From the desk of Kelli Conlin, President
In April, we were all angered when the Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 to uphold the Federal Abortion Ban. While it has been widely reported that the ruling simply bans one abortion procedure, it actually has much more wide-reaching implications. The ruling throws out years of precedent, saying that a woman's health no longer needs to be protected.
We are at a new place in history. The door has now been kicked open for state legislatures to begin passing onerous and dangerous legislation with no regard for a woman's health. As you can imagine, six other states jumped at the chance, immediately introducing legislation that could further limit abortion access within their borders.
New York, however, was different.
Our governor moved quickly to protect the rights and health of women by introducing the Reproductive Health and Privacy Protection Act (RHAPP). The RHAPP Act, which we discuss in more detail in this month's first article, ensures that the basic right to abortion as held in Roe v. Wade will remain the law in New York if the worst comes to pass at the federal level.
We are thrilled to have a pro-active, pro-choice leader in Governor Eliot Spitzer. We are also gratified to have the unified support of the State Senate Democrats on this bill. We will now begin an aggressive campaign to ask every elected official in New York where they stand on this critical piece of legislation.
While we can do nothing to stop last month's horrible Supreme Court ruling from going into effect in New York, we hope that you will stand with us now to ensure that our state does everything in its power to protect abortion access for decades to come.
For Choice,
Kelli Conlin
What's New this Month:
1. NY Politics: A Roe of Our Own
2. EC Challenge Update: Winner Takes the Cake...Literally
3. Choose Wisely: Our Pro-Choice Crush of the Month
NY Politics: A Roe of Our Own
With New York being a leader in what's trendy and up-to-date to the world, it's pretty dismaying to find that our current abortion law is really outdated - and I'm talking archaic here: The law was written before Roe v. Wade was even passed. Eek.
Well, with our brand new governor has come a shiny new pro-choice bill, The Reproductive Health and Privacy Protection Act (RHAPP). Governor Eliot Spitzer has introduced this bill with the intent of codifying the basic holding of Roe v. Wade into New York statutes.
Soon followed the Senate Democrats, who met with us in the Capitol last month where they publicly announced their endorsement of the bill. Now we have to just find out if the Republicans are going to be in the cool crowd, too. And there will be much peer pressure, oh yes there will; we are launching a full campaign to set them on record, because if they don't support RHAPP, then they simply don't support Roe.
On a more serious note, the RHAPP Act is necessary legislation that would ensure the protection of women's health and privacy for future generations to come. And who wouldn't want that? Click here to check out the full text of the bill and here to take action.
If and when this bill is passed, we can continue to be a leader in all things new and cool as well as make certain that we will be a safe haven for women in the future; after all, we are Pro-Choice New York.
EC Challenge Winner Takes the Cake. . . Literally
To celebrate our sixth annual
Back Up Your Birth Control Day of Action on March 20, NARAL Pro-Choice New York created the EC Campus Challenge, in conjunction the
Back Up Your Birth Control Campaign, a project dedicated to creating awareness around emergency contraception. The Challenge sought out students and college groups to create and implement a creative and fun way to spread the word around their campus about emergency contraception.
After much deliberation, we finally chose our winner of the Challenge, Barnard/Columbia Students for Choice, who had the most inventive project that raised awareness around emergency contraception advocacy: an EC bake sale. Cupcakes, did you say?
We were sold.
The Barnard/Columbia Students for Choice is Columbia University's only undergraduate organization dedicated to promoting reproductive rights and health. The organization holds a number of university pro-choice events and activities throughout the year, including film screenings, featuring speakers, flyer campaigns, as well as a clinic escorting program.
The EC Challenge efforts by this lovely group of pro-choicers were made by holding a delicious EC bake sale, where they included cookies and cupcakes with "EC" written with icing on them, as well as distributed their own newsletter titled, "Choice Installments" throughout campus.
So congratulations to our EC Campus Challenge Winners, and keep on bakin'! (And send us all your cupcakes.)
Disclaimer: No actual emergency contraception pills were included in the baking of these cupcakes.
Choose Wisely: Our Pro-Choice Crush of the Month
By Vanessa Valenti, NARAL Pro-Choice New York Communications Assistant
And she's my sister.
Who knew that the person who gave me noogies and wedgies as a child would serve as one of the most influential young women within the feminist movement? And her first book is now on store shelves.
Jessica is a founder (along with myself) and the executive editor of Feministing.com, one of the most widely known women's issues blogs on the internet, and has been a freelance blogger and writer for quite some time now.
Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman's Guide to Why Feminism Matters serves as a introduction for young women who know little about feminism, and more importantly, aims to convince them of how cool it actually is.
The book is full of wit and often hilarity, but is no fluff work; Jessica brings the issues out in the open and then opens them apart for dissection. Through much of the book she exposes the anti-choice, abstinence-only conservative zealots whom are trying to take control of women's sexuality, bodies, and personal choices in this country. And we like that.
And all of this is in a language that you can understand; she talks to her readers, not at them. They understand her, because they are her, ten years ago. They are also her today.
Jessica may be my sister, my childhood bully and therefore my eternal enemy, but she is one good writer. So get this book; buy it for a friend, your daughter, a girlfriend, or for yourself, and be prepared to get enraged, go into hysterics, want to cry and be inspired all at the same time. It may very well change your life. Yes, really.
| A Few Choice Words Staff |
Vanessa Valenti, Writer
Mary Alice Carr, Editor |
Click here, to buy the book and a portion of the proceeds will go to NARAL Pro-Choice New York.
