Jen's Green Journal

Birth Control Not Bans Pro-choice rally at the Capitol

Birth Control Not Bans

I managed to fit in a honk and wave event before work today, and a letter writing party at Stoneground after work.
This morning's "Honk and Wave" event got a mostly positive response. The only negative response that I noticed was one female driver doing the "shame on you motion" as she drove through her left  turn -- quite a driving feat if you know that intersection.

The letter writing party tonight was at Stoneground and several people came and went in the hour and a half that I spent there -- at one point filling up over half the resaurant seating. One pregnant woman who was eating there with her family came over and asked if she could write a letter and another woman eating there with her partner also came over to participate and sign the petition.

The "Honk and Waves" will continue each Tuesday and Friday at 7:15 a.m. at the northeast corner of State Street and North Temple throughout the legislative session or until this bill is killed-- the location ensures that several of our reps will see us on their way up to the capitol.

Other upcoming events:

Planned Parenthood Legislative Lobby Day -- February 13th (Tuesday) 9:30 a.m. - noon and 1 p.m to 4 (more info at http://ppacutah.org/)

Pro-Choice Rally planned for Thursday, February 15th (time and place to be announced, but will probably be an "after work" rally)

I just found out today that 66% of abortions are sought by women that are already mothers. This is a strong indication to me that many of the women are making the best choices they can for the children they already have.

It kind of meshes with a few stories I've heard the past couple of weeks as I conversed with people over this ridiculous abortion ban bill (HB235 S1).

There were two stories I heard this week about women who were married with children but at the end of their capabilities when they found out they were pregnant unexpectedly -- I think at least one was failed birth control. They got abortions and were happy with their decision.

I heard another story this week about a woman who had raised most of her 8 kids to adulthood when she found out she was pregnant near 50 years old. She had the child because this was pre-Roe v. Wade. She apparently went a little nuts (no indication if child raising was the reason, but if I had to raise 8 kids and was just about done and found out that I had to start all over again at 50 I would go insane myself -- heck, it would take a lot fewer kids to drive me insane) and his mother's emotional state while raising him had a very negative affect on that 9th child.

Another story I heard this week: a friend told me that her mother-in-law admitted to her that if she had been a young woman these days rather than her own, she would not have had children; she said that even though she loved her children, she never enjoyed being a mom.

These stories are hard to hear -- we want to picture mothers as unconditionally loving and self-sacrificing. Many women have a difficult time coming out of the "I don't like being a mommy" closet because they do love their kids and it's a taboo in our society for a woman, much less a mother, not to be a "kid person".

Just because we are all born with the physical equipment to have children and sexual drives, doesn't mean we are all meant to be mothers.

[This post formerly titled "Male dominated legislature" and I've made some additions.]

Is it because they are mostly men in the Utah Legislature, or because they are mostly GOP?

Misogyny

"Subscribers to one model, the mother/whore dichotomy, hold that women can only be "mothers" or "whores." Another variant is the virgin/whore dichotomy, in which women who do not adhere to a saintly standard of moral purity are considered "whores."
_________________________________________________________

Insurance in Utah covers Viagra and breast implants, but not birth control and our legislature will not address this issue.

They'd rather ban abortion rather than trying to prevent unwanted pregnancies -- HB235 (written by a man, and chief sponsor is another man). The chief sponsor man, Paul Ray, wants to make sure that we not only ban abortion, but give women a criminal penalty for seeking an abortion : Pregnant Women Could Be Punished Under Abortion Ban. 

An they're reluctant to take care of the kids we already have in this state: Health care for children, Medicaid not top priorities

As if all the above weren't bad enough, they killed a bill that would give women education and vaccinations for HPV which causes cervical cancer. Couldn't possibly be because women who have sex are at risk, could it? HB358: Lawmakers nix cervical cancer campaign, vaccinations for Utah women

I keep hearing that it's about life from the pro-lifers/anti-choicers and I keep arguing that it's about punishing women for their sexuality. The evidence from our male and GOP dominated legislature proves me right.

More on abortion in the Utah Blogosphere:

The World According to Me: Choice

The Third Avenue: GOP: life begins at conception and ends at birth

"We women know when it is or is not the right time to bring a child into the world...We act out of compassion when we wait to have a child until the time when we can give it the kind of life every child deserves. We act out of love when we consider what we would be taking away from the child or children we already have if we brought another child into our family now...We women know the truth: That given certain circumstances, abortion is the most morally responsible and loving choice we can make."

-Jean Stewart Berg and Anne Baker

Abortion and the Utah Blogosphere:
The abortion bill: a lunch table discussion -- Voice of Utah
Overtune [sic?] Roe v. Wade -- Alienated Wannabe (inspired by my post Utah Taliban: Keep your religion off my body)
Shame on Utah -- Dee's 'Dotes
Roe v. Wade -- Wasatch Watcher

Since the anti-choice opinion is almost entirely based on religion and "God", I'd like to know what "God" has to say on the subject. Do you know of any scriptural reference that addresses abortion? Any that addresses at what stage of fetal development "God" determines is a life or at what stage of the interruption of that fetal development God would consider a murder?

I'd like to see  any scriptures that you know of either in the Bible or the 3 additional Mormon scriptures, or the Koran or Jewish scriptures.

As a taxpayer, it's in my best interest to help fund public education. An investment in public education is an investment in less overall poverty and crime and and an overall healthier society.

I don't see how it's in my best interest or in society's to fund luxury education -- also known as private schools.

What about school choice?

 I'm amazed by how many choices we have in public school in Utah these days. When I was in the public school system, you attended the school in the district you lived in, for better or worse, and that was that. Now we have the freedom to go to schools all around the valley -- and that's not all. Now there is a whole array of charter schools to appeal to just about  anyone. School choice really isn't the issue-- unless you are looking for a religious school, and why should the taxpayers fund religious education?

I care deeply about the education my child gets, and I've found that you don't have to attend a luxury school to get it. My daughter attends the Open Classroom, a parent co-op charter school (previously an optional program) in the Salt Lake City school district. I have to put in some extra time and effort into my child's quality education, but I doubt she'd get better in a luxury school . There are other great schools and programs in the public system that are equally good.

If we have the surplus of educational funds to pass out to people to attend luxury schools, then why can't we use those funds to further improve the public schools? We could make the classes half the size they are now, for example -- think of the specialized attention our kids could get with only 15 of them per class?

What this really comes down to is welfare for the upper-middle class and wealthy class. As part of the lower-middle class , I can guarantee you that even with an additional up to $2500, there is no way that I could ever afford to send my children to private school. I feel that the voucher program also encourages classism and will be yet another divisive system in our society. What's so bad about all of us learning together?

Davis Dijeridu has been doing a lot of great analysis on the subject of vouchers for those that want to get a viewpoint other than that of the Repuclicans (which is overwhelmingly pro-voucher):

Accountibility
An Unproven Risky Scheme

No on school vouchers Blogswarm participants (to be updated as more posts come in):

Davis Dijeridu
Orbiter Dicta By Steve
Wasatch Watcher (also 2, 3, 4)
Dee's 'Dotes

Background info:

Roe v. Wade

H.B. 235 S1

Utah Taliban/American Taliban: A place where laws are made according to the dominant religious/superstitious ideology and tend to result in excessive control over most aspects of one's life, and even more excessive control over women who are seen as inferior to men in that ideology.

What started out as a "trigger law" has become a serious threat against reproductive freedom in Utah. HB235 S1 (substitute bill) as become an all out assult on Roe v. Wade.

Fellow women of Utah, meet Rep. Paul Ray, a Republican from Clearfield, who wants to be in control of your body and your life.

Ironically, the way the legislature does email addresses make Rep. Ray's email: pray@utah.gov
You can also reach him at PO BOX 977, CLEARFIELD, UT  84089 or 801-725-2719

Read H.B. 235 S1

This substituted bill just made it out of committee and is expected to have strong Taliban Republican Support. The last time our legislature tried such an assault on our reproductive rights was in 1991 -- not only did it lose in court, but it cost the state $1.2 million dollars. Looks like our own little good ol' boys club is hoping that the rapture righties will be able to trash Roe v. Wade so that they can get away with this waste of money.

Quotes from Paul Ray:

"The people here have an ideal of protecting children - that's also unborn children." That's why our air is so poisonous -- to keep all those little children healthy.  That's why we are the most pro-war state in the U.S.: Gotta protect all those Iraqi children by bombing their houses and maiming and killing them.

"The honest reason behind this is, No. 1, I'm just plain flat-out against abortion," : Good for you, Rep. Ray! I support your choice on this and I promise to never force you to have an abortion.

and remember, this is the guy who's critical thinking skills gave us this little gem: “If we have to wait until the next legislative session, we’re going to have an onslaught, a rush of abortions to go in and beat the deadline."

I'll be keeping this blog up to date on all actions and organizing on this issue. Let me know if you know of something you don't see on this blog.

[If you think this issue is about the life of an embryo, let me remind you that our legislature in Utah allows insurance to cover viagra and not birth control, two things which add to the number of unintended pregnancies. Looks to me like an indication that punishment of a woman's sexuality as based on religious/superstitious ideology, and not life, is the driving force behind this legislation.]

Say No to HB235 S1

I hate to hinder democracy and all that, but it seems to me that having candidates for office take some type of test to make sure that their criitical thinking skills aren't damaged before being able to run might do us all a big service.

Case in point -- Rep. Paul Ray (R, Clearfield). He's introducing a "trigger law" bill to make abortions in Utah instantly illegal in the event that Roe v. Wade is ever overturned. His brilliant reasoning? If this doesn't pass there will be "an onslaught, a rush of abortions to go in and beat the deadline."

I can just see how that onslaught will happen: "Gee, I was gonna have this baby, but now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned, I'd better go get that abortion 'cuz that'll be my last chance to have one." or "Oh crap! Roe v. Wade was overturned! I'd better get pregnant -stat!- so that I can get one last abortion."

Regardless of your personal views on abortion, you have to be worried that a guy who's best thought process came up with this "logic" is in a position to make laws in this state.

(thanks to Deanna for the info)

Take and early lunch next Wednesday to help stop EnergyPollutions oops, EnergySolutionsforPolluters from trying to shortcut to expand their already unwanted nukewaste importing business, I mean storage.

From HEAL Utah:

I've been out of the political loop for the last half of November and most of December. I just felt more inclined to focus my attention at home and at work for that time. I've had an exciting new project at work that has been fulfilling on a creative level, and the holidays this year had me feeling like I wanted to focus more time and energy with my family.

One of the consequences of all that is that I'm not really even aware of what issues I might need to pay attention to for the Utah legislative session, which opens January 15th. In this state, we progressives need to keep an eye on our legislative body, which without much diversity tends to try to pass really bad laws.

Fortunately there are some tools to keep on top of what's happening. I'm on an email list sponsored by the League of Women Voters which sends legislative reports each weekday during the session, and occasionally throughout the year when there are interim sesssions. You can get on that list by emailing the League of Women Voters: lwvut@mail.xmission.com

The Utah Legislative web page is also a valuable resource. You can find proposed bills listed by number or issue and can track them as they go through the legislative process.

I've yet to take the plunge of citizen lobbying, but when some issue gets to that point for me, I'll feel much more confident about how to approach it, thanks to citizen lobby training that I've received from HEAL Utah and Utah Rivers Council. They will be doing a training this year on January 18th at 6 pm. in room W135 (I believe that's the West building) at the State Capitol - they usually need to know how many folks are planning on being there, so it's a good idea to rsvp.

Also,as part of HEAL Utah's email list, I'm also informed when nuke and toxic waste issues are in committee meetings, where I have given "citizen testimony". I'm certain there are other groups that do something similar.