Summer of Trust & Choice: Support Dr. Carhart!

Anti-abortion zealots are trying to harass Dr. Leroy Carhart this summer at a new medical home in Germantown, Maryland.

But, never fear, pro-choice activists are replying in style with the Summer of Trust and Summer of Choice. Supporters of Dr. Carhart will gather in Maryland in late July and early August (UPDATE: including a live performance of Words of Choice on July 31 at 5 pm in Gaithersburg following the 'Walk for Choice." See website.)

Already, activists have opened a Facebook page for Summer of Trust. And a Facebook event page here. And a website for Summer of Trust.

The website explains:

KEEP ABORTION SAFE AND LEGAL

Against the backdrop of a wave of anti-abortion legislative assaults, Operation Rescue has announced plans for a “Summer of Mercy 2.0″ targeting the brave and outspoken Dr. LeRoy Carhart in Germantown, MD, July 31-August 6. Operation Rescue is the same organization that hounded Dr. George Tiller in Wichita, KS, for years (until he was assassinated by one of their associates in May ’09). Their original “Summer of Mercy” in 1991 shut down access to the Dr. Tiller’s clinic for six weeks and resulted in 3,400 arrests, they are invoking this alarming history again in their “Summer of Mercy 2.o” event.

Pro-choice and peace activist, and pro-choice organizations and are joining together to mount a serious and determined showing of public support for Dr. Carhart and the Germantown, MD, clinic, and the legal right to choice.

Dr. Carhart has gone to exhaustive lengths to provide abortions, even in the most difficult cases, and to fill the shoes of his good friend and pro-choice hero, Dr. George Tiller, who was murdered by an anti-abortion criminal in 2009.

Dr. Carhart's motto: "Caring for women for more than twenty years with KINDNESS, COURTESY, JUSTICE, LOVE and RESPECT." To provide care to more women, Dr. Carhart has extended his Nebraska practice to Maryland, where anti-abortion harassers plan to stage the summer events.

Dr. Carhart described his commitment to helping women shortly after Dr. Tiller was murdered on the Rachel Maddow show in 2009. When Dr. Carhart was harassed then, buoyant and creative pro-choice activists provided a powerful presence to support his work, coming out, traveling and showing up in Nebraska. Now, they pro-choice activists are calling for a supportive, peaceful presence for Dr. Carhart in Maryland.

Last week, the National Organization of Women (NOW) passed a resolution in support of Dr. Carhart. Metro Baltimore Abortion Rights Coalition has posted others videos and stories about and by Dr. Carhart.

Pro-choice activists will be encouraged to help raise money to support a local abortion fund that can help disadvantaged women with the costs of their abortion care. Plan to come to Germantown, Maryland this summer!

Follow these sites for details as they develop.

More INFO
Website: www.summeroftrust.com
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/SummerOfTrust
Facebook Events Page: www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=188846774499445
Twitter: @summeroftrust
Twitter hashtag: #summeroftrust
Email: summeroftrust@gmail.com
Tumblr: http://summeroftrust.tumblr.com/
LA Fundraiser July 17, 3pm, Revolution Books, 5726 Hollywood Blvd. (&Wilton), 90028, 323.463.3500, revolutionbooksLA@gmail.com
NEW July 7:
Summer of Choice, Dr. Carhart site - www.summerofchoice.com,
Video by Dr. Carhart - YouTube -- http://youtu.be/5eP5EHjN2Js
Follow up Blog: Dr. Carhart calls for peaceful presence - http://bit.ly/qdy1B7


Posted by Cindy Cooper
Pictured above, from Summer of Trust Facebook

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My Health Matters: NOW NYC Video Campaign

NOW New York City is pushing back on attacks on reproductive rights at the federal and state levels through a video campaign, asking women and men to upload videos with the theme "My Health Matters" to show on a YouTube site, MyHealthMattersNOW.

On the video below, Sonia Ossorio, executive director of NOW-NYC, explains the backgound of the project, and asks: "Why does your freedom of choice matter? Why does your health matter?"



A half-dozen do-it-yourself videos have been uploaded in which people explain their concerns or those of others in their lives.

NOW NYC explains: "The My Health Matters campaign highlights why your health deserves to be protected and not denied. Federal legislation is threatening women's access to vital health care, including an unprecedented attempt to restrict abortion. The pro-choice movement mobilized to save the family planning program and funding for Planned Parenthood in the 2011 budget, in a momentous victory. However, the Republicans are gearing up for more cuts in 2012."

NOW NYC details anti-choice proposals that on the horizon, including ones to cut Medicaid family planning funds; end Title X family planning and the women's health services; ban abortion coverage in health insurance exchanges, and give religious hospitals the right to reject the emergency needs of women.

Joining the campaign with a cell phone video is pretty easy! Videos of 1-3 minutes in length are welcome. The NOW-NYC website gives specific directions on its website: at this location. It says:

Why does your freedom of choice matter? Why does your health matter? If you can, include the state where you live and the phrase "My Health Matters" at the end of your video.

Help NOW-NYC put women's pro-choice health concerns at the top of the agenda by sharing your video story.

Posted by Cindy Cooper
Shown above, video from NOW-NYC "MyHealthMatters"

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Guttmacher Video Puts Facts on Screen

The Guttmacher Institute has long been the trusted source for factual information and analysis about abortion in the U.S. and worldwide. Describing its mission as "Advancing sexual and reproductive freedom worldwide through research, policy analysis and public education," Guttmacher is widely known for its rigorous approach to data -- and for its fact sheets.

Now, it has taken a giant step, translating one critical fact sheet into a 3 minute video, Abortion in the U.S., viewable on its website, or on YouTube.



In less than two months on the Internet, the video has collected more than 72,000 views.

A woman's voice moves steadily through a series of facts, lingering little and sharing a lot. "Who are the women who obtain abortion in the US?
You might be surprised," it begins. It soon says: "They come from all walks of life. They are women you know. Most women having abortions are in their twenties. Many people mistakenly believe that teens are the people most likely to have an abortion. They actually account for fewer than two of ten abortions and most of them are older teens, those aged 18 and 19. Six of ten women already have a child. They know what it needs to be a mother."

The pieces of factual information -- few last longer than five seconds -- are accompanied by a graphics. Some of the designs are quite clever, for example, the symbol for women is topped with a 'do' to express a woman symbolically in dual ways. Mostly, the graphs are crisp and clear, covering a huge portion of the factual information in the "Induced Abortion in the U.S." fact sheet that Guttmacher updated in May 2011, as well as gently dashing a lot of the fake info and myths that anti-abortion groups like to spread.

Although Guttmacher has previously created slide shows, let's hope that this is only the first of many fact sheets to make an YouTube debut. Guttmacher doesn't say who made the video, but there is a credit of "special thanks" to Chelsey Delaney. And special thanks to Guttmacher for taking this step to greater outreach and interactivity.

Posted by Cindy Cooper

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Innovative Theatre Study Guide Puts Choice & History Online

A online study guide for "Words of Choice" has been posted -- and I'm willing to guess it's from one of the amazing students at the University of Missouri, where the MU Social Justice Performers presented Words of Choice this spring.

The posted "Final Project" from "Kate" has some excellent features. One of the best is a description of Historical Content, and, accompanied by an especially vivid PowerPoint.

The PowerPoint starts with "Before Roe v. Wade" and follows the trajectory of reproductive freedom, from Margaret Sanger to the Women's Liberation Movement, the case of Roe v. Wade, and developments to the present. The pictures accompanying the enliven an already well-crafted history.

There is also a Glossary of Terms and a valuable Selection of Resources.

The blog gives an excellent background for groups considering a performance of Words of Choice based on the script published in "Frontlines: Political Plays by American Women." (Performance, of course, requires permission/rights, available at contacts, www.wordsofchoice.org.)

And the show in Missouri proved how a group can do a magical performance that shines on all levels. Under the able guidance of Dr. Elaine Lawless and Dr. Heather Carver, an entire class took on putting together a performance of "Words of Choice." Four directors and 18 performers, they created a performance that was exciting, intriguing, absorbing and seamless. The imagination and work of all of the artists -- some of whom were not theater majors -- were clearly apparent.

The MU Social Justice Performers, according to the program, comprise the Performance and Social Justice course taught by Carver and Lawless, focusing on the "intersections of social justice and performance." Dr. Carver comes from the world of performance studies. Dr. Lawless comes from ethnography. Both use their interest in social activism "to provide students with a new way to view theatre for social justice."

The show was excellent, the students and professors amazing, and this "Final Project - Study Guide" is icing on the cake.

Posted by Cindy Cooper
Pictured above MU Social Justice Performers, Spring 2011.

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