choice/words

airellia:

[Three silver wrapped condoms that say “got consent? ask before unwrapping”]

Aww look at these awesome condoms I got at SAAFE’s program tonight!

Kansas Anti-Choice Bill: Endangering Women and Making a Mockery of the Medical Profession

When I first caught wind of the proposed House Bill 313, known by some as the “Pro-Life Protections Act,” others refer to it as the most draconian abortion bill in United States history I called my mom on the verge of a panic attack. My heart sank Sunday night when I heard it passed the house with an overwhelming 88-31 vote. Not only was it one of the most inclusive anti-choice, anti-women’s health care bill I had ever seen, it completely disregards the safety of women and makes a mockery of the medical profession. Despite the problems with taxation on abortion, allowing an embryo to have equal rights under the law, and other such ludicrous things, I am going to focus this commentary on how this bill could affect the future for health care providers in Kansas.

There are multiple portions of the bill that would greatly impact the practice of health care professionals. We will work our way up on a gradual scale of hypocrisies. We’ll begin with the portion that would require doctors to notify women of the increased chance of breast cancer that accompanies having an abortion. One of the more popular citations I’ve seen on the web cites a letter written to the British journal Lancet by unnamed “scientists” that dates back 26 years stating that “induced abortion before first term pregnancy increases the risk of breast cancer.” Have we not made great strides in cancer research since the 1980’s? Does anyone else find it odd that neither the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecologists or the American Cancer Society support this claim? Anyone? Using “research” nearly 30 years old at least parallels the anti-choice movements desire to roll back the clocks on women’s right to health care. Still not convinced? Let’s move on.

Next the bill proposes that doctors may withhold information to their patients if they believe it will prevent an abortion. This opens up a whole can of worms. First, let me get this off my chest… why would anyone EVER wanted to be treated by a doctor has permission to LIE to you about your health? If you’re okay with that, then you may as well get all your treatments from the internet. Why should any doctor bother going to school for 15+ years if they’re not going to feel comfortable acting in their patient’s best interest? Where do we draw the line with this clause? Could a doctor tell her that her baby has died in the womb? The fetus would need to be aborted at that point so it would not make the woman go into septic shock. Could doctors withhold information about an ectopic pregnancy that would possibly put her life in danger? Should women trust doctors who’ve had 15+ years of medical training or rather congressmen who might have taken a “sex-ed” class 40 years prior? I’ll let you think about that while we move on to another pressing issue.

As the Reproductive Justice Coordinator for the University of Kansas, every day I hear stories of these attacks on choice, so why did this one shake me so much more than all the others? Within this bill it would disallow residents of the Kansas University Medical Center to be taught how to perform an abortion and to learn the necessary life-saving procedures to take care of a spontaneous or self-induced miscarriage. Lawmakers have not come out directly banning this, they’ve loopholed the system by stating that tax payer dollars may not be used for abortion training by employees of the state, which include medical residents. First, this is an optional lesson that anyone may opt out of if their religion requires them to do so, secondly, no actual abortions are performed in the training of residents, and lastly, this all takes place in the state of Colorado. Without these necessary teachings, KUMC runs the risk of losing its OB/GYN accreditation, leaving no OBGYN training in the state, thereby jeopardizing my lifelong dream of becoming an OB/GYN and providing quality care to women.

All of these clauses directly violate the Physicians Oath that all doctors swear to upon completing medical school. The Oath states that “the health of [their] patient[s] will be [their] first consideration.” This bill would put politics above the care of women. Moving on, doctors shall “not permit considerations of religion…gender… or politics… to intervene between [their] duty and [their] patient.” Lastly, the oath encourages them to “maintain the utmost respect for human life; even under threat.” Strike one, two, and three - HB 313 is out! My jeopardy bells are ringing… oh wait, it must just be my ovaries crying. This bill would put doctors in an impossible position of having to choose between lying to their patients about their health and going against their Physicians Oath. Your move Kansas. 

Amanda Schulze

University of Kansas Student Leader

Mama’s Day our way. Let’s celebrate all of the moms that so often go unnoticed: young moms, single moms, queer moms, immigrant moms, to name a few. These moms don’t usually show up on greeting cards but they deserve to be celebrated for what they do and who they are.

Thanks to all of the awesome student activists from California who participated in our Reproductive Justice Leadership Institute this weekend!

Alumni Profile: Emily Caponetti

School, grad year, major?

American University, 2007, Business Administration

How were you involved with Choice USA?

I was their Public Policy Manager in 2006 and organized Lobby Days for the Gloria Steinem Leadership Institute that year

What initially attracted you to Choice USA?

The organization’s commitment to empowering youth and using their collective power to facilitate meaningful change

What skills or knowledge did you learn from Choice USA that you use in your current work/life?

Serving as Choice USA’s Public Policy Manager proved the power of grassroots advocacy to me in public policy making.  Educating people about the importance of reproductive health care - and then empowering them to advocate on behalf of reproductive rights - is incredibly meaningful to me and is something I’m lucky to do every day. I have Choice USA to thank for that.

What do you do now and how do you bring a reproductive justice frame to the work you do?

I’m the Statewide Legislative Director for the Florida Association of Planned Parenthood Affiliates.  In this role, I develop strategies and campaigns to protect the reproductive health and rights of women in Florida, all framed through a reproductive justice lens.

What other things have you done since graduating?

After I graduated from American I was a senior field organizer for Hillary Clinton in Iowa, then I managed a congressional race in IA-4’s District. After that, I was the Director of Public Affairs for Planned Parenthood of South Florida and the Treasure Coast, then I was the Director of Communications for the Women’s Campaign Fund. 

What are your top priorities in politics and/or reproductive justice?

My top priority is to ensure policy makers recognize that reproductive health care, including abortion care, is health care - period.  To that end, another major priority of mine is electing pro-choice men and women at all levels of government, and throughout the country.

Who inspires you?

I’m incredibly fortunate to have a career where my colleagues and the patients we serve are a constant source of inspiration and pride. Without a doubt, Hillary Rodam Clinton is the eptimone of inspiration to me.  Her commitment to the health and safety of women and girls - both here at home and throughout the world - is as powerful as it is unwavering.  Cecile Richards, President of PPFA, is another source of inspiration.  She has been a tremondous leader in the face of relentless attacks against women and I’m proud to work for her - just like I’m proud to have worked for Choice USA.

I recently attended a screening of the documentary Bully— a film that tells the story of five young people and families who have been impacted by bullying. I decided to see “Bully” because of the abuse I experienced growing up, which eventually led me to work within the reproductive justice movement. I’ve seen for most of my life how violence, whether it is physical, emotional, or verbal, can have a profound impact on quality of life. Due to the nature of bullying and the power dynamics involved, victims are often limited in the decisions they can make regarding their own bodies. “Bully” does a great job illustrating these points and lends itself to a larger conversation about how bodies that are “different” are policed and controlled in society today.

Over the past year, the issue of bullying has been catapulted onto the agenda of school officials and legislatures with some highly publicized teen suicides— particularly of young people who identified as queer. One of the students portrayed in the film, Kelby, a 16 year old from Oklahoma, talked about how she was bullied and ostracized by students, faculty and neighbors in her conservative, Christian community after she came out as lesbian. Studies have now been released saying that young people who experience LGBTQ-related bullying are over five times more likely to attempt suicide and over twice as likely to experience depression; but that’s not really surprising right? How is anyone supposed to live a happy, healthy life when combating messages that they are worthless and invaluable?

The thing is, Kelby isn’t just hearing these messages from her community. She’s also hearing it from the media, her religion, and other institutions that place specific gendered expectations on her. Kelby’s story really drives home the need for comprehensive sex education and discussions about gender and sexual orientation to be taught in schools. Although the film doesn’t touch on this, a lot of the fear and anger associated with homophobia is directly linked to the fact that there are certain behaviors that are encouraged in this society and others that are not. In Kelby’s case, she wasn’t acting like a good, Christian girl “should” by looking feminine and dating boys so she was punished by being bullied.

In addition to Kelby, the film also focuses on a 12 year old boy from Iowa named Alex who experienced bullying because he looked and acted “weird.” It was absolutely heartbreaking to see Alex being told, with such conviction, that if he simply tried talking to one of his peers again then that boy would “end him.” And then see Alex laugh it off… just another threat from another boy on another day. As the film follows Alex and documents the bullying that had become a usual part of his everyday life, I couldn’t help but notice that the same victim blaming language used towards him mirrors the rhetoric used against victims of sexual assault. Time and time again Alex is told “you need to stop them from bullying you” and that if he had just “said something sooner” this wouldn’t be happening to him. The reality of the situation is that none of what Alex experienced was his fault and regardless of when or how many times Alex reported it, the school system, bus driver, and police still failed to help him. When Alex’s parents met with the superintendent about the brutal violence Alex faced on the bus, it results in the bullies getting a slap on the wrist and Alex getting removed from his bus. Alex and his parents are then left with the responsibility of preventing him from being bullied and the perpetrators are never held accountable for their actions. We see the exact same thing happen all the time with victims of sexual assault - campuses and the judicial system fail to provide support and justice for victims.

It was absolutely heartbreaking to see the turmoil and violence these teenagers (and preteens) had to deal with on a day-to-day basis. As I was reminded of the hopelessness and sadness I felt growing up, I was also inspired to talk about this issue as it pertains to reproductive justice. If you weren’t already outraged by bullying stories you’ve heard or read, then you will be by the time you finish the film.

- Raquel Ortega, Field Associate Choice USA

Some thoughts looking back, and looking forward, on the murder of Trayvon Martin

Like so many others, we at Choice USA have been shocked and saddened by the murder of Trayvon Martin. The loss of such a young life is tragic, and the pain of that loss doesn’t dim now that the pursuit of justice has been put in motion.

We at Choice USA believe ensuring the safety and bodily autonomy of all people is paramount in creating a more just society. This includes the right to live without fear of being profiled, controlled, targeted, attacked, or killed. But that’s not always how it works. We want to live in a culture and society where all bodies are valued and that the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are truly inalienable. So when the media narrative around this case fell into the familiar tropes of blaming and smearing the victim, we can’t say we were surprised, but we were definitely angry.

A hoodie is simply a piece of clothing; it is not an excuse to kill someone. Just as a short skirt is no excuse to rape. Choice USA is standing up against violence and the culture of victim blaming that has become a natural occurrence in our country. Addressing the root causes of violence and those who commit violent acts is no easy task. But scapegoating the victims and forcing them to carry the sole responsibility of their victimization is surely not the answer. On this day and every day we say no to the response, “they were asking for it.” Because it doesn’t matter what someone is wearing, the color of their skin, their sexual orientation, or gender identity expression – no one deserves to be a victim of violence for being who they are.

We hope that future victims of violence do not have to sustain the public victim blaming that was so reprehensible in this case. Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Trayvon Martin and hope that they, and all victims of violence, receive the justice they deserve.