It takes a lot for a victim of rape to come forward to prosecute the rapist. These two stories are really upsetting:
An OSU wrestler accused of rape is suing his accuser...
Cassandra Hernandez was gang raped by three Air Force officers and now she is being charged with engaging in indecent acts...
Stay strong ladies....
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Friday, August 24, 2007
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Study Finds Seniors Still Frisky!
The New England Journal of Medicine published a study about sex and senior citizens and found that older people are surprisingly frisky!
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
CREATING HAVOC WITH YOUR BIRTH CONTROL PRICES!
The Deficit Reduction Act (DRA), passed by Congress and signed into law on February 8, 2006, includes a provision that adversely affects the ability of university health centers and safety net family planning providers, including many Planned Parenthood health centers, to purchase contraceptives at a discounted or nominal price. The provision went into effect on January 1, 2007, and is having a devastating fiscal impact on college students and low-income women around the country.
For a college student who has to think twice about paying more than $5 for a meal, or a low-income mother who has to choose between buying groceries and buying gas, the difficulties of living on a limited budget are painfully real.
Check out this article from Time Magazine.
For a college student who has to think twice about paying more than $5 for a meal, or a low-income mother who has to choose between buying groceries and buying gas, the difficulties of living on a limited budget are painfully real.
Check out this article from Time Magazine.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Latest on Teen Birth Statistics in Oklahoma
Teen Pregnancy Prevention Fact Pack - 2007
http://www.health.state.ok.us/program/ahd/Fact Pack 2007.pdf
Teen Pregnancy Prevention Fact Pack Maps - 2007
http://www.health.state.ok.us/program/ahd/Fact Pack maps 2007.pdf
http://www.health.state.ok.us/program/ahd/Fact Pack 2007.pdf
Teen Pregnancy Prevention Fact Pack Maps - 2007
http://www.health.state.ok.us/program/ahd/Fact Pack maps 2007.pdf
POZ Special Report: Is Kindergarten Too Young For Sex Ed
POZ Magazine has a special report regarding the question: "Is Kindergarten Too Young for Sex Ed?"
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
IT TAKES TWO TO TANGO MR!
Got this story from the Norman Transcipt on the grand opening of the new crisis pregnancy center in Norman, Oklahoma. The last part really sparked a fire...
Coburn Tours Pregnancy Center
By M. Scott CarterTranscript Staff Writer
Surrounded by more than 100 members of Norman’s anti-abortion movement, U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn said Oklahomans must “change hearts” regarding the country’s abortion policy though compassion and love.Coburn, speaking at the opening of Care Net’s new Robinson Street location, said the facility represents “people caring about people.”
“This is really about caring about people,” he said. “It’s not about judgment, no matter what decision they make. It’s about offering care for people who think that, ‘I’m in the pit and I don’t know how to get out.’”Coburn, a Muskogee physician, spoke Tuesday.“Nobody wins on an abortion,” he said. “Regardless of the choice they made. The important thing is to help women.”Speaking to the media prior to the center’s opening, Coburn said his real intent for being in Norman was “because this is for women, no matter what they choose.”
“The important thing is to help women,” he said. “You’re helping them when they are in a time of need; here are the options, we’re gonna help you emotionally, physically and spiritually.”The center, which has been in Norman since 1996, recently signed a five-year lease for office space at the Robinson Medical Plaza. The office was constructed with funds from a $92,000 grant from the Butterfield Memorial Foundation.Care Net officials said the new location is “expected to triple” their capacity to serve woman and provide them with a large classroom center for parenting classes, pregnancy and wellness programs, and volunteer training.Care Net’s interim executive director, Crystal Drwenski, said the facility also is launching additional services and will unveil a new brand name and marketing campaign by the end of the year.
“Having a pregnancy resource center that can provide such needed services as ultrasound screening and STD testing is one of the most effective ways for the right-to-life movement to help women through compassionate truth and professional care,” she said.Coburn agreed.“There are not many women who have seen their baby who then go on to abort,” he said, adding that many of the state’s unplanned pregnancies are the “consequences for early sexual behavior.”
“You’re seeing the tail end of moral judgements that we, as a society have made,” he said. “When we said we don’t have any problem with multiple partners.” The problem is so big that “45 percent of the women in this state are carrying the human Papillomavirus,” he said. “Which is the virus that causes cancer, how’d they get that? They got that through multiple sexual partners; maybe not that, but their partners.”
The whole idea behind the center, he said, is regardless of the choices that are made, we’re gonna care for ya’, we’re gonna nurture you and we’re gonna help ya’ through it — no matter what decision they make.”
M. Scott Carter366-3545scarter@normantranscript.co
Coburn Tours Pregnancy Center
By M. Scott CarterTranscript Staff Writer
Surrounded by more than 100 members of Norman’s anti-abortion movement, U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn said Oklahomans must “change hearts” regarding the country’s abortion policy though compassion and love.Coburn, speaking at the opening of Care Net’s new Robinson Street location, said the facility represents “people caring about people.”
“This is really about caring about people,” he said. “It’s not about judgment, no matter what decision they make. It’s about offering care for people who think that, ‘I’m in the pit and I don’t know how to get out.’”Coburn, a Muskogee physician, spoke Tuesday.“Nobody wins on an abortion,” he said. “Regardless of the choice they made. The important thing is to help women.”Speaking to the media prior to the center’s opening, Coburn said his real intent for being in Norman was “because this is for women, no matter what they choose.”
“The important thing is to help women,” he said. “You’re helping them when they are in a time of need; here are the options, we’re gonna help you emotionally, physically and spiritually.”The center, which has been in Norman since 1996, recently signed a five-year lease for office space at the Robinson Medical Plaza. The office was constructed with funds from a $92,000 grant from the Butterfield Memorial Foundation.Care Net officials said the new location is “expected to triple” their capacity to serve woman and provide them with a large classroom center for parenting classes, pregnancy and wellness programs, and volunteer training.Care Net’s interim executive director, Crystal Drwenski, said the facility also is launching additional services and will unveil a new brand name and marketing campaign by the end of the year.
“Having a pregnancy resource center that can provide such needed services as ultrasound screening and STD testing is one of the most effective ways for the right-to-life movement to help women through compassionate truth and professional care,” she said.Coburn agreed.“There are not many women who have seen their baby who then go on to abort,” he said, adding that many of the state’s unplanned pregnancies are the “consequences for early sexual behavior.”
“You’re seeing the tail end of moral judgements that we, as a society have made,” he said. “When we said we don’t have any problem with multiple partners.” The problem is so big that “45 percent of the women in this state are carrying the human Papillomavirus,” he said. “Which is the virus that causes cancer, how’d they get that? They got that through multiple sexual partners; maybe not that, but their partners.”
The whole idea behind the center, he said, is regardless of the choices that are made, we’re gonna care for ya’, we’re gonna nurture you and we’re gonna help ya’ through it — no matter what decision they make.”
M. Scott Carter366-3545scarter@normantranscript.co
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
HIV/AIDS rising among Older Americans...
My mother thought I was crazy giving her condoms when she started dating again. She was quite shocked as I rolled the condom down my arm to show her how to use it...and she took every last one I gave her.
Check out this story http://www.thnt.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007708120434.
Check out this story http://www.thnt.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007708120434.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Anti-Choice Judge Picked for Dr. Tiller Trial
August 11, 2007
Former anti-abortion legislator is judge in Tiller case
BYLINE: By JOHN HANNA, Associated Press Writer
DATELINE: WICHITA Kan.
A judge who once called abortion "the slaughter of the innocents" was picked Friday to handle a criminal case against one of the nation's highest-profile abortion providers.
Sedgwick County District Judge Anthony Powell previously served in the Kansas House and was among the Legislature's most vocal abortion opponents. He voted for and, some say, helped write a 1998 law restricting late-term abortions. Shortly after its enactment, he accused Dr. George Tiller of breaking it.
Tiller was charged with 19 misdemeanors in June. Attorney General Paul Morrison alleges the doctor failed to get a second opinion on some late-term abortions from an independent physician, which the late-term law requires. Tiller maintains his innocence, and his attorneys are challenging the law.
Powell had an hourlong hearing Friday on the law's constitutionality but doesn't plan to rule until at least next month. If Powell upholds the statute, Morrison's office can move toward a trial. If Powell strikes it down, a trial will be delayed until appeals of such a ruling are resolved.
The case was assigned to Powell by Judge Gregory Waller, the county's chief criminal judge. Waller said he didn't know about Powell's past legislative activities and picked him because he was "the most available" for a hearing.
Tiller is among a few U.S. doctors performing late-term abortions, and national groups are watching his case. The anti-abortion group Operation Rescue has questioned whether Waller and another judge previously involved in Tiller's case could be impartial because they received contributions in past campaigns from attorneys linked to Tiller.
Also, abortion opponents don't trust Morrison because he is an abortion rights Democrat. They contend he's focusing on potential technical violations of the law, rather than more serious problems. They're hoping to force the county to convene a grand jury for a fresh investigation.
"It's about time things start leaning toward the side of life," said Troy Newman, Operation Rescue's president.
Powell wouldn't comment about the case after the hearing. But before the hearing began, from the bench, he mentioned his past as a legislator.
He noted that he'd served with legislators who signed "friend of the court" arguments submitted in the case. He said two of them may have contributed to his first campaign for judge in 2002, though campaign finance records later showed they didn't.
He said his judgment wouldn't be affected. He then asked the state's and Tiller's attorneys whether they objected to him presiding in Tiller's case.
Lee Thompson, an attorney representing the doctor, replied: "We trust the court's judgment in that regard."
After the hearing, Tiller's attorneys declined to comment about Powell's assignment.
Peter Brownlie, chief executive for a Planned Parenthood chapter that operates an Overland Park abortion clinic, said most people expect judges to be impartial and, "Somebody who was a sponsor or major backer of a law being challenged shouldn't be hearing the challenge."
Waller said he didn't take the case because he had scheduling conflicts. He said judges are always free to remove themselves from cases and said because attorneys in Tiller's case didn't object to Powell remaining, they seem satisfied that he can be impartial.
Newman said, "The opportunity was presented to them to request Judge Powell's recusal, and they declined to do so."
During the hearing, Tiller's attorneys said the law is unconstitutional because it's too vague to give doctors guidance on what conduct is prohibited and too much of a burden for a woman seeking an abortion. The attorney general's office argued the two-doctor requirement is a reasonable restriction, especially because the state has an interest in protecting late-term fetuses.
Powell said he'll give interested groups until Aug. 31 to file "friend of the court" arguments and that he'll probably have another hearing before ruling on the law's constitutionality. "This court can, frankly, use all the help it can get," he said from the bench.
As a legislator, Powell's views on abortion were clear. He voted regularly for new restrictions. He served in the House in 1995-2002, a Republican representing a Wichita-area district.
In a 1997 committee debate on banning a procedure critics call "partial-birth" abortion, Powell said, "Many of us regard abortion as the slaughter of the innocents."
The next year, when the late-term law passed, The Wichita Eagle reported that Powell "helped craft the bill." He led anti-abortion House members in explaining their yes votes as "an affirmation, in the name of the people of Kansas, elderly and young, frail and healthy, born and unborn, of the value of life."
Three months later, anti-abortion legislators accused Tiller of performing prohibited late-term abortions, something he said wasn't true. Powell participated in a news conference outside Tiller's clinic and said the doctor was "defying legal and moral authority."
"We regard it as central to our oath of office that we rise up against this law breaking," Powell said then.
The state board that regulates doctors looked into the allegations but found no wrongdoing. The same board investigated a patient's death in 2005 but concluded Tiller and his clinic had met all standards for reasonable care.
The late-term law under which Tiller is now charged applies after the 21st week of pregnancy and when the fetus can survive outside the womb.
It says before abortions can be performed in such cases, two doctors must conclude that a woman or girl faces death or "substantial and irreversible" harm to "a major bodily function," which has been interpreted as including mental health. It also says the two doctors can't be legally or financially affiliated.
Seventeen other states have a requirement that a second doctor sign off on some abortions or be present when some are performed, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a Washington-based research group.
Morrison allege that for 19 late-term abortions Tiller performed in 2003, the second opinion came from Dr. Ann Kristin Neuhaus, of Nortonville, and she and Tiller were financially affiliated. Tiller's attorneys contend the charges stem from a disagreement about "unusual technicalities."
Case is State v. Tiller, No. 07CR2112 in Sedgwick County.
On the Net:
Attorney general's office: http://www.ksag.org/home/
Tiller's clinic: http://www.drtiller.com/
Former anti-abortion legislator is judge in Tiller case
BYLINE: By JOHN HANNA, Associated Press Writer
DATELINE: WICHITA Kan.
A judge who once called abortion "the slaughter of the innocents" was picked Friday to handle a criminal case against one of the nation's highest-profile abortion providers.
Sedgwick County District Judge Anthony Powell previously served in the Kansas House and was among the Legislature's most vocal abortion opponents. He voted for and, some say, helped write a 1998 law restricting late-term abortions. Shortly after its enactment, he accused Dr. George Tiller of breaking it.
Tiller was charged with 19 misdemeanors in June. Attorney General Paul Morrison alleges the doctor failed to get a second opinion on some late-term abortions from an independent physician, which the late-term law requires. Tiller maintains his innocence, and his attorneys are challenging the law.
Powell had an hourlong hearing Friday on the law's constitutionality but doesn't plan to rule until at least next month. If Powell upholds the statute, Morrison's office can move toward a trial. If Powell strikes it down, a trial will be delayed until appeals of such a ruling are resolved.
The case was assigned to Powell by Judge Gregory Waller, the county's chief criminal judge. Waller said he didn't know about Powell's past legislative activities and picked him because he was "the most available" for a hearing.
Tiller is among a few U.S. doctors performing late-term abortions, and national groups are watching his case. The anti-abortion group Operation Rescue has questioned whether Waller and another judge previously involved in Tiller's case could be impartial because they received contributions in past campaigns from attorneys linked to Tiller.
Also, abortion opponents don't trust Morrison because he is an abortion rights Democrat. They contend he's focusing on potential technical violations of the law, rather than more serious problems. They're hoping to force the county to convene a grand jury for a fresh investigation.
"It's about time things start leaning toward the side of life," said Troy Newman, Operation Rescue's president.
Powell wouldn't comment about the case after the hearing. But before the hearing began, from the bench, he mentioned his past as a legislator.
He noted that he'd served with legislators who signed "friend of the court" arguments submitted in the case. He said two of them may have contributed to his first campaign for judge in 2002, though campaign finance records later showed they didn't.
He said his judgment wouldn't be affected. He then asked the state's and Tiller's attorneys whether they objected to him presiding in Tiller's case.
Lee Thompson, an attorney representing the doctor, replied: "We trust the court's judgment in that regard."
After the hearing, Tiller's attorneys declined to comment about Powell's assignment.
Peter Brownlie, chief executive for a Planned Parenthood chapter that operates an Overland Park abortion clinic, said most people expect judges to be impartial and, "Somebody who was a sponsor or major backer of a law being challenged shouldn't be hearing the challenge."
Waller said he didn't take the case because he had scheduling conflicts. He said judges are always free to remove themselves from cases and said because attorneys in Tiller's case didn't object to Powell remaining, they seem satisfied that he can be impartial.
Newman said, "The opportunity was presented to them to request Judge Powell's recusal, and they declined to do so."
During the hearing, Tiller's attorneys said the law is unconstitutional because it's too vague to give doctors guidance on what conduct is prohibited and too much of a burden for a woman seeking an abortion. The attorney general's office argued the two-doctor requirement is a reasonable restriction, especially because the state has an interest in protecting late-term fetuses.
Powell said he'll give interested groups until Aug. 31 to file "friend of the court" arguments and that he'll probably have another hearing before ruling on the law's constitutionality. "This court can, frankly, use all the help it can get," he said from the bench.
As a legislator, Powell's views on abortion were clear. He voted regularly for new restrictions. He served in the House in 1995-2002, a Republican representing a Wichita-area district.
In a 1997 committee debate on banning a procedure critics call "partial-birth" abortion, Powell said, "Many of us regard abortion as the slaughter of the innocents."
The next year, when the late-term law passed, The Wichita Eagle reported that Powell "helped craft the bill." He led anti-abortion House members in explaining their yes votes as "an affirmation, in the name of the people of Kansas, elderly and young, frail and healthy, born and unborn, of the value of life."
Three months later, anti-abortion legislators accused Tiller of performing prohibited late-term abortions, something he said wasn't true. Powell participated in a news conference outside Tiller's clinic and said the doctor was "defying legal and moral authority."
"We regard it as central to our oath of office that we rise up against this law breaking," Powell said then.
The state board that regulates doctors looked into the allegations but found no wrongdoing. The same board investigated a patient's death in 2005 but concluded Tiller and his clinic had met all standards for reasonable care.
The late-term law under which Tiller is now charged applies after the 21st week of pregnancy and when the fetus can survive outside the womb.
It says before abortions can be performed in such cases, two doctors must conclude that a woman or girl faces death or "substantial and irreversible" harm to "a major bodily function," which has been interpreted as including mental health. It also says the two doctors can't be legally or financially affiliated.
Seventeen other states have a requirement that a second doctor sign off on some abortions or be present when some are performed, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a Washington-based research group.
Morrison allege that for 19 late-term abortions Tiller performed in 2003, the second opinion came from Dr. Ann Kristin Neuhaus, of Nortonville, and she and Tiller were financially affiliated. Tiller's attorneys contend the charges stem from a disagreement about "unusual technicalities."
Case is State v. Tiller, No. 07CR2112 in Sedgwick County.
On the Net:
Attorney general's office: http://www.ksag.org/home/
Tiller's clinic: http://www.drtiller.com/
Thursday, August 2, 2007
The 2007 Oklahoma Legislative Session: A Memorable Moment for Reproductive Rights in Oklahoma
The last few days I've been reminicing about the 2007 legislative session here in the great state of Oklahoma.
In case you didn' t know, Oklahomans had an important victory against SB 714. This bill would prohibit state employees or facilities, including agencies that receive state funding from performing or "encouraging" a woman to have an abortion.
Additionally, this bill would prohibit publicly funded hospitals (including OUHSC) from providing women the option of a therapeutic abortion, one that would protect the health of the mother or terminate a pregnancy that has a genetic anomaly. An example of this situation might be a woman who, when diagnosed with cervical cancer, finds that she is in the early stage of pregnancy and must decide a course of action to either treat her cancer or continue with the pregnancy. Or, after genetic counseling early on in pregnancy, a woman is informed that the fetus has a genetic defect that would result in death of the fetus before or immediately after birth.
SO many people worked so hard to try and stop the movement of this bill. From physicians to lobbyists, activists to individuals who were mixed choice, we all knew how harmful this bill was to the women of our state.
We all have memorable moments...wedding day...first child being born...etc., but one of the most profound moments of my life began with a phone call the Monday after SB 714 passed the Senate and was headed to the Governor's desk.
After the vote (34 Aye, 14 Nay) we all felt like we've been kicked in the teeth. We immediately began our campaign to call the Governor to veto SB 714. Activists began recruiting and encouraging anyone and everyone (pro-choice and mixed choice) we could find to contact the Governor's office.
At 8 a.m. on Monday, April 16th, I received a phone call I wasn't expecting with a very criptic request. One of our physician friends called me and asked for me to contact as many "white coats" (meaning docs, nurses, physician assistants, etc.) as possible and ask them to meet at the capitol at 11 a.m. on Wednesday..."ask them to bring their coats...not wear them."
I started calling docs and it never occured to me to ask why. Call after call I began thinking, could a veto of an anti-choice bill really be possible...in OKLAHOMA? My mind began racing, I wouldn't allow myself to think about a veto just yet. NO WAY.
On Wednesday, April 18th, the day the Supreme Court upheld the so-called "partial birth" abortion ban, we began our journey to the capitol. As I walked into the Governor's office I was shocked at the number of physicians standing and waiting for the Governor's press conference at 11:30 a.m.
Still I wouldn't allow myself to believe. It couldn't be possible. As more physicians filed in the press room, they were told to stand behind the Governor when he appeared at the podium. The press room was filled with reporters, on lookers and physicians.
Here's the funny thing, I still wouldn't allow myself to believe the Governor was going to veto SB 714 until I saw the whites of his eyes and the words leaving his lips.
So as the physicians stood behind the Governor, he finally said the one word I've been waiting to hear. (http://www.newsok.com/video/ - go to April 18th, 2007 - Henry Vetos Abortion Bill)
He vetoed SB 714.
What a moment. A victory for women and a historic moment for reproductive rights in Oklahoma. It was a moment I'll never forget...we got a freaking veto.
Ah, let me savor the feeling for another second....or two...which was about the amount of time we had before a veto override was attempted, the next day. Two more attempts to override the Governor's veto failed. It was a wild ride and we fought a heck of a fight.
Then things got down and dirty...
What happened next was nothing more than tragic, but that'll take another posting some other time.
In case you didn' t know, Oklahomans had an important victory against SB 714. This bill would prohibit state employees or facilities, including agencies that receive state funding from performing or "encouraging" a woman to have an abortion.
Additionally, this bill would prohibit publicly funded hospitals (including OUHSC) from providing women the option of a therapeutic abortion, one that would protect the health of the mother or terminate a pregnancy that has a genetic anomaly. An example of this situation might be a woman who, when diagnosed with cervical cancer, finds that she is in the early stage of pregnancy and must decide a course of action to either treat her cancer or continue with the pregnancy. Or, after genetic counseling early on in pregnancy, a woman is informed that the fetus has a genetic defect that would result in death of the fetus before or immediately after birth.
SO many people worked so hard to try and stop the movement of this bill. From physicians to lobbyists, activists to individuals who were mixed choice, we all knew how harmful this bill was to the women of our state.
We all have memorable moments...wedding day...first child being born...etc., but one of the most profound moments of my life began with a phone call the Monday after SB 714 passed the Senate and was headed to the Governor's desk.
After the vote (34 Aye, 14 Nay) we all felt like we've been kicked in the teeth. We immediately began our campaign to call the Governor to veto SB 714. Activists began recruiting and encouraging anyone and everyone (pro-choice and mixed choice) we could find to contact the Governor's office.
At 8 a.m. on Monday, April 16th, I received a phone call I wasn't expecting with a very criptic request. One of our physician friends called me and asked for me to contact as many "white coats" (meaning docs, nurses, physician assistants, etc.) as possible and ask them to meet at the capitol at 11 a.m. on Wednesday..."ask them to bring their coats...not wear them."
I started calling docs and it never occured to me to ask why. Call after call I began thinking, could a veto of an anti-choice bill really be possible...in OKLAHOMA? My mind began racing, I wouldn't allow myself to think about a veto just yet. NO WAY.
On Wednesday, April 18th, the day the Supreme Court upheld the so-called "partial birth" abortion ban, we began our journey to the capitol. As I walked into the Governor's office I was shocked at the number of physicians standing and waiting for the Governor's press conference at 11:30 a.m.
Still I wouldn't allow myself to believe. It couldn't be possible. As more physicians filed in the press room, they were told to stand behind the Governor when he appeared at the podium. The press room was filled with reporters, on lookers and physicians.
Here's the funny thing, I still wouldn't allow myself to believe the Governor was going to veto SB 714 until I saw the whites of his eyes and the words leaving his lips.
So as the physicians stood behind the Governor, he finally said the one word I've been waiting to hear. (http://www.newsok.com/video/ - go to April 18th, 2007 - Henry Vetos Abortion Bill)
He vetoed SB 714.
What a moment. A victory for women and a historic moment for reproductive rights in Oklahoma. It was a moment I'll never forget...we got a freaking veto.
Ah, let me savor the feeling for another second....or two...which was about the amount of time we had before a veto override was attempted, the next day. Two more attempts to override the Governor's veto failed. It was a wild ride and we fought a heck of a fight.
Then things got down and dirty...
What happened next was nothing more than tragic, but that'll take another posting some other time.
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