That Feminist Dyke

icanstandforsomething:

April is STD Awareness Month.

Share this post to raise awareness. 

By the age of 25, half of all sexually active people will have contracted at least one STD. Because most of these people are unaware of their disease status, they may continue to spread STDs to others by having unprotected sex. This includes HIV. 

Planned Parenthood and other clinics may provide testing services at little or no cost to those who would otherwise not be able to afford these services. Testing may be as easy as providing a urine sample or having a blood test. 

For more information: 

http://www.itsyoursexlife.com/gyt

http://www.plannedparenthood.org 

icanstandforsomething:

Safe, protected sex helps prevent the transmission of sexually-transmitted diseases. Safe sex also helps prevent unwanted pregnancies. 

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Teenagers are going to continue having sex, no matter how much abstinence-only education they get. Let’s keep them informed about their options, starting with an emphasis on safe, protected sex to prevent unwanted pregnancy and the transmission of STIs. And let’s give them alternative options for more “wholesome” activities by promoting after-school programs, maintaining art programs at schools, and getting them interested in and excited about what else makes them special individuals. 

http://www.plannedparenthood.org 

oddlyclad:

I take a look at our pro-life friend’s tumblr every so often. I want to understand the other side. And I’ve heard people use this quote before. Reagan was a great speaker, very charismatic (as is Obama) but there’s a part of this quote that bothers me, that bothers me even more than the pro-life viewpoint does.

Nobody is for abortion.

Nobody out there, whether they’ve had one or not, ever thinks “Hey, I LOVE abortion! Let’s all get abortions guys!” and then goes out and has an abortion party with all their friends.

I am not FOR abortion. I am FOR choice. I would PREFER not to ever have to make that choice, which is why I’m so fixated on FREE CONTRACEPTION and think it makes pretty much the most sense in the world. Nobody comes away from an abortion thinking “That was fun! I want to do it again!” Yes, they might come away with a sense of relief, but that’s different. Women who get abortions are in desperate situations, situations that their unborn child should not have to deal with. There are enough unwanted children out there simply because their parents either didn’t have access to contraception, they changed their minds, or maybe they stupidly just didn’t USE contraception. There are plenty of people who DON’T get abortions simply because it’s such a hard decision. An awful one, but often the RIGHT one.

If you have ever had a pregnancy scare you probably understand me. You probably know that “what am I going to do?” feeling. Who could you tell, who could help you, how would you afford a child, what will people think, any of that. Suddenly the world is a completely different place. I’ve personally been lucky enough to have ONLY had scares; I’ve never been pregnant. If I were to become pregnant, though, I’m not sure if I could give a child the upbringing it deserves at this point in my life. I’m not financially stable, finished with my education, nor do I have a loving partner that could take on half the parenting. It would be irresponsible, on my part, to have the child.

Of course, who knows? I’ve never been in that situation and I’ll never know exactly what would happen unless I get into it. The important thing here is, right now I would have the CHOICE. I would be able to decide what’s right for me. If we were to make abortion illegal, not only would we take away the choice, but we’d also be taking away access to the procedure in a safe, clean environment. Desperate women would still find ways to get abortions, particularly the rich, who would have an easier time having the procedure done safely. Poor women, however, would be hurt. Poor women would be at the biggest disadvantage if the right to an abortion were taken away.

Many women who get abortions identify as pro-life, and justify this by saying they didn’t have a choice- there’s no way they can afford the baby, etc. They are doing what they think is responsible. How they go back to their lives and continue to be pro-life, I don’t really understand. I guess it has to do with social circles. (If anyone is reading this and wondering where I got this information, it’s from an anthropological study- if you’re interested I can certainly find it for you.)

Anyway, this right is an extremely important one. Once you become pregnant, your whole life changes. Your body changes. Your perspective changes. You can no longer be the same person. Having the right to an abortion is having the right to have control over your life, over your body. I am not “for abortion.” It’s a terrible thing, and there’s no denying that. But it can be the RIGHT thing, the necessary thing. Each of my friends who has had an abortion made the right decision at that point in their lives. A painful, difficult but CORRECT decision for themselves.

I don’t like abortion, nobody does! But I will absolutely ALWAYS defend my right to have one, my right to MY choice. That right should belong to all women (or uterus owners if you prefer), whether rich or poor.

I’ve never called myself “for abortion.” What I AM for is contraception and control over my own body. Hopefully we will get free birth control and therefore less abortion.

That’d be good.

(climbs down from soapbox)

(Source: kandacelee)