Em-URGE-ing Voices

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Posts By: Guest Blogger

Open Thread: Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving! We will not be posting for the rest of the week, but we would like to open the discussion up to you: As a reproductive justice advocate, what do you have to be thankful for this year? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Next Week’s Posts

We are excited to announce that next week ChoiceWords will be partnering with Women, Action and the Media to bring you a whole week of posts on reproductive justice and the media! Each day next week our five Student Correspondents will bring their unique perspectives to the intersections of media justice and reproductive justice. Look forward to posts that critique pop culture representations of sexuality, highlight issues that the news media ignores, and, of course, recognize the instances where the media gets it right. So mark your calendars, bookmark this page, and join the conversation on Monday!

There’s nothing like the first time…

Since the 2008 election, 17 million more Millennials are eligible to vote and many of them will soon get their first taste of civic duty. Share this video and help get first time voters to the polls on November 6th! httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87fCDDfGGQ4 If you’d like to help our young organizers get out the vote and have your own “Voting is Sexy” t-shirt, consider making a donation to Choice USA: http://bit.ly/Sw32Fg

Domestic Violence, Reproductive Justice & Young People Writing Their Own Narrative

“He refuses to use a condom. I’ve bought them and he throws them out.” –Survivor on the National Domestic Violence Hotline “He threatened me when I asked to use birth control, and always refused to use condoms after we became exclusive. When we decided to continue the pregnancy and marry, the overt abuse started within days of our wedding.” –Jessica’s Story The stories above are an everyday reality for women who are in unhealthy and abusive relationships.  For those who don’t know, October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Each October, national and local domestic violence organizations and activists work to mourn those who have died, celebrate those who have survived, and connect those who work to end violence. The statistics around domestic and dating violence are staggering: 1 in 4… Read more »

The Virginity Complex: Where do I fit in?

Las month was the first time I had seen a movie in about a year. Why would I pay upwards of $15 to see a movie when I could wait six months for Netflix? The movie that I chose to use my precious paycheck on was Magic Mike. If you haven’t heard about the movie, you obviously aren’t one that views Channing Tatum’s abs as a more precious work of art than the Mona Lisa. The movie had little plot line and subpar acting, but it did have one thing that I was craving: sex. The gyrating bodies of the A-list actors dripping in sweat were pleasing to all of my senses. When I left the theatre, I couldn’t help but think of that stupid question, “If I ever got… Read more »

One Less Tough Decision: What Birth Control Without Co-Pays Means for College Women

Being pro-choice means trusting women to make their own decisions about their reproductive healthcare. But there are some reproductive healthcare decisions I don’t think women should have to make. I don’t think a woman should have to decide whether to keep taking a birth control pill that gives her terrible side effects, because it’s the only brand whose copay she can afford. I don’t think a woman should have to decide whether to enroll in a birth control study and rely on a pill that isn’t on the market yet, not because the compensation is great, but because it’s the only way to get contraception for free. I don’t think a woman who lives with Pre-Menstrual Dysphoric Disorder should have to choose whether to suffer every month because the pill that gives… Read more »