North Carolina to Be First to Compensate Forced Sterilization Victims

North Carolina is one of *many* states that for decades forcibly sterilized people it considered “undesirable,” without their consent and sometimes even without their knowledge.

It sounds like a horrifying practice that must have been a long time ago, but there are people still alive who were violated in this way.

Now, North Carolina is set to become the first state to compensate victims, setting aside $10 million to pay off about 1,500 people estimated to still be alive (the practice supposedly stopped in 1974). They estimate something like 7,600 people were forcibly sterilized on that state.

They sure didn’t hurry, though. Most states seem to be simply avoiding this gross violation of human rights and dignity until everyone they victimized dies off and can’t complain. And hey, the state effectively limited their having m/any children who could take up their cause afterward.

Dear More Than Half the States Remaining – step up. Do it now.

Sunday News Round-Up, Stay in the Air Conditioning Edition

Some of my recent posts over at Our Bodies Our Blog, the blog of Our Bodies Ourselves. There are links to lots of stories of interest on OBOS’s on Twitter and Facebook accounts as well.:

• Women Make Movies: New Releases Include Films on Virginity, Women in Prison and Body Image


• State by State: Laws Restricting Abortion and Family Planning as of Mid-2013


• CIR Prison Investigation Opens Another Chapter on Sterilization of Women in U.S.


• Keeping Up With Anti-Abortion Attacks in the States


• Ask the FDA to Approve *All* Emergency Contraception Pills for OTC Access

And some guest blogger posts at OBOS:

• Lessons Learned: Why Midwives Should Matter to Everyone


• Egg Donation is Made to Look Easy, but Questions and Health Risks Remain


• Emergency Contraception Can Be Free, But it Takes Planning – And a Prescription

Also of interest:

• Forced Sterilizations and the Future of the Women’s Movement – Salamishah Tillet at The Nation. “the victims of forced sterilization as integral to the future of the women’s movement as the fight over choice” – because when *to* have a child, and having control over that yourself, *is* a matter of choice.


• In the New York Times: American Way of Birth, Costliest in the World. Honestly, when you figure that the majority of women who have abortions are *already* mothers, healthcare costs are something anti-abortion “pro-life” folks should really look at.


• Tampons as a feminist issue, via GenderFocus. And not just in a “confiscated by the government from women trying to exercise their civic duty” sort of way. Honestly, tampons lack sufficient mass to be good thrown weapons, Texas.


• Found via Racialicious, to read up on later: Harvard and Slavery: Seeking a Forgotten History


• At Shakesville, Calling all Pro-Choice Men. “Make as much noise, MAKE MORE NOISE, than anti-choice men!” Do it. Now.


• The Nerdy Feminist talks intersectionalism in feminist/pro-choice communities, from the vantage point of the Texas rallies.


• Because positive stereotypes are bullshit, too. Like when anyone responds to my mixed heritage with statements like, “mutts are the smartest dogs.” Dueling Stereotypes: Bad Asian Drivers, Good At Everything.

A reminder: I’m playing around with a tumblr companion to this blog. I’ll link things there that don’t quite fit here or that I don’t have time to really write up separately, like quick news things, or this cool resource from the Wisconsin Historical Society – an online collection of photos and documents from Freedom Summer. I’m still messing around with the template – I don’t like how the current one deals with link posts.

On a medical librarian note, I volunteered to moderate last Thursday’s #medlibs chat on Twitter. Here’s the archive! Contact @eagledawg if you’d like to volunteer for a specific week.

And a final reminder, to the medical librarians among the audience. I’ve started investigating and applying to positions at the assistant/associate director level in medical libraries. If you know of something I should keep an eye out for, I’d really appreciate hearing about it!

Unrelated to anything, but cool: Animal Rescue: Caring for Animals During Emergencies

And, to end things on a bit of silliness: True Blood Sims is one of my favorite tumblrs, and makes me giggle on a regular basis. If you’re a fan of True Blood *or* the Southern Vampire Mysteries books (or if you have a love/hate relationship with either…), you will like it.

While you’re at it, Birthing Beautiful Ideas is blogging a Pie a Week. Dean Winchester fans, take note.

Filed under: Abortion, Access, Rights, & Choice, Birth, Contraception, Drugs, Ethics, Government, Laws, Legislation, & Courts, Menstruation, Midwifery, Miscellaneous, News Round-Ups, Pregnancy, Women's Health  

#medlibs Chat Tonight on Staff Training and Professional Development

I’m moderating the weekly #medlibs chat tonight on Twitter. Our topic this week is staff training and professional development.

I’ve posted some potential questions for discussion here. I’ll use these as prompts as needed, but discussion will be informal and participants can feel free to raise other related issues on the theme.

See you at 8:00 pm Central time, tag your posts #medlibs.

Update: Here’s the transcript. There are some excellent reminders in there from participants about low cost learning resources. Thanks to everyone who participated!

 

Ohio Urgently Needs Your Support, Too!

Ohio pro-choice forces urgently need support.

From Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio:

TOMORROW IN OHIO – The last votes that your lawmakers will cast on the state budget before it is sent to Gov. Kasich. It includes defunding. It includes transfer agreement bans that could close many abortion providers in Ohio. It includes the forced ultrasound amendment they added yesterday. Stand with Ohio women!

From a Facebook event page:

Inspired by Texan Women, please wear RED for Ohio and join us to show Ohio’s Legislature & Governor Kasich that we Stand With Ohio Women beginning at 10 AM Thursday with a Press Conference on the High Street/West entrance side. We’ll then pack the Gallery for what could a long day! (wear comfy shoes!). Spread the word – this is a non-partisan event for ALL of us who believe that Ohio’s Budget should not be the “Abortion Budget”. Demand a VETO on abortion amendments! *** if you can not make it in person, please call Gov Kasich 614-466-3555. Tell him to veto all of the attacks on access to reproductive healthcare! See y’all in Columbus! #StandwOHWomen

Go get ‘em, y’all. More love from Nashville.

Filed under: Access, Rights, & Choice, Ethics, Events & Observances, Government  

Thank You Wendy Davis, Leticia Van De Putte, and Everyone Who Turned Out in Texas

There are no words but “thank you.” Your stamina and commitment are admirable and inspiring. Whatever we can do to help prepare for July 1, let’s do it.

Pretend all this cheering is my message to you:

Love, from Nashville.

Filed under: Access, Rights, & Choice, Events & Observances, Government

Sunday News Round-Up, Everything is Miscellaneous Edition

I’m playing around with a tumblr companion to this site, located at http://womenshealthnewstumbles.tumblr.com/. I haven’t fully decided how much effort I can put into it, but I thought I’d copy posts over there, reblog things of interest, and otherwise post quick link items that don’t require much commentary. There may be a few more off-topic sorts of commentary things there as well, like one on my firsthand experience of Paula Deen’s racist waitstaff fantasy.

Recent posts over at Our Bodies Our Blog: WHO Releases Global Report on Health Effects of Violence Against Women; Groundbreaking Study Follows Women Who Underwent Abortions and Those Who Were Turned Away; Single Embryo Transfer Recommended in Most IVF Procedures.

National HIV Testing Day is coming up on June 27th. Find a testing site using the widget here (it doesn’t embed well here).

Transgender Child Care Co-Op – if you’re near Richmond, VA, “TGCC is a Richmond, VA based worker-owned organization of transgender and genderqueer childcare providers. We provide babysitting services to children of all genders, whether they be gender independent, gender questioning, transgender or cisgender.” Yes.

At Feministe, Five things to say to a friend who confides in you that they’ve been sexually assaulted.

The Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network has developed a toolkit for elementary educators on diversity, bullying, and teaching kids respect. I don’t know the org and haven’t read through the toolkit, but I thought there might be some teachers in the audience here who would have a more educated opinion.

A reminder that it’s not just “mean” people who perpetuate rape culture.

Pam’s House Blend is closing up shop.

If you follow OutServe, you might want to check this out.

The Komen Foundation has a new leader. It’s a “take us seriously” and “we care about science” pick. Yeah, we’ll see.

Our Bodies Ourselves is looking for a summer intern. It’s unpaid, but there could potentially be a school credit arrangement.

From the FDA, making Plan B One Step emergency contraception available without a prescription to women and girls of all ages.

Op-ed in the New York Times on needing a legal abortion at 23 weeks.

Several good links over at first the egg.

Via the Center for Reproductive Rights: “The Center for Reproductive Rights filed a lawsuit today to block a new Kansas law encompassing 47 pages of unconstitutional restrictions on women’s access to abortion, all designed to discriminate against reproductive health care providers and their patients.”

Abortion Curbs Advance in Texas – more laws that do nothing to increase women’s safety and are just about reducing access to legal abortion.

And a bit of personal news – I’ve started seriously looking into medical library jobs at the associate/assistant director level. If you know of anything coming open, I’d really appreciate hearing about it.

Filed under: Abortion, Abuse, Rape, & Safety, Access, Rights, & Choice, Adolescent Health, Birth, Contraception, Drugs, Events & Observances, Global Issues, Government, HIV/AIDS, Libraryland, Miscellaneous, News Round-Ups, Pregnancy  

The Basics