lagilman | Entries tagged with womens' rights

And once again, the GOP is wasting time (and our per-hour tax dollars) trying to defund an organization that exists solely to ensure that women are able to afford basic and essential health care.

And their stated reasons? To stop abortion and the selling of fetal tissue. Except

a) Federal law already restricts PP from using federal funds to provide abortions (the Hyde Amendment), and

b) by offering affordable contraception and reproductive care, PP actually REDUCES the chance of women having an unwanted pregnancy that would lead to an abortion, AND

c) It is illegal to sell fetal tissue, but it IS legal for scientists obtain fetal tissue for research purposes from a variety of sources, including hospitals, nonprofit tissue banks, and, yes, in some cases, abortion clinics. Which means that tissue that would otherwise have been considered medical waste is instead used to save lives via research into currently-deadly diseases costing us millions in dollars and thousands in lives.

(and the video claiming to show that PP is somehow avoiding those laws has been exposed as a heavily-edited sham)

So why are the GOP so determined to shut down PP? You know why.

And it's not about saving tax money. Or stopping abortions.

People in various social media are throwing words like “mentally ill” around, with the regard to the UCSB killings, making it a singular (dismissible) issue, rather than addressing the underlying social issues of WHY he went after those women. They're saying "oh but" and "Actually," and generally trying to talk over the real problem:

that this isn't the first time a man has killed a woman for saying no. It's not even the first (second, third, tenth) time a man has killed women he didn't know, because another woman said no. Was the shooter mentally ill? Generally, mentally healthy people don't go on shooting rampages. But every time you say "well, he was ill" you're also saying "not my fault, not my responsibility, not my problem."

Except it's every woman's problem. So your dismissal is a dismissal of our right to safety.

Yeah, I get it: it’s easier to say “the guy was mentally ill” rather than face the real issue. The real issue makes a lot of men uncomfortable (see: "not all men"). Guess what? We don’t care if the discussion makes you uncomfortable. No woman should be afraid to say no. No-one should die because a man couldn’t handle “no.”

If violence against women is a sign of mental illness, then this world has an epidemic. And it needs to be treated. Now. Better: yesterday.

THIS IS NOT MY POST. THIS WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED BY

neadods at The Buffer Zone Debate: A Tale of Two Clinics

SCOTUS is debating the Massachusetts law regarding buffer zones around abortion clinics, with a side order of "are these zones even necessary?"

The anti-abortion side says no. Quotes from antis include "free speech," "my rights," "comfort women going in." In all the newspaper quotes, I have yet to see any anti mention the rights of the actual women actually going in, much less if they feel "comforted" as opposed to "harassed."

The pro-abortion side tells stories of harassment, intimidation, spitting, even impersonating officers of the law in order to obtain patients' personal information.

Me, I'm going to tell two stories.

CLINIC #1. The "quiet" clinic, where I do most of my escorting. It's a private facility, so the attached parking lot is also private property. However, protesters can (and do) line up on the sidewalk, and prowl up and down the parking lot of the business next door in order to patrol the outer edge of the clinic parking lot. One of the first instructions I received when I started escorting there was to park very close to the sidewalk so that patients would be forced to park deeper in, further from the protestors.

Also, so that we could rush to shelter behind the car if the guy who tried to bomb the clinic showed up again now that he was out of jail. Yeah, first thing on the job, I was being shown a perp shot. And he *has* shown up again.

In theory, protesters are not allowed in the parking lot; they have to lure people down by calling to them. I say "in theory" because Eeyore became noted for rushing into the lot in her zeal to shove pamphlets at people. I've told the story before of how the cops got called and the conflicting stories of what happened when Eeyore ended on her ass in the parking lot and then escorted back to the sidewalk. Father Corleone, a massive man the size of a quarterback, did eventually learn that shouting "COME HERE! COME HERE SO I CAN TALK TO YOU!" wasn't getting him the response he wanted and toned that down too.

The most I usually say is "we have protestors. They make noise, but they stay on the sidewalk." After all, Eeyore's been gone for over a year now.

On the whole what happens is a lot of shouting to the patients as they walk through the parking lot, with a side order of shoving pamphlets at them as they try to make the turn out of the parking lot and a sprinkling of Praying Mantis (aka Kneeling Boy; I'm adopting another escort's nickname for him) edging up and offering rosaries. I once distracted him long enough to let somone out of a car by complimenting the free rosary du jour. (It was pretty, all pink and white plastic.)

We mostly stand by the door, a good 3-6 feet away. I've been given the DVD Blood Money and I could probably get a rosary if I asked Praying Mantis nicely, but there is generally little contact. We talk to each other; they pray.

CLINIC #2. Downtown, where the antis successfully sued to have the walkway from the sidewalk through the gated yard up to the door declared "public space" so that they could line both sides of the yard. In theory, the buffer zone is 6 inches from the door. In reality, it does not exist.

The only time I was there was on Roe v Wade day, when things are extra-special crazy with a large helping of insanity sauce. People lined the block, literally lined it shoulder to shoulder on the curb to the street, people who had been bussed in (!) and were taking shifts (!!) because at one point the busses pulled out and everyone on the sidewalk filed in and fresh protesters came out. There were people on the other side of the side walk too; a couple of escorts were slowly patrolling up the center to make sure that a walkway was clear. I could hear the footsteps of the anti right behind me; every escort who did it was shadowed by a protestor making sure that their public right to be on public land was also being upheld.

It went double for escorts actually escorting through this gauntlet. We tried to have an escort on each side of a women; as the antis certainly had enough bodies to have a minimum of 2 per woman on each side, talking to her the entire way. Escorts also try to talk to them, to try to drown out the antis. There's a guy who was banned from protesting this clinic. The antis say we escorts hated his zeal. We escorts point out that he was following a woman so closely that when he stepped down, he actually pulled off her shoe.

As patients turned in at the gate, someone with a huge anti-abortion poster would jump out into the gate for a moment, shaking it at them. This would last about 2-4 seconds, and then he'd step back... just enough time to legally claim that he was not, in fact, impeding access.

Both sides of the gated yard are choked with people, mostly praying. Mostly standing, because there wasn't much room to kneel. Another few shouts, maybe another poster waved over the pathway just as the door is opened, and she's finally in.

At clinic 1, we open the door as a courtesy. At clinic 2, we open the door to make sure that the door is kept clear and unblocked.

Although it hasn't happened to me, I've heard of both spit and holy water ending up on escorts at clinic 2. Certainly my clothes were plucked at when people got too close, although we are trying hard to avoid each other - touching is, after all, legally assault and battery, and everyone is watching everyone else like a hawk.

This is the difference between a buffer zone and not. And bear in mind, this is happening to EVERY woman who enters, despite the fact that both clinics offer full-service women's health issues - not just abortions, but well woman visits, pregnancy monitoring, post-partum followups, etc. Yes, this means that a woman who has *given birth* and is coming in for her checkup after is going to hear "mommy, mommy, don't kill me."

Heck, at Clinic 2, it applied to every single woman who walked on that side of the street, even if she was just trying to get down the block or to the businesses on either side!

Side note: buffer zones as a concept are legal. There are buffer zones around polls, there is even a buffer zone around the Supreme Court itself (something the news is making much of, and something SCOTUS is irritatedly saying "it's different when it's us.")

Note to self: when home, change icon to "orange line" and add tag

We were planning to hit a few bookstores in Texas in October, to support FIXED (the new mystery) and SOUL OF FIRE (the second Portals book).

Now... I really don't know what to do. Part of me - a large part - doesn't want to do anything to support that state's tourism economy, and I sure as hell don't want to be anywhere women are so disrespected by the government.

And yet. And yet. Can I say that my boycott - that any boycott - is actually going to be useful? Sometimes, it can be. Sometimes, it isn't. I need to figure out which this was.

I suppose I could donate all my royalties from that leg of the tour to Planned Parenthood?

http://suricattus.tumblr.com/post/55285389901/meanwhile-in-texas

And the tagline: The Left is Fighting for your Rights.

This past week, news broke in the SF community that there had been yet another complaint about sexual harassment lodged against a well-known editor. This editor had been censured previously, back in 2010, but it turned out that none of the complaints had been "officially" registered.

That has now changed. And the fact that previous complaints were swept under the table by HR (because nothing "officially" had been done) has ignited a new push to teach people HOW to file a complaint so that it WILL be heard.

Sadly, the news didn't surprise me - or, probably, anyone who has ever worked in a power imbalance industry (read: pretty much everywhere). There will always be people who try to take advantage of that. But it's far wider a problem, affecting those outside the author/editor corridor. DAW author Kari Sperring has reprinted her essay from 2010, "What Safety Means to Me" about her experiences at conventions, and she's speaking for a lot of us.

And if you're still thinking "oh, but...." then you need to read this: "But He Didn't Know He Was Hijacking your Ship: On Conference Creeps", from Maria Dahvana Headley.

Every convention, ever since I was fourteen, there's been at least one guy who gets up in my personal space, gets handsy, thinking that he's being charming, or seductive, or just plain entitled to me.

I get less of the harassment than is described by others (although I still get more than should exist, period, like the individual who started telling everyone that we were a couple. That was...creepy as fuck). I've always assumed that this was because I started out professionally as an editor, which protected me somewhat - I was higher in the food chain than a twenty-something writer would normally be** and that has carried through to now.

Or maybe, like so many others, I've just excused it as "another offensive male who doesn't have a clue how to behave in society" and ignored it, because we're trained to be nice.

Screw nice. I have a responsibility to the rest of my community, to not excuse it. To not allow it. If you're out in public, there are expectations as to your behavior. Going forward, if someone behaves like a creeper, I'm calling them out as a creeper. Your physical existence entitles you to nothing other than your own existence. Do not presume.***

*Although the one time someone tried to give me an unexpected, unasked-for, "friendly" back rub, I almost broke their nose, purely by reflex.
**I got a different kind of harassment, with a number of writers thinking that the way to a book contract was down my pants. I got very cynical very early, because of that.
*** when in doubt, walk up to a woman and say "hi, my name is X, you look interesting, can I buy you a drink and talk to you for a while?" That is how you flirt in the real world, not by laying hands or leering. And the direct polite approach often works. Really.

Originally published at Writer. Editor. Tired Person.

I was up until 2am following the Filibuster in Texas (and the aftermath), and then up again at 5:30 with the cats, and it's going to be another 90-degree day, so am mainly running on caffeine and hope at this point.

If you weren't following the filibuster, BTW, it was a gorgeous example not only of politics at both their best and worst, but had several moments of sheer "I am woman, hear me roar - and take a chunk out of your patronizingly sexist ass" power. Also, public asshattery and borderline illegal behavior on the part of the Texas senate's president, holy shit. I recommend you browse YouTube.

This one ended in victory. Sadly, it's not going to be the only fight. The right to choose will continue to be a firefight, and lower-income women and the clinics that provide their reproductive health care will continue to be both the battleground. and the victims.

Anyway, for them as waiting for updates, the vet called, and ElderCat's bloodwork is normal (for her existing levels of normal). So we can rule out diabetes, huzzah.

For now, because she is showing signs of...not improvement, but not worsening, we're going to let the course of painkillers run out and then see how things stand. If she's not in pain, and not worsening, then I think we'll let it ride, because the next option is either

a) a low dose course of steroids, which has a nasty table of side effects that could be worse than what we're treating.

b) sending her to a neurology specialist for an MRI, which will freak her out like whoa and may not tell us anything either.

Your continued good vibes for her health always appreciated.

Apparently, Belvedere Vodka thinks that rape jokes are an AWESOME way to sell booze.

The ad was removed, but the Internet doesn't forget:

http://aminatou.tumblr.com/post/19788599188/fuck-you-belvedere-vodka

http://jezebel.com/5895931/the-rapey-belvedere-vodka-ad-that-just-got-pulled

Their corporate response? "We apologize to any of our fans who were offended by our recent tweet. We continue to be an advocate of safe and responsible drinking."

But, apparently, not safe and responsible social interactions. Or, y'know, shame.

for the record, PR departments, "we're sorry you were offended" is obvious shorthand for "we think you can't take a joke." The proper wording is "We are sorry for our ill-considered ad; we did not think it through and that was wrong of us. We are donating $X to a national rape crisis center to show that we learned our lesson."

I may not always drink vodka, but when I do... it's not Belvedere.

Current Mood: angry

New state tourism slogan: "Virginia: Not for Lovers Any More." (unless you want the state up in your vagina, too)

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/02/17/427778/virginia-poised-to-enact-state-sponsored-rape-law-forcing-women-to-be-vaginally-probed-before-abortions/

Yeah, no thanks. State-mandated rape* to punish any woman who decides she doesn't want to be a baby-maker just then. Next person to say anything about Sharia Law coming to the US oh noes? Can explain how THIS got past the good folk of Virginia, first.

*as defined by Virginia's own laws.

Originally posted by

jimhines at Supporting Victims of Sexual Harassment

SF/F fandom (and society in general) hasn’t always been very supportive of victims of sexual harassment, particularly when the harasser is a big name or someone in a position of power. Those who choose to speak out are often mocked, belittled, threatened, accused of being publicity-whores, or worse. Even people who want to be supportive might not know what to say or do.

So with the help of some friends, I’ve put together a list of ideas about what to do and what not to do if you want to avoid looking like a dick and actually support those who have been sexually harassed.

1. Don’t Make Excuses. At the 2006 Worldcon, Harlan Ellison grabbed Connie Willis’ breast on stage. Time after time, I saw people jumping in to defend him by saying, “Oh, that’s just Harlan.” That’s a bullshit excuse, right up there with “Boys will be boys,” and “Oh, he didn’t mean any harm.” It’s not your job to excuse, justify, or defend the behavior, especially if you weren’t even present. By doing so, you’re basically saying, “I don’t care about your feelings or what this person did to you; I’m more worried about protecting the person who harassed you.”

2. Don’t Minimize. In one of my posts about sexual harassment, a commenter talked about how she was expecting a bunch of overly sensitive PC whiners who couldn’t take a joke. Don’t be that person. If you’re not the one being harassed, then what the hell gives you the right to judge and tell someone else they’re overreacting?

3. Don’t Immediately Run Off to “Kick his Ass!” Believe me, I understand the urge. When I hear someone has harassed and hurt one of my friends, I want to do something. I want to punish the harasser. I want to teach him (or her) to never pull that shit again … do you notice how all of these sentences start with “I”? How I’m talking about what I want and need, not what the person who was harassed is asking for? It’s more helpful to offer to be that person’s backup: to accompany them if they want to confront the person, or to tell them you’ve got their back during the convention or event.

4a. Don’t be Afraid to Intervene. If you see something that looks like harassment, say something. Interrupt and ask, “Hey, is everything okay here?” Yes, it’s hard. Yes, it can be embarassing if it turns out nothing was going on. But which risk would you rather take: that you might feel a little foolish, or that you’re turning your back and allowing someone to continue harassing another person? I’ll be saying more about intervention in my next post.

4b. Don’t be Afraid to Call Your Friends on their Shit. If you know your friend is harassing people, then for God’s sake, call him (or her) on it. Be harsh. Be blunt. Because your friend might actually listen to you. By staying silent, you are enabling and tacitly allowing that person to continue harassing others.

5. Don’t Try to Speak For Someone Else. When I was at World Fantasy last year, I ended up talking to multiple people about a certain editor who had sexually harassed them. It wasn’t my place to disclose their names or the name of the editor. I did end up writing a blog post with names removed, figuring since this was a common behavior, there was no way to identify the people who had spoken with me. Some of those people still felt that I had violated their confidentiality. Reporting sexual harassment or going public is a very hard choice, and it’s not your choice to make for someone else.

6. Don’t Pressure the Victim. Offer options. Offer to go with the person or to be their backup if they decide to report or confront. But don’t say “This is what you have to do, and if you don’t do it then it’s all your fault when this guy harasses someone else!” Because first off, when that guy harasses someone else, it’s his fault. It’s his choice. If you want more people to come forward and report sexual harassment, work to create an enviroment where it’s safe for them to do so.

7. Check Your Own Behaviors. A lot of harassers either don’t think of what they’re doing as harassment or else they rationalize what they’re doing. So check yourself. Check your physical and verbal behaviors. If you’re uncertain whether a gesture or joke or compliment would be appreciated, ask. If an interaction leaves you feeling weird, ask someone else for a reality-check.

8. Use Your Voice. Especially for guys, it’s easy to sit back and ignore the problem. To let other people worry about it. But your voice matters. Speaking up to say this kind of behavior is not okay matters. It matters to victims, who deserve to know that people are on their side, and it matters to harassers, who have to know that others don’t condone their crap.

Mirrored from Jim C. Hines.

For years, CBS has declined to run ads of a progressive or liberal stripe, including United Church of Christ promoting gay rights, from PETA, and from Moveon.org. That's their choice, fine.

This year? They have agreed to run an ad during the Superbowl from Focus on Family, a stridently anti-choice group, featuring football player Tim Tebow and his mother.*

They have refused calls to reconsider this. Meanwhile, Focus on the Family is touting Ms. Tebow’s right to choose - while trying to deny that same right of choice to other women.

I have already informed CBS that, if they air this ad in direct contradiction to their oft-stated policy, I would not be watching any show that airs on CBS for the rest of 2010 (yes, incl. Criminal Minds. Damn it.). I urge you to call in and protest as well -- not to protest the airing of this particular ad, but to force them to face the consequences of corporate hypocrisy.

and, in my own show of protest, I give you this:

*according to some comments I've read, Ms. Tebow actually HAD no choice, since abortion for any reason including to save the life of the mother has been illegal in the Philippines (where he was born) since the 1930's. So this ad is a false argument from the beginning.

Current Mood: angry

One of the reasons I adore this organization is right there in their name: Planned Parenthood. A conscious decision, a considered choice to bring a child into this world. I have never understood, will never understand anyone who thinks that this is somehow wrong or immoral.

For those of my friends who have walked through the doors of these clinics, be it for birth control advice, or a routine checkup in a time or place where admitting sexual activity would bring you censure, or to deal with the heart-rending choice of an unplanned, unwanted pregnancy; for those of you who don the orange vest of escort, who work to keep the clinics safe and protect the rights of women everywhere to not be harassed by religious terrorists... you are brave and fierce and I love you.

And I will never stop standing up for our rights to choose...whatever your choice may be.

------------------------------------

Thirty-seven years ago today, the Roe v. Wade decision legalized
the right of American women to abortion.

Today, thirty-seven years later, you and I continue our fight to
make sure that this highly personal decision is made by women
and their doctors -- not by politicians, zealous religious
leaders, or driven ideologues.

For me, marking this anniversary is always tinged with both
gratitude and immense responsibility. Gratitude for the women,
doctors, lawyers, religious leaders, and others who did the hard
work of making the case for the right to legal abortion, which
the Supreme Court decided in favor of women. And immense
responsibility for protecting our rights in the face of
considerable and increasing siege by those who seek to limit
them.

This year, our responsibility looms incredibly large. The past
12 months have been tough indeed. Our opponents have
demonstrated that they will not cease their attacks -- from
hijacking health care reform to the heartbreaking, brutal murder
of Dr. George Tiller in Kansas.

Not all is bleak on this anniversary of Roe. We know that the
doctors and nurses at Planned Parenthood's 850 health centers
help millions of women make the best medical decisions for
themselves. President Obama, on taking office, repealed the
global gag rule and ended funding for dangerous abstinence-only
sex education.

Even with these victories, I can't spend today celebrating the
anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Rather, to honor those who fought 37
years ago and those who fight today, this is the time to remind
ourselves of our critical responsibility to stand up today and
every day for a woman's right to choose.

We thank you for standing with Planned Parenthood, its nurses
and doctors, and the millions of people they serve every year.
Together with you, we stand in support of Roe, and we have to
stand strong in the months, years, and decades ahead. Thank you
for standing with us.

Sincerely,

Cecile Richards, President
Planned Parenthood Federation of America

Well, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops seems to have had their way: a woman's right to choose apparently being more of an evil than anything else the Church might ever encounter -- oh, except Teh Gays, of course.

Why, I ask again, does the Catholic Church retain tax exempt status in the United States, when they blatantly act as a PAC? And why, I wonder to myself, would anyone not a straight white male think that the Church has their best interests at heart?

(This is not a religious question, but purely a socio-political one; I know that faith makes people do the illogical. But it is a serious question.)

EtA: lots of discussion about side matters, but still no response to my question: why do non-straight-non-white non-males believe that the Church has their best interest at heart? I'm not asking the heathens and infidels among us, but those who consider themselves part of the Church. Anyone? Bueller? Go out and grab your friends and ask them, because I'm seriously interested.

Current Mood: rational disgust

this just came in e-mail, and I'm passing it along. As the truth goes: "don't want an abortion? Don't have one. But keep your religion off my body!"

Forward at will...

"I'm writing to you with an urgent request.

Late yesterday, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops met with leaders in the House of Representatives in their bid to eliminate women's access to abortion care under health care reform.

We have just received news that their efforts are working, and Representative Bart Stupak has introduced an amendment to the health care reform bill that will result in women losing health care coverage for abortion.

We urgently need you, and your friends and family, to call your representative and ask him or her to reject the Stupak amendment that will remove abortion coverage from health care reform. After you call, just reply to this message and let us know how it went.

If the bishops and their anti-choice partners in the House succeed, they'll permanently alter health care in America, even taking away benefits from women that they have today. The bishops want to effectively eliminate abortion coverage in both private plans and the public option. We simply cannot stand for such a discriminatory, mean-spirited attack on women.

It's a chilling ultimatum: eliminate choice for millions of women, or the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops will do all they can to kill health care reform. This is a true crisis for American women, and we need you to act now. "

Current Mood: annoyed

I can respect no so-called "pro-life" organization that condones cold-blooded murder of an unarmed man. And on holy ground, too -- hypocrisy piled on top of hypocrisy. If you would help women in need, put down your guns and offer your hands in support. Until then, we have no ground to meet on.

WICHITA - A search is ongoing for the suspect in this morning's fatal shooting of George Tiller, the Wichita doctor who became a national lightning rod in the debate over abortion.

Tiller, 67, was shot just after 10 a.m. in the lobby of Reformation Lutheran Church at 7601 E. 13th, where he was a member of the congregation.

Current Mood: angry

Taken from various news outlets: Apparently, the McCain/Palin ticket thinks that the way to campaign is to stir up hatred and fear, so that your audience shouts out things like "kill him!" in response to their goading, and rile people up enough to spew a racial epithet at an African American television tech just doing his job, and tell him to "sit down, boy."

That? Was American in the bad old days. We call them the bad old days because they were bad. Racism and religionism and sexism were things we were supposed to be evolving away from. Remember?

Fear is no excuse. Fear is fear. You go through it and come out the other side and you don't do it over the bodies and hearts of your neighbors, your co-workers, your fellow human beings.

And for those of us who care about such things: No, the Palin 'rape kit' scandal has not been debunked. "Sadly for Palin partisans, they got schooled on the Wasilla specifics by a 20-year-old blogger and junior at George Washington University who did what so many on the right can't quite pull off: fact-based reporting. He proved without a doubt that Palin, as mayor, signed off on the initiative that forced rape victims or their insurance companies to foot the bill for the post-assault exam kits."

And this is the woman who has the nerve to demand that other women support her? Because she's For Us? God save us from our enemies, then....

Current Mood: stupid apes

one of the things I've always loved about PP is the fact that their name says it all. Not "pro-choice" or "pro-life" but planned parenthood. Isn't that something we all should be able to agree on, that parenthood is something you should plan for, look forward to, anticipate, not an "oh, whoops, oh shit, what do we do now?" moment? "

George W Bush doesn't seem to think so. Quelle surprise! While I'm not about to say "one and only one kind of anything" should get federal funding, this move seems designed to specifically attack multiple-option clinics to benefit specifically anti-abortion groups. So let's block him, one last and hopefully final time....
--------------------

Dear Concerned Citizen:

We have just received news that President Bush is trying to
sell-out women's health in the most unbelievable way. Here's
how:

The Bush administration is about to release a rule that will
make it possible for federal funding that is specifically
designed to prevent unintended pregnancy and promote
reproductive health to now be used for anything but that.

If it happens, it will be a massive betrayal of women and
families, and we must stop it. We need you to
speak out. Please let President Bush know that this change is
very wrong:
http://www.ppaction.org/campaign/spp08adv2?rk=xdqKFl41fKDNE

A little background on this outrageous situation...

We've known for some time that anti-choice extremists have
wanted President Bush to deliver them some sort of "gift" before
he leaves office. This rule change is just that gift. And here's
what one of the most egregious results could be:

Right now, anti-choice groups run so-called "crisis pregnancy
centers" in communities all around the country -- often a block
or two away from Planned Parenthood affiliate health centers.
These facilities look like health centers, but in reality are
run by anti-choice zealots who deliver only the reproductive
health care options that fit their agenda. No birth control, no
abortion -- and no choice for women and families who need it.

If this rule takes effect, they're likely to receive a massive
influx of our tax dollars to expand their deceptive operations
and to attract hundreds of thousands of women who think they'll
be getting medical care but instead will receive a large dose of
anti-choice ideology.

I believe that tricking women when they are most vulnerable is
wrong -- and the federal government shouldn't pay people to do
it.

It gets worse. The rule would also require entities that receive
family planning funding, like Planned Parenthood, to certify
that we will not refuse to hire nurses and other providers who
object to abortion and even certain types of birth control.
Between deceptive "crisis pregnancy centers" delivering woefully
incomplete care and legitimate health centers with extremely
limited funding, hundreds of thousands of women are at enormous
risk.

We have a chance to stop it. So, beginning right now and with
your help, we are:

:: Launching a massive public outcry against the president's
rule:
http://www.ppaction.org/campaign/spp08adv2?rk=xdqKFl41fKDNE

:: Raising as much money as we possibly can:
https://secure.ga0.org/02/spp08/nTpqKFl41fZU7?source=spp08e1dppol

One more thing -- Planned Parenthood Federation of America has
been standing up for and serving women, men, and families in
this country for more than 90 years. The next few days and weeks
will be an immense challenge, but know this: We are here for
this fight. We need you here with us.

Thank you in advance. More soon.

Sincerely,

Cecile Richards, President
Planned Parenthood Federation of America

Current Mood: busy

Welcome to the Pulp Shakespeare Project, devoted to the reconstruction of William Shakespeare's play A Slurry Tale, which curiously resembles Quentin Tarantino's film Pulp Fiction. There is no way to stop this from happening, so this wiki exists to ensure that it is done well, or as well as it can be.

Vincent: And know'st thou what the French name cottage pie?
Julius: Say they not cottage pie, in their own tongue?
Vincent: But nay, their tongues, for speech and taste alike
Are strange to ours, with their own history:
Gaul knoweth not a cottage from a house.
Julius: What say they then, pray?
Vincent: Hachis Parmentier.
Julius: Hachis Parmentier! What name they cream?
Vincent: Cream is but cream, only they say la crème.
Julius: What do they name black pudding?
Vincent: I know not;
I visited no inn where't could be bought.

*dies*
---------------------------------------

On a different matter entirely, for those of you who've been following the "Open Source Body" deal, here's a short message: My body. My choice. In all things. Assume otherwise [badge or no] and risk an assault charge brought down on your unwanted wandering hands (assuming I don't just kick your ass).

Current Mood: busy

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The head of the federal agency responsible for providing women with access to contraceptives and pregnancy counseling resigned unexpectedly Thursday after Medicaid officials took action against him in Massachusetts.

The Health and Human Services Department provided no details about the nature of the Massachusetts action that led to Dr. Eric Keroack's resignation.

Just five months ago, Keroack was chosen by President Bush to oversee HHS' Office of Population Affairs and its $283 million annual budget. The pick angered Planned Parenthood and other pro-abortion rights groups that viewed him as opposed to birth control and comprehensive sex education. Keroack had worked for an organization that opposes contraception.

''Yesterday, Dr. Eric Keroack alerted us to an action taken against him by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Office of Medicaid. As a result of this action I accepted his resignation,'' Dr. John Agwunobi, assistant secretary for health, said in a terse statement Thursday evening.

Massachusetts Medicaid officials did not return phone calls seeking comment.

Current Mood: satisfied

Still being eaten by sharks (glad to be providing amusement to y'all) but I wanted to pass along this link by way of

deedop and

scarlettina about Kathy Sierra, and the 'culture' of hate-spewing on the Internet. Go. Read. React.

It's funny, in a horrible way -- much of BURNING BRIDGES and DOWN INTO DARKNESS is about hatred, and taking a stand, and the costs of both. And as I'm writing it, I'm wondering to myself "is this too over the top? Is this too obvious, too insane, too self-destructive for people to believe could happen?"

And, as always -- Life trumps plot without even trying.

Now, if you'll excuse me, my shark is calling.

Current Mood: shark-bit

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Laura Anne Gilman

My Website

September 2018

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Page Summary

Next Verse, as Incomprehensible as the First
#YesAllWomen
The Buffer Zone Debate: A Tale of Two Clinics
(no subject)
I'm just going to give you a link....
On conventions, creepers, and making it official
Wednesday. See icon.
what the F&CK is WRONG with people?
Seriously, Virginia? Seriously?
Supporting Victims of Sexual Harassment (via Jim Hines)
"Every day is a choice, and you must deal with it for as long as you live. But you must choose."
A letter from Planned Parenthood
In which the meerkat is is more sad than angry, and has a question....
An emergency update from Planned Parenthood
...knee-deep in the Big Muddy....
This isn't politics, this is cold water in your face to wake you up.
passing along a letter from Planned Parenthood
humor, and not-humor
submitted without comment. but maybe some pleased expressions and a high-five to the state of MA
(no subject)

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Where Personal and Professional Life Collide...

My life in 8 words: Organized chaos, by preference. Exhausting, but never boring

Entries tagged with womens' rights

Next Verse, as Incomprehensible as the First

#YesAllWomen

The Buffer Zone Debate: A Tale of Two Clinics

(no subject)

I'm just going to give you a link....

On conventions, creepers, and making it official

Wednesday. See icon.

what the F&CK is WRONG with people?

Seriously, Virginia? Seriously?

Supporting Victims of Sexual Harassment (via Jim Hines)

"Every day is a choice, and you must deal with it for as long as you live. But you must choose."

A letter from Planned Parenthood

In which the meerkat is is more sad than angry, and has a question....

An emergency update from Planned Parenthood

...knee-deep in the Big Muddy....

This isn't politics, this is cold water in your face to wake you up.

passing along a letter from Planned Parenthood

humor, and not-humor

submitted without comment. but maybe some pleased expressions and a high-five to the state of MA