Advice From Someone not Old or Wise Enough to Give Advice

After the crash* I mean, graceful leap from the 9^th Annual Arizona List celebrations, one question rang clear.

“Where are the young women?”

Mind, this was a tad awkward, as a young woman to hear.  I thought to myself,

“Um, here….yep, right here over by the diving board.”

More eloquent a response was that of our keynote speaker, Sanda Fluke.  She explained that young women are here, that they understand what is going on, and perhaps we are just communicating in a different way than the older generation of feminist.  Note, I’m paraphrasing Sanda Fluke, but the message in any form is worth repeating.  Young women DO care about what is happening to us and who is affecting our reproductive justice.

We understand that a group of men should not be making decisions about our bodies, yes we are infuriated by the reality if it too. So why are some women so quick to jump to the conclusion that there is a disenchanted youth just lollygagging rather than rabble rousing?  The point returns!  Young women are here, perhaps we are experiencing and expressing feminism different than our foremothers.

I suggest that rather than spending time deeming feminist action right or wrong, collectively as a group we should work on communicating the wide spectrum that is feminism.  Sharing the personal journey that has brought us towards feminism, what we understand, what we don’t.  Through conversations like this understanding can be created.

On a day like International Women’s Day the opportunity for dialogue is rampant.  I’m taking advantage by writing a blog and tweeting.  I want to reassure feminist from every age that I am here, standing with you, twining myself to your struggles and passion in hopes of a tomorrow where more people want to support women and create the durable rope we need to pull us forward.

 

Here is a dandy photo from our 9th Annual Celebrations.  Check out our facebook for more!

 

What Would Justice O’Connor Say?

By: Shayna Gilmore, Arizona List Intern

The newest assault by the Arizona legislature on women’s reproductive rights, supported and signed into law by Governor Brewer, shortens the window during which women can obtain an abortion to only 20 weeks. Also codified in the bill was the requirement that a woman receive an ultrasound 24 hours before the procedure, with the opportunity to receive a photo and an explanation of what the ultrasound shows.

 

Facially, lessening the acceptable window at twenty weeks might seem to be an arbitrary cap on a women’s right to choose. However, as per usual with the Republican controlled legislature, they provided a justification for shortening the window that is based wholly in speculation and not in fact. According to the Republicans, after twenty weeks, a fetus can feel pain. This assertion is indeed untrue. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists reports that “[t]he human fetus cannot feel pain before 24 weeks, according to an official review of scientific evidence.” This law further demonstrates that the Republican lawmakers are not primarily concerned with women’s rights, reproductive health, or factual evidence in general, but rather with facilitating their own partisan ideology.

 

Though it is never surprising that Republicans disregard statutes and legal precedent to push their own agendas, the new law, the “Mother’s Health and Safety Act,” actually goes against the beliefs of one of their own, former associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. O’Connor was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Reagan for her staunchly conservative legal record. However, O’Connor proved more pragmatist than conservative in regards to women’s health issues. In her dissent in City of Akron v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health (1983), she established the “undue burden” test. To O’Connor, “If the particular regulation does not ‘unduly burden’ the fundamental right, then our [the Court’s] evaluation of that regulation is limited to our determination that the regulation rationally relates to a legitimate state purpose.” If the regulation does not rationally relate to a legitimate state interest, then that restriction is an undue burden on women. She used this reasoning a decade later in Planned Parenthood v. Casey to help overturn a Pennsylvania law that required a woman to obtain her husband’s consent before getting an abortion.

 

If Justice O’Connor, a steadfast conservative, concedes that reproductive health laws must be in pursuit of a legitimate state interest, what would she say about the new Arizona law? Would she consider forcing a woman to receive an ultrasound to see her unborn child, and then go back 24 hours later to obtain the procedure to be a legitimate interest of the state? I posit not; instead, I think Justice O’Connor would recognize HB2036 for exactly what it is: an undue burden on women and their right to choose. Her colleague, Justice Stevens, framed the issue best in his concurrence in Casey: “[a] burden may be ‘undue’ either because [it] is too severe or because it lacks a legitimate, rational justification.” Much like the rest of Republican-supported policies, HB2036 lacks rational and factual justification, and is only in place to hinder women’s rights.

Reason #857 Why Women’s Rights Still Matter

By: Kelsey O’Hara, Arizona List Intern

Personhood debate in Mississippi in 5 words or less:

Ridiculous, Unconstitutional, Fanatical, Uneducated, and Insensitive

 

Though this legislation (thankfully) did not pass there is still cause to keep an eye on the development of personhood debates in states other than Mississippi.  There is talk of bringing a personhood bill to 6 states in the next election.  

What can you do? 

Talk about how you feel.  Take the initiative to speak about the right to choice with the people around you; there may be more in common than you think.  Pro-Choice does not have to be a partisan issue; it is a woman’s right to choose and to have control over the decisions that specifically affect her.  Help others to understand that Pro-Choice is also Pro-Family and Pro-Child.

Organizations such as Arizona List are vehemently opposed to legislation that takes away a woman’s right to her body.  We would enjoy your support in spreading this message through electing pro-choice, democratic female candidates.

No Fluffy Kittens Allowed

By: Guest Blogger, Melissa Rasowsky

Let’s talk about WOMEN. Every man reading this has now quickly exited the screen and looked over his shoulder to make sure no one was watching. Don’t worry men, there will be no discussion of

 low calorie ice cream

or fluffy kittens

And I’m sorry but the Charlie’s Angles will not be making an appearance any time soon.

But seriously, let’s talk about women. What does that phrase mean anyway, ‘Let’s talk about women’? Everyone ‘talks about women’ but what do they actually say?

I wasn’t quite sure how to answer that, so I did what anyone who has a question does these days, I Googled it. Typing “women” into my search bar, I expected to find lots of fierce feminist blogs and empowering stories of women’s conferences. What I found was anything but.

The first article was a Wikipedia entry on the ‘Woman’-mostly fact-based and not so scary. Scrolling down the page I came to article 2: the Top 99 Most Desirable Women of 2011-AskMen. Horrified, I scrunched my eyes shut and clicked the link; the page was full of pictures of slender, sultry looking female movie stars with quotes thanking the readers of AskMen for the nomination. Other search results included a Myspace page of women’s music, various classified ads, several pages on weight loss and fitness and a HowStuffWorks article on “How Women Work,” attempting to provide a biological explanation for the differences between rational men and irrational women.

It’s no wonder little girls skirts keep getting shorter and popular music becomes raunchier each day. Media and the internet are chock full of images and articles of over-sexualized women.

Why? Why are some of today’s most well known and powerful female movie stars thanking men for rating them as desirable? I’ve never seen an article rating male movie stars where the nominated stars have thanked women for their votes. Why are Google search results for ‘women’ all focused around sex and dating, beauty and fitness?

That’s what movies like MissRepresentation by Jennifer Siebel Newsom and books such as So Sexy So Soon – The New Sexualized Childhood and What Parents Can Do to Protect Their Kids by Dr. Jean Kilbourne try to answer. Join us this Saturday, October 1^st to see the film and hear commentary by Dr. Kilbourne on what’s going on in our society and how we can work together to change it.

Share your own Google search results or comment on mine below.

We’re on to you, Advertisers…

By: Kelsey O’Hara, Arizona List Intern

The media’s involvement in the degradation of women has been the underlying current shaping women, views on women, and ideas of what it means to be a woman. I know what you’re thinking, “whoa now, calm down, and the media is just talk.” Unfortunately the media is not just talk. The media has a sincere effect on how we code gender.

The easiest example I can think of to explain this is the idea that when looking at photos in fashion of both women and men. There are different energies, poses, subjection, etc. that we as viewers find acceptable.

This example shows the difference between what is acceptable for a man’s touch versus a woman’s touch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Women caress. Men grab.
Women are off balance, throw their head back (exposing the neck). Men stand stable, holding women.

Why bring this up? It’s just fashion?
Miss Representation delves into how these images and codes that are produced over and over again seep into our way of being and performing our own gender. The norms created from the media are powerful. Not only does this affect how we behave ourselves and what we see in others but it moves into the professional world, particularly the realm of politics. Miss Representation investigates how the media is affecting women’s mobility in the world.

Whether you agree, disagree, think I’m crazy, or are curious to hear more about the media’s stronghold over reproducing women’s oppression join Arizona List for the view of Miss Representation at the Loft this Saturday, October 1st. Dr. Jean Kilbourne is an expert in the area and looks forward to sharing her ideas with attendees.

Accessible health care for women should be a right, not a fight

By: Eliza Molk, Arizona List intern

Eliza Molk is a senior at the University of Arizona. She is a native Phoenician, but truly loves Tucson and Southern Arizona. She is majoring in journalism with a minor in sociology. She is an assistant news editor for the Arizona Daily Wildcat, the school newspaper for the U of A, and thoroughly enjoys writing and reporting. She plans to attend law school after graduating and wants to practice media law.

When bad bills are passed, sometimes people think nothing can be done. Planned Parenthood Arizona, however, is continuing to fight for accessible health care to all women across the state.

House Bill 2416 and Senate Bill 1030, two bills signed into law by Governor Jan Brewer, would drastically limit access to abortion in Arizona by imposing medically unnecessary limits on which trained medical professionals can provide abortion by pill. On June 29, 2011 Planned Parenthood Arizona was able to put a hold on the enforcement of the restrictions until a further hearing is held. This means that instead of the statues going into effect on July 20, they will not until at least the next hearing, slated for August 22. The judge will then decide whether to grant a preliminary injunction at the final hearing and therefore continue to prevent the statues from going into effect.

Although this is a temporary “win” for Arizona women, the fact that trusted health care providers like physicians assistants and nurse practitioners could have to stop giving exemplary medication abortion care services is plain ludicrous. These potential limits could create delays in accessing care for women throughout Arizona and could shut down abortion services altogether in places like Flagstaff and Yuma. This could force women to travel across the state just to access basic health care! If a woman has the right to choose what she can and cannot do with her body, she should also have the right to accessible health care without unnecessary roadblocks.

Medical providers should be able to give their patients accessible, affordable care in all communities. The legislators who want to disenfranchise that are ignorant to best practices that already exist thanks to organizations like Planned Parenthood. It is both sad and frustrating that Planned Parenthood Arizona can’t just do their job, they have fight against their own government in order to provide affordable access to health care for women and families. Whether the Arizona legislature likes it or not, more than 1 out of 3 women in the U.S. have an abortion by the time they are 45 years old. Therefore, women across the state and across the nation need options, and physicians assistants and nurse practitioners have the qualifications and education to provide those options.

Arizona women cannot afford for laws like this to pass in the future. If pro-choice democratic women are elected, however, fair health care can help be ensured. Now is the time to support Arizona List, and now is the time to support legislators who advocate for women, not against them.

Meet our interns!

Throughout the year, Arizona List offers internships to students who want experience working for our political action committee. The interns help us organize and run events, enter information in our database, research potential candidates and volunteer on the campaigns of our current endorsed candidates. Our organization currently has nine interns, seven in Tucson and two in Phoenix.

Tucson interns

Hi everyone! My name is Courtenay Parsons. I know what you’re thinking, what a strange way to spell a name. I was blessed with a loving mother who wanted to make first grade the worst experience ever. Can you imagine being tested on learning to write a 9-letter name? I was totally envious of my friend April at that time. Anyway! I am 22 years old and am finishing up my final credits at the U of A. I am majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus in Public Administration, Social Justice, and German. I would love a career working in a non-profit to help children.  In the near future I want to take the opportunity to volunteer in Thailand or Brazil helping orphaned children and teaching them English.
I’m currently an intern with Arizona List. What drew me to this organization was the idea of empowering women. I may not be your total hard liberal, but I definitely believe in leading women. At this internship I do everything from fundraising, helping out at events, and sharing with the community the candidates we endorse. One of the greatest parts of interning with Arizona List is actually being able to meet the women who are endorsed by our organization.

My name is Amber Mask and I am an incoming senior at the University of Arizona majoring in Political Science with a minor in Gender and Women’s studies. I am originally from Phoenix, Arizona, where most of my family still lives. I wanted to intern with Arizona List because I believe it is important that more women establish themselves in the political system and get their voices heard. Women face many struggles, especially in the political field, and the stronger our voice, the more likely we are to succeed. At Arizona List I have researched potential donors, helped inform patrons of upcoming events, as well as helped with various events throughout Arizona. After graduation I hope to work for a women’s rights organization, working to advance and strengthen women throughout our community.

Hi,
My name is Amanda Rodenberger and I will be a Senior at the UA this fall. I’m majoring in Sociology with a minor in Business Management. My passions are event planning and children. So ideally I’m looking to have a career in event planning or to be a children’s behavioral specialist. I’m from Phoenix but hope to move out of the state once I graduate, preferably North Carolina.

The reason this internship for Arizona List sparked my attention was to get more involved. I love to learn about new things and be in the middle of events so is the perfect fit for me. I’ve helped look at potential venues for the annual luncheon that Arizona List  puts on and have spent a lot of time researching potential candidates. I am really enjoying interning for Arizona List and hope to have a connection with them in the future.

My name is Dave Colangelo. I am 22 years old and just graduated from the University of Arizona.  I majored in Public Administration with an emphasis on Criminal Justice with a minor in Spanish.  I am still attempting to decide what I want to do with my life but I am relatively sure it will involve a job working for the Federal Government (most likely a federal law enforcement agency). I hope to return to Haiti in the future to volunteer at an orphanage I visited for two weeks four years ago.  It is called Proje Espwa (Project Hope) and it is a place devoted to helping the thousands of orphaned children in the country.
At this time, I am interning at Arizona List.  This type of organization is one that empowers women.  My family at home is my mother, an older sister, my older brother, and a younger sister.  I was raised to see the benefits in a pro-choice society and this belief drew my attention to Arizona List.  While interning here, I have helped at events (house parties, etc.), done database work in the office, worked phone banks, and research potential Arizona List members.  I have greatly enjoyed my time at Arizona List and believe strongly in the cause it promotes.  I can only hope its mission continues to be successful in this state and can spread throughout the nation.

Hola Hola! My name is Priscilla Salcedo, but as you get to know me, you’ll come to learn that my nickname is Piti (pronounced pee-tee). It’s what I go by and I won’t likely respond to Priscilla. I’m 21 and this is my first year interning for Arizona List! I’m in my last year at The University of Arizona and I’ll hopefully graduate in May 2012 with a degree in Communication and a minor in Spanish. Learning about the world and all the beautiful people that comprise it basically sums up what I’m interested in doing throughout my life. I’m passionate about learning and experiencing something new every day. Interning for Arizona List was one of those new learning experiences that I enthusiastically took; I’d never been into politics or anything of the sort, so interning for Arizona List was a must. I’ve had the opportunity to participate in events such as “Cocktails and Conversation” an event that Arizona List hosted and interns helped out. I’ve also had the opportunity research and learn about potential candidates. It’s been an exciting and fun experience so far and it’s motivated me to apply and hopefully get into Law School after I graduate.

Hello all! My name is Eliza Molk and I am an intern here at Arizona List. My motivation for interning is my strong democratic and progressive women ideologies, as well as a strong desire to learn more about all facets of politics. I believe in the importance of being involved in the political process, and at Arizona List, I am by helping organize events, reaching out to members and potential members, working in our database and much more.

I am a senior at the University of Arizona studying journalism and sociology. In addition to this internship, I am a reporter and assistant editor at the Arizona Daily Wildcat, the university’s newspaper. Writing and reporting are two of my greatest passions in addition to politics, and working at the paper has taught me how to work in a team setting, meet deadlines, thoroughly check facts and research information from science to the arts. When I graduate, I hope to attend law school somewhere on the west coast and practice media law. It is my goal to protect our freedom of speech and the rights of those who wish to distribute factual information that will help the greater good.

Phoenix interns

Hello, everyone! My name is Ira, and I recently moved to Arizona from Orange County, CA. I went to school in California and double majored in Women’s Studies and Communications and spent most of my time studying, practicing, and competing as captain of the Speech and Debate team. I now live in a small suburb of Phoenix, work a part-time job, and take part in a lot of community organizing consisting of facilitating workshops with a local feminist group on a variety of topics such as transgender 101, consent, poetry, etc. During my free time, I write a blog about my female-to-male transition, educate people about trans* related issues, and write poetry.

I came to Arizona List, because I feel that reproductive rights and maintaining personal autonomy are absolutely imperative for gender equality and equality in general. As an activist, I have noticed that there are many different routes to success, and for issues such as abortion rights, there is no other way than through the legislative process. So, I came to the forefront of this battle. I love this internship thus far. I get to help organize – and therefore attend – events for locally and nationally known candidates.

Hello! My name is Jaime Watson and I’m a women’s rights advocate. I’m a senior at Arizona State University double majoring in Political Science and Women and Gender Studies. I’m also earning a minor in Justice Studies and certificates in Human Rights, International Studies, and Civic Education. In between all of this, I intern at Arizona List doing everything from reaching out to new and current members to helping run events (with lots of inspiring and powerful women). I hope to help empower women by working to elect pro-choice female candidates to office to enact real change.