Your selected health observances for May are as follows:
Hepatitis Awareness Month
Living with Hepatitis - Hepatitis Foundation International
MedlinePlus: Hepatitis
Hepatitis A, B, and C: Learn the Differences - Immunization Action Coalition
Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C - American Liver Foundation
Hepatitis - National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse
High Blood Pressure Education Month
Activity Kit for the observance - National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Your Guide to Lowering High Blood Pressure - NHLBI
MedlinePlus: High Blood Pressure
High Blood Pressure - American Heart Association
Lyme Disease Awareness Month (this one's for you, Ivy!)
Lyme Disease - familydoctor.org
Learn About Lyme Disease - the CDC's Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases
Lyme Disease - MayoClinic.com
American Lyme Disease Foundation
MedlinePlus: Lyme Disease
Mental Health Month
Mind Your Health - National Mental Health Association
MedlinePlus: Mental Health
Healthy Minds. Healthy Lives - American Pyschiatric Association
Mental Health Services Locator - US Dept of Health & Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Mental Health Topics - National Institute of Mental Health
Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month
National Osteoporosis Foundation
Your Disease Risk: Osteoporosis - Harvard School of Public Health
Osteoporosis - American College of Rheumatology
National Institutes of Health, Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases - National Resource Center
MedlinePlus: Osteoporosis
Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month
Teen Pregnancy Prevention - Advocates for Youth
MedlinePlus: Teenage Pregnancy
National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy
Teen Health and Reducine Teenage Pregnancy - Planned Parenthood
Adolescents - Guttmacher Institute
National Women's Health Week: May 14-20, 2006
National Women's Health Week
National Women's Health Information Center
Our Bodies, Ourselves - Boston Women's Health Book Collective
Society for Women's Health Research
MedlinePlus: Women's Health Topics
Black Women's Health Imperative
International Women's Health Coalition
Planned Parenthood
Technorati Tags: hepatitis; high blood pressure; hypertension; lyme disease; mental health; osteoporosis; teen pregnancy; women's health
MeSH Tags: Hepatitis; Hypertension; Lyme Disease; Mental Disorders; Mental Health; Osteoporosis; Pregnancy in Adolescence; Women's Health
Saturday, May 6, 2006
Support the Relief Fund for Gulf Coast Sexual Assault Victims
The National Sexual Violence Resource Center has established a relief fund for sexual assault victims in the Gulf Coast, in cooperation with state sexual assault coalitions in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. According to the fund's website:
"In the wake of Hurricane's Katrina and Rita, people experienced sexual violence during the evacuation process, sexual assault survivors were driven from their homes under traumatic conditions, and many sexual assault crisis centers were shut down or damaged. In joining the national call to offer relief to these victims, national partners working to end sexual violence have joined forces and are coordinating efforts to provide assistance to Gulf Coast states affected by Hurricanes Katrina ad Rita, and neighboring states accepting large numbers of evacuees.
The Relief Fund for Sexual Assault Victims has been established to collect donations that will aid affected sexual assault victims and advocacy programs. The Fund is designed to:
Support the needs of sexual assault survivors
Support the needs of sexual assault advocacy program staff
Assist with expanded direct service capacity needs
Assist with prevention initiatives to protect evacuees from sexual violence
Support relocation/rebuilding efforts for flood-damaged sexual assault advocacy programs"
Information on contributing to the fund is available here
(Found via the librarian of the NSVRC. Information about the library, its services, and the sexual assault resources in its collection are available online.)
Technorati Tags: disaster relief; Gulf Coast; sexual assault
MeSH Tags: Natural Disasters; Sex Offenses
"In the wake of Hurricane's Katrina and Rita, people experienced sexual violence during the evacuation process, sexual assault survivors were driven from their homes under traumatic conditions, and many sexual assault crisis centers were shut down or damaged. In joining the national call to offer relief to these victims, national partners working to end sexual violence have joined forces and are coordinating efforts to provide assistance to Gulf Coast states affected by Hurricanes Katrina ad Rita, and neighboring states accepting large numbers of evacuees.
The Relief Fund for Sexual Assault Victims has been established to collect donations that will aid affected sexual assault victims and advocacy programs. The Fund is designed to:
Information on contributing to the fund is available here
(Found via the librarian of the NSVRC. Information about the library, its services, and the sexual assault resources in its collection are available online.)
Technorati Tags: disaster relief; Gulf Coast; sexual assault
MeSH Tags: Natural Disasters; Sex Offenses
A Word Game, Played in the Blog Comments (or: More Vagina Talk)
Someone recently ended up at my blog via a search for "words to describe the vagina." So, gentle readers, I issue a challenge. Please post words you would use to describe the vagina in the comments. These can be as serious or silly as you want. I'll update the post with the list. Here's a start:
stretchy
versatile
internal
mysterious
self-cleaning (from Pam)
Now it's your turn! Your "words" can be more elaborate that single word entries if you prefer.
Also, if you happen to be in New York City this June 12-27, the V-Day folks (who organize lots of vagina talk each year through Vagina Monologues performances) bring you "Until the Violence Stops: NYC." According to the site, this event "is a festival of theater, spoken word, performance and community events created to bring the issue of violence against women and girls front and center in the culture and the community. Featuring performances by Jane Fonda, Salma Hayek, Kerry Washington, Rosario Dawson, Tina Fey, Marlo Thomas, Diane Lane, Suheir Hammad, Sarah Jones, Phylicia Rashad (I love her), Isabella Rossellini, Marian Seldes, Gloria Steinem, Idina Menzel, and more. Authors contributing original works written exclusively for the festival include Edward Albee, Tariq Ali, Maya Angelou, Edwidge Danticat, Anna Deavere Smith, Ariel Dorfman, Michael Eric Dyson, Dave Eggers, Nicholas Kristof, Azar Nafisi, Paula Vogel, Alice Walker, Nobel prize winner Jody Williams, Howard Zinn, and more."
The "Marquee Events" for this festival include:
Women and War (Studio 54, Monday, June 12 7:00pm)
Monologues From the World (Hammerstein Ballroom, Monday, June 19 8:00pm)
Words From Prison (working title) (Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, Wednesday, June 21 8:00pm)
It’s Hard Out Here For A Girl/Brooklyn Represents: Language and Sound (Brooklyn Museum, June 25 7:00pm)
See the press release for more details
Technorati Tags: events; New York City; Until the Violence Stops; V-day; vagina; violence
MeSH Tags: Battered Women; Vagina; Violence
Now it's your turn! Your "words" can be more elaborate that single word entries if you prefer.
Also, if you happen to be in New York City this June 12-27, the V-Day folks (who organize lots of vagina talk each year through Vagina Monologues performances) bring you "Until the Violence Stops: NYC." According to the site, this event "is a festival of theater, spoken word, performance and community events created to bring the issue of violence against women and girls front and center in the culture and the community. Featuring performances by Jane Fonda, Salma Hayek, Kerry Washington, Rosario Dawson, Tina Fey, Marlo Thomas, Diane Lane, Suheir Hammad, Sarah Jones, Phylicia Rashad (I love her), Isabella Rossellini, Marian Seldes, Gloria Steinem, Idina Menzel, and more. Authors contributing original works written exclusively for the festival include Edward Albee, Tariq Ali, Maya Angelou, Edwidge Danticat, Anna Deavere Smith, Ariel Dorfman, Michael Eric Dyson, Dave Eggers, Nicholas Kristof, Azar Nafisi, Paula Vogel, Alice Walker, Nobel prize winner Jody Williams, Howard Zinn, and more."
The "Marquee Events" for this festival include:
See the press release for more details
Technorati Tags: events; New York City; Until the Violence Stops; V-day; vagina; violence
MeSH Tags: Battered Women; Vagina; Violence
Contraceptive Use Down, Abortion Rates and Unplanned Pregnancy
The New York Times published an article yesterday, Use of Contraceptive Drops, Slowing Decline of Abortion Rate." The piece is based on a new report from the Guttmacher Institute, which found that the percentage of women trying not to get pregnant but not using contraception increased from 7% in 1994 to 11% in 2001. The tie between contraceptive use and abortions is very loosely made in the NYTimes piece, which says,
"Guttmacher and other groups that work to prevent unintended pregnancy credit growing contraceptive use starting in the early 1980's for the big drop in the abortion rate, which is now at its lowest since Roe v. Wade established a constitutional right to abortion in 1973.
Slightly more women use contraception now than did in 1982, when 12 percent did not. But the decline in abortion seems to have leveled off. While the abortion rate fell an average of 3.4 percent annually in the early 1990's, it declined an average of just 0.8 percent from 2000 to 2002."
Essentially, they're saying that abortion rates have stopped declining as contraceptive use has declined, although the full report indicates the issue is quite a bit more complex than the NYTimes article describes.
The Guttmacher report the NYTimes references is "Abortion in Women's Lives. (PDF)" Some notable quotes and findings from the report:
"The typical woman spends five years pregnant, postpartum or trying to get pregnant and 30 years avoiding pregnancy." (p.8)
This sort of blows my mind. I was aware of it, but this sentence really brings into focus how we as women spend over half of our lives trying to avoid pregnancy, for assorted reasons.
"Each year, more than six million American women—one in every 10 women of reproductive age (15–44)—become pregnant, and almost half of those pregnancies are unintentional." (p.8)
"although unplanned pregnancy affects all types of American women, a greater proportion of women from certain groups than from others become pregnant unintentionally: women of color and those who are young, unmarried or poor." (p.8)
Table 1-1 (p.9) lists the reasons women cite for obtaining abortion. They were: concern for/responsibility to other individuals (74%); cannot afford a baby now (73%); a baby would interfere with school/employment/ability to care for dependents (69%); would be a single parent/having relationship problems (48%); has completed childbearing (38%). Presumably women could choose more than one response. I think this is particularly interesting, because it illustrates how existing family burdens/lack of support affect women's reproductive choices.
"Although women who have abortions and women who have children are often perceived as two distinct groups, in reality, they are the same women at different points in their lives. Six in 10 women who have an abortion are already a parent.16 Moreover, 52% of women having an abortion intend to have children or more children in the future." (p.10)
The entire report is fairly interesting, as it attempts to quantify some of issues of contraceptive use, education, income, safety, and other topics affecting abortion rates and women's decisions. A press release, "A Tale of Two Americas for Women," accompanies the report.
In the interest of full disclosure, the Guttmacher Institute does support women's reproductive freedoms, as evidenced by their mission statement: "The Institute's mission is to protect the reproductive choices of all women and men in the United States and throughout the world. It is to support their ability to obtain the information and services needed to achieve their full human rights, safeguard their health and exercise their individual responsibilities in regard to sexual behavior and relationships, reproduction and family formation."
Update: The Washington Post has what I think is a more interesting and complete article on the report, Unwanted Pregnancies Rise for Poor Women." The article quotes Leslie Unruh of the Abstinence Clearinghouse (who/which I previously discussed here) as believing that "the growing number of unintended pregnancies among poorer women shows that traditional sex education programs are failing." Unruh was quoted as stating, "Programs for poor women are often so condescending, even degrading," she said. "They teach how to put on a condom rather than how to take control of their lives."
Candy of Feminism Without Clothes has what I think is an apt response to Unruh: (NSFW due to nudity - Candy also runs the SeeCandyBleed blog focused on her menstrual art)
"What the hell? You know what's really, really degrading to poor women? Thinking that the best way to help them "take control of their lives" is to focus on not have[sic] sex. Not on how to make the decision to have sex, and how to be sexually active in a responsible manner, if they should so choose. How is denying anyone information about anything- including how to put on a condom- teaching them to take control of their lives? Am I living in bizarro world here?"
More locally, Thoughts of An Average Woman also has commentary on the report.
Technorati Tags: abortion; contraception; Guttmacher; Leslie Unruh; New York Times; Reproductive Rights; unplanned pregnancy; Washington Post
MeSH Tags: Abortion/Induced; Contraception/utilization; Pregnancy, Unplanned
"Guttmacher and other groups that work to prevent unintended pregnancy credit growing contraceptive use starting in the early 1980's for the big drop in the abortion rate, which is now at its lowest since Roe v. Wade established a constitutional right to abortion in 1973.
Slightly more women use contraception now than did in 1982, when 12 percent did not. But the decline in abortion seems to have leveled off. While the abortion rate fell an average of 3.4 percent annually in the early 1990's, it declined an average of just 0.8 percent from 2000 to 2002."
Essentially, they're saying that abortion rates have stopped declining as contraceptive use has declined, although the full report indicates the issue is quite a bit more complex than the NYTimes article describes.
The Guttmacher report the NYTimes references is "Abortion in Women's Lives. (PDF)" Some notable quotes and findings from the report:
This sort of blows my mind. I was aware of it, but this sentence really brings into focus how we as women spend over half of our lives trying to avoid pregnancy, for assorted reasons.
The entire report is fairly interesting, as it attempts to quantify some of issues of contraceptive use, education, income, safety, and other topics affecting abortion rates and women's decisions. A press release, "A Tale of Two Americas for Women," accompanies the report.
In the interest of full disclosure, the Guttmacher Institute does support women's reproductive freedoms, as evidenced by their mission statement: "The Institute's mission is to protect the reproductive choices of all women and men in the United States and throughout the world. It is to support their ability to obtain the information and services needed to achieve their full human rights, safeguard their health and exercise their individual responsibilities in regard to sexual behavior and relationships, reproduction and family formation."
Update: The Washington Post has what I think is a more interesting and complete article on the report, Unwanted Pregnancies Rise for Poor Women." The article quotes Leslie Unruh of the Abstinence Clearinghouse (who/which I previously discussed here) as believing that "the growing number of unintended pregnancies among poorer women shows that traditional sex education programs are failing." Unruh was quoted as stating, "Programs for poor women are often so condescending, even degrading," she said. "They teach how to put on a condom rather than how to take control of their lives."
Candy of Feminism Without Clothes has what I think is an apt response to Unruh: (NSFW due to nudity - Candy also runs the SeeCandyBleed blog focused on her menstrual art)
"What the hell? You know what's really, really degrading to poor women? Thinking that the best way to help them "take control of their lives" is to focus on not have[sic] sex. Not on how to make the decision to have sex, and how to be sexually active in a responsible manner, if they should so choose. How is denying anyone information about anything- including how to put on a condom- teaching them to take control of their lives? Am I living in bizarro world here?"
More locally, Thoughts of An Average Woman also has commentary on the report.
Technorati Tags: abortion; contraception; Guttmacher; Leslie Unruh; New York Times; Reproductive Rights; unplanned pregnancy; Washington Post
MeSH Tags: Abortion/Induced; Contraception/utilization; Pregnancy, Unplanned
Wednesday, May 3, 2006
Happy Birthday Dad!!!
My dad and I have been through a lot together. A lot of heart ache, a lot of stubborn fights, but a lot of joy too.
He was there in the room with me right after I had my first son. Right by my side. He made it home from Oregon with my brother just in time....and knowing my dad drove through the night in order to be there for me.
My dad taught me to be a strong fighter for what I think is right. To stand up for my beliefs. He didn't much like it when I stood up to him though :)
He stood beside me and helped me with my boys when things were rough in my life last fall.
Dad taught me to check my tires and my oil and to drive a stick shift...so that I didn't need to be dependent on a man to do it for me.
And way back when, Dad stood over me and helped me learn to write cursive the year before we learned it in school...and helped me read chapter books. He encouraged that love of learning in me.
I still remember those things. I can never thank you enough for the things you DID do Dad.
I found this picture of me, wearing Dad's shoes. I think I was a bit of a Daddy's girl when I was this little...
I wanted this song as our "Father-Daughter" dance at our wedding. I ended up allowing Dad to make the song decision...but on my Dad's birthday, I'd like to send out this tribute.
I remember daddy's hands
folded silently in prayer.
And reachin' out to hold me,
when I had a nightmare.
You could read quite a story
in the callous' and lines.
Years of work and worry
had left their mark behind.
I remember daddy's hands
how they held my mama tight.
And patted my back
for something done right.
There are things that I'd forgotten
that I loved about the man.
But I'll always remember
the love in daddy's hands.
Daddy's hands were soft and kind
when I was cryin'.
Daddy's hands were hard as steel
when I'd done wrong.
Daddy's hands weren't always gentle
but I've come to understand.
There was always love in daddy's hands.
I remember daddy's hands
workin' 'til they bled.
Sacrificed unselfishly
just to keep us all fed.
If I could do things over,
I'd live my life again.
And never take for granted
the love in daddy's hands.
~ By Holly Dunn ~
He was there in the room with me right after I had my first son. Right by my side. He made it home from Oregon with my brother just in time....and knowing my dad drove through the night in order to be there for me.
My dad taught me to be a strong fighter for what I think is right. To stand up for my beliefs. He didn't much like it when I stood up to him though :)
He stood beside me and helped me with my boys when things were rough in my life last fall.
Dad taught me to check my tires and my oil and to drive a stick shift...so that I didn't need to be dependent on a man to do it for me.
And way back when, Dad stood over me and helped me learn to write cursive the year before we learned it in school...and helped me read chapter books. He encouraged that love of learning in me.
I still remember those things. I can never thank you enough for the things you DID do Dad.
I found this picture of me, wearing Dad's shoes. I think I was a bit of a Daddy's girl when I was this little...
I wanted this song as our "Father-Daughter" dance at our wedding. I ended up allowing Dad to make the song decision...but on my Dad's birthday, I'd like to send out this tribute.
I remember daddy's hands
folded silently in prayer.
And reachin' out to hold me,
when I had a nightmare.
You could read quite a story
in the callous' and lines.
Years of work and worry
had left their mark behind.
I remember daddy's hands
how they held my mama tight.
And patted my back
for something done right.
There are things that I'd forgotten
that I loved about the man.
But I'll always remember
the love in daddy's hands.
Daddy's hands were soft and kind
when I was cryin'.
Daddy's hands were hard as steel
when I'd done wrong.
Daddy's hands weren't always gentle
but I've come to understand.
There was always love in daddy's hands.
I remember daddy's hands
workin' 'til they bled.
Sacrificed unselfishly
just to keep us all fed.
If I could do things over,
I'd live my life again.
And never take for granted
the love in daddy's hands.
~ By Holly Dunn ~
Tuesday, May 2, 2006
Opportunities to Help Women, and Yourself
Aunt B alerted us to the Act Like a GRRRL! camp, which involves young women (12-17yo) writing and performing stories - in essence, the grrrls finding their voices and courage. You can find out how to make a donation here, or buy Act Like a GRRRL! gear through CafePress to support the camp. I'm personally fond of the Women's Cap Sleeve T-Shirt, if anyone's in the Buy-Rachel-Stuff-And-Support-A-Good-Cause mood.
Also, I posted last week about the showing of Chances: The Women of Magdalene during the Nashville Film Festival. I learned then about Thistle Farms, a project in which the women handcraft bath and body products to support the House. Click here to view and buy Thistle Farms products.
A free skin cancer screening is taking place in Nashville this Saturday May 6 from 9am - noon at St Thomas and Baptist Hospitals. To schedule an appointment, call 615-284-LIFE.
Also this Saturday:
Technorati Tags: Act Like a GRRRL!; camps; HIMMA; Magdalene House; skin cancer; storytelling; theater; Thistle Farms; training
Also, I posted last week about the showing of Chances: The Women of Magdalene during the Nashville Film Festival. I learned then about Thistle Farms, a project in which the women handcraft bath and body products to support the House. Click here to view and buy Thistle Farms products.
A free skin cancer screening is taking place in Nashville this Saturday May 6 from 9am - noon at St Thomas and Baptist Hospitals. To schedule an appointment, call 615-284-LIFE.
Also this Saturday:
Title: When Women Run, Women Win: A Campaign School Designed for WomenFinally, several organizations are opposing HIMMA, the Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act of 2006 (S. 1955), such as the National Women's Law Center, the Eating Disorders Coalition for Research, Policy & Action, and the National Women's Healthcare Network, who is encouraging you to join a call-in day on Wednesday to oppose the legislation. NWHN's opposition is based on its understanding of the bill as "paving the way for millions of insured Americans to lose basic benefits such as breast, cervical, and prostate cancer screening, mental health care, and well-child check-ups." I'm not very familiar with it yet, but you can read the bill text and get status information here.
Category: Open to the Public
Date: Saturday, May 6, 2006
Time: 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Calendar: Nashville Events
Contact: info.ecw@state.tn.us
Location: Hilton Nashville Downtown,
Web Address: http://www.state.tn.us/sos/ecw
Complete Description:
The Economic Council on Women and the Tennessee Women’s Political Caucus are partnering to sponsor the Tennessee Women in Politics Academy on Saturday, May 6th, 2006. The daylong event will include speakers addressing fundraising, public speaking, media relations, and getting out the vote. Women with a serious interest in running for office will reap great benefits from the information and motivation this day is sure to provide.
Fee, pre-registration required. Download Registration Form, http://www.state.tn.us/sos/ecw.
For more information, call (615) 253-4266 or email: info.ecw@state.tn.us
Technorati Tags: Act Like a GRRRL!; camps; HIMMA; Magdalene House; skin cancer; storytelling; theater; Thistle Farms; training
Monday, May 1, 2006
Happy Birthday Lucas!
It's so hard for me to believe that my baby boy has gone from this:
to this:
Today my baby turns 2 years old. Some days it seems like it was just yesterday and some days I can't believe that he's ONLY 2 years old.
He's learned SOOO much within those two years!
*Crawling at about 5 1/2 months.
*Cruising by 6 1/2 months.
*Walking at 9 months.
*Climbing soon after :) My boys are definitely monkeys!
*Talking (maybe a little later than some kids)
*How to tattle on his brother, Zachary
*To blame things on brother, too!
*Learning EVERYTHING about this whole wide world we live in.
He's been talking up a storm for the last two months. Every day he says a new word (or ten!) His latest words are "SHARE!" and "Brother". Lucas, you amaze me every day with the words that you use and the way that you use them! Not many two year olds use pronouns in the correct manner...it astounds me daily to hear you refer to yourself not as "Lucas" but as "I".
There's just something about seeing things for the first time through a child's eyes and watching him learn and explore and do....it's just breathtaking.
So I wish you, my baby boy, continued awe at the world forever. Don't quit exploring. Don't quit learning. And don't ever forget who showed you the world for the first time.
to this:
Today my baby turns 2 years old. Some days it seems like it was just yesterday and some days I can't believe that he's ONLY 2 years old.
He's learned SOOO much within those two years!
*Crawling at about 5 1/2 months.
*Cruising by 6 1/2 months.
*Walking at 9 months.
*Climbing soon after :) My boys are definitely monkeys!
*Talking (maybe a little later than some kids)
*How to tattle on his brother, Zachary
*To blame things on brother, too!
*Learning EVERYTHING about this whole wide world we live in.
He's been talking up a storm for the last two months. Every day he says a new word (or ten!) His latest words are "SHARE!" and "Brother". Lucas, you amaze me every day with the words that you use and the way that you use them! Not many two year olds use pronouns in the correct manner...it astounds me daily to hear you refer to yourself not as "Lucas" but as "I".
There's just something about seeing things for the first time through a child's eyes and watching him learn and explore and do....it's just breathtaking.
So I wish you, my baby boy, continued awe at the world forever. Don't quit exploring. Don't quit learning. And don't ever forget who showed you the world for the first time.
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