Who owns your body?

This Thursday, PPWP will be participating in an excellent panel sponsored by the ACLU of Pennsylvania. Titled "Who Owns Your Body?", the talk will cover an array of issues but the main thrust (and why I'm so excited about it) will be about reframing where we secure the right to make decisions about our bodies.

As I am sure many of you know, the right to privacy is the constitutional right where we are guaranteed reproductive rights. The right to access contraception (in and out of marriage), the right to abortion, the right to privacy in the bedroom, are all found within the catchall "right to privacy".

Though we hold the right to privacy dear, it has not upheld its end of the love.

Over and over again, women are denied the right to make decisions about there body through caveats and loopholes in the right to privacy. This talk, or workshop really, will talk about OTHER places we can secure the rights we deserve.

Luckily, La'Tasha Mayes of New Voices Pittsburgh will be giving the workshop with me. La'Tasha is a pro at frameworks for understanding Reproductive Justice as not only an extension of Reproductive Rights but its own separate set of issues to be grappled with. When formulating the direction of this workshop we both agreed that SOLUTIONS is where it is at. So, hop on the bus and come to "Who Owns Your Body?" Thursday night. Its your ideas that we are looking for. Its your ideas that will secure our rights.

Here are the details:

"Who Owns Your Body?"

Thursday, January 21, 2010 7 -8:30

CMU, Porter Hall - Room 125C

100 Frew Street at Schenley Drive

Annnnddd...we're back!

To everyone who reads our little blog, we are so sorry for the absence recently! We had a crazy week a little while ago that left us tapped for energy and ideas. It is a lame excuse, we know it, we apologize. Truly, we are recommitted to bringing you the whats what of western Pennsylvania reproductive health news. In January, we will have great reporting from a new super secret contributor to boot! Exciting stuff.

For now, here is an excellent and incredibly funny video from Nellie McKay. I saw it this morning on Feministing.com and had to share. Back before I joined up with Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania, I worked for a small nonprofit in D.C. called FAIRFund.org. Nellie was on our board. We worked on ending human trafficking in the U.S. and Eastern Europe. It was an honor to have her on our team. So, without further jabbering...

Ladies and Gentlemen...NELLIE MCKAY!

Road Trip!

As many of you know Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania, in coalition with many local organizations, is planning a trip to Washington DC on December 2nd. We need to bring thousands of supporters from across the country to the nation's capital to show the overwhelming support for women's health! To do this, we need your help.

Join us in Washington, DC on Wednesday December 2nd for a day of lobbying and visibility to pass a health care reform bill that protects women and comprehensive reproductive health services. The tentative agenda is as follows:

6 a.m.: Leave Pittsburgh. We will be renting passenger vans and providing breakfast to those joining us. If anyone remembers the ride to March for Women's Lives a few years back, the ride down is fun and inspiring! There is nothing like rejuvenating our resolve with like minded supporters. We will also host a mini-briefing once the coffee kicks in :)

10 a.m. to 12 p.m.: Lobby with members of house. We will be asking for meetings with Congressman Doyle and Altmire. We will make additional meetings based on the constituents that participate in the event. If you are a constituent of a different congressperson, please let me know! We are happy (excited, even) to make additional meetings.

12 p.m to 2 p.m.: Coalition press conference in Upper Senate Park with Members of Congress where we will present the petition signatures we have collected against Stupak-Pitts language in the health care bill. If you would like to sign the online petition visit http://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/healthreform/index.htm. If you would like a hard copy of the petition, contact me and I will send it right over to you.

2 p.m. to 4 p.m.: Additional meetings with members of the house and visits to Senators Specter and Casey.

4 p.m to 8 p.m.: Drive back to Pittsburgh