LilSugar

For the Childless, Womb Transplants Are on the Horizon

babysugar — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:30:28 PDT

Some women have known all their lives that they were meant to be mothers. When nature does not allow for a man and woman to procreate on their own, people can take alternative routes to building their families: adoption, surrogacy, and in vitro fertilization. But for some ladies, it's not enough to take in an orphaned child or even have another woman carry her own flesh and blood. In that case, a womb transplant could be a dream come true and is very likely to become a reality sooner than later.

Scientists in London successfully performed a womb transplant in rabbits, giving hope to the future of human womb transplants. While there are medical issues to be conquered and experiments yet to be performed, the researchers believe the technique will be tested on women within two years. The topic of human reproduction always proves to be a volatile one. Some will argue the world is already overpopulated and there are plenty of children starving for homes. But for those women who crave the desire to be pregnant, the medical procedure could be the answer to their prayers.

What are your thoughts on the scientific advancement?

Pregnant Woman Faces Forced Abortion of Her Third Child

LilSugar — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 07:00:10 PST

In America, we have the freedom to reproduce at will, but in other countries that isn't the case. An Uyghur woman who is more than six months pregnant with her third child is facing a forced abortion. Chinese authorities are holding her in a hospital because she is only permitted two offspring. One report said:

China's one-child-per-family policy applies mainly to majority Han Chinese but allows ethnic minorities, including Uyghurs, to have additional children, with peasants permitted to have three children and city-dwellers two.

But while Tursun is a peasant, her husband, Nurmemet Tohtasin, is from the city of Gulja [in Chinese, Yining] so their status is unclear. The couple live with their two children in Bulaq village, Dadamtu township, in Gulja.

The couple is also subject to steep governmental fines. Do you think it's fair for the government to regulate a person's reproductive rights?

Source

Planned Parenthood Wireless: Powered by Working Assets

FitSugar — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 02:17:03 PST

If you're unhappy with your present cell phone service, and you're thinking of switching, here's an option. Planned Parenthood Wireless through Working Assets.

"Planned Parenthood Wireless is a new choice for your cell phone service. By signing up for this service, you will help preserve reproductive rights, and ensure access to comprehensive family planning and medically accurate sex education for women and families around the world. You'll do something you do every day - talk on your cell phone - and you'll be helping Planned Parenthood as 10% of all monthly charges goes to Planned Parenthood Federation of America, at no extra cost to you."

When you switch to Working Assets, Planned Parenthood will refund any termination fee you might have to pay, up to $175.

Making the choice to switch to Planned Parenthood Wireless is similar to buying Fair Trade chocolate or sweatshop-free clothing. It's a conscious choice to do something that helps to support a cause you believe in.

I know Planned Parenthood is sometimes considered a controversial organization, but if you believe in their mission then this is a great way to support them.

What We Need to Talk About When We Talk About Sex and Feminism

The Good Men Project — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 08:00:00 PDT

We're happy to present this story from one of our favorite sites, The Good Men Project. Lisa Solod, who came of age during the sexual revolution, explores what feminism means to this generation.

My mother married my father because, she told me in a rare moment of candor, she wanted to have sex with him. She was 25 and tired of pre-sex fumbling and stolen kisses. My father was, of course, far more experienced, having been in the Pacific Theater during World War II; far less discreet about his former life (and life in general) he told his daughters inappropriate tales of the women he had met on shore leave. One I particularly remember had her front teeth filed into points. Well into their marriage, each of them managed to be unfaithful and they finally separated (but not because of infidelity) after twenty years of marriage. Yet, for another dozen years or so they would hook up here and there, travel together, and, of course have sex. In a further revelation, my mother told me that the sex was the best part of her relationship with my father.

I came of age at the tail end but the real beginning of the sexual revolution (1971-1974). At that point, sexual liberation was inextricably tied to the rise of feminism. Having sex like men, i.e., without attachment, was part of our freedom. But too many of us got hurt. We hadn’t yet factored in the biology of mating and how really hard it was to have that much sex without any real commitment. Most of the women I know who grew up during those years had far more sexual encounters than they were ever willing to reveal to their husbands. Those of us who divorced then dived back into the sexual market with the same abandon. I am not sure we were all the wiser. I hear STDs are on the rise in the over 50 group, which doesn’t surprise me. We all were pretty practiced in birth control but we took it into our own hands, with the pill and the diaphragm. This was pre-AIDS. Barrier methods were not our methods of choice then. They are not, apparently, our method now, either.

Should a Man Stand Up For His Woman?

But those of us who grew up in the trenches of the sexual revolution know that feminism was about far more than women having the kind of meaningless sex with men that men had been having with us for eons. Feminism, which is still being parsed in the media as well as our own homes, still being debated and discussed and accepted and dismissed, was about being able to control (to the extent that anyone can) our work lives, our love lives, our lives as a whole. It was about being able to have a career, being paid equally well for that career, and making our own decisions about marriage and childbirth without having to merely capitulate to what society had set out for us. I, for one, was happy not to have to marry to have sex. I was thrilled to be able to go to college and think about a career without worrying that it might make me unmarriageable. I was ecstatic about the notion that I could make decisions for myself.

All those ideas I passed along to my daughter. But, of course, she had no need to wrestle with those notions as the women in my generation had. She lived in a society where (she thought) feminism was taken for granted. Women her age did not talk about marriage, either as an option or something to reject. They saw it as fact that women could do anything.

Read the rest of the story below.

Ann Romney's Defense of Stay-at-Home Moms Distracts From Real Issue

Tara Block — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 12:50:00 PDT

In an attempt to attract female voters turned off by his stance on Planned Parenthood, reproductive rights, and women's issues in general, Mitt Romney has been using his wife Ann Romney as his token woman for his campaign. When questioned about gender roles and the war on women, Mitt Romney continues to bring up Ann, recently saying: "My wife has the occasion, as you know, to campaign on her own and also with me, and she reports to me regularly that the issue women care about most is the economy."

But CNN pundit Hilary Rosen took issue with the idea that wealthy stay-at-home mom Ann is being used as an "expert" on working moms and women. On AC360 last night she said, "Guess what? His wife has actually never worked a day in her life. She's never really dealt with the kinds of economic issues that a majority of the women in this country are facing." These comments got Ann so heated up that she actually joined Twitter to defend herself, tweeting: "I made a choice to stay home and raise five boys. Believe me, it was hard work." And now it's a full-blown feud, with Hilary countering with a Huffington Post piece and Ann going on Fox News to talk about how being a stay-at-home mom is a career choice with its own challenges.

The problem that arises from this stay-at-home vs. the working mom debate is that it takes the focus off the real issue that spurred Hilary's controversial comment in the first place. Something she brings up again in her Huffington Post article. She writes, "Is Ann Romney Mitt's touchstone for women who are struggling economically or not? Nothing in Ann Romney's history as we have heard it - hardworking mom she may have been - leads me to believe that Mitt has chosen the right expert to get feedback on this problem he professes to be so concerned about."

Should Mitt Romney be using Ann to attract women voters the way that he has? Do you think Hilary was wrong to call out Ann in the way that she did? Weigh in below.

Then and Now: Mitt Romney's Positions on Reproductive Rights

Annie Scudder — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 11:35:00 PST

Happy Super Tuesday! Today 10 states will vote in GOP presidential primaries, as Mitt Romney hopes to gain the final momentum needed to clinch the party's nomination. When running for the Senate or governor in liberal Massachusetts, Romney took nuanced positions on topics like abortion and emergency contraception. But over time some of his positions on reproductive rights have changed in significant ways. In the '90s he said, "I believe that abortion should be safe and legal in this country," while today he wants to see the end of Roe v. Wade and abortion limited.

Still, Romney has been somewhat consistent on a few issues and has offered some explanations on others, saying he simply changed his mind on abortion and that it's OK to. Let's evaluate Mitt Romney's reputation as a flip flopper now to see where he stood and now stands on issues crucial to women voters.

SNL's Really!?! With Seth and Amy Takes on Birth Control Debate

Tara Block — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 17:10:00 PST

Just when we thought she couldn't get any cooler, one of our favorite funny ladies Amy Poehler stopped by Saturday Night Live last night and gave a great rant with Seth Meyers on the birth control debate via Really!?! With Seth and Amy. The pair rightly called out congressman Darrell Issa for his all-male panel on Obama's birth control mandate, Foster Freeze for his antiquated birth control idea (keep your legs closed), and Mike Huckabee's anti-birth-control line: "We're all Catholic now." To that last argument, Amy pointed out that the majority of Catholic women use contraception, saying, "You know who's not all Catholic now? All Catholics now." Thanks, Seth and Amy, for waking people up to the ridiculousness going on right now in regards to women's reproductive rights; let's hope it helps! Check out the clip now, and weigh in below.

11 Quotes From Rick Santorum That Are Worrisome For Women

Annie Scudder — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:26:41 PST

Last week's Susan G. Komen/Planned Parenthood debacle was a high-profile example of how women's health can fall prey to politics. Considering this is an election year, we can expect reproductive rights rhetoric to heat up on both sides. President Obama recently hit a sensitive spot when his administration announced that all employers, including Catholic universities and institutions, will have to provide insurance plans that cover contraception for their employees.

Republican social conservatives have already jumped on Obama's policy as a campaign issue. And for Rick Santorum, controversial sexual politics have always been at the heart of his platform. The Republican candidate, who opposes abortion in all cases and says rape victims should "make the best out of a bad situation," won three contests last night, caucuses in Colorado and Minnesota, and the primary in Missouri. Since his chances of winning the nomination, or at least having a greater influence in national politics, is rising, let's look at some of his more worrisome quotes and positions on women's issues.

Planned Parenthood Offers Tips For Talking Abortion and Birth Control on Thanksgiving

Annie Scudder — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 10:30:19 PST

Considering the abortion debate covers both politics and religion, two topics most people avoid discussing with family, I imagine most people would avoid it at all costs over Thanksgiving dinner. Still, Planned Parenthood has published eight easy steps for discussing reproductive health at your holiday table. The tips reflect common sense ideas like, "learn to diffuse" or "be open and accepting of other people's personal views," and also includes scripts to practice. One example:

Question: "I don’t want my tax dollars going toward abortions."
Response: "Actually, because of the Hyde Amendment, tax dollars can’t go toward supporting abortion. But I do believe that everyone deserves access to basic, preventive reproductive care, and that it’s important we support those services. No one should ever have to choose between paying rent and buying birth control."

If you're pro-choice and feel strongly about reproductive rights, this cheat sheet might help you get out of an uncomfortable situation if you find yourself suddenly challenged. But would you actively bring up this topic, instead of focusing on turkey and football?

Mississippi Votes to Keep Birth Control, IVF, & Abortion Legal

Annie Scudder — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 10:25:22 PST

Earlier this week feminist icon Gloria Steinem told us that reproductive rights were the single biggest accomplishment for women she's witnessed. Yesterday Mississippi voters had a chance to roll back the clock by passing a ballot measure that would have defined a fertilized egg as a person. They voted against it.

Initiative 26 would have added this language to the state's constitution: "The term ‘person' or ‘persons' shall include every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning or the functional equivalent thereof." By giving personhood rights to a fertilized egg, the amendment would have banned abortion, even in the case of rape or incest, and would have also outlawed in vitro fertilization and IUDs.

Birth control like the pill or Plan B would have likely been banned too, since many forms of hormonal birth control prevent a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus, should the hormones fail at preventing fertilization in the first place. Critics also warned that any miscarriage could initiate a criminal investigation if the measure passed.

The initiative sponsored by Personhood USA was put up for a vote in Mississippi because it is one of the more conservative, pro-life states. They were hoping a legal challenge would eventually make the US Supreme Court revisit Roe v. Wade and ultimately overturn it. Colorado voters have twice rejected similar measures before. Despite losing in a very conservative state yesterday, the life-at-fertilization camp says they'll continue their efforts.