Supreme Court Rules for Hobby Lobby, Corporate Religious Rights
Kierra Johnson, executive director of Choice USA, noted the impact of the decision on young workers. “Today’s decision will have far reaching consequences for young people who have benefited greatly from no-copay birth control coverage,” she said. “For young people, who often face the greatest financial strain from healthcare costs, this decision will surely mean more will be unable to afford critical healthcare.”
Class of 2014 Success Stories: An Advocate for Social Justice
A passionate advocate for social justice, Lahey has been networking at presentations and professional development events, and it’s landed her a position as a student journalist with Choice USA, and a fellowship with Young People For (YP4), a long-term leadership development initiative that identifies, engages and empowers the newest generation of progressive leaders. Choice USA gives emerging leaders the tools they need to organize, network and exchange ideas to build a youth-centered pro-choice agenda and mobilize communities for reproductive health freedom. Since July, she has been writing blog posts and researching and composing stories about local, state and national policies. A mentor of hers at Choice USA nominated Lahey for a fellowship with YP4 her senior year. Only 150 fellows are chosen nationwide each year, and Lahey is the first… Read more »
The Battle for Consent Culture is Not Over
I have had the honor to write quite a bit about sexual assault and consent during my year as a Choice USA blogger. I am, unfortunately, quite invested in the issue. Not only have I had experiences with assault and harassment, I have watched many of my friends and classmates suffer from the effects of assault as well. Chances are, since one in four college-aged women are assaulted, you probably have too. At the very least, we all, knowingly or unknowingly, know at least one person who has been assaulted. The implication of this is somewhat frightening.
Take Back the Night: Voices Against Sexual Assault
As a student advocate for Choice USA, Elizabeth McElvein SC ’14 hopes that Take Back the Night fosters and extends the idea of community beyond just sexual assault to other groups that experience types of harassment. She believes that this event was powerful in shattering silence around issues of sexual assault. “It’s about creating a community for survivors and supporters of survivors of sexual assault, which is a form of political violence,” McElvein said. “Affirmative consent is the only kind of consent that is acceptable. There are no gray areas.”
Pro-Life Group Demonstrates Between CMC and Pitzer, Starts Conversations
Bekah Manikowski SC ’16, the on-campus coordinator of Choice USA, stationed herself near one of the Survivors’ displays with a poster that read “Trust Women.” She said her goal was to give students warning of the Survivors’ graphic displays. “I think that it’s necessary to have the other voice because if you are on a campus with giant posters of fetuses … it’s necessary to have a voice saying, “You don’t have to stop and listen,’” she said. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want, because that’s the root of this issue is consent.” Choice USA and Archer, with help from the WU, set up their counter-demonstrations with information on birth control, sexual assault, and feminist organizations on campus. From across the street, Archer noted that the Survivors demonstrators “really… Read more »
Graphic pro-life images on campus cross the line
The week before Spring Break, giant canvas signs displayed on campus by the Genocide Awareness Project were unavoidable. There were warnings about the images, but these alerts did not accurately describe the visual assault GAP perpetrated. GAP was invited to campus by the CSULB Catholic Newman Club on March 26. Choice USA CSULB quickly organized a peaceful counter-protest. Choice USA is a national organization that works for reproductive justice and promotes the concept that all people — regardless of their circumstance or identity — have the right to make private reproductive decisions without judgment, shame or systemic barriers.
The Life-Saving Power of Birth Control as… Birth Control
I fight for those who need birth control for medical conditions and life-saving reasons. But I also fight for the life-saving power of birth control as birth control, for the reason I use it: to control my fertility and enact control over my life. So let’s fight for everybody, and stop hiding some of the lives we fight for under a “tactical” shroud.
Petitioners want rapists to lose parental rights
“I was very saddened when I found out that Ohio is one of 31 states that allow rapists to sue their victims for custody,” said Diana Sencherey of Akron, a member of the Ohio State University Chapter of Choice USA. She dropped off the petitions in the office of Sen. John Eklund, R-Chardon, chairman of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee.
Ohio Allows Rapists to Sue Victims for Custody of the Child: Does Your State?
Ultraviolet collected the petitions online. I signed it a couple weeks ago. They contacted Choice USA, I’m the president of our campus chapter. We have previously collaborated with Ultraviolet — I delivered the Steubenville rape case petitions as well. So we were more than willing to collaborate. I joined Choice USA two years ago. I went to one of their conferences in the fall of 2012. I had a great time. It was a very powerful conference, meeting with other young people from the Midwest. I just wanted to get involved with them and that’s how that got started.
Bill To Block Rapists’ Parental Rights Remains Stalled In Ohio Senate
On Wednesday, three Ohio State University students with the reproductive rights organization Choice USA will deliver a petition to State Sen. John Eklund (R), chair of the Criminal Justice Committee, demanding that he advance the bill. The petition, created by the progressive advocacy group Ultraviolet, has already collected 60,000 signatures. “No survivor should have to worry that her attacker is going to sue her if she becomes pregnant and has a child because of the rape,” the petition says. “No one should have to spend a lifetime tethered to their rapist, especially if it means watching a violent offender raise your child. But this is a potential reality for the 32,000 women who become pregnant from rape each year.”
