Posted on 4.16.2012 by Chantal
There can be no doubt that in the past year, the backlash against women's reproductive rights and, I would argue, against women in general has reached staggering proportions. The Georgia House recently passed a bill that would criminalize abortion after 20 weeks of gestation, unless a physician can more or less “prove” that the fetus or the mother has a life-threatening medical condition. The Arizona Senate has just passed a similar bill. Earlier this month, an anti-choice protester bombed a Planned Parenthood in Wisconsin. And faith-based employers and lobbyists nearly exploded earlier this year over the Obama Administration's mandate that employers provide contraceptive coverage as part of the new preventive care guidelines. If you're inclined to call this a “war on women,” it would seem as though we're losing.
But if this really is a war (for lack of a better metaphor), perhaps we should ask ourselves, just what are we fighting for? And who or what are we fighting against?
In recent weeks, my Newsfeed and my inbox have been peppered with stories about “the contraceptive debate,” “the pro-life religious Right,” and, of course, “the war on women.” As someone who considers myself an activist and an outspoken proponent of reproductive justice, you’d think I'd be pleased to see a cause I care so much about get so much media and, particularly, social media attention. On the contrary, though, I've been repeatedly disappointed, more so by the so-called “left” than the “right.”
While scanning the news yesterday, I came across the following article posted on the pro-repro rights site, RH Reality Check. Written by Reverend Rebecca Turner of Faith Aloud, the post proclaims that “limiting access to contraception is bad for government, bad for business, and bad for women.” In the article, Turner accuses the religious right, many of whom are fiscal conservatives, of being hypocritical. Contraception, Turner claims, is good for the economy because it saves individual states and the federal government from having to support women's unplanned pregnancies through assistance programs like Medicaid. By the same token, contraception is also good for employers. Women who use contraception to prevent pregnancy are able to focus on their careers and, allegedly, make more money in the long run than their peers who don't use contraception. Employers save money and increase productivity by decreasing the number of women who request maternity leave benefits or leave work altogether due to pregnancy. Turner is not alone in making the case for birth control as good economic sense. Similar articles have appeared in blogs like Jezebel (“Want to Really Screw the Economy? Limit Birth Control and Abortion”) and business publications like Bloomberg (“Curbing Female Reproductive Rights Raises Taxpayer Costs”). The logic of these arguments may be sound. Heck, religious conservatives probably are hypocrites for one reason or another. But just who does this argument appeal to? I sit here, dumbfounded and, frankly, kind of pissed off, shouting at my computer, “you know what else is bad for women? CAPITALISM!”
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Posted on 4.12.2012 by Kelly
“So, why are you here today, your foot?” asked the nurse, noting my cast from a recent injury. “No, I am here for a pap smear,” I replied. “Oh,” she frowned. “I wasn't aware of that. Let me go check to see if the doctor has time for a pap smear. You need to inform us in advance if that is the reason for your visit.” I had taken time out of work to be at this appointment, which I had made three months previously. Due to the doctor's busy schedule I was already months late for the test, the last in a series of follow ups after treatment for cervical dysplasia, a precursor to cervical cancer. When the nurse returned to inform me that I had to reschedule the appointment and the earliest available time was in another two months, tears of frustration came to my eyes. Never was I asked whether I was feeling anxiety over the exam or whether it would be a financial difficulty to take more time out of work. Nor did anyone reassure me that I would not jeopardize my health by waiting another two months. Although I was able to schedule a much earlier appointment with another member of the practice, I left the doctor's office discouraged at what was the latest in a series of negative experiences relating to my reproductive health.
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Posted on 4.10.2012 by Admin
The Provider Project began as a way of collecting the stories of people who work in abortion care.
We recognize, however, that abortion is part of a whole world of women’s health care that we want to write about.
So we’re broadening our mission and introducing a new editorial board of people who have experience ranging from emergency medicine to abortion counseling to doula-ing and herbalism.
From now on, we’ll be bringing you stories and commentary from multiple areas of women’s wellness, which we define as a multidimensional state which encompasses not only an individual's physical, emotional and mental health but also interpersonal and community support.
We all share in common a desire to radically change the way women’s health care is understood and delivered, and we each bring different experiences to that mission. We hope to bring you commentary about breaking news related to reproductive justice, as well as insights and stories from the broader world of health and wellness.
Here’s a little about each of our new editorial board members:
Chantal Tape is an anarchist/radical feminist who is passionate about empowering and accessible health care. She is a trained birth doula and former abortion counselor. As an abortion care provider, Chantal witnessed firsthand the personal and political obstacles that women face when trying to obtain safe, legal abortion services. She is committed to fighting the negative effects of capitalism and patriarchy on women's health, while promoting a holistic vision of wellness that encompasses the physical as well as the emotional and social.
Chantal currently lives in Providence, RI and works as a medical
scribe in the Emergency Department. When she grows up, she hopes to become a doctor and specialize in Obstetrics and Gynecology. In her free time, she enjoys baking, dancing, and talking about abortion.
Contact: chantal@theproviderproject.org
Lily Shield has worked in abortion clinics for the past three years, and she hopes one day to found a reproductive health clinic where empowering, patient-centered care is the standard. She is a trained counselor in the subjects of abortion, pregnancy options, and birth control, and also enjoys working on the medical side of the clinic. She hopes that the framework of reproductive justice will one day make “pro-choice” an obsolete anachronism.
Lily lives in Connecticut with her partner and future dog, and plans to go to nursing school within a few years. Besides living and breathing reproductive health care, she enjoys lifting weights, reading the feminist blogosphere, and watching both trashy and quality TV.
Contact: lily@theproviderproject.org
Kelly Nichols is an educator and aspiring nurse who dreams of one day opening a free clinic where allopathic and holistic health modalities can coexist. After graduating from Brown University in 2009 with a degree in Environmental Studies, she spent a year apprenticing with herbalist Mary Blue at Farmacy Herbs, in Providence, RI. A trained birth doula, she is passionate about justice across the spectrum of reproductive choices, from abortion access to childbirth options.
Kelly currently lives and works in San Francisco, CA as a school garden educator, teaching urban elementary school students about ecology, nutrition, and food justice. She is interested in exploring the many dimensions of healing, the social and political elements of wellness, and the history of popular health movements.
Contact: kelly@theproviderproject.org
Amy Littlefield is a former abortion counselor and an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the Providence Journal, Women’s eNews, Gender Across Borders, New Politics magazine, the Providence Phoenix and other outlets. She currently splits her time between Providence and New York City, where she is a news production fellow for the independent TV/radio news hour Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman. (All opinions on this site are solely her own.)
Amy founded the Provider Project in 2011 after working as an abortion counselor for more than two years. After witnessing the shame and stigma of abortion firsthand, she wanted to find a way to fight back against the shame machine -- and honor the providers who make abortion care their life’s work. She believes our stories have the power to bust through the stigma and spark a revolution in women’s health.
Contact: amy@theproviderproject.org
See our new mission statement here!
If you’re interested in writing for the Provider Project, or in being interviewed, please contact amy@theproviderproject.org or chantal@theproviderproject.org.
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