Forty years doesn't seem like all that long ago -- especially for someone like me who is over 40! But on the 40th anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that guaranteed that women's access to abortion could not be directly outlawed by the states -- it's a bit jarring to see [...]
Robin Marty and Jessica Pieklo, two of my compatriots at our group project The Broad Side, have been working long and hard on their book about what has happened to women's reproductive rights since the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade in 1973 through today. On the 40th anniversary of the historic ruling that [...]
You know, I thought Funny or Die was a comedy site, but it turns out they are going to a major political player this election year. Ashley Judd taking on Rick Santorum. Bringing President Bartlet back to us. And now, in a mere two and a half minutes, Kate Beckinsale and some of her friends [...]
PunditGirl: Mom, why don't you and dad like Rick Santorum? Me: Well, remember a couple of years ago, when we talked about how babies get made? PunditGirl: Yeah .... Me: And remember how you got all worried and said, "But Mom, what if I don't want to have a baby? What if I want to [...]
It's hard not to get caught up in the whirlwind of the election cycle and the impending Super Tuesday contests. But when I need a little break, I go looking for something to read that will get me centered again, and not so focused on politics. Here are a few of my must-reads this week: [...]
I feel like I'm living in the time of Hester Prynne and her Scarlet Letter in light of the ongoing and escalating attacks on women's health, especially when it comes to anything concerning our 'lady parts.' Some women on the right say birth control has nothing to do with our health. I say, "What?" Recently, [...]
White guy, white guy, white guy, white guy with a yamulke, black guy. I don't have an image I can show, but that's how I would describe the witnesses invited to Capitol Hill by Republican Congressman Darrell Issa (also a white guy) to talk about -- prescription birth control! Well, Issa claims his oversight [...]
Vocal Catholic bishops and members of the religious right community want America to think that President Obama has launched an all out assault on religion with the announcement that employer-provided health insurance policies have to cover birth control without a co-pay. They're yelling, stomping their feet and have taken to the airwaves to [...]
In presidential campaigns, we expect to hear the candidates weigh in and spar on issues like the economy, taxes, military spending -- those issues that impact all of us and which the federal government has some role in dealing with. But when it comes to making specific reproductive health decisions for our daughters, why do [...]
How would you feel if your doctor declared, "No more birth control for you!" Or what if your life was at risk because you had an ectopic pregnancy and doctors wouldn't operate on you for fear of being charged with murder? Openly talking about and seeking treatment for our reproductive health with our [...]
What are women voters thinking about for the 2012 election -- when they're not being bombarded by stories about Herman Cain's lady troubles or Rick Perry's very own Howard Dean moment? It shouldn't come as a surprise that they're focused on other more important things. So BlogHer asked me to talk to some impressive women [...]
This one was one of my favorites from last year. So I figured -- if it was good enough for Mother's Day 2010, it should still be good for 2011! Sure, I get to leave the dishes in the sink and the dirty laundry in the hamper today. And it's great that "some people" (you [...]
Republicans in Washington have made no secret of the fact that they got pretty much everything they wanted in the current federal budget deal, with one exception -- the complete unfunding of Planned Parenthood. The majority of the GOP came about as close as you can to shutting down the entire federal government over one [...]
Women are the scapegoats of the GOP's push for a government shutdown. You heard me. If the federal government closes because lawmakers can't agree on whether women should be allowed to get annual physical exams, contraceptives or cervical cancer screenings, they'll blame it on us because we want low-income women to have access to important [...]
Ever since the 112th Congress was sworn in last month, there's been a seemingly endless barrage of news about lawmakers trying to take away many of women's hard-fought rights, so much so that I feel like Mr. Peabody's WABAC machine has deposited me on June Cleaver's 1950s doorstep. Morning after morning, I hear reports about [...]
While I'm off having slightly less than a "pound of flesh" removed by the dermatologist, here's some thought-provoking reading for you: Don't count out Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. Before she was shot in the head in the Tucson shooting spree at a January constituent meeting, she had her eye on Senator Jon Kyl's seat in the [...]
What's happened to the whole Republican "the economy and jobs are our first priority" mantra from the 2010 elections? Eric Cantor can say it all he wants, but that isn't making it true. Instead of jobs, conservatives are once again focused on our lady parts. While I am sort of getting used to the [...]
I know that sometimes politicians say things they might not mean or that get taken out of context (though, usually, the whole 'out of context' excuse doesn't hold water). But I was floored when GOP/Tea Party candidate Sharron Angle, who wants Harry Reid's Nevada Senate seat, suggested not just that unplanned pregnancies are part of [...]
I'm pretty happy that President Obama has nominated another woman to the Supreme Court -- three out of nine still isn't the ratio I'd like to see of women to men, but it's a great step in the right direction. Last year, when Sonia Sotomayor was nominated to the highest court in the land, I [...]
Sure, I get to leave the dishes in the sink and the dirty laundry in the hamper today. And it's great that "some people" (you know who you are!) are going to make me dinner tonight, but on the tenth anniversary of being able to celebrate Mother's Day as a mother myself, I've been thinking [...]
Things are getting a little lively in the comments section at my Speaker of the House column this week. I'm taking issue with Oklahoma lawmakers who are, yet again, presuming that they know better about pregnancy and all its implications than Oklahoma women. Surprisingly, some commenters are claiming that Roe vs. Wade didn't grant women [...]
I've already made it clear that I won't be watching the Super Bowl and for the most part won't watch any more CBS shows because of the Focus on the Family/Tim Tebow ad that is scheduled to run during the Super Bowl. You know -- the one that CBS said it would air even though [...]
The still-unseen, yet controversial Tim Tebow Super Bowl ad is on everyone's mind, including mine. One friend said to me, "I can't believe you haven't written anything about it yet!" I've been wanting to, but to be honest I was waiting until I had more facts. I think I've got plenty now, and if you [...]
I'm glad there are some other people weighing in on some topics on my mind: --My fellow MOMocrats and I are having a little Super Bowl Party Tailgate Party for Choice. -- The Women's Media Center is also thinking about the controversial Super Bowl from Focus on the Family and is wondering, what does CBS [...]
When people get themselves all riled up when the term "reproductive rights" comes up, it's usually only about abortion. What many of us forget is that having control of when women (and sometimes girls) have children and how many children they have is the key to make things better for everyone economically around the globe. [...]
The political controversy of the week is whether former Tennessee Congressman Harold Ford will try to stage a contest to battle Kirsten Gillibrand for her seat in the U.S. Senate. You may recall there was a little uproar over her appointment to fill Hillary Clinton's remaining Senate term when Hillary headed for the State Department. [...]
While the Punditfamily takes a little break this week, I thought I'd revisit a few posts I felt strongly about this year. To start off, my thoughts on the "octomom" and how we view adoption vs. birth children. ********************************* I am weary of the Nadya Suleman coverage. The tiny octuplets. 14 kids altogether. Unemployed mom. [...]
As someone who came of age in the 1970s, I assumed things would continue to progress for women's rights. I felt lucky to be living in an age where I knew I had access to birth control as I headed off to college and got married the first time WAY too early. And while I [...]
