Choice USA
Posts By: URGE Staff
Supreme Court Nomination – What’s Going On and What You Can Do!
Who is Brett Kavanaugh? He’s Trump’s nominee to the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS). Currently, he’s a judge on the DC Circuit Court of Appeals. He’s a cis white Catholic man who went to Yale and is a member of the Federalist Society (a conservative group for lawyers). And, ideologically, he is more conservative than all members of the current Court, except Justice Clarence Thomas. Remember Jane Doe, the unaccompanied immigrant minor in government custody who sought abortion care? The Trump Administration tried to stop her from having an abortion and, after hearing the case, Judge Kavanaugh sided with Trump. Judge Kavanaugh also believes that the religious or moral beliefs of your employer or university should get to dictate whether or not you can access birth control. His… Read more »
#StopTheBans: Ohio Edition
If I ask you to name which states have the worst anti-abortion laws in the country, which ones would you name? Texas? Alabama? Oklahoma? You wouldn’t be wrong, but you’d be forgetting one of the biggest offenders: Ohio. Since taking office in 2011, Governor John Kasich has signed nearly every anti-abortion measure to come across his desk – from bills to restrict access to those targeting providers. The results? The number of abortion clinics in Ohio dropped by half, leaving the majority of counties without a provider. And Ohio now has one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the country – unconstitutionally blocking abortion at just 20 weeks. But they won’t stop there. In this session, the Ohio Legislature continues its obsession with controlling each and every body with… Read more »
Why Trump’s Sabotage of Obamacare Is Terrible for Young People (and What You Can Do About It!)
The mainstream narrative portrays all young people as not needing insurance, but we know that’s the furthest thing from the truth. Amazing young activists showed up to say they need and deserve health care coverage and helped defeat the repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in Congress over the past few months. But now, the Trump administration is sabotaging the ACA all by itself through executive actions. Here’s just a few ways these changes will be terrible for young folks: Putting birth control out of reach by granting a License to Discriminate. Two new Trump administration rules allow employers or universities to deny insurance coverage of contraception for religious or moral reasons. Young people deserve access to birth control no matter where they work or go to school,… Read more »
How President Trump’s Expansion of the Global Gag Rule Will Wreak Havoc on Communities
Another day, another shitty reproductive health policy introduced by the Trump administration that will have untold effects on millions of people around the world. Earlier this week, as the country launched its annual recognition of global health needs during National Women’s Health Week, the President announced an expanded version of the Global Gag Rule he reauthorized soon after his inauguration. The original gag bars any funding from an international health organization that promotes abortion as a medical option for ending a pregnancy, which affects the $600 million budgeted for family planning. Already harsh and dangerous, the rule has been revamped to suit the archaic and asinine appetites of anti-abortion extremists. Now, the law threatens millions of lives with the potential to inadvertently spread disease and global illness. This newest policy… Read more »
#Resist: Join Our 2017-18 Journalism Team
It’s that time of the year again! We’re looking for a new class of Student Journalists to write for the ChoiceWords blog for the 2017-18 school year. Reproductive justice work is making headlines all around the world right now, and your voice could be a part of the movement for reproductive freedom for all. Because we believe in intersectionality, we know that reproductive justice is economic justice is racial justice is labor justice. That allows you, our blogger, to write about almost every aspect of our social and political life! Our bloggers have discussed Black Lives Matter, anti-trans bathroom laws, Beyoncé, and the fight to increase the minimum wage. They have encouraged participation in the political sphere over ending the Hyde Amendment, restoring voting rights and filling the Supreme Court…. Read more »
The 10 Best Things About the Women’s March on Washington
Like most college women, I voted in my first presidential election this cycle. When I completed my ballot, filling the empty circle next to “Hillary Rodham Clinton” with a wish, I thought, “I couldn’t be more blessed — my first presidential vote could help elect the first female president of the United States.” My four female housemates shared my feeling of privilege. Fast forward to Jan. 21, 2017. Day 1 of Trump’s America. Alongside hundreds of thousands of women, my housemates and I marched on Washington to demonstrate our refusal to “go gentle into that [not-so] good night.” 1. The energy When my friend Elena suggested we bring cough drops to the march, I thought she was being a little extra. But surrounded by hundreds of thousands of impassioned, inspired… Read more »
Artist We Love: Erika Moen
What encouraged you to become an artist? The friendships I made as a teenager with other kids who were passionate about art. We all egged each other on and supported each other and we’re all in the professional art world today as 30 year olds. My studio, Helioscope, has been absolutely invaluable in teaching me how to turn my creativity into a career. My community encouraged and enabled me to become an artist, really. What is one of your favorite pieces that you have created over the years? Collaborating weekly with Matthew Nolan on our comic Oh Joy Sex Toy is my proudest achievement of my life. In addition to that, I’ve spent the last several years making very slow progress on a painting and print series called Venerable Vegetable…. Read more »
Writing Abortion 20 Feet High
This article originally appeared on the blog at Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes. Growing up in a small Kansas town meant a few things for me. I would forever be haunted by Wizard of Oz jokes whenever I told someone I’m from Kansas, going to Sonic with friends would be an early teen right of passage, and any road trip I took with my parents would mean driving past multiple anti-abortion billboards. These billboards varied in language, size, and quality but they all had the same message: Abortion is bad. As most people know, Kansas is notorious for its negative outlook on abortion. Although much of our state legislature is rabidly anti-choice, the majority of fellow Kansans I know are okay with abortion. One of the reasons I believe Kansas still… Read more »
Artist We Love: Stephanie Feldman
Content Note: The videos in the Be Heard Project contain detailed descriptions of sexual assault and rape. Art and the creators behind some of our favorite work have changed as digital media maintains its hold on audiences the world over. Instagram has become the world’s museum, and finding and appreciating art has become easier than ever. This summer, we want to take a minute to appreciate some of our favorite artists who create work that inspires and excites us as reproductive justice advocates, intersectional feminists, and culture agitators. Artist Name: Stephanie Feldman What encouraged you to become an artist? I’ve always gravitated towards creative outlets. For a long time I thought music was what I would be pursuing for the rest of my life. When I found myself questioning that… Read more »
The Supreme Court Decision That Will Keep Police Violence The Norm
To date, 123 people of color have been killed by police in 2016. After the formation of the Black Lives Matter Movement and unprecedented political engagement from presidential candidates on conversations surrounding racial justice and criminal justice reform, the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile in such steady succession cuts to the quick. Our nation has become too comfortable witnessing state brutality against non-violent black people through the grainy footage of cell phone and soundless police dashboard cameras. We know the names of the 123 people who have lost their lives. We know what their families’ suffering sounds like. What we may not know is that, this past June, the Supreme Court made it much easier for these acts of violence to continue without legal consequences. With such landmark cases on… Read more »
