feminist blogs

The past few day's in Women's History Tidbits:

March 11, 1923: Agatha Barbara is born in Zabbar. She will serve as president of Malta from 1982 to 1987.*
March 12, 1982: The first games of the first women's NCAA basketball tournament are held. Thirty-two teams will compete in the tournament; in 1994 the tournament will expand to a 64-team field.*
March 13, 1986: Four-time champion Susan Butcher wins the first of three straight Iditarod Trail Sled Dog races in Alaska.*


The last three days have been migraine mania for me. I won't go into details on how it came about, but suffice to say that it was an allergic reaction to a chemical. But from Wednesday evening until today when I woke up, I was rocking a world class migraine. Thankfully I have a well stocked pharmacy in my home. Of legal drugs people!

In light of my migraine mania, I thought it was a great chance to introduce or remind you of two women I consider the Queens of migraines and chronic issues:

Paula Kamen: It's hard for me to summarize Paula because while she likes to tell me that I'm everywhere, I say she was there way before me. Paula has written a play about Jane, the abortion collective from pre-Roe days, a loving tribute about her friend Finding Iris Chang and her own memoir about a 15-year migraine All in My Head. Not to mention she was one of the first people to write about young feminism. And now she's a mom of two lucky children. Seriously zip on over to her website and read up on her. You won't be disappointed.

Jenni Prokopy: AKA Chronic Babe. I met Jenni thru Cinnamon and she's always the first thing out of my mouth when a woman tells me she's been diagnosed with a chronic disease/illness/situation. "You have to go to ChronicBabe Dot Com." As Jenni says, she's got chronic diseases but she's still a babe! It took me a long time to identify as a Chronic Babe. What's lifelong suffering of environmental allergies compared to say Type 1 diabetes or fibromyalgia? Well, I think a lot considering that a 30-year-old-runny nose is pretty chronic. Plus the sneezing, stuffy nose and itchy, watery eyes.

In my mid-twenties I started to have migraines. At first I put all the blame on my birth control pills. I think they were partially to blame. After weighting the pros and cons of menstruation suppression, I figured that it's not just my pills. Despite my allergies having killed off a lot of my sense of smell, I am sensitive to some smells. I also get migraines if I don't eat & sleep well in a small period of time. So I know if I'm pulling a long day, I better fortify myself well.

As I try to catch up on the world after my migraine coma, I salute the two Chicago women who have this community covered.


* Source: 2010 Women Who Dare Engagement Calendar from the Library of Congress

After removing the word "reckless," this appalling bill has been signed by Governer Gary Herbert in Utah. The language of the bill was edited but originally proposed that "reckless and unintentional" death of a fetus would be criminalized, as in, a miscarriage.

Gov. Gary Herbert signed into law Monday a bill that would allow a woman who arranges an illegal abortion to be charged with criminal homicide.

The new law is in response to a case last year where a 17-year-old pregnant girl paid a man $150 to beat her in hopes of inducing a miscarriage. A judge ruled there was no law on Utah's books allowing the mother to be charged with a crime.

This language isn't really much better. Instead of recognizing that it could only be the most oppressive circumstances that would lead a young woman to have someone beat her in hopes of inducing a miscarriage, and therefore creating legislation that protects young women, they legislate against women.

Image via Wikipedia A study released this week has shown that racial minorities in the U.S. are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia than whites are, suggesting once again how powerful the link between social status and health can be. When people write about intersectionality, it can seem impersonal: this force and that [...]

There are two events happening at Rutgers in March and in April that are directly related to reproductive justice and women’s rights worldwide.  The first one is being hosted by the Rutgers Women’s Law Forum.  It is a screening of Mrs. Goundo’s Daughter, which is a documentary about a woman’s struggle to obtain asylum in the American immigration system.  If she is deported to Mali, she will have to bring her daughter with her, who would then be subject to Female Genital Mutilation, or excision.  Approximately 90% of women and girls in Mali are subject to FGM, some as young as two days old, which can lead to infection, reproductive problems, and death.  It is an ancient tradition, linked by some to Islam, that many people are fighting against in local communities, at the statewide level, and across the world.  The movie Mrs. Goundo’s Daughter explores not only the cultural and social issues surrounding FGM in Mali, but also reviews the legal process by which Mrs. Goundo attempts to protect her daughter from FGM. (more…)

As I sat in the audience at Friday’s symposium on “Law, Gender & Citizenship: Contemporary Issues for American Indians and American Immigrants,” I was shocked by what I learned about the endemic sexual violence perpetrated against Native American women in the United States.  Data indicates that a minimum of one out of three Native American women has been the victim of sexual violence.  One of the speakers shared that in conducting her research she had yet to talk with a Native American woman who had not been the victim of sexual violence.  Research further shows that 80% of perpetrators of these crimes are non-Native American persons.  High rates of women being violently sexually assaulted by men not of her ethnic or racial group, like this, are the type of statistics I have come to associate with war zones rather than common life experiences. 

The violence perpetrated against Native American women, however, is only one of the many offenses carried out against them.  The U.S. government under the responsibilities assigned to Indian Health Services (HIS) is responsible for providing all health care services Native American Indians.  However, the U.S. government and IHS have failed to meet this mandate.  Native American Indians must often travel long distances to reach health facilities whose services are limited.  (more…)

Today is the U.S. National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers.

In a different world, doctors who provide abortions would just be regular doctors. In this one, they — along with the nurses, administrative staff, and volunteers who work along side them — are uniquely courageous. For providing routine medical care, abortion providers face harassment, ostracization, protesters, threats, violence, and as with Dr. George Tiller, even murder. Giving up their jobs would be far, far easier than doing them.

But legalization of abortion is absolutely nothing without access. Just like those who try to frighten them out of their work, abortion providers know this. And so they continue, even in the face of danger. They do the best they can, in spite of the restrictions they must adhere to and the roadblocks thrown in their patients’ way, to ensure that everyone has a right to their own body, and that no one is forced to carry a pregnancy to term when they cannot or do not want to. Abortion providers are, quite frankly, heroes.

If you know someone who works in an abortion clinic, take them out to dinner, buy them some flowers, or just sit them down and tell them that you appreciate what they do. If there’s a clinic that performs abortions near you, drop in and say a quick thanks. And if you’re online reading this right now, head on over to the National Abortion Federation website, and write a note of appreciation.

If you’re able, today would also be an excellent day to financially support those organizations that make abortion access possible. The National Abortion Federation (NAF) is a professional association of abortion providers in the United States and Canada, that offers training for abortion providers and referrals for patients. The National Network of Abortion Funds helps women with limited funds to afford their abortions. And Medical Students for Choice work to destigmatize abortion care and make it a regular part of medical training. They would all be worthy of any donation you could give.

The Sexual and Reproductive Rights Situation Report is a monthly column devoted to international policy issues and current events around these critical rights. Although each disaster is unique, the humanitarian community, including NGOs, government agencies and multilaterals, has begun to attempt to learn from previous disaster response efforts to improve upon outcomes.  After the earthquake in [...]

Washington, DC will become the first city in the US to incorporate female condom distribution in its fight against HIV/AIDS. The city’s HIV rates are notoriously high, with rates reaching 3% of the population– higher than West African statistics, and about on par with Kenya and Uganda. The initiative will include providing free female condoms in salons, schools, and convenience stores in high-risk areas.

The motivation for the measure is to empower more girls and women to take control of their sexual health:

Officials said they are turning to female condoms to give women more power to protect themselves from HIV and sexually transmitted diseases when their partners refuse to use protection.

It’s a noble cause, but I am skeptical about its effectiveness. I wonder how many men who refuse to use male condoms will be open to female condom use. Its not as if female condoms are completely inconspicuous. It seems to me that men’s attitudes toward condom usage is the most important factor here. However, I do think that by offering only male condoms, DC (and other cities) is placing an unspoken onus on the man to decide on protection, while the women remain in a more passive role. The inclusion of female condoms creates an attitude that women are active participants, empowered to make health decisions in sexual encounters.

DC has been widely criticized for not properly curtailing its HIV/AIDS problem. The city’s failure to reduce HIV infection, coupled with controversy about HIV organizations’ extravagant travel expenses and missing tax returns, has prompted campaigns such as the one shown below. This poster, prominently featured all over DC, compares Washington’s HIV negligence  to the Bush Administration’s failures during Katrina.

Via The Washington Post

The District will become the first city in the United States to distribute female condoms free, part of a project that will make 500,000 of them available in beauty salons, convenience stores and high schools in parts of the city with high HIV rates.

City officials said the distribution could begin within the next three weeks in parts of wards 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7, where a study showed that large numbers of African American heterosexuals engage in risky sexual behavior that could easily lead to infection.

The move is an official acknowledgment of the futility of relying solely on the use of male condoms, which have been distributed citywide for nearly a decade, to stem the District's epidemic of HIV and AIDS. Officials said they are turning to female condoms to give women more power to protect themselves from HIV and sexually transmitted diseases when their partners refuse to use protection.

On January 1, 2010, I began a three-year service on the Board of Directors of Planned Parenthood of San Diego and Riverside Counties.  Last week, I experienced my first event as an official board member by attending the President’s Council Speaker Series at one of our local affiliates.  I was one of the first to arrive, and since I am new to the board, I only knew a handful of people.  However, I eventually found myself speaking with Dawn and Connie, two members of the community who feel incredibly committed to serving Planned Parenthood and its mission.  They recounted how they worked as volunteers for Planned Parenthood when they were in college in the 70’s and now that they are retired, they are feeling an urge to volunteer again.  These women were lovely to speak with; they were funny, intelligent, and passionate.  And then Dawn said, “Now tell me, Jenn.  Why are you the youngest person in this room?  Why aren’t more people your age here?”  I turned around and noticed that the reception area had filled with more than a hundred people in the time I had spent getting to know my new acquaintances . . . and they were right.  Aside from the Planned Parenthood staff, I was the youngest guest in attendance—it was easy to tell that everyone else was from a completely different generation.  And then it really hit me—why am I the only 20-something in this room?  Why aren’t my peers more represented?  Why aren’t more law students here? Aren’t law students interested in protecting “people’s rights”?

            Law students are busy.*  There’s no denying that.  And it can be difficult to motivate students to attend an event where there may not be many lawyers present.  But women (and men) worked hard to gain the rights my generation often takes for granted.  We forget that there was a time when our mothers and grandmothers couldn’t walk into their nearest health clinic and walk out with a year supply of birth control, no questions asked.  Many of us may enjoy certain rights today, but that doesn’t mean those rights aren’t limited for many people out there or can be taken away from the rest of us.  There are people out there actively opposing us and trying to limit our rights . . . especially our right to control our reproductive freedom.  I shouldn’t be the only 20-something in a room full of reproductive rights advocates and supporters.  I urge those of you who want to get more involved but haven’t been able to find the time, to make the time. 

 

*I realize that people may read this who are not law students.  However, this is the lens I am applying since I am a law student, surrounded on a daily basis by other law students.

 

Jenn Kish