South Dakota Planned Parenthood Advocate

Free STD Testing Day

Did you see the May issue of Team Roe Times or our latest email newsletter both which contained our exciting announcement?

If not, Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota will be offering a free STD testing day at both of our South Dakota clinics on June 18th!

Sioux Falls Free STD Testing Day

June 18, 2013

10:00 AM CDT - 4:30 PM CDT

6511 West 41st Street

Sioux Falls, SD 57106

Rapid City Free STD Testing Day

June 18, 2013

10:00 AM MDT - 2:00 PM MDT

619 Mountain View Road

Rapid City, SD 57702

If you are able to volunteer to help in Rapid City or Sioux Falls contact Megan. Volunteer opportunities with this event will mainly be in advance of the day. We will be looking for help getting flyers out in both Rapid City and Sioux Falls. There are some other volunteer opportunities around this event as well.

We will be offering this free testing day in conjunction with the release of our South Dakota STD Report that examines the alarming epidemic that South Dakota is currently facing.

Be watching for more information on the Free STD Testing Day, the South Dakota STD Report, and other volunteer opportunities coming soon!

 

Unofficial TTRT "Book" Club---Blog Month Take 2

Pro-choice activists have taken to the internet, using blogs as a platform in the fight for women’s reproductive rights. They are dispensing information and interacting with the community–all with the click of a mouse. Here are a couple examples of online pro-choice blogs that are virtually spreading the pro-choice message. 

Safe Legal Abortion IS Pro-Life (http://safe-legal-abortion-is-prolife.tumblr.com/)

This is a personal blog with plenty of attitude. You can read a variety of posts about everything from the examination of anti-choice arguments to resources for decision-making. There is lots of passion for reproductive justice packed into this blog.

Abortion Gang (http://abortiongang.org/)

Abortion Gang is a collection of “unapologetic” activists for reproductive justice. They use their blog posts to talk about what drives, inspires, challenges and outrages them in the reproductive rights movement. These women are all “using new media to change the way we think about and interact with activism.”

Radical Handmaids (http://radicalhandmaids.com/)

This blog is hosted by a Canadian pro-choice activist group, the Radical Handmaids. But although it isn’t about the reproductive battle in the United States, our neighbors to the north often fight the same challenges to their reproductive freedoms. The site proclaims that these activists “remain committed to creatively resisting anti-choice attacks on reproductive rights.” The Radical Handmaids formed in April 2012 to (successfully) defeat Motion 312, which would have called Canada to re-examine when human life begins. Pretty impressive,eh?

Guest Post by Jenny Rackl, Programs Associate at NARAL Pro-Choice SD

Unofficial TTRT Book Club - Blog Month

Combine the World Wide Web and a personal log and what do you get? The increasingly prolific “blog”—a virtual tool for documentation, communication and personal expression.  As such, some prochoice activists are using blogs as a platform in the fight for reproductive rights. They are dispensing information and interacting with the community all with the click of a mouse. Here are a couple examples of online pro-choice blogs that you might want to check out. The blogosphere can be a place for you to learn more and join the conversation.

 Feministing (http://feministing.com)

This site provides a forum for a variety of feminist voices and organizations. An added perk of the site is that they keep the conversation progressive and safe—they censor anti-feminist, racist, homophobic and otherwise hateful speech. It’s a great place to start contributing.

 RH Reality Check (http://rhrealitycheck.org)

This site is an online community serving those committed to advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights. RH Reality Check wants to empower you with information. They compile the postings of various bloggers, giving you one place where you can go to find many people discussing health and reproductive rights.

~ Jenny Rackl, NARAL Pro Choice SD

 

National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy

May 2 was the National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, organized by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and observed each year in May.

Nearly 40% of teens aged 14 to 17 are using digital technologies to seek out health related information, including information on sexual health. In response, a growing number of sexual health organizations are creating online and Smartphone-based tools aimed at providing reliable information and helping teens and young people prevent unintended pregnancy.

North Dakotan's Against Measure 3

While we are gearing up for a fun-filled primary election on June 5, across the border in North Dakota, they plan to vote on sincerely held religious beliefs.

I try to keep an eye on ballot measures in other states, because there’s always a chance we’ll see them end up in South Dakota. And you know how we love our ballot measures!

North Dakota will vote on June 12 on four different ballot initiatives including Measure 3 which aims to change the ND State Constitution. The North Dakota Family Alliance and the ND Catholic
Conference are supporting the measure that they claim will protect against discriminations against sincerely held religious beliefs.

Unofficial TTRT Book Club - Lizz Free or Die

I love Lizz Winstead. Love, love, love, love. She’s a comedienne, a feminist and an activist. Lizz grew up in our neighboring state of Minnesota, does comedy benefits for Planned Parenthood, and was co-creator of The Daily Show. If you’re interested in politics and women’s issues specifically and have a chance to see Lizz perform live, I highly recommend it (she had me in tears on New Year’s Eve this past year).

Her collection of what she calls "messays" was released this month and it is all at once funny, thought-provoking and heartwarming. While many of her essays aren’t choice related, a feminist theme can be found throughout. Along with being a champion for choice in her day-to-day life, Lizz includes a very frank essay about her own teenage pregnancy. I don’t want to spoil anything, but this particular essay is pertinent to what we’ve been experiencing legislatively in South Dakota over the last couple of years. A great read by a great supporter of women, I recommend everyone check it out!

~ Alisha Sedor, NARAL Pro Choice South Dakota

The Team Roe Times May 2012 Issue!

We are excited to present to you the fifth issue of The Team Roe Times in 2012, a joint project between Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and NARAL Pro Choice South Dakota!

Packed inside this issue is an update on Representative Noem and the Violence Against Women Act, a book review for Lizz Free or Die, information on Measure 3 in North Dakota, AND SO MUCH MORE! Please share widely!

Download The Team Roe Times Vol 2 Issue 5

GUEST: "October Baby"

Many of our readers of The Team Roe Times may have heard about a new film called October Baby making the rounds. The makers of the movie are donating a portion of their profits to a network of anti-choice groups.

These groups – known as “crisis pregnancy centers” – are anti-choice operations that pose as abortion clinics. Once a woman walks through a crisis pregnancy center’s door, she could be subjected to anti-choice propaganda and lies about abortion, birth control, and even pregnancy.

Ten percent of the profits from October Baby go to fund organizations that match the description of anti-choice CPCs. And the movie's website lists Care Net and Heartbeat International, two umbrella organizations that support CPCs, as partners.

If filmmakers want to make a movie with an ideological message, that is entirely their right. But American moviegoers also have the right to know whether their ticket dollars are going to fund organizations that deliberately mislead women.

~Alisha Sedor, NARAL Pro Choice South Dakota

Unofficial TTRT Book Club - Grace for President

My colleague from North Dakota, Amy, bought Grace for President for her daughter and thought that our TTRT book club readers might have future some presidents in their families.

From the website, “When Grace’s teacher revels that the United States has never had a female president, Grace decides to be the first. And she immediately starts off her political career as a candidate in the school’s mock election. But soon she realizes that she has entered a tough race.

This timely story not only gives readers a fun introduction to the American electoral system but also teaches them the value of hard work, courage, and independent thought—and offers an inspiring example of how to choose our leaders.”

Reviews for this gem includes "...the book delivers lessons on electoral votes, polls, and the reason every vote counts." - The New York Times

"DiPucchio and Pham are game gals. Explaining the electoral system to adults isn’t easy, but they make it understandable to kids." - Booklist

~Carmen, Planned Parenthood Advocate

GUEST: Name it. Change it.

As women involved in politics, Carmen and I often get asked about combating sexism in elections and at the capitol. One of my favorite resources on the subject is a new initiative called “Name it. Change it.”

Name It. Change It. is a non-partisan project of WCF Foundation, Women’s Media Center, and Political Parity. Their goal is to end sexist and misogynistic coverage of women candidates by all members of the press—from bloggers to radio hosts to television pundits.

Name it. Change it. challenges the media to think before they talk about female candidates: If you wouldn’t ask a man about his children at home, don’t ask her. Don’t use shrill or attractive to describe her unless you would use the same to describe him.

The initiative challenges us all to be on the lookout for sexist commentary and remarks about women candidates in the media. When we “name” sexism by calling it out, we have the opportunity to “change” it. If you witness instances of sexist media coverage, they provide a place to report it and a place for journalists to pledge gender neutrality in their reporting.

The hope is that by eliminating media attacks on women, more women will be willing to run for office. In a world where women are 50% less likely than men to seriously consider running, we need all the help we can get.

~ Alisha Sedor, NARAL Pro Choice South Dakota