California NOW

Monday's Action Checklist

For decades, a very difficult and delicate compromise has held firm: Women can use their own private funds for legal reproductive health care procedures, but federal funds cannot be used for abortion except in cases of rape, incest, or to protect the life of the mother. The Stupak Amendment would change all of that, telling women who participate in the new health insurance exchange that they can't even use their own funds to buy a policy that includes abortion coverage. It would be one of the biggest setbacks to women's health in recent decades -- and we can't let it pass. Please stand with us to protect women's health and keep the Stupak Amendment out of the final health care bill.
Sign CA Senator Barbara Boxer's petition against Stupak.  
Then sign the Planned Parenthood petition too.  
Sign this petition and CREDO Action will send a coat hanger to the 20 formerly pro-choice Democrats who voted to take away women's rights.  
And then sign the ACLU petition against Stupak as well. 

Some conservative Democratic Senators are still trying to kill the public health insurance option. Instead of opposing it outright, they're pushing a sneaky proposal called a "trigger" that could delay it indefinitely—by forcing us to wait for the health care crisis to get even worse before the public option becomes available. We've got to send an overwhelming message right away that the trigger is unacceptable, and show the Senate that voters demand a real public option. Sign the MoveOn.org petition opposing the weakened "trigger" option.  

It's time to remind Congress (yes, again!) that real people -- their constituents -- will not be pacified until Congress passes a healthcare reform package that does right by women, children, and families. Twenty members of Congress are wearing MomsRising's pacifier lapel pin to show their support for getting health reform right for kids and families. Now, it's your turn! Show your support for health reform by wearing your very own pacifier pin -- on Facebook!  

Did you know that Bisphenol-A (BPA) has been implicated in everything from miscarriages to cancer to sexual dysfunction? And it can be found in your food containers! BPA is in a broad range of food packaging including baby bottles, water bottles, almost all soda can liners and many other types of packaging. The Food and Drug Administration is reviewing BPA, and they will release their recommendations next week. The more of us working together right now to finally rid food containers of toxic BPA, the better. It's time for action. Join us in signing CREDO Action's petition to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg urging a ban of BPA in all food packaging!  

For years, scientists at our federal agencies have been silenced – discouraged from going public with critical health issues. Where our health is concerned, we certainly want scientists to be allowed to speak openly and honestly. But just last year, news came to light that former Vice President Cheney's office censored pages of congressional testimony from scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in order to cover up the health threats posed by global warming. Urge federal agencies to improve their media policies – and let scientists speak out about critical public issues.  

Five million seniors live on less than $10,000 a year and 25 percent survive on social security alone. The economic crisis has intensified demand for programs and services serving America's older citizens. But still many more are simply falling through the cracks. Too many seniors across America have faced a difficult time in the current recession. They struggle with unaffordable housing and health care, along with rising costs for utilities, prescriptions and basic living expenses. Add your name to the list of people who believe seniors should receive the help they need to lead better and more fulfilling lives - with independence, dignity and control.  

The Obama administration has proposed new standards that would require new cars sold in the U.S. to average 34.1 mpg, cutting our greenhouse gas emissions and saving us money. There's just one problem: loopholes in the new standards would allow automakers to dodge the new regulations instead of meeting them. BUT we have a chance to close the loopholes and strengthen the rule if we act before Friday, the 27th! Please write the EPA and the Department of Transportation (DOT) right now, and urge them to close the loopholes that would allow automakers to evade the new standards. 

Transgender Day of Remembrance

Today is the International Transgender Day of Remembrance.  The issues of transgender people are often ignored, even within the LGBT community and feminist circles. 

This is a day not to celebrate, but to honor those who have been killed simply because of who they are. In the past year alone, over 120 transgender people have been murdered because of their gender and/or presentation (some merely for appearing to be transgender, even if they did not identify that way).

It is also a day for cisgender people to commit to ending oppression against transgender people, by refusing to participate in the behavior that marginalizes and excludes them.  That means taking steps like deliberately including transgender people in women's and feminist spaces, respecting transgender people's identity by using their chosen names and pronouns, and refusing to accept the use of a transgender identity as the punchline of a joke, or as an excuse for violence or discrimination. We recognize the responsibilities of cisgender people in ending violence against transgender people not as an appropriation, but as an acknowledgment of cisgender privilege.

Rather than trying to imitate the others who have been writing all week, here is a list of links for further reading.

The list of the dead 

Local events for Transgender Day of Remembrance 

Resources for trans parents, and parents of trans kids 

TDOR & Latin@s 

How race and class privileges can function with anti-transgender violence 

The Transgender Foundation of America 

Feminist Wine Club raises money, health & spirits - we'll drink to that!

Now there’s an easy, enjoyable, non-intimidating way for women to learn about wine, build community, and support women winemakers and causes as well! The Feminist Wine Club, by Bottlenotes and the California National Organization for Women, brings fabulous women-made wines to women’s doorsteps each month! 

For women who enjoy wine socially, learning to appreciate wines can come with added health benefits. Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death for American women, causing over 27 percent of deaths. Components in red wine such as flavonoids, resveratrol, and other antioxidants have been shown to have an effect in reducing heart disease risk by increasing levels of "good" cholesterol, preventing blood clots, and protecting against artery damage.

Whether they’re poured out at a book club night, saved for a special wine tasting, or just enjoyed with a good dinner, the Feminist Wine Club will help subscribers learn about fabulous regional and varietal boutique wines while connecting members with each other, and with issues that matter to women across the state and country.

Feminist Wine Club members can also read and store wine tasting notes in their free online wine cellar (My Wine Cellar), register for wines they want, and sign up for The Daily Sip™ to get a free daily dose of wine knowledge (think Daily Candy for wine!), featuring winemakers, wine regions, wines, celebrity wine lovers and chefs, wine tips and gadgets.

Started by Alyssa Rapp and Kim Donaldson, Bottlenotes is the premier online wine community, where wine enthusiasts come to learn about wine, share wine tasting notes, and buy great boutique and estate wines from around the world.

End-of-Week Actions: Stop Stupak!

Far from being abortion-neutral, the Stupak/Pitts Amendment, dictated in a back room by the Catholic Bishops and its army of lobbyists, is a giant step backward for women's right to choose. Millions of poor and middle class women will be denied abortion coverage and millions more will lose the coverage they already have. In fact, George Washington University has released analysis showing that the amendment would essentially all coverage for abortion under any health plan.  This means that women's health care is still being treated as less than essential. Sign a petition to your Senators telling them that this is unacceptable in any health reform bill. Can you write a letter to the editor today urging Congress to keep the anti-choice "Stupak amendment" out of the final health care bill? Click here to get started, MoveOn.org makes it easy!

JOIN US TO RALLY & PHONE BANK FOR WOMEN'S HEALTH

THIS FRIDAY: Rally outside the Federal Courthouse in Downtown LA
When: Friday, November 20th, 12:30pm-1:30pm
Where: 312 N. Spring St., Los Angeles, CA 90012 (cross streets Temple and Spring)
We'll have signs and chants for you, but feel free to make your own and bring friends! RSVP to grassroots@pp-la.org so that we have enough materials for everyone!

MONDAY 11/23 & 11/30: Phone Bank into Key Congressional Districts
When: Monday, November 23rd & 30th, 10am-1pm
Where: 400 W 30th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007 (just west of Grand)
We'll provide you with training, scripts and lunch. Help educate Californians about the Stupak ban and connect them with their Congressional Rep's office! RSVP to grassroots@pp-la.org.

WEDNESDAY, 12/2 Lobbying in D.C. & local Senate Offices
On Wednesday, Dec. 2, abortion rights supporters will gather in Washington, D.C., to lobby the Senate and rally for health care reform that ensures women's access to reproductive health care. We want to know if you're planning to be at the National Lobby Day and Rally and/or if you're interested in other volunteer opportunities on this critical issue. Fill out our volunteer online form NOW.

Local California Senators' offices are:

San Francisco:
Senator Dianne Feinstein: One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104
Phone: (415) 393-0707 Fax: (415) 393-0710
Senator Barbara Boxer: 1700 Montgomery Street, Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111
(415) 403-0100 (202) 224-0454 fax
Los Angeles:
Senator Dianne Feinstein: 11111 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 915, Los Angeles, CA 90025
Phone: (310) 914-7300 Fax: (310) 914-7318
Senator Barbara Boxer: 312 N. Spring Street, Suite 1748, Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 894-5000 (202) 224-0357 fax
San Diego:
Senator Dianne Feinstein: 750 B Street, Suite 1030, San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: (619) 231-9712 Fax: (619) 231-1108
Senator Barbara Boxer: 600 B Street, Suite 2240, San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 239-3884 (202) 228-3863 fax
Fresno:
Senator Dianne Feinstein: 2500 Tulare Street, Suite 4290, Fresno, CA 93721
Phone: (559) 485-7430 Fax: (559) 485-9689
Senator Barbara Boxer: 2500 Tulare Street, Suite 5290, Fresno, CA 93721
(559) 497-5109 (202) 228-3864 fax
Sacramento:
Senator Barbara Boxer: 501 I Street, Suite 7-600, Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 448-2787 (202) 228-3865 fax
Inland Empire:
3403 10th Street, Suite 704, Riverside, CA 92501
(951) 684-4849 (202) 228-3868 fax

Who: National Organization for Women and Allies
What: National Lobby Day and Rally to Stop Stupak-Pitts
Where: Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. & local Senate offices
When: Wed, Dec. 2, 9:30 am - 5:30 pm
More information and action ideas are online, including details on a rally with NOW President Terry O'Neill in Pennsylvania this Saturday, Nov. 21. 

Dear Mr. Stupak: Do You Trust Women?

By Hilary Hammell and Anat Shenker
First published at RH Reality Check

The Stupak amendment has prompted our well-deserved ire. But it also presents an opportunity for serious reflection about what abortion represents and how we represent it.

We have often spoken the language of my: my child, my choice; keep your laws of my body; U.S. out of my uterus. With some laudable exceptions, a rights-based, essentially libertarian framework has formed the basis for our argument.

This appeal, while deeply resonant with the pre-Roe generation, has become less and less effective. We’ve heard the problems before. Choice is simply too weak a concept to stand up against Life. Choice conveys quick decisions made without thought, reinforcing the already negative stereotypes about why women abort. Choice is necessary but completely insufficient.

Alternative frameworks, like A Woman Knows Best offered by the California Coalition for Reproductive Freedom, present an antidote to the limitations of choice and individual rights in this debate. Critiques from the Reproductive Justice movement and others at the front lines of contemplating how we communicate deserve our attention. Now more than ever.

If any of us actually believed we could achieve our aims by staking our claim to individual rights or privacy and taking government out of the picture, the jig is up. Details aside, the public has heard that the issue now on the table is government funding for abortion. This isn’t government out of my decisions, this is government please foot the bill (and while your at it make sure doctors are trained to do it.)

This is a moment to change the debate. We must hold legislators to account and make them the protagonists in the abortion issue. They’ve inserted themselves into the process, it’s only fitting that we bring them into our frame. We propose to start by asking Stupak and his allies one thing: Do you trust women?

Abortion does not happen magically, by virtue of being funded. Abortion happens because women seek it out. Anti-abortion legislators need not fear that by allowing federal funds to cover abortion, they are renouncing their anti-abortion values. No one will be forced into having an abortion under comprehensive health care reform. Instead, abortion will happen – safely - when and if women seek it. Abortion is a decision. If you are anti-abortion, it is always someone else's decision. But critically, it is a decision that only ever implicates women.

We need to ask one thing when we talk about Stupak: Do legislators trust women? If these anti-abortion legislators do not trust women, then it is logical to make sure abortion will not be part of health care coverage. In this Stupak and Hyde world, women seeking abortion must be wrong, they must be stopped. But if legislators do trust women, then they must think again about prohibiting abortion, even if they are personally opposed to it as a moral or ethical issue.

We need to pose the following questions to the anti-abortion Democrats:

Do you agree that pregnancy implicates women’s health?
Do you think that the person primarily affected by a health care decision should make that decision?
Do you agree that pregnancy is something that happens only to women?
Do you think that sometimes pregnancies are not planned?
Do you think that sometimes a woman might want to terminate a pregnancy?

If the answer to all of the above is yes, legislators would still allow health plans to fund abortion without challenging their core values, as long as they answer yes to the next question: Do you trust women? That is, do you trust them to make their own decisions, even if you think their decisions are wrong? Another way of asking this is: Do you think that women have the right to be equal citizens with men under the law? If the answer to this question is no, then at least we would hear this in a public forum, and we’d see the abortion debate for what it really is – a proxy for the belief that women are inferior to men.

Trusting women doesn’t necessarily mean you are “pro-abortion.” In fact, you don’t even have to sign on as “pro-choice.” You can oppose abortion. This means, at the personal level, if you are female, you will not get an abortion. If you are male, you will try to ensure that your female relatives don’t get an abortion. At the policy level, for abortion opponents of either sex, it can also mean that you will support adoption resources, you will support family-planning initiatives, you will support neonatal care and early childhood resources in your community. Disagree vocally with abortion as a bioethical issue. But when it comes to access to health care, in order to comport with the Constitution and with our shared American values of freedom and equal rights, say that you trust women. And then try actually doing it.

FYI: Light Blogging Ahead!

We'll be a little less visible over the next few weeks, up through the end of the Thanksgiving week at least, as we work on moving our offices.

Expect posting to be pretty light in the meantime, but we'll be back in early December!

Upcoming Events for Women

The San Juan Unified School Board will be voting to bring their excuse absence policy in line with State law, by allowing students to access confidential medical services. State law is clear -- school districts must excuse students who need to access confidential medical services, which include mental health, drug and alcohol treatment/counseling, AIDS testing, STI testing and treatment, birth control, rape and inter-partner violence counseling. The majority of teens involve their parents when seeking medical treatment, but some teens are not able to do so. In those cases, it’s important they can access confidential medical services. Please attend the board meeting on Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 6:30pm (San Juan Unified School District, 3738 Walnut Avenue, Carmichael) and urge board members to support this policy.

Spotlight on the Jobs Crisis
Tuesday, November 17, 2009; 9:00 am to 11:30 am
(This event will be webcast live at www.aflcio.org/createjobs )

The Black Women’s Health Report with Eleanor Hinton Hoytt
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
3 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
This Month's Show: Health Reform: How the Stupak-Pitts Amendment Affects Us? and Living Well with Diabetes: It's a Family Affair!
Click to Tune-In!  Speak Out and Ask Questions: Phone Lines Open at 3:10 p.m. Call 646-381-4662!

Filipina Women's Network invites you to the November FWN Salo Salo
Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009, 5-9pm
"Kwentuhan" Lessons Learned:  Wisdom to Pass On The power of telling our community's stories.
Featuring the 2009 FWN 100 Awardees (based in the San Francisco Bay Area)
November 27, Sunday, 5:00 pm
Alido's, 3560 Callan Boulevard, South San Francisco 94080
RSVP online or call 415.278.9410
(early bird) FWN members $35; NonMembers $45

So what are states doing with economic recovery funds that are allocated to fund State Early Childhood Advisory Councils? To help provide an update on states’ progress in using these funds to get a Council off the ground as well as information about the workings of existing Councils, the National Women’s Law Center and CLASP are hosting a free conference call.  Update on State Advisory Councils on Early Childhood Education and Care will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 1, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern. Register Today! This conference call is free to participants, but registration is required. More details about the key provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act are available on our websites at www.nwlc.org/economicrecovery and www.clasp.org.

Bells Will Be Ringin’ at The SHARE Institute
Saturday, December 5, 2009
8:00am-3:30pm
Email us to confirm your attendance or R.S.V.P. 916-966-7482
8370 Sunset Avenue, Fair Oaks, CA
SHARE Your Holiday Spirit with Deserving Women and Children from Around the World. Join us for cookies, cider, and a celebration of the holidays; featuring a selection of jewelry from around the world; including new selections from India, Africa, Thailand, Cambodia, Egypt and the Far East. Remember that all proceeds go to our mini-grants which are used to assist women and children around the world. Please, invite your friends and family to shop at a non-profit shop with you!

Monday's Action Checklist

The Senate will soon begin floor debate on the most important health care legislation (S. 1796) in decades. Women have much to gain from both Senate and House bills, which end insurance industry abuses and extend coverage to millions currently uninsured, but we are not willing to pay for this with an accompanying rollback of women's fundamental and constitutional rights. Several senators who oppose abortion rights are said to be planning to offer an amendment like the sweeping abortion prohibition offered by Reps. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) and Joseph Pitts (R-Penn.) and adopted by the House on Nov. 7. Take action NOW to stop the amendment! Also, sign the petition asking President Obama, Senate Majority Leader Reid, and Speaker Pelosi to protect women's access to full reproductive health care! 

In 2004, young people ages 13-24 in the United States made up 13% of new HIV infections. It’s vital that we make sure the National AIDS Strategy meets the needs of young people. Monday, November 16, is the last day to submit your ideas… So click through and be a part of creating this historic effort to implement the National AIDS Strategy! You can submit your comments and recommendations online through a form on the ONAP website or upload a document that you have created.  

After considerable delay since David Hamilton's nomination in March 2009, the Senate will likely vote this Tuesday, November 17 to confirm him to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Judge Hamilton is an unquestionably qualified jurist with a 14-year record of service on the bench. He has a history of handing down fair and judicious decisions based upon the careful application of the facts of cases to the law. Hamilton's record indicates that he understands the court’s role in protecting the rights of all Americans and ensuring equal justice and treatment. Call your senators at 202-224-3121 and urge them to confirm U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit nominee David Hamilton without further delay.

With H1N1 and the flu season upon us, our nation's lack of paid sick days policy is finally in the news in a big way.  More and more people (including elected leaders) understand that the widespread lack of paid sick days policies in our nation hurts both businesses and families.  Just this week the White House endorsed the Healthy Families Act, which lets working people earn a minimum number of paid sick days per year. Take a moment to urge every member of Congress to move the Healthy Families Act forward toward passage into law.

Fat Acceptance: Faceless Bodies

Here's another Infomania piece on the trend of news programs to dehumanize fat people by showing them only from the neck down. Do you think this gets the point across, or does it play into the problem it's commenting on?  We've seen this referred to as "faceless fatties" on fat acceptance sites like Shapely Prose, and it's a part of the same phenomenon as disembodied female body parts being used in ads, etc.

Target Women: Broadview Security

Sarah Haskins is absolutely right that these are "rape fables," and they play right into the idea that it's the job of women to prevent rape, rather than of rapists not to rape, or of society to fully prosecute and prevent rape.

End-of-Week Actions

Tell Senate Leader Reid: Stop Abortion Coverage Ban! Sign this petition calling on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to stand firm against a ban on abortion coverage for women in the new health-care system.  
Tell your Representatives how you feel about the Stupak Amendment! 
Through the process known as "gender rating," insurers can charge women higher premiums. CA NOW worked to get this practice outlawed in California this year, by working for the passages of AB 119 with Assemblymember Dave Jones. Sign the petition to Congress urging them pass a health insurance reform bill that forbids insurance companies from discriminating against women.  
Health Care for America NOW - California and their partners are organizing a series of "Countdown to Change Rallies" across the state to show our gratitude to California's Members of Congress who voted in favor of real health care reform. Join us on Thursday and Friday, November 12 and 13!  

The Military Readiness Enhancement Act - the measure that seeks to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" - has been re-introduced in the US House of Representatives. This legislation would remove the ban on gay and lesbian troops and allow them to serve openly in the military. Ask your Representative to support the measure today.  

Federal courts are considering a challenge to Prop. 8 on the grounds that it violates the United States Constitution. Sign the EQCA petition asking the Administration to file a brief in support of this case, and ask your friends and family to sign it, too.
EQCA is going door to door with coalition partners in neighborhoods across the state. Join the next canvass or volunteer at one of their local field offices.  

Last week, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced legislation that would improve young children’s access to nutritious meals in child care centers, family child care homes, and Head Start and Early Head Start programs. With your help, we can gain support for the Access to Nutritious Meals for Young Children Act of 2009 (S. 2749). Please urge your Senators to improve the Child and Adult Care Food Program. 

The best way to make sure you NEVER miss an election? Apply to vote-by-mail. No more trying to track down your polling place, waiting in line, or rushing to vote. Here’s how to apply:
Download, fill out and print this form from the Secretary of State. 
Be sure to check the box on the right "permanent vote by mail voter." Mail it to your county elections official. 
Your ballot will be mailed to you before the next election. Fill it out and return it by mail, or drop it off at any polling place.

Feminist Parenting: The Larger Picture

I have a suggestion for all the people out there who consider themselves progressives, and who are currently child free.

Before you decide to say that kids shouldn't be allowed on airplanes, in restaurants, in theaters, or basically out in public at all unless they're able to behave like miniature adults, take a moment to realize that you are spouting the exact same rationale that allows privileged groups to tell marginalized groups to sit down, shut up, and adapt to the world built for people of privilege rather than demanding that the world adapt to them by becoming more just.

When you say that kids need to act like adults to be acceptable in the public eye, you're in league with those who say the LGBT community should just "act straight" and not be out in public forcing people to acknowledge their existence.

When you get annoyed that kids being around impacts your ability to have the quiet adults-only experience you wanted, you are acting very similarly to those who complain that fat people walking around in bathing suits like they have the nerve to be ok with their bodies makes a day at the beach unpleasant.

Yes, the adult world is not designed for kids. Nor is the able-bodied world designed to accommodate disabled bodies, nor the cisgender world to facilitate the lives of trans people, nor the neurotypical world for NNT folks. The world we have is designed to make life easier for those at the top of the pyramid of kyriarchy. Let's pull no punches here, that means the world is designed for the comfort and convenience of white, able-bodied, straight, attractive, neurotypical, slim, educated, cisgender, high-income adult males (and there are undoubtedly some categories that I've forgotten here that also convey privilege).

Yet almost never do progressives just decide that, hey, those pyramid toppers really are the majority, so they deserve to have the world adapt to them. Folks who are in the minority, who find the world as it exists to help the pyramid toppers just doesn't accommodate or even acknowledge their needs? Well, those folks really just need to accept things as they are and do their best to fit into "normal" society. And if they can't do that? Well, then they need to at least get out of the public eye, instead of demanding that they be treated as human beings with equal rights. Because acknowledging their equal rights and changing society so that everyone can participate equally is a pain for the pyramid toppers.

And let's face it, most of us are somewhere further up on that pyramid than the bottom rung. Most of us have our areas of privilege, and it's damn easy to ignore the privilege we have in favor of complaining about the ones we don't have.

Here's one that pretty much everyone reading this has: adult privilege.

Veterans' Day, Women, Gays & Lesbians in Military Service

In honor of Veterans' Day, we usually close our offices, but today we want to take the time to commemorate the women and men who serve in our armed services.

After the horrific Fort Hood shooting last week, we're finally seeing some national media attention on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and the effect that it has not only on those who have served in active combat, but on those around them as well. Since 2001, more vets have died by suicide than in combat. We already know that servicewomen suffer from an extremely high rate of PTSD, often including trauma from sexual assault by U.S. servicemen, and that care for returning servicewomen is woefully inadequate, as is investigation and prosecution of rape by U.S. servicemen. This recent survey on rape in the military shows just how extensive it truly is.  Wives of returning servicemen who suffer from PTSD are also at greater risk for domestic violence, and may themselves suffer from PTSD.

One of the police officers who responded and stopped the shooter was a woman, Sgt. Kimberly Munley, who was injured during the attack.  Our thoughts go out to the families of the 13 women and men murdered in this attack, and the families of the many soldiers and civilians who have died in Iraq & Afghanistan.

In better news for the military, the American Medical Association has called for the repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy on gay and lesbian servicemembers, and there is some talk that such a repeal may be a part of the 2011 defense budget bill. There's no way to know how much of that talk has been generated because of the, "Don't Ask, Don't Give" protest against the President and Democratic party's failure to move of LGBT rights legislation.  But since a recent survey of troops found they really don't care if fellow servicemembers are lesbian or gay, we can only hope that this disgraceful policy is on its way out.

Rising International: Helping Low-Income Women in the U.S. & Abroad

Q&A with Carmel Jud, Founder/Executive Director, Rising International

People are often split over doing aid work in the U.S. or abroad. You seem to be bridging that gap successfully with Rising International. Tell us a little bit about the organization, and your inspiration for starting this project.

The seed was planted when I first read Deepak Chopra’s book, “The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success.” In part of the book, he asks two pretty profound questions: “If you had all the money and all the time in the world, what would you do?” and “How are you best suited to serve humanity?” To be honest, at the time, I really couldn’t answer those questions, so I went on sort of a quest for about two years to find the answers, trying things I’d never tried, going places I’d never gone, really stretching myself.

But the answers came from a very different place. When airplanes struck the World Trade Center, I was, like all Americans, consumed by the news. Through the tragedy and all the news coverage about Afghanistan, I started to learn about the Taliban and the terrible, dangerous conditions under which women in that country had been living for years prior to this incident.

It struck a chord with me, not only because I’m a woman but because women were being imprisoned in their own homes for five years or more, not allowed an education or to work – these things had been going on for years and I was only just learning about them since our country was now embroiled in Afghanistan. I wondered how many other places in the world women were struggling and suffering and dying, how many other places I knew nothing about because they weren’t featured on the evening news.

I went online and purchased a beautiful embroidered pillow made by an Afghan widow living in a refugee camp. That pillow changed my life. Traveling oceans and mountains to my home, the craft become a Afghan widow’s messenger and I heard her say, “Please don’t give up on me. I have hopes and dreams, please don’t forget about me.” I felt a profound connection to her when I touched the pillow, knowing that she had poured her heart into its creation, despite her circumstances. And that’s when I knew: the crafts were the link to telling the untold stories, to learning about each other on a very real level. The crafts were the bridge.

The intimate setting of a home seemed like a natural fit to invite friends and family to share the women’s stories and talk about the issues, really try to understand them. On May 11, 2002, I held my first home party at my house, inviting a close circle of friends. I made some connections through Peace Corps volunteers around the world, who helped me purchase my first crafts. My friends browsed the crafts and I told the stories of the women who had made them, and people were so moved, so inspired. The answer to Deepak’s questions became Rising International.

The more parties I held, the more I learned about the global poverty epidemic, it became very clear to me that women in America were suffering as well. I didn’t even realize the extent of the problem in my own backyard.

We (meaning myself and the first Rising volunteers) launched a program to train low-income women in the U.S. to run their own Rising home party businesses and earn a commission selling crafts made by impoverished women all over the world. By running their own businesses, local women could prosper, and the more they prospered the more they would lift women all over the world out of poverty. A win-win. Shortly after launching that program, we launched a program targeting low-income teens specifically.

This concept of tackling poverty both globally and locally has been a critical part of our evolution as an organization. I think some organizations that are only internationally focused sometimes get a bit of criticism for not concentrating on the problems right here at home. Rising doesn’t choose one or the other, we hit the problem from both sides and the result is a concept that really inspires people to action.

We’ve now worked with women’s groups in 45 countries, and trained 50 low-income women, men and teens to be Rising Sales Representatives. We are the first non-profit organization in the world to use the home party model to help put an end to poverty, both locally and globally, and we’re growing rapidly.

Monday's Action Checklist

We lost the vote on the abortion amendment in the House on Saturday.   The Stupak amendment passed 240-194 with 64 Democrats voting for the anti-choice amendment.  All Republicans voted aye, except 1 who voted present.

A few of the Congresswomen who spoke in opposition to the amendment said that it was the biggest rollback in reproductive rights during their careers.  The Senate has not yet voted on their version of the bill, but is expected to either just before or just after Thanksgiving.  Then the two bills will go to a conference committee to negotiate what will appear in the final version of the bill, so the battle is not yet over, but this is a tremendous loss.

The Stupak Amendment, if incorporated into the final version of health insurance reform legislation, will:
Prevent women receiving tax subsidies from using their own money to purchase private insurance that covers abortion;
Prevent women participating in the public health insurance exchange, administered by private insurance companies, from using 100 percent of their own money to purchase private insurance that covers abortion;
Prevent low-income women from accessing abortion entirely, in many cases.

California Representatives Baca, Cardoza and Costa all voted in favor of the Stupak amendment, click here to see the full vote on the amendment, then see how your Representative voted on the entire health care bill. 

Now we must ensure that the Senate version of health care reform does not include the same damaging restriction! Call your Senator and urge her or him to support a health care bill that respects women's constitutionally protected right to abortion. 

We are also calling on President Obama to ensure that lawmakers, especially those in his own party, support health care reform that protects women's access to reproductive care as the next round of debate and voting occurs in the Senate. Ask our President to stand with us to protect women's health care today and every single day until reform is passed. 

In the Aftermath of the Stupak Amendment

Statement of Janice Rocco, Southwest Regional Director of the National Organization for Women (NOW)

Today is a devastating day in the battle to improve access to quality, affordable health care.   Members of the House voted to take away access to abortion coverage for millions of women, despite the fact that the majority of health insurance policies cover it today.  Low and moderate income women and any woman who chooses to buy her insurance through the “public option” are deprived of abortion coverage under the Stupak amendment. 

The adoption of the Capps amendment in June already ensured that federal funds would not be used to pay for abortion services.  The Stupak amendment goes much further than existing restrictions on access to abortion.  Poor and middle-class women who purchase insurance with their own hard-earned dollars and qualify for a subsidy to cover a portion of their premiums should not be denied access to abortion services.  Women who seek coverage through the “public option” and pay the entire cost of their premiums should not be denied access to abortion services.  The Stupak amendment is an outrageous attack on women’s rights and those who support it clearly want to prevent all women from exercising their constitutionally protected right to abortion. 

If this amendment is a part of the final bill that comes before the Congress, women’s rights will have been sacrificed in an unprecedented and unacceptable way.    Members of Congress acknowledged that this is the greatest restriction on women’s reproductive rights to move forward in the Congress in decades.  The women of this country won’t stand by and watch our rights be traded away.  We demand that the Senate pass a bill free of these unprecedented restrictions on abortion and that the final bill protect a woman’s right to safely access this legal medical procedure.

Stop Anti-choice Stupak Amendment! Calls Needed NOW!

Members of the House of Representatives are debating an amendment that would result in women losing coverage for abortion care under the proposed national health care plan. 

After a meeting last night between some Congressional Democrats and Catholic Bishops, Nancy Pelosi is allowing a vote on the Stupak amendment to prevent any federal funds to be used for abortion coverage (anyone choosing the public option would not have abortion coverage, nor would anyone whose premiums were subsidized).  This actually removes coverage for care from women who already have it!

Call your Representative now at (202) 225-7163 and ask her or him to oppose the Stupak amendment! 

Then make two more calls, to make sure that California's Representatives stand for women's health care across teh board! Dennis Cardoza and Jim Costa both represent the Central Valley, and they need to hear from Californians, even those not in their districts. 

Dennis Cardoza: 
DC office: (202) 225-6131    
District offices: (209) 383-4455 or (209) 527-1914

Jim Costa:
DC office: (202) 225-3341
District offices: (661) 869-1620 or (559) 495-1620

Please make your calls NOW, this vote will be taking place in moments!

SF NOW on Oakland Raiders Coach Tom Cable & Domestic Violence

San Francisco NOW has been doing some fantastic work recently, around the issue of Oakland Raiders coach Tom Cable, his admission of past spousal abuse, and allegations of more recent domestic violence by two other women.

Watch SF NOW President Mona Lisa Wallace on Chronicle Live with Greg Papa speaking on this issue.  You can also read an article on that page which summarizes the interview (no transcript is currently available).

In the interview, Papa seems determined to try to minimize the accusations, and Cable's past history of violence.  The arguments will sound familiar to anyone who followed the Chris Brown/Rihanna case, or listened to Roman Polanski's defenders, "It was so long ago... he only hit her with an open hand... we don't really know the truth of the situation," etc.

Cable has admitted his past abuse, and more recent allegations appear to show a pattern of violence that demands investigation.  The culture of violence associated with football impacts how boys and men think and act towards women and girls.  We cannot allow someone in a position as a mentor and role model for men and boys to support violence against women.

Hurry! Health Care Is In Your Hands!

The U.S. House of Representatives is set to vote as early as this Saturday, Nov. 7, on the most important piece of health care legislation in more than four decades. While the Affordable Health Care for America Act, (H.R. 3962) is far from NOW's ideal health care reform bill, it is a necessary step towards repairing our failing, profit-driven health care system. We need you to act now by sending a message to your Representative urging their support of the Weiner amendment for a national single-payer health insurance plan; failing that, members should support a stronger public insurance plan and, then finally to vote for adoption of H.R. 3962.

You can use our pre-formatted messages and send yours today as the House begins debate on this historic legislation. NOW would like to see H.R. 3962 adopted and is committed to improving those parts of reform which we believe need improvement, including those related to women's reproductive health care. But this bill is a strong step in the right direction!

Take more actions for health care! (Scroll down page.)

See our latest actions on all issues.

Fun Feminist Geekery

Via Shakesville (click image to jump to the post).

End-of-Week Actions

If you want to join more than 200 people who have signed up for Camp Courage Sacramento this weekend, you have less than 24 hours to do so. On Friday at 12 p.m., registration will close. Click here now to sign up! 

Last week, Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi unveiled H.R. 3962, the "Affordable Health Care for America Act." Now, the latest news from Congress indicates that the House may hold a vote on the bill as early as Friday, November 6th! With so little time between now and then, it's imperative that we let our Members of Congress know that now is the time to stand up for health reform that ensures affordable health care for all Americans and gives us the choice of a strong public health insurance option. Send an e-mail to your Representative in the House TODAY and tell him or her to vote YES on H.R. 3962!  Women gain big time with the House act that combines three House committee bills and was just released on October 29th by Speaker Pelosi. It is being debated on the House floor right now and the vote will be on Saturday evening. The Congressional switchboard number is for the Senate 202-224-3121 and for the House 202-225-3121. Just call the switchboard and ask for your Representative or Senators office. Then, please report your call here.  
Women pay up to 48 percent more for private health insurance than men for the same policies. Insurers also routinely deny coverage to women with "pre-existing conditions" - which include pregnancy, c-sections, and in some cases, domestic violence and even rape. Urge your Members of Congress to fix these antiquated policies by passing real health insurance reform this year!  

As we speak, the Senate is holding a hearing on the fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), and the House could hold its first important vote on ENDA in the coming weeks. This bill would end a bitter injustice in our country: In 29 states, it's legal to fire someone because they're lesbian, gay, or bisexual; in 38 states, it's legal to fire someone for being transgender. Contact your Representative about this bill!  

Urge President Obama to join EQCA and others by filing a brief in the federal court challenge to Prop 8, and ask the court to rule that it is unconstitutional to allow a majority to take away the rights of a minority. Take action here! 

Carrie Prejean's Sex Tape: Hypocrisy Doesn't Justify Sexism

So, apparently Carrie Prejean, the biblically-minded former Miss California who opposes marriage equality, may have a sex tape skeleton in her chastity closet.

Now I have absolutely no problem with calling people out for their hypocrisy (and if the tape actually exists, this seems like a case where that would apply), but some of the language being used against Prejean (primarily by commenters, rather than bloggers) veers into denigrating her for having had sex, or even simply for being female.

I don't care who you are, or how big of a jerk or a bigot, I'm not going to use language that is bigoted, sexist, racist, homophobic, etc., in criticizing you. And if other people are using that kind of language against you, I'm going to defend you against it, no matter who you are, or how horrific I find your beliefs, because that's how feminism works.

What is it going to take for people to realize that we can't end oppression by oppressing others, no matter how hateful they are?

Women and Health Care Reform: Being Female is NOT a Pre-existing Condition!

We're participating in the National Women's Law Center 24-hour blog-a-thon for the Women's Day of Action on Health Care Reform.

Why are women's voices especially needed in the health care reform debate? Because our health issues are being treated as non-essential by the (still largely male) Congress!

Health care coverage that doesn't include maternity services? Plans that cover prescriptions for Viagra but not for birth control pills, diaphragms or IUDs? Plans that exclude infants simply for being above or below normal weight ranges? Using rape, domestic violence, previous pregnancy, or c-section as a pre-existing condition to deny coverage? Eliminating coverage for abortion services from women who already have it? These ought to be bad dreams, but they're the reality of our current health care system, and the health care reform debate in Congress.

How can it be that the full health care needs of 51% of the population aren't really being taken into account? And what can we do to fix this ridiculous situation before it becomes codified in the new health care legislation?

Take Action NOW!
Call your member of Congress and urge strong support for women's care in the final health care reform bill! 
Sign the Courage Campaign's letter to Sen. Feinstein asking her to support a public option for everyone. 
Urge House Members to reject more abortion restrictions! 
Join the Women's Day of Action on Health Care Reform 
Protect coverage for full reproductive health services.
Tell Congress to eliminate "pre-existing conditions" as excuses for denial of coverage. 

The Cesar Chavez Institute offers FREE Tutoring for California & Arizona Children.

"A word as to the education of the heart. We don't believe that this can be imparted through books; it can only be imparted through the loving touch of the teacher." --Cesar E. Chavez

Cesar Chavez believed in education and felt strongly that education developed our youth. He was born to parents who taught him the importance of hard work, respect, and education. He was born in a household that was predominantly Spanish language which made school harder. Cesar talked about being punished with a ruler to his knuckles for speaking Spanish in school. As the child of migrant farm workers he attended numerous different schools. Despite this Cesar was lucky.  His parents encouraged him to learn and he went on to become an American hero as a civil and labor rights leader.  

How can we ensure that children, who encounter similar obstacles as Cesar, are prepared for success, not set-up for failure? By getting them the extra help they need before it’s too late.  

The Cesar Chavez Education Institute can help. The Institute was established for the purpose of increasing the education opportunities available to students in schools who can benefit from extra instruction.

Faith and Feminism/Womanist/Mujerista Conference

November 6-8, 2009 -- 3rd Annual Faith and Feminism/Womanist/Mujerista Conference-Festival
(Marys, Madonnas, Maternal Eternals – GoddessWithUs) 
herchurch, 678 Portola Dr., San Francisco  CA  94127
Register online 
Free childcare for attendees.

Purpose:
To provide opportunities for feminist faith seekers, God/dess devotees, interfaith leaders, progressive Christians, artists, spiritual directors, etc. to experience and discuss the urgent implications of God/dess imagery and gender issues which must transform religions, patriarchal systems, society and our daily lives so that together we seek and speak justice.

AND to model feminist (egalitarian) faith community within the Christian tradition and other faiths and systems which benefit from switching paradigms: from domination to partnership/caring models.
 
Keynote Speakers:  Margaret Starbird & China Galland 
Minister of Embodiment: Judith Lavender Dancer
Guest Artist: Eileen Goldenberg  
Resident Scholars/preconference presenters:  Dr. Caryn Riswold and Dr. Jann Aldredge-Clanton
Workshop Leaders/Contributing Voices: see schedule
Musicians:  Katie Ketchum, the Fog Horns and Steve Rausch, Drumming circle  

SATURDAY 8:00 PM
Magdalene - The Musical  by Katie Ketchum