Our Bodies, Our Votes: Fight Back Against Lawmakers Restricting Women's Access to Reproductive Health Care

By Christine Cupaiuolo — June 25, 2012

Our Bodies, Our Votes photo submissionAs OBOS readers are all too aware, politicians have consistently prioritized their own agendas over women’s health — and never more so than in the past couple of years. With lawmakers stepping up efforts to impose severe restrictions on contraception and the full range of reproductive health services, a woman’s access to basic health care in the United States is not guaranteed.

Our Bodies Ourselves is responding to these attacks with a national education campaign — Our Bodies, Our Votes — that urges everyone to use their political power to thwart attacks on women’s reproductive rights and access to essential health services.

We hope you’ll join us and spread the word! If you’re on Twitter use #obov2012.

We’re kicking off the campaign with:

* Our Bodies, Our Votes bumper stickers — order stickers here for a minimal donation to OBOS (3 stickers for $10!).

* A Tumblr site, OurBodiesOurVotes.Tumblr.com, where people can post photos of Our Bodies, Our Votes stickers appearing across the country.

* A new website, OurBodiesOurVotes.com, with information on contraception and abortion, along with resources on reproductive health and justice.

Our Bodies, Our Votes photo submissionThe uptick in laws affecting women’s health isn’t only frustrating patients. As Rachel noted earlier today, physician and abortion provider Deborah Oyer has a letter in The New England Journal of Medicine — “Playing Politics with the Doctor–Patient Relationship” — that outlines how laws restricting abortion access threaten the relationship between doctors and patients.

It’s a point Marcia Angell, former editor-in-chief of The New England Journal of Medicine, made in today’s press release announcing Our Bodies, Our Votes:

Requiring doctors to perform procedures that are not medically indicated, or to provide false information about medical evidence, violates women’s rights and leaves doctors with an untenable dilemma: Violate state law, or betray their professional obligations to patients.

At OurBodiesOurVotes.com, we’ve compiled historical and current information about abortion and contraception, including helpful phone numbers and resources. And there are a number of news organizations and advocacy groups listed that provide smart coverage and analysis of reproductive health issues.

Tell us what you think! We welcome your involvement in making Our Bodies, Our Votes a campaign for change.

One response to “Our Bodies, Our Votes: Fight Back Against Lawmakers Restricting Women’s Access to Reproductive Health Care”

  1. Already posted this on Rachel’s blog as well.

    Feminist Movement, Our Bodies, Our Votes (Our Bodies, Ourselves; Boston Women’s Health Book Collective) and etc.

    Mean just look at the history of it. Unsure how to explain the history here. Is it possible to make small deal or do away with it?

    As for I’m still totally unsure regarding of this and etc.

    This isn’t going to be review like the other posts/threads that I have done prior to this one. Instead its going to be more of me questioning certain aspects of their work, mainly in US.

    Do you think that their work is more liberal stance as opposed being neutral or conservative as what claimed it to be? They have always been non for profit (rallies on private donations) as opposed being for profit (rallies commercial donations or something else along those lines, which I have no clue as to what it is/are).

    As for me really never questioned them until now because always looked at their positives as opposed to their negatives. Even though I have most of their books in my collection, but still I’m starting to question their work and etc. Have to say that I found myself more neutral to conservative as opposed to liberal to neutral. My parents are the same way as me, but I’m unsure regarding my sister.

    Think this is it for now.

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