feminist blogs

It's March 10th, the National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers. But the wonderful people who work in clinics to ensure that women have access to a safe and legal abortion deserve our appreciation every single day. Their work isn't easy, but they have many reasons to stick with it. I cannot thank them enough for being there for the women who need them.

Today also marks the anniversary of Dr. David Gunn's death in 1993. He was murdered by anti-choice activist Michael Griffin in Pensacola, Florida, becoming the first abortion provider to be killed simply because he provided abortions. And supporters of reproductive justice were greatly shaken when Dr. George Tiller was murdered last May. My heart goes out to the families and friends of Dr. Gunn, Dr. Tiller, and other abortion providers/clinic workers who have lost their lives.

There are many things you can do to honor today. A simple, but powerful, action would be to send a thank you card to your local abortion provider(s) and/or clinic workers. You can also (if you have the means) make a donation to any of several organizations that work towards reproductive justice. The National Network of Abortion Funds allows you to find a local fund for low-income women who need abortions. There's also Medical Students for Choice and Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health.

Also, be sure to head over to the National Abortion Federation to add your name and thank you note to their collection.

Sign the petition here.

It's today! What are you doing to celebrate?

February 17th marked the beginning of the 40 Days of Life campaign, which is basically an excuse for anti-choicers to harass people outside clinics even more than usual for 40 whole days. If you need to access a Planned Parenthood or a similar clinic, be aware that the crazies will probably be on your ass.

BUT... oh, how I love reproductive rights activists. There is an excellent response campaign (hat tip to Feministe, who posted about this) called 4000 Years for Choice. This is especially great to check out in honor of Women's History Month. One need only take a look at their timeline to see that women have been finding ways to control their reproduction for thousands of years.

And guess what? 4000 trumps 40.

I just want to give all of you a heads up that posting might be sparse over the next week - I'm performing in The Vagina Monologues on my campus this weekend, and evidently have two exams next week, so I'm stretched pretty thin.

But I am super excited for The Vagina Monologues. This will be my fourth year in a row performing in them, and it's so wonderful every time. If you've never seen it before, I highly recommend you do. Granted, the show has its flaws, but overall it's a really empowering experience, and the proceeds always go to a wonderful cause. This year, the spotlight is women in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Search for V-Day events near you to find a production. And if I didn't convince you to see the show, I bet the below video will.

I didn't get a chance to post this earlier, due to our wonderful guest post series, but this week is:



(*It doesn't just have to be limited to condoms. It's excellent to promote other methods of safer sex as well, such as female condoms and dental dams).

Planned Parenthood's Facebook page has a bunch of things you can do to celebrate Condom Week. I got 1,000 condoms to pass out on my campus, and I'm sure my fellow students will be quite appreciative. Enjoy the week and promote safer sex!

In case anyone hasn't heard, when you sit down to watch the Superbowl on February 7th, you might have to prepare yourself to watch an anti-choice commercial. Though CBS has never allowed "issue ads" to air in the past, somehow Focus on the Family was able to get through. The ad will feature University of Florida football star Tim Tebow.

I'm betting the ad won't blatantly say "pro-life," and that's partly why it was accepted. Anti-choice activists like to use deceitful tactics to trick people into visiting their websites and their fake clinics. I predict the ad will be a hokey message of "let's celebrate family and babies because WHO DOESN'T LOVE BABIES?!" type of deal. Fast-forward to clueless Superbowl viewers saying, "Well, uh, I think family's important... and I like babies... hot damn, I'm gonna visit FocusOnTheFamily.com right now!"

And FocusOnTheFamily.com is no site to be taken lightly. Enjoy some excerpts from the stuff they're preaching:

[From the section on sexuality]

Boys and Girls Are Different:

God made boys and girls different in order for both to become lifegivers. When you are older and married, you may someday have children. Girls have babies — boys don't. Girls have the ability as they get older to birth babies. A baby is a gift from God and grows in the womb in Mom's tummy.

Affirm Your Child's Gender:

"Isn't it great to be a girl!" "What a strong boy you are." These messages affirm your child's gender identity. Do not (even jokingly ) put down or make fun of your child's gender. "What a baby" or "What a sissy" does not help your young son. Affirm your daughter's unique beauty. Let her know how special she is, particularly in Daddy's eyes.

Babies Come from God — They Should Be the Result Only of Marital Love:

Babies are all made by God. This is why we protect their life right from the beginning. How do babies come into the world? The best way for a baby to come in to the world is through the love of a married man and woman. Sadly, this doesn't happen all the time. However, God's best plan is for a baby to be born with a mother and father that are married.

[From the section on "How We Dishonor God in Our Sex Lives"]

The Challenge of Homosexuality

Male and female are not cultural constructs but God-created parts of humanity made for each other to show forth the image of God in the world. Remember Genesis 1:27: "God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."

Male and female, together, are the fullest picture of the image of God in creation. That's why they need each other. Adam wasn't complete without Eve.

Homosexuality denies this and falsely states that differences in male and female don't really matter. Nothing could be further from the truth. Homosexuality violates the Trinitarian image of complementarity in a profound way.

[From the section on Transgenderism]

We call upon all parents to take a proactive role in their children's development by providing them with a strong, Christian example of what it means to be male and female. Many of the problems associated with transgenderism, like confusion and pain, stem from a lack of parental involvement and guidance.

These people not only preach an anti-choice agenda, but also promote anti-feminist values that include reinforcing gender roles and justifying hatred against queer people. They call premarital sex a "monstrosity" and fully support the harmful practice of putting those with same-sex attractions in counseling to "fix" them. This is a dangerous site, and I worry about the consequences of exposing nearly 100 million people to it.

But of course, reproductive rights activists and feminists are not letting this slide. There are a number of online petitions you can sign and forms you can fill out to contact CBS, including one on the Feminist Majority Foundation site. I'm not sure if CBS will end up pulling the ad (I mean, $2.8 million is a lot of moo-lah), but it couldn't hurt to tell them that we're pissed off that they're allowing this. In your message, try to include some of Focus on the Family's other harmful ideals, such as their stance against LGBTQ people, and Tweet/Facebook/blog about it. We'll see what happens come February 7th.

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I've compiled a list of my favorite quotes said by Dr. King. Enjoy, and take today to remind yourself of the messages Dr. King's words sent, and also to think about what you can do to continue his work.

Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man's sense of values and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true.
-Strength To Love, 1963.

Many of the ugly pages of American history have been obscured and forgotten....America owes a debt of justice which it has only begun to pay. If it loses the will to finish or slackens in its determination, history will recall its crimes and the country that would be great will lack the most indispensable element of greatness--justice.
-Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?, 1967.

Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time: the need for man to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.
-Nobel Prize acceptance speech, 1964.

A good many observers have remarked that if equality could come at once the Negro would not be ready for it. I submit that the white American is even more unprepared.
-Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?, 1967.

The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it... Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.
-Strength To Love, 1963.

Tweet/post your favorite MLK quotes.

I'm sure most of you have heard about the enormous earthquake that struck Haiti two days ago, causing an estimated 50,000 deaths. I was horrified to hear about this, but I have faith that people will band together to dedicate time and money to aid those affected in Haiti. I've already seen efforts in the past two days, ranging from friends posting links to donation pages on Facebook to pop-ups on the corner of the TV screen on VH1 urging people to donate through a text message fund.

But televangelist Pat Robertson and ignoramus Rush Limbaugh were nice enough to give us comprehensive lessons on how not to help those struggling to put their lives back together in Haiti. Here's Keith Olbermann's fantastic response to their heartlessness:



Let's try looking at some better ways to help that don't involve accusing Haitians of making a pact with the devil or of being communists who brought poverty upon themselves.

Real Ways to Help:

• The Red Cross announced that you can text "Haiti" to 90999 to send $10 to the Red Cross' quake relief fund (the $10 will be added to your next cell phone bill). Or you can donate to the Red Cross online.


• You can also donate to UNICEF, NetHope, or World Vision International.


• Use your blogs, Facebooks, Twitters, text messages, and so on to spread the word about Haiti's need for our help. Stay on top of the news to remain updated on the situation, since it is constantly changing. Today, for example, MSNBC reported that the chaos that has broken out since the quake is making it extremely difficult for relief workers to get aid to victims.


• Also use social networking sites and word-of-mouth to publicly denounce the horrific responses by people such as Robertson and Limbaugh. Use Keith Olbermann's words if you need to, since he usually says it better than anyone ;)

I send my utmost support and compassion to those affected by the earthquake in Haiti, and I hope each day those in Haiti make more progress towards a recovery.

I don't know about you, but I'm incredibly freaked out about the assault on abortion coverage, carried out by anti-choice politicians through health care reform. The Hyde amendment has been in place for 33 years, which bans public funds being used for abortion, but Bart Stupak and his anti-choice allies not only want to keep the Hyde amendment in place, but also eliminate private insurance coverage for abortions, a service that 85% of insurance companies offer now.



Yesterday, I campaigned on my campus with Tiffany Card to get signatures on an anti-Stupak petition. Here are some actions you can take:

• Learn about the situation.


• Check out upcoming rallies and protests in various states.


• Visit the Planned Parenthood action center to contact your senators.


• Sign the petition on CREDO Action, and they will send a coat hanger to the 20 formerly pro-choice senators who voted in favor of Stupak.


• Or follow in the footsteps of the Clinic Escort and purchase miniature coathangers yourself to mail to the "pro-choice" senators or Democratic representatives who voted for no abortion coverage.


• Sign the online petition at StopStupak.com.


• Download Planned Parenthood's petition, print it out, and collect signatures in your community.


• Join the Stupak REVOLT group on Facebook.


• Tweet, post, e-mail, and flyer! Get the word out. Many people are not aware of the situation, but are willing to take action once they learn about it.