By Jos Truitt • @jostruitt • 10 years ago

Take action: Clear Channel pulls ads for a clinic that provides abortions for violating “decency standards”

Clear Channel pulled ads for South Wind Women's Center's reproductive health services because they claimed the ads violated their "decency standards." Promoting women's health services is "indicent?" Tell Clear Channel you'll #changethechannel unless they reinstate South Wind Women's Center's ads. Join us at womensmediacenter.org/changethechannel or #changethechannel on TwitterClear Channel, the conservative media giant that controls a ton of this country’s airwaves and has a history of sexism, has pulled ads for a reproductive healthcare clinic. South Wind Women’s Center, the clinic that opened in the wake of Dr. Tiller’s murder and the closing of his original clinic to ensure abortion access in Kansas, bought air time for two radio ads. But Clear Channel pulled the ads, citing their “decency standards.” You can listen to the two ads, which Clear Channel apparently considers more “indicent” than Rush Limbaugh, here and here.

It would be pretty dangerous if we ended up in a situation where clinics that provide abortions can’t advertise their services because of conservative media companies. Especially in a context where we already have deceptive crisis pregnancy centers advertising all over the place.

The Women’s Media Center Women, Action, and the Media is running a campaign to get the ads reinstated. Here’s how you can contact Clear Channel to tell them you’ll #changethechannel unless they run South Wind’s ads, via WAM:

  • Tweet them.

Here are some sample tweets:

    • Women’s health care is never indecent, @clearchannel. Run South Wind Women’s Center’s ads or I’ll #changethechannel. http://tinyurl.com/wamctc
    • Sex shops “decent,” but not health care, @clearchannel? Run South Wind Women’s Center’s ads or I’ll #changethechannel http://tinyurl.com/wamctc
    • Everyone has a right to know how to get health care, @clearchannel. Run SWWC’s ads or I’ll #changethechannel http://tinyurl.com/wamctc
  • Leave them a message on Facebook.
  • Email them.
  • Call Wendy Goldberg, Senior Vice President for Communications at (212) 549-0965. Tell her:
    1. Women deserve to know about and have access to legal, safe health care.
    2. Clear Channel is restricting free enterprise, and hurting women by restricting their access to health care.
    3. Clear Channel is letting a tiny minority of anti-choice extremists dictate what women will and will not have access to.
    4. You’ll #changethechannel unless Clear Channel lets South Wind Women’s Center’s ads run.

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Boston, MA

Jos Truitt is Executive Director of Development at Feministing. She joined the team in July 2009, became an Editor in August 2011, and Executive Director in September 2013. She writes about a range of topics including transgender issues, abortion access, and media representation. Jos first got involved with organizing when she led a walk out against the Iraq war at her high school, the Boston Arts Academy. She was introduced to the reproductive justice movement while at Hampshire College, where she organized the Civil Liberties and Public Policy Program’s annual reproductive justice conference. She has worked on the National Abortion Federation’s hotline, was a Field Organizer at Choice USA, and has volunteered as a Pro-Choice Clinic Escort. Jos has written for publications including The Guardian, Bilerico, RH Reality Check, Metro Weekly, and the Columbia Journalism Review. She has spoken and trained at numerous national conferences and college campuses about trans issues, reproductive justice, blogging, feminism, and grassroots organizing. Jos completed her MFA in Printmaking at the San Francisco Art Institute in Spring 2013. In her "spare time" she likes to bake and work on projects about mermaids.

Jos Truitt is an Executive Director of Feministing in charge of Development.

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