March 16, 2012

The Right Not to Know.

This is a hard read from a texas woman who chose to have an abortion after she learned her baby had encountered spinal and brain development issues and, if born, he would suffer greatly. This is a voice of the abortion debate that is too often unheard- the voice of a woman. I encourage you to read it. She writes, “But what good is the view of someone who has never had to make your terrible choice? What good is a law that adds only pain and difficulty to perhaps the most painful and difficult decision a woman can make? Shouldn’t women have a right to protect themselves from strangers’ opinions on their most personal matters? Shouldn’t we have the right not to know?” - Carolyn Jones

February 29, 2012 • 2 notes

The Women of "Community" are awesome.

February 29, 2012

Oh man. This is awesome. 

February 19, 2012 • 3 notes

Let’s talk about Birth Control, baby.

The latest headlines about birth control in the news are really upsetting me and lots of other women. Wanna know why?  

Some say Corporations and insurance companies shouldn’t be made uncomfortable by paying for birth control pills that promote women having (le gasp) sex. 

Insurance is to provide health care. When did health care stop including the part of my body from my bellybutton to my labia? MANY women use birth control for health reasons other than prevention of pregnancy. It’s a mad useful little pill. You would have heard more about this had congress allowed this “inappropriate” female witness to speak at their birth control hearing. 

 

Some argue that birth control is cheap, perhaps the cost equivalent to putting aspirin between your legs, and that women should have to cover this cost themselves. 

 

Actually, it’s not so cheap.

The pill is about $850/ year without insurance. Maybe more affluent Americans could afford that with little issue, but very affluent people could also probably afford to take care of a baby pretty well. Women deserve access to safe, affordable contraceptives. Even if they can’t afford the paltry sum of about $900 a year.

 

This should be a non issue. Our political system has completely exploded by picking at social issues because our financial issues are so complicated and frankly boring that they don’t make good 30 second sound bites. I’m tired of trying to explain why women’s health care is a right that we should honor. This is ridiculous. This is sexism. This is a glass ceiling reinforcing, blatantly sexist new form of McCarthyism.

 

Plus, this whole conversation I have had with myself completely ignores the latest business with trans-vaginal ultrasounds for abortions and this personhood “life begins at conception” news that has been hitting the media lately. Not to mention the logistical consequences of these bills. 

 

And, we haven’t even addressed the fact that our planet is bursting with people and 163,000,000 orphans who need to be adopted, and we just don’t need to bring any babies that we can’t take care of into the world by taking away women’s access to birth control.

 

Politics, women are tired of being your tried and true punching bag. We are tired of being treated like children who can’t make smart, informed decisions for ourselves. We are tired of being treated like your Viagra should be covered by health insurance but our birth control shouldn’t. We are tired of being treated like we don’t deserve to have a voice in this decision making process.

 

Women, we can’t take this kind of injustice lying down (yuk yuk yuk). We deserve to be treated like our health care matters to our government officials. We deserve to not be publicly slut shamed at every turn because we make smart, informed decisions about our health care. We deserve better. And since they won’t let us speak at their boy’s club congressional hearings, the only thing left to do is take it to the streets. We have to take this seriously. Our rights and bodies are not bartering chips for men’s political ambitions. We deserve better. Speak with your loud, unrestrained voices and speak with your votes.

 

Men, we need your help. We can’t do this alone. It is blatantly apparent that those at the forefront of this debate don’t care in the slightest about our voices. Maybe you can muscle through. Birth control is not just a women’s issue. You play half the role too, even if your name isn’t on the prescription. You are a birth control beneficiary, even if you’re not having sex. We need your solidarity. Regardless of your personal beliefs, regardless of your personal lifestyle choices, women deserve to be covered. Your girlfriends, wives, mothers, sisters, co-workers, and friends deserve to be covered.

 

Also, let’s be honest. A lot of adults (and teens) are having sex, and lots of it. They need birth control. You need birth control. I need birth control. We all need birth control. America needs birth control. Without it, the same things are going to keep happening with a lot worse consequences.

 

In the words of Planned Parenthood, birth control is basic health care. Let’s start treating it as such.

 

PS: Need birth control? Check out this awesome website.

 

February 19, 2012

This has perfectly summarized my feelings, especially the people pyramid bit. 

February 17, 2012 • 1 note

Feminist Frequency on this years oscar nominees and the Bechdel Test. You guessed it, most of them didn’t pass. As depressing as this is, it’s fluff in comparison to the massive attacks women’s healthcare has been under the past few days, but we can talk about that later, internet. 

February 7, 2012

Barack Obama, the women's health candidate.

February 7, 2012

Democratic response to "Personhood"

“Sassy amendments to sexist uterus-related legislation is my favorite microtrend of 2012. The serious misogyny behind the legislation that leads to the need for the sassy amendments is my least favorite.”

January 26, 2012

Need access to comprehensive information about birth control?

What your options are, where to get it, real stories from real people about the contraceptive methods they use, and even reminders to take your pills. For all those of you who were failed by abstinence only education, or were simply too busy doodling in your notebook to care in high school. 

January 26, 2012 • 1 note

Gahhhh… I shake my fist at you, Mr. Rick Santorum. Abstinence only education doesn’t help anybody, even abstinent people. Also, in a world where people are getting married in their thirties in order to first be economically stable on their own before merging bank accounts, how is pre-marital sex (with the proper education about protection against pregnancy and STDs, like President Obama is attempting to instill our citizens with while the government still has some control over what they learn) such a bad thing? Also, have you ever seen Romeo and Juliet? Have you ever seen any television ever? Have you been alive in America recently? Have you at least one of your five senses? People WILL have sex, none of your abstinence only education and slut shaming will do anything to stop them, and the best thing we can do for them is educate them very well on all of their options. Friends, if your school failed to teach you enough about birth control, may I suggest http://bedsider.org/. 

January 25, 2012

It’s a Good Time to Be a Black Woman, Except on TV

“Since 1974, there have only been two hour-long dramas with an African-American woman in the starring role”

January 25, 2012 • 1 note

An article suggesting Feminist Approved Oscar Hosts. You know you want to click.

January 21, 2012 • 1 note

Watch it to the end. 

January 19, 2012

A quick discussion on why pledging “purity” isn’t helping anybody

Pledging purity really makes me sick. Virginity is a myth with no scientific definition, and that far too many women have died in the name of their supposed lost honor. A girls honor and worth is not between her legs, it is in her heart, her words, and her actions, just like a mans. 

This is not to say that we should all be wildly sexually promiscuous, or even have sex at all, but we have to stop emphasizing women’s purity so much- it isn’t good for any of us.

If you want to know what set this off, check out: 

https://www.facebook.com/DayofPurity

Also see this “Purity Fact Sheet” which directly targets (young, white, straight) women while saying nothing about men.

The young girls they are targeting with this campaign deserve better than to hear that their worth is held in their sexual “purity”. And the young girls they are not targeting (non white, non straight, non “virgins”) deserve to know that just because they don’t fit into this campaigns narrow definition of having a “pure” soul doesn’t mean they aren’t worthwhile.

Also, read The Purity Myth for more information on how virginity is a myth and how it is hurting young women every day, and watch this Purity Myth Documentary trailer to learn more.

January 18, 2012

Watch this.