feminist blogs

Two weeks fly by when you’re working on a campaign.  The same applies when you get the amazing opportunity to be a guest blogger on a site like Feministe.

For my last post, I just want to thank everyone for tuning into what’s going on here in South Dakota.  It is truly scary.  But, I am confident that the voters of this state will standup once again and reject this ridiculous ban.

The organizing staff and volunteers here on the ground are doing a great job getting the message out that this ban is not one with so called “exceptions.”  Instead, it is a sweeping ban that will recklessly endanger women’s health.

In case you’re interested in checking in with us from time to time, I’ll include a shameless plug for both my employers:  Planned Parenthood and the Campaign for Healthy Families.  Please stop by, and leave your comments.  We love to hear that we have support all around us. 

I hope I have an opportunity to do this again some day.  Until then, thank you for reading and for sharing your comments.

I’ve had a blast!

Vote NO on 11!

In my previous post I mentioned the recent 8th Circuit Court ruling requiring ridiculous changes to South Dakota’s already ridiculous “informed consent.”  Doctors are now forced to – among other things – tell women that by having an abortion they are increasing their risks of depression and suicide.

The other side has always clung to the “abortion hurts women” argument.  But, just recently, we have proof that this is just not the case.  Last week, the American Psychological Association released a task force report examining the relationship between women’s mental health and abortion.  The task force evaluated all empirical studies published in English-language peer-reviewed journals since 1989 comparing the mental health of women ho had an induced abortion to the mental healthy of comparison groups of women.  It also included studies that examined factors that predict mental health among women who have had an elective abortion.

What the task force found is that women who have an unplanned pregnancy have NO GREATER RISK of mental health problems from a single first-trimester abortion than from delivering that pregnancy.

This proves what we have known all along.  An unintended pregnancy is a stressful life situation for any woman, no matter what the outcome of that pregnancy.  These women are faced with a profoundly difficult decision.  They spend much time soul-searching and weighing their information and their options. That’s why it’s so critical they have ACCURATE and FULL information.  Only then can she and her family make the best decision possible. 

And, the only ones who should be involved in that complex personal decision is the woman, her family, her doctor and God.  This is not a place for inaccurate information.  This is not a place for Big Government Intrusion.

Man I’m fired up today.  I totally had a different sort of post for today.  But, something else has distracted me to no end today.

I live in Sioux Falls.  It’s the largest city in South Dakota and school just started a couple of days ago.  Every year, the district puts together a “district directory” of sorts.  It contains information on the services of the district, the schools, the principals, calendars and all that useful stuff.

It also has some advertisements included.  This year, it includes a full page color ad from a crisis pregnancy in town.   It includes quotes like “No one ever told me I would live with this decision for the rest of my life.  It’s been several year, but my grief continues.”  And, front and center in large red print:  “Abortion Hurts Women!”

I was appalled to see this strong of a political message coming out of a school district publication that is give to every household who has a child in the district.

There is no way Planned Parenthood would be allowed to purchase ad space saying “Let’s prevent abortion through comprehensive sex education and birth control.”  We’d be crucified.

Thanks for listening to me blow off steam.  I feel much better now.

Nowhere is it more difficult to obtain an abortion than it is in South Dakota.  Women who are faced with abortion are also faced with a slew of regulations and restrictions.  We are a state of parental notification, 24 hour waiting periods, women must be asked if they wish to see their sonogram, and they go through mandatory education about their options.  A recent 8th Circuit Court ruling just changed that education to include a message from the doctor where he or she must tell the patient that she is “terminating the life of a whole, separate unique, living separate human being.”  On top of that, the doctor must tell the patient that having an abortion will increase her risk of suicide and depression despite the fact that there is absolutely no proof to support this claim.

It’s no wonder anti-choice extremists chose South Dakota as their battleground, and South Dakota residents as their pawns.

There is no doubt there is a larger agenda here than merely a ban with so-called “exceptions.”  These forces have their eyes on the United States Supreme Court.  They’ve set their sights on overturning Roe vs. Wade and they think South Dakota is the place to make that happen.

Last Tuesday, national leaders from the organizations fighting this battle joined together in Washington DC to announce the fight against this measure.  I think Cecile Richards, Executive Director for Planned Parenthood Federation of America said it best:  “This law, if it was adopted, would be the most extreme anti-abortion law in the country… This ban would take the most important decision that a woman and her family can make about carrying a pregnancy to term – a complex, moral, very personal decision – and take it out of her hands and give it to Big Government.  Make no mistake, this ban would not help the health care of a single woman in the state of South Dakota.”

I’ve never worked on a political campaign before.  I’ve always been interested in politics, the political process, our nation’s history and all of that.  As a former member of the media, I covered the last abortion ban in South Dakota, but never witnessed how things operate “behind the scenes.”

I gotta tell you, I didn’t know what to expect.   It’s intense to say the least.  I love it.  But, it’s much more adrenaline-driven than my job with Planned Parenthood.

There will be an ad shoot in South Dakota in the coming month or so for the fight against Initiated Measure 11.  I have been charged with helping our ad agency secure different “sets” and locations for these political ads.  Sounded easy enough to me.  I mean, afterall, in my previous life, I used to find places to shoot stories on a daily basis.

This, however, is a whole different phenomenon.  Turns out there’s a lot more that goes into the visual of an ad than I ever imagined.  What makes the right set?  Too dark, too light, too small, too contemporary, too shiny.  That was my favorite.  Hmmm…. Where to go next?  I’ve taken the “scout” out on like a dozen different locations, and none seem to be what anyone is looking for.

It’s actually caused me a bit of a physical headache… but it’s all a learning process… and all part of this very important work we’re doing.  I just think it’s something that no one really thinks about though.  All the details… all the hard work… all the people it takes.

So, the next time you see that political ad during your favorite TV show, give an extra moment’s thought to all the work that went into making that 30 seconds a reality.

Thanks for reading.  My headache is gone.  Time to think of some more locations…. Oh yeah… I’m also in charge of wardrobe.

Hi all,

My name is Shannon and I am thrilled to be a guest blogger for the next two weeks on Feministe.  This is such an exciting opportunity for me to get the word out on yet another abortion ban in South Dakota and what’s being done to make sure these important and difficult decisions stay in the hands of a woman, her family and her doctor without Government intrusion.

First, a little background:  I spent a little more than seven years of my career out of college as a television journalist in Sioux Falls, SD.  I am a communications major from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, went to college in Ohio and then came to South Dakota for my first reporting job.  Things went well and my family  and I chose to stay.

A little over a year ago, I decided it was time to try something new and I took a job as the South Dakota Community Organizer for Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota.  Just one week ago, I came over to the South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families working in communications.  I love what I do for both organizations and cannot wait to share with you the conditions on the ground here.

I was asked to be a guest blogger here because of the work that I do for www.standupsd.com.  It’s PP’s little site dedicated to the ban we’re facing here.

In case you’re not already aware, voters will be deciding on November 4^th if abortion should be illegal in our state.  This is yet another attempt by a small group of extremists who want to push their ideology on the rest of the population. It’s something South Dakota has been dealing with for years.  Perhaps you remember 2006 when we voted down another abortion ban by 12 points, speaking loud and clear that these are personal matters, not Government matters. 

Regardless, VoteYesForLife.com managed to collect enough signatures to put a similar ban on the ballot once again in the form of Initiated Measure 11.  This time, they say they’ve included “exceptions” in the measure, but that is false.  The language of these so-called exceptions is so vague that this is in all actuality a sweeping ban on abortion.  If it passes it will be the most rigid and inflexible ban on abortion in the United States.

Over the next two weeks I will share with you how things are progressing with the campaign against Initiated Measure 11.  We can talk about the message we want the entire country to hear loud and clear:  Let Families Decide.

Till next time…