Really? with Emma (apologies to Seth)

Really, Archbishop Sobrinho? God wants a nine year old girl to carry to term a pregnancy caused by rape at the hands of her stepfather? Really? When she's too small to even carry twins to term and probably would have died? And really, to excommunicate the doctors and the girl's mother but not the guy who RAPED his nine year old stepdaughter? Nice touch.

I applaud the doctors for their bravery and defiance and am glad to see the light this is shedding on the problem of sexual violence and the abortion ban in Brazil.

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V-Day Jackson 2009

This coming Thursday, Friday and Saturday Jackson Community Theater presents "V-Day Jackson 2009", three evenings of playwright Eve Ensler's works. Thursday's performance is "A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer." Friday and Saturday, come and enjoy Ensler's award-winning play, "The Vagina Monologues."
Thursday's February 19th's show includes an Opening Night Reception, Silent Auction and Quick Draw in the Center for the Arts Theater Lobby, beginning at 6:00 pm.
Participating Quick Draw artists are Kathryn Mapes Turner, Ben Roth, A.D. Maddox, Abbie Miller and Kay Stratman. Many beautiful items are included in this year's Silent Auction.
Opening Night's $50 ticket includes an open wine bar, appetizers, Silent Auction, Quick Draw and the evening's performance. Tickets for Friday and Saturday night's performances are $30, $22 Balcony. Shows begin at 7:30 pm. Two-night event tickets are also available for a discount; ask your ticket agent.
Tickets are on sale now at the Center's Theatre Box Office. Call 307.733.4900 (toll free at 877.733.4901) for tickets, or online at www.jhcenterforthearts.org
V-Day is a global effort to help aid women and girls whose lives are affected by domestic violence. Local beneficiaries are the Family Safety Network, Community Safety Network, J.H. Community Counseling Center and Teton Co. Victim Services. Jackson Community Theatre sponsors "V-Day Jackson 2009". To learn more about V-Day, log on to www.vday.org.

Get Well Soon Ruth!

I found this nice NYT piece about Justice Ginsburg's increasing dissatisfaction with the direction the Supreme Court has taken over the past few years. Let's hope she has a full and speedy recovery from her recent surgery so that she can resume her role on the Court.

Given the age of a number of justices on the court, it seems likely that our new President will have to make at least two appointments during his term. Lucky for us!

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Rep. Sue Wallis rocks.

A Wyoming House of Representatives bill that would have required doctors to offer an ultrasound to any woman seeking an abortion has been defeated in commitee.
http://www.trib.com/articles/2009/02/05/legislature/breaking/doc498b13d76e5d9724543036.txt
Kudos to Representative Sue Wallis (a Republican from Gillette) for providing personal testimonial about her own abortion and her lack of regret about it. She didn't have to add her story to the debate, but attached a very public face to the issue by doing so.

Right to Life ad - Planet Jackson Hole 2.04.09

“… I honestly think of your advertisement each day before I open the Jackson Hole paper. It is difficult because I am reminded of the abortion I had over 40 years ago. I think your readers should know that abortion is not a one day event. Once you have an abortion it is with you
almost every day for the rest of your life. The guilt, the remorse, the loss never leaves …
Please keep up your wonderful attempts to protect the innocent.”

– Anonymous letter to Right to Life of Teton County

While we will refrain from questioning the letter writer's personal feelings about her abortion, we must take issue with her obvious generalizations and projecting. The fact is, the vast majority of women that have abortions do not regret them, rarely think about them, and even more rarely report feelings of guilt, remorse, or loss. Check out I'm Not Sorry for stories that paint completely different pictures from the letter author's.

The number one emotion reported by women post-abortion is relief. It is unconscionable to use scare tactics (you'll be scarred for the rest of your life!) to try and convince women not to have abortions. Some women may regret their abortions. Some will think it's the best decision they ever made. At least they were free to make the choice.

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Obama signs bill extending statutory limitation period to file lawsuit for pay discrimination violations

More good news on the equality front. And three cheers for Lilly Ledbetter!

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What he said.

President Obama yesterday issued a statement on the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, reiterating his support for abortion rights, but also saying he is interested in abortion reduction. The statement:

"On the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we are reminded that this decision not only protects women’s health and reproductive freedom, but stands for a broader principle: that government should not intrude on our most private family matters. I remain committed to protecting a woman’s right to choose. While this is a sensitive and often divisive issue, no matter what our views, we are united in our determination to prevent unintended pregnancies, reduce the need for abortion, and support women and families in the choices they make. To accomplish these goals, we must work to find common ground to expand access to affordable contraception, accurate health information, and preventative services. On this anniversary, we must also recommit ourselves more broadly to ensuring that our daughters have the same rights and opportunities as our sons: the chance to attain a world-class education; to have fulfilling careers in any industry; to be treated fairly and paid equally for their work; and to have no limits on their dreams. That is what I want for women everywhere."

Couldn't agree more.

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Change we need!

It looks like President-Elect Obama (just a few more hours!) will act quickly to reverse the Bush's administration's global war on family planning. To me, this is a good sign of things to come.

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Warm Idea

If the world seems cold to you,
Kindle fires to warm it!
-Lucy Larcom


Lucy Larcom was an American poet born in Boston in 1824. She died in 1893. She was the ninth of ten children and worked in a cotton mill at which her mother was the superintendent for ten years beginning when she was 11 years old. Her work earned much needed money for her large family. While working she wrote songs, poems, and letters about her life.

Another nice thought

Finding ourselves takes time. It is
hard work and it is worth doing.
- Anne Wilson Schaef

Anne Wilson Schaef, Ph.D., is the author of Women's Reality and Co-Dependence. She is a lecturer, organizational consultant, former psychotherapist, and workshop leader who trains health care professionals throughout the world in Living Process Facilitation. She lives in Boulder, Colorado.

Moving Toward the New Year

As I reflect on 2008, I am feeling compelled to ask myself how I have touched other lives in my behavior this year. I always generate personal goals for the upcoming year and would like my objectives for 2009 to include personal transformation. We know that change in the world begins with change in ourselves.

The end point of leadership is not just the position of power we reach, but the continual change and deepening we experience that makes a difference in our lives, our work, our world.
- Janet O. Hagberg

Thought provoking message

Rugged individualism, a cherished value in American society, can cloud our vision, causing us to forget that leaders ultimately serve others.
-Delorese Ambrose

I really like this quote. I feel like our future President may actually understand the pitfalls of rugged individualism.

I also like the sound of this woman's workshops. Check it out www.ims-online.com/faculty.

A priest in South Carolina has told his parishioners that they should not take communion if they voted for Barack Obama unless they confess their sin of cooperating with "intrinsic evil". No joke. The evil of which the good father speaks is abortion. Barack Obama is pro-choice and is, therefore, evil.

Although one might be tempted to dismiss this self-aggrandizing proclamation as typical wingnuttiness, the problem is this type of hateful speech promotes violence. The priest calls abortion an "abomination that cries out to Heaven for vengeance". Some weak-minded crackpot is devising his plans for holy war as we speak.

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cool quote

The people who dream are very often the people who see,
and dreaming and seeing precede doing.
-Margaret E. Sangster

Margaret E. Sangster was an American author and editor during the 19th century. She is most noted for her work as an editor for Harper's Bazaar. She was first published in 1855 when she was seventeen for a story called "Little Janney".

Keith Olbermann Defends Gay Marriage - and brings tears to this blogger's eyes

More straight men should stand up for gay marriage rights the way MSNBC commentator Keith Olbermann did last night.

Natalie at the Obama acceptance speech

Check out this great blog post from Natalie Balthrop, from Lyndsay McCandless Contemporary, who attended Obama's acceptance speech in Chicago!
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THE BEST DAY!

Your tax dollars promoting "absitence until marriage"

This just in from Feminist Daily News Wire:

"Healthy Marriage" Funds Improperly Used to Promote Abstinence

A report issued on October 27 by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that some recipients of grants from the Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Initiative—run by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)—have used the funds impermissibly for abstinence-only education.

"HHS officials told us that abstinence education was not allowable under the Healthy Marriage program," reads the report, "but we observed during our site visits and review of grantee data several Healthy Marriage grantees operating programs that focused on abstinence education."

The study, which was requested by Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.), also found that HHS—operating under a shortened deadline process—"did not fully examine grantee's programs as described in their applications."

Both programs are designed to serve low-income and minority groups. The Healthy Marriage programs, targeting teenaged youth primarily, are supposed to promote marriage and relationship activities; the Responsible Fatherhood programs, targeted at incarcerated parents, are designed to provide parenting skills. The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 appropriated $150 million in grants each year from 2006 through 2010 to implement the Initiative. But it diverted funds from programs designed to support those living in poverty, such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), to programs promoting marriage.

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Vote!

Hey Jacksonites! Maybe you knew this already but we can vote early in Wyoming. We don't have to wait for next Tuesday. So if for any reason you think your Tuesday schedule will be too busy or hectic to make it to your polling station, stop by the County Courthouse today and vote!
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To Scan or not to Scan

I'm linking to this new article on The Slate by William Saletan talking about ultrasounds, birth defects and abortion. In the article, he discusses the conundrum facing pro-lifers regarding the increasing sophistication of ultrasound technology. Pro-lifers, particularly through their sham Crisis Pregnancy Centers, have long championed the ultrasound based on the presumption that a woman who sees the fetus on a screen will be less likely to terminate the pregnancy. However, ultrasounds also have the potential to reveal possible birth defects which might lead a woman who wanted to bring the pregnancy to term to consider abortion. Pro-lifers say they want the pregnant woman to have all the information. Does that include information that the child might be born with a fatal condition that would result in a short, painful life?

Moreover, the "improvement" in ultrasound technology has resulted in many more false alarms and false positives that can scare the wits out of expecting mothers. My sister's first ultrasound revealed a cyst in the fetus's brain that was "indicative" of a certain birth defect. After a week of panic (she had already had one miscarriage), the second ultrasound showed that the cyst had disappeared. It is possible that these scans are now showing normal development processes that earlier scans did not.

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