Feminism | Posted by Steph on 10/7/2009
Tags: pro-choice, pro-life
Giant, Pro-Choice Mountains
education, scholarship, the works
So, I was in Law class today, which is taught by an awesome teacher who I really like. And she notified everyone that she’d received mail info of a grant available only to Law 11 or 12 students in BC, the
info sheet for which she handed out.
Now, I’m pretty big on scholarships. They’re handy! That said, I read the information and rules page – fairly straightforward – good english, double-spaced, legible, don’t submit more than one essay. But then I turned the page: here’s what I saw (emphasis mine).
The competition is open to grade 11 or 12 BC secondary school students, and is designed to encourage students to recognize the dignity of every human life.
…
ESSAY TOPICS (600-700 WORDS): CHOOSE ONE.
Topic 1. In recent years student societies in a number of Canadian
colleges and universities have prevented pro-life groups from
operating on campus. In what way is this sort of censorship in
conflict with the role of post-secondary education in fostering the
free expression of opinion and argument?
oh, hey, didn't expect to see you here...
Can we all agree that this is messed up? For one, it’s not in conflict. These groups that have been barred from operating on campus– crisis pregnancy centers, anti-choice activists, and the ilk – are
more than often the ones doing the censoring. CPC’s are dangerous, scary places. They lie about what they do, refuse to offer abortions or contraception, and preach abstinence-only sex ed.
So I did a little digging. Turns out that the grants are awarded by the British Columbia Pro Life Society, and the application form includes a link to The Signal
Hill, a particularily nasty CPC that’s in Vancouver.
So, obviously, I was kind of startled to get this essay application
piece from the teacher who I had trusted so much. There’s good news,
though – it turns out she hadn’t looked past the first couple lines
(which are very inoccuous), and when I told her, she got about as
outraged as I was. Together, we’re trying to get this organization to
quit including our school in their letters – she’s already written a
notice on her whiteboard informing kids of the links behind the essay
competition, and three other students have already given up on trying
anything – it’s obvious what they want the essays to preach, and we
just don’t roll that way.
Not that I’m going to ignore it – I plan to finish writing the essay
I’m working on (a rebuttal!) and send it in anyways, if only so
they’ll read it.
We are not powerless against these organizations. Though individually
we’re small, together – we can move mountains. Giant, pro-choice
mountains.
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Maria D @ at 1:08 pm, October 7th, 2009
What. The. Fuck.
WHEN will pro-lifers realize that abstinence only sex ed DOESN’T WORK? There’s tons of data to prove it!
No, I’m not abortions biggest fan but I believe that women should have the right to make their own choices regarding THEIR bodies and THEIR health.
Too many children are born to families who can’t support them, leading to poor health and a lack of education. Many of these children find their way to orphanages and into the hands of social services, which can be good and safe places, but are often underfunded and are equally likely to be centers of abuse and neglect.
Yes babies have a right to life; they also have a right to a quality of life. They have a right to live lives free of poverty, that won’t leave them vulnerable to flawed, underfunded, and too often abusive systems.
Abortions don’t solve all those problems, but abortion clinics offer counseling services, reproductive health classes and information packets, contraceptives and support groups. All this helps women learn how to give birth to healthy babies in healthy and safe environments.
Maria D @ at 1:10 pm, October 7th, 2009
And btw, good for you for finding out about this and showing it to your teacher.
Amy CT @ at 5:03 pm, October 7th, 2009
Wow. That’s… that’s… I can’t even think of a word. (That’s a first)…
OUCH.
I think that covers it.
Sheridan T @ at 9:02 pm, October 7th, 2009
Oh wow, I just visited that Signal Hill site out of curiosity.
It’s horrible.
With pastel peach colors, they declare themselves a “vibrant voice” for women, and say pregnancy is “a priveleged period” and a “magical nine months.”
“Even unplanned pregnancy should deliver a bundle of unexpected joy for a woman and her family.”
…First thoughts: How much of this shit do they actually believe? This is insane!
SarahC @ at 9:17 pm, October 7th, 2009
Thats…different. Good for you! For spotting it, and for sending them a rebuttal.
Alex F @ at 11:13 pm, October 7th, 2009
This pisses me off how they are trying to get kids to write these essays just to get scholarships…I mean I’m only 13 and don’t know much -and correct me if I’m wrong-but is this a bit like brainwashing??
Lyndsey @ at 12:21 am, October 8th, 2009
Things like that slipping into schools are so horrifying! It’s great that you caught it, and warned your teacher and fellow classmates!
Steph @ at 1:16 am, October 8th, 2009
Alex: Why yes – yes it is. It is EXACTLY like brainwashing.
And Sheridan, I totally agree. It’s giant, total BS. Not that I can even have children (yay sterility!), but even if I could, I’d still call BS on this.
Looking at the crazy right-wing sites can be kind of entertaining, though, if you’re in the right mood.
One of my favorites is a claim that “You quickly get the false sense that becoming sexually active is pretty safe, and all you have to do to stay safe is to get tested regularly, free of charge, and of course, use condoms.”
Those stupid feminists and gays, with their false claims that protection and screenings make sex safer!
Becca @ at 9:41 am, October 8th, 2009
Good on you for doing this! While I remain undecided whether or not I could ever have an abortion myself, I strongly support other women’s right to do so. CPC’s simply utilize fear tactics in an effort to bully people.
toongrrl @ at 12:14 pm, October 8th, 2009
I’ve already been around right-wing crazies, since the day I was born
Sheridan T @ at 5:59 pm, October 8th, 2009
Bahaha, I seriously laughed out loud on that one Steph! You should send me some more links for my own entertainment
digg » Blog Archive » Roundup: Birth Control Makes You Ugly and Less Able to Mate with Orlando Bloom @ at 10:37 pm, October 8th, 2009
[...] Anti-Abortion Activists Required To Keep Distance From Clinics, People Under New Ordinance FBomb: Giant, Pro-Choice Mountains LifeSiteNews: Hospital Counselor Leaves Abortion Unit during 40 Days for Life About Lawsuits: [...]
Jenna @ at 9:35 pm, October 11th, 2009
It’s a private grant. The Canadian government is not funding it, a private organization is.
chinchilla @ at 6:49 pm, October 13th, 2009
Law class in grades 11 and 12?? Are you f#)%$* kidding me? Where do you go to school?
RW @ at 5:29 pm, October 15th, 2009
“prolife” pregnancy centers are deceiving their clients (many of whom are underage) by breaking their vow of absolute confidentiality to them?
I believe that personal information shared by a client with her counselor should never leave the counseling room without her consent. The client is already under enough stress without having her right to privacy violated.
Does CareNet feel this way? They seem to exclusively invite or give preferential treatment to internet based client intake software companies like ekyros.com and waycoolsw.com at their conferences. Hundreds of their affiliate pregnancy centers use this internet based client intake software for “convenience”. But, that convenience comes with a heavy price tag for the client. Do these centers make clients think that their pregnancy history and other confidential information will never leave the room, then turn around and enter it online and put it into the hands of outside internet company employees? It seems personal client information leaves the center and gets into their hands without the client’s knowledge.
How can they go to sleep a night? These clients put their trust in this ministry. How would you feel if you were at a very vulnerable time in your life and an outsider was given access to your private information by someone you trusted and that it was done without asking you first?
Ask a center who uses these internet based client intake products if it bothers them that they promise absolute confidentiality to the client and then place the client’s information in the hands of the employees of an outside internet company. Ask them if they inform the client where their information is going? You may be convinced that the client is a non-person to them and (in their eyes) doesn’t even deserve the basic respect of asking the client whether they are comfortable with their personal information leaving the center.
Do their affiliates do anything to help the young girls who visit them stay off welfare. These pro lifers seem to wash their hands when the child has to grow up in low income housing projects and do nothing to keep the child from turning to crime to support the household. I would guess many voted for Bush who believes in tough prison sentences instead of providing educational and other programs to help ensure that these youth do not turn to crime in the first place.
How about CareNet’s financials? They take in millions a year. Their president makes over 100,000 a year. The financials seem to show that they give 0$ back to their affiliates or to the girls they say they serve.
All this is just to say that when the pro choice people say the pro life centers are deceptive and don’t respect and look out for the welfare of the client in the long run, is it possible they have a point in the case of Care Net and some of their centers? I believe it.
Maybe the ACLU should file a class action lawsuit on behalf of these clients (many of whom are underage) who were promised absolute confidentiality but whose private information was allowed to leave the center without their consent and was placed in the hands of companies outside the center?
At the very least, a law should be passed that would require prolife pregnancy centers and other organizations to inform their clients where their personal information is going and ask the clients whether or not they are comfortable with their personal information leaving the center.