Em-URGE-ing Voices

Posts Tagged: abortion

Building Community: The Power of Uplifting Local Stories

This week, the Rio Grande Valley’s URGE chapter hosted our first Abortion Speakout in collaboration with the 1 in 3 Campaign. The purpose of the Abortion Speakout is to uplift abortion stories in order to remind people that abortion is not just a matter of politics, but something that affects real people. The 1 in 3 Campaign uses storytelling as a way to shift the narrative around abortion and move past the stigma attached to it. This year, we hosted the Speakout in honor of Jane Doe, one of the young immigrants held hostage by the Office of Refugee Resettlement. Our chapter in the Rio Grande Valley put together a zine to collect local stories, art, and poetry as part of our Abortion Speakout.   Stories from the 956: Abortion and Reproductive… Read more »

How Ohio’s Government is Funneling Money into Fake Clinics

On July 1 the state of Ohio’s fiscal year 2018 budget took effect, providing $1,000,000 in funding to crisis pregnancy centers. Crisis pregnancy centers, or CPCs, are notorious for counselling people against choosing abortion, despite the fact that it is a safe method of healthcare. By contrast, Ohio only contributes money to clinics and organizations that provide abortions in cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother. In all other cases, these clinics and the patients that seek their services are on their own. Most CPCs are run by Christian churches or organizations with the sole goal of steering people away from abortions. They are well known for distributing distorted or completely false information about a number of reproductive health issues, from abortion to condoms to… 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 »

Minors Know Best: Whats Wrong with West Virginia’s New Anti-Abortion Law

Last week, the West Virginia state senate passed legislation for a bill that would prevent physicians from performing an abortion for unemancipated minors unless they have prior parental consent 48 before the procedure. Currently, West Virginia’s law surrounding a minor’s abortion access allows doctors to waive the need for parental notification for an abortion if the physician believes that is in the patients best interest. If the proposed bill went through, physicians would no longer legally be able to waive the need for parental notification. The bill, HB 2002, is yet another example of anti-choice legislation. With a large population of West Virginians considering themselves anti-choice, the law suggests that most parents would opt for their minor not to have an abortion. The bill also represents a continuous push to pull… Read more »

Surprise! Anti-choice group fails to provide healthcare to Texans

As you may remember, this past August Texas shunted over $1 million away from women’s health funding and gave it to anti-choice extremist organization The Heidi Group. The Group was tasked with expanding availability and accessibility of women’s health care services through out the state, with the intention of focusing on strengthening the presence of Crisis Pregnancy Centers. Last week, The Associated Press reported that the Heidi Group has failed in these and its own measures of success. According to the Associated Press, the Heidi Group has failed in three simple but significant areas since accepting the award money. The group was supposed to create a 1-800 number to answer Texans’ questions, massively increase public outreach and availability of the centers through social media, and update all of the participating… Read more »

Hasty Hypocrisy: A look at Trump’s Executive Orders

In the 6 days following the historic inauguration of former reality television turned president, Donald Trump, 12 executive orders have been signed and there is no telling if the number will grow. The signing of these executive orders signify much of what can be expected of the new Trump administration. The administration would, for one, rather utilize federal tax dollars in order to fund a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico than support organizations that provide or even discuss abortion. And while the decision to reinstate the Global Gag rule and “build the wall” are not surprising after the last year of Trump’s campaign, they are important insights into who and what will be valued over the next 4 years. President Trumps decision to move forward with the building of… Read more »

Mr. President, Say Hello to Abortion Lovers

In 8 days, the United States of America will call Donald Trump its president. With this monumental new transfer of power comes, for many people, lots of grief, anxiety, and perhaps even excitement. However, for those who have dedicated themselves to fighting for reproductive justice and freedom, the Trump administration brings with it possible feelings of defeat. President-elect Donald Trump has proven through his own words and action that, under his administration, abortion access and abortion providers will be under constant attack. And, while some may have argued that the soon-to-be president lacks the tact to accomplish a full-on attack of reproductive rights, Vice President Mike Pence’s track record proves that reproductive justice organizers have reasons to be afraid. Just months after the election, the Senate voted to repeal the… Read more »

Ring the Anti-choice Alarm: The 2017 Texas Legislative Preview

Texas lawmakers have proposed a slew of anti-choice, anti-queer, anti-reproductive justice legislation for the 2017 Texas session, which will begin in January. Three laws in particular caught my eye when I reviewed the pre-filed legislation; the first would outlaw existing and future anti-discrimination ordinances, the second would mandate the burial or cremation of pregnancy-related biological tissue criminalize abortions post 20 weeks in cases of severe fetal abnormalities, and the third would criminalize abortions post 20 weeks in cases of severe fetal abnormalities. These proposed bills pose real and tangible threats to the wellbeing of Texans and our future and demand our attention and opposition. Bogus Bill #1: Senate Bill 92 overturning and preventing local anti-discrimination ordinances State Senator Bob Hall (R- Englewood) authored and filed senate bill 92, which will… Read more »

The Anti-Choice Movement’s Harmful Rhetoric

Facts and propaganda are not synonymous with each other. I have felt the need to say that for quite some time given the constant anti-choice rhetoric that neglects to recognize the variety of abortion experiences. The pro-life stance is a position deeply rooted in religion, which highlights life rather than quality of life. Unlike the pro-choice stance which acknowledges a woman’s autonomy, the pro-life uses partial elements of religion and propaganda to erase the experiences that women who consider abortion take, with some of them being taken to drastic levels such as the picture below. Most of the rhetoric that the pro-life movement employs is used to punish women. This concept explores fetal rights vs. the pregnant person’s rights, which is two sets of rights that are granted to one body. An… Read more »