Catholics Asked to Tell Their Bishops to End Ban on Contraception

It has been 40 years since Pope Paul VI made a decision that plunged the Catholic Church back into Medieval times concerning the lives and health of women.

According to Catholics For Choice, "... a decision was announced that has had a catastrophic impact on the poor and powerless around the world. On July 25, 1968, Pope Paul VI slammed the door on the hopes of the vast majority of Catholics and confirmed a complete prohibition on modern methods of contraception. The papal encyclical Humanae Vitae was a defining moment in modern church history and continues to be a source of great conflict and division in the church. It is a little-known fact that before Humanae Vitae was released the hand-picked Vatican Birth Control Commission voted overwhelmingly to recommend that the church rescind its ban on artificial contraception. However, the pope rejected that recommendation and today, the rupture that Humanae Vitae caused between the Vatican and lay Catholics remains."

Join Catholics For Choice is calling for a ban on this unfortunate policy.

“It is well known that Catholics, particularly those in the global north, have ignored this ban. It is time for them to speak out and say enough is enough. We need Catholics to pick up the telephone or send an e-mail to their local bishop saying that it is time to change church policy. Less-privileged people—who often only have access to health care through Catholic-run facilities or live in countries where the Catholic hierarchy has considerable influence over public policy—are dying as a result of the ban,” said Jon O’Brien, president of Catholics for Choice.

"...Today polls show that Catholics, at least in the West, dissent from the teaching on birth control, often by majorities exceeding 80 percent. And that ... "it will also continue to be the most widely flouted injunction of the church at the level of practice," writes John L. Allen Jr., the senior correspondent for The National Catholic Reporter in today's The New York Times.

Sadly, there is a brutal double standard inherent in that reality - while Catholics in developed nations openly flaunt the policy due to ready access to health care, women in developing nations are enslaved by the policy and suffer dire consequences at its hands.

The Bush Payback to the Right Wing

In the final days of his failed administration, George II is preparing to screw women as never before. His proposed regulation redefining abortion rules is aimed squarely at denying woman access to critical health care.

We need to inform everyone we know about this travesty and get them to contact the White House and let this administration know how they feel.

Please act now! Before Bush takes away more of our rights!

Birth Control and tennis?!

Very interesting column by Elizabeth Toledo today of Camino PR... see below:

Birth Control at Wimbledon

July 6, 2008 ·

“The patch is a small, flesh-colored square that is barely noticeable.”
- Web MD

The Williams sisters were riveting on the tennis court Saturday. I completed a record number of miles on the elliptical machine because I couldn’t stop watching their Wimbledon match (and the TV only works if you keep peddling).

Serena Williams and Venus Williams were joined by Billie Jean King and Martina Navratolova, who cheered them on in the stands. Aside from the amazing athletic feats they have all logged, the social prejudices they challenged have paved roads on which, to some extent, we have all traveled. Billie Jean King “proved” that women and men were equal, Martina Navratolova heroically advocated for LGBT equality, and the Williams sisters broke racial stereotypes in tennis. As if all that awesomeness wasn’t enough on center court, there was Serena Williams wearing the birth control patch in full view.

Media accounts claims that the Williams sisters were conceived after their father hid their mother’s birth control pills, creating two successful unintended pregnancies. Although their mother was resistant to the idea of more children, he had already hatched a plan to raise world class athletes.

When King first graced center court birth control was banned, and when Navratolova reigned advertisements about birth control were still banned from the airwaves. It wasn’t until 2000 that the first birth control brand aired television commercials. Ortho advertised its birth control pills and also now is the only pharmaceutical to manufacture the patch.

This weekend Serena Williams put the patch visibly on the front page of the New York Times. When Ortho first introduced the patch they described it as “flesh toned” and advertised its discreet design. After objections from many women whose flesh is not light beige, the company changed its description. They now describe the patch as “beige”, and claim they don’t produce other colors because beige “best maintained its appearance over the 7-day wear period”. It’s hard to imagine exactly what dye challenge exists at Ortho.

Bandaid has been one of the major marketers of “flesh tone” over many decades, but over the year’s they upgraded their marketing to avoid the term “flesh”. Back in the 1960’s Crayola renamed its “flesh tone” crayon “peach”. In fact Crayola now sells “multicultural crayons” which are intended to represent the flesh tone of people around the world, which apparently is black, sepia, peach, apricot, white, tan, mahogany, and burnt sienna. I never got the multicultural crayons as a kid, we had the sensible-sized crayola box though we all longed for the massive box of crayons with the built in sharpener. I didn ‘t even realize I ought to be buying multicultural crayons for my kids and now I fear they are beyond crayolas. I am determined to get some this summer, however, so I can find out which crayola color matches my skin.

It’s a bit ironic perhaps that the most famous user of the patch is a far cry from the “flesh toned” standard that Ortho had envisioned. Makes you wonder if, in retrospect, Ortho wishes desperately that they had invested in a multicultural branding initiative in the early patch advertising days.

Justice for Regina

I’m addicted to the Tudors. Love it. Love Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Do not love King Henry VIII. Nor do I love the incredible misogyny of the era. I mean, Anne Boleyn was hardly a saint, but even after all of her scheming I could not help but bristle at the injustice of her being blamed for failing to “produce a male heir…” or for her multiple miscarriages.

“What,” both her father and husband rail at her, “did you do to lose that baby?” Thankfully we don’t live in the 1500s…

Oh. Wait. What was that?

Well, turns out that a woman can -- in this decade -- be tried and convicted of homicide after suffering a stillbirth. Look no further than Regina McKnight.

Eight years ago, Ms.McKnight was arrested in South Carolina several months after suffering a stillbirth on the grounds that her cocaine use caused the loss. And -- despite no scientific or medical evidence that this claim was true, despite no arrest history, despite the prosecutors’ agreement that she had no intention of harming the fetus or losing the pregnancy – Ms. McKnight was convicted and sentenced to twenty years in prison.

For nearly a decade now, National Advocates for Pregnant Women (NAPW) and the Drug Policy Alliance have been working on this case. After losing a challenge on the constitutionality of prosecuting stillbirths under homicide statutes (!), her lawyers raised the question of whether Ms. McKnight received a fair trial. Ultimately the Court concluded that Ms. McKnight's counsel was "ineffective in her preparation of McKnight's defense through expert testimony and cross-examination."

So – after this woman spent eight years in prison -- a unanimous South Carolina Supreme Court finally reversed the homicide conviction. (Ms. McKnight will not, however, be released immediately because the State can petition for consideration and ultimately re-try her.)

I am extremely happy that Ms. McKnight’s conviction was overturned. Yet, I cannot wrap my head around the fact that she was prosecuted in the first place. I’m used to science being treated… ahem… carelessly (anyone remember the “controversy” over Emergency Contraception?) but despite the extremely problematic federal “Unborn Victims of Violence Act," ( as well as similar state laws), I’m still not -- and will probably never be -- used to homicide being applied to a fetus.

Unfortunately, what prosecutions and laws like these do – in addition to disincentivising drug-addicted mothers from seeking help – is grant independent personhood to a fetus, a very dangerous precedent with implications for women and mothers everywhere. (Note that the court’s opinion in this case makes clear that cocaine use is “no more harmful to a fetus than nicotine use, poor nutrition, lack of prenatal care” and other conditions.)

Thankfully, Ms. McKnight had committed, compassionate attorneys on her side who recognized the injustice of her situation as well as a Court that ultimately listened to an aspect of reason.

If only Ms. Boleyn had similar counsel, perhaps she might have survived her own days at Court.

Taking some license....

Ok, this is not strictly (or even remotely) reproductive health, but I'm the blog author so I get to write about what I want.

And quite honestly the only thing I can really think about right now is the humanitarian catastrophe going on in Myanmar. For those who aren't following, after a devastating cyclone that left upwards of 20,000 people dead (6 days ago), the government has refused to accept and/or held up international relief aid. They finally agreed to accept food shipments from the UN only to confiscate the packages, causing the UN to halt shipments. They have also refused AID from the United States.

Meanwhile, an additional 75,000 men, women and children are dying/predicted to die. And this is not even to mention the disease that will be spread by decomposing bodies, many of which are in the water supply.

How a government can sit back and let its people die is beyond comprehension. As is the frustration by our inability to do anything to help.

Manhattan Mini Storage "hearts" Planned Parenthood

Following on the heels of its provocative and much talked about pro-choice billboard, Manhattan Mini Storage has officially made Planned Parenthood of New York City a beneficiary of their work.

As part of their new "Save more than your stuff..." campaign, Manhattan Mini Storage has committed to donating a total of $200,000 to 5 Manhattan based charities - including Planned Parenthood of New York City -- over the next 6 months.

"This exciting initiative gives New Yorkers the opportunity to fund the city's leading reproductive health care organization - without spending an extra dime! We thank Manhattan Mini Storage for including us in this campaign, said Joan Malin, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of New York City.

When new customers rent space, they will be given a choice of 5 organizations to whom the company will donate money.

Umm... I take that back

Seems I jumped the gun a bit the other day when I commented upon "parents these days." If only the most traumatic thing a parent could do to their child would be to have plastic surgery. Today I read what I think may be the most horrible story of parental brutality that I have ever encountered in my life.

A man imprisoned his daughter in the cellar for 24 years, raping her throughout and fathering at least six children with her. Three of those children, ranging from 5-19 years old, he kept imprisoned as well. Another three, he raised upstairs with his wife (who right now seems not to have know about the rape and imprisonment).

This defies understanding. Not much else to say.

My heart goes out out to the woman and her children.

Parents these days!

When I was a little kid, I'd watch the Miss America pageant in amazement that my mother wasn't on there. She was so much prettier than all the contestants. When she would diet to lose those "five pounds" I was mystified; she was perfect and beautiful the way she was.

Turns out not everyone feels that way. And, as luck would have it, there's a forthcoming kids' book by Dr. Michael Salzhauer "My Beautiful Mommy," which aims to explain to children why their mom is getting plastic surgery. Quote from the book review: "It features a perky mother explaining to her child why she's having cosmetic surgery (a nose job and tummy tuck). Naturally, it has a happy ending: mommy winds up "even more" beautiful than before, and her daughter is thrilled."

Wow. If that's not a... disgusting message to send your children, I'm not entirely sure what is. If an adult wants to have plastic surgery, so be it. But isn't there something to be said for teaching our kids that people are beautiful as they are, as opposed to needing to be fixed, tightened or straightened? (Not to mention the sub-message in this story that mommy is being fixed because her tummy is flabby from giving birth!)

Dr. Michael, what does YOUR mom think of your book?

Kids these days!

We hear it all the time: "where are all the young women? Young women just don't care about reproductive rights."

Well, in case Planned Parenthood's thousands of young activists don't convince you thats untrue, check out Third Wave Foundation's Week of Reproductive Justice. Starting tomorrow, April 16, youth across the nation will launch thefirst National Week of Action for Reproductive Justice! Members of the Reproductive Justice Network, a national coalition supported by Third Wave Foundation, will be hosting a variety of activities – from trainings, to speak outs, to advocacy days – to reach other youth, service providers, and policy makers about reproductive justice. Events are going on in Colorado, Pittsburgh, Miami and elsewhere.

For more information or to contribute to Third Wave, click here!

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