Choice Words from Planned Parenthood

What is GYT?????

2009-06-05T14:44:00.001-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MTV’S GYT CAMPAIGN SPURS NATIONWIDE MOVEMENT TO “GET YOURSELF TESTED”

National Campaign with the Kaiser Family Foundation, Planned Parenthood and Partners Triggers Youth Conversation, Helps Drive STD Testing

STD Testing Doubles at Many Planned Parenthood Clinics During April

New York, NY, June 1, 2009 – In recognition of National STD Awareness Month (April), MTV, leading pop-culture personalities, the Kaiser Family Foundation, Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) and its nationwide network of Planned Parenthood® health centers, and other partners banded together for an aggressive public information campaign to promote testing for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among young Americans under age 25. Today, the partners announced several results which suggest that many young people across the country heard the call to GYT (“Get Yourself Tested”). In many Planned Parenthood health centers, for example, youth testing rates increased more than 50 percent during the month of April 2009 over the previous year.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in four teen girls in the U.S. have at least one common STD. Other estimates find that as many as one in two sexually-active young people will contract an STD by age 25 – and most won’t know it.[1] In response to these facts, the GYT campaign, an extension of MTV and Kaiser’s Emmy and Peabody-winning “It’s Your (Sex) Life,” informs young people about STDs and promotes testing and treatment as needed. Since the launch of GYT on April 1, 2009, the call-to-action has been embraced by young people across the United States, as the campaign unfolded on-air, online, on mobile devices and in health centers.

Some positive results from the month of April include:

Planned Parenthood Health Systems in North Carolina and South Carolina experienced a more than 100 percent increase in clients (both male and female); in the St. Louis Region, Planned Parenthood reported a 100 percent increase in less-likely-to-test males, as well as a 61 percent increase in female clients.
At campaign launch, “GYT” was one of the most-searched terms on Google, most-discussed videos on YouTube and also generated significant attention on Twitter. GYT-related videos have now been streamed over 400,000 times. Thousands continue to track and engage with the campaign on Facebook and Twitter.
Testing for gonorrhea among men and women increased in multiple markets. In fact, Planned Parenthood of Georgia experienced a 64 percent increase in the number of men tested for gonorrhea, while at a Planned Parenthood in South Central New York, the number of women tested for gonorrhea rose nearly 70 percent.
At Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa, the number of men tested for HIV more than doubled. The Planned Parenthood of South Texas and the Greater Memphis Region also experienced marked increases in male HIV tests, with a nearly 40 percent increase in the region. Planned Parenthood in Southwest and Central Florida, Indiana, Northern New York, and Southeastern Pennsylvania, to name a few, showed significant increases in the number of women tested for HIV. In fact, Planned Parenthood of Indiana, 45 percent more women were tested for HIV this April over last year.
GYT09.org, the campaign’s Web hub, provided information to nearly 300,000 unique visitors during April, serving as a resource for facts about STDs; talking tips on how to discuss STD testing with partners and healthcare providers; and connecting young people to nearby testing centers and other resources. Tens of thousands of young people accessed local testing resources through GYT’s online and mobile tools.
During just two days of $5 testing, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains conducted 2,754 chlamydia and gonorrhea tests, compared to the usual average of 156. Additionally, the Planned Parenthood Association of Bucks County experienced an over 60 percent increase in women tested for chlamydia, and at Planned Parenthood of Illinois, 51 percent more men were tested for both gonorrhea and chlamydia.
An all-star collective of pop culture personalities carried the GYT message far and wide, from Soulja Boy tweeting “WTF is GYT” to nearly 200,000 fans on Twitter to Perez Hilton’s GYT video generating over 1,000 comments. Flo Rida, The All-American Rejects, Asher Roth, N.E.R.D., Santigold, Joanna Garcia, Kid Sister, Chester French and Joy Bryant also promoted GYT via their social marketing networks, spreading the word and urging young people to GYT.
GYT Community Kits were distributed to over 1,500 clinics, youth organizations, public health departments and other groups across the country to provide programming materials and resources for local efforts to encourage STD testing.

“The results speak for themselves. Young people around the nation heard the GYT message in April and went out to get tested,” said Stephen Friedman, GM of MTV. “GYT will continue to live as part of It’s Your (Sex) Life, and as young people continue to carry the GYT banner forward so that eventually every sexually active person under the age of 25 gets tested for STDs.”

"We’re very encouraged by the early results of GYT, especially the marked increase in testing at the local clinics and health centers that participated in the effort,” said Tina Hoff, Vice President and Director, Entertainment Media Partnerships, Kaiser Family Foundation.

“Through more than 450 public outreach and education events across the country, Planned Parenthood GYT’s critical health care message reached more than 20,000 people,” said PPFA President Cecile Richards. “Combine that with the viral nature of the campaign and the early numbers our health centers are reporting and we know we’ve found an innovative tool to reach teens and young people in a way that they will listen, learn, and, then, make healthy choices.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), of the approximately 19 million new STDs (also referred to as sexually transmitted infections or STIs) that occur every year in the U.S., about half are among those 15 – 24 years of age. Since STDs often have no symptoms, most of those who are infected don’t know it. Lack of information, misconceptions and social stigma keep many people from getting tested. Others may mistakenly believe they have been tested as part of general health care. Testing for chlamydia and gonorrhea, two of the most commonly reported STDs, is easier than ever before with many clinics now offering urine-based tests. Rapid HIV tests can provide results in as little as 20 minutes with a swab inside the mouth. Diagnosis and treatment of STDs is critical to safe guarding personal health, fostering sexual responsibility and addressing the wider STD epidemic.

The GYT: “Get Yourself Tested,” campaign was launched to normalize and promote routine testing for STDs among Americans under age 25, with an emphasis on screening for two of the most common STDs, Chlamydia and Gonorrhea, and also for HIV, the most serious STD. From “OMG” to “LOL,” acronyms saturate young people’s everyday vernacular, acting as common methods of communication. Playing off mobile and Web slang, GYT is an easy way for young people to talk about sexual health and getting tested for STDs. GYT aims to help young people internalize the risk of STDs--as individuals and as a generation--seeking to eliminate taboos and stigmas surrounding STDs and STD testing. GYT will continue throughout 2009 as an extension of MTV and Kaiser’s Emmy and Peabody-winning “It’s Your (Sex) Life” partnership to promote responsible decision making about sex.

Since 1997, the Kaiser Family Foundation and MTV have partnered on an extensive, Emmy and Peabody Award-winning public information campaign on HIV/AIDS, other STDs and related sexual health issues. The partnership includes targeted public service advertisements (PSAs), entertainment and other special programming, news segments, and free resources, including an informational guide developed especially for the campaign, and an extensive website https://owa.viacom.com/exchange/gattij2/Documents%20and%20Settings/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/NB1PU6WG/www.itsyoursexlife.com.

For more information on GYT, please visit http://www.gyt09.com/.

Sex Education Disguised as F U N! By: Julie, PPWNM Communications Director

2009-05-29T09:42:00.000-07:00

A huge thank you to Julie in the West and Northern Michigan Affiliate for letting me share this article she wrote with you all. Enjoy!!!!!

Planned Parenthood of West and Northern Michigan held its 2nd annual Teen Pregnancy Prevention Carnival on May 27, 2009. The event was held at the lovely Riverside Park in Grand Rapids, MI, with about 50 people attending.

Members of PPWNM’s Something to Say teen advocacy program were responsible for planning and implementing the carnival, along with PPWNM education staff members Carly A., Poppy H., Julie M., Staci R., and Sara W. Something to Say teens recruited friends and classmates to attend. Invitations signed by parents/guardians were required for entry.

The two-hour carnival titled “Real Talk from the ‘Hood” featured games, prizes, raffles, a picnic dinner, freshly made popcorn and cotton candy, henna tattoos, music, and most importantly — education disguised as fun!

Teens reflected on the importance of comprehensive sex education, both in writing and on videotape: “Sex education is important to me because I’ve seen many of my peers make life-altering decisions without proper knowledge of the consequences,” said a young Kentwood man. A teen girl from Grand Rapids told us, “It’s important to me because sex can cause so many harms, and younger and younger teens are starting to do it. They really need to be educated about it.”

Carnival games included STI Duck Pond, Four Cornerstones Darts, Body Parts Match Game, Comprehensive Sex Ed Match Game, and Dizzy Bat Condom Wrap. The last game required teens to hold a baseball bat top-side-to-ground, place their foreheads on the bottom end of the bat, spin around 10 times, run across the grass and properly dress a penis model with a condom — it’s much harder than it may sound! The activity is meant to simulate what it might feel like to attempt to practice safe sex, even under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Teens could also visit the advocacy table staffed by our Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan field organizer Megan Z.; and the Ask Me Anything booth, staffed by Cherry St. Health Center NPs Karen G. and Amy K. Amy and Karen said teens were most interested in learning about annual exams, various methods of birth control on display, and proper condom usage.

2009-05-15T15:52:00.000-07:00

It's not too late to sign up for the Michigan Policy Summit happening tomorrow Saturday May 16th at Cobo Hall. We are expecting over a thousand progressives from Michigan to join together under one roof and talk about the issues affecting Michigan residents!!!

Please consider registering www.mipolicysummit.org

Planned Parenthood staff and supporters will be there to talk more about the issues facing our organization.

We hope to see you all tomorrow.

Stay tuned for a de-brief of the event next week!!

Michigan Policy Summit: THIS SATURDAY, WHERE WILL YOU BE?

2009-05-13T13:29:00.000-07:00

Change is happening and the clock is ticking.

On Saturday, May 16 progressive activists from across Michigan will gather for the third annual Michigan Policy Summit. Be a part of the change by signing up today. http://mipolicysummit.org

At the Michigan Policy Summit, activists, policy experts and community leaders will join to share ideas, plans and campaigns to bring President Obama’s progressive change to Michigan and outline solutions to Michigan’s economy, jobs, health, labor organizing and our Great Lakes state environment.

Please join Planned Parenthood Affiliates of Michigan this Saturday at Cobo Hall, and be a part of change in the making! Registration begins at 8 a.m.; speakers and sessions begin at 9 a.m.

Sign up at http://mipolicysummit.org today!

Online registration ends at the end of the day tomorrow (May 14th), otherwise onsite registration will be available on Saturday.

PPAM at Michigan Policy Summit 3 Years Running

2009-05-07T09:37:00.000-07:00

Planned Parenthood Affiliates of Michigan has been a sponsor of the Michigan Policy Summit since its inception three years ago. This year’s Summit, to be held at Cobo Hall in Detroit on May 16th, is titled “Investing in Michigan’s Future” and will focus on healthcare, clean energy, ending the foreclosure crisis, and jobs.

www.mipolicysummit.org

Since all of these issues affect PPAM staff, and our patients, we are excited to be there as part of the solution in these hard times. This Summit, a gathering of progressive organizers and activists, is not only a great way to network, gain support for our campaigns, and learn a lot, but it’s also a great way for Planned Parenthood to exhibit our skills. This year, we will be both tabling at the Organizational Showcase at the Summit and presenting a workshop on Pro-Choice Organizing. (Come by and say Hi to us!)

For more information and to register, please check out www.mipolicysummit.org

Together, we will take up the change agenda here in Michigan that’s sweeping the nation.

The Tides are Changing!

2009-05-06T10:21:00.001-07:00

Here's a little update from Planned Parenthood Federation of America President, Cecile Richards:

If President Obama’s pro-women’s health agenda during his first 100 days is indicative of what we can expect during the next four years, we have much to look forward to! Since taking office, the president has shown his commitment to women’s health care on a wide range of issues: repealing the global gag rule, restating his commitment to protecting a woman’s right to choose, creating a White House Council on Women and Girls, expanding access to affordable birth control, and calling for evidence-based, medically accurate sex education. (Check out my Huffington Post blog on President Obama’s top 10 women’s health achievements during his first 100 days.) We’re grateful for President Obama’s leadership on health care and his commitment to reducing the number of unintended pregnancies. Here’s to making women’s health care a priority!

Also,the final member of President Obama’s Cabinet has been confirmed — and not a moment too soon! Governor Kathleen Sebelius’ confirmation as secretary of health and human services is an important victory for women and families who are struggling to afford quality health care. In the face of anti-choice opposition to her nomination, Planned Parenthood mobilized 37,712 activists, who e-mailed their senators with the message that Sebelius’ record and credentials make her an outstanding addition to the Cabinet.

Happy Earth Day!

2009-04-22T06:52:00.000-07:00

I think Earth Day may be my favorite holiday! Not that we should stuff all of our love for nature and Mother Earth into one day (maybe we can all start thinking like Earth Day every day...), but what better thing to celebrate than this magnificent planet we inhabit!?

I often think about how women's health in particular is affected by what we're doing to our environment; our soil, our air, our water- all the stuff we take into our bodies every day that that have an impact on us. As providers of life, just like the Earth itself, we need to stay healthy for our sake and for the sake of our families. And we need to protect the planet on which we live so that it can continue to provide all the various forms of life on which we greatly depend.

Join Us for The Michigan Policy Summit

2009-04-20T12:27:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year... coming up on May 16th, 2009 is the 3rd Annual Michigan Policy Summit. This year's theme is Investing in Michigan. Planned Parenthood Affiliates of Michigan rocked years 1 and 2...and we're about to do it again! We want to show a strong Pro-Choice presence, so we hope you can join us. We'll also be presenting a workshop on Pro-Choice Organizing and will have a table at the Organizational Showcase.

This year, for the first time, the MPS will be in Detroit, at the Cobo Hall downtown. It's a great excuse to go to Detroit for a beautiful spring day! The Summit is great for networking and for learning about what policy initiatives the progressive community in Michigan is fighting for and how these initiatives are good for job creation and the economy. Here's the website to get all the details and to register: http://www.mipolicysummit.org/

Hope to see you there!

Day of Silence

2009-04-17T08:02:00.000-07:00

The National Day of Silence brings attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools. Each year the event has grown, now with hundreds of thousands of students coming together to encourage schools and classmates to address the problem of anti-LGBT behavior.

In an effort to bring attention to the National Day of Silence - please consider participaing by: being silent, wearing red, talking, wearing the rainbow, wear any color, tweet your experience, facebook your friends your expereince, blog the silence, or silence your blog. For more info please visit http://www.dayofsilence.org/index.cfm.

Update on HHS Regulation

2009-04-13T10:47:00.000-07:00

Just before leaving office, the Bush administration implemented a rule that would allow individual health care providers to deny patients vital health care information and services based on their own personal biases, without the patient even knowing. More than 200,000 people — including more than 90,000 Planned Parenthood supporters like you — and 150 members of Congress called on the Bush administration to withdraw this damaging rule.

Planned Parenthood Federation of America fought back by filing a lawsuit with Planned Parenthood of Connecticut in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, asking the court to invalidate the administrative regulation finalized in December by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

In March 2009, President Barack Obama began the process of overturning the midnight regulation when the Department of Health and Human Services proposed a new rule to rescind it. In the proposed rule, the department expressed the importance of ensuring that any regulation in this area is consistent with Obama administration policy, and sought to address a number of concerns that had been raised about the midnight regulation. HHS gave the public 30 days to comment on the proposed rescission and specifically asked for comments on these concerns.

The comment period has now closed, and the Obama administration will review comments received on its proposal to rescind the damaging HHS regulation. In response to another overwhelming call to reverse this regulation from more than 68,133 Planned Parenthood activists, members of Congress, and state elected officials (including 17 attorneys general), we hope that the Obama administration will fully rescind this dangerous regulation soon.

Get Yourself Tested!!

2009-04-06T16:38:00.000-07:00

Planned Parenthood is joining with The Kaiser Foundation and MTV for the Get Yourself Tested campaign in an effort to raise awareness about STIs, safe sex, and getting yourself tested.

For more information, and to find a local clinic where you can get tested, go here:
http://www.plannedparenthood.org/issues-action/other/get-yourself-tested-24078.htm

Pedro

2009-04-01T09:21:00.000-07:00

Tonight at 8 pm MTV is airing Pedro, a docudrama about Perdro Zamora, the first openly gay, HIV positive star on the Real World.

This film is not only significant because it honors the life of a stellar activist, who died too young, but is also important because it will help spread the word about the importance of HIV protection to a new generation. As an organization that is dedicated to healthy sexuality, we are so excited to see this film debuting tonight!

Here's a link to MTV's site on Pedro: http://www.mtv.com/videos/misc/359622/keep-filming.jhtml#id=1607899

PLANNED PARENTHOOD HONORS SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON FOR HER COMMITMENT TO WOMEN'S HEALTH CARE

2009-03-30T09:51:00.000-07:00

Check out this press release sent on March 27th:

HOUSTON, TX - Tonight, Planned Parenthood Federation of America <http://www.plannedparenthood.org/> (PPFA) proudly honored reproductive health and rights advocates who have made significant contributions to the advancement of women's health care through their work promoting prevention and family planning, and presented its highest honor, the PPFA Margaret Sanger Award, to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Secretary Clinton received this award for her unwavering support of women's health and rights throughout her public service career. Actor America Ferrera co-hosted the event with PPFA President Cecile Richards.

"It was a great privilege when I was told that I would receive this award," said U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, in accepting the award. "It's part of a movement which is about economic and political progress for all women and girls. It's about making sure that every woman and girl everywhere has the opportunity she deserves to fulfill her potential, the potential as a mother, worker and human being. The overarching mission of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the cause of reproductive freedom that you continue to advance today is as relevant in our world now as it was 100 years ago. So, I thank you."

"Throughout her public service career, as first lady of the United States, as a U.S. senator, and now as secretary of state, Hillary Clinton has blazed a path to make health care affordable and available to all Americans," said Planned Parenthood Federation of America President Cecile Richards. "We are honored to work alongside such a champion of health care reform to meet the needs of women, men, and families across the country."

Planned Parenthood Applauds Federal Court Ruling on Plan B

2009-03-24T07:12:00.000-07:00

Very exciting news! Check out this press release:

Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) applauded today’s ruling by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York ordering the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) to expand access to emergency contraception (EC), also known as Plan B.

“Today’s federal court ruling puts women’s health ahead of politics,” said Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. “We must do everything we can to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and protect the health and safety of all women.”

Specifically, the court ruled that the FDA must make Plan B available over the counter to women age 17 and older within 30 days. Currently, Plan B is available over the counter to women age 18 and older, and with a prescription to women younger than 18. The court also ordered the FDA to reconsider whether minors under age 17 should be permitted to obtain emergency contraception over the counter.

“It is appalling that the U.S. has the highest rate of teen pregnancy among the most developed countries in the world. Approximately 750,000 teens will get pregnant this year, and this ruling can help reduce this alarming statistic,” added Richards. “Studies show that teenagers use emergency contraception responsibly and don't rely on it as a regular method of birth control."

The court ruling criticizes the FDA’s decisions regarding Plan B, saying that it was infected by “political considerations, delays, and implausible justifications for decision making,” “pressure emanating from the White House, and the obvious connection between the confirmation process of two FDA Commissioners and the timing of the FDA’s decisions.”

Research shows that increased access to contraception does not increase or encourage sexual activity among teens.

Emergency contraception (EC) pills contain hormones that reduce the risk of pregnancy when started within 120 hours of unprotected intercourse. The sooner EC is administered, the better it works, making timely access critically important. And studies show that women do not rely on emergency contraception as a regular method of birth control.

VICTORY! Affordable Birth Control Restored!

2009-03-23T06:30:00.000-07:00

FINALLY! It's about time!

On Wednesday, March 11, President Obama signed into law the FY09 Omnibus Appropriations package (HR 1105), which – among other things – included the language to once again permit pharmaceutical companies to immediately offer nominally priced drugs to all Planned Parenthood health centers, as well as other family planning clinics and college- and university-based health centers, should they choose to do so.

To assure pharmaceutical companies that they may once again offer all Planned Parenthood health centers nominally priced drugs if they so choose, we asked Senators Stabenow (D-MI) and Baucus (D-MT) to submit a colloquy (a conversation for the record, demonstrating congressional intent) to that effect. We have provided this information to CMS and been in conversations with them regarding implementation.

This victory was two years in the making. Congratulations to everyone who worked hard for this fix!

Let's Say Goodbye to Abstinence Only Funding!

2009-03-18T14:57:00.000-07:00

Here's what we know: Each year, the federal government spends $176 million on failed abstinence-only-until-marriage programs through Title V.

Here's what we're hoping: Since the Bush Administration is gone, and President Obama is a supporter of comprehensive, medically accurate, age-appropriate, sexuality education, that that abstinence-only mess will be halted and its money used for what research shows works much better: Comprehensive Sex Ed!

Speaking of that, here's another thing we know: Research indicates that teenagers who receive information about both abstinence and contraception, including condoms, are more likely to delay sexual activity, have fewer partners and use protection when they do become sexually active.

Oh, and one more important thing we know: We need to let our elected officials know that America wants comprehensive sex education in schools. Over 80% of parents want sex education to include information on abstinence AND contraception.

So, call Senators Stabenow and Levin today- and let them know that you want our teens to be safe and informed!

Sen. Stabenow:(202) 224-4822
Sen. Levin: (202) 224-6221

White House Council on Women and Girls

2009-03-11T08:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the Obama Administration announced that, via executive order, it is setting up a White House Council on Women and Girls. This panel's charge is to address women's issues, and specificaly now, with the current economic crisis, women's role in the American economy.

“The mission of the council will be to provide a coordinated federal response to the challenges confronted by women and girls and to ensure that all Cabinet and Cabinet-level agencies consider how their policies and programs impact women and families,” a White House official said (http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/19875.html)

I am excited to see that the myriad of issues we face as women are getting attention as they relate to and effect us. There are so many things that I care about that may possibly be included in this council- obviously, reproductive health issues, but also domestic violence, sexual assault, work place discrimination, the affect of environmental degradation on our health, body image issues, ... and the list goes on!

I hope they set up a website for this, like they have for other important issues the President is working on, so that women can participate by sharing their stories and ideas. I know we here at PPAM, and all of our volunteers and supporters, would have a lot of things to share!

Although many women's groups have been advocating for a Cabinet level office specifically for women, I think this non-cabinet council is still a step in the right direction. For the last 8 years we didn't have anything at all!

President Obama's signing of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, his signing of the SCHIP expansion, his repeal of the Global Gag rule- and now this Council, all in his first 50 days as president, show his commitment to women and young girls' health and well-being.

Campus Activists Needed - AFFORDABLE BIRTH CONTROL NOW!

2009-03-06T09:22:00.000-08:00

We are so close to having affordable birth control BUT WE NEED YOU TO MAKE SURE IT HAPPENS!

On Wednesday we were made aware of an attempt by Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) to strip this provision out of the bill calling it an "earmark" directly supporting the efforts of Planned Parenthood. But the fact is this fix does not provide funding to Planned Parenthood - or anyone else! It would simply fix a mistake in the law that put up a roadblock for pharmaceutical companies that wanted to offer cheaper drugs to health clinics.

Once we defeat this amendment for good, we will need to take credit for this monumental win.

PPFA has posted a video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5Lil6Um0QQ) on why affordable birth control is important and we need your help! Please follow the link and create your own video why affordable birth control is important.

We are looking for stories and videos that answer the question: Why is affordable birth control important to YOU? For example, as college students you can talk about the cost textbooks, food, tuition, ramen noodles - anything - and hammer in the point that you are doing your part to pay for college, now it is the government's turn to make sure you can continue receiving this basic health care without losing other key essentials to succeed in college.

PPFA hopes to post as many videos on YouTube before Wednesday, March 11. And be sure to include the state of residence – these videos will be sent to your Congressperson.

After two years of hard work by YOU - our VOX members and Planned Parenthood staff members - we are SO CLOSE to restoring access to affordable birth control. In total, 50,000 postcards from all across the nation asking YOUR elected officials to pass affordable birth control legislation were collected. VOX students from around the country have been lobbying key officials on the hill and making a huge impact with senate leadership. You have written letters to the editor, op-eds, and media outreach in local and college papers, highlighting the importance of needing this legislation passed. And last fall almost 300 campuses in forty five states across the country participated in our Affordable Birth Control Week of Action, urging their community members to support affordable birth control.

This is your time to tell Congress and the President why affordable birth control is important to you! Please share your story on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5Lil6Um0QQ) and let everyone know why affordable birth control is commonsense basic healthcare!

If you post a video on YouTube please let us know, megan.zapinski@ppmchoice.org, that way we can alert the national PP office to watch it and pass it on to your Congressperson.

Thanks for the quick action!!!

PP at Obama's Health Care Summit

2009-03-06T06:17:00.000-08:00

The White House Health Care Summit was the first step in what will inevitably be great health care reform, where more Americans have access to health care, including preventative care, like what we here at Planned Parenthood are famous for.

Cecile Richards, Planned Parenthood Federation of America President, was a featured speaker in the only breakout session that aired live on TV.

In addition, Cecile was one of the select few who was asked to speak during the summit. She highlighted PP’s important role as a safety net provider to millions of women and families, not just to the White House, but also to congressional leaders, media and a national TV audience.

You can watch her comments here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEH2BQvp8FI&eurl=http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/2009/03/05/video-calling-health-care-relief-white-house-health-care-summit

Click here for more information on the White House Health Care Summit and to make your voice heard visit:
http://www.healthreform.gov/

Doesn't it feel good to be moving in the right direction when it comes to something as important as health care!?

The Vitter Amendment- Seriously?!

2009-03-04T09:26:00.000-08:00

This is one of those moments I'm not proud to say I'm from Louisiana. Usually, I declare my birthplace with a smile, but lately, Sen. Vitter is really getting on my nerves. At least he's not my Senator, but what he's trying to do could affect women, men, and teens across the U.S.

Just this week he's announced an Amendment to the Appropriations Act that would keep Planned Parenthoods across the country from receiving Title X (that's the nation's family planning funding) money. He's tried these stunts before in the name of his "pro-life" values, but yet again, they don't really make sense to me.

So, let me get try to get this straight: You, Mr. Vitter, are going to take away money that PREVENTS unintended pregnancy (and has nothing to with abortion because Title X cannot be used for abortions) from the organization that is the LEADING reproductive health care provider in the nation? ... the very organization that prevents the most unintended pregnancies, and therefore abortions, in America? How does this achieve your supposed goal of lessening the number of abortions again? And how does this make sense when more people than ever find themselves with out health insurance or enough money to go to the doctor?

Oh, wait. It doesn't. And most people get that. Again, women's healthcare is being thrown under the bus for political gain.

There are almost 900 Planned Parenthoods from coast to coast, and we provide over 5 million people a year with family planning services. To take this option away from people at a time like this is not only non-sensical, it's immoral.

Take Action: http://www.plannedparenthood.org/issues-action/birth-control/title-x-family-planning-funding/tell-congress-dont-defund-planned-parenthood-23920.htm

BREAKING NEWS!!! Obama Rescinding HHS midnight rule!!!!

2009-02-27T09:13:00.000-08:00

PLANNED PARENTHOOD APPLAUDS RESCINDING OF BUSH HHS MIDNIGHT RULE
Obama Administration Takes First Step to Repeal Rule that Limits the Rights of Patients To Receive Complete and Accurate Health Information and Services

Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) applauds the Obama administration for taking the first step in rescinding a midnight regulation that undermines the country’s fragile health care system as well as patients’ access to health care information and services.

“Today’s action by the Obama administration demonstrates that this president is not going to stand by and let women’s health be placed in jeopardy. By taking the first step in rescinding the harmful midnight regulation, the Obama administration is standing up for patients having the right to receive complete and accurate health information and services,” said PPFA President Cecile Richards.

According to the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) website, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has sent a proposed rule titled “Rescission of the Regulation Issued by the Department of Health and Human Services on December 19, 2008, Implementing the Church Amendments (42 U.S.C. 300a-7), Section 245 of the Public Health Service” to OMB for review.

“Our priority is ensuring that the millions of patients we see every year receive complete and accurate health information and services,” said Richards. “In these difficult economic times and with more than 45 million Americans currently uninsured, it is critical that we work to increase, not limit, access to health care. When a patient walks into a hospital, pharmacy, or any health care center she should be confident she will receive complete and accurate health care information and services.”

When the Bush administration proposed the Rule, roughly 200,000 U.S. citizens, federal and state elected officials, medical organizations, and health care advocacy and religious organizations submitted comments opposing the misguided rule, including

a bipartisan coalition of more than 100 members of Congress
a bipartisan group of governors, including Governors John Baldacci (D-ME), Chet Culver (D-IA), Jim Doyle (D-WI), Christine Gregoire (D-WA), David Paterson (D-NY), M. Jodi Rell (R-CT), Edward Rendell (D-PA), and Ted Strickland (D-OH)
a bipartisan group of attorneys general, including those from Arizona, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, and Vermont
state legislators from a number of states, including Oregon, Texas, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin
nongovernmental organizations ranging from American Nurses Association, the American Medical Student Association, the American Social Health Association, the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals, and several prominent HIV/AIDS, international health, and gay rights organizations

In addition, the legal counsel and two commissioners from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) also submitted comments, explaining that the rule creates unnecessary confusion for the nearly 600,000 health care facilities it reaches.

By allowing health insurance companies, hospitals, doctors, physicians, and health care workers of all kinds to deny patients vital health care information and services, without the patient even knowing, the rule undermines health care access and creates chaos in an already stressed health care system, particularly for low-income women and families whose options are already limited.

In January, Planned Parenthood filed legal action challenging the regulation. In addition, the Connecticut attorney general, joined by the attorneys general of California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Rhode Island filed a separate but parallel legal action challenging the regulation. These states have taken proactive steps in enacting legislation that protects patients’ access to vital health care services and information — for example, laws that guarantee rape survivors have access to emergency contraception in emergency rooms. The current HHS regulation poses a serious barrier to the states’ enforcement of their laws protecting patients.

PP Applauds President's Budget, Expands Medicaid Family Planning Programs

2009-02-27T07:24:00.000-08:00

Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) applauds President Barack Obama for living up to his commitment to supporting women’s health and investing in commonsense proposals to expand family planning programs. President Obama’s 2010 budget includes a provision to expand family planning under Medicaid, which would help extend basic health care to millions more women. In addition, the president’s budget promotes “evidence-based” teen pregnancy prevention programs.

“We commend the president for his commitment to make family planning and basic health care services, including lifesaving cancer screenings, more accessible and affordable to millions of low-income women and their families,” said PPFA President Cecile Richards. “With women and their families losing health coverage every day, we applaud the president for making women’s health a priority as he works to reform our health care system.”

The president’s budget includes a line item under the Health Reform Reserve Fund to “Expand availability of family planning services under Medicaid.”

Expanding family planning under Medicaid has been one of Planned Parenthood’s top priorities under our Prevention First Agenda. Also known as the Medicaid Family Planning State Option, it would simply allow states to expand their Medicaid family planning services, including cancer screenings and other preventive care, to more women in need, without having to go through the burdensome Medicaid waiver process.

The Medicaid Family Planning State Option would have a significant impact on women’s health and is vital to expanding care to the millions of women who are losing either their jobs or their health insurance in this economic downturn. According to the Congressional Budget Office, this provision would provide coverage to 2.3 million low-income women by 2014. A study by the Guttmacher Institute finds that this flexible option would help 500,000 women avoid unplanned pregnancy.

“As the nation’s leading advocate and provider of women’s health care, including reproductive health services, we see every day that the best way to prevent unintended pregnancies and promote healthy families is to invest in family planning programs and ensure more women and families have access to affordable, quality reproductive health care and comprehensive sex education programs,” said Richards. “In addition, President Obama’s budget blueprint makes reducing teen pregnancy using ‘evidence-based models’ a priority.

“With President Obama, we have a leader who agrees with what doctors, scientists, parents and teens have been saying for years: comprehensive sex education, including information about abstinence as well as contraception, helps prevent teen pregnancies,” said Richards. “President Obama’s budget makes clear that the government won’t waste federal dollars on programs that don’t work, that won’t reduce teen pregnancy, and that won’t keep teens healthy and safe. He has clearly stated that our shared goal must be to reduce unintended pregnancies and ensure that all women, regardless of income, have access to affordable care to lead healthy lives.”

Secretary of Health and Human Services: Who's It Going to Be?

2009-02-23T10:01:00.000-08:00

Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius (D) is being vetted as the leading contender for Secretary of Health and Human Services. As Kansas insurance commissioner from 1994 to 2002, Gov. Sebelius protected state health programs and boosted Medicaid reimbursement to physicians. Most recently, the Governor negotiated a difficult state budget crisis by cutting about $300 million from the state budget, but in doing so largely spared health programs like the state’s Medicaid services.

In public statements, the Governor fended off requests about the HHS post by commenting that she was focused on balancing the Kansas state budget. The Governor is expected to be in Washington DC over the weekend for the National Governor’s Association (NGA) meeting (Feb. 21 – 24) and this visit to the nation’s capital has led to the speculation that an announcement may come as early as this weekend.

Gov. Sebelius emerged as the leading choice for the position following the February 3 withdrawal of former US Senator Tom Daschle as President Barack Obama’s nominee. Daschle was expected to serve as both HHS Secretary and in a White House health reform post. It is now expected that these roles will be filled by two different individuals.

According to the Washington Post, the Obama administration is also considering at least two other individuals for Secretary of HHS. These dark horses include Nancy-Ann DeParle, a former administrator of the agency that oversees Medicare and Medicaid and a former Office of Management and Budget official, and Jack Lew, Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources.

We will keep you updated once a formal announcement is made!

So much to celebrate!

2009-02-20T11:35:00.001-08:00

I think there is so much to celebrate this year with the new administration - a new hope for our country, new voices speaking out for Planned Parenthood issues, and new issues to be talked about.

As it was mentioned yesterday, Michigan's US Senator, Debbie Stabenow and U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) introduced the Health Care for Women Resolution, designed to highlight the importance of women’s health and ensure that health care reform addresses the needs of women and families. Kudos to them for taking a stand and making women's health a priority! I am celebrating this today.

Everyonce in a while I look for fun holidays to celebrate or ways to brighten these gloomy winter afternoons. So today as we near the weekend, and the looming winter storm over Lake Michigan - I encourage you to take sometime out of not just Friday but February 20 - the day the toothpick was patented, or for those up in Traverse City, National Cherry Pie Day. So all readers, have a wonderful weekend, and celebrate this new hope and energy spilling into Americans (and Canadians too, I hear President Obama was a HUGE hit this week on his first Foreign Trip there).

Health Care for Women Resolution Introduced

2009-02-18T13:46:00.000-08:00

Great news sent to us from our PPFA President, Cecile Richards:

Three cheers for healthy women! On Feb. 11, U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) introduced the Health Care for Women Resolution, designed to highlight the importance of women’s health and ensure that health care reform addresses the needs of women and families. The Health Care for Women Resolution sets the framework for ensuring equity in health care by recognizing the multiple roles women have as health care decision makers, caregivers, and providers, and calls on Congress to pass legislation that “guarantees a level of benefits and care, including comprehensive reproductive health care, pregnancy-related care, and infant care, that is necessary to achieve and maintain good health throughout a woman’s lifetime and lessen the burdens caused by poor health.”

It's National Condom Week!

2009-02-16T10:00:00.000-08:00

February 14–21 is National Condom Week — a time to raise awareness about condom use and to make sure people have all the facts about condoms.

Condoms used consistently and correctly provide the best protection against sexually transmitted infections for sexually active individuals. They also protect against unintended pregnancy.

Latex condoms have been scientifically proven to:

Reduce the risk of pregnancy. Condoms are an effective, inexpensive over-the-counter form of birth control.
Reduce the risk of HIV/AIDS transmission. The condom is a highly effective barrier against HIV infection.
Reduce the risk of other sexually transmitted infections. Condoms significantly reduce the risk of getting or passing many other sexually transmitted infections.

Celebrate National Condom Week by learning all you need to know about condoms and safer sex! Click here for more information: http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/birth-control/condom-10187.htm

S.E. in the MI

2009-02-12T19:49:00.000-08:00

That’s right, I have sex ed on the brain. While researching the current sex ed laws and policies in the State of Michigan, I came across a pretty impressive document. It’s the State of Michigan-State Board of Education’s Policy to Promote Health and Prevent Disease and Pregnancy. I was excited to learn that the Board recommended comprehensive sexuality education for Michigan schools. The Board recommended that sex ed programs be initiated early, before students reach the age when they begin to engage in sexual activity. The policy also included a statement that sex ed should be centered on a positive, healthy definition of sexual health rather than one that focuses only on avoiding negative outcomes. I was shocked. Were there really others who understood that scaring students about sex doesn’t lead to abstinence? Talk about your revelations.

You would think that with the experts on education in the State of Michigan on your side, getting comprehensive sex ed legislation passed would be a breeze. Not so fast. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about our legislators, it’s that they often vote ideals and not reality. They’d rather vote along party lines, than use factual information to make their decisions. I hope that the new legislature stops gambling with the lives of our young people and instead, passes laws that protect them. The last thing we need is one more legislative pontificator. Let’s stop the rhetoric. It’s time to put up or shut up. Let’s get our comprehensive sex ed programs funded and reject abstinence only.

National Black AIDS Awareness Day

2009-02-11T12:40:00.000-08:00

Saturday was the 9th annual National Black AIDS Awareness Day and health centers and community organizations around the country took action to raise awareness about the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in African American communities and to encourage people to get tested. http://www.stophivaids.org/

This annual day that highlights a problem over half a million African Americans live with every day (http://www.avert.org/hiv-african-americans.htm) was brought to people's attention here in Detroit as well. Dozens of organizations, including our Planned Parenthood health center in Midtown (http://www.plannedparenthood.org/midsouthmi/detroit-health-center-21577.htm), provided free HIV testing that day.

Knowing your status and practicing safe sex are the first steps in helping to stop the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Empowering your friends to get tested as well is essential for our communities' well-being.

Thank You Vox Students!

2009-02-09T14:27:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday, Planned Parenthood Affiliates of Michigan had our third annual Vox Conference. It is a conference for all of the pro-choice campus groups we work with. It was a great day, full of excellent training, motivational speakers, and helpful discussion.

For me, the most inspirational part of the day was seeing what all these amazing activists are up to on their campuses. College students all across Michigan are working every day to raise awareness of reproductive justice on their campus, and their work is irreplaceable!

So I'd like to thank all of the students who attended the conference on Saturday for all of their hard work! Thank you for all you do, and we here at PPAM are honored to work with you!

Checking In

2009-02-06T16:30:00.000-08:00

Hey all -

Megan here. The field team is hard at work prepping for the 2009 VOX Conference - it's tomorrow.

Dessa (Senior Organizer) finished the HUGE task of getting all the photos from the past 3 YEARS online and I spent majority of my day sifting through all of the wonderful events, trainings, and election work PPAM staff and volunteers accomplished - talk about a walk down memory lane. We encourage our volunteers to take pictures at our events and volunteer nights and send them to us!!

Stay tuned for a complete update on the 2009 VOX conference - in the mean time enjoy this photo of your PPAM Field Team!!!

The Economics of Birth Control

2009-02-05T12:34:00.000-08:00

In case you haven’t heard, the US economy is in the midst of a horrible, downward spiral called Recession. We all know this, right? What a lot of people don’t know is that women spend 68% more on health care costs than men. Because many women do not have insurance that provides contraceptive coverage, they bear the burden of paying out of pocket, month after month. When 95% of a population uses a health-related product or service, it’s pretty safe to call this product or service basic health care.

Population Connection cites “…research shows that full contraceptive coverage would cost the employer, at most, $24.40 per employee per year. While birth control pills cost an average of $300-$359 per year, the average cost of having a healthy baby is $10,000. The fact is that not covering contraception in employee health plans costs employers 15-17% more in direct and indirect costs than providing coverage. “

In an economy such as ours, everyone is doing all they can to stay afloat. It is absolutely wrong not to cover contraceptives. Not covering them makes no economic sense for our nation and it does not make financial sense for businesses….which begs the question: Would contraceptive equity even be an issue if men used birth control? I doubt it. Let’s call it what it is…it is sexism and classism. It is unfair and unacceptable. The Michigan Civil Rights Commission ruled that employers who exclude prescription contraceptives from their health plans (when other prescription drugs and devices are covered) violate the prohibition against sex discrimination. They have determined that not providing contraceptives as a part of a basic health insurance plan is discrimination…and I agree 100%.

Healthy Families: Kids are a Great Start, but Let's Keep Going

2009-02-04T15:47:00.000-08:00

Today the Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, having passed through Congress again last week (it was vetoed by Pres. Bush twice), was signed by President Obama. This new expansion gives 4 million more children access to health care their parents couldn't have afforded with out this assistance.

It's a great start to supporting families by keeping them healthy, but we've got many more preventative measures needed! For example, affordable birth control, comprehensive sex ed, and funding for reproductive health and pre-natal care.

And even with this expansion, there are still a lot of kids who don't qualify for CHIP, but whose parents can't afford insurance for them. To learn more and to take action, check out The Children's Defense Fund: http://www.childrensdefense.org/

Planned Parenthood Sues Bush Administration Over Disasterous Midnight Regulation

2009-02-02T11:47:00.000-08:00

Planned Parenthood Federation of America Press Release:

Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) and Planned Parenthood of Connecticut filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut asking the court to invalidate the administrative regulation finalized in December by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The midnight regulation, issued by the outgoing Bush administration, poses a serious threat to women’s health care by limiting the rights of patients to receive complete and accurate health information and services.

“We filed this lawsuit today on behalf of the millions of women whose health care has been put in jeopardy by the Bush administration’s parting shot at women’s health. As a critical provider of health care information and services for women, Planned Parenthood cannot simply stand back and let this harmful regulation go into effect,” said PPFA President Cecile Richards.

“Every day, women and men who walk through Planned Parenthood health center doors are confident that they will receive complete and accurate health information and services,” said Richards. “That is our priority, and it should be a shared priority among all those committed to strengthening public health. Unfortunately, this new rule puts this critical priority at risk.”

The complaint charges that the final regulation goes far beyond the intent of Congress when it enacted the laws in question. The regulation is in conflict with other existing laws and regulations. In addition, in its rush to finalize the regulation, HHS failed to follow the appropriate regulatory steps, including failing to respond adequately to the many comments that raised significant problems with the regulation.

PP Staff Focus on Advocacy

2009-02-02T10:57:00.000-08:00

At our annual All Staff meeting, nearly 120 Planned Parenthood Mid and South Michigan staff gathered for a day of camaraderie and departmental updates. Planned Parenthood Affiliates of Michigan, the advocacy arm, took this opportunity to do a few things.

First, we explained what was going on with the Stimulus Package that was making its way through Congress, and we handed out background info, as well as everyone’s members of Congress’ phone numbers (and the number to the White House) and told them to get out their cell phones. In just 10 minutes, we got about 100 calls in to our Senators, Congress People, and the President, letting them know that we wanted to see the Medicaid Waiver stay in the package. We had billing folks, IT people, nurses, organizers, medical assistants, VPs, and our CEO calling all at once…it was a beautiful sight!

Next we divided all the staff up into groups, gave each group a prop box, some talking points, and about 15 minutes to come up with persuasive commercials around our Prevention Agenda, which includes, access and info about emergency congtraception, comprehensive medically-accurate, age-appropriate sexuality education, family planning funding, and contraceptive equity. They were fabulously creative and hilarious! I encourage everyone to give a group of Planned Parenthood staff an atlas, an umbrella, a condom hat, and a harmonica just to see what happens!

Finally, we gathered up the enormous amount of donations we’d received from staff throughout January when we held our Women’s Essentials Drive in honor of Dr. King. We wanted to get a look at it all in one place and take the opportunity to snap a picture of our success. Staff from Detroit, Lansing, East Lansing, Ann Arbor, Brighton, and Ypsilanti posed with pride. Since then, the donations have been distributed to local women’s shelters near each health center.

January is Cervical Health Awareness Month

2009-01-26T10:06:00.000-08:00

As we approach the end of the month, it is important to acknowledge that January is Cervical Health Awareness Month.

Every year about 11,000 women in the U.S. are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and about 4,000 American women die of the disease. Fortunately, it is preventable.

Planned Parenthood is working diligently to increase access to preventive health care services that can protect women from cervical cancer, such as regular Pap screenings and HPV vaccination.

Last year, Planned Parenthood affiliates provided more than one million women with cervical cancer screenings to help them prevent the disease. A growing number of Planned Parenthood affiliates nationwide offer the HPV vaccine, which protects women from the two most common forms of HPV, which cause 70 percent of cervical cancer cases. Planned Parenthood routinely educates patients and the community about the importance of regular condom use, which also significantly reduces the risk of contracting HPV.

Find more information about cervical health and how to protect yourself here: http://www.plannedparenthood.org/issues-action/std-hiv/HPV-vaccine/articles/national-cervical-cancer-screening-month.htm

Breaking News! President Obama Overturns Global Gag Rule

2009-01-25T09:40:00.001-08:00

***** Press Release from Planned Parenthood Federation of America *****

Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards
Statement on President Obama’s Executive Order Overturning the Mexico City Policy (global gag rule)

“With the stroke of a pen, President Obama has lifted the stranglehold on women’s health across the globe. His repeal of the global gag rule ends eight long years of policies that have blocked access to basic health care for women worldwide. No longer will health care providers be forced to choose between receiving family planning funding and restricting the health care services they provide to women.

“Expanding access to family planning is not only good, basic health care; it saves women’s lives. In some parts of Africa, women have a one-in-10 risk of dying in childbirth, a sad fact only exacerbated by the gag rule. Women’s health and well-being are the bedrock of freedom and independence for individuals, families, and entire communities. Avoiding disease, having access to clean water and nutritious food, deciding whether and when to have children, and being safe in pregnancy and childbirth make women stronger and improve the quality of life for families and communities.

“Planned Parenthood thanks President Obama for taking immediate action on this critical health issue. With President Obama, women in the U.S. and around the world have a president who puts protecting and strengthening women’s health first. Just a few days after he’s taken office, we can clearly say that thanks to President Obama, it truly is a new day for women’s health.”

Global Gag Rule

2009-01-23T07:09:00.000-08:00

Many news sources today are claiming that President Obama will "issue an order restoring U.S. funding for international family-planning groups involved with abortion. But he chose not to do so on Thursday, the anniversary of Roe v. Wade."

For the past eight years, the Bush administration’s gag rule has prevented thousands of health care providers around the world from making basic services such as birth control accessible to women. As the U.S. has lead by example, the global gag rule has had a chilling effect on governments around the globe, sending the message that women’s health is not a priority and undermining the political will necessary to make it so. Many groups have chosen not to comply with the rule, thus forcing them to forgo funding. Meanwhile, the global gag rule has put a strangle hold on women’s health around the world. An estimated 20 million unsafe abortions occur every year, and this dangerous number has only been exacerbated by the gag rule. Denying women basic services such as birth control also perpetuates the cycle of poverty.

The words and actions of both President Obama and Secretary Clinton clearly show that this Administration will move – and we believe soon – to overturn the global gag rule. This is a clear indication that the Administration will work to make the U.S. a leader in ensuring freedom, justice and rights worldwide. We look forward to working with the Obama administration to make healthcare for women a priority for women in the U.S. and overseas.

Stay tuned today for more on the hopeful action of President Obama to overturn the Global Gag Rule!

Roe v Wade Day

2009-01-22T07:35:00.001-08:00

Every year on this day we celebrate and can be reminded of all we have to be thankful for. Our foremothers fought hard to secure our reproductive freedom and now, 36 years after the legalization of abortion, we owe it to them, and to ourselves, to continue to fight to maintain these rights and to seek reproductive justice where we have not yet succeeded.

Excitingly, this year we can be more hopeful that we will make progress on the national level due to a wonderfully pro-choice president just inaugurated 2 days ago. However, we must remain vigilant and let President Obama and our other elected officials know how important our reproductive freedoms are to us. Now that we have a pro-choice President, the anti-choice movement will be more mobilized and agitated than ever- so, we must keep up the good work that brought us pro-choice leadership to begin with.

And hopefully today the Global Gag Rule will be rescinded by our new President. I have faith that he will do what’s right for millions of women around the world and allow them the aid they so badly need.

Inauguration Celebration

2009-01-20T21:11:00.000-08:00

It's been almost twelve hours since President Obama took the oath of office and I'm still processing the scene from Washington. It says something about our country's desire for a new direction that millions of people traveled to watch a 20 minute speech on a jumbotron from a mile away. I spent this morning with students at the University of Michigan collecting signatures on an open letter to President Obama emphasizing the importance of women's health issues. Shortly before noon we gathered around to watch an internet feed of the inauguration and I think we all felt a collective excitement in the air. I can't imagine how powerful it would have felt to be in Washington.

Amidst all of the day's emotions, I'm left with two thoughts. First, it's important to celebrate victories and today offered a chance for this kind of collective reflection. There's a lot to be done, though, and it's back to work tomorrow. Second, while President Obama's campaign made brilliant use of media, the internet, speeches, etc., if it wasn't for traditional organizing, today could have been very different. To everyone who donated to the campaign, phone banked, or knocked on doors, this victory is also yours.

If you want to be part of the change and make Women's Health a priority, please contact Liz at liz.vanalstyne@ppmchoice.org

P.S. How cool is this?

What are you doing?

2009-01-16T09:54:00.001-08:00

What are you doing to celebrate the three - very big - events next week? Volunteering your time at a local food bank to celebrate Martin Luther King Day? Attending a local inauguration watch party with your friends or co-workers? Are you taking time out of your day on Thursday to remember the historic anniversary of Roe v. Wade?

We would love to hear from you - your events, your stories, your support. Email megan.zapinski@ppmchoice.org

Hope everyone had a safe and happy new year and we look forward to working with you in 2009 to ensure access and safety in the services we provide!

MLK, Inauguration, and Roe v Wade Anniversary- What Do They All Have in Common?

2009-01-14T13:06:00.001-08:00

What does the inauguration of Barack Obama, the celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King's legacy, and the 36th Anniversary of Roe v Wade all have in common?

A. Barack Obama, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, and Roe (as well as her lawyer Sarah Weddington) all are/were Pro-Choice.

B. The election and inauguration of our first African American President, the civil rights work of Dr. King, and the Supreme Ct. decision in Roe v Wade all are signs of American progress toward social justice and equality for all peoples.

C. Planned Parenthood Affiliates of Michigan are celebrating all three events next week. Please join us!

Detroit Area

January 19th, Monday
We will be celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Day as part of the National Day of Service. Rather than just a day off from school and work, we view this day as a "day on"- a day to help out in our community. For more information, please email Dessa.Cosma@ppmchoice.org To register to attend, RSVP at www.servedetroit.org (fill out a New Registration form, and when you get to the portion of the form that asks what group you'd like to serve with, pick Planned Parenthood.)

January 20th, Tuesday
We will be hosting a Inauguration Watch Party at a local pub in Detroit. The inauguration begins at noon, and we'll be there at 11:30 with bells on. Help us welcome our new, PRO-Choice President! For more information and to RSVP, please email Dessa.Cosma@ppmchoice.org

January 22nd, Thursday
Planned Parenthood will be hosting a Roe v. Wade panel discussion in Oakland County. Speakers will be presenting on the following topics: the public policy/legal aspect of Roe v. Wade; the history of reproductive justice movement; Planned Parenthood- our mission and our services; religion and reproductive justice; and a personal story. Question and answer session to follow. 6:00-9:00 p.m. Food will be provided. Please RSVP at amber.erickson@ppmchoice.org

January 25, Sunday
Planned Parenthood Affiliates of Michigan will join the Detroit Chapter of NOW for a Roe v. Wade Commemoration event in downtown Detroit. The event will begin at 2 pm and will have great local speakers! For more information, please contact Karisha at Karisha.Fenton@ppmchoice.org

Lansing Area

Celebrating the Promise of Hope. Join us for the 36th Annual Roe v. Wade Commemoration, January 21, 2009,from 5:30-7:00 p.m. We will have a program at 6:00 p.m. with pro-choice legislators and info tables, games, snacks and more all evening at the Hannah Community Center in East Lansing (819 Abbot Road). This event is sponsored by Planned Parenthood Affiliates of Michigan, the Michigan Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, the ACLU, Lansing Area Advocates for Choice, the League of Women Voters Lansing Area, MSU Medical Students for Choice, MSU Students for Choice, NOW, & The Jane Doe Fund. For more information, please email Dessa.Cosma@ppmchoice.org

Kalamazoo Area:

On Thursday evening January 22, the Clergy Advisory Board of Planned Parenthood of South Central Michigan will host the Rev. Penny Willis (United Church of Christ), Director of the National Black Church Initiative, La Iniciativa Latina, and Generation to Generation for the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice in Washington D.C. Rev. Willis will facilitate a conversation between religious leaders focusing on the intersections of theology, culture, race, tradition, and human sexuality, in order that we might begin to learn more with and from each other. We seek to have all views represented and so we invite you to join us. The event will take place at the Kalamazoo YWCA, in the Parfet Room, Thursday, January 22, beginning at 7:00 p.m. Refreshments will be served. Please let us know that you (and other leaders or teachers in your religious community) can come, by calling or e-mailing Andrea Anderson (AndreaN.Anderson@ppfa.org) or the Rev. Jill McAllister (mcallisbalk@gmail.com) 381-1783.

Grand Rapids Area:

On Thursday, January 29, Planned Parenthood of West and Northern Michigan invites you to participate in our second annual Talking About Choice workshop! Learn tools for speaking about and debating the pro-choice position, as well as identifying the differences between comprehensive sex education and abstinence-only education. Games and activities will help you brush-up on your skills. The event will take place from 4-7 p.m. at 425 Cherry St. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 in the Planned Parenthood board room. Dinner will be provided. We hope that you will come and join us for a lively discussion about Choice, education, and activism! Registration is required by January 26. Please contact Sara Waalkes at volunteers@ppwnm.org or call 616.774.7005 ext. 3148.

Ann Arbor Area:

Barack Obama is pro-choice, and so am I! All day on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20th, we'll be tabling and showing inauguration coverage on UM's campus. Letters of support to President Obama will be available to sign. Come stop by to support choice...and finally, a pro-chocie president! For more information, please email Liz.Vanalstyne@ppmchoice.org

On Friday, Jan 23rd join us for our annual Get Down for Choice Roe commemoration. It's from 8pm until midnight at the Corner Brewery (720 Norris, Ypsilanti). You must be 21 to attend and there is a $10 suggested donation at the door. The first hour will be dedicated to tabling by local and campus pro-choice groups. The music begins at 9pm (Hullabaloo will be opening, followed by the Third Coast Kings). Local pro-choice leaders will speak and we'll be signing a letter of support for pro-choice President Obama. For more information, please email liz.vanalstyne@ppmchoice.org

New Year, New President: Let's Get Down to Business!

2009-01-12T14:36:00.000-08:00

There is a very exciting day in the near future for us pro-choicers. January 20th is the inauguration of Barack Obama. This is the end of 8 long years of a president who did everything in his power to restrict and attack reproductive rights. More importantly, it is a new beginning. Our new president fully supports protecting women's health. In fact, he has said that one of his first actions as president will be to rescind the global gag rule (an executive order that prohibits U.S. funding from going to any international clinic that does abortions or has information about abortions).

This will definitely be a day for celebration. It is also a time for us to think about what pro-active measures we can take to ensure that reproductive rights are protected in our country and around the world. For once, we won't have to be on the defensive constantly! We have a president who is our ally and who will work with us to advance our agenda. Let's take advantage of it!

Contact me to learn how you can work with Planned Parenthood to advance reproductive rights in 2009 and beyond: amber.erickson@ppmchoice.org

We Did It!

2008-11-12T07:04:00.000-08:00

After months of hard work, Planned Parenthood and our supporters can celebrate. We enjoyed overwhelmingly success last Tuesday night. A huge THANK YOU is owed to all of our volunteers who helped us 1.) elect Barack Obama, who will be a pro-choice, pro-women's health president 2.) win several of our endorsed seats in the Michigan House of Representatives, 3 of which we spent much time in canvassing and phone banking, and 3.) pass Proposal 2, which will loosen restrictions on stem cell research, which will in turn lead to more cures for devastating medical conditions.

Our victories show that the people of Michigan, as well as the rest of the country, understand that WOMEN'S HEALTH MATTERS! People realize that access to affordable birth control, emergency contraception, and comprehensive sexuality education are important preventative-based health care measures that protect women and families. People realize that upholding a women's right to choose is essential to the freedom and dignity of all human beings. And finally, people realize that when anti-choice politicians choose to attack reproductive health care, it shows a lack of common-sense and compassion.

So CONGRATULATIONS everyone! We did it.

However, don't rest too easy. The fight to ensure access to quality reproductive health care for all individuals will continue.

Would you like to join us? Email me at amber.erickson@ppmchoice.org to get involved.

Check out this article written about us in The Detroit News to see what a great group we are to get involved with!:

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081108/OPINION03/811080379

It's Time to Get Out The Vote!!

2008-10-31T09:54:00.001-07:00

Do you want to feel like you've done everything possible to help to elect a pro-choice president and pro-choice state house representatives? I'm sure you do, so please join Planned Parenthood in our Get Out The Vote efforts as we contact our supporters to make sure they get to the polls on Nov. 4th!

What shift can you commit to?

Saturday, November 1st., 11:00-2:00 p.m., 2:00-5:00 p.m., 5:00-8:00 p.m.

Planned Parenthood ( Ann Arbor West Office) Phones only. 2370 W. Stadium Blvd.Ann Arbor , MI 48103. Contact: Liz.VanAlstyne@ppmchoice.org

Planned Parenthood (2nd Ann Arbor location) - Phones only. 3100 Professional DriveAnn Arbor , MI 48104Contact: Liz.VanAlstyne@ppmchoice.org

America Votes. phones and canvass. 333 W. 7th Street #200, Royal Oak , MI 48067. Contact: Amber.Erickson@ppmchoice.org

Kalamazoo , MI - phones. Contact: Megan.Zapinski@ppmchoice.org

Sunday, November 2, 2:00pm-5:00pm, 5:00pm-8:00pm

Planned Parenthood ( Ann Arbor West Office) - Phones only. 2370 W. Stadium Blvd.Ann Arbor , MI 48103. Contact: Liz.VanAlstyne@ppmchoice.org

Planned Parenthood (2nd Ann Arbor location) - Phones only. 3100 Professional Drive, Ann Arbor , MI 48104. Contact: Liz.VanAlstyne@ppmchoice.org

America Votes. phones and canvass. 333 W. 7th Street #200Royal Oak , MI 48067. Contact: Amber.Erickson@ppmchoice.org

Kalamazoo , MI - phones. Contact: Megan.Zapinski@ppmchoice.org

Monday, November 3, 5:00pm-8:00pm

Planned Parenthood ( Ann Arbor West Office) - Phones only. 2370 W. Stadium Blvd.Ann Arbor , MI 48103. Contact: Liz.VanAlstyne@ppmchoice.org

Planned Parenthood (2nd Ann Arbor location) - Phones only. 3100 Professional Drive, Ann Arbor , MI 48104. Contact: Liz.VanAlstyne@ppmchoice.org

Kalamazoo , MI - phones. Contact: Megan.Zapinski@ppmchoice.org

* America Votes 11:00am-2:00pm, 2:00pm-5:00pm, 5:00pm-8:00pm phones and canvass
333 W. 7th Street #200Royal Oak , MI 48067Contact: Amber.Erickson@ppmchoice.org

Tuesday, November 4 ELECTION DAY! 11:00am-2:00pm, 2:00pm-5:00pm, 5:00pm-8:00pm

America Votes phones and canvass. 333 W. 7th Street #200Royal Oak , MI 48067. Contact: Amber.Erickson@ppmchoice.org

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Our Journey to GOTPCV Weekend

2008-10-30T13:58:00.000-07:00

We here at Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan have been working hard to reach out to undecided women voters around the state. We've had lots of phone banks, lots of canvassing, lots of volunteers, lots and lots of fun, and, most importantly, some great results.

Over the last month, we've reached out to over 20,000 women to talk to them about John McCain's dangerous record on the issues we care about. When we started these efforts, Michigan was a serious swing state. Sen. Obama and Sen. McCain were here several times a week and Michiganders felt very special being in the spotlight. Then Sen. McCain felt like his resources would be better spent somewhere else and his campaign here dispersed. All of a sudden, we weren't in the spotlight like we had been. But we here at Planned Parenthood knew that the women of Michigan couldn't be taken for granted or ignored just because McCain was gone. There were still some important misconceptions about his choice record that needed to be cleared up, some excellent pro-choice Michigan House candidates to elect, and like always, we are here for women with solid information through thick and thin.

Because of the women we decided to reach out to and because we started early, we are sometimes the first organization or campaign to reach out to them and many of them truly have not made up their minds yet. I cannot express how many times women have told us on the phone or at their door how important the information we're providing is. Many didn't know about McCain's 125 votes against health care or hadn't necessarily thought about this election in terms of reproductive rights- and it's awesome to hear their voice or see their face as the weight of what we're saying registers. Not only are we getting a 2 to 1 support rate for Sen. Obama, but we're getting thanked over and over again for the important work we're doing from the very women voters we're reaching out to. Last night a phone banker in Lansing really felt special when a woman we called told her, "I really appreciate the call. I used Planned Parenthood for birth control and health care when I was younger. I can't afford to donate right now, but you always have my vote and my support."

As of last night, our persuasion work here in Michigan is done. We're moving on to GOTV, or, as I've decided to call it, GOTPCV- Getting Out The Pro-Choice Vote! It doesn't really have quite the same ring to it, but it is more accurate in our case. We wouldn't be working so hard for candidates like Sen. Obama or our local pro-choice picks if they weren't really great on our issues. And many of our supporters wouldn't be so excited about voting for them if they weren't 100% pro-choice. Just the other night, I had a woman tell me on the phone, "I'm voting for Sen. Obama, because he's pro-choice!" Another woman told me that she was voting for our house candidate because she trusted our opinion and we called and asked her to.

The whole adventure of this election has been fun. I feel good knowing that I’m making a difference for the sake of the woman here in Michigan and across the country. And I’m reminded of how appreciated it is every day by our volunteers and the women to whom we’re reaching out to support our cause.

Calling for Choice

2008-10-27T10:37:00.003-07:00

Today I want to tell you all about something amazing. Something revolutionary. Something absolutely incredible.

...Something that has changed phone banking forever!

The Predictive Dialer!

Just think about this scenario: you go to volunteer with a campaign. They have you make phone calls to get out the vote for their candidate. They hand you a piece of paper with names and numbers of supporters and you sit down to dial. No one answers the first call. The second person's number is busy. You then get an answering machine. Finally, after 15 calls, you get to speak to a person. After a three hour shift you've hardly talked to anyone. And your dialing finger hurts.

Now, just think about this scenario: you love Planned Parenthood and all we stand for and you want to help us elect pro-choice candidates up and down the ballot. So, you sign up to attend one of our Calling for Choice phone banks. You come in, we give you some snacks, train you on totally cool technology called Predictive Dialing, and then you sit down at a computer. You log in and the phone next to you rings. You pick it up and the calls actually come to you! You never dial a number, you never get not-homes, you never get a busy signal, and in an hour you can reach up to 100 people! You feel effective, you're not tired of hearing the ringing of the phone in your ear all night, and your dialing finger is well rested. And, you've gotten to chat with the other dozens of PP phone bankers through the computer system's chat room while you were between calls.

You leave happy and knowing you made a difference. More women are voting for Sen. Obama and local pro-choice candidates because of your work!

I always make a guarantee to our volunteers that they'll have fun at our phone banks- and I will make that same guarantee to you!

If you haven't volunteered with us yet, we've got 8 days to ensure a win on November 4th and we could use your help.

Join us for phone banking to Get Out the Pro-Choice Vote!!

If you're interested, let me know: Dessa.Cosma@ppmchoice.org

Knocking for Choice

2008-10-23T10:32:00.000-07:00

Knocking doors during an election is proven to be the most effective way of conversing with voters and persuading them to vote your way. Being engaged by someone who cares enough to come to your door is a pretty unique experience.

That face to face election work is really empowering for the door knocker too- not only do you get great exercise on a beautiful fall day, but you really understand how much of a difference you're making when you're out there- literally meeting people where they're at and talking to them about something you're passionate about. And often times, at someone's door, they'll even tell you to "keep up the good work" or that they're impressed to see you out there in your free time working to make Michigan better.

This election has really been an interesting ride since it began nearly 2 years ago! So many things have happened that we could have never predicted that it's hard to believe that we're actually close to this thing being over. With just 12 days until the election, we have to pull out all the stops and make sure that we elect Sen Obama and local pro-choice candidates.

Our field program here at Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan works exactly toward that. We're working, by knocking doors and through phone banks, to help persuade undecided women here in Michigan to vote with their pro-choice values in mind.

The choice is clear: we have a presidential candidate (John McCain) who doesn't think Roe v Wade was a good decision, and hasn't supported sex ed funding, contraceptive coverage by insurance companies, and has voted against women's health care 125 times in his career. And then, we have a candidate (Barack Obama) who has been a consistant ally of Planned Parenthood and women and is unabashedly pro-choice.

Join us in to win this historic and critical election! We know who to pick when we vote on Nov. 4th, but we need your help to educate women who may not yet know the vast differences between these candidates.

If you're interested in knocking doors or making calls with us, let me know (dessa.cosma@ppmchoice.org)

Take Our Daughters to the Polls!

2008-10-22T09:15:00.000-07:00

Planned Parenthood is a sponsor of a very cool national project called Take our Daughters to the Polls. Not only do we need candidates to run on pro-women, pro-family, and pro-choice platforms, but we need to empower women to take part in the political process and start a culture of voting early in life. Check this out:

http://www.thewhitehouseproject.org/daughters/video.php

... and take your daughters with you to vote on November 4th!

The Final Weeks

2008-10-22T08:59:00.001-07:00

Well, you can tell we've been busy over here working to get pro-choice candidates elected, becuase we haven't had time to blog!

Let me tell you, we are having great fun working on this election! Knocking doors and making calls to let the women of Michigan know what's at stake in this election feels so good!

A lot of women aren't aware of the stark differences between John McCain and Barack Obama in regards to women's health care and reproductive rights, and as Planned Parenthood, a trusted provider of health care for over 25% of American women, we have a really important role in helping to educate them. Women thank us all the time on the phones and at the doors for letting them know this important information about the candidates.

If you're interested in helping us win pro-choice victories up and down the ballot, let us know! The numbers are looking good, but we have to be vigilant to ensure that we take the gold on Nov. 4th. Email me if you're interested in getting involved and I'll direct you to the Planned Parenthood organizer closest to you. (Dessa.Cosma@ppmchoice.org)

Let's win this thing!

Viral Email Inspires Donations to Planned Parenthood

2008-09-29T09:34:00.000-07:00

A viral email of unknown origins has been making the rounds over the past couple of weeks. In it, it states that if you are upset that such an extremist as Sarah Palin has been picked as McCain's running mate, then take action: donate to Planned Parenthood Federation of America! The email lets you know that Planned Parenthood's website has the option of letting you send a thank you note to a person of your choosing, so it asks you to send the cards directly to Palin to let her know that her extremist stances on reproductive health care are prompting others to give money to an organization that supports reproductive justice!

It is important to note that this email did NOT originate with Planned Parenthood. But we are very happy that so many people understand the importance of our services and do not want to see them be taken away by McCain and Palin, who are out-of-touch with the health care needs of American women and families.

To date, Planned Parenthood has received over 30,000 donations, which have totaled over $800,000!!! Amazing. Thank you to everyone who has contributed. We greatly appreciate your efforts.

Make sure to educate everyone you know on McCain and Palin's extreme positions on women's health. And make sure to tell everyone to vote on Nov. 4th so we can celebrate having a pro-choice president: Barack Obama!

Want to make a difference this election?

2008-09-26T08:52:00.000-07:00

Hey all you pro-choice/Planned Parenthood supporters!

This past week for us at the office was super busy with prepping for the Michigan March for Choice. It was a huge success and over 200 people came out that day to get a training on lobbying/advocacy, lobby their local representatives, and rally on the Capitol steps. We had some amazing press from the local news outlets and are looking forward to next year when we all can celebrate the nomination of a pro-choice President! (cheers and applause please!)

Check out these links for the news media we received on Wednesday!

http://www.statenews.com/index.php/article/2008/09/rally_at_state_capitol_backs_womens_health

http://www.wlns.com/Global/story.asp?S=9071051&nav=menu25_2

We will be rolling out our volunteer engagement calendar in the next week to call on all of you to help in areas across Michigan. We encourage you to volunteer - even just for a few hours - we have a lot of work to do. Who is with us??????

Also, make sure to check out our Facebook Page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Planned-Parenthood-Advocates-of-Michigan/23115571034,

Our Twitter Page https://twitter.com/mippadvocates,

Our Myspace Page http://www.myspace.com/ppadvocates

Have a wonderful weekend all!

Above are fabulous volunteers from Project TRUST in Battle Creek, John (Field Manager), Megan (Field Organizer), Amber (Field Organizer), Dessa (Senior Field Organizer) and Felix (Project TRUST Mascot)

Press Release from the PP Action Fund About McCain's Health Care Plan

2008-09-19T09:25:00.000-07:00

Taken from the PP Action Fund Press Release sent Wednesday September 17, 2008

More than 17 million American women are uninsured. Only one out of every four women says she is very confident that she can afford health care for herself and her family. The numbers don’t lie — this country has a health care crisis.

At Planned Parenthood, we hear from women every day who tell us that they have nowhere else to turn and, too often, “basic care” is reduced to emergency room care. When women aren’t able to get the exams and vaccines they need to prevent cancer, there is more cancer. When women aren’t able to afford their contraception, there is more unintended pregnancy. When women can’t get screenings for sexually transmitted infections, their health and future fertility are jeopardized.

For eight years, more and more of these services have fallen beyond the reach of millions of women. George Bush has looked the other way, patching the problem with ineffective tax cuts to the wealthy. Now, John McCain has offered a health care plan that would do much of the same.

A new study by the Planned Parenthood Action Fund and the Center for American Progress Action Fund analyzed John McCain’s health care plan, and found that it would be worse for women and could potentially cause millions of women to lose their employer-sponsored health care coverage.

McCain’s plan offers health care tax credits to families with the supposed goal of giving them greater freedom of choice in choosing health plans. In reality, his plan might help insurance companies build their profits, but it isn’t going to help families.

The tax credits are too small to really offset the costs of comprehensive health insurance — for those already uninsured or underinsured, basic care would remain out of reach. But this plan would also destabilize the system of employer-based health coverage that 59 million women count on to cover their families. The Tax Policy Center estimates that his approach would cause 20 million people to lose their employer-sponsored coverage over 10 years.

For the 59 million women whose health is at stake, those just aren’t good odds.

But not only would the plan undermine current health care policies, it would also undermine the laws that protect women’s health in states across the country by allowing insurance companies to cherry pick their state of residence and to sell policies without regard to state insurance rules.

Thirty-one states currently require comprehensive drug benefits to include contraception. Twenty-one states require coverage of maternity care. Twenty-nine states require coverage for cervical cancer screenings. These are protections that every state should provide, but under McCain’s plan, almost no woman could count on having them.

The next president will inherit this health care crisis, and America needs solutions. Senator McCain’s plan isn’t even a good start.

McCain Has No Shame

2008-09-15T16:10:00.000-07:00

John McCain really stooped low this time. His newest ad is completely deceiving and distorts the facts; it claims that Barack Obama supported "comprehensive sex education" for kindergartners, and that Obama wanted to "teach kids about sex before teaching them how to read." Here's the truth: as a state senator in Illinois, Obama supported a bill that would teach young children how to avoid and prevent sexual abuse (a bill supported by many national medical associations). This is an absolutely necessary thing--who doesn't want children to know how to protect themselves??! But McCain is all about dirty politics and doesn't seem to mind that he is outright lying.

Well, Planned Parenthood minds. And we aren't going to stand for it.

Watch our new ad that calls McCain out for his shameless lies: http://www.ppaction.org/campaign/truthad/wex86dx4p8b878w?qp_source=truthad%5fe1

Now show this to all your friends so everyone knows that McCain is just another politician who will say anything to get elected!

A Shift in the Issues

2008-09-11T15:42:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, the GOP is up to its old tricks again. Conservatives have managed to take a nation at war, having no guaranteed healthcare, living with a poor educational system and an even weaker economy and shift the attention to pigs and lipstick. I think this is absolutely absurd.

My sincere hope is that Americans are not fooled by this Republican magic-trick. Now you see the real issues, now you don’t! They have not given us any real answers to the problems we face, other than ‘figure it out yourself’. As polls report that women are now shifting from Obama to McCain, I find it necessary to remind you. The McCain/Palin ticket does not stand for women’s rights. The GOP might have never had a woman on its ticket if it wasn’t responding to the pro-woman sentiment resounding in our nation. If you are pro-woman, pro-choice or pro-human rights, you must also be pro-Obama.

Our New Detroit Health Center!

2008-09-10T05:12:00.000-07:00

I am excited to announce that our Midtown Detroit health center (on Cass and Canfield) is open and we are working from it!

Soon we'll have volunteer nights here and will be set up to do more substantial community outreach because we have a more adequate and workable space from which to do it.

Detroit: Here we come!

I love being in this neighborhood!

Register for the Michigan March for Choice!

2008-09-08T13:43:00.000-07:00

Want to have fun A LOT of fun while making a difference at the same time? Then you better attend the Michigan March for Choice on September 24th. There will be an advocacy training, lobbying, exciting speakers, and a rally. Come participate to make your voice heard and learn more about how you can influence the upcoming election!

Register here:

http://www.ppaction.org/mppan/events/08marchforchoice/details.tcl

Resounding Silence

2008-09-07T10:54:00.001-07:00

As the Republican National Convention comes to a close, I am thinking about all of the issues that were discussed. I am thinking about the McCain campaign’s references to peace and yet they support the war in Iraq. I am thinking about the references made to the poor “working their way up” and yet poor people were harassed with physical violence while protesting outside the convention center. I am thinking about the opposition to government spending, yet there is no problem with spending billions and billions on the war. I guess spending is only a problem when the money is being used to provide healthcare to America’s disadvantaged children.

In thinking about all the issues, I noticed that there was resounding silence when it came to the issue of women’s rights. I wondered why. Could it be that the speech writers knew this was important to the women of America and they would rather avoid the topic? Why didn’t they come right out and say what their policies would do to American women; how women’s right to make private medical decisions could be taken away; how thousands of women, men, girls and boys would continue to be infected with preventable sexually transmitted diseases because the government refuses to support comprehensive sexuality education?

Those of us who have dedicated our lives to the fight for human rights saw through all of the meaningless rhetoric and we want change. Avoiding women’s rights issues will not make them go away. Ignore them, and you are ignoring millions of American women, women who will not sit silently and let their rights be obliterated. Women matter and oh yes, we vote!

Pit Bulls with Lipstick?

2008-09-04T11:22:00.001-07:00

Last night while my fellow colleagues and I were watching the Republican National Convention - text messaging back and forth about what we thought - we heard some very hurtful attempts to dis-credit all of the hard work us community organizers do. The comment that Palin made “I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a ‘community organizer,’ except that you have actual responsibilities” .... Actual responsibilities!!!! Are you kidding me?

Us "community organizers for Planned Parenthood in Michigan" work around the clock to ensure that our under-represented, under-paid, under-served communities have a voice in the legislature and we work to create common-sense public policies and laws towards preventative health care and family planning. Our work helps to improve the quality of life for the women, teens and men we serve.

From working on affordable birth control, to expanding access to family planning services in Michigan,to contraceptive equity legislation, to ensuring Emergency Contraceptive access and availability and fighting for comprehensive, age-appropriate medically accurate sexuality education in the schools is by no means a job with no responsibility.

So much for her comment on her being a pit bull with lipstick... us organizers are a force to be reckoned with... we are foot soldiers in this social movement for change!!!!!!!!!!!!

Make Your Voice Heard: Tell HHS NO to Bush Regulations

2008-09-02T11:03:00.000-07:00

The Bush Administration is making a last ditch effort to limit reproductive health care access for American women before their term in office is up.

Here's How:

New rules have been submitted to Health and Human Services (HHS) by the Administration that would change language around reproductive health care access- leaving the door wide open to interpretation in regards to what services women can access. The rules are vague enough that doctors could refuse birth control prescriptions because they equate birth control with abortion!

Bush's HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt wrote that redefining abortion wasn't his "intent" behind the new regulation. Regardless of intent, the regulation certainly could functionally allow the defining of contraceptives as abortion.

Funding for basic family planning services are also at stake with these new rules. Title X, which is our Nation's national family planning program, helps low income women afford reproductive health care services like birth control. This money cannot be used for abortion services. So, what if the case, under these new rules, could be made that birth control is abortion? That would eliminate low income women's access to critical preventative health care.

Before this ruling was official, Planned Parenthood worked with other groups like MoveOn.org and gathered over 325,000 petition signatures against this bogus rule-change in the making and delivered them to the White House.

Now that the rule is official, there is a 30 day comment period in which WE have to let them know that limiting our access to reproductive health care services is NOT OK.

Make your voice heard- send an email to HHS Secretary Leavitt today!
http://www.ppaction.org/campaign/frcp08ppan

BREAKING NEWS! MCCAIN SELECTS RUNNING MATE

2008-08-29T08:40:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't heard John McCain who is:

AGAINST comprehensive sex education
AGAINST international family planning funding
AGAINST Roe v. Wade
AGAINST funding to prevent unintended pregnancies and teen pregnancies
AGAINST funding for public education on emergency contraception
AGAINST requiring health care plans to cover birth control
AGAINST restoring Medicaid funding that could be used for family planning services for low-income women

has selected his running mate for the Presidency. Anti - Choice Republican from Alaska, Sarah Palin. Enough is enough.

Planned Parenthood Action Fund recently polled 1,205 women in 16 likely battleground states, finding that:

Despite his extreme voting record, 51 percent of women voters in battleground states have no idea what John McCain's positions are on women's reproductive health issues. Forty-nine percent of women currently backing McCain express pro-choice views, and 46percent of women supporting McCain over Obama want to see Roe v. Wade upheld.

In a match-up with Barack Obama, 36 percent of pro-choice McCain supporters say they are less likely to vote for McCain when told that he opposes Roe v. Wade.

For more information on how you can help Planned Parenthood this election please visit www.miplannedparenthoodvotes.org

See below for the press release from the PP National Office.

For Immediate Release Contact: Diane Quest, 202-973-4851
August 29, 2008

CECILE RICHARDS, PLANNED PARENTHOOD ACTION FUND PRESIDENT, STATEMENT ON MCCAIN VICE-PRESIDENTIAL SELECTION

“Senator McCain's choice of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as a running mate makes clear that John McCain is completely out of touch on the issues that matter to American women. The last thing women need is a president — and vice president — who are prepared to turn back the clock on women's rights and repeal the protections of Roe v. Wade.

“The 2008 presidential election is about going forward, not backwards. It is about change, not about more of the same. But in choosing Governor Palin, Senator McCain has once again demonstrated that a McCain-Palin administration would be four more years of the same.

“According to an article in the Alaska Journal (3/16/08), when Palin was running for lieutenant governor in 2002, she sent an e-mail to the Alaska Right to Life board saying she was as “pro-life as any candidate can be.” She is also on the record stating that she is opposed to abortion even in the case of rape or incest.

“Women deserve a president who understands all their health care needs. There should be no question now that Barack Obama does and John McCain does not. John McCain may have a woman on the ticket, but he does not have the interests of women at heart. This selection may satisfy the right wing of the Republican Party, but it will further alienate mainstream women voters.”

The Oakland Press Covered Our Rally!

2008-08-28T09:34:00.001-07:00

Here's an article about the rally we had on Tuesday. The reporter left too soon and therefore only accounted for a dozen attendees- he should have stuck around to see the other dozen! But it's great that he was there and covered us.

As usual, McCain's positions on our issues are so vague they are not compelling at all.

http://www.theoaklandpress.com/stories/082708/loc_20080827492.shtml

McCain is a McStake

2008-08-27T11:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we celebrated Women's Equality Day (commemorating 88 years of American women's right to vote) by protesting outside of Sen. McCain's Midwestern Headquarters in Farmington Hills.

It was the perfect way to celebrate how far we've come in this movement for equality, and to let it be known that we do not intend to be taken back to a time when our voices weren't heard, when our concerns were ignored, and when we were not treated with respect and fairness.

This election is critical in standing up for women's rights. Here are some things to know about McCain:

He is...
AGAINST comprehensive sex education
AGAINST international family planning funding
AGAINST Roe v. Wade
AGAINST funding to prevent unintended pregnancies and teen pregnancies
AGAINST funding for public education on emergency contraception
AGAINST requiring health care plans to cover birth control
AGAINST restoring Medicaid funding that could be used for family planning services for low-income women

And as if that wasn't bad enough, McCain doesn't support Pay Equity Legislation that would require that employers pay women the same that they pay men for the same job.

I don't know what century he's living in, but we were there in force yesterday to show him that we're not interested in having him lead us in this current one.

It comes down to being fair and principled in your approach to health care and families- and if that's something you're into, you shouldn't be into McCain.

We waved signs and let hundreds of people driving down Northwestern Highway know that McCain is a McStake... big time!

Bush Administration Rule Change Severely Threatens Women's Health

2008-08-22T08:06:00.000-07:00

Below is the letter Planned Parenthood Federation of America President, Cecile Richards, sent out last night. You may have heard that this was coming up, like I did, but it's still unfathomable that the Bush Administration would betray women like this as they leave office.

Here's the gist: The president's rule within the Department of Health and Human Servies (HHS) lets health care providers define abortion, which could threaten access to birth control and broader reproductive health care, and allow federal funding for so-called "crisis pregnancy centers" that refuse to inform patients of or provide patients with a full range of reproductive health care options.

With abortion being left undefined, it means that "the regulation creates all sorts of space for ideology and political views to insinuate themselves into medical practices, emergency rooms and clinics all across the country and when that happens women will suffer.”

Please take action and encourage your friends to as well- we've got 30 days of public review to show them that this IS NOT OK.

Not under our watch,
Dessa

From Cecile:

At 2:00 this afternoon, the Bush administration launched an attack on women's health care and reproductive rights that has put Planned Parenthood and the people it serves in the fight of their lives.

We need your help today — and over the next few weeks — to fight back. Thank you in advance for standing with us during this critical time.

For the past month, we have been aware that the Bush administration was planning to release a rule that would limit the rights of patients to receive complete and accurate birth control and other reproductive health information and services. With your help, we did all we could to stop the president from going through with the threat to release the new rule. But Bush was intent on delivering this "gift" to his extreme anti-choice supporters before he left office. Today was their lucky day.

You can bet that anti-choice activists are thrilled that President Bush made good on his promise to them. This rule will allow them to receive federal funds for so-called "crisis pregnancy centers" — anti-choice facilities whose purpose is to deceive and dissuade women from accessing birth control and abortion information and services.

A woman’s ability to manage her own health care is at risk of being compromised by politics and ideology. The new regulation complicates rather than clarifies the law. It lets health care providers define abortion, which could threaten broader reproductive health care, including contraception. This is just one more instance of the Bush administration putting politics in the exam room.

We've got a fight on our hands — and it's a big one. We have 30 days to dispute the rule with everything we've got. That includes you. It is during crises like the one happening today when your support for Planned Parenthood and the people it serves is most needed. We're launching a massive campaign immediately.

When more and more families are uninsured and have difficulty accessing health care at all, implementing a rule that will limit access to health services is utterly perplexing. The Bush administration's outrageous actions never cease to amaze me, but this one is beyond belief. It will hurt the women who most need help at a time when they are most vulnerable. It's unconscionable, and it is wrong. And, once again, it's our job to stop it.

www.ppfa.org

Thank you, thank you, for your help today and during the next few weeks.

Sincerely,

Cecile Richards, President
Planned Parenthood Action Fund

Abortion Provider Inverviewd on NPR

2008-08-20T10:57:00.000-07:00

Earlier today, I was listening to National Public Radio, via WDET in Detroit, while I was getting some work done. Just as I was about to turn it off and concentrate on some tedious numbers stuff, I heard the next segment advertised. Susan Wicklund was to be interviewed about her recent memoir This Common Secret: My Story as an Abortion Doctor.

Of course, I couldn't turn off the radio then. So I decided to eat my lunch a little earlier than planned and get back to the numbers after the interview.

The interview was really interesting. Dr. Wicklund is a very mild mannered woman, who's caring nature is evident each time she speaks about her patients. Hearing the story about her abortion as a young woman and how that experience made her want to provide safe abortions for women of the next generation was really inspiring.

Hearing how she has been targeted by anti-choice extremists by way of stalking, protests at her home, protests at her daughter's school, and death threats, and how she continued to do the work she believed in because of the energy she got from her patients was also inspiring.

No doctor performing legal and safe procedures should have to go through what Dr. Wicklund did. But her struggles have inspired me to keep working and fighting for what I believe in even when it's hard.

You can hear the interview I heard by clicking here:
http://www.here-now.org/

PPAM Seeks Voter Registration Interns: Could That Be You?

2008-08-13T09:55:00.001-07:00

I am happy to announce that Planned Parenthood Affiliates of Michigan is looking for 10 Voter Registration Interns across the state to help us register 2,000 new voters in the next couple of months.

In this historic and important election, we want to make sure no stone is left unturned in finding eligible voters who can exercise their right (and duty) to vote for the first time on Nov. 4th, 2008.

If you're interested in applying, check out the announcement on our website (http://www.miplannedparenthood.org/opportunities.htm), and get in touch!

The deadline to apply is August 22nd, and spots are filling up fast, so don't delay!

Successful Primary

2008-08-11T10:18:00.000-07:00

So this is a little late, but still very important!

Planned Parenthood's endorsed candidates had a successful day on the primary on August 5th. Congratulations to these three candidates who won their Democratic primary for state House Representative!

Sarah Roberts in House District 24
Lisa Brown in House District 39
Katie Segal in House District 62

These candidates are certain to make women's health a priority in the state of Michigan. If you live in their districts, make sure to vote for them! If you don't live in these districts, make sure you vote for pro-choice candidates all the way down the ballot in November! Find out candidates' positions on choice by viewing our voter guide at: http://www.miplannedparenthoodvotes.org/primaryvoterguide08.pdf

Until the Violence Stops: Detroit

2008-08-07T02:11:00.001-07:00

UTVS Detroit is a two-week long festival, happening at the end of February 2009. The event is a part of V-Day, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending violence against women and girls. The organization is considered radical, in that it does not seek to decrease violence. It seeks to eradicate it – everywhere. V-Day does work domestically and globally, reaching countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mexico.

UTVS Detroit gives individuals and organizations in Michigan the opportunity to speak out on the issue of gender-based violence and to take action. The kick-off event for the festival was a 2-day expo held at the Gibraltar Trade Center in Mount Clemens, Michigan on August 2nd and 3rd. Vendors performed massages and yoga. They sold oils, perfumes, books and jewelry. There was also an activist corner where Planned Parenthood provided an opportunity for people to volunteer and show support for our Prevention First campaign.

Highlights of the expo included the Red Tent, which is a safe space for women to enter and reflect on their experiences. The V-Day documentary “Until the Violence Stops” was broadcast throughout the day for free. Finally, there was a display using 73 pairs of empty women’s shoes to show how many women would die in the state of Michigan due to gender-based violence this year.

At Planned Parenthood, we care about women’s health, physical and emotional. It is great to work with other community partners like V-Day organizers who have similar ideals. The president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America delivered a message of solidarity at V-Day’s V to the Tenth celebration in New Orleans. It assured women that Planned Parenthood takes the issue of violence against women seriously, and that we intend to be a partner in the movement that will one day end it.

For information on Planned Parenthood’s involvement with V to the Tenth, see http://www.plannedparenthood.org/issues-action/other/celebrate-v-days-10th-anniversary-19659.htm.

Today's Primary! Don't forget to Vote!

2008-08-05T06:49:00.001-07:00

Just a reminder that today is our Primary. If you want to see what your ballot's going to look like so you can study before you head to the polls today, check out this website: http://lwv.publius.org/

It will also tell you where your polling location is as well as the hours that it's open.

Happy Voting!

One Million Strong at Warped Tour

2008-07-31T19:15:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the ladies of ThinkGirl.net, Planned Parenthood’s One Million Strong campaign was represented at the Detroit Warped Tour. The One Million Strong Campaign is a Planned Parenthood Action Fund-sponsored effort, combining national, state, and local action funds to identify, energize, and mobilize one million pro-choice voters in the coming election.

Think Girl is a non-profit organization based in metro-Detroit, dedicated to informing and empowering women through their website and community programs. The Vans Warped Tour is the longest running tour/music festival in the United States. This year’s 13th annual festival was held at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan.

Thank you Think Girl, for giving over 25,000 Detroiters the opportunity to become One Million Strong!

Progressive Voices Silenced by Tragedy in Tennessee

2008-07-30T07:07:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard the news yet, it's disturbing and unbelievable- in the truest sense of the word. On Sunday morning, over 200 people were worshiping at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville when a gunman came in and fired. In the next few minutes, before he was tackled by congregation members, he shot and killed 2 people and wounded 7 others. The children's' choir was performing when he began his deranged act.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jOAQKzY-aOBqDspFkEAV_ZO65vZAD927KA6O0

The man clearly has mental illness if he is willing to go shoot innocent strangers. But if you read the reports of what happened, you'll see that he targeted the members of that church becuase of their liberal views and specifically because they promoted women's and LGBT rights.

As a 4th generation Unitarian Universalist myself, I am proud of our denomination's history of working for social justice for all people and I feel lucky that my work at Planned Parenthood and my spiritual life are so easily congruent. The congregations I grew up in always stood up for the marginalized, always wanted a better world for everyone, and never placed judgments on people based on their gender, sexual orientation, race, creed ... or decision to terminate an unplanned pregnancy.

What's so mind-boggling to me is that this spirituality of love and acceptance was so threatening and angering to the gunman in Knoxville that he not only wanted those liberal values to be silenced, but that he thought he had the right to kill the people who shared and promoted those values.

When you work daily in a movement that some consider controversial, you are aware of the history of violence that came before. As a fighter for reproductive justice, I'm aware of the violence clinic workers and doctors have had to endure to do their jobs. I am aware of the clinic bombings (even right here in Michigan) and the murdering of abortion doctors back in the 1990s. It's so bizarre to think that someone disagrees with our message of Choice so much that they would want to literally destroy us and our work- like it's unbelievable that a man in Tennessee hates liberal ideals so much that he kills members of a congregation, in front of their own children, during a church service.

My heart is with the congregation of UUs in Knoxville. My heart is with our movement too, as we work towards social justice for all people. I have faith that our movement for women's rights and LGBT rights will come to fruition despite hateful acts of violence.

A Parting Gift from the Bush Administration

2008-07-28T08:11:00.001-07:00

For the past 8 years, the Bush administration has spent plenty of time promoting an anti-choice agenda. Thankfully, their time is almost up. However, the Bush administration couldn't leave without delivering a severe blow to the health of women and families, now could it?! That just wouldn't be their style.

The Bush administration is circulating a draft of proposed regulations that would apply to those who receive U.S. Department of Health and Human Services funds. These regulations would threaten women's access to basic health information and services and also undermine states’ ability to enforce laws related to health care access and information.

The proposed regulations include a definition of abortion which is extraordinarily broad, seeking to expand the existing legal protections for providers/entities refusing to participate in abortion services to regular forms of birth control. The proposed regulation defines abortion as “any of the various procedures—including prescription, dispensing, and administration of any drug or the performance of any procedure or any other action—that results in the termination of the life of a human being in utero between conception and natural birth, whether before or after implantation.” The definition could be interpreted to sweep in birth control, including emergency contraception, intra-uterine devices (IUDs), and other forms of hormonal contraceptives.

Some of the consequences of this might include:

*Planned Parenthood would be forced to hire doctors and nurses who refuse to prescribe birth control pills or even counsel patients on all their options. Countless teenagers, low-income women and those without health insurance could be denied help in family planning and preventing pregnancies.

*Health insurance providers could stop covering the cost of contraceptives for many American women even in states that require them to do so.

*Sexual assault survivors could be prevented from learning about emergency contraception, a form of birth control that can prevent pregnancy.

*Hospitals wanting to continue to receive federal funds would be required to certify that they do not discriminate against hiring health providers who would refuse to prescribe or tell patients about birth control.

Ridiculous, right? So how can you help? Contact your federal Senator and Representative and urge them to speak out against this outrageous attack on women's health.

Before you tear your hair out in frustration, remember: 176 days until we elect a pro-choice president!

Are You Serious?

2008-07-23T21:24:00.000-07:00

I met a woman at the Detroit City Fest who was staffing a table for a local non-profit organization. I asked her to sign a statement of support for our One Million Strong campaign. After she read the materials, she took the form and studied it for five more minutes. Finally, she brought it back with her name printed, but crossed out. She said that she could not sign because was not pro-choice.

She talked to many people about being an Obama supporter, to which I wanted to reply “you know he’s pro-choice, right?” I didn’t though. I know how to respectfully agree to disagree. But that’s not the end.

She came over and started talking to me about how she teaches Sunday school at her church, and that they only teach abstinence because they don’t want teens to become sexually active. She then said, in a whispered voice, “it’s not working though….they’re still doing it”. I could not have said it better myself. If you know that abstinence-only isn’t working, aren’t you being irresponsible when you don’t provide information that can help teens make healthy decisions?

We are in a crisis people! One in four teen girls has a sexually transmitted infection. One in two African-American teen girls has a sexually transmitted infection. If you read this blog regularly, you might be tired of hearing this statistic. I’m sorry, as long as teens are suffering because of bogus politics, we will continue to shout it from the roof tops. When teens stop being infected at these alarming rates, I will stop making a fuss about it. Until then, abstinence only MUST GO!

McCain: 8 Seconds of Silence

2008-07-22T07:06:00.000-07:00

If you weren't aware of how out of touch John McCain is, this should sum it up:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqnmXSXtDkQ

If you still need more reasons to not vote for him, check this out:

http://www.ppaction.org/ppvotes/thetruthaboutjohnmccain.html

See you in a week!

2008-07-14T11:06:00.000-07:00

Planned Parenthood Affiliates of Michigan is off to Washington D.C. for a national Planned Parenthood conference. We will be learning strategic and effective ways to ensure that Michigan becomes a state that fully supports pro-choice policies! And when we get back, it will be time to kick the electoral activism into full gear, so be ready to get out and knock some doors, make some phone calls, and host a house party or two to make sure we elect pro-choice legislators on the state and federal level this fall!

Thanks Detroit NOW

2008-07-11T20:22:00.000-07:00

The Detroit Planned Parenthood Young Leaders (PPYL) group was recently featured in the summer 2008 issue of the Detroit NOW newsletter (front page, no less). As another group dedicated to ensuring the reproductive rights of women, it’s great to be recognized by the Detroit Chapter of the National Organization for Women.

NOW issues numerous action alerts, notifying its members of important national issues. One specific issue that Planned Parenthood and NOW have in common is our fight to restore affordable birth control to low-income and college women. For more information, see the NOW action alert at http://www.capwiz.com/now/issues/alert/?alertid=10601436.

Once again, sincere thanks to Detroit NOW. If you are interested in joining the Detroit PPYL group, please contact us at detroitppyl@gmail.com.

Out of Touch

2008-07-11T10:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday John McCain was interviewed on his campaign bus and according to the Press Release by the PP Action Fund he left a long pause in his conversation that leaves women wondering whether he cares about their health care. It goes a little something like this...

Reporter:..."it was unfair that insurance companies cover Viagra but not birth control. Do you have an opinion on that?"

(strange, uncomfortable, 8 second pause).....

McCain responded: "I don't know enough about it to give you an informed answer."

McCain went on to say, "it's something that I had not thought much about, and I did hear about her response, but I hadn't though much. But I will get, I will get back to you today on it."

Oh really John McCain!!! As stated by Cecile Richards in the press release, "When Sen. John McCain was asked to vote on insurance coverage of affordable birthcontrol, he HAD AN ANSWER... NO. By voting against insurance coverage of birth control, Sen. McCain is denying women affordable access to basic health care."

Just a little food for thought over the weekend!

"Living is the art of loving. Loving is the art of caring. Caring is the art of sharing. Sharing is the art of living.
If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else."
Booker T. Washington

What's At Stake in November

2008-07-07T11:05:00.000-07:00

In preparation for a training, my fellow organizers and I have been brainstorming all of the reproductive rights issues that are at stake in the upcoming election. As we all know, on the federal level, there is a HUGE difference between Obama (strong women's health advocate) and McCain (Mr. Mc-AntiChoice). There are important issues on the state level as well.

On the federal level:

Title X funding: the nation's family planning program. Title X funds go to safety-net family planning providers that serve low-income women and families. Title X is already severely underfunded and desperately needs an increase in the coming years.

Title V: funding for abstinence-only education programs. The government has already wasted $1.5 billion on Title V, which has been proven ineffective by many, many studies. It is time to put Title V to rest!

Supreme Court justices: the Supreme Court has an immense amount of power, and the president gets to decide who's on it. President Bush has already done enough damage by appointing justices who are dedicated to stripping away women's reproductive rights. We need to make sure McCain doesn't get a chance to continue this trend.

On the state level:

Prevention First: the Michigan legislature has introduced a series of bills that focus on making women's health a priority. These bills are a part of Planned Parenthood's Prevention First! Campaign, and they will ensure:

*access to affordable birth control
*comprehensive, medically-accurate sex education
*timely access to and education about emergency contraception
*insurance coverage of annual pap smear screenings

We need to make sure that Michigan elects pro-choice legislators so that these bills can become a reality. This is vitally important to the health of our communities.

So now that you know what's at stake, make sure your vote in November supports women's health! And don't forget to tell all your friends to do the same!

Do People Care?

2008-07-06T18:46:00.000-07:00

As a field organizer, it’s my job to make my community aware of issues and legislation that will affect women’s health in Michigan. One of the ways I accomplish this is through crowd canvassing at large events like festivals. I usually ask people if they would like to support women’s health, to which some reply yes. Many say no. How could this be? How could people actually say no to making women’s health a priority? One of my rationalizations is that people are too busy to stop, but that they really do care about women’s health. Thing is, if you don’t stop to sign or stand up to speak out, no one will ever know.

While some people are too busy to learn about the laws being passed in our country, many others are super-busy passing laws and lobbying for legislation that could negatively impact the very same people who didn’t care to speak out. There are those who would pass laws that never affect themselves personally, but affect poor, uninsured or under-insured people. These are the people who hope you are always too busy to stop, too busy to learn what’s going on in your community, too busy to stand up and call for change. Understand this: while they are hoping you are too busy to stop and make a difference, they are never too busy to stop trying to exert their control over women’s bodies by eliminating women’s choices. They are tireless when it comes to working against good sex ed in schools and making accessible and affordable health care for women a thing of the past.

I titled this blog “Do People Care?” because I really want to know if they do. I’m sure they do. I’m hoping they do. If you are reading this and you care about women’s health, post a comment saying “I Do!”

Thank you, I do too.

Thanks Northville!

2008-07-03T06:02:00.000-07:00

The Northville Board of Education recently approved a human sexuality component to be added to their health education curriculum. I think this is big news and I am excited to see a community come together to create an environment where teens can get medically-accurate, age-appropriate sexuality education.

The Northville Board of Education’s decision is in response to a statistic that says 79 percent of Northville parents want to see this education in schools. Parents will have to opt-in to the course, instead of opting out, a decision that may have a negative impact on the number of students participating (just ask any teacher who has ever sent a note home).

Overall, I believe this decision is a move in the right direction. The parents of Northville have had their say. Now, let’s watch the wonderful things that can happen when we trust our teens enough to give them access to vital, relevant and accurate information.

People for PPYL

2008-06-26T05:45:00.000-07:00

I recently co-hosted events for Planned Parenthood’s first Detroit and Oakland County Young Leaders groups. We had a great time talking about Planned Parenthood’s mission and goals and planning our upcoming fun-filled, action-packed events. If you are an activist and would like to participate with one of our groups in your area, give us a holler!

Contact Detroit PPYL at DetroitPPYL@gmail.com
Contact Oakland County PPYL at OaklandCountyPPYL@gmail.com

Please Don't Let Epidemic Become "Old News"

2008-06-25T05:11:00.001-07:00

As many of you know, back in March a shocking study from the Center for Disease Control came out, showing that nearly 1 in 4 teen-aged women in our country, and 50% of African American teen women, have a sexually transmitted disease. Most of the cases found were of Human Papillomavirus (HPV), which can cause cervical cancer, as well as Chlamydia, trichomoniasis, and Herpes.

To me, this seems outrageous...like everyone should be up in arms trying to do something to turn the tide on the epidemic facing our young women.

When most people think of epidemic, I think they probably think of Polio. So, I did a little comparative research. What I found was that back in the early 1900s Polio was not only striking fear in the hearts of Americans as the disease seemed to pop up unexplainedly and spread quickly, but it was also killing a lot of people. In 1907 there were 2,500 cases of Polio in New York City and in 1916 6,000 people in Brooklyn alone died of the disease.

Then I looked up the number of women who die of Cervical Cancer in our country today. Already in 2008 3,800 women have died and 11,000 others have been diagnosed. HPV causes 70% of all cervical cancer and our young women are getting HPV at alarming rates. I fear that becuase there is a delay in the serious threat that HPV poses, many people aren't adequately alarmed at the rates at which our teens are contracting this disease.

Across the country HPV education and awareness bills have popped up and have passed to varying degrees. But becuase HPV is sexually transmitted and we tend to have a hang up around teens and sex (the main misconception being that if we teach sex ed, teens will be more promiscuous, as if packing an umbrella causes rain, or as if many aren't having sex already (remember the 1 in 4 STI rate?)), many of the bills get watered down and have no teeth, meaning the young women who need the information about staying safe most, probably aren't getting it.

Just like a lot of adults aren't getting what a serious problem a 1 in 4 STD rate among teen women is.

Let's not judge and waste time talking about how back in our day young women weren't so ________ (insert you're own personal adjective here). Let's get to work educating young women about how to be healthy and safe, so that they can avoid sexually transmitted infections and turn back the epidemic of their generation.

Here are a few resources for teens, adults, and parents of teens about staying safe and talking to teens about avoiding STIs:

http://www.teenwire.com/
http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/stds-hiv-safer-sex-101.htm
http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/parents-4412.htm
http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/parents/index.htm

Seriously?...The Affordable Birth Control Crisis Really Hasn't Been Fixed Yet?

2008-06-23T07:47:00.000-07:00

Yet again, Congress has rejected the chance to fix the affordable birth control crisis.

Since January of 2007, women all across the country have watched as birth control prices have soared 900% in many university clinics and safety-net family planning providers, all because of a MISTAKE Congress made. See, Congress inadvertently reversed a rule in the Deficit Reduction Act which allowed these clinics and providers to receive birth control at a discount price so they could turn around and sell it to their clients at an affordable price.

Recently, the Senate passed the War Supplemental bill, which contained a provision to fix this crazy mess. Unfortunately, on June 18th, the House stripped this provision from the bill.

So. Frustrating.

Birth control should be affordable. This is a simple, common-sense concept, right? After all, an overwhelming majority of women will use birth control at some point in their lives, and preventing unintended pregnancies is the best way to 1.) ensure happy, healthy families and 2.) reduce the need for abortion.

Planned Parenthood will continue to push for some sort of legislative fix. Here's what you can do to help:

Contact your Representative (find yours at http://www.ppaction.org/mppan/leg-lookup/search.html ) and ask him/her to reach out to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and urge that 1.) a vote be taken on the House floor for the Prevention Through Affordable Access Act and 2) affordable birth control is indeed restored this session.

A Great Place to Work

2008-06-19T06:37:00.000-07:00

Each day, I’m amazed that I get to live out my feminist ideals through my job. Sometimes it seems unfair that other people are stuck in jobs that they only feel lukewarm about, while I have the time of my life working for a cause I believe in. Thank you Planned Parenthood - for being at the forefront when it comes to women’s healthcare and reproductive rights. Thank you for the work you do to make contraception affordable and sex education accessible. Thank you for being a great place to work!

Don't Underestimate the Power of Educating Others!

2008-06-16T10:47:00.000-07:00

As you all know, Planned Parenthood is holding a week of house parties in order to educate others about John McCain's extreme anti-choice positions on reproductive health care. The week kicked off on Saturday, June 14th, which is when I hosted my very own party.

While everyone I invited was supportive of Planned Parenthood and our mission, almost everyone there did not know the extent of McCain's anti-choice beliefs and actions. I heard quite a few comments like "wow, I didn't know that" and "really? he voted against all these things [comprehensive, medically accurate sex education, funding to reduce unintended and teen pregnancy, contraceptive equity, etc.]?"

This is exciting to me, because while I already know that these people are going to vote for the pro-choice candidate, they now have the knowledge to enlighten other people on how dangerous McCain would be for women's health. Since McCain has done an excellent job of convincing people he's a moderate and thus pro-choice, this is vitally important. I like to call it a ripple effect: I educate a few people, who educate a few more, who educate a few more...and we all go to the polls in November to elect a pro-choice president!

So please, take the time to inform others of McCain's extremist stance. Even if everyone you know is already voting pro-choice, they might have a few friends who are on the fence...and just need that litte push to realize how scary it would be to have McCain in office. Please visit http://www.plannedparenthoodvotes.org/. to get all the information you need to know on McCain's reproductive health care record.

My dog Nori shows her support by wearing a One Million Strong sticker at my party.

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-12T05:18:00.000-07:00

As Father’s Day approaches, I am reminded of the many men who support the women’s rights and reproductive justice movements. Although, these movements are largely viewed as female, many men put themselves on the line everyday to make true equality between men and women a reality. I want to offer a sincere thanks to the men who work to sustain the rights of all people, especially those who work for the rights of women. You show every day that you understand “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”. (Martin Luther King Jr.)

Getting out McCain's Real Record on Women's Health

2008-06-11T07:43:00.000-07:00

As we mentioned last week, in regards to Reproductive Justice and women's rights, the two Presidential candidates could not be more different. Whereas I focused on how great Sen. Obama is on the issues we at Planned Parenthood care about last time, today I'm going to explain JUST HOW BAD JOHN MCCAIN IS!

Here are a few examples of how he's awful (or should I say "How awful he is"):

-McCain opposed spending $100 million to prevent unintended and teen pregnancies. -McCain opposed legislation requiring that abstinence-only programs be medically accurate and scientifically based.
-McCain opposed Title X, the nation's family planning program.
-McCain opposed requiring insurance coverage of prescription birth control.
-McCain opposes comprehensive sex education.
-McCain is unsure where he stands on government funding for contraception.
-McCain opposed repealing the "global gag rule."
-McCain supports overturning Roe v. Wade.
-McCain says Roe v. Wade was a "bad decision."

And drum roll please for the very worst thing he could have said....in February 2007, the AP quoted McCain stating, 'I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned."

This guy's real bad....

...but you can help us get the word out about him... Across the country Planned Parenthood Supporters are holding House Parties, not just becuase they're fun, but becuase lots of people don't understand how bad McCain is. His moderate persona is going to carry him far -unless we do something to shatter it.

I'm having a house party, you should have a house party too! Like I said, it's fun, it's easy, and it can make a real difference!

Let me explain...

A "House" Party doesn't really have to be at a house- it can be at a restaurant, a park, wherever. It can be over drinks, or as a potluck, or as a brownie-bake-off.

Basically, it just means that you get some friends together, have fun, and spend a few minutes talking about John McCain and how bad he'd be for women, and our health, if he becomes president. We'll get you all the info on him you'll need, and you'll also get a box of hosting goodies in the mail too- like a PP t-shirt, a lapel pin, buttons, stickers, a note from our PPFA president, etc.

Everything's really easy to set up through Party2Win: check out Michigan's home page to get started! http://www.party2win.com/plannedparenthood/themes/index.cfm?Fuseaction=themehome264&themeid=264

*FYI, you don't have to actually have your house party in the next week, but make sure to sign up through the above website by June 20th to get the box of prizes and materials for your party (and so that Michigan gets credit for all it's great activists!)

... they've been chipping away at our rights, let's chip away at John McAnti-Choice's chance at becoming President.

Climbing Steep Hills

2008-06-06T11:16:00.000-07:00

This week I spoke over lunch to a local service club. PP was asked to come and talk about the Prevention First Campaign/our agenda for 2008, what services PP provides in the local areas, and low cost health care options for women, men, and teens. I arrived at the restaurant and was greeted warmly by a huge Planned Parenthood supporter. She briefed me on the climate of the group and told me that some people were concerned that "Planned Parenthood" was coming to speak and not a lot of people may show up. I stood up to room of mostly men and began talking about my job as an organizer of Planned Parenthood, the 2008 Legislative and Policy Agenda, the Prevention First Campaign etc. I addressed the teen pregnancy issue in the county and how important comprehensive sex education was. I looked around - blank faces. When it was time for questions, I was pleasantly surprised by an older gentlemen - in his late 70's - he said, "...there has never been a time in my life where I did not completely agree that it is a woman's choose" he looked around the room and said, "I know a lot of you (speaking to his colleagues) may not agree with this but it is important to talk about".

After I was finished most of the participants came up to me and thanked me for coming. I know that they went home that night with a lot to think about. For many years, they may have had mis-conceptions and unknowns about "Planned Parenthood", my hope is that they tell just one person about the comprehensive services PP provides, the teen peer education groups for high school students in several communities, the breast and cervical cancer prevention programs for older woman, the advocacy work that the organizers who work at PPAM do everyday and the hundreds of volunteers who are "foot soldiers" in our mission.

Lesson Learned: "To climb steep hills requires a slow pace at first." Shakespeare

A Pro-Choice Democratic Nominee

2008-06-04T07:40:00.000-07:00

No doubt by now, nearly everyone has heard that Sen. Barack Obama has surpassed the number of delegates needed to secure the Democratic nomination for President. Last night the final two races (North Dakota and Montana) showed how close this race between Sen. Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton has been. Each of them won a state last night, but Sen. Obama's previous lead in delegates, and a wave of super-delegate support yesterday, pushed him over the top.

This has been a very long and unprecedented primary in many ways, but what I think is so cool about it is that from the beginning of this process in January all the way through last night, all of the candidates who even had a chance of winning on the Democratic side were 100% pro-choice and pro-women's health care! I don't think the pro-choice community could be any happier with either Sen. Clinton or Sen. Obama- they have both been champions of our issues for a long time.

A quick story: Last summer at the annual conference for Planned Parenthood staff who work on policy and organizing, both Senators Clinton and Obama came to speak, as did Elizabeth Edwards on behalf of her husband, John Edwards, who had another engagement to attend at that time. Each spoke for nearly an hour about their commitment to Reproductive Justice and what they would do as President to ensure that women retained the right to affordable reproductive health care, family planning services, accurate information, and abortion, not to mention how they would handle the inevitable Supreme Court nominations they would have to make. The room of 700 Planned Parenthood staff was ecstatic- after 8 years of an extreme anti-choice administration any of the three would have been a welcome change... and not just becuase they were better than President Bush on our issues, but becuase they are all excellent on our issues!

One person who is NOT excellent on our issues is the Republican nominee, John McCain. In fact, he's horrible on just about everything we care about here at Planned Parenthood. We are a non-partisan organization, but it's not hard to figure out who we'll be supporting in November, when one nominee has introduced bills on our behalf and truly cares about the well-being of women, men, and teens in America, and one has made it clear that Roe v. Wade should be over-turned and Supreme Court Justices should be like current Justice and anti-choice extremist Samuel Alito.

I am excited that a Senator with a 100% pro-choice rating has a true shot at becoming the next President of the United States!

Planned Parenthood at Pride

2008-06-02T11:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Karisha (another Field Organizer) and I tabled at Motor City Pride in Ferndale. This is an event that celebrates the lives of Michigan's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transexual citizens. It is a huge street festival that is organized by Triangle Foundation (www.tri.org).

What an amazing event! Thousands of people showed up to have a good time and pay tribute to Michigan's diversity. Many, many people approached the Planned Parenthood table to get information and express support for our organization. Some people may not initially see how Planned Parenthood and the LGBT community connect, but there are actually plenty of ways that the two support each other.

*Planned Parenthood believes in non-judgmental health care, regardless of race, gender, socio-economic background, able-bodiedness, sexual orientation, etc. Every individual deserves access to quality, affordable service.

*Planned Parenthood advocates for safe sex and healthy relationships. Clearly, this is important for everyone across the sexual identity spectrum. PP has information for everyone, regardless of sexual orientation, on how to protect against STI's and sexual assault, understand the dynamics of a healthy relationship, and develop good communication skills.

*Planned Parenthood believes in comprehensive sexuality education, which should include information on and sensitivity to LGBT issues.

*Planned Parenthood is a progressive organization and we support progressive causes!

These are a few of the reasons why Planned Parenthood and the LGBT community are linked, and why we should continue to work together in the future.

I am so looking forward to attending the Pride festival in Lansing on June 27-29th. I hope to see you there! Visit http://michiganpride.org/ for more information.

SB776 Passes the Michigan House Last Night

2008-05-28T07:32:00.000-07:00

The first thing I saw this morning when I got online was that last night the house passed SB776, which the anti-choicers who created it call the "Partial Birth Abortion Ban" ... the rest of us, who understand that this type of bill is purely political in nature and that no doctor would use this language to describe the procedure that this bill seeks to redundantly outlaw (the Federal government already banned this procedure), are outraged that not only did this waste-of-time bill get so much play, but that there's no health exception for the pregnant woman!

There are SO MANY wonderful things the legislature could be doing right now. There are so many ways to protect the lives of women and children that the supposed "Right to Life" folks don't ever make a move on that it's utterly frustrating to know that SB776 has been being pushed for months- all that time and money spent on a redundant, insulting bill rather than on really taking care of people and really making life for Michiganders better.

I don't want to be cynical in this important election year, but it's hard not to be when political pandering to bullying special interest groups like "Right to Life" is so prevalent. How out of touch with mainstream Americans are these people if they can't vote for a rape and incest amendment, or a clarification that this ban wouldn't outlaw birth control, or for an addition that would make an exception to this ban in the interest of protecting the pregnant woman's health!?! All of those were proposed last night, and none of them could get enough votes.

It's a shame that legislators worked late into the night yesterday to pass a redundant bill banning abortion procedures that are already banned and don't feel so compelled to work late to keep our drinking water clean, end our foreclosure problem, or work on balancing our budget before the deadline. Using women's health as a political chess game is unacceptable and shameful.

Support and Inspiration Up North

2008-05-21T04:24:00.002-07:00

Yesterday, Megan (my fellow organizer) and I drove up to Traverse City to chat with our VOX students at Northwestern Michigan College and with some local feminist activists who wanted to know more about how they can advocate on behalf of Planned Parenthood.

Not only was it invigorating to go up to Traverse on a beautiful and sunny late spring day, but hanging out and coming up with ideas with other young women (who are pumped to spend their summer as activists for choice) was so inspiring that Megan and I both found ourselves giddy with excitement! For me, one of the best feelings in the world is when I'm talking to someone who shares my values and we start getting crazy-creative because we're both so inspired to work on the things that matter to us so deeply. It's that exact feeling that makes me love working as an organizer with Planned Parenthood.

I feel so unbelievably lucky that my job requires me to go out and talk to amazing and passionate people who want to make the world more equitable for women, and a better place for everyone!

Get Involved!!

2008-05-19T13:09:00.000-07:00

This is a call to action. For all of you who think reproductive justice is important, but never have done anything about it, it is now your time to step up and make a difference. And there are so many ways to do so! For your convenience, I have listed them below:

Join a Planned Parenthood Legislative Action Team. If you live in Muskegon, Northville, West Bloomfield, Commerce Township, or Ann Arbor, contact ppam@ppfa.org to receive more information on how to make an impact on public policy.

Become a member of a Teen Advisory Board. If you are a teenager and live in Muskegon, Northville, West Bloomfield, Commerce Township, or Ann Arbor, contact ppam@ppfa.org to get involved with a project that will allow you to get your voice heard on important issues that affect you.

Join a Planned Parenthood Young Leaders group. This group is for those who are post-college through pre-retirement and are looking to have a fun time while learning about Planned Parenthood. PPYL groups host social events, such as house parties, happy hours, potlucks, and anything else you can think of! Please email ppam@ppfa.org for more information.

Sign up for our One Million Strong Campaign! To learn more, please visit http://www.miplannedparenthood.org/.

Join the Planned Parenthood Action Network to receive email updates on legislative issues affecting reproductive health care. The Action Network also makes it really simple to contact your legislators to let them know how you feel on these issues. Please visit http://www.miplannedparenthood.org/ and click on "act now."

Become a Vox member at the college you attend. Vox (Voices for Planned Parenthood) members organize events on their campus to raise awareness about reproductive rights. Please email ppam@ppfa.org for more information.

Donate! If you are able, you can donate money to Planned Parenthood to support our work. It is a huge support. Please visit http://www.miplannedparenthood.org/ and click on "donate."

Volunteer in any way you can. Your time and effort are always appreciated. Please email ppam@ppfa.org for more information.

Building on the Michigan Policy Summit

2008-05-14T06:06:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday Planned Parenthood staff, volunteers, supporters, and students were able to attend and participate in the 2^nd Annual Michigan Policy Summit (www.mipolicysummit.org). It was a terrific event! About 600 progressives from all around Michigan joined together to network and mingle, learn about and get involved in efforts around health care, clean energy and education, and hear two great keynote speeches from Jim Hightower and Amy Goodman.

Planned Parenthood Affiliates of Michigan had a display and activism table at the Summit’s Organizational Showcase, where 55 organizations highlighted their work on a myriad of issues, ranging from ending torture and homelessness, to supporting LGBT and women’s rights, to registering underrepresented folks to vote, and preserving our great lakes. And there were several other pro-choice groups at the Summit, including the Michigan Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, MARAL, NOW and MI List.

Meeting so many other activists and organizers was exhilarating! It’s exciting to know that all the hard work we do here at Planned Parenthood is being matched by dozens of other organizations, also working on issues we care about, even if they are outside the realm of what we do here. There’s so much common ground between the work we do and that of our peers, that having the opportunity to get together and talk about it, which is what we did at the Summit, is invaluable. There are so many ways that we can work together to make Michigan the state we dream about. That’s the point of this Summit. The other point is that we don’t have to just do it once a year at an annual event. Now, after the Summit, is the time to get working. Let’s build on the new relationships we started on Saturday and continue to build on those relationships we’ve been nurturing for years. Working together is the only way we can get our goals accomplished...and besides, it's way more fun!

PS Planned Parenthood signed up over 100 new Million Strong Campaign supporters at the Michigan Policy Summit last weekend. To learn more about this campaign and to sign up yourself, visit our website: www.miplannedparenthood.org

Teens Know What Teens Need

2008-05-12T14:11:00.000-07:00

Planned Parenthood is holding a Comprehensive Sex Education Lobby Day this Thursday, May 15th. We are calling the event Y.E.L.L.: Youth Educating Legislators in Lansing. Michigan teens from across the state will be part of a press conference, learn tips for lobbying effectively, and meet with legislators to talk about the importance of teen pregnancy prevention.

The cool thing here is that these teens want to get involved because it is their generation that is currently feeling the effects of abstinence-only education.

Nevermind the study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that recently came out showing that 1 in 4 teenage girls has a sexually transmitted infection...

Nevermind the congressional hearing held last month that examined the detrimental effects of abstinence-only education on teenagers and their health and safety...

These teens that will be lobbying on Thursday will be speaking from their own experiences: they have seen the effects of abstinence-only education on themselves, their friends, and their classmates. What could be a more valid reason to listen to them when they say that comprehensive sex education is what teens need?

Let's hope our legislators feel the same way...

African-Americans and STDs

2008-05-07T17:37:00.000-07:00

I just read an article titled “African Americans and STDs: A silent epidemic”, written by U. S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Ohio. The article states that “…a study was released by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that revealed alarming statistics about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the United States. The report estimated that one in four young women between the ages of 14 and 19 in the United States, or 3.2 million teenage girls are infected with at least one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases including human papillomavirus (HPV), chlamydia, herpes simplex virus, and trichomoniasis. Even more devastating, was the statistic that found that 48 percent of young African-American women are infected with an STD compared to 20 percent of young white women.”

I continue to be alarmed by the disparities in health that exist within communities of color. The article attributed higher rates of sexually transmitted infections to “…conditions in the community and access to healthcare” and went on to say that “a woman in an African- American community with a single partner is much more likely to be exposed to infection than a woman in a white community.” Some contributing factors are “men having multiple partners, multiple concurrent partners or men getting exposed to infections while in prison. “ The article also mentioned that there were a “small number of African-American women who are infected by bisexual men.”

This information is devastating because it suggests that even though an African-American woman may have only one sexual partner, she is still at greater risk for contracting an STI. In a culture that equates sexually transmitted infection with your worth as a human being, it becomes increasingly problematic for people to understand that they are at risk, even if they consider themselves to be a good girl (or boy). If I only had one sexual partner and I am not promiscuous, I must be safe, right? Wrong.

As if we have not been sounding the alarm for years, this article serves as yet another wake-up call for women, men and especially those who identify with a community of color. We have got to educate our communities about these health risks and methods for prevention and treatment. I’m sure we all have suggestions for the best way to proliferate this education. One way jumps out at me. Comprehensive sex ed, anyone?

“African Americans and STDs: A silent epidemic” can be found at http://www.michigancitizen.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=75&twindow=Default&mad=No&sdetail=5989&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=1070&hn=michigancitizen&he=.com

Wow, Michigan is in bad shape...

2008-04-24T15:14:00.000-07:00

Before I write this, I'd like to point out that I am not necessarily the most eloquent of writers. With that said, onward.

The Guttmacher Institute has put out some interesting statistics on contraceptives.

http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/state_data/states/michigan.html

Now, some things in this struck me. A few of them are below:

1) In Michigan, 1,204,060 women are in need of contraceptive services and supplies. Of these, 582,140 women need publicly supported contraceptive services because they have incomes below 250% of the federal poverty level (406,230) or are sexually active teenagers (175,910).

These figures are just amazing to me - over 1.2 million women need contraceptive services and supplies, just in Michigan alone!!!

2) Every public dollar spent on family planning services saves the federal and state governments three dollars in Medicaid costs for prenatal and newborn care.

I would like to think this is a great argument in favor of family planning services, yet there are still people in Michigan that believe abstinence is the only way...

3) Michigan ranks 48TH in laws and policies - whether their laws and policies are likely to facilitate access to contraceptive services and information.

While I'm not surprised by this, it just makes me sad. If we want fewer unintended pregnancies, then why would we make it harder for women to have access to contraceptives and family planning?

And the another bit of information that is in this fact sheet:

About half of unintended pregnancies occur among couples who were using a contraceptive method in the month the woman became pregnant; either the method did not work properly or the couple did not use it consistently or correctly. Because the likelihood of pregnancy in the absence of contraception is high, the other half of unintended pregnancies occur among the one in 10 sexually active, fertile women who were not using any birth control method even though they were not trying to become pregnant.

So, does anyone want to tell me why we shouldn't teach people the proper way to use contraceptives or that they are important? Otherwise, we can continue to deal with the medical, social, economic, and personal tolls of unintended pregnancies in Michigan.

Unbelievable.

2008-01-22T12:33:00.002-08:00

Today marks the 35th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion for women in the U.S. Today also marks the day that our state Senate passed the fourth attempt at banning abortion procedures in Michigan. The Senate bill mimics a federal law that is already in place--just in case federal prosecutors get too busy to make their own prosecutions.

While our elected officials should be worried about more important things, like the economy and state budget, they are busy fretting over an abortion procedure that is not even used in Michigan. Need proof? The Michigan Department of Community Health tracks abortions by procedure here. None of the nine "other procedures" was reported to be a dilation and extraction.

On January 7 of this year, the U.S. Supreme Court issued orders denying the appeals of the third unsuccessful attempt by the state of Michigan since 1996 to ban certain abortion procedures. You read that right--the third time the court struck down an unconstitutional state law since 1996.

Our elected officials seem to be obsessed with abortion. This most recent bill was introduced in the midst of last fall's heated budget crisis. The Legislature remains ready to drop everything for the opportunity to chip away at our rights. Let's remember this when the November election rolls around.

Sometimes the blogs just write themselves...

2007-12-19T16:59:00.000-08:00

Well, who knew that sex education actually DELAYED sexual activity in teens..............!?!? You mean if you teach children and teens age appropriate information about sexuality they will have the tools to know how to wait to have sex????? What a shocker (note the sarcasm). Ya know this on top of the studies that have been coming out on increases on teen pregnancies (see Jamie Lynn Spears) and STD's, maybe the administration and anti-choicers will finally but a stop to abstinence only funding. Oh if only we were so lucky. Please Santa!!!!!

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Teenagers who have had formal sex education are far more likely to put off having sex, contradicting earlier studies on the effectiveness of such programs, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.

They found teenage boys who had sex education in school were 71 percent less likely to have intercourse before age 15, and teen girls who had sex education were 59 percent less likely to have sex before age 15.

Sex education also increased the likelihood that teen boys would use contraceptives the first time they had sex, according to the study by researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which was published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

"Sex education seems to be working," Trisha Mueller, an epidemiologist with the CDC who led the study, said in a statement. "It seems to be especially effective for populations that are usually at high risk."

Mueller's team looked at a 2002 national survey of 2,019 teens aged 15 to 19.

They found teen boys who had sex education in school were nearly three times more likely to use birth control the first time they had intercourse. But sex education appeared to have no effect on whether teen girls used birth control, the researchers found.

Black teenage girls who had sex education in school were 91 percent less likely to have sex before age 15.

The researchers did not evaluate the content of sex education programs, including whether students were taught about contraception or about abstinence only.

Earlier studies, which relied on data from the 1970s through the 1990s, suggested sex education did little to persuade teens to delay sex.

The researchers said they think the difference may be that sex education in the United States is now more widespread and is being taught at earlier ages.

"Unlike many previous studies, our results suggest that sex education before first sex protects youth from engaging in sexual intercourse at an early age," they wrote.

Holidays of Choice

2007-12-12T08:09:00.000-08:00

This is the season that really reminds me how many choices we have in life. Choices concerning everything, from decisions about the not so important (cherry red, fire engine red, cranberry, crimson, or GA Bulldog red wrapping paper ?), to the moderately important (the $5 earrings or the $15 earrings for Cousin Sue?), to the legitimately paramount (How can I show my family and my community that I care? How can I live my life in the generous and loving spirit of the holiday season all year?)

All the decisions we expressly make during the holiday season can make us feel busy and stressed out. We are reminded both that we live in a world with tremendous abundance and in a world where our caring and generosity are needed as much as ever. To me, the true spirit of the holiday season lies in understanding both, and in making the myriad of decisions I have to make according to my values.

And like many of life's trials and life's lessons, these thoughts bring me back to how I view the Women's Rights movement in our country. In regards to the independence and treatment of women, we have so much to be thankful for and have come immensely far, yet we have plenty of work to do and battles to wage in 2008 that seem like they should have been settled decades ago. We live in abundance, but our energy and dedication to women's health are needed as much as ever.

Choice, as we know it in the movement, is not so different from the choices of paramount importance that we all make every day, particularly the ones that come to the forefront of our minds in the reflective time of the holiday season as another year ends. We move forward with our values and beliefs guiding us, to let our families and our communities know we care, and live our lives in the spirit of generosity and love.

Contraception Shouldn't be a Luxury: The Fight for Affordable Birth Control

2007-11-15T15:43:00.001-08:00

It’s hard to ignore. Listen to the news or go into to a clinic for your monthly birth control pills: An increasing number of laws and regulations have made it harder for Americans (especially low-income Americans) to access birth control. The most recent of these unfortunate regulations, passed through the Federal Deficit Reduction Act in late 2006, prevents universities and nonprofit health care organizations, like Planned Parenthood, from purchasing and providing low-cost contraceptives to patients. Strangely enough, this outcome was a mistake- an unintended consequence of some loop-hole closing on the part of congress. As a result, since January, when the law went into effect, birth control prices have skyrocketed for over 3 million college students and roughly 750,000 low-income women. For nearly twenty years, pharmaceutical companies have been permitted to provide birth control pills at very low cost to particular providers who work with clients especially in need. The error eliminating this possibility has been hard to fix because certain members of the House and Senate are so out of touch with the average American, they’d like to see birth control harder to access. Someone should remind them that 98% of women in this country have used birth control!
And the sad part is, according to the Guttmacher Institute, rates of unintended pregnancy and abortion are on the rise among low-income women. It seems obvious that we need to help women and couples prevent unintended pregnancy by increasing the availability of affordable birth control- the opposite of what’s happened this year. On college campuses, birth control has gone from $5 or $10 dollars to $40 or $50 dollars a month. Some college health centers have stopped providing birth control at all. For many students and low-income women, birth control is now out of reach. To a college student or a low income woman, $50 is two weeks of groceries, or a fifth of a moth’s rent. No one should have to make a decision between these things and their monthly birth control.

This Congress has had over 9 months to fix this mistake, but has yet to do so.
To fix the problem and make birth control affordable again, Congress only needs to make a small change to the law, permitting pharmaceutical companies to once again offer these low-cost drugs to university health centers and safety net providers. This simple fix will not cost Congress or the American people a dime. But failing to do so will be devastating for students and low-income women.
We’re all up in arms about gas hitting $3 a gallon and housing costs rising upwards of 15%. The cost of birth control has skyrocketed- a whopping 900% in some cases! Degradation of women’s health is certainly worthy of public outcry as well. We must let congress know: SAVE BIRTH CONTROL NOW!