Tag: Abortion reduction

Blog Posts

More on Bodily Integrity

Marysia

Unlike Jen, I did not attend the Open Hearts, Open Minds conference. But I did carefully look over the program materials beforehand, and was struck by how few people of color were involved in it. I was struck that while abortion of disabled fetuses was on the discussion agenda, there seemed to be little involvement of people with disabilities and disability rights advocates.

I am a person with disabilities, and though I am of European descent myself, am the very involved grandmother of a child of color. People with disabilities and people of color have in so many ways, including but not limited to abortion, been denied the rights to life and bodily integrity. So I am troubled by these apparent omissions of vital stakeholders from this conference. 

There is a disability rights movement slogan that occurs to me at this point: "Nothing about us, without us." Hopefully any future dialogue efforts will consider this at the planning stages, not after the fact.

Blog Posts

Good news on pregnancy assistance, sex ed; “common ground”?

Jen R

Good news for mothers and children: last week, the Department of Health and Human Services announced the distribution of $27 million in funding to assist pregnant women. The grants will be used to help pregnant and parenting students complete their educations, serve pregnant women who are the victims of violence or stalking, and publicize resources available to teen mothers. The White House promoted this Pregnancy Assistance Fund as part of its "common ground" approach to reducing the incidence of abortion.

Robin Marty at RHRealityCheck doesn't think much of it:

Is putting in more support for pregnant women and teens common ground in trying to bring down the numbers of abortions in this country? Sure, assuming that those women did in fact want to be mothers. But there seems to be an assumption that we find common ground by converting unwanted pregnancies into wanted pregnancies, rather than trying to stop unwanted pregnancies before they are conceived.

This initiative is trying to prevent those abortions that happen because a woman believes she has no better options. Marty considers this an attempt to  "[convert] unwanted pregnancies into wanted pregnancies" and doesn't consider it an area of common ground between pro-lifers and pro-choicers. But when a woman has an abortion because she can't afford to carry her child to term, is that really an unwanted pregnancy — or is it unwanted poverty?

How's this for common ground? No woman should ever be in a position where she feels that abortion is her only choice.

Now, I do agree with Marty that we should be able to find common ground on giving people the information they need to make fully informed choices about sexuality and contraception. That brings me to the second piece of good news: for the first time since 1996, the U.S. government is funding effective, evidence-based sex education programs. To be eligible for funding, a program must "be supported by at least one study showing a positive, statistically significant effect on at least one of the following categories: sexual activity, contraceptive use, sexually transmitted infections, pregnancy or births."  There's room for improvement in those criteria, but it's a step in the right direction — away from the inaccurate, slut-shaming programs that have been getting the funds, and toward effective education.

Blog Posts

Nonviolent Choice Directory to Become an All Our Lives Project

Marysia

Unfortunately, All Our Lives is not in a position yet to launch the dream feminist CPC described in our last blog entry. But that doesn't mean we will decline to address real-life pregnancy problems in whatever ways we can right now.

The Nonviolent Choice Directory, http://www.nonviolentchoice.info, will soon become a project of All Our Lives.

The Directory lists resources from all over the world that can help alleviate problem pregnancies and abortions. It covers:

–Post Abortion Care

–Male Responsibility

–Sexual/Reproductive Health Education (comprehensive)

–All Pregnancy Prevention Methods

–Crisis Pregnancy Support

–Mother & Child Health

–Parenting/Childrearing

–Adoption, Foster Care, & Guardianship

–Food & Nutrition

–Clothing

–Shelter

–Finances & Income

–Education

–Employment/Career

–Relationships

–Eco-Friendly Living

–Other Ways to Give Life

 

The Nonviolent Choice Directory was launched in 2007 to fulfill a promise made in the book Pro Life Feminism Yesterday and Today, Second Expanded Edition.

You can email the Directory here: editor –at– nonviolentchoice –dot– info

Blog Posts

It’s Our Ideal Feminist Crisis Pregnancy Center, Too

Marysia

Surfin3rdWave at Feministing.com describes her vision of a feminist crisis pregnancy center.

It would:

  • Refuse to engage in "slut-shaming…'marry your baby's daddy'…fearmongering."
  • Foster choices in birthing, such as midwifery care, as well as in parenting.
  • "Offer realistic parenting classes that promote responsible parenthood while also encouraging women to view themselves as individuals–with personalities and careers" apart from their parenthood.
  • Give "free counseling services to women coping with anxiety and depression during an unplanned pregnancy," including access when needed to licensed mental health professionals.
  • "Encourage pregnant women to view their bodies as beautiful and sexy…provide information about maintaining a good sex life and a positive body-image before and after pregnancy."
  • "Help women find the financial and material resources needed to make it through pregnancy and give birth…[such as] the WIC program.  Donors could bring baby car seats, maternity clothes, cribs, nursing bras, breast pumps, and canned goods…"

All Our Lives cofounder Jen commented on this post, saying that she shared this vision of a feminist CPC and our organization would like to run one like this someday.  There are in fact ethically run CPCs who already engage in these services for women.  And to the above services, we might want to add:

  • Prevention measures such as comprehensive sex ed curricula, a full range of family planning options, and outreach tailored to groups of clients most at risk for unintended pregnancies, such as LGBT youth.
  • Male responsibility programming.
  • An advocacy department to work on systemic-level/collective changes necessary to alleviate the plight of so many pregnant women and reduce the numbers of unintended pregnancies and abortions, locally, nationally, globally.
  • Standards to help existing CPCs evaluate and improve their services, and aid in the creation of new ones.

 

Please also see the discussion of Surfin3rdWave's post on the All Our Lives Facebook group.

Blog Posts

42 Million Abortions: Help Us Find Better Solutions

Marysia

 

All Our Lives needs your voice and your wisdom! 

What can prolifers and prochoicers do together to expand women's alternatives and help reduce the 42 million abortions worldwide each year? 

We seek perspectives from as many countries and regions of the world as possible.

 Please send your ideas in the body of an email to:  commonground@allourlives.org

 We are writing a proposal for Common Ground Work, a new, results-oriented initiative that will launch later this year.

Blog Posts

Female Condom in the News

Marysia

A new, improved female condom has been approved in the US & is getting global attention for its power to prevent unintended pregnancies and abortions as well as HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections.

 

To learn more:

Chicago Female Condom Campaign http://www.ringonit.org/index.php

Prevention Now! Expanding Global Access to Female Condoms http://www.preventionnow.net/

Blog Posts, Past Actions

How $10 Can Foster Global Family Planning Access

Marysia

At least 200 million women globally want family planning but lack access to knowledgeable, equipped health workers. 50 million women worldwide have abortions every year, and the number of unintended pregnancies is even higher. You can make a difference with as little as USD 10. That's the cost to donate one copy of the acclaimed Family Planning: A Global Handbook for Providers–available now in at least 10 languages.