Nov. 19, 2011 @ 6:36 PM _

Here is a full length, Academy Award nominated film on the the history of back alley abortions: When Abortion Was Illegal: Untold Stories. It is by film maker Dorothy Fadiman and part of her Social Documentaries Collection.

The film features “compelling first person accounts which reveal the physical, legal, and emotional consequences during the era when abortion was a criminal act. Remembrances include those of women who experienced illegal abortions, doctors who risked imprisonment and loss of their licenses for providing illegal abortions, and individuals who broke the law by helping women find safe abortions.”

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Patients Remember Dr. Tiller

Nov. 11, 2011 @ 6:35 PM _

Part 1 of 6: The Assassination of Dr. Tiller.

Part 2 of 6: The Assassination of Dr. Tiller.

Part 3 of 6: The Assassination of Dr. Tiller.

Part 4 of 6: The Assassination of Dr. Tiller.

Part 5 of 6: The Assassination of Dr. Tiller.

Part 6 of 6: The Assassination of Dr. Tiller.

Patients Remember Dr. Tiller

Dr. George Tiller, one of only three practitioners providing late term abortions in the US, was viciously gunned down in church in front of his wife and other parishioners who tried to stop the shooter. He was an incredible man, who never intended to carry on his father’s practice after his parents, brother, and sister-in-law were killed in an aircraft accident. But when he moved home to Wichita to take care of his one year-old nephew, he found that his father had left behind a community of desperate women who needed services free of judgment. After one of these women died from a botched illegal abortion, Tiller took over his father’s clinic in 1970, and ran it for 39 years (in which time he was fire-bombed in 1986, and shot in his car 5 times in 1993).

In this article, various patients remember Dr. Tiller and how he affected their lives. I truly defy anyone, anti-choice or not, to read these stories and still be incapable of feeling any empathy for Dr. Tiller or his patients.

stfusexists

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Oct. 1, 2011 @ 7:31 PM _

+ High-res

Did you know that some scientists are working toward a male contraceptive? The one that is up as a topic right now happens to be a male hormonal contraceptive. One man is quoted as saying that he doesn’t want to have to medicate himself and with the onslaught of problems women face at the hands of hormone therapy, he is not going to be eager to participate any time soon. Hmm.

It is said that in the near future, hormonal male contraceptives could become commercially available as they already are within reach. This means men may have the option of taking a daily oral pill, gel or patch for the skin or a three times a month shot. But, to almost no one’s surprise, men don’t seem to be clamoring to admit their fervor for the devices. I wonder why?

In fact, people seem to be so, shall we say, luke warm on the idea that scientists at the Population Center of Research in Reproduction say there still is a chance for it not going through due to lack of funding. Which is too bad, it sounds interesting. The contraceptive releases testosterone over three months and is “potentially safe and practical.”

Female contraceptives use hormones as well as progestrins and estrogens. These are used in order to shut off the release of eggs. Male ones would work very similarly, shutting off sperm production.

What are the side effects? 45 year old Quentin Brown noticed sweating and headaches; he has no complaints. He dodged some of the other listed side effects such as acne and weight gain. He believes in the idea behind the pill and has hopes other men will take his lead and also use it once it is on the market. He is quoted by saying, “It is time for men to have some control. I think it would empower men and deter some women out there from their nefarious plans, some women are out there to use men to get pregnant. This could deter women from doing this. An athlete or a singer is someone who could be a target and they could put a stop to that.”

Hold the phone. I was on board with good ole Quentin for a second there. Men need empowerment? Only women have nefarious plans? Since when? Well, that was erroneous and pathetic of him.

Oh, I’m sorry, I’m here to talk about contraceptives, not that idiotic quote. I’m sorry. Well, erm. Anyway…
It is believed these contraceptives may be on the market within 5 to 7 years and many, many trials are being done all over the word in places such as Asia, Europe and America. Source.

Oh, speaking of which… I was told the trial in Germany was halted due to the obscene side effects. (citation needed on this last fact.) OH WAIT. They are the same effects as female contraceptives.

Anyway, as always, the real question is this: WILL MEN USE IT?
YOU WEIGH IN! Ask your boyfriend, friend, husband or any other man in your life. Also leave your personal opinion as well!

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Aug. 1, 2011 @ 5:32 PM _

August first victory: Insurance providers will now be required to cover all contraception as well as well-woman visits, STD and pregnancy testing, domestic violence screenings, and family planning services as they all fit under the umbrella term of preventive care.

Methods such as voluntary sterilization will also be covered. All of the plans that began on/after August first will include this requirement. From then, it will go into full effect January of 2013.

Also, did you know that birth control is already required to be covered by insurance in 28 states? True story.

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Jul. 7, 2011 @ 5:32 PM _

I thought you all could use some humor today.
Here is a link to the 70 best Walk for Choice Signs from across the Country!
Click Here

Jun. 22, 2011 @ 6:33 PM _

+ High-res

A few weeks ago my mom stapled pages of a story in one of her women’s magazines together and handed it to me. She gave it to me pretty much with the tag lines “for your feminist blog” and “something new to consider.” Indeed it was; she knows me well.

The story is titled “I was forced to be pregnant.” With a title like that, reading it was actually not on the top of my to read list. I thought it was about women not exercising their right to choice. I was very, very wrong on that one.

Have you ever heard of Reproductive coercion? It is a term that was quite recently coined by the advocates against domestic violence to describe a certain type of abuse some women face. It occurs when a man pressures their partner to have kids and/or impregnates them against their will. Reproductive coercion comes in three different types:
1. Emotional pressure that turns into verbal and physical abuse.
2. Sabotaging birth control
3. Marital rape
Over 75% of women 19-49 who reported once experiencing domestic violence also endured some type of reproductive control by men. It’s all about control and domination over a woman’s body.

The first story in the magazine is about a woman who got married around 36 years of age. After a few months of dating her boyfriend talked excitedly about having children. After he proposed he began calling her “The Babymaker.” She then confided with him that one of her fallopian tubes was blocked. He in return insisted she see a fertility doctor. She recounts, “I had finally met a great guy who was eager to start a family with me. What woman wouldn’t fall for that?” Soon after her honeymoon he persisted on in an obsessive manner, but his efforts had to be temporarily halted as she had to get emergency back surgery. Alas, 6 months into recovery he was back to pressuring her again. She was in much pain at the time due to her back, but she agreed to In Vitro Fertilization. She then became pregnant, but soon miscarried. In response, her husband grabbed her by the neck, choking her. He apologized, blaming his outburst on his grief and had her sign up for another round of IVF. And then a third round. She tried to put him off with the excuse that she needed to weigh more before she could take treatments, her husband forced her to get on the scale often and filled the fridge with fattening foods. “It hurt that all I was good for was getting pregnant.” She recounts. At the end, he screamed at her, threatening to replace her with a maid if she couldn’t get pregnant and she told him she no longer wanted to have his child. He destroyed bedroom furniture, pushed her down the stairs and threatened her with a gun. She fled to a domestic violence shelter.

The second story was about a woman who faced marital rape. This woman was 40, had a then boyfriend and two children from a previous marriage. After telling her boyfriend she did not want any more children, her boyfriend refused to wear a condom and began to rape her. She then became pregnant with her third child. Birth control was never an option for her because she couldn’t hide pills anywhere for he went through all of her belongings. Three months after giving birth, he raped her again, impregnating her with twins. She lost the twins in a physical fight with him, but soon became pregnant again. During her recovery she begged her obstetrician to remove her ovaries and devise a lie to tell him; that she had cancer. After a decade of sexual abuse and violence she was able to get a job that kept her out of the house and often times traveling.

One in four callers to the National Domestic Abuse hotline said that their partners had tried to force them to become pregnant. Why? As one woman stated, “Its like he wants to own me from the inside out.” Having a baby is the perfect tie that binds. These type of abusers want to create a circumstance in which their partner is dependent on him.

WHAT’S THAT HAVE TO DO WITH PLANNED PARENTHOOD?

Many voters never consider how defunding these clinics could hurt victims of domestic violence who turn to them for counseling as well as pregnancy prevention. Abused women will turn to health care providers long before they will turn to domestic abuse hotlines and organizations. Many women in abusive relationships rely on life saving, affordable care programs such as Title X. It is critical that such places are open and operation when women and children need them so desperately.

Jun. 19, 2011 @ 7:43 PM _

Did you know that according to Medical Students for Choice, almost half of all graduating Ob-Gyn residents have never performed a first trimester abortion? This is despite the fact that abortion is one of the most common surgical procedures in the U.S.

15 to 20% of pregnancies end in either spontaneous miscarriage or other complications. Can you imagine what it will become of things if we were to prevent doctors who want to be skilled in providing care to women from getting the training they might need to save their lives?

By law, doctors who have feelings against abortion of any sort do not have to perform the, but even at that, they should have the knowledge in how to deal with emergencies that may occur. (Even cases such as if the fetus were already dead.)

additional reading here: http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/2011/05/31/foxx-amendment-without-providers-there-choice

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Jun. 2, 2011 @ 7:10 PM _

Here’s an ad for the defunding of Planned Parenthood. Can you count all the crazy things said? My favourite is when the guy says that PP preys on college kids and gets them hooked on contraceptives. What’s yours?

This anti-choice activist group is pretty much famous for doctoring footage of a Planned Parenthood and giving out false information. Here’s a few things they have wrong.

- They make it sound like the government hands out abortion money. Wrong. PP doesn’t use government funding for any abortions. (abortions count for only 3% of PP’s services)
- They make it sounds as if contraceptives are addictive. Who in the world could get addicted to estradiol and progesterones?
- They make it sounds like a money grubbing mill. PP gives health care to the people who need it most - those who can’t afford it

But really, the fact that they claim contraceptives are addictive should make them a non credible source. Done.

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