California NOW

Let's Teach Kids that Beauty is only Skin-Deep!

Yes, that's sarcasm you hear. 

A new children's book, My Beautiful Mommy, is scheduled to be released on Mother's Day (reminder, it's May 11th).  The book allows you to "join a young girl as her Mommy goes through her plastic surgery experience, and learn how the whole family pitches in to help Mommy achieves her beautiful results."

Hooray!  Now young girls can start dreaming early about they day that they can become even more beautiful!  After all, that's what we truly value in our society, right?

The World According to Monsanto

It's long, but it's worth it. We've got to get the word out about Round Up, herbicides, and the role our government plays to hide the truth. Our lives depend on it!

(It seems to take a long time to buffer, so watch it here)

 

On March 11 a new documentary was aired on French television  (ARTE – French-German cultural tv channel) by French journalist and film  ... all » maker Marie-Monique Robin, The World According to Monsanto - A documentary that Americans won't ever see. The gigantic biotech corporation Monsanto is threatening to destroy the agricultural biodiversity which has served mankind for thousands of years.

How Many Must Die Because They Have No Health Insurance?

Eight people die each day in California because they do not have health insurance.

More than 22% don't have health insurance in California. That is more than 1 in 5 people!

Families USA estimates that more than 8 working-age Californians die EACH DAY due to lack of health insurance (approsimately 3,100 people in 2006).

Across the US, twice as many people died from lack of health insurance as died from homicide!

Check out Families USA to learn more from the first-ever state reports on the number of deaths due to lack of health insurance.

Just a few more reasons to spread the world about SB 840, the Universal Health Care Bill that would give all Californians health care.

What's So Bad About Nipples?

Especially when they are being used to sustain the life of a baby or child? Apparently a lot. Breastfeeding moms have been kicked out of shopping malls, airplanes, restaurants, stores and museums, even though almost every state has laws allowing breastfeeding in any place one is legally allowed to be.

That's why our friends at Moms Rising are helping to pass the Breastfeeding Promotion Act (H.R. 3799). It is currently stalled in Congress, and isn't going to move forward without increased pressure.  Contact your representative now and add your voice to the calls for breastfeeding rights for all, everywhere.

How Do You Define Consent?

What comes to mind when you think of consent? Some words that come to mind are agreement, mutual and coerced.

Yes, I said coerced. Because many times when a person does not agree to consensual sex they may be coerced or pressured into agreeing to it. Sometimes we are faced with the question, “If you loved me, you would” or “I thought you loved me”. That is NOT consent! Consensual sex is when you both agree, not when one person forces the other.

Recently, I was on a college campus and women were discussing the “walk of shame”. This was described as when a woman is drunk and she has nonconsensual sex. All of these women were unaware that in the state of California, you are not legally able to consent if you are drunk. This was a wake up call for them! They asked me questions and did not realize that was the law. Prior to this they thought the “walk of shame” was just something that, as they said, “happens all the time”.

Dialogue alone can create change and when that dialogue begins online it can be the first step in making change in your community. What does consent mean to you? How can you create change?

Guest Blog by Lisa Covington

Breast Health for Women in CA: Take Action

Two years ago my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had a lumpectomy and radiation and is now healthy and her prognosis is good. When she got the diagnosis she had so many women in her life to consult for advice, it made me realize just how prevalent the disease really is. Fighting breast cancer is one of the battle's of our lifetime. What will you do to help?

10 million people could die from breast cancer in the next 25 years if we don't find a cure. In California, more than 25,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. More than 4,000 women in California will die of breast cancer this year. The Susan G. Komen Find a Cure has introduced its first Breast Health Package, three legislative bills that will increase access and quality care for women in California. A number of state representatives have joined the fight by authoring the bills and moving them through the legislative process.

One bill would secure additional funding of $12 million in FY09 for the California Department of Health Services’ program, "Every Woman Counts," to provide breast and cervical screening services for California’s underserved women. One of our champions in the Assembly, Fiona Ma, has agreed to author this bill.

Another bill, would (beginning in FY2010) secure funding for the Every Woman Counts program by making it be “case driven” or a per-woman basis. This will help prevent running out of annual “allocated” funds. It would also expand the eligibility age for the Every Woman Counts program to high-risk women aged 38 and older (rather than high-risk women aged 40 and older). Senator Gil Cedillo has agreed to author this bill.

AB2887 would mandate coverage of digital mammography services (in addition to analog) under the Every Woman Counts program. Assembly Member Patty Berg has agreed to author this bill. Co-Sponsors at this time include Assembly Members Anthony Portantino and Mary Salas and State Senators Patricia Wiggins and Jenny Oropeza.

Please take a moment to contact the above California state legislators to let them know you value their commitment to the Komen Breast Health Package, and you urge them to continue to fight to end breast cancer!

AssemblyMember Fiona Ma 916-319-2012 Assemblymember.ma@assembly.ca.gov
Senator Gilbert Cedillo 916-651-4022 Senator.cedillo@sen.ca.gov
AssemblyMember Patty Berg 916-319-2001 Assemblymember.berg@assembly.ca.gov

And Now There Are 3

Today, Barbara Seaman, the Mother of the Modern Women's Health Movement left us.  Just yesterday I got an email from my friends at the Veteran Feminists of America that said if you want to send Barbara a message - to do it soon.  And today, she has dropped her body and gone on to her next journey.

This silly picture (dubbed the 4 Virgos) portrays how I feel about these pioneers; Barbara Seaman, Kate Millet and Jacqui Ceballos and all of the women who did the heavy lifting in the Second Wave, upon which we now ride.  I could not contain myself that I was in their presence. 

Miss Alameda Pageant Revived: Creates Scholarships or Sick Role Models?

The Miss Alameda Pageant, suddenly revitalized after 20 years by Barbara Walsh, is facing harsh criticism. Mary Jane Casper of County Tri-Valley chapter of the National Organization for Women was quoted in the Contra Costa Times "This is a bathing suit, evening gown competition held under the guise of a scholarship opportunity for young women. Why should these women sacrifice their dignity and self-respect by offering their bodies for judgment by some panel?"

"It's easy to point your finger and say this is demeaning to women," said Scott Walsh. "But I've met these women and I've heard from them how expensive college is."

I agree, college is expensive, but as a former Miss Colleen, Corona, CA 1989, I can tell you that there are much more valuable ways to earn money for college than to parade around on a stage competing against other women for respect and admiration based on appearance. The negative competition and divisiveness as well the negative body image issues are reasons enough for this pageant to die off 20 years ago.

So far, I haven’t been able to find the amount of the scholarship award for the Miss Alameda County winner, because they are still raising the money. Most local pageant scholarships aren’t even enough to pay for a single semester at a Cal State University. If it were enough to pay for your entire college career, is it really worth the the role model it sets for little girls?

In The Pleasanton Weekly  Barbara Davies Walsh said that she doesn't think the pageant is outdated because the ideals it represents for the young women are timeless. You are right Barbara, sexism is timeless.

Catholics and Condoms

Most people probably don't think of Catholics as pro-birth control, pro-safe sex and pro-choice advocates. Think again! Catholics for Choice advocates the use of condoms to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS. Catholics for Choice recently conducted a survey in five nations to find out the opinions Catholics hold on condoms. Their results were surprising to say the least. In the United States, 63% of Catholics over the age of 18 believe the church should change its position on condoms. In Ireland it was 79%, where the population is 88.4% Catholic. Well over 55% of the population, in all the countries surveyed agreed with the statement, “Using condoms is pro-life because it helps save lives by preventing the spread of AIDS.”
Welcome to the 21st Century. Yes, their are health implications when you have sex without a condom. Yes, people are willing to set aside some outdated religious views in favor of a healthy lifestyle. Nonetheless, the Vatican’s position remains unchanged--they are against the use of condoms. Find out more about Catholics for Choice and read more on this groundbreaking survey.

EPA WANTS YOU TO DECIDE -- SHOULD TOXIC PESTICIDE BE BANNED?

The EPA has opened a public comment period on whether a toxic pesticide used on food and cotton in the U.S. but banned in much of the world, should be taken off the market. The pesticide, endosulfan harms the hormone system, and low levels of exposure in the womb have been linked to autism, male reproductive harm and other birth defects. The Organic Consumers Association is joining with Pesticide Action Network and other allies in gathering tens of thousands of petition signatures to ban this toxic pesticide off the market now. Learn more and take action.