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This past weekend I expressed my anger over the passage of the Stupak amendment. Now the Pro-Choice movement is organizing to, as the President wants, preserve the “status quo” or as some of the Pro-Choice movement call it, fight for “middle-class” women’s right to abortion.
Yep, they went there.
In my world, which is apparently an ideal world, feminists are united to protect all women’s right to access abortion services. Now, apparently, we have some type of advantage in our work because the “middle-class,” aka white women with a decent job, could get their abortion coverage taken away.
Let’s be real. The fight for the “middle-class” abortion coverage and the “status quo” completely ignores the fact that low-income women (as well as women in the military, women employed by the federal government, and women receiving care from Indian Health Services) have not had access to abortion since 1976 when the Hyde Amendment was passed. A fight for the “status quo” once again leaves these women behind. It’s sick that having a democrat in the White House and a super majority in Congress leaves us with this “status quo” compromise. So much for change.
As we move forward in our work to make sure the Stupak amendment is not included in the final healthcare bill, we must not do so with joy because all of a sudden abortion rights groups are doing their job. We must move forward with anger because the anti-choice member of Congress they allowed to get elected and the Democratic party they have refused to call out (until now) have put us in this horrible place.
We must be pissed that we have been negotiated down to the “status quo.”
How dare you use the health care debate, a debate that affects women the most (Yes, I said it. Do I need to even start discussing pre-existing conditions and how much more we pay for receiving less care?), to take away our right to abortion.
It may seem to you, (the simpleminded I guess?) that because we have the right to abortion via Roe v. Wade that we actually are always able to access it. Wrong. If you can’t afford an abortion, you can’t access an abortion. It’s really that simple.
The fact that you passed the Stupak amendment which steps on the reproductive health services I am able to receive based on what I pay with MY money BLOWS MY MIND.
The fact you want to make women jump through extra hoops with a so-called “abortion rider” is ridiculous and nonsensical.
How is it that in a Democratic Congress, with a Democrat in the White House, that my reproductive rights, the rights of my family, and the rights of my friends are being stripped away?
Why exactly do you think you were elected?
This is certainly not why we voted you into office.
But don’t worry. The great thing about us women is that we are great at remembering things. We remember birthdays. We remember anniversaries.
And we remember votes.
The good news is that we have the Senate bill that must be dropped (hopefully without this wack language), and you may have a chance to redeem yourselves when you go to committee with them.
But don’t ever…EVER....chip away at women’s health in the name of health care reform again. Don't worry. We'll be here to remind you in case you forget.
Talk to you soon,
A PISSED OFF VOTER
I first heard about this via Facebook from the National Equality March’s status update. It was followed by the question “Now will he accept Cleve’s invite to attend our rally or go play golf?”
Good question.
The HRC, as well known as it is, is not without its problems. I volunteered for the HRC’s National Dinner back in 2004 when I was in college and was shocked to find such a homogenous group working for the organization and attending the event. Not that there is anything wrong with wealthy, gay, white men, but for an organization claiming to represent lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights, I expected a more diverse crowd. Today I continue search for that diversity.
For too long, Lou Dobbs has been using CNN as a platform to spread hate and discrimination. Whether targeting the Latino community or the President, skewing facts or stating flat out lies, it's time for him to go. Tell advertisers to stop spending their money on spreading hate (and giving racist and discriminatory organizations like the Minute Men a platform). Go to www.dropdobbs.com for more info.
People like Lou Dobbs (in my opinion) are why we can't have debates based on facts in this country, which is cleary why the healthcare debate and many others are such a mess.
“I’m sexy enough…to keep you waiting” is the new slogan of the Candie’s Foundation/Seventeen Magazine gear to combat teen pregnancy.
I am so pissed that my anger is coming from multiple directions. Let me see if I can make any kind of sense.
First, nothing like throwing the word sexy all over the chests of teenage girls…
Then of course there is sexy/virgin complex that we keep pushing as a society. I could go into it more, but Jessica Valenti does a much better job.
And I’m going there…but is this a shirt focused on being a tease? My confusion comes from the usage of the word “sexy” by the Candies Foundation. It appears they want sexy to mean strong and empowered…perhaps even (shock) a feminist. Instead, they decide to play with a word that according to one definition means “Arousing or intending to arouse sexual desire or interest.” See my confusion?
I'm still processing...What do YOU think??
- enter the country before the age of 16.
- graduate from high school or get at GED.
- have good moral character (no criminal record)
- have at least five years of continuous presence in the US.
For the past few months, service has become the new “it” word. The president called for a national day of service on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day and more recently the GIVE and SERVE Acts passed with bipartisan support in both the House and Senate. The purpose of these bills focuses on increasing the number of Americans involved in service activities through programs like Americorps. The President even reiterated his support during his Saturday morning weekly address.
In the big picture, this is great. As Americans we should be committed to giving back to our communities and working together for the better. This was clearly displayed as hundreds of people worked together in North Dakota creating thousands of sandbags to try and keep the Red River from flooding.
But I feel all the positive energy around service has severely limited the conversation.
The UK Department of Health recently launched an initiative to encourage women in their late teens and early 20s to carry condoms. It’s s a cool idea, but there are some concerns.The initiative entitled “Condom confidence boosts sex appeal” has language like “men like nothing better than a woman who knows what she wants.”
Wait. What? I should carry around condoms to feel sexy? And I’ll feel sexy because men like women who carry around condoms?
I’m sorry. I don’t do sexy for men. I do sexy for me.
This initiative, while great in the big picture (encouraging women to carry condoms), is missing the point. Women should carry condoms to protect themselves from sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies. It should be empowering to carry condoms. Trying to co-opt women’s empowerment of controlling their sexual health in the name of becoming more attractive to men is just ridiculous and sexist.
Okay, I have some thoughts I’d like to share about the Chris Brown-Rihanna situation and I’m really curious about your thoughts.
To be clear, what Brown did to Rihanna was horrible and inexcusable. I am sick to my stomach every time I hear the details about what happened that night and the photos are heart breaking.
But I am worried about the direction of the conversation, and in particular as it is related to Chris Brown.
