Beware of the Superbowl Commercials

How does one ruin the Superbowl for everyone? Run anti-abortion commercials!

Randall Terry, everyone's favorite anti to hate, is running for President. He has no chance and knows that. So why would he run you ask? Part of the FCC Telecommunications Act says that candidates' ads must be run and can't be altered if aired within 45 days of a Presidential primary. As long as Terry can get the money together (and apparently has in 13 television markets), he can run whatever he wants. If you live in these areas, you can prepare to see some graphic fetus porn. Because I refuse to link directly to Randall Terry's website, I will link to a CNN article. While these ads could be worse, I still don't know too many people who want to see this while they have family and friends gathered for food and football (pro- or anti-choice).

I did go to his website to view the ads, and I saw that he's raising money to air the ads. Undoubtedly there are many misguided people out there who are ok with this crap airing on TV. I wish I could do something to prevent people from donating to this nut job. While I may not be able to do that, I can try to do something to encourage people to donate to his opposition. Below I've listed some fabulous pro-choice options for donations.

EMILY's List
NARAL Pro-Choice America
Planned Parenthood
National Abortion Federation
National Network of Abortion Funds

Let's offset Randall Terry and show him that we will not be silenced or deterred.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year?

Thanksgiving is this Thursday. You know what that means - turkey, mashed potatoes, family, friends, giving thanks...oh and mass hysteria evoked by the $50 dvd player that you must have. Watching tv this past week, I can't escape the increasing Black Friday commercials. Apparently it wasn't enough to make retail workers deal with stampeding shoppers at 5:00 am. Now they need to open on Thanksgiving. I've never been a fan of the intense commercialization of holidays, but I think this year it has gotten worse. Is this what the holidays are about?

For me, the holidays aren't about how much I can buy and how many gifts are under the tree. It's about family and friends. Despite the pressure this time of year to spend money on crap we don't need, there are ways to turn the commercialization around and do something good. Rather than going to the crazy stressball that is any store on Black Friday, make a donation to your favorite charity - donate to an abortion fund, Planned Parenthood, or NARAL! It's easy, and it doesn't take much to make a difference. With the year those of us working for abortion rights have had (and the tough year I foresee ahead), it would be a great way to show your support.

Blegging for a good cause

Hi everyone. I just have a quick request today. Please help me honor the life and work of one of our own.

Ryan Goskie's death earlier this month was a blow to many of us who worked in this field, and I for one am still trying to get my head around the idea that someone with so much energy and heart is just gone and won't be coming back.

His partner let us know that donations are being raised to build a small memorial in Ryan's favorite park. It's no substitute for the man himself, but it will be a nice way to mark his existence in the world. I donated last week and am happy to see the fund has nearly reached its goal, so I hope our readers can be the ones to help push it over the top. Please contribute whatever little bit you can!

You can also donate toward abortion care for a woman who can't afford the whole cost on her own. Consider giving in Ryan's honor to the local fund for Missouri, the state where Ryan worked as a volunteer patient escort, an administrator, and a clinical assistant.

Donate to Planned Parenthood in John Boenher's Name

If you haven't heard about the Republicans' attempt to defund Planned Parenthood, you can read about it here. In a nutshell, they are using the argument that since some Planned Parenthoods offer abortion services (even though no federal dollars are used for abortions or abortion related care), the federal dollars that Planned Parenthood does receive and use (for STD, cervical cancer, breast cancer screenings, etc) are thus tainted by affiliation.

It is perfectly ridiculous and complete bullshit. All they are doing is disenfranchising millions of women and men from important health services.

In an effort to combat this, a wonderful movement has been started.

Donate to Planned Parenthood in John Boehner's name. You can donate as little as $5. The fun part: when you do you, John Boehner will receive a card in the mail letting him know a contribution was made to Planned Parenthood on his behalf. Hee hee hee!! They have a page set up on Facebook as well to help track how many people have participated.

I think this is a great idea not only to support Planned Parenthood, but also to let the Speaker of the House know that you do not agree with his policies. Every little bit makes a difference! Think -- if every person who has used Planned Parenthood services donated $5 in Boehner's name, he would get MILLIONS of cards. The movement would surely gain traction in the media, and help demonstrate that American citizens want and need Planned Parenthood services.

Other things you can do to help out Planned Parenthood at this time:

1. Sign their petition to let House Reps and Senators know that you do not support HR1
2. Share your story about how Planned Parenthood provided a service for you in a time of need.

The fact of the matter is, this legislation has already passed in the House and the best way to ensure it does not pass in the Senate is to make your voice heard. As the saying goes: Well-behaved women rarely make history and women who don't speak up for their right to health care will invariably get it taken away.

Also, I made this:

It's NEVER Too Late to DONATE!

Hi guys,

I'm running myself ragged and of course running late once again. Maybe you're getting tired of hearing us say it, but we need you to donate to our virtual bowling team through the National Network of Abortion Funds bowl-a-thon. NNAF has already reached their overall goal, but we have only reached a fraction of our goal and would like to keep going. We can never raise enough, after all -- every dollar we are able to contribute is a step in making reproductive choices possible.

Personally -- I cannot tell a lie -- I tend to be pretty tight-fisted with my money. I donate small amounts to a very select set of causes and organizations. If you have had a friend or organization help pay for your abortion, regular contraceptive method or EC, then you know every single dollar is a step closer. If you're someone who has a savings stash for just in case you need EC or an abortion, then consider donating a small portion of it or maybe even all of it. I did after reading Daughter of Wands' post on April 15th.

Whatever it takes and whatever amount, PLEASE support our bowling team or another. The bowl-a-thon campaign officially ends May 6, but if you need to donate later, the National Network of Abortion Funds and local funds are always accepting donations! 

Love,
Sparky

Tax time

Sorry, I know you've seen this one before. It's just so apt. 

Did you file your taxes on time? I did, but just barely, because unlike the last couple of years, life was just way too crazy in January, February, and March to even think about anything beyond the coming week.

So I was doing the April-Fifteenth hustle and feeling anxious to hear how much I'd be getting back, because my bank balance has been dropping steadily over the weeks, much to this over-scheduled, under-employed wage-worker/student's dismay. And I thought of my funding clients -- the women who were struggling to make one paycheck stretch to the next, couldn't quite scrape together the full cost of their abortion care, and turned to local or national funds in hopes of pleading for the difference.

A couple springs ago, I was fully immersed in funding cases and found myself really impressed at all my clients who were so on top of their shit that they had already filed their tax returns. At some point it dawned on me that they HAD to be on top of their shit -- and they HAD to get an H&R Block "refund anticipation loan" or something similar, and give the preparers a cut of the return -- so that they could count on their tax return to help pay for their abortion services.

To so many of my clients, the idea of having savings for health emergencies is a nice dream. As shitty as it is to be faced with an unwanted pregnancy at any time, the spring clients could at least say, "Thank God this didn't happen in December," when obligations like traveling home and finding your kids a gift and keeping the gas account open would have made it even harder to raise the needed money for themselves. At least, since it was happening in February, they could get to work on a refund advance right away. Even if the tax people do turn it into a 15%-interest loan.

I can't tell you how sick I got of hearing, during this health-insurance reform circus, the petty selfishness of "Why should my tax dollars pay for abortions?" Even as people say that shit, thousands and millions of women out there are diligently filing their taxes each spring, hoping their measly take-home was measly enough to warrant a refund check to serve as non-existent health savings account, because "we" can't be bothered to provide a basic, extremely-common health service with "OUR MONEY."

This is all a very long, roundabout way of saying: Please fucking donate to the National Network of Abortion Funds Bowl-a-Thon. Even if it's just twenty, ten, or five dollars. Then email it to at least three people who might care. Can you do that? Please? It's the least we can do, living in this country full of very pious people who'd rather save their dollars to be dipped in the blood-bath of foreign wars and police abuse than see one cent of public "support" for the fact that women may choose not to be pregnant.

Money Makes The Difference

Money is about survival. Money determines the choices we make in life, which choices are available to us, which option we decide, and how the choice is carried out. In anyplace, USA, money is a huge factor in any choice big or small.

We often tell stories of rescheduled appointments, missed appointments, and pregnancies unwillingly carried to term. Of course, that story often ends here with us: we support women who can find a way to handle most of the factors in choosing to have an abortion or not, and the saga can end there. She is then just another women who did, or did not have her abortion. I have helped a friend pay for her abortion, and another friend's birth control, and emergency contraception for another. However, my social network only reaches so far, so it's still important for me to support funds that reach out to women I'll never know.

We can all be abortioneers: supportive sisters and people who help facilitate sexual and reproductive health and care. There are lots of abortion access funds, often 501(c)3, that accept donations. These funds often make the difference for women who need it most. They are able to offer the last $75, $100, or even $150 for a woman who might otherwise have to postpone or cancel her appointment. But they literally exist through support from people like us -- not from the government, and very rarely from official grants.

It is incredibly important that each of us support both local and national funds so they can offer financial support to women who direly need it. To raise money in a public and fun-type fashion, the National Network of Abortion Funds is holding a bowl-a-thon! The nice part is, for those of us who aren't all in one place or anywhere near a bowling alley, there is the Blogger Bowl-a-thon: We write, you donate, and we stop pestering you when the goal is reached.



The Abortioneers have a team, and our goal is to raise at least $1000 of the entire goal of $125,000. This is only a small fraction of the entire goal but I'm confident we can raise $1000 plus some. The National Network of Abortion Funds is a network of many of the local grassroots organizations that help women pay for abortions in their prospective areas.

Please go and support local funds all over the country by making a donation, even if you have to wait til payday! Every dollar counts, literally! Additionally, if there is a bowl-a-thon team playing at your neighborhood lanes, you can support them too and help NNAF meet their total goal.