Hang On To Choice

As Tennessee Guerilla Women and Thoughts of an Average Woman have already reported, pro-choice women from Wellesley College, specifically Wellesley Women for Choice, have been bombarding Governor Bredesen's office with coat hangers bearing the message "Hang On To Choice" in support of Tennessee women's reproductive freedoms. The Hang On To Choice Campaign is intended to encourage the Governor to veto any legislation that would ban abortion. The group's logic is that Tennessee is one of the states where choice is most at risk; indeed, there is quite a bit of relevant pending legislation in the state.

I'm all for women taking action. My gut reaction to the Wellesley project, however, was one of discomfort. How well will the Governor react to an influx of mail from a liberal, Massachusetts women's college? Does it have any impact? Why aren't TN women doing the same? Is it embarrassing to the pro-choice in TN to be "scooped" on pro-choice activism? Does it matter? Shouldn't these efforts be followed up by some local action? What is Bredesen's response, because I haven't seen one anywhere? I think it's interesting that, while some claim abortion is a state issue, projects such as Hang on to Choice and efforts to support South Dakota women are springing up. I don't have any profound summary of this, it's just something I'm pondering.


Related: TGW and TOAAW also remind you to get your emergency contraception in advance, to avoid problems such as pharmacist refusals, lack of access to an open clinic, weekends, and other emergencies. This comes on the heels of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' annoucement of the "Ask Me" program to "aimed at educating women about emergency contraception (EC) and encouraging them to get an advance prescription from their ob-gyn. ACOG developed this campaign to help eliminate the logistical and political barriers that currently exist and make EC largely inaccessible to women." To locate clinics providing emergency contraception in your area, search the Not-2-Late directory. Kudos to those two local bloggers for bringing this to our attention.