California NOW

Happy World Breastfeeding Week!

This is World Breastfeeding Week!

From the diverse health benefits, to the increased bonding experience or even the potential for weight loss, there are many reasons why women decide to breastfeed. Despite support for breastfeeding from every reputable medical organization, mothers still face discrimination and obstacles to breastfeeding.

Employers often create barriers for women who wish to continue breast feeding after returning to the workplace. Denial of breaks for pumping, lack of clean facilities, and supervisor disapproval can all make breastfeeding more difficult to continue. California NOW is supporting AB 2468 (De Leon) which would allow businesses to indicate that they are breastfeeding-friendly if they provide suitable accomodations for breastfeeding mothers. This bill has now passed the Senate Appropriations Committee, and has returned to the Senate for a third reading.

Women are also often harassed for breastfeeding in public, even though laws exist to protect the rights of women and children to nurse in public spaces. The online comic Mama Is... addresses those incidents with humor, but the fact is that breastfeeding women are being penalized for our society's sexualization of women's bodies, and specifically of our breasts. Make no mistake, as lactating mammals, women's breasts exist for the purpose of breastfeeding infants. It is ridiculous that the same society which uses pictures of breasts to sell everything from clothing, to beer, to cars, to computers, can't handle seeing them put to their original purpose. Luckily, the "lactivism" movement is growing! If you're a breastfeeding mom, you can get support for your struggles in plenty of online forums and local mothers' support groups.

Breast-pump maker Ameda has started an “I Breastfeed Because…” campaign for women to share why they made the decision to breastfeed. Mothers who are currently breastfeeding, or have in the past, can log onto www.ibreastfeedbecause.com to upload a brief video on the reasons why they chose to breastfeed and be entered in a contest. For each video, tweet or comment, Ameda will make a charitable donation to the Human Milk Banking Association of North America, a non-profit association of donor human milk banks established in 1985 to set standards for and to facilitate establishment and operation of milk banks in America.

Having known some women who experienced a lack of milk for their infants, and another couple who wanted to be able to give a adopted child breastmilk, these milk banks are important.  They are even lifesavers for some children with medical conditions that make breast milk the only safe option.  If you can't upload your own video, at least make a comment to support the cause.

"Worst Commercial Ever" is About Right!

Seriously, Jack in the Box?

Let me count the ways that this commercial is problematic:

1. A commercial requires sex to be interesting.

2. Women in a business environment should use sex to gain attention from men with greater power.

3. Women exist for the sake of sexually arousing men.

4. Lesbian sexuality is performed for male titillation.

Do I need to continue to break this down for you?  I'm sure you think you're going to cash in on the 15-25 year-old male demographic, but I'd like to point out that a large number of women are the determining factor in where they and/or their families spend food dollars, and this might not be the best way of convincing them to go to Jack in the Box.

Contact Jack in the Box corporate headquarters.

Eating Disorders are Forever.

Hey, long time no post.  Things have been very hectic in my household, some good, some bad, some indifferent.  As to the bad, we lost our beloved, 14 year old Ronin-cat to kidney disease.  As to the good, we moved into a wonderful new house with a wonderful new room-mate.  The cats are happy, we are happy.  It's delightful. 

However, back to less than delightful news, my old friend Disordered Eating has reared its ugly head.  This happens every time things get stressful, like, say moving. As I get more and more wound up over what's going on in my life, I eat less and less, frequently not noticing until someone else, usually my husband, asks what I had for breakfast or lunch, and I can't answer him.  Sometimes I try to make myself eat, but when my head gets like this I always find reasons to put it off.  "I'm busy.  Just one more task and then I'll eat.  Nothing I have sounds good, and I wasn't that hungry anyway..."  Sometimes the only reason I eat at all is because I still have a lot of the sneaky-shame around Not Eating, and not eating dinner with my husband would tip him off. 

This week in therapy we talked about that, and the only thing I could come up with to describe how Not Eating felt was, "Not eating feels like winning.  It's comforting and feels good.  When facets of my life are spiralling out of my control, I can always Not Eat."

Feminist Wine Club raises money, health & spirits - we'll drink to that!

Now there’s an easy, enjoyable, non-intimidating way for women to learn about wine, build community, and support women winemakers and causes as well! The Feminist Wine Club, by Bottlenotes and the California National Organization for Women, brings fabulous women-made wines to women’s doorsteps each month! 

For women who enjoy wine socially, learning to appreciate wines can come with added health benefits. Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death for American women, causing over 27 percent of deaths. Components in red wine such as flavonoids, resveratrol, and other antioxidants have been shown to have an effect in reducing heart disease risk by increasing levels of "good" cholesterol, preventing blood clots, and protecting against artery damage.

Whether they’re poured out at a book club night, saved for a special wine tasting, or just enjoyed with a good dinner, the Feminist Wine Club will help subscribers learn about fabulous regional and varietal boutique wines while connecting members with each other, and with issues that matter to women across the state and country.

Feminist Wine Club members can also read and store wine tasting notes in their free online wine cellar (My Wine Cellar), register for wines they want, and sign up for The Daily Sip™ to get a free daily dose of wine knowledge (think Daily Candy for wine!), featuring winemakers, wine regions, wines, celebrity wine lovers and chefs, wine tips and gadgets.

Started by Alyssa Rapp and Kim Donaldson, Bottlenotes is the premier online wine community, where wine enthusiasts come to learn about wine, share wine tasting notes, and buy great boutique and estate wines from around the world.

Tell Whole Foods and UNFI: Organic Means Respecting Workers' Rights!

Here's your Eco-feminist action for the day!

The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) has urged the world's largest organic and "natural" retailer and wholesaler, Whole Foods Market and United Natural Foods, Inc. respectively, to prioritize certified organic food and products, support farmers and manufacturers' transition to organic production, and to stop advertising or promoting so-called "natural" products (greenwashed conventional products) as if they were "almost as good as"or"almost organic."

Fair Trade, health, and sustainability are the inseparable components of an organic food and farming system and a green economy. This is why organizations are challenging industry leaders, Whole Foods and UNFI, as well as the entire organic and green community, to implement a domestic Organic and Fair Trade code of conduct that assures workers' rights are respected. We are working to integrate organic and Fair Trade principles, to protect the rights of workers, both in the U.S. and abroad, throughout the natural and organic supply chain, from farm workers and food processing workers, to truck drivers, warehouse packers and retail clerks in grocery stores, coffee houses, and restaurants.

Take action today and send the Whole Foods and UNFI's CEOs a message that organic means supporting workers' rights!

Protect California Kids from Harmful Chemicals!

Bisphenol A, or BPA for short, is in the lining of cans and many plastic containers, where it can leach into the products inside, then into humans. Babies and toddlers are especially vulnerable, and recent studies have linked BPA exposure to increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, brain and reproductive problems, and immune systems diseases.  

The safety standard used for BPA exposure is more than 20 years old. Since then, hundreds of studies have shown potentially dangerous health effects, prompting Canada to ban the chemical in baby bottles, and a growing number of U.S. cities and states to do the same. The Food and Drug Administration also has launched a full safety review.

A bill in the California state Legislature (SB 797) would ban Bisphenol A from food and beverage products designed for kids under 3 years. But the giant chemical industry is doing all it can to kill the bill, putting our children’s health at risk.

Your voice is so important right now. The California Senate recently passed the ban, but the bill is under attack in the Assembly. The chemical industry doesn’t want California to join a growing list of cities and states that are banning BPA in kids’ products. They know as California goes, so goes the rest of the nation.

Tell your Assembly member to stand up for California’s kids, not the chemical industry!

I Don't Want a Fling With Mars

Lucky, lucky California women, now we can eat sparkly chocolate wrapped in pink and guilt!

That's right, our state is the test market for Mars' new Fling candy bar, which is being marketed as some sort of low-calorie substitute for sex. 

If you're thinking, "Wait, doesn't sex burn calories already?" you've missed the point.  The Fling is being promoted as only 85 calories, with language telling you to "pleasure yourself," calling the candy "chocolate fingers," and the tagline, "Naughty, but not that naughty."

Maybe I've been reading too much Shapely Prose (nope, there's no such thing as too much SP!), but that sounds a lot like the real message, once it's unpacked, is, "Hey fatty who isn't getting any because no one finds fat people attractive, eat this low-calorie chocolate to replace your need for sex and eventually you'll be slim enough to be loved!"  Yeah, with the associated message for slim women of, "Skinniness is sexy, so you'd better only eat this candy bar, so that you stay attractive."

Thanks, Mars Corp., but I'll stick with eating good chocolate that doesn't try to harass me about my weight or get me to go to bed with it.

Women, Water, Agriculture, and the Environment

In honor of Earth Day, here is some information on how two important environmental issues intersect with feminism. A position that considers the environment from a feminist perspective is called Ecofeminism. Read our previous posts on the environment  and find out about California NOW's Environmental Justice committee.  

Water

Because in much of the world, the burden of collecting water falls on women and girls, water access, cleanliness, and control are huge issues for the world's women. Women may spend eight hours a day walking 10 miles or more to carry 20 liters of water (nearly 45 pounds) back home. The burden of water collection can keep women and girls from fully sharing in education, production activities, and leisure time.  

Obtaining access to water may force women and girls to go through conflict zones, risking physical and sexual attack. Even then, the water they carry is often contaminated with pollutants, bacteria, and water-borne diseases. 884 million people worldwide drink contaminated water, and diseases associated with dirty water kill between 5 and 12 million people a year, mostly women and children.  

Atlantic Monthly's "Case Against Breastfeeding" Makes the Case for Mothers' Self-Care

Guest post by Meredith Lichtenberg, a post-partum doula. 

Hanna Rosin wrote an article called “The Case Against Breastfeeding” for this month’s Atlantic Monthly. She and I agree on something: women are ill-served by a society that tells them their own needs are irrelevant.

Motherhood is a dance with two partners. Sometimes a baby’s needs predominate. A culture that suggests that a baby’s needs always predominate doesn’t serve women, mothers, or babies. My career is based on helping new mothers learn to take their own needs seriously. This means learning how to evaluate when their needs trump their baby’s needs. But first it means believing that their own needs are legitimate.

After this point, though, Rosin and I part ways.

The reason we part ways, ironically, is that she’s missing her own point. Rosin is enraged that Society told her she should breastfeed because it was healthy for babies. Society told her that her own wishes or needs didn’t factor in.

But instead of saying, “Hey, Society, don’t tell me what I need to do! I’m the mom here, and I’ll decide for myself what’s best for me and my baby!” she succumbed to the “pressure”. Three babies later, she’s really mad. And she thinks that that makes a case against breastfeeding.

Admittedly, my work gives me a bias here, but I think what she needed was a good, facilitated mothers’ group. A discussion among diverse moms in a moderated, respectful forum might have helped her gain the confidence to figure out what, actually, she wanted to do, not just what she thought everyone else thought she should do.

Monday's Action Checklist: Health & Health Care

Last week, President Obama said in his State of the Nation address, "Health care reform cannot wait, it must not wait, and it will not wait another year." As a result of President Obama’s message, the Senate Finance Committee is meeting this week to move forward with health care reform by holding a public hearing on our nation's health care. Send an email today to the members of the Senate Finance Committeethanking them for getting to work so quickly on this critical issue, and urging them to ensure that this reform includes health coverage for every child. 

DC lobbyists from the health care industry are already mobilizing to delay or kill President Obama's plans for health care reform. MoveOn.org launched a petition last week to Congress, telling them, "Don't let the insurance lobbyists delay health care any longer. In this economic crisis, we can't afford NOT to pass quality, affordable health care for all this year." They're looking to get to 250,000 signatures before President Obama's health care summit at the White House on Thursday. Sign on here. 

Last Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed a $410 billion omnibus spending bill, which includes a number of important Family Planning and Reproductive Health provisions. Now, the Senate needs to do the same. Join other fellow reproductive health advocates and partners in asking the Senate to make a commitment to defending sexual and reproductive health and rights AND to pass the bill. Send a message here.

For the second time in as many years, peanut butter contaminated with deadly salmonella has been recalled. This latest outbreak, tracked back to the now-bankrupt Peanut Corporation of America, has caused nearly 655 illnesses, and contributed to nine deaths. Back in 2007, another salmonella outbreak forced the recall of Peter Pan peanut butter by manufacturer ConAgra. Only after the recall did ConAgra invest $50 million into improving safety standards at their manufacturing plant. But the events of this last month prove we can't trust each individual manufacturer to fix this problem on their own. All food processors in this country must use top-notch safety practices to protect our families from food bourne health risks. Send a letter to the FDA urging them to take action to keep our food safe.