So, first of all, apologies to those not living in NYC or DC for how geographically biased my event posts are. As the majority of us are based in those two cities, our event posting tend to be geographically weighted. Apologies, and a reminder that the community blog is a great place to post about events in your area!
Next week, the Feminist Majority Foundation is hosting a Congressional briefing on funding for reproductive rights.
The Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF) invites you to attend a briefing on Capitol Hill on July 24, 2008 from 9:30 AM-11:30 AMThe event will feature Members of Congress and leaders in the global and domestic women's health communities. Speakers will discuss the critical need to increase U.S. assistance for international family planning. The panel will expose the ways in which cuts to family planning funds both domestically and globally are killing thousands of women every day.
Space is limited and available to first respondents. Light refreshments will be provided. To reserve your spot, please RSVP online.
Questions? Call (703) 522-2214 or Email ahossain@feminist.org
Ann and I are planning on going, so hopefully we'll see some other readers there to support the event!
H/t to the awesome FMF interns for the info
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Yay! One of my life goals has been to make it on to Feministing, so I can cross that one off the list :D
But anyway, you guys should support young feminists and definitely come to the briefing. The interns in the office have been working really hard on putting this together over the past few weeks. Plus, we're going to have some awesome speakers including President of FMF Eleanor Smeal, the fabulous Rep. Carol Maloney, and activists from Planned Parenthood, Population Action International, and other awesome orgs.
Oh wow, I'd love to go but am in a different time zone and region of the country.
I'd be ecstatic if you all would bring up the issue of parity for women with single payer health insurance. After all, why should it cost double for us to have the same health insurance as the men? Why should we have to apply in advance for a "pregnancy rider"? It leads to more and more women not getting health insurance so that their kids and spouses can afford to. Resulting in a higher fatality rate from treatable diseases for those uninsured women. And, as far as the insurance companies are concerned, it turns all women into second class citizens.
Access to health care is also a huge issue for women in major cities. Many hospital emergency rooms have closed in poorer neighborhoods, pushing access to care further and further from where the people who need it the most live. And many of the free clinics within major cities have such long waiting lists that they might as well not be providing care at all.
And, heck, the lack of mandatory maternity leave for part-time employees also hurts far more women than men. In some cases it makes it impossible for a woman to stay off of welfare.
I could go on, but I believe this is starting to depress me to the point of triggering....
I always felt relieved that I lived in Australia where access to contraception and abortion has been relatively easy compared with the US. That was until doctors tried to introduce the so-called "abortion pill". It came to light that every other medication in this country only needed to be approved by a specially set-up and highly-qualified committee - except this one drug. The Minister of Health had the right of vetoe, and he happened to be a staunch catholic. There was uproar, and eventually women from all political parties came together in order to get the drug approved. What also came to light, was that monetary aid provided to poor SE Asian countries for women's health was not allowed to be spent on providing safe abortion, therefore condemning these women to the life-threatening procedures of the backyard abortionist. Since then that government has been kicked out, and our present government has a much more enlightened approach to women's issues, both at home and abroad. However, I was shocked to realise that I had been living under a delusion that Australia was so much further ahead than the US. The only other country to prevent aid money being spent on providing safe abortion to the poor women of SE Asia was the US. The article I read claimed that Great Britain made up the shortfall. Good luck on July 24.