Reproductive Rights Blog

Washington, DC Opportunity

I'm going to leave this at the top for a few days...

In an effort to expand outreach to potential pro-choice women political leaders nationwide, the Women’s Campaign Forum and the new regional co-chairs are looking to recruit 8-10 creative and energetic young women to be part of the newly established Washington DC Junior Advisory Board. This board will be  responsible for developing and implementing ways to facilitate the goals of the Women’s Campaign Forum--to recruit phenomenal pro-choice women to political leadership positions nationwide!

We are looking for board members who are collaborative and creative, and have a wide network of contacts.  Candidates must have an active interest in promoting the representation of women in government.  Political and campaign or fundraising experience is a plus.

If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a member of the DC Junior Advisory Board, please send your resume and a statement of interest to womenscampaignfund at gmail dot com.  We will be holding a meeting in the next several weeks to provide additional details on board member duties.

About: Women's Campaign Forum is a non-partisan pro-choice, national membership organization dedicated to ensuring women become leaders in public life. We want to help build a nation where pro-choice women have and use power equal to their population.  For more information see http://www.wcfonline.org

Eli Stone - TV takes on ab-only education

Did y'all catch last night's Eli Stone (3/27)?   So the back story is that the main character is an attorney with a brain aneurysm that's basically inoperable, and he's been having vision of things, including George Michael.  So Eli is a bit incredulous when George Michael actually shows up, in the flesh, wanting to hire Eli Stone. 

The story this week is that a high school senior, I think, is unhappy with the fact that her school has an abstinence only education program because it gives students inaccurate information.  The program includes a school assembly (with, according to the girl, an expert on not doing it).  She's talked to principal about it before, but it's the only kind of sex-ed that is federally funded, so the principal can either have no sex-ed, or ab-only.  In protest she sneaks into the school's office and plays "I Want Your Sex" over the loudspeaker, for which she is expelled.

George Michael hires Eli Stone to get her reinstated in school, and there's some sort of hearing and it's all fun and first amendment rights and protected speech, and how student speech is limited when it interferes with the learning process and then the girl says something like "that assumes that there's any learning going on" which was amazing.  (I don't have the right media player, and I'm not installing it at work, so please correct me if I'm wrong).  She says that she was personally affected by the ab-only education because her lab partner got pregnant and then her friend "got gonorrhea...in her mouth."

Then George Michael gives a little speech on how great America is but this ab-only thing is b.s. and then he gives a concert to raise money for a real sex-ed program in that school.  Oh, and the school settles and lets her back in and stops taking money for the ab-only program. 

IVF, Multiple Births and Preemies

Even though we don't really know what causes miscarriage or how to avoid it, we are learning more and more about reproduction, pregnancy and childbirth all the time.  For example, that whole thing about women's spines being different than men's, necessary for carrying a fetus.

We've also been able to use science to go around some natural barriers (or use science to create barriers!) regarding pregnancy.  IVF is a great example of that - egg and sperm are fertilized outside of the body, and embryos are implanted in a woman's uterus.  What normally happens is that a few embryos are introduced, in the hopes that at least one will take.  This can be used if there's a problem with fertilization due to either issues with the woman or man's body.  We're seeing an increase in multiple births because of IVF and other fertility treatments.

There are also many who will do pre-implantation genetic diagnosis on the resultant embryos to screen for genetic diseases.  If the diseases are mitochondrial, it appears there is a new way to do IVF that involves two women's DNA, and one man's.  Mitochondrial DNA is matrilineal, like the Y-chromosome is patrilineal: one can trace a man's genetic line through his Y-chromosome, and woman's through her mitochondrial DNA.

So after IVF, any embryos not used are frozen or thrown out (or adopted, but that's another story) rather than being used for research.  At least that's the case for federally funded research in the U.S.  With private funds, and in other countries, embryos may not only be researched, but hybrids are developed.  Legislators in the U.K. are currently considering allowing human-animal hybrid embryos to be...built?  (There are other good points in the article - scroll down to the bullets in the middle.) 

Anyway, yesterday the news was full of stories about how prematurely born babies have health problems throughout childhood, and may also have preemies themselves.  What the articles mostly focus on is the risk of death throughout childhood - higher for males than females - but not any other particular issues.  Do these children, and adults, have more lung problems?  Lower cognitive function?  Lag in fine motor skill development?   You know what else I'd be really curious to know - what's the overall lifetime earnings of these folks?  I'm seeing small references to educational problems, so I'm curious about what that toll is, quantifiably.

Multiple births are not only dangerous for the woman, but can also be very dangerous for the babies.

Selective reduction (or selective abortion) is one way to lessen the number of developing fetuses.  This, of course, raises some people's ire, and Italy has tried to address the issue through legislation.New ways to perform IVF that don't result in multiples can be incredibly helpful. 

IVF also makes for some wacky developing law - when is a person pregnant?  Who's a dad?  Who's a mom?  Can a person be forced to implant an embryo or be estopped from such action?  One women in the E.U. is arguing that she was protected by pregnancy laws when her embryos were developing in the clinic, but were not implanted. 

Infertility, dangerous pregnancies, sick children, moral and legal ambiguity - fun times.

 

Sexually Transmitted Infections

By now, I'm sure you've seen that one-quarter of teenage girls have some STI.  This includes human papillomavirus     (HPV), chlamydia, herpes simplex virus, and trichomoniasis.  This clearly shows a need for comprehensive sex-ed, although some argue that school is not the right place for that kind of learning.

Because, really, one of the obvious questions is: Why aren't teens having protected sex?  And their answers vary.  It's not just about STIs, but also teen pregnancy, which we know is just not at all good for teens.  While people argue about the root causes of teen pregnancy - poor parenting, lack of values, problems with access to contraception - the end result is still dire.  Some would go so far as to look at long-term birth control for teens, involuntarily, it appears; certainly, others would like to see a little more of a social stigma for teen pregnancies, rather than seeing these girls fully accepted into society. 

There are both a test and two vaccines for HPV.  Merck is looking at getting it's vaccine, Gardasil, approved for use by women over 27.

On a related note, a new law has been enacted that makes it a crime to intentionally infect someone with HIV. This is not particularly new, but South Dakota now characterizes this crime as a sex offense.

So really, what's the solution?  How do we reduce the incidence of STIs, and keep teen pregnancy down?  Expanding the use of Gardasil, and other vaccine products, seems like a good start.  Does increasing criminalization of spreading disease help?  Do we need more of a stigma on teen pregnancy, or less of one on condoms?  What's the answer?

Working Women

This morning the Today Show had a segment on working women, and a theory that women's hormones make them less competitive, and less aggressive in the workplace, than men.  The theory, apparently, explains why women take jobs that offer less material rewards, and more warm and fuzzies (e.g. teaching).   The research is explained in a book, The Sexual Paradox, which  discusses the idea that "women tend not to seek out the highest status or the most lucrative careers: They're reluctant to take jobs whose demands won't allow them the choice to focus on other aspects of their lives."

In the meantime, many law firms are boosting maternity leave to 18 weeks, says the ABA.

Tons of articles have been written about equality in the workplace, and equality in the home.  One that I have saved is one of many that states that regardless of income, wives still do more housework than their husbands.  Which is why as often as these types of article are published, there's another one telling men that if they want more sex, they should do more housework.

In any case, it's not just that women aren't equal in the workplace, it's that they may not want the same type of jobs.  We're seeing a backslide in numbers, "[k]ey indicators such as pay, board seats, and corporate-officer posts all reflect a leveling off or drop in recent years."  This article about sexism and the workplace suggests that perhaps we think that we've conquered sexism, so there's no reason to address it.  Additionally, many of the women who are powerful or top earners aren't incredibly feminine. 

My friend was in town this weekend and it was something we discussed - not only our professional lives, but how they fit into our personal goals.  We touched on the Presidential election, in the course of these discussions, and the general perception that sexism no longer exists.  If this was true, however, feminism wouldn't be seen so negatively, it would just seem passe.   So women who want the corner office are, according to the first article, less "feminine" and we see that women who succeed may, in fact, show less femininity, whether in manner or dress.  In the meantime, men have learned to capitalize on the positives of being feminine without the baggage, and are excelling in the workplace.  Oh, it makes me so glad I'm involved in the women's movement, however tangential.

Today's News - Still catching up

Of course there's stuff going on, but none wackier than this.

State News:
Illinois has a law requiring pharmacists to dispense emergency contraception (Plan B).  This law is being challenged in Illinois Supreme Court.  According to the article, this may become a procedural issue, one of standing, rather than on on the merits.  Nonetheless, it will have ramifications on similar state laws, or on state legislatures considering similar laws. 

Kansas is considering some restrictive laws, New Hampshire is looking at mandatory counseling for teens, 

Foreign News:
Abortion rates in Australia are declining.  The abortion debate in Jamaica continues.

That's all I'm going to post for today, and every day I'm going to try to post a bunch more stories that I have bookmarked for y'all.

I'm Back

Sorry folks, I've been sick for a few weeks.  Plus, also, now I have internet access at home, so I'll be able to keep on top of stuff a lot better. 

I don't know what you all have missed, but I feel WAY out of the loop.  Here's what I've gotten in the past few days:

Planned Parenthood Golden Gate sent me a press release about new sex-ed standards in the State of California.  Under state law, sex ed is required to be medically accurate.  Can you believe we even need a law for that?

Lisa sent me a New York Times about sexism in the "post-feminism" era.  One of the points the article makes is that the majority of women we see in the news are connected to high-power men, not that they, themselves, have the power.  So it's the political spouses, or the call girls, that are featured.  The spouses unwaveringly loyal to marriage vows, it seems.

Rajesh wants you to know that the Royal College of Psychiatrists think that abortion may have an effect on mental health.  The College is calling for mental health counselling before abortions, which, in my opinion, isn't a horrible idea.  Abortion can be a serious decision, and for anyone, the decision should be made earnestly and with full informed consent.  I do not, however, agree with the need for a "cooling off period" or any waiting times for abortion - it's clearly a time sensitive matter (as expressed in the recent changes to UK abortion law) so increasing the time it takes to get an abortion is counter-productive.  Unless you want to actually stop women from having abortions, in which case it's brilliant.

NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio is having a Lobby Day on April 9.  Register here.

The National Coalition of Jewish Women has launched Plan A, a call for "universal access to contraceptive information and health services."

And I know this is short notice, but FRIDAY (March 21), nominations are due for your favorite female blogger.

In July, ChoiceUSA is having it's Generation to Generation Awards Ceremony July 17.   You can nominate young leaders here (PDF).

I'll probably do a news dump tomorrow just to clean out my inbox, so stay tuned.  And welcome back!

Colorado is looking to legislate that human life begins at conception.

Male fertility problems are due to hormone levels during fetal development.

News Round Up (Catching Up Post, Feb 15)

Sorry it's been so long folks.  It's been kind of hectic here, and without internet access at home, and work being busy, well, unfortunately, the blogging kind of falls by the wayside.  But, OMG, there is so much going on.  I'm sure you know most of it, but let's go over it in any case.

Pop Culture:
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days - an award winning film - was reviewed by the NYT recently.  It was a critic's choice film.  And, you know, it won the Palm D'Or a while ago.  There's still a lot of discussion about Knocked Up/Juno where unplanned pregnancy seems to be something that, well, all works out in the end.  Laura Sessions Stepp, who I know many of you don't really like (article topics include hook-up culture and gray rape) wrote an article in the Post pointing out the dangers of being a teen mom. 

Maria and I talk about this all the time, because I'm not so keen on the idea of teenagers having kids, and she thinks we need a more supportive community for helping pregnant teens.   I don't think it's a great idea, in part because teen pregnancy is the number one indicator of future poverty.  This, of course, gets us into teen sex, about which the NYT published an article in January.  The article focuses on the emotional impact of sex on teen girls, as well as pregnancy.  Good read.  Oh, and I'm not getting into this right now, but there was a big to-do over these Denver girls who want maternity leave from high school.

Love:
So there was that big TIME Magazine section on love, and it was Valentine's Day yesterday (I got my sweetie these) and so love is in the air.  Researchers have shown that people in love don't really check out other potential mates, but they do check out potential rivals.  Sadly, sometimes love doesn't work out.  When the engagement gets called off there is a developing field of law in who gets what damages, as well as some etiquette on who gets the ring.

Birth Control:
There is a new label on the birth control patch.  Women who use Ortho-Evra, the patch, are at increased risk of blood clots.  The risk is still pretty small, but it's much higher than for women using the pill.  Talk to your doctor. 

Slate has an article on the health effects of the pill (news: it lowers the risk of ovarian cancer).

Barr, a maker of generic birth control pills, has filed a patent infringement suit against other pharmaceutical companies over oral contraceptives.

Ireland lowered the condom tax.  A 12-pack of condoms costs about E13; they cost about $12 here in the States.  I get the impression from the BBC article, by the way, that in some places condoms are free under the country's medical plan. 

Washington State has tabled a bill that would require pharmacists to dispense Plan B, or the Morning After Pill.  Issues related to conscience clauses loom large in this debate, and it appears that the legislature is going to pitch this over to the court system first.  South Dakota, on the other hand, is trying to make sure that pharmacy refusal clauses don't allow pharmacists to refuse to dispense birth control pills.

Maker of the Today Sponge files for bankruptcy.

Politics:
Kate Michelman endorsed Barack Obama; a black male feminist compares Hillary to Barack; Clinton announces an agenda for repro health care on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade.  NOW attacks Obama's abortion record, while conservatives say he's the most "pro-abortion candidate ever."

Sexually Transmitted Infections (Including HPV):
There's a journal article on expedited partner therapy, which is when the partner of someone who's positive for an STD gets a prescription/treatment for the STD without clinical assessment (e.g. your boyfriend gets treated for chlamydia if you test positive, without testing him.)  I can't access the article, but the intro says that the CDC recommends EPT, which may raise some legal concerns.  I would love to see a copy of the article if anyone has it.

Older folks aren't that aware of STDs, and using protection.  Relatedly, sex continues to be both important and an important bonding mechanism as people age.  Oh, and USA Today reports that women over 55 are enjoying active sex lives far more than their predecessors ever did.

New Pap test - the SoftPAP - approved by the FDA.  This test apparently decreases the number of false negatives given by using the traditional (or ThinPrep?) Pap test.  Currently it is recommended that women get a Pap test and an HPV test. 

A new study shows that 1/3 of women with one sexual partner contract HPV in a year.  So I'm just remembering these numbers offhand, but I recall that over 26 million American women have HPV, and only 10,000 cases of cervical cancer are reported per year.  Further, only 3,000 women die of cervical cancer.  So this mechanism of HPV infection --> cancer is not at all a one-to-one ratio.  Anyway, I guess my point is that HPV is really common, and cervical cancer isn't.  And while this isn't news to readers, who well know that HPV causes more than just cervical cancer, somehow it's news again that HPV causes oral cancers.

STDs common in Australian Aborigines.  The article kind of reminds me of "The Tipping Point" chapter on STDs in as it states that when a population has >10% infection rate it's worth treating everyone with antibiotics to fight infections. 

Look for another entry on Tuesday.

In the meantime, your animal story is about the 9 year old pregnant elephant.

News Round Up (Jan. 25) Roe v. Wade Day Edition

This week was not only MLK Day, but Roe v. Wade Day.  Additionally, I lost another family member to cancer.  In any case, there was a lot you should have read about:

Roe v. Wade Day/Abortion:
Frances Kissling (formerly of CFFC) and Kate Michelman (formerly of NARAL) wrote an op-ed in the LA Times about abortion, and, really, the shift in perception around abortion.  They say that one thing the pro-choice folks need to engage in is a discussion about the "challenges" of the movement, including the judgment of women for getting pregnant in the first place.

Saletan says that pro-choicers need to message abortion with the goal of zero, same as teen pregnancy.

We've already discussed that the abortion rate is dropping, there's a rise in the use of RU-486 for medical abortions.

A new movie, "Silent Choices" is about abortion and African Americans.  Good article, go read it.

Pictures from the "March for Life" in DC.

Reproducing:
Related to the LA Times op-ed, a study out about Indiana shows that about 80% of black babies are born to unwed mothers.  Single mothers have lower levels of education and higher rates of poverty than married mothers, although that doesn't necessarily include those older single moms.

Italy has ruled that it is now legal to do pre-implantation genetic diagnosis of embryos.  The ruling, applicable only to the Rome area, will be reviewed by a higher court.  Also, don't forget, that in Italy only 3 embryos can be implanted at a time. 

This type of diagnosis, however, is not foolproof.

Gender/Work:
We're learning that ancient Mayan sacrifices were of young boys, not girls.

Slate had a great series on economics and gender and all of that lovely Gary-Becker-type-stuff.  Included were articles on why Divorce is Good for Women and the Economics of Marriage.   The articles are actually excerpts from a new book that's now on my wishlist.  In Japan, the introduction of divorce means that men have to treat their wives with more respect.

So while feminism opened up options for a lot of women, there was an ensuing backlash against feminism, and now there's this embrace of everything under the sun as feminism.  Want to walk around with a dog collar being led by your boyfriend?  Who's to say that's not feminist?  Stripping?  Feminist.  Housewife?  Totally feminist (not by all).   I'm not about to make any statements about it right now, but it certainly seems to be a trend that the idea of "choice" whether related to feminism or abortion, is in the eye of the beholder.  I mean, is one's choice really off bounds for social comment?

Science:
The Pill has an extended effect on preventing ovarian cancer, the number one cause of gynecologic cancer deaths in the United States.  Apparently, this is leading folks in the U.K. to renew a call to make the Pill available over-the-counter.  Additionally, caffeine decreases the risk of ovarian cancer, while alcohol and tobacco use play no role in it.

As always, there's way more to blog about, but I have to get moving.  Have a great weekend!

And the animal story: Pigeons in Paris

Abortion in the News

The papers are all abuzz with the recently-released study showing that abortion is down in the United States - at the lowest rate since abortion was Constitutionally protected.  Since 1990, surgical abortions are down 25%.  The decline in abortion could be positive (more access to contraception, fewer unplanned pregnancies) or negative (less access to abortion, less access to contraceptives) and part of it could be a substitute to RU-486 - we really don't know what's causing the decline.  Read the full report (.pdf).

However, we do know that the US has higher fertility rates than other Western countries, due to "a decline in contraceptive use, a drop in access to abortion, poor education and poverty." 

In other countries, the stigma of abortions, even legal ones, has led to a rise in illegal abortions, which, as you all know, are not safe.  Both medical staff and patients feel this societal sting, and don't want to take part in it.  "It is poor women who cannot countenance another mouth to feed."  The women who have the lowest access to medical care and education are the ones hardest hit by the criminalization of abortion.