First they came for the communists,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a Jew.

Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.    —Pastor Martin Niemoller

The anti-women, anti-birth control, anti-freedom of religion people have taken over government at the National and State levels.

First they went after abortion coverage,

then they decided  to redefine rape,

then they are not allowing abortions in the case of the LIFE of the mother.

then they voted on Friday to defund birth control/pap smears/STD testing,

Now they have declared open season on killing abortion providers

What’s next? Anyone who speaks up about abortion will be shot?

When will prochoice (NOT the same as proabortion) Americans wake up, stand up and be counted?

The Truth about Catholics and Abortion from Catholics For Choice

Even in a predominantly Catholic country, laws governing access to abortion need not adhere to the official Catholic position. The Second Vatican Council’s Declaration on Religious Freedom reinforced the call for Catholics to respect the positions of people of other faiths.

Only 14 percent of Catholics in the US agree with the bishops that abortion should be completely illegal, and Catholic women in the US have abortions at the same rate as women in the population as a whole.

The Vatican has acknowledged that it does not know when the fetus becomes a person and has never declared its position on abortion to be infallible. Catholics can, in good conscience, support access to abortion and affirm that abortion can be a moral choice. Indeed, many of us do.

A very thoughtful piece.

Abortion Care Coverage and Health Care Reform: Getting the Facts Straight – Planned Parenthood http://bit.ly/g6pjS8

This fact sheet disputes many of the myths out there…

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Fact Sheet from UCSF Bixby Center on Parental Notification

In one study, adolescents reported that they will discontinue using most reproductive health services if confidentiality is not guaranteed; however, they would not refrain from having sex

Parental communication on issues related to sex is strong without mandates.

Most young women communicate with their parents about their decision to have an abortion.

A minority of young women choose not to involve their parents in their abortion decision, and they have valid concerns for doing so.

it is likely that poor adolescents and adolescents of color would bear a larger proportion of the likely impact if a parental involvement mandate was implemented.

Parental notification and consent laws delay minors’ abortions.

Mandated parental notification does not increase parental involvement in adolescents’ abortion decisions.

The passage of parental notification and consent laws has been shown to increase the frequency with which adolescents travel out-of-state for abortion care.

http://radicaldoula.com/2011/02/17/why-birth-activists-should-care-about-anti-abortion-laws/

The laws that interfere with a woman’s ability to make decisions about terminating her pregnancy also interfere with a woman’s ability to make decisions about what medical care to seek for her birth.

These laws allow providers and lawmakers to force women into c-sections they don’t want, force them into mandatory bed rest, all sorts of other interventions, in the name of protecting the fetus.

This isn’t hypothetical folks. It’s happening around the country.

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http://newamericamedia.org/2010/09/asian-american-women-who-accept-abortion-as-a-way-out.php

Asian-Ams and Abortion

The National Asian Women’s Health Organization found that nearly 70 percent of Asian-American women back the decision to abort; 90 percent support it in cases of rape or incest.

In 2000, about 35 percent of Asian-American pregnancies ended in abortion, the second highest rate for all racial and ethnic groups behind blacks, and almost double the 18 percent rate for whites. In 2007, the most recent year statistics were available, 13,488 Asian Americans went to Planned Parenthood for abortions nationwide, and 5,494 did so in California alone.

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Abortion rights are under attack, and pro-choice advocates are caught in a time warp by Frances Kissling

The moral high ground on abortion is not to be found in asserting an absolute right to choose. Instead, it is to be found in the movement’s historic understanding that when abortion is illegal, it is poor women who suffer. The abortion-rights movement needs to focus our work on restoring federal and state funds for abortion for women in the military and on Medicaid, a benefit that Congress cut off as early as 1976. We should also work to sensibly regulate abortion facilities – not to prohibit access, but to ensure safety.

What do you think? If we don’t go from black/white will we lose all the ground?

The Silver Ribbon Campaign to Trust Women’s Flickr – photos from our partners and people wearing pins and being pinned!

Walk for Choice preparations 2/26 all over the nation and world!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/walkforchoice/

US Senator Kirstin Gillibrand wore the Silver Ribbon for the major press conference on the issue!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTCLQxjaHvk

Silver Ribbon Campaign on blogtalkradio

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/computerhelpers/2011/02/25/dr-ellen-on-walk-for-choice

Rep Gwen Moore from Wisconsin speaks about Pence Amendment

Summary: Thanks but no thanks for your (fake) concern about Black babies.

Rep Jackie Speier talks about her abortion after miscarriage

Jamie’s personal story about Planned Parenthood providing much needed preventive health services

Deb Zupke, a patient from rural Minnesota explains the importance of Planned Parenthood to rural communities as a primary care provider – doing pap smears

Dana Weinstein speaks about her late term abortion for severe brain malformation

Mary Vargas JD speaks about her late term abortion for lack of lungs in fetus

From Hypervocal.com

Here’s where his publicist really dropped the ball: “I really don’t believe in abortion,” Bieber says. “It’s like killing a baby?” How about in cases of rape? “Um. Well, I think that’s really sad, but everything happens for a reason. I guess I haven’t been in that position, so I wouldn’t be able to judge that.”

Everything happens for a reason. Even rape, according to the Biebs. It’s actually quite interesting this quote came out today, one day after a South Dakota lawmaker made headlines for a bill that seemingly would make it legal to “justifiably” kill abortion doctors.

If you live in a strong reproductive rights community, perhaps you can spend your time instead reaching out to those that are in these communities or donating against those that don’t support reproductive rights.

here is what I found on NARAL’s blog, that they are targeting

in the following districts where anti- or mixed-choice representatives replaced pro-choice members after the 2010 elections:

Rep. Robert Dold (R-Ill.)
Rep. Charlie Bass (R-N.H.)
Rep. Nan Hayworth (R-N.Y.)
Rep. Chris Gibson (R-N.Y.)
Rep. Richard Hanna (R-N.Y.)
Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Ohio)

NARAL Pro-Choice America is also increasing pressure on longer-serving anti-choice members, including
Reps. Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.),  (voted YES on Pence, BOO!!)  (perhaps he needs more PRESSURE/Feedback/ stories from constituents!)
Judy Biggert (R-Ill.),  (voted NO on Pence, yay!)
Charlie Dent (R-Penn.) (voted NO on Pence, yay!)
Mary Bono Mack (R-Calif.),   (voted NO on Pence, yay!)
Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J), (voted NO on Pence, yay!)
Leonard Lance (R-N.J), and (voted YES on Pence, BOO!!) (perhaps he needs more PRESSURE/Feedback/ stories from constituents!)
Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.). (voted YES on Pence, BOO!!)  (perhaps she needs more PRESSURE/Feedback/ stories from constituents!)
The Dirty 10 democrats
Boren  (OK-2)
Costello (IL-2)
Donnelly (IN)
Dan Lipinski (Ill – 3)
McIntyre (NC-7)
Peterson (MN-7)
Rahall (WV-3)
Ross (AR-4)
Shuler (NC-11)

can’t find the last one. here is the list

Many thanks to those in the Blogosphere who have been spreading the word about the Silver Ribbon campaign!

• Ms Magazine Blog: What’s That Silver Ribbon You’re Wearing?
• Huffington Post: The Trust Women/Silver Ribbon Campaign for Reproductive Rights — Why Now by Ellen R. Shaffer
• Our Bodies, Our Blog: Do You Trust Women to Make Their Own Choices About Reproductive Healthcare?
• Emily’s List Blog: Trust women: a month to advocate for women’s reproductive rights
• National Women’s Health Network
• Raging Grannies for the shout out on your blog. You are so cool!

twittered by Twibbon to its ~1million followers on 1/22

US Senator Kirstin Gillibrand wore the Silver Ribbon for the major press conference on the issue!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTCLQxjaHvk

You can see our campaign logo featured on: RH Reality Check, Splendora, the Center for Reproductive Rights, and all our partner sites.