not performing an abortion?

In any case, they’re on the books for now, but you bet they will be contested after the legislative session is over. In the meantime we still have 3, much more heinous bills to strike down, and we’re running out of time. For more information on how to help strike them down, follow this link and join PPCO’s Many to Stop Any campaign by writing congress, and telling all your friends.

The Best Darn Single Lady Ever in Fact

2010-04-02T15:57:00.001-05:00

So cute. Also a small lesson in gender politics, but mostly just cute.

Truth in Advertising

2010-03-30T15:04:00.000-05:00

The Archdiosese of Baltimore is suing the city claiming religious harrassment because a new law requires Crisis Pregnancy Centers to post a sign saying that they do not provide or refer for abortions or birth control.

Why? Because abstinence is birth control. Nevermind that you can't exactly provide or refer for abstinence. Unless chastity belts have come back into vogue.

It also might scare away clients that are seeking actual medical services. Can't pull the old switcharoo when potential clients know the game beforehand.

I personally would have the sign not beat around the bush and say, "This establishment is NOT a medical clinic, but an institution for religious counseling. Information and services provided within the center may not be medically accurate. Persons seeking medical advice should seek out a liscensed practitioner of medicine."

If clinics in Oklahoma that provide abortion and birth control may have to post a sign explaining that an abortion provider can't force an abortion on you, something that no abortion provider has ever actually attempted, I think it's fair that crisis pregnancy centers should have to come clean about what they do actually do.

It's All So Zen

2010-03-26T13:47:00.000-05:00

The political climate for pro-choice activists in Oklahoma is definitely not an easy arena to work in. Oklahoma is a very conservative, largely pro-life state. The few pro-choice enclaves that there are tend to cling to each other for support as we watch our rights getting stripped away in the name of a certain type of morality that we may or may not subscribe to.
Yesterday morning a colleague and I sat in on a Senate Health and Human Services Committee meeting. Let me tell you dear readers, it was rough. All amendments we had lobbied for were tabled, and all of the bills up for hearing (HB2656, HB2780, HB3075, HB3264, and HB3290) that we were fighting against were given a Do Pass (allowed to go to the next round, basically).

Two of the three senators that were against the anti-choice legislation tried to debate but they knew that what they were saying was falling on deaf ears. One looked a little disgruntled when he tried to explain that this legislation entails big government interfering in medical practice, something that the anti-choice senators were purportedly against. Another explained plainly that this was a ploy to take away women’s choices. The rest of the senators looked bored, smug, and giddy. A few made some comments as a rebuttal, none of them actually making any sense and pretty much showing that the pro-choice senators could have been talking to walls.

People ask us all the time why we even bother with going up to the capitol, if we’re just going to get steamrolled over and over again. The answer (and I speak for myself in this instance) is that I want to be as much of a thorn in the other side’s side as I can be even if, right now, some of that seems ineffectual and depressing. I really can’t sleep at night otherwise, and I’m happy to be a part of an organization that allows me to do that in some small part, even if it’s just sitting in a room and looking discontent as some rich white men take my rights away.

Sigh

2010-03-24T11:34:00.000-05:00

Obama to sign executive order on abortion limits Wednesday

Thus throwing half of the country under the bus and making sure thousands of women will not have access to their right to choose. Shameful.

Women Pilots Rule

2010-03-19T14:22:00.000-05:00

A lot of press has been given of late to the WASPS of WWII finally getting some recognition they dearly deserve. In light of all this publicity, I would like to mention Oklahoma's little know but very groovy museum devoted to women pilots:

Museum of Women Pilots

Maternal Health Care Crisis

2010-03-16T11:38:00.000-05:00

Amnesty International has issued a report on the sorry state of maternal health care in the U.S.

Two to three women die per day due to complications during pregnancy and childbirth. More than half of these deaths could have been prevented. African American women are 4 times as likely to die than white women; this is a rate that hasn't changed in 20 years.

The women of this nation do not have access to affordable reproductive health care, and they are dying because of it. America has the technology and the skill to be the healthiest country in this world. Racism, sexism, classism, and flat out greed are getting in the way of that. Letting proper health care go only to the highest bidder is getting in the way of that. Simple as that.

Maybe we should work on that....

So Much for PG

2010-03-09T15:25:00.000-06:00

According to RH Reality Check's Eleanor Bader, the anti-choicers are wierding out the anti-choicers. In the article, Reverend Greg Baker says,

"Our point is that people brought their children to services and these children saw the pictures OSA displayed. Some of them were in tears. As I see it, these kids’ lives are precious and Flip and OSA dishonored many precious children by forcing these images on them."

Groups like this are really good at not recognizing children's feelings and rights once they're outside of the womb.

Oh Dear

2010-03-05T09:37:00.000-06:00

Someone needs to sit these fellas down and have a talk.

Just an FYI, PPCO is always accepting donations for education purposes....

Noooooooo!!!!

2010-03-02T09:55:00.001-06:00

HB 2656 and HB 3075 passed out of the House on the 23rd. There wasn't much resistance either:

HB 2656 Yeas: 94 Nays: 4

HB 3075 Yeas: 83 Nays: 8

So, in the state of Oklahoma you can now lie, cajole, and bully a woman into not having the abortion that she wants, without fear of reprisal (2656).

Clinics that provide abortion services have to post signs telling patients that it is not okay for someone to force an abortion on you (3075).

Well duh.

Forcing an abortion on someone is wrong. This is something abortion providers are more than aware of, and it's something that they never actually do. In fact, a patient is always notified of their rights beforehand. The signs are unnecessary, They're only there to scare the patients by implying that it is something a provider might do.

It is also very wrong indeed to force someone to not have an abortion if they want one. Are they posting signs in anti-choice crisis pregnancy centers? No. In fact they're giving them more leeway to do their deceptions, scare tactics, and shaming effectively. They're also giving abusive and controlling boyfriends, husbands, parents, and "friends" the leg up they need to continue the abuse and control.

It's a distraction tactic. The abortion provider is painted as a villainous shadowy figure to make it easier for the man (or woman, or persons, etc.) behind the curtain to pull the strings to their will.

So much for a woman's free will.

There's Brave and Then There's Friggin' Brave

2010-02-25T09:17:00.000-06:00

Angie Jackson, a blogger, is blogging, tweeting, and creating videos for youtube while having an abortion (medication, RU-486) in order to demistify it. While the video may slight some women seeking abortions for whom this is is a "big deal" it is wonderful that Angie not only demistifies abortion, but also clears up some of the stereotypes associated with women seeking abortion.

In the same, here's a link to another site, created by women who are not sorry about their abortion: http://www.imnotsorry.net/

It's important to not only support the right to choose, but women who have chosen.

Well....@#$%^&

2010-02-23T16:06:00.000-06:00

So, a few of those nasty bills have made it through committee.

Robin Marty at RH Reality Check has some of the gruesome details for us.

Roundup: One Bill Struck Down, Four Rise In It's Place

Legislators are now getting around the whole unconstitutional thing by breaking things down into smaller, bite sized methods of shaming and repression.

I have to admit I may have snorted coffee out of my nose when I read that Lisa Billy, writer of the HB 2780 (the ultrasound one) said:

“This bill is about choice for women. It is an opportunity for her to understand what is growing inside of her and the consequences.”

CHOICE? Choice? Are you kidding me? Seriously? What about the choice to be able to decide what medical procedures get done to you? The right to consent? Not to mention, ultrasounds cost money, and that's an added fee to an already pretty steap medical bill (that can't be paid for with medicaid, thanks to the Hyde amendment).

Of what consequences does Billy speak? The possible medical side effects are detailed for every patient anyway and the vast majority of abortions done in the United States are completely safe routine medical procedures.

Billy is talking about moral and religious consequences of course. She must have missed the memo on the whole separation of church and state thing. Maybe someone should give her a call, or drop her a note to let her know...

So Long, Farewell, Aufweidersehen....

2010-02-19T14:41:00.001-06:00

HB 1595 has been ruled unconstitutional. I'm sure other bits of legislation will rise away from it like hydra, but for today, victory is ours.

Can we get a hell yeah?

Women of Color and Abortion

2010-02-19T11:52:00.000-06:00

Two great articles about the anti-choice movement's perpetuation of myths surrounding women of color and abortion, both from RH Reality Check:

Stop Perpetuating Myths about Black Women and Abortion by Kelley Robinson

Women of Color and the Anti-Choice Focus on Eugenics by Pamela Merritt

40 Days of Bullying

2010-02-17T09:22:00.000-06:00

Jos over at Feministing has announced that the anti-choice campaign 40 Days for Life has started. The campaign seeks to recruit new antis to ramp up more harrassment outside of abortion clinics nationwide.

I'm not going to link to the actual 40 Days for Life campaign website (Jos already has) but they do have a list of targeted clinics on the website. No Oklahoma clinic is among them (there are three providers in the state). I don't know whether to be relieved that no one will suffer anymore harrassment than they already do, or concerned that they don't see us as much of a threat (meaning they think the tactics they're already using are working). Then again, not being on the website doesn't mean people won't try anything.

In any case, be vigilant, and if you're going to be in any of our surrounding states (Texas is getting hit pretty hard), it would be cool to contact a clinic in the area and see what you could do to help, like volunteering your time as a clinic escort.

I'm Just A Bill...

2010-02-11T14:58:00.001-06:00

Hold onto your hats, because they’re doozies.

HB 2656: Here’s one that will make you go, “Huh?” This bill says that, “…the birth of a child does not constitute a legally recognizable injury” and that damages should not be awarded to those that bring action because of the birth or rearing of a child.

Basically, you could be forced to have a kid you don’t want with no legal recourse. How freaking scary is that?

HB 2780: Makes it illegal to perform an abortion without the woman seeking the abortion being shown an ultrasound of the fetus. The technician must also provide a description of the images, the dimensions of the fetus, presence of cardiac activity, and any forming limbs.

Why this is at all necessary is unsaid. It does not in any way shape or form help with the success of the abortion. It’s a common shaming tactic developed by anti-choicers.

HB 3075: Requires a sign to be posted in any clinic providing abortion that aren’t done for the soul purpose of saving the woman’s life detailing the following, and I quote:

“Notice: It is against the law for anyone, regardless of his or her relationship to you, to force you to have an abortion. By law, we cannot perform, induce, prescribe, or provide you with the means for an abortion unless we have your freely given and voluntary consent. It is against the law to perform, induce, prescribe for, or provide you with the means for an abortion against your will. You have the right to contact any local or state law enforcement agency to receive protection from any actual or threatened physical abuse or violence.”

Well…duh. Why, exactly is this necessary? Is this what antis actually think is happening in clinics and other medical facilities that offer abortion? To me it seems like a tactic to put a big scarlet A on any provider in order to keep them from offering the service, but I do wonder if that’s what’s going through their heads. Simply because they can’t fathom why anyone would voluntarily have one?

MOAR TRIVIA

2010-02-11T09:16:00.000-06:00

The answer to yesterday's question:

Less than two percent of condoms break. When they do, it's because of:

1. An oil based lubricant was used.
2. The condom was past the experation date.
3. It was expose to extreme temperatures.
4. It was re-used.
5. It ripped while the package was opened.
6. It was unrolled before it was put on.

Now, today's question: Condoms can be made of what three materials?

Post your answers in the comments!

Anti-Choice Bills to Be Heard in Committee Tomorrow

2010-02-10T10:42:00.000-06:00

The four anti-choice bills put forth by senators Todd Lamb and Brian Bingman will be heard in Committee tomorrow. Here's a quick run down of what we're up against:

SB1890: This bill prohibits sex-selective abortions. The provider is not to perform an abortion with the "knowledge" that the pregnant woman is terminating because of the fetus' sex. How one would obtain this knowlege is beyond me, as by right a woman shouldn't have to tell the doctor a damn thing about her reasoning behind the abortion. And as we know, sex selective abortions are such a rampant problem in the state of Oklahoma...

SB1891: Freedom of Conscience Act. A medical employee can bow out of any procedure that goes against their religious and moral beliefs without penalty. With the exception of the assisted suicide/euthanasia(which is illegal anyway) thing tacked onto the end of it, the majority of procedures they're exempt from have something to do with abortion or stem cell research.

SB1902: Regulation of RU-486. Standard medical practice in some places, until you get to section F. This one plainly states that "the father of the unborn child" or its "maternal grandparent" can file a suit against the abortion provider if they aren't keen on the decision that the woman in question has made about her own body.

SB2216 The Statistical Abortion Reporting Act. We talked about this one when it was called HB1595.

It's important to note that all of these bills contain language that humanize the fetus, and dehumanize the woman seeking termination. They want words on the books that give fetuses personhood. Woman's personhood is immaterial. They make abortion providers sound like psychopaths doing violence to others.

Step Right Up

2010-02-10T09:17:00.000-06:00

Now don't everybody raise your hand at once.

The answers to yesterday's questions:

1. 1850 B.C.

2. The most common are mint, strawberry, grape, banana, chocolate, orange, cola, vanilla....but really, any flavor you can think of. Snozberries even.

Now todays question: What are the most common reasons comdoms "break"?

Who Wants to be a....

2010-02-09T08:58:00.000-06:00

There was no post yesterday (technical difficulties)so you get two condom trivia questions for the price of one:

1. What year can the first condom be traced to?

2. In what flavors can you buy condoms and lubricants?

Your reward for the right answer is a good time had by all. Isn't that better than a million bucks? Answer wisely!

Go Team Trust!

2010-02-04T12:37:00.000-06:00

It is really, really, nice to see men standing up for the women in their lives, and publicly acknowledging the fact that , "Hey, women are human beings and capable of the same rational thought as we are." What a concept.

P.S. For the love of little ducks, if you believe in the separation of head and desk/wall, do not read the comments on that video.

101 Reasons Why Antis Are Misogynists

2010-02-02T08:58:00.000-06:00

Amanda Marcotte at RH Reality Check has the real reasons why antis are against choice. It would be hilarious, except for the part where people actually think like this. People in prominent positions. Yikes.

Also, six more weeks of winter says the groundhog. We figured that's how long it would take to get all this ice off of our roads and sidewalks anyway Phil, but thanks for the heads up.

P.S. National Condom Week is next week, stay tuned for some groovy condom week trivia, starting Monday the 8th.

Domestic Abuse: Abusive Men Often Sabotage Birth Control - ABC News

2010-01-25T13:31:00.000-06:00

Domestic Abuse: Abusive Men Often Sabotage Birth Control - ABC News

We Ain't Going Back Y'all

2010-01-22T11:15:00.000-06:00

Today marks the 37th anniverisary of the landmark Roe v. Wade case, the case that made abortion legal for women in the United States (as I'm sure you know). While some have been hard at work chipping away at it, bit by bit, others have fought hard, sometimes giving their lives for it. The late Dr. Tiller is of course the most recent example.

I'm lucky enough to have been around for 23 of those anniversary years, born long after the verdict. However, I have seen the pictures and heard the stories of what it was like before. That's not a world I would ever want to live in. It baffles me that there are some out there who think women who seek abortion deserve those coat hangers or other awful makeshift contraptions and slow painful deaths. I don't understand why they would dare call themselves pro-life after making those statements, but whatever.

Roe v. Wade has been in constant danger of being overturned. Antis are hard at work beating it down with rabid ferocity, the voice of reason long leaving their arguments, and frankly I'm scared because they're everywhere, and sometimes they get through our defenses. We must be constantly vigilant, but we have to sleep sometime.

All I know is that I will not know that horror that came before. Nor will my nieces, or my children if I so choose to have them. It's simply not an option. Plain and simple.

A Good STOPPing Point

2010-01-20T10:58:00.000-06:00

Since Oklahoma ranks sixth in the nation for teen pregnancy, and we have a massive rural population, I think this piece on RH Reality Check by Dr. Janice Keys on teen pregnacy prevention activities in South Carolina is particularly enlightening:

STOPP Unintended Teen Pregnancy

Sacred Institutions

2010-01-14T09:31:00.001-06:00

While all has been deafeningly quiet on the anti-choice front, state rep. Sally Kern has introduced a bill trying to put restrictions on yet another of the worlds not so fun realities; divorce. If HB 2279 goes into affect in November, divorces will not be granted on the grounds of incompatibility if there are children present in the marriage, the couple has been together for more than ten years, or one of the parties objects to the divorce.

Which, in a nutshell, means this:

1. The kids will just have to suffer through it until their parent's fighting escalates into one of the other categories.

2. A couple who has been together for ten years is incapable of rationally realizing when it just won't work anymore.

3. One half of the couple will just have to be miserable until they decide to jump into one of the other categories.

Evidently being a state representative automatically makes you a trained marriage counselor. Who knew?

Persons of Interest

2010-01-05T11:04:00.000-06:00

Something is rotten in Kansas, and its name is Senator Brownback. Brownback is vying for governor of the state and according to RH Reality Check, might just get his way. A scary prospect for reproductive rights all around, given Brownback’s extremely (some might say, crazy) hard lined edge against abortion and reproductive choice.

Congratulations are in order for Amanda Simpson whom has become the first transgendered person to be presidentially appointed. Simpson is now Senior Technical Adviser to the Commerce Department. Wonderful news, but the comments on that article will ruin your day; every childish sophomoric epithet you can think of is hurled at Simpson.

It is unfortunate to report that feminist philosopher and theologian Mary Daly has passed away at the age of 81. Daly had an extreme way of viewing the feminist movement (very anti male, even anti-trans), but was no less influential to it.

Global Goodies

2009-12-30T14:06:00.000-06:00

Because it's a bit of a slow news day, the OK Voice of Reason blog would like to expand its horizons for a post with some global stuff.
RH Reality Check has a great Top 10 year end review for reproductive rights wins both local and abroad.

The non-profit organization S.H.E. is working to provide women with eco-friendly menstruation products. Women in lesser develope countries miss on average of 50 days a year due to menstruation and not having the resources to buy sanitary products.

3 Sisters Adventure Trekking is an all woman owned Nepalese tour guide service operated by the NGO Empowering Women of Nepal, which seeks to benefit the women of Nepal and also operates a Child Labor Rescue center.

The Rule

2009-12-29T15:58:00.000-06:00

After reading critique after critique of all the isms present in James Cameron's Avatar, ensuring that I will not be seeing it any time soon (in theaters, anyway), I came across this nifty little rule from a 1985 strip of the comic Dykes to Watch Out For in which a character details her criteria for movies that she is willing to see: The Bechdel Test

There are only three parts to the rule:
1. There has to be at least two female characters.
2. They talk to each other.
3. About something other than a guy.

It's depressing how many of my favorite movies don't make one or more of the criteria (and I know Sherlock Holmes will probably blow it big time and I'm still going to see it), and a lot of the films that do can hardly be touted as feminist, but it's a great (if simplistic) start for eyeballing gender politics in film.

Even Our Heroes Are Denied Reproductive Rights

2009-12-21T14:13:00.000-06:00

From the BBC: Pregnancy becomes a punishable offense under Major General Anthony Cucolo in the U.S. Army. Evidently sending women home wasn't punishment enough.

Let us not forget that military hospitals are also banned from providing any abortion services (unless in the case of rape or life endangerment, which you have to pay for out of pocket).

Oh, and you can't have sex in a war zone either. Something that I bet disproportionately affects female soldiers, because they're the ones that can potentially carry the evidence.

So, why civilian American women can benefit (to a certain extent, no thanks to the Hyde amendment) from Roe v. Wade, according to Alternet it looks like female soldiers are resorting to unsafe methods of abortion. It's extremely depressing that female soldiers are forbidden from the very freedoms they defend.

And Another Thing...

2009-12-18T14:36:00.000-06:00

Since Oklahoma is second only to Mississippi for female incarceration rate, I thought this was worth sharing: How Does Somebody Have a Baby in Jail Without Anybody Noticing?" The Awful Plight of Pregnant Prisoners

The treatment these women have to go through is absolutely apalling. Access to competent and timely reproductive health care (and just health care, period) is the right of every human being. One does not stop being a human being when they are incarcerated.

One of These Things Is Not Like the Other

2009-12-18T13:26:00.000-06:00

Awesome: According to Feministing, A Virginia Planned Parenthood affiliate has started offering Pro-Choice liscense plates for sale, proceeds of which will go towards preventative care. Wonderful news, because anti-choice liscense plates are all over the place here in Oklahoma (I could probably count at least one every day), and if one fairly conservative state can do it, maybe we can too. I've only seen a few pro-choice plates, and that was when I lived in Honolulu.

So totally not awesome in any way shape or form: According to RH Reality Check the anti-choice group Human Life Alliance has started telling victims of rape and incest gestating their attacker's fetus is a great way to start the healing process. As always, these fellas never cease to amaze us with the crazy.

Thanksgiving Message to Kate Moss: Bite Me

2009-11-25T10:49:00.000-06:00

In an interview with some online beauty magazine called WWD, Kate Moss claims that this particular quote is her motto: "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels."

Now many women in the feministing online community have set out posting exactly what tastes better than skinny feels. Just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday, I would like to add the seven that I can think up right off the top of my head:

1. Potatoes of any variety : Mashed, fried, chips, raw even.
2. Egg rolls.
3. Pineapple pizza.
4. Pumpkin pie.
5. Mountain dew.
6. Coffee.
7. gourmet cupcakes.

50 is the new 40

2009-11-18T10:00:00.000-06:00

The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force has decided that routine mammograms should start at 50, not the original 40. The group is comprised of 16 healthcare experts. However, no oncologists are present on the task force. Women under 50 should weigh the pros and cons of getting mammograms because of the risks and anxieties caused by a false positive.

My thinking, and certainly every woman’s mileage may vary, is “better safe than sorry”. I would much rather have a biopsy in my forties, even if it is a false positive, than have one in my fifties and find out I have advanced cancer because I didn’t get it done in my forties. Catching it early is so important that I would think it would be worth the anxiety caused by a false positive. Women aren’t fragile little flowers that must be protected from“psychological harms.” We can deal with the stress, if it means saving our lives.

Women who get breast cancer in their thirties and forties do exist (see the article linked below), and that to me is enough to keep the age at 40 (or even lower it) statistical significance be damned.
The American Cancer Society will not change their guidelines, and I think I’ll go with the group that has worked to eliminate various forms of cancer since 1913 (as the American Society for the Control of Cancer) over a task force with 16 members, government or no.

Read Kathleen Reardon’s piece in the Huffington Post, she was diagnosed at 32.

What do you think?

Bit O' Updates

2009-11-12T12:43:00.000-06:00

President Obama is not happy with the Stupak-Pitts amendment’s language. While he's not making any deep assertions, at least he's not interested in seeing the status quo change one way or the other.

Senator Barbara Boxer of California is confident that the Senate has enough votes to block the amendment. Boy do we hope she's right.

Be! Agressive! B! E! Agressive!

2009-11-11T11:18:00.000-06:00

As I’ve mentioned previously, it’s wonderful to see so many people riled up over choice. Many Oklahoma university women’s and gender studies departments and organizations are mobilizing effectively, as can be witnessed in previous posts. If this is what we see now, imagine what the response will be when the Oklahoma legislation is actually in session come February 1st.

Constant vigilance is key. We need to stay pumped, not just for our state, but for our country. While we in Oklahoma were rejoicing over the brief respite from HB1595 (mind you, it will be back), another piece of junky legislation was being tacked onto the U.S. House health care reform bill; the Stupak-Pitts amendment.

According to Laurie Rubiner, PPFA Vice President for Public Policy and Advocacy, the Stupak-Pitts amendment not only prohibits coverage of abortion in the public option, but also prohibits private insurers from providing abortion coverage in their subsidized plans. To offer abortion at all they would have to offer two plans—one subsidized with no abortion coverage, another unsubsidized with abortion coverage.

It is sincerely doubtful that they will actually bother to do this. I’m sure private insurers are already annoyed at the prospect of having to work with subsidies at all. Not to mention women don’t exactly plan for an unplanned pregnancy, so they might skip the abortion coverage in favor of the subsidy. What it all boils down to; despite the presence of health care reform, millions more women would be without abortion coverage than ever before. Despite being insured, more women would have to pay out of pocket if they needed an abortion. For a surgical abortion, the costs start at around $500.

There has been speculation that the amendment was tacked onto the bill by health care reform opposition in order to sink it. However, many representatives saw through this and voted it in anyway (despite great trepidation from some). So it stands, for the time being.

Now it’s the senate’s turn to draft a bill, and then the House and senate will merge the two by consensus and Obama will give the final version his signature. Now is the time to make sure that this amendment goes no further. Some representatives are confident that Stupak will not make it to the final vote. It is up to all of us to make sure that it will not.

So stay active people, in the state and the nation. If you don’t know who your representatives or senators are in Oklahoma, please follow the following links, look them up, and give them a call.

Oklahoma House of Representatives
Oklahoma State Senate

Power to the People!

2009-11-06T15:53:00.000-06:00

Today was a beautiful day at the capitol both literally and figuratively! At least a hundred men and women from diverse backgrounds across the state turned out in support of choice at the rally today located on the steps of the Capitol Building.

The rally, orchestrated by the wonderful O.U. Women’s Studies Associations and Oklahomans for Reproductive Justice, featured a wide array of speakers, including students, faculty, and our very own Director of External Affairs, Keri Parks. However, everyone was invited to come up to the podium and share their story!

I daresay not a hand was without a sign, nor did a voice go unspoken. Several of the classic slogans and rallying songs were deployed by all ages. For many, this was their first taste of activism. Others have been doing this for a lot longer. A number of women mentioned that this reminded them when they had been to the capitol 27 years previously to rally for the equal rights amendment.

Good riddance to the apathy that young people have been known for. Long live choice!

Lets keep the momentum going through February fellas!

UCO Provides Voice of Reason at Anti-Choice Exhibit

2009-11-04T16:16:00.000-06:00

An anti-choice organization known as Justice For All has set up a gruesome exhibit on the south side of the UCO campus. For your viewing pleasure, you can witness just about every myth, circular argument, and scare tactic employed by this type of extremist group. The usual photos taken out of context and photo shopped images are present, as are those nice fellows standing around the exhibit. The ones that are all too happy to argue with you until you acquiesce or ignore them.

These people are not there to create dialogue, they are there to cajole, intimidate, shame, and manipulate you into adopting their point of view.

Fortunately, The UCO chapter of NOW in conjunction with the UCO Women’s Studies Student Association has put together a wonderful counter-display located on the opposite side of the exhibit to provide a voice of reason where there was none before. The wealth of information they supply refutes many of the claims asserted by Justice for All. Planned Parenthood was honored to lend them their support today, and we were delighted to see so many students getting involved in pro-choice activities. We even had a number of students just passing by become spontaneous volunteers! Thanks everyone!

Planned Parenthood loves to see everyone get involved, especially students!

On Friday, November 6th, we will be participating in the pro-choice rally at the Oklahoma State Capitol! Come and show your support for reproductive rights! We hope to see you there!

Holiday Activism at its Finest

2009-10-30T09:38:00.000-05:00

PPNYC has some wonderful Pro-Choice costume ideas for Halloween up! I want to be an I.U.D. now!

Double Yay on a Wednesday!

2009-10-28T09:45:00.001-05:00

Ebay has stopped the creepy pro-life memorabilia auction for Scott Roeder, murderer of Dr. George Tiller, because it violates their policy. Source: Kansas City Star

And

According to USA Today President Obama will be signing into law the The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. This law makes assaulting someone based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, or disablity a federal crime. So this new federal law comes not a moment too soon, as a recent incident in Tulsa makes it all too clear that this law is a necessary one. Oklahoma excludes sexual orientation in its own hate crimes law, but thankfully federal law trumps state law.

Now, if we could just add profession to that...

Laugh for the day...

2009-10-22T16:07:00.002-05:00

There is JUSTICE!

2009-10-13T16:38:00.000-05:00

Almost 20 years after the brutal rape of 8-year-old Jennifer Schuett, her attacker was arrested on Tuesday. "This event 19 years ago was a tragic one. I stand here wanting you to know I am OK," Schuett said. "I am not a victim. I am victorious."

Click here to read the entire story. We're behind you 100% Jennifer!

Weighing in on Roman...

2009-10-06T11:32:00.000-05:00

I think that we need to get some sort of clarity here. On the news and in the celebrity world I hear them saying that Polanski had sex with a 13-year-old girl. In what realm does a grown man have sex with someone who has barely reached puberty whom he also drugged and we call it sex? That's a distortion.

We have a better word in the lexicon for what happen: rape. We might choose two more: sexual abuse. Or two others: child abuse. Even our arch-conservative paper here in Oklahoma City failed to call a spade a spade as they so often relish doing when liberal people do something wrong.

I think this has wider implications for the role and perception of women in society. Imagine, for a second, if Polanski had had sex with a 13 year-old boy. The media, especially conservative outlets, would scream about that as child abuse or molestation. What, then, are the different dynamics here? Is it more acceptable for men to have sex with women or girls because that's just the way things are. Men should be pleasured-- especially a powerful and artistic one? No one said that when Michael Jackson was up for similar charges but with young men.

I find the double standards disgusting. What are your thoughts? Is sex just sex regardless of age? If so, surely it should be so regardless of the gender makeup of the participants. Otherwise, we need to call out aggregeous things for what they are: violations of the law-- not to mention personal dignity. To use tranquil language, sex, in the face of violence, is wrong and misleading.