choicewords

Posts Written by

By choicewords • 14 years ago

2010 Southern Reproductive Justice Leadership Institute

Make the connections.
Southern Reproductive Justice Leadership Institute
Durham, North Carolina
March 19-21, 2010
Apply today!
Choice USA is looking for students in the South who are interested in issues of sexual and reproductive health to apply to our Reproductive Justice Leadership Institute (RJLI). The RJLI is an all expenses paid weekend long training that takes an in-depth look at issues that affect our reproductive freedom – and connects those issues to the broader social justice movement.
People of Color and LGBQT-identified students are strongly encouraged to apply!

By choicewords • 14 years ago

“Now It’s Your Generation’s Turn.”

By Kierra Johnson, Executive Director, Choice USA

“Now it’s your generation’s turn.”

Those were the last words spoken to me by Dr. Tiller on April 26th, 2009 in the barely audible softness of his voice. He gave me the warmest hug, thanked me for my work with young people and I turned and walked away. We were at a conference and we had just finished talking about the students who were organizing in Kansas to write letters in support of Dr. Tiller in the face of attacks from Operation Rescue. I promised to send him copies of the letters and had no reason to believe that he wouldn’t be overjoyed at power being exerted by young activists and warmed by the ...

By Kierra Johnson, Executive Director, Choice USA

“Now it’s your generation’s turn.”

Those were the last words spoken to me by Dr. Tiller on April 26th, 2009 in the barely audible softness of his voice. He gave me ...

By choicewords • 15 years ago

We Did It! Affordable Birth Control is Back!

Yesterday the Senate passed the omnibus and guess what passed with it? Affordable birth control! Today the bill makes it onto President Obama’s desk. President Obama has been an ally in our fight for affordable birth control, introducing the Prevention Through Affordable Access Act while in the Senate last year. We have no doubt the President will sign the 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Bill, putting affordable contraceptives back in the hands of millions of students and low income women whose access to birth control has been affected by the past two years’ price increase.

Since 2007, Choice USA members have been fighting hard to get access to affordable birth control back on campuses and in clinics. ...

By choicewords • 15 years ago

Omnibus Passes, Includes Affordable Birth Control Act

From Choice Words

Last night the Senate passed the omnibus appropriations bill, including the “Affordable Birth Control Act.” This provision is a no-cost fix to the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, which contained language that stopped pharmaceutical companies from providing prescriptions at lower than market costs to health clinics and College and University health centers. Previously, companies were supplying schools and safety-net providers with low cost or no cost birth control. As a result of the DRA, low income women and college students were forced to pay market price, approximately $40-$50 per month.

Choice USA played a big role in passing this legislation. Members ran educational campaigns on their campuses and collected petition signatures. The organization encouraged folks to ...

From Choice Words

By choicewords • 15 years ago

Appreciating Abortion Providers

From Choice Words

We often think of the abstract concepts of informed choice, agency, and equality when discussing abortion rights, but the people on the front-lines – the abortion providers – often don’t get the accolades they should.

Today, March 10th, is the National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers , created to give them the credit they deserve! This could take the form of volunteering as a clinic escort or writing a letter to the editor, among others .

So, go appreciate!

From Choice Words

By choicewords • 15 years ago

Contraception: What is the greenest of them all?

From Choice Words

Eco-minded individuals face similar conundrums on a daily basis: when it seems that all available options impact the planet in a negative way, how does one choose what to do? Recently Slate tackled that dilemma regarding contraception. When condoms wind up in landfills but traces of oral contraception are found in water (are are feminizing male fish as a result), what is a sexually active, environmentally conscious individual to do?

In the end, condoms won:

Given that the condoms represent only about 0.001 percent of the 152 million tons of trash American households produce annually—and that we still need a lot of research into the precise effects that pharmaceuticals are having on our water supply—condoms seem to be ...

From Choice Words

By choicewords • 15 years ago

Ghostface Killa Releases Song Supporting Rihanna

From Choice Words

I promised myself I wouldn’t write about the Chris-Brown’s-A-Dick thing, but this had to be shared.

Ghostface Killa has released a song in support of Rihanna – some of it is obviously problematic, and I couldn’t understand all the lyrics, but considering some of the other responses coming from other celebrities, Ghostface Killa (Mr. Killa? Ghostface? How do I do this?) deserves a thumbs up for it.

You can listen to the song here .

From Choice Words

I promised myself I wouldn’t write about the Chris-Brown’s-A-Dick thing, but this had to be shared.

Ghostface Killa has released a song in support of Rihanna – some of it is obviously problematic, ...

By choicewords • 15 years ago

IWD 2009: Repro Rights of Incarcerated Women

From Choice Words

“Do crime, do time,” I remember him saying. He was a Cobb County police officer who came to our school to talk to our 1st grade class on career day. Before breaking down a day in the life of a law enforcer, we received that spiel given to youngsters all over the nation: obey the law, stay out of trouble, and no harm will come to you. We were given the run-down of what happens in jail, complete with images of anonymous inmates sitting lethargically in their cells. I remember the talk being specifically targeted towards the boys, and all the images showed not only male law enforcement, but male inmates as well. I honestly wasn’t aware ...

From Choice Words

“Do crime, do time,” I remember him saying. He was a Cobb County police officer who came to our school to talk to our 1st grade class on career day. Before breaking down a ...