Margaret Sanger In Her Own Words

She was a mover and a shaker who was determined to let women know that they could control their fertility and how they could do it. Margaret Sanger (1870-1966), the founder of Planned Parenthood, defied laws that made birth control -- and even discussion of it -- illegal. She rallied women and they rallied around her; she aroused passions and passions about her still continue today, even though she died more that 40 years ago.

She is also the subject of articles, books, publications and collections of her work and writings.

None is more fascinating, perhaps, that listening to a November 1953 radio broadcast, "This I Believe," part of Edward R. Murrow's radio show. Sanger is given the opportunity to explain her beliefs. Now, it's available as an mp3 file on the Internet site of the Margaret Sanger Papers Project at New York University. A transcript of the speech is also printed, but nothing can replace hearing her voice wrapped around the times with politeness and a 'womanly' tone, yet utterly firm and purposeful:

To build beyond myself, I must tap all inner resources of stamina and courage, of resolution within myself. I was prepared to face opposition, even ridicule, denunciation. But I had also to prepare myself, in defense of these unpopular beliefs, I had to prepare myself to face courts and even prisons. But I resolved to stand up, alone if necessary, against all the entrenched forces which opposed me.

Sanger is also the subject of a remarkable book by Ellen Chesler, recently re-released and updated, "Woman of Valor: Margaret Sanger and the Birth Control Movement in America." And Gloria Feldt, former president of Planned Parenthood of America and a motivational speaker, spoke this fall about lessons of leadership from Margaret Sanger at the Elizabeth Sackler Center for Feminist Art in Brooklyn.

It's possible that a Sanger resurgence is underway. One New York woman emailed 'Words of Choice' to say that she has a Margaret Sanger musical in progress. This, I believe, to quote the radio show, could be pretty interesting.

Posted by Cindy Cooper
Pictured: Photos of Margaret Sanger from the Margaret Sanger Papers Project at New York University

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Resources: Who Are The 'Antis'? And What Do They Want?

Tracking the multi-hydra anti-abortion movement could be a full time job. But, it's a dilemma for pro-choice artists and activists: understanding their tactics and tricks is ultra important to portraying and combating their lies, distortions and falsities. The truth requires unlocking and exposing.

Fortunately, this IS the full-time job of researchers at the Political Research Associates, known as PRA, a group that researches, watches and reports on the Right wing. PRA has just released a comprehensive new online toolkit, Defending Reproductive Justice that provides first-hand examples and analysis of the Right-wing anti-abortion endeavors and efforts.

The poster pictured here, for example, is from the Right-wing Elliot Institute, which has mastered using subjects that concern women in false equations to attempt to whip up anti-abortion sentiment and cause women distress.

The the new release is a 2009 update of an earlier publication from 2000. Both now printed online in a crisp and accessible format.

In a new Overview called "Polished Lenses and Focused Targets: Defending Reproductive Justice," senior researcher Pam Chamberlain describes changes in the landscape since 2000, including ongoing activism, anti-choice legislation and a broadening of Right-wing attacks on contraception, emergency contraception, and a range of healthcare options, as well as abortion.

She writes:

Despite the range of attacks on multiple reproductive issues, opposition to abortion remains a lynch pin of conservative organizing. Whittling away at abortion rights from multiple angles provides continuous opportunities for movement supporters to stay active; there is always another campaign that needs their help. To maintain high public interest and mobilization, anti-choice forces deploy carefully crafted claims asserting both moral superiority and an obligation to act. Their main arguments can be summarized by the following three phrases: 1) The Culture of Life Must Resist the Culture of Death; 2) Women Must be Protected from Harm, and 3) the Fetus is a Person.

Sections then discuss "What the Right Claims," and "Progressive Analysis." A chapter called "Publications" contains a solid list of books on the topic from 2000-2009. My one complaint is the 2009 section called "Resources," which contains some outdated information.

What's great about this new PRA site, though, is it contains virtually all of the Right-wing arguments, organizations, literature and lies in one place. One of my favorite sections in "Primary Sources," with fundraising letters from Right-wing organization, pushing paranoia and fear. PRA dissembles the lies with carefully-researched truths and the back-up for them, too. Yay for the truth: After all, if anti-abortion people are so desperate that they make up science and use debunked studies, like the one that abortion causes cancer, how valid can their cause be?
Posted by Cindy Cooper
Pictured above: Flyer from the anti-abortion "Elliot Institute," posted by Public Research Associates

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'The Heretics' Shows Comfort With Choice

"The Heretics," a new film premiering in New York that revisits women who published the feminist art and politics magazine, Heresies, is a wonderful experience all-in-all. It is a thorough but lively study of the excitement of feminism, arts and ideas explod-a-popping into consciousness, following the magazine's rollout in 1977 in New York to closure in 1993.

Made by Joan Braderman, the experimental style of the movie, with splashy animations, quirky camera angles, new and old footage, upbeat music and humor, far surpasses the usual documentary. It's a reminder of how much the women's movement drew upon creative thinkers and artists. The movie was produced by Braderman's 'No More Nice Girls' (logo above) with Crescent Diamond as the producer. (See a trailer.)

Even the New York Times describes the movie positively, as an "exuberant documentary." Writes Rachel Saltz, "Ms. Braderman intercuts the story of the magazine and of second-wave feminism with recent interviews with the women, who include Ida Applebroog, Pat Steir and Lucy Lippard. Thirty-odd years later, they’re just as passionate and engaged. It’s a pleasure to spend time in their company."

A key element in the film is describing the consciousness raising groups that led to the formation of the magazine, and the magazine's collective. Braderman skims over some of the deep angst that comes from collectives, but historic footage of women sprawled on the floor in lofts to sort out issues of the day is commentary on its own.

There is also a message of choice in the film, so deftly interwoven that it replicates the real world by showing abortion and reproductive healthcare as a part of women's lives. One story in the film, about two-thirds of the way through, is a visit with Sabra Moore, an artist who explains her visual interpretation of an abortion.

An additional benefit of the production is the collection and online access of resources for jumpstarting creative projects and other research. Archival copies of the original magazines are also posted online in pdf format with Excel guides to the articles. Flipping through them is a walk through the vast and enormous issues that feminists have tackled in the past thirty years. Bios of the 20 plus women interviewed are also online.

In Issue 23 (p.40) in 1988, Sabra Moore interviewed by Avis Lang, describes working at one of the first legal abortion clinics. "Abortion is cloaked in folk beliefs," she notes. "It's another of those things that's all right if you don't talk about it." She also describes the mechanics of opening a clinic, and the appearance of "external" threats from right-wingers. This type of contemporaneous and honest reporting is hard to replicate twenty years later, making these time-relevant stories especially illuminating.

In Issue 9 (p.67) in 1980, Jeannie Rose Lifrieri describes why she became the head of Catholics for a Free Choice. Su Friedrich, prominently featured in "The Heretics," illustrated the article. A story in Issue 7 (p.83) in 1979 describes in depth the founding of the Boston Women's Health Collective, which first formed the advocate for the legality of abortion and later turned to publishing "Our Bodies, Ourselves."

Other articles touch on activist art, feminist landscaping, women's music, sex, lesbians,community art, factory workers -- a "rich collage" of women's lives that is far from what is contained inside the pages of fashion magazines and glossies.

At a discussion at the Museum of Modern Art, where the film previewed, Braderman said that she hoped the movie would "restart a conversation about feminist sensibility." Producer Diamond urged young women her age to form collectives. Braderman plans to archive the 170 hours of film that she collected for the project.

In addition to dates at MOMA, ending October 15, the film's showings are posted on its site and at MySpace.

Posted by Cindy Cooper
Pic above: Screen Shot of 'No More Nice Girls' production logo.

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NARAL Pushes Creativity Over Complacency

Two more classy spoken word videos in the Free/Will/Power series of NARAL ProChoice America joined the first one as YouTube highlights, described here last year.

Highly-designed, each one minute (or tiny bit more) video features music by D.J. Spooky. On the second one, on "Will," Chicagoan Alvin Lau takes center stage, with an animated background. On his line "lawmakers scrutinize bedroom rituals under microscopes," the background shows three moralistic men opening the lids of houses to peek inside. "Skin is not a political currency to be pushed around," says Lau.

The third video, on Power has Deja Taylor, also from Chicago, (pictured) delivering a poem. The screen opens with words on an animated television screen: 'Next up, Overpriced Birth Control." Deja declares; "Our rights are being tampered with." An animated character puts duct tape over a profiled mouth as she says, "I didn't know sex was still a curse word." Looking in a mirror, she says, "You, Queen, have a right to know." Choice, we hear, is power.

Aside from their exceptionally healthy messages, the videos are a great mental and visual break: nice loops for a waiting room or getting rolling at a campus meeting.

NARAL is continuing to lift creative endeavors, and one way it's doing so is in recognizing Words of Choice with the 2009 Anne E. Fisher Champion of Choice Award, to be presented on October 14 in NYC.

Wrote Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL ProChoice America:

Projects such as Words of Choice are especially important now as anti-choice lawmakers continue their attacks in Congress and in the states. Dr. George Tiller's recent murder at his church in Wichita serves as a reminder of what can come from the violence and rhetoric aimed at women and abortion providers. We would like to recognize your courage and dedication to advancing reproductive freedom at this critical time."

Creative projects can change the landscape. In commenting on a recent poll, the New York Times noted, “The ... poll suggests that supporters of legalized abortion may have grown complacent, compared with opponents.” Not any more, we hope!
Posted by Cindy Cooper
Pictured: Screen Shot from 'Power' with Deja Taylor

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