Category: Women’s Health Issues

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Texas Refuses Govt Funding to Clinics Providing Abortion

 

Reuters just reported that the Obama Administration stated it would shut down a program that provided medical care services to over 100,000 low-income women in Texas, as the state refused funding for clinics that provide abortions. Why are we so set on increasing our population and burdening poor women who are already barely getting by – just because we are  selfish and short-sighted!? We must stop this never-ending war on women.

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Limbaugh

Limbaugh: A Sexist, Disgusting Asshole!

Today Limbaugh once again showed what a sexist asshole he is when he called the female law student who was denied a spot at the Contraception Hearing a “Slut” and “Prostitute” on his radio show.

First of all, Limbaugh just doesn’t get it! The whole point Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke was trying to make was that women often need birth control for non-contraception related medical reasons, such as managing ovarian cysts, which otherwise lead to serious complications and surgeries. Sandra Fluke’s whole point was that some female college students need birth control not because the are sluts or prostitutes or as Limbaugh put it “want to be paid for sex” but because they may face serious medical issues if they don’t take their birth control.

And then, to top it off – Limbaugh manages to somehow add insult to injury by suggesting that this Georgetown law student should post sex videos online (I guess so that everyone can see what they “paid” for).

He never bothered to actually consider what she may have had to say – and automatically concluded that she must be a slut if she is standing up for her rights.

Read more at MSNBC

contraception hearing 2

Women Boycott House Contraception Hearing

 

Women boycotted the House Contraception Hearing today in DC., to fight against the fact that House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) prevented women from testifying in a hearing examining Obama’s new regulation requiring employers and insurers to pay for employee contraception coverage. Roy Blunt and other Republicans have introduced legislation that would allow any employer to deny birth control coverage for any reason to their female employees.

Read more at Alternet

birth control

Petition: Women’s Right to Contraceptive Access

Republican senator Roy Blunt has introduced an amendment that would allow any employer to deny birth control coverage for any reason. It is 2012, and birth control pills are a normal part of modern life. Yet, if this bill passes, women’s freedom to access health-care will be severely limited! Your boss shouldn’t decide what kind of health care you use.

Imagine if a male birth control pill existed – how do you think people would respond to such an issue in relation to religious freedom and employer choices over employee healthcare options? This whole debate is utterly ridiculous and insulting.

We need to come together  and use our collective power to fight these crazy bills. You can help stop Sen. Blunt’s amendment by adding your name to 150,000 other signatures on Kirsten Gillibrand’s petition that demands women are guaranteed access to the health care they need and deserve.

Komen-Planned-Parenthood

Komen for the Cure Vs. Planned Parenthood

The nation’s leading breast-cancer charity, Komen for the Cure is reportedly ending its financial relationship with Planned Parenthood affiliates. Komen for the cure provided hundreds of thousands of grants to Planned Parenthood mostly for breast-exam related costs.

Huffington Post reports,

“Planned Parenthood says the move results from Komen bowing to pressure from anti-abortion activists. Komen says the key reason is that Planned Parenthood is under investigation in Congress – a probe launched by a conservative Republican who was urged to act by anti-abortion groups.The rupture, which has not been publicly announced as it unfolded, is wrenching for some of those who’ve learned about it and admire both organizations.”

Read more here.

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Obama & Gender Equality at State of the Union

To court the female and lgbt vote, Obama made several specific comments about gender equality: 

“You see, an economy built to last is one where we encourage the talent and ingenuity of every person in this country. That means women should earn equal pay for equal work. It means we should support everyone who’s willing to work; and every risk-taker and entrepreneur who aspires to become the next Steve Jobs.”

and,

“Which brings me back to where I began. Those of us who’ve been sent here to serve can learn from the service of our troops. When you put on that uniform, it doesn’t matter if you’re black or white; Asian or Latino; conservative or liberal; rich or poor; gay or straight. When you’re marching into battle, you look out for the person next to you, or the mission fails. When you’re in the thick of the fight, you rise or fall as one unit, serving one Nation, leaving no one behind.”

and,

“I’m confident a farmer can contain a milk spill without a federal agency looking over his shoulder. But I will not back down from making sure an oil company can contain the kind of oil spill we saw in the Gulf two years ago. I will not back down from protecting our kids from mercury pollution, or making sure that our food is safe and our water is clean. I will not go back to the days when health insurance companies had unchecked power to cancel your policy, deny you coverage, or charge women differently from men.”

Read the full speech

squatting childbirth

Benefits of Squatting for Childbirth

Even though most women give birth while on their backs, research overwhelmingly shows that this is the worst position to be in during childbirth.

Advantages of squatting include:

  • Shortened pushing phase (2nd stage of labor)
  • Decreased need for forcep deliveries
  • Reduced need for episiotomy
  • Shortened birth canal depth
  • Decreased labor time due, because we are  working with gravity
  • Pelvic diameter is increased

This is because squatting tilts the pelvis and uterus forward, properly aligning the baby for successful birth. Squatting also increases the frequency and intensity of contractions, while the position also relieves back pressure. These many advantages of squatting during childbirth have long been known and documented via research, yet practitioners continue to promote a supine position for their own convenience. But what about you?

Read more on about.com and wikipedia

Immortal Woman: Henrietta Lacks & HeLa Cells

When I was reading “6 People You’ve Never Heard Of Who Probably Saved Your Life” I was especially struck by the story of Henrietta Lacks, a poor tobacco farmer and mother of five, whose cells (called HeLa cells) have been reproduced over the last 60 years to help research cancer, AIDS, radiation, gene mapping,  and countless other things.

Not only that, but her cells helped save the lives of millions of children during a polio epidemic in 1952. Cracked.com notes, “Name a disease and Henrietta’s remarkable, unsung role in human history was to help find some way to cure it.”

I would have to say, Henrieta Lacks is a pretty kick-ass Woman!

Read more on Henrietta Lacks and HeLa cells on Wikipedia!

Disappearing Daughters in India

A shocking and horrifying video that will bring nausea to your stomach and put a lump in your throat. The expensive cost of dowry for the woman’s family, as well as the low status of women in general has lead to a nationwide trend of killing daughters. Families have become quite sophisticated in their elimination procedures, which include ultrasounds and abortions. The video below suggests that the issue has become so severe, that many men are unable to find a wife in certain Indian villages. Watch the video below:

Interview w. Awesome Woman Steph, creator of I am Dr. Tiller.com!

Check out our 5 Questions w. Awesome Women page.We have a new interview with the creator of the site IamDrTiller.com and creator of the Safe Abortion Project. She is a tireless fighter and advocate for women’s rights and especially women’s reproductive rights. She is a frequent lecturer and guest speaker on the Women’s Rights circuit because of her inspiring work and accomplishments. Steph is an inspiration to us all! Thanks for your work Steph!

Don’t Take Your Reproductive Rights For Granted

by Kate Pittman:

If you haven’t been paying attention to the anti-abortion, anti-contraception, anti-woman legislation that is currently being put forth and passed in state and national government, it’s time to wake up.  The ultra-conservative anti-choice religious right has gained a very loud and powerful voice in government while we, the women who believe in reproductive freedom, stand by.  Far too often it seems we have no voice at all.  I watch in horror as I read about each new attack on my body and my life.

The individual laws requiring biased counseling, restrictions on insurance coverage for abortion and contraceptives, waiting periods, restrictions on method, and other attempts to reduce our reproductive rights are too numerous to list here.  But you should know how serious this is right at this very moment.  Please check these links if you have any doubt the Tea Party has something on its agenda other than jobs, jobs, jobs:

Center For Reproductive Rights, Can You Afford a Huge Step Back?

When States Punish Women

Planned Parenthood Action Center

Yes, this is personal to me and it should be personal to anyone who is a woman who believes that she has the ability to make the right choices for herself in her own life.  What can be more personal than the choice to have a child?  Yet there are many who seem to think I am incapable of making serious choices about my life.  I boil over with rage when I read about my rights being infringed upon by people who purport to want to “protect life.”

Let us be clear about one thing: this battle is not about life.  It is not about saving unborn fetuses from murder.  It is an attack on women’s sexual freedom, and consequently women’s autonomy, plain and simple.

When you get right down to it, you would be hard-pressed to find many people in the world who think abortion is a good thing.  The overwhelming majority of pro-choice people will tell you that we also believe that if you don’t want to have a baby, the absolute best course of action is to never get pregnant in the first place.  Women do not choose abortion lightly.  Yet there are those who seem to believe that we are incapable of knowing when we are ready to raise a child.  These are the same people, by the way, who are always proclaiming that the government should stay out of our personal lives.  Oh, unless they disagree with the way we live those lives.  They always seem to forget to add that part.

A woman, in this view, is nothing but a walking, talking set of reproductive organs.

If the Anti-Choice movement really cared about reducing the number of abortions, they would focus on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies.  Yet they do just the opposite, taking every opportunity to reduce sexual education and availability of contraceptives.

Making abortion illegal does not stop abortion.  Making it difficult to obtain an abortion by adding obstacles ensures that the only people who will still be able to choose whether or not to abort a pregnancy are the rich, who can afford to travel to a place where abortion is available.  Relegating abortion to back alleys only harms women, and is sometimes even fatal;  it does not save fetuses.  When a woman wants to make this decision, she will find a way to make it.  When abortion is legal and safe, women are protected.  When abortion is illegal and hidden, we are not.

This is a scary time for anyone who believes in reproductive freedom.  According to the Guttmacher Institute, in the first quarter of 2011 alone, 916 measures related to reproductive health and rights have been introduced in the 49 legislatures that held regular sessions.  Seven states enacted 15 new laws on these issues.

Laws Affecting Reproductive Health Rights: Trends in the First Quarter of 2011

If you feel strongly about these issues, now is the time to stand up.  Let your voice be heard.  Make sure to vote.  Don’t let their voices be louder than ours.