July 2008 |  From the desk of Kelli Conlin, President
In June the state legislature ended its 2008 session, having once again missed every opportunity to pass affirmative legislation safeguarding the full range of reproductive rights. In missing the boat on the Healthy Teens Act and the Reproductive Health Act, state senators reminded us how much further we still have to go. But this year also taught us exactly how quickly things can change. With a complete turnover of leadership in Albany, we are now in a radically different position than we were even a few months ago. In the next legislative session we will try even harder to pass proactive legislation and turn New York into the country's for most exemplar of women's rights. It won't be easy. Anti-choice forces at the federal, state, and local levels continuously try to block our path at every turn. Earlier this month I stood alongside Senator Hillary Clinton at Bellevue Hospital to denounce the Bush administration's latest attempt to reclassify contraception as abortion, which would undo many of the gains we've made in New York State. This type of opposition will continue to mount in the coming months. That's why as legislators break for the summer we're not taking any vacations. In June we began our Summer of Activism, a months-long effort to grow our base of support across the state. We've already reached out to thousands of New Yorkers at festivals and events from Brooklyn to Rochester, collecting over 1,000 signed petitions to get the Reproductive Health Act passed. We're only halfway through the summer and our efforts will increase in intensity with each passing month. Our goal from now until November is to show every New Yorker that because our reproductive rights are on shaky ground, we can't rest until we have lawmakers in place who let New Yorkers' priorities lead government policy. We're working toward nothing less than a sea change in support for the health, safety, and happiness of New York women. And you're going to help us get there. For Choice,
Kelli Conlin
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The 2008 Legislative Session: Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda On June 24, the long, unpredictable rollercoaster ride that was this year in New York State politics came to an end. Will we ever forget the 2008 session? Not likely. There were periods of hope, like when the Reproductive Health Act (RHA) was introduced, a bill that would finally bring New York's abortion code, written in 1970, into the 21st-century. But our hopes were soon dashed, as the anti-choice majority in the Senate refused to let the RHA see the light of day. It looked like we'd be stuck in 1970 forever. As the session went on, the Senate stalled on the Healthy Teens Act, legislation that would have reduced the number of unplanned pregnancies in the state, increased information about how to prevent STIs, and allowed schools and community-based organizations to apply for grants to fund real sex ed. The Senate even failed to pass the Breastfeeding Bill of Rights, a bill that would have provided for healthier babies. Finally, at the very end of the session, the unthinkable happened. Majority Leader Joe Bruno, 32-year veteran of the Senate and standard-bearer of the anti-choice Republican bloc, announced that he would not seek reelection next fall. While the new leader, Dean Skelos, is actually worse on our issues, this shake-up gives us the opportunity to move forward. Now we're gearing up for the start of the next session, when elections will determine who will be in Albany come January. We hope to make 2009 another year that we'll never forget - for reasons more beneficial to the women and children of New York State. 
The Big Guns Come Out to Oppose Bush's Sudden Anti-Choice Proposal President Bush wants to do WHAT? When we learned that the Bush administration proposed new regulations for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that would reclassify contraception as abortion, we were outraged. When we saw that this new definition would allow health-care corporations and HMOs to refuse women the full range of pregnancy prevention resources - including birth control, emergency  contraception, and IUDs - we were appalled. But when Senator Hillary Clinton stood up against the Bush Administration to urge HHS to reject the proposed regulations, we weren't surprised. This is what we've come to expect from our Senator. She was a leader when the Bush-led FDA tried to hold up approval of EC two years ago, and she's standing up for us again. NARAL Pro-Choice New York President Kelli Conlin appeared alongside Senator Clinton and other reproductive rights advocates at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan on July 18 to show that New Yorkers absolutely support women's access to contraception. We've fought long and hard in New York to pass proactive measures like access to emergency contraception in the ER and health insurance coverage for birth control. And Bush wants to rob New York of these gains? It ain't gonna happen. Senator Clinton won't let it happen, we won't let it happen, and all the millions of pro-choice New Yorkers won't let it happen. Senator Clinton is gathering signatures for a petition to show HHS just how many people oppose the new regulations. Join this fight by visiting Senator Clinton's website now and signing her petition. And stay tuned to see where this battle goes.
School's Out, But Activism Has Never Been More In  Around here, we tend to think that summer vacations are only for schoolchildren and state legislators. This coming fall we have to push harder than ever before to pass more proactive legislation and to educate New Yorkers about the threat to the freedoms we already enjoy. This summer we're building up our base of support for all the work that needs to be done. In the last month and a half we've represented at Brooklyn Pride, NYC Pride, the Clearwater Festival in Croton-on-Hudson, the Rochester Latino Heath Fair, an Ani DiFranco concert, the Warped Tour, the Girls for Gender Equity Fair, and more, reaching out to thousands of people. In talking with people across the state about the importance of protecting our reproductive rights in New York, we've collected more than 1,000 petition signatures for the Reproductive Health Act. Many of these signatures came from people who had never considered the possibility of losing the right to have an abortion. Thanks to our corps of volunteers, we're increasing education about the threats to reproductive rights as we now know them. See how a summer vacation just doesn't hold up against our Summer of Activism? Well don't despair - we've only just begun. There are more opportunities to get involved every day. Contact our Community Organizer, Lalena Howard, at lhoward@prochoiceny.org to see how you can get involved. Do it sooner rather than later - the fate of our rights in New York just might depend on it.
Choose Wisely: Summer Reading Edition  She's been called "shrewd," "foul-mouthed" and "extremely funny." We like to think of her as a quick, witty, super-smart, feminist word-ninja. Jessica Valenti, founder and executive editor of Feministing.com and author of Full Frontal Feminism, just put out a new book, He's a Stud, She's a Slut, and 49 Other Double Standards Every Woman Should Know.
This book breaks down 50 double standards women face about careers, style, vaginas, and everything in between. Some of Valenti's targets include "He's a hipster, she's a ho," and, my personal favorite, "He's an activist, she's a pain in the ass." Who among us hasn't heard that last one? Anyone? While men often perpetuate such stereotypes, Valenti points out that women can be just as vicious as men in hating on other women. So how do we stop these double standards in their tracks? The first step is to call them out. She writes, "if we recognize the hypocrisy of the slut/stud nonsense when we see it - whether it's an anti-choice law or a movie that makes women who have sex look like deviants - we're on the right road." Super-smart feminist word-ninja indeed. Click here to buy He's a Stud, She's a Slut, and 49 Other Double Standards Every Woman Should Know and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to NARAL Pro-Choice New York.  To provide you with even more pro-choice summer reading, NARAL Pro-Choice New York has teamed up with the Progressive Book Club, which aims to make progressive ideas part of the national debate. The Progressive Book Club is currently featuring three books recommended by NARAL Pro-Choice New York, all focusing on how we can reframe hot-button issues in terms that put the Radical Right on the defensive. Check out the books here. Join Progressive Book Club today with a great introductory offer - 3 books for $3 (with membership). Remember to select NARAL Pro-Choice New York as your beneficiary organization when you join, and we will receive $2 every time you purchase a club-priced book at Progressive Book Club. NARAL Pro-Choice New York, working hard this summer to make you the envy of the sunbathing intelligentsia. |
