Reclaiming the Means of Reproduction

Lilith Magazine asked me to review Michelle Goldberg's The Means of Reproduction. The book waspublished earlier this year and at first I thought this review would be a bit dated. As it turns out given the health reform debate in which women's reproductive health is once again the battering ram for Republicans who want to kill reform and controversial fodder for the pundits, the subject matter couldn't be more timely. In particular, Goldberg's discussion of the damage done globally to women's health by the Helms amendment shouts the warning about what might well happen in the U.S. if the Stupak-Pitts amendment prevails.

Michelle Goldberg's captivating book, The Means of Reproduction: Sex, Power, and the Future of the World (Penguin Press, 2009) is perfectly timed to remind those who came of age post-Roe v Wade and might think they can relax under an Obama administration, just how much work is left to do. An investigative journalist and author previously of Kingdom Coming: the Rise of Christian Nationalism, Goldberg has imbued this long-running story with fresh power by telling it in her young feminist voice.

The Means of Reproduction' is a sweeping history of U.S. foreign policy on international family planning that spans four continents and the covers issues such as birth control, abortion, HIV/AIDS, their intersections with environmental concerns and economic development, and the gender politics of all, while staying in intimate touch

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Wonder Woman!

I love this video artist Linda Stein made about the history and social significance of the female super heroine created by psychologist William Moulton Marston (inventor of the lie detector test, perhaps the precursor of Wonder Woman's ability to know who was telling the truth--or who knows, maybe she could tell who was lying because she was a mom) to be the antidote to Superman, the epitome of male power over others. Wonder Woman instead never kills, she uses her power to to help, protect, stop the bad things from happening. Here's Stein's intro:

How does Wonder Woman do it? She is able to stop the bad guys—even convince them to reform—without ever killing! Her gender-bending strength and power is matched only by her compassion in seeking peace and justice. The question, CAN WONDER WOMAN CRA-AC-CK GENDER STEREOTYPES? is paramount as this icon and superhero confronts the sexism prevalent at the time of her creation in 1941 as well as today.

So how does Wonder Woman do it? What lessons can we learn from her today?

Get Your Coven Together and Create a Revolution on Friday the 13th

If you are a writer and a woman, you'e probably heard about the great new website SheWrites started by a very powered woman, Kamy Wicoff, and already boasting a membership of over 5000. I just posted this over there and couldn't resist sharing it with you. Seems that Publishers Weekly released its annual list of Top 10 Books, and guess what, there wasn't a single book by a woman on it. So Kamy swung into action, which I love. The rest of the story will be obvious. (BTW, if you're a woman writer, join up today by clicking below.)

Visit She Writes

So here's what posted at SheWrites:

I like Friday the 13th. Thirteen is a great number. Why? First of all, my birthday is on the 13th, April 13th. Every once in a while it lands on a Friday, and I feel just as lucky then as when it falls on a Tuesday. The gifts are just as much fun to open. Publisher's Weekly has handed us at SheWrites a gift by calling attention to the lack of books by women writers on their Top 10 list.

I also like Friday the 13th because 13 is the number of a coven. Covens are powerful. Every women needs her coven, no matter what her religion is or what she thinks about witches. We need our circle of women friends, our old or new girls network. Our sister courage. Our girl gangs. One of us alone can accomplish a lot, but 13 of us together make a movement. Remember, thirteen colonies started a revolution and formed a new nation in 1776. Kamy has challenged us to create our own revolution.

Third, according to some traditions, twelve is considered "complete" but 13 is deemed "irregular" because it disrupts the “even dozen.” That makes me like 13 even better because in my experience disruption, or chaos, is opportunity. In a time of chaos, people are open to new ideas they wouldn’t have considered when things were normal. Chaos breeds innovation. Or, as in the case of the disruption/chaos of the recession, it’s the opportunity for women to advance into positions they haven’t held before. Men made the messes we’re in, and everyone can see that women might just be able to clean them up. So more women are moving into leadership positions in business and politics. That can only be a good thing. Just as it was a good thing for Publisher's Weekly to jolt us to action. Bet they won't make the same mistake next year!

So I like 13 just fine. As it happens, I have 13 books by women on my running list of books I either need either as references for the book I’m writing—Woman Unlimited—or because I just want to read them. So at 1pm—1300—today, Friday the 13th, I’ll meander over to the bookstore and load up. Thanks, Kamy, for giving us this great idea!

PS. I like black cats too.

KJZZ Radio Interview: What's the Status of Feminism Today?

Last night in New York, I participated in a panel called "Body Politics:Voices on Feminism" with Feministing's founder Jessica Valenti and author Lynn Harris. Here's an interview I did in Arizona last month on the subject of feminism today. Who knew after all the times feminism has been declared dead that it would be so alive, vibrant, and subject to discussion in venues everywhere? How cool is that?

Why Do I Consider Myself a Feminist?

Thanks to my great friend and an activist who has always put her convictions into action, Rita Dickinson for this guest post. She wrote this moving personal essay after attending a WomenGirlsLadies intergenerational panel.

After attending the Feldt-Barbanell Women of the World Lecture at Arizona State University recently, I have questioned if I can honestly call myself a feminist.  I always thought of myself as one, but do I deserve to wear the badge?  The remarkable women on the panel had defining moments that justified them considering themselves feminists.  I don’t have one “aha” moment.  My sense of feminism is more organic.

My childhood was glorious.  I am a Boomer, but June Cleaver was only a fantasy character on television.  Conversely, I didn’t have militant women in my life either.  Women surrounding me were strong, independent, and smart.  Although our family is small, I had eight significant female relatives within reach:  my mother, my grandmothers, my great-grandmother, my aunt, two great aunts and a great-great aunt.

Most of the significant influences in my childhood were subtle, yet extremely fond memories.  I remember attending graduate classes with my mother, taking colored pencils and newsprint (we weren’t allowed to have coloring books – they would stifle creativity).  We spent a great deal of time outdoors; we went to the beach, and we camped every summer.  None of this is remarkable, except that my mother had survived polio when pregnant with my older brother, resulting in paralysis from the waist-down. 

One of my earliest memories is of serving cookies at Red Cross blood drives while my mother volunteered.  And I remember when I was about nine years old, a man at church said something about my mother being a paraplegic.  I assured him that she was a Christian.  I guess I had never heard the word.

I never felt my family was different from others until a few years ago

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