Tag: rape

The new Democratic abortion platform has been praised by some anti-choice Christians who are finding common ground with pro-choice democrats in their pursuit of reducing the need for abortions: (via Reuters).

The American Psychological Association's finds that women choosing to abort an unwanted pregnancy do not experience mental illness as a result: (via NY Times).

An MSNBC article examines the complicated ways in which teenagers view both abstinence and sex, noting that many teenagers believe in abstinence but also have intentions to have sex at some point in the near future, a nuance missed by abstinence-only education that contends sex must only occur in marriage.

In his address at the International AIDS Conference in Mexico, environmentalist Jonathon Porritt stressed that increased funding for family planning in poor countries is needed as much as money going towards HIV/AIDS assistance because growing populations of such countries will cause an even bigger humanitarian crisis than HIV/AIDS will: (via RH Reality Check).

The Arizona Board of Nursing has approved a recommendation that nurse practitioners with special training be permitted to perform abortions up to the 13th week of pregnancy, however anti-choice lawmakers are proposing legislation that may negate the Board's ruling (via The Arizona Star).

Beginning in 2009, states will have to pay for "Jane Doe" rape kits, which remain anonymous and sealed unless the victim decides to press charges. Currently most states refuse to cover the cost of a forensic rape exam unless the victim files a police report, deterring many victims from coming forward (via Associated Press).

A Colorado Senate Committee has rejected a bill that would have required doctors to give women seeking an abortion information about receiving ultrasounds and also would have required women wait 24 hours between signing an informed consent form for the ultrasound and undergoing the procedure (via the GJ Sentinel).  

Advocates in North Carolina are calling on the state to pay the full cost of examination kits used to collect biological evidence against sexual assault suspects.  The average cost of a sexual assault kit is $1,600, however the NC Department of Crime Control and Public Safety caps reimbursements for uninsured patients at $1,000 while many insured patients pay some of the cost of the examination via ED co-payments and deductibles (via the News Observer).  

The Oklahoma House Civil Justice Subcommittee has approved several measures restricting abortion - including one allowing health care providers to refuse to participate in an abortion if it is contrary to their moral beliefs and another requiring abortion providers to perform an ultrasound on women seeking abortions (via News OK).

Elissa Wall is a hero to me.  Like Joan of Arc and Anita Hill and the women who brave the demonstrators at abortion clinics( any one of whom could be packing a gun and crazy enough to shoot) to escort patients safely into the clinic, she braved ridicule and contempt and vicious personal attacks on her character to speak truth to power.  Unlike Ms. Hill, she won, because they convicted Warren Jeffs of taking part in a conspiracy to rape a minor.

Elissa was only 14 when she was ordered to marry a cousin she heartily disliked.  Unlike many of the child brides, she protested and begged not to have to marry him.  Most girls don't protest because they live in a world where disobedience is simply unthinkable, and the punishment for it severe for them and anyone who aids them

What it all comes down to is sexuality. We need to have sex to have children (unless you can afford to do it in a petri dish.)  How we express ourselves sexually, or more accurately, how we're expected to express ourselves sexually, is closely tied to our cultural notions about procreation and motherhood - which in turn has everything to do with oppression against women.