[feminist] #LegitimateRape and Todd Akin

when asked about allowing abortion in cases of rape, Todd Akin replied:

" First of all, from what I understand from doctors, that's really rare. If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. But let's assume that maybe that didn't work or something. I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be on the rapist and not attacking the child."

from our own cranky feminist Jessica Anders (thanks!)

articles:

• Mike Huckabee's defense: "some great people are born from rape"
• Rape Stats: 1 in 5 women sexually assaulted

videos:

• watch Akin's interview
• Todd Akin's failed "apology"
• video from Planned Parenthood

why this is even scarier: 

• Paul Ryan and Todd Akin are friends
• Redefining Rape with his friend Paul Ryan (from Mother Jones)
• Rep. Steve King-- an Akin supporter
• Idaho... "silly ladies don't know what rape is"
• Rachel Maddow: the larger significance of Todd Atkin's ridiculousness

"science" of women's bodies behind Akin and the Teabaggers

• make sure you're sitting down, and only read if your blood pressure is under control. also might want to have a barf bucket nearby. "so where did Akin get that legitimate rape idea?" 

responses:

• from a rape victim who had an abortion: Rep. Akin my body did not shut down the pregnancy
• Washington Post blogs: Legitimate Rape and Todd Akins myths
• letter from our friend Renee at UniteWomen
• letter from Eve Ensler 
• raped, pregnant, and ordeal still not over: rapists' parental rights 

actions:

• Planned Parenthood Action: letter to Todd Akin 
• share this with your friends: The Official Guide to Legitimate Rape
• write Todd Akin a letter: 

Mailing Address:
PO Box 519
St. Charles, MO 63302
Physical address:
820 S. Main St., Ste 206
St. Charles, MO 63301

• leave Todd Akin a voicemail:

Voice: (636) 949-6826
Fax: (636) 949-3832
District office in St. Louis: Voice: (314) 590-0029
Capitol Office in Washington DC: Voice: (202) 225-2561

• email Todd Akin:

https://forms.house.gov/akin/webforms/issue_subscribe.htm

if you find more articles, videos, blogs/opinions/letters, please share them in the comments!

[feminist] video: virginia 3 march

Virginia state house, 3 March 2012. A peaceful protest against the state government's attempts to require ultrasounds before abortions. Walking, chanting, holding signs, and sitting (but not blocking) on the stairs of the state house received this response.

Full riot gear. SWAT armed with automatic weapons. In the 21st century apparently everyone in the world requires a response like this when they disagree with the government and want to have their voices heard. At what point will these police officers say "wait, my sister had an abortion 10 years ago. It was unbelievably expensive then, and now we're trying to increase costs with additional requirements? I'm NOT going to break this up, I'm going to sit this one out, even if I get in trouble." Wait until there are Personhood marches-- will someone say "but my girlfriend used Plan B last year, I'm so glad that was an option because we aren't ready for kids yet!"?

Why is the government, the police force, so quick to quell any dissent? Are we supposed to simply sit at home on our laptops using social media to bring down misogynist pricks like Rush Limbaugh and meanwhile never take to the streets as a physical, visible entity to say "this is fucked up, and you have to hear me say it. you're impeding on my rights as a citizen, as a woman, and as a human being, and I'm not going to sit by, apathetic, while you throw me into the dirt and spit on me because you're too egotistical to see beyond your own needs and wants and to understand that the world is not okay!"

[feminist] why I need birth control

This video should be watched by every voter in America. The idea that all women should have access to affordable birth control shouldn't be shocking, and it shouldn't be up for debate. What a person does with their body is their own business, and the way that they take care of their body is their own business, not the government's.

congressional birth control hearing-- the woman on the panel gets to speak

I was put on the pill when I was 15 because the doctor was afraid I had endometriosis, just like my mother. (Who had a terrible painful and extra complicated hysterectomy eventually because of this). I was told if I'm not on some form of birth control, its quite possible that my fallopian tubes will become blocked by endometrium growth-- meaning that I could be sterile, and also that I would have an increased risk of an ectopic pregnancy.

At 19 my pill had to be switched-- I'm over the weight limit for the low dose pill I was taking and I was still ovulating. (period control-- not birth control!, which was what I needed) I had terrible pain in my hip, and an MRI showed a golf ball size cyst on my left ovary. Less than a month later after other tests (before the MRI results came back) I had another test which showed that the cyst had grown to the size of a tennis ball. Also, I didn't get that test result back before I was walking across my apartment one evening and collapsed onto the floor in excruciating pain. The cyst had ruptured, and its contents coated my insides. It took about a month before that pain went away. I was told that if I had another, it could mean the end of that ovary through a necessary surgery. My bc pill now keeps me from ovulating. With insurance its $30 a month. When I had to have the annual beg-and-plead with the insurance company to reauthorize it, I had to go without for a month because it was $120.

The thought of not having insurance truly scares me. The idea of having insurance one day that doesn't cover all of my medical needs is disgusting and even scarier. Access to contraceptives is not just about unwanted pregnancy through promiscuous sex, its about basic healthcare for the well being of all women.

We have to stand together, call the men and women representing us in Washington, call the people representing us in our state capitals, and let them know that this is absolutely ridiculous and that their time is better spent on other things. Then, come November, we have to show all of America that we have the power to get rid of the idiots who are sponsoring these bills against women's health. Standing by and doing nothing is just a form of siding with the oppressors. I refused to be oppressed in the land of the free.

[feminist] video: women "raped too much"

liz trotta: misogynist 

The link will take you to HuffPost's video of a Fox news interview with a well-respected journalist Liz Trotta. She tells her viewers that Feminists are the reason there is so much rape in the military, and that they are also the reason that there are so many useless jobs such as advocates for sexual victims, and counselors. She believes that women can should only expect to encounter more violent sexual attacks as they move closer and closer to attaining equality with men in the military. Except she doesn't use the word equality, of course. She also claims that women "are now being raped too much"-- too much? This leads me to believe that your statement also says that "being raped a little is okay." Did you really mean that? Do you honestly mean that women who choose to serve their country and aim to be the best soldiers they can expect to "be raped a little"? Whats the difference between a little and too much? Clearly your privileged bubble needs to be burst, and soon, before you contaminate any more minds and bring women back in time from all of their accomplishments.

Video: occupy dc and excessive police force

It seems like the Occupy movement had gone into hibernation for winter, but apparently they're still camped out. Personally, I wouldn't move into a pseudo-tent city to make a political point, but we all get to make our own call on that. Either way, I think this video shows a complete lack of understanding and respect for other human beings in this country. Don't the police have something legitimate to be doing with their time rather than harassing non-violent people? Go break up a drug ring, answer a domestic dispute, hunt for online predators, something?

Stop harassing people and causing them physical pain when they have done nothing to provoke this kind of reaction. My boyfriend works for our state's Department of Corrections-- and as apolitical as he is (which astounds me sometimes), he gets so angry at these scenes because he knows how strong tasers are and how painful pepper spray is. That also means that these cops KNOW what they're doing when they tase someone. Beyond the argument for not arresting and not evicting, how about lets not cause physical pain to other citizens of the United States for standing up for a movement which calls on our government to NOT treat us like useable, meaningless shit. Rallies don't just include young unemployed people-- they include the employed, the middle aged, the elderly, the college students. I want to go to a rally. I don't want to be pepper sprayed or tased, or knocked onto the ground with my hands zip-tied behind me when I did nothing violent, and nothing to provoke the police.

Who is truly at the top of the chain of command in making these decisions? Are we really just to follow along, follow our superiors, when we know they're calling bad shots? These police are just another example of everything that is wrong with this country, and why the occupy movement has taken hold of the country and the world.

[feminist] Miss Representation Film

I just got back from watching "Miss Representation" which was absolutely incredible. Sometimes it takes being slapped in the face before we realize what we're absorbing into our minds, both consciously and subconsciously. I've attached the Trailer.

"Miss Representation brings together some of America's most influential women in politics, news and entertainment, including Condoleezza Rice, Nancy Pelosi, Katie Couric, Rachel Maddow, Margaret Cho, Rosario Dawson and Gloria Steinem to give audiences an inside look at the media's message and depiction of women. The film explores women's under-representation in positions of power by challenging their limited and often disparaging portrayals in the media. Miss Representation takes the stand that the media is portraying women's primary values as their youth, beauty and sexuality - rather than their capacity as leaders."

When was the last time you watched a movie where the star was a woman?
And she wasn't hunting down a man to marry?
Or Laura Croft, taking charge of the world as a badass go-get-um woman wearing not enough clothes?
You're not sure, are you?

Video: Time in Lahore

Time in Lahore

This 2 minute video is beautiful! The photos are from Lahore, Pakistan, and show the beauty of the people and the city that we don't usually hear or see in the news. Definitely worth watching!