While a Christian minister in Florida was dominating the 24-hour news cycle with his plans to burn the Koran, another Christian extremist was arrested for helping someone he believed would blow up an abortion clinic in North Carolina. Fortunately, the person he thought he was helping happened to be a federal informant. Justin Carl Moose, […]
Author: Carol King
Not the singer/songwriter Carole King. Been a feminist for as long as I can remember and committed to reproductive rights even longer.
Schwarzenegger’s Next Expendables—California Women?
National health care passed in March, but health insurance companies—with the full support of the California Republican legislators and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger—are still working overtime to gouge customers and block what would seem to be the most “family values”-friendly benefit of all: maternity services. For the third time in as many years, California State Assemblymember […]
Argentina Says “Don’t Cry” About Unsafe Abortion
In the land of gauchos, pampas, the tango, grilled beef, Evita and now legal same-sex marriage, unsafe abortion is the leading cause of maternal mortality. In 2008, more than 20 percent of deaths resulting from obstetric emergencies were caused by unsafe abortions, according to a report issued by Human Rights Watch. The administration of Cristina […]
Let’s Play Abstinence–with Avatars!
This sure sounds like fun: You’re a 14-year-old Latina girl and your teacher offers you a motion-control bodysuit and invites you to enter a virtual world. There are life size avatars with whom you’ll “interact.” Wow! But this game, designed to teach girls to handle unwelcome sexual advances and peer pressure, set the feminist blogosphere […]
Cleveland Rocks with Contraceptive Exhibit
LeBron may be gone and the Cuyahoga River no longer catches on fire but Cleveland still has Dennis Kucinich, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and something even most Clevelanders will find surprising: America’s only exhibition of contraceptives. Tucked away in the halls of the Dittrick Medical History Center at Case Western Reserve University, […]
Hooray for Choice! 10 Birth Control Options Besides “the Pill”
While “the pill”–which is celebrating its 50th birthday this year–has been an incredible boon for women who want a contraceptive, it’s not for everyone. Don’t forget there are a number of other birth control methods out there to consider: 1. How about the old-fashioned condom? They’re effective in preventing pregnancy (85 percent to 98 percent) […]
New Report: Reproductive Rights Are Human Rights
What do democracy activists in Iran, victims’ advocates in Mexico, teachers in Afghanistan, trade unionists in Latin America, journalists in Russia, HIV/AIDS workers in Uganda and lesbian and gay activists in Zimbabwe have in common with abortion providers in the United States? They’re all human rights defenders according to a new report by the Center […]
New Emergency Contraception Seeks U.S. Approval
Anti-choice people get very upset when women have sex and don’t want to have a baby. It doesn’t matter if the sex was voluntary or forced; they seem to believe women should just accept any resulting pregnancy with equanimity, good humor and a sense of duty. That’s why news of a new emergency contraceptive pill […]
Fishing for an Anti-Birth Control Ploy
I’m not often amused by the antics of anti-choice activists. But hearing about their sudden conversion to environmentalism sent me into howls of laughter. In a transparently opportunistic move, the American Life League and 26 other anti-choice groups announced their latest action, “Protest the Pill Day 2010: The Pill Kills the Environment.” They cite the […]
Abortion Physicians Face Barriers
Many people graduate from medical residency programs ready to start rewarding careers in obstetrics and gynecology with the best intentions. They’re prepared to provide patients with total reproductive health care, which includes abortions. But their idealism is soon crushed by the medical establishment’s significant opposition to abortion. It came as a surprise to Lori Freedman, […]