
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Daily Show Brilliance and Oscar Worthy Ignorance
Meanwhile, the Army and Air Force are set to fix decals to NASCAR racecars spinning vicious circles, fix decals to make more War. World War Always.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
In case you missed it...

Congresswoman Speier stood up in protest of the Pence Amendment and shared her own abortion story.
It was clear from this video that Speier was going to stand up for Planned Parenthood but was not going to share her own abortion story. But, I am so glad she did. If we want Planned Parenthood to survive, women and men need to speak up and tell their own stories about how important Planned Parenthood has been to them in their lives.
And remember, this amendment takes away funding for everything but abortion (thanks Hyde Amendment). So those ever so important cancer screenings, STD screenings, women's health exams and birth control counseling.
Thank you Congresswoman Speier for being so brave and telling your story! I hope more women and men will stand with you and tell theirs.
Now that this has passed in the House, call your Senators and tell them to vote NO on the Pence Amendment!
I stand with Planned Parenthood.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Libertyville Abortion Demonstration
(sadly I cannot embed this video, but please follow the link and watch it!)
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
That's Entertainment!
Wait. Scratch that last one.
My favorite thing about TV is how inaccurately it portrays everything (except, of course, for Sandra Lee's "Kwanzaa Cake" calamity, which is depicted with frightening accuracy). For example, very few programs or movies related to pregnancy address abortion as more than a sidebar comment. This problem extends beyond it's disdain for reality and thoughtful women; I wager that folks who are not involved in the pregnancy options world actually buy this tripe and take it as gospel. In the last couple years, since the outpouring of pregnancy-related entertainment, I've lamented to friends and coworkers time and again that abortion should be part of the story. Their responses are usually to this effect: "But Anti-Anti, if she had an abortion there would be no story lol!"

Let's count the ways in which choosing an abortion continues to be an issue of substance:
1. the woman actually has to weigh her options to make a decision
2. the woman probably already has kids
3. the woman has a deadbeat partner, or an awesome partner who doesn't want her to have an abortion
4. the woman doesn't have the money for an abortion
5. the woman doesn't have an escort to get to her abortion
6. the woman is near the gestation limit in her state and has to get to her appointment NOW!
7. the woman has to get a judicial bypass because her parents would mangle her if they knew
8. the woman gets mugged and all her hard-scrounged abortion money is stolen
9. there is a fetal anomaly and the woman has to get to a specialized health center NOW!
10. the woman is homeless
11. the woman is a teenager
12. the woman is ill
13. the woman doesn't speak English
14. the woman has no support from friends or family and has to rely on total strangers
15. the woman was desperate enough to attempt a DIY abortion
16. the woman's pregnancy circumstances are not ideal, yet her biological clock is ticking
17. the woman belongs to some moron religion
18. the woman was a virgin impregnated by God, but still thinks it's not cool
19. the woman makes a living as a swimsuit model and doesn't want to compromise her figure
20. the woman wound up at a CPC and has to make up for lost time and lost sanity
Phew! With any combination of those circumstances I could write a Judd Apatow-esque comedy that would knock your socks clean off, about abortion! What's our world coming to? When did unplanned pregnancy become HILARIOUS? Something that is a wild ride while you're on it, but always feels better at the end? Screw that. I want to see a) an abortion comedy, where a woman does some hilarious things and faces zany circumstances to make her abortion happen or b) a pregnancy tragedy where a woman listened to all the folks around her telling her not to have an abortion and dies in childbirth and utters with her last breath, "If only I had chosen abortion, one of the safest medical procedures in the United States."
IT'S TIME TO GET REAL, TV!
On that note, I'd like to pay tribute to MTV, who aired a wonderful special on abortion last night. One of my fellow Abortioneers will investigate this topic in depth, but I'd like to first share with you the link so that you can see for yourselves just how interesting a story about abortion can be.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Media Monday! "Abortion Democracy," the documentary
A few weeks ago I met a German woman named Sarah Diehl, who's in the US doing a screening tour for her documentary, "Abortion Democracy: Poland / South Africa." I saw a short preview of the film and have been looking forward to seeing it ever since.
Poland is one of the few countries in Europe that has criminalized abortion in almost all cases -- and this isn't an ancient law, either, but one passed in 1994. I remember a few years ago reading about a Polish woman who sued the government in the European Court of Human Rights after being denied an abortion that would have saved her deteriorating eyesight. Alicja Tysiac is functionally blind as a result of this denial; the court found that the Polish law did not even uphold the narrow exceptions it claimed to make for cases where a woman's health was endangered by pregnancy, the government had failed by the standards of its own law and Tysiac's human rights had been violated. The court awarded her compensation, but of course that won't restore her sight. The story both outraged and terrified me: abortion policies aren't an abstraction limited to proving ideological points -- they are terribly, viscerally real for the women whose decision-making they vitiate.
South Africa, on the other hand, is one of the few countries in Africa that has legalized elective abortion. The law was changed in 1996 to allow abortion "on demand" in the first trimester and abortion on certain legal, medical or socioeconomic grounds in weeks 13-20. (Quick fact: "on demand" means that women are not required to stand before a judge, panel of doctors, or other jury who will approve or reject their 'case' for an abortion.) Yet legally-qualifying abortions are still quite difficult to obtain for many South African women, especially in the second trimester. In fact, "Abortion Democracy" suggests that it may be "easier to obtain an illegal abortion in Poland than it is to obtain a legal abortion in South Africa." In this sense, national policies are not the only thing that determines the nature of on-the-ground access, not by a long shot.
I'll be watching the movie tonight, so I'll be back with an update on how it was. In the meantime, I hope this trailer gets you as intrigued as I am.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Abortion on TV
Friday Night Lights, not a show I've ever watched before, centers around high school football in a fictional (smallish?) town in Texas. While football is the main story line, there are, of course, various personal story lines. One of them involves two teenagers, Luke and Becky.
"I Can't" centers mostly around Becky finding out she's pregnant and trying to figure out if at 15 she wants to have a baby or have an abortion. While during the episode Becky is obviously torn up about the abortion and telling her mom (who was a teen mom), she seems pretty clear throughout on her decision. She does find solace in the support and objective counseling of the high school football coach's wife, Tami, who doesn't try to talk her out of her decision but does encourage Becky to tell her mom after asking if it's safe for Becky to do so.
The show doesn't delve into a lot of specifics but does a pretty good job of portraying the story realistically and objectively. There's a brief scene with a doctor, at the clinic where Becky will have her abortion, giving the state mandated counseling. Like I said it doesn't go into specifics, so we don't see too much of the counseling process. I do think the show gave a pretty well rounded view, albeit packed tightly into an hour tv show that dedicates much of it's time to various story lines. I can't find any clips to put on the website, but I saw it on the NBC website and thought it was a pretty good episode that portrayed an abortion experience objectively.
The other show, had a slightly different portrayal of an abortion experience - the Family Guy. The Family Guy is a satirical cartoon, made for adults, that isn't afraid to take any controversial topic and poke some fun.
In the episode, "Partial Terms of Endearment", which Fox won't air but is coming out on dvd, Lois goes to a class reunion and runs into an old friend. This friend asks her to be a surrogate for her and her husband. Lois agrees and an embryo is successfully implanted in Lois' uterus. However, not long after, Lois' friend and husband are killed in a car accident. Lois isn't sure what to do and ultimately decides to have an abortion. While Lois does have the abortion in the end, there is a moment where Peter, her husband, tries to convince her not to have the abortion after talking to anti-abortion protesters outside the clinic. This leads me to my favorite scene from this episode. I did watch the entire episode, broken into parts on You Tube.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Cool Abortiony Vids

As a volunteer at the Global Health Council Conference, I had the opportunity to peruse the booths of other global health orgs and reproductive health ones. Always a fan of Ipas (see our previous posts referencing Ipas), I stopped by their booth and grabbed some literature, plus the obligatory "I <3 Reproductive Rights" swag. Then I went stopped by their YouTube channel, and I strongly recommend you do the same, if for no other reason than the following -- take 30 seconds and watch*:
Think About It
I assume this was filmed in Brazil, which is great because it sheds light on the situation in a heavily- Catholic and anti country.
Did you finish? Good. Let's discuss.
I've always had this theory that people who are not intellectual/politically involved/generally thoughtful just regurgitate things that they are taught. I've spoken with lots of folks who, when asked to explain their views on certain subject, respond "just because". It's simple recitation. You can tell that the person has never truly considered what he/she believes, or why, but just believes so because they were taught so by mom, dad, Father Flynn, or whomever else. That's what I love about this spot; everyone has an automatic reaction to they way they feel about abortion, simply because it's against Catholic doctrine. But when asked to consider the morality of the issue, they're stumped!
Granted, this spot was probably edited to emphasize the point, but I can't imagine that this attitude is rare in Brazil or other Latin American countries. It's crazy! Especially considering the Brazilian government's commitment to health and relatively good health indicators. And the way they've managed the HIV epidemic is laudable. It's sad how religion trumps health/human rights. Those minor details.
ANYWAY. Please check out the channel for other videos and promotions. A treasure trove at your fingertips!
*(Clip also available in Spanish!)
Sunday, February 7, 2010
quick Superbowl addendum
Super Bowl Sunday

It's that time folks. Grab your corn chips, your salsa from a jar, and a good old American Bud Heavy and sit down to watch the Saints try to keep the American Dream alive and beat the Colts. And also to see the much talked about, much hyped Focus on the Family commercial.
For those of you blissfully unaware: Pam Tebow, Tim Tebow's mother, was pregnant when she was on a missionary tour in the Philippines. She became extremely ill and went into a coma. The drugs used to get her out of her coma and to treat her dysentery caused a severe placental abruption to occur. Basically, the pregnancy detached from her uterus. REALLY BAD. In fact, "fetal mortality rate of 20-40% depending on the degree of separation. Placental abruption is also a significant contributor to maternal mortality." So the doctors said that the baby was likely to be stillborn and recommended abortion. She was in the Philippines, where abortion has been criminalized and illegal since 1870, so I am not sure how great her doctor was since he was apparently ignorant of the country's laws?? Anyway, she said no, and carried the pregnancy to term. AND TIM TEBOW WAS BORN WOWOWOW MIRACLE OF LIFE.
This commercial is getting a TON of press, and my head is about to explode if I have to read another article talking about how IT'S NOT A BIG DEAL AND TIM TEBOW IS SO NICE AND WE LOVE HIM. (Note Revolutionary Vagina commented on this briefly a few weeks ago) Take for example, Roland S. Martin of CNN, who says
There is no rule anywhere in existence that says that the Super Bowl should be free of politics and social causes. None. So what's the big deal over Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow and his mother starring in a pro-life ad?
I agree with you, Mr. Martin. Whole heartedly. Expect that apparently there ARE rules, put in place by the Super Bowl, about what kinds of ads they air. In 2004 PETA wanted to run an anti-fur commercial and they were rejected. Moveon.org wanted to air a commercial about how much Bush is running up the deficit, and they were rejected. The United Church of Christ wanted to air a commercial letting the world know they don't discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, and that EVERYONE was welcome at their church. They were rejected. Why? The Super Bowl peeps said they had to reject those ads because they were not going to “touch on and/or take a position on one side of a current controversial issue of public importance.” Even this year, a homosexual dating website wanted to air a commercial about the site and they were rejected as well. I am just confused how Pam Tebow's story is not a controversial issue? Abortion has been and seems like always will be a hot button issue in this country.
Oh wait! CBS has CHANGED THE RULES about what is "controversial" this year. So I guess a gay dating website is, but anti-abortion is not. Ohhhhhhhhhh okay I toadily get it. Thanks guys.
I guess what bothers me the most, besides CBS playing favorites on political issues, besides the story of Pam Tebow's pregnancy being riddled with inconsistencies that don't add up, is that everyone is forgetting, as Revolutionary Vagina pointed out, Pam Tebow did have a choice. If she was really in the Philippines were abortion was 100% illegal, then not really, but the point in all of this is that she CHOSE to keep the pregnancy despite the risks to the fetus and to her own life. I know we are not getting the full story here in terms of what actually happened, but either way, she chose to carry a pregnancy that was dangerous to both her and her fetus and she was aware of this and made that choice anyway. That is a brave choice and I give her props for that. I do not give her props for making it seem like it was NBD and that we should always choose life. Unfortunately, carrying a pregnancy to term is not always choosing life because sometimes both the mother and the fetus die. Sometimes the mother dies but the fetus lives. Sometimes the fetus dies. There are a lot of risks and complications involved with that kind of stuff and it appears as if they are sweeping all that under the rug. Just not cool, you know?
And this is from Upright Citizen's Brigade, so, you know it's gonna be hilarious:
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Abortion in movies
Friday, January 15, 2010
What if I name my baby Abortion?
New Law Requires Women To Name Baby, Paint Nursery Before Getting Abortion
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Placeholder post
We normally have a full post up on Wednesdays, but for right now I'm just pinch-hitting for Anti-Anti. It's actually three in the morning here, and there's a city repair crew on the sidewalk right outside my window, and their jackhammer's been going for an hour. Seriously, guys? I saw you out there last night, checking out a leak; you couldn't have started this earlier?
So even though I need to wake up in under five hours, I figured I'd stop by the blog. Here's a song I like a lot. Possible reasons I've been playing it so much: (a) Regina Spektor is funny and weird and makes music out of ha-ha laughing; (b) I'm an atheist/agnostic/don'tcare and this song pokes around the edges of that (for the record, I've always thought the quip "there are no atheists in foxholes" was silly); (c) it's got a line that sounds like it was tailor-made for Fred Phelps and his less-sensational ilk, which is always fun; (d) the pre-trial hearings of the narcissistic shitfucker who murdered George Tiller are taking place right now and I'm feeling serious. Hard to say!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Human Kindness
Why are so many people afraid of the word abortion?
Even though 1 in 3 women will have an abortion before the age of 45, even though it is one of the safest medical procedures, people still find the need to keep it on the “down low.” Like when people come into the clinic for their appointment and whisper through the glass, “I'm here for my abortion,”…. And I whisper back “So is everyone else” (signaling to the other 50 people in the waiting room)
ABORTION!!! Maybe if it was called…. Noitroba? How do we get rid of the stigma attached to this word? Hmm… what do people like?
Most people would agree with human rights, right? What about the right to a fulfilling and happy life? The right to control your own body?
Abortion=Love, Choice, Relief, Option, Life, Happiness, Respect, Kindness….the list goes on. Abortion means so many positive things to so many different people, and yet it still “sounds bad.”
So maybe it’s just the word. Maybe it’s the tone in which people say it. Maybe everyone should say abortion at least once a day until it is no longer hushed and whispered in conversation. Abortion, abortion, abortion….is human kindness.
This weekend, I participated in a values clarification seminar where I was once again, the “abortion person.” In a room full of like-minded, sex positive women, values were colliding and being challenged. I became aware of the assumptions I carry about how important being “pro-choice” actually is to women, and the role abortion plays in their lives.
The other day I had a wonderful conversation with a girl in my class about abortion, and her work as a health educator in schools. She was genuinely interested in hearing about the work I had done in the abortion field and it was such a breath of fresh air to freely talk about what I was most passionate about.
The next day, I saw her in the student café area and beamed with excitement, remembering the lengthy conversation we had just had about abortion. I came up to her in front of some of her friends, mentioned something from our talk, and watched as her face dropped and head shifted away. She hurriedly said “uh huh,” and then went on her way. I suddenly remembered, she might have opened up to me the other day because she felt comfortable and safe. She could talk to me in a non-judgmental, respectful and loving space. In a different context, in front of her “other” friends, it was a topic she did not want to openly and publicly discuss.
There are days now that pass where those conversations don’t happen, and when they do, I am reminded of my unconditional support and love for women. Why I constantly fight for safe and accessible abortion services, and why I will never stop fighting. I feel so grateful and comforted that there are other people, just like me out there, who feel there is nothing more than Human rights-which are sexual rights-which include the right to safe, legal and accessible abortion. These people in my life are sprinkled throughout different states and countries, and I often miss them in my everyday life. So thank you blog, and women of the blog, for filling a place in my heart.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Don't Stop Me Now
Today, I'm gonna have myself an abortioneery time
I feel sad that ladies in this countryyyyyy
Are pregnant in their vag-ees
And they don't want to be, they don't want to
'Cause their birth control failed or they got raped (etc)
I'm an abortioneer defending women's righhhhttts
Like Michael Steele defying the laws of loghahaiiiic
I'm an escort passing by anti protestors
I'm gonna go go go
There's no stopping me
Until Stupak came along Yeah!
Amending bills late at night
That's why they call him anti Women's Rights
I'm trav'ling at the speed of light
I wanna make a real Democratic man out of you
Don't stop me now! I'm having such a good time
Enjoying my legal rights - don't stop me now
If you need an abortion, just give us a call!
Don't stop us now ('Cause we're having a good time)
Don't stop us now (Yes we're having a good time)
We don't want to stop at all!
I'm a laminaria dilating your cervix
Oh seaweed is cool
I am a doctor who performs abortions
I am a counselor ready to help
Like a yolk sac about to
Oh oh oh oh oh explode
I'm burning through money Yeah!
Two hundred dollars
That's why you should donate to a local fund
I'm trav'ling at the speed of light
I wanna make an abortioneer out of you
Don't stop me don't stop me don't stop me
Hey hey hey!
Don't stop me don't stop me
Ooh ooh ooh (I like it)
Don't stop me havin legal rights legal rights
Don't stop me don't stop me
Ooh ooh Alright
I'm burning through money Yeah!
Two hundred dollars
That's why you should donate to a local fund
I'm trav'ling at the speed of light
I wanna make an abortioneer out of you
Don't stop me now I'm having such a good time
I'm not having a ball don't stop me now
If you wanna have a good time
Just give me a call
Don't stop me now ('Cause I'm having a good time)
Don't stop me now (Yes I'm having a good time)
I don't wanna stop at all
La la la la laaaa
La la la la
La la laa laa laa laaa
La la laa la la la la la laaa hey!!....

Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Strong Women

I just want to say that I h-e-a-r-t Sonya Renee, a beautiful, strong poetess who does lots of poetry slams. Yes, I love poetry. Yes, I'm a sucker for women who pull themselves up by the bootstraps and tell all the people in their lives trying to yank those boots off, to go fuck themselves. That's why I love Sonya Renee.
It's also why I really love Sonya Renee today. We all have those days we don't feel so hot about ourselves, where things get a little shitty, and we might just need a bit of a reminder that we're better than we actually think we are, right? Well, I was having one of those days until I watched the video below. This lovely poetess/goddess served as a smack right upside my head telling me, "Uh. Hello! You're not all THAT bad! It could totally be LOTS worse! AND, you like yourself more than you THINK you do!" Don't we all need that every once in awhile?
This is the thing: we don't have to put up with sub-par crap. A friend of mine reminded me today, we don't need to wait around for others who are "dicking around" with our lives to get their dicks back into their pants (like Sonya says!); we can tell them to walk right on out that door because we.like.ourselves.enough. (Even if they don't like US enough.)
Sometimes, this means we like ourselves enough to have an abortion because the guy that knocked us up is a complete tosser who isn't going to stick around when the going gets tough. They just would rather keep on dicking around with that little dick of theirs. So, thank you Sonya. And thank you friend.
Oh, and in case you have not ever seen her in all her pro-choice glory, telling everyone where to stick it, you can watch this (we've posted it before, but personally, I don't think you can ever get too much of the beautiful Sonya: