The Pro-Choice Public Education Project

When Partner Abuse Isn't a Bruise But a Pregnant Belly

Mon, 29 Jun 2009

Janey (not her real name) was 19 when she fell "head over heels" for a guy six years her senior.Hemoved in just weeks after their first date, which was before shelearned about the cheating. When she confronted him, repeatedly, heraped her, repeatedly. When she told him to move out, he threatened herwith more violence. Meanwhile, condoms: not happening. Hormonal birthcontrol like the Pill, she says, made her sick. �"The first timeI got pregnant against my will, I had the baby," she says. Along withseveral STDs. (He'd been her only partner.) After a stint in jail forviolating an ex's order of protection, he was back, promising never tohurt her, gushing about family happiness.The -- yes -- secondpregnancy occurred when she'd run out of money ...

When Partner Abuse Isn't a Bruise But a Pregnant Belly

Mon, 29 Jun 2009

Supreme Court Reverses Ricci Decision; Finds White Firefighters Unfairly Denied Promotion

Mon, 29 Jun 2009

In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court has reversed the Second Circuit ruling in Ricci vs. DeStefano, the case in which white firefighters have argued that they had been discriminated against when a promotional exam on which no African-American firefighters scored highly enough to be promoted was discarded.� Reports the New York Times,� "Fear of litigation alone cannot justify an employer's reliance on race to the detriment of individuals who passed the examinations and qualified for promotions," Justice Anthony Kennedy said in his opinion for the court. He was joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas. In dissent, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said the white firefighters ...

A friend of mine knows: Sotomayor "hard to BS"

Mon, 29 Jun 2009

A friend of mine is running for city council in my district in NYC. I have known Jo Anne Simon for several years and she is currently one of the district leaders for my area. I have also endorsed her for City Council. Locally Jo Anne Simon is best known for being one of only a handful of district leaders to stand up to local corruption. Nationally, she is known for he role as an advocate for disabled rights. I recently learned that in this capacity she has first hand knowledge of what it is like to argue before Judge Sotomayor, and I think her comments are worth knowing as Sotomayor is scrutinized for her Supreme Court nomination.This is from Jo Anne Simon's campaign website:In a letter to New York Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten ...

I'll be there (a capella)

Mon, 29 Jun 2009

There were three Michael Jacksons in my lifetime. The little black boy that sang like an angel. That same little black boy changed by a nose and Jheri Curls. And then there was the plastic surgey superfreak, masked by his dreams of whiteness and tainted by the stench of pedophilia. I reckoned going through the threads of places like Oh No They Didnt and Metafilter that there's a whole generation of people who never saw Michael Jackson as a black boy and young man. That boggles the mind. And yet, all commenters, even detractors, cannot but give the man his due. When it came to talent, music and entertainment chops, there has been nobody like him. �more�this�way�

Friday Feel-Good Story: Teen Lesbians Voted Best Couple in Yearbook

Mon, 29 Jun 2009

SistersTalk made a great point: While the adults in Albany, NY still can't get it together to vote on the gay marriage bill in the NY Senate, the students of Mott Haven Village Preparatory (Public) High School in the Bronx have already cast their vote - and made history. Victoria Cruz and Deoine Scott were voted (by a landslide!) "Best Couple" by their high school peers, the first time a gay couple was voted Best Couple in the school, and possibly in the Bronx. Check out their story, it's really sweet. H/t to Bialogue.

Ask Professor Foxy: Should I Lose My Virginity?

Mon, 29 Jun 2009

Apologies for the delay, there were some technical difficulties - PFThis weekly column "Ask Professor Foxy" will regularly contain sexually explicit material. This material is likely not safe for work viewing. The title of the column will include the major topic of the post, so please read the topic when deciding whether or not to read the entire column.Dear Professor Foxy,I am 22 and half years old and I am still a virgin, and frankly, I worry a lot that this is strange and unusual.From age 17 to 20, I dated two different guys seriously. Coming from a pretty religious Roman Catholic background, at first I didn't want to have sex for all the wrong reasons -- because nice girls don't do that outside of marriage, etc etc. As I got a little ...

MTV's 16 and Pregnant--The First Episode

Sun, 14 Jun 2009

Last night MTV premiered its new show, "16 and Pregnant." Watch the first episode here. While the show shines a fairly honest light on how hard it can be for teens trying to live an adult family life, my impression is that it tends to have the 'Bristol Palin" effect: "don't get pregnant--but if you do, you'll get lots of media attention... Maybe even your own MTV show, (scored with hip indie music, with your own voice-over narration and tilted to put you in a sympathetic light.)" Although it's crucially important not to stigmatize pregnant and parenting teens and offer them full support, I'm not sure whether this show doesn't inappropriately glorify their difficult existence. It also hews to gender roles--the dutiful, self-sacrificing mom ...

Roundup: Operation Rescue President Wants to Purchase Tiller's Clinic

Sun, 14 Jun 2009

Operation Rescue President Wants to Purchase Tiller's ClinicTroy Newman, president of Operation Rescue, a group that has fought for years to close Dr. Tiller's abortion clinic, told the New York TimesWednesday the group is considering purchasing the building and turningit into a memorial, "a tribute to all the babies," Newman said.According to the NYT, Operation Rescue's national headquarters in Wichita is another former abortion clinic Newman owns.He told NYT: "That is hallowed ground," Mr. Newman...said of Dr. Tiller's clinic. "It's iconic of the abortion movement, of abortion itself. It holds memories, sorrowful memories for countless women and for the babies that have died there. You can't turn it into a coffee shop. You wouldn't pave ...

Is Pulling Out Losing Its Bad Rep?

Sun, 14 Jun 2009

Any time a friend has described their method of birth control as ?pulling out,? I instinctively give them a judgmental look. We won Griswold v. Connecticut. We can buy condoms at any corner store. Sure, Plan B is available over the counter, but why risk it?While this seems to be the standard reaction, it could have more basis in cultural stigma than in fact. Recent studies have shown that in this age of infinite options, withdrawal might be just as good as diaphragms and condoms. According to an article on The Globe and Mail, researchers and academics have been embracing the withdrawal method as a viable option of birth control. ??Withdrawal has a bad rep, but if you look at the research, it substantially reduces the risk of pregnancy,? ...

Coercively Sterilized Romani Woman Will Receive Compensation

Sun, 14 Jun 2009

Afterthree years, the Hungarian government has finally decided to provide financialcompensation to a Romani woman who was coercively sterilized in 2001. The casewas referred to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination AgainstWomen, and in August 2006 it found the Hungarian government to be in violationof the UN Convention that guarantees an end to discrimination against women. �In March 2008, the Hungariangovernment declared the opposite. It would not provide any compensation to Ms.A.S., a woman who was sterilized by Hungarian doctors without her consent. Now,on February 24, 2009, after eight years of national and international legalproceedings, there is hope that the victim, as recommended by CEDAW Committee,"will be provided an ...

Vanessa Richmond asks, "Is Angelina Jolie the Next Feminist Icon?" My Answer: "No ... but"

Sun, 14 Jun 2009

The lovely @CruelSecretary twittered Is Angelina Jolie the Next Feminist Icon? :: Media and Technology :: AlterNet to me this morning. Let's say that I stopped taking seriously not just Naomi Wolff but Virginia Richmond as well after I read this part: A quarter of American households are headed by single parents, often portrayed as sad, poverty-stricken and pathetic, and Jolie turned that it into a "fairly radical, vision... that made the relationship seem tender, glamorous, and complete, father figure or no father figure in the picture." She re-framed single motherhood "from a state of lack or insufficiency to a glamorous, unfettered lifestyle choice."Why I was a bit ticked-off about this? Well, before there was Angelina Jolie the ...

Live Blogging: NCRW Young Women's Caucus

Sun, 14 Jun 2009

I'm going to let my friend Laura Leischner, the Prevention Specialist at The Collins Center, blog this one out...It's a pretty informal setting with people finishing their lunch, but the caucus is going to be moderated by Kyla Bender-Baird and Lisa Rast, both of NCRW. Everyone went around and introduced themselves. There are a wide range of women in the room, from freelancers, college students to attorneys.Lisa talks about how one of her favorite quotes is by Madeleine Albright, "There's a special place in hell for women that don't support other women." She poses the question, "How can we support other women while looking out for ourselves?" A tough one indeed.A NCRW intern Shirley raises the point that she appreciates the quote, but ...

What we Missed.

Sun, 14 Jun 2009

Today was Iran's election, TPM has some pictures. A soldier's courageous story of why he will not deploy to Afghanistan. Great piece from Sokari on organizing around sexuality and gender in some of the African nations. Firedoglake has an update on the debacle in Albany. Adam Serwer at Tapped on D.C.'s anti-gay marriage "crusaders." A new Target Women from Sarah Haskins, "Lady Friends."A jail in Virginia broke up a lesbian cell block that had been created to separate butch women. Um, wow.

Sotomayor, Race and Gender: An Abortion Debate by Proxy

Sun, 14 Jun 2009

When Supreme Court Justice David Souter announced that he intendedto step down from the bench at the end of this year's Supreme Court term, therewas a brief pause, a collective gathering in of air, followed by a frenzy ofspeculation that did not end until President Obama announced his selection ofJudge Sonia Sotomayor as nominee.� Duringthe days of guesswork and anticipation that preceded Obama's nomination ofSotomayor, political odds-makers seemed to favor the selection of a woman, withmost pundits leaning toward a woman of color, to replace Justice Souter.� Everyone was on pins and needles, and whocould blame us? �During the 2008elections, the that the next President would most likely have the opportunityto nominate more than one Supreme ...