Monday, January 29, 2007

Sex Crimes and the Vatican

So sad. And makes me glad I don't identify with the Catholic Church any longer.


Investigation into allegations that a secret church directive, issued by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger before he became Pope Benedict XVI, is being used to silence the victims of child sex
abuse by Roman Catholic priests. Colm O'Gorman, who was raped as a 14-year-old boy by his local parish priest in Ireland, travels to America, Brazil and the Vatican City to uncover more.

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Wish me luck

Well all, I have applied for a 20 hour a week position as a nanny! It's good pay, and I love kids. Plus, I can still keep my other job at Children's Place most of the week. Please, wish me luck because this would really help me out and I think I would really love this job. I hope. Also, I have to provide very good references, so anybody who knows my experience and expertise with children please, send a letter or something to my email and I'll print it out. Wish me luck!

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Fun

Well, I don't know how many people actually read my list, since I really didn't get a response to any of my reasons. BUT, that's neither here nor there. I get my niece Kaylin this weekend. YAY! And today I've decided to begin a winter/wish it were spring cleaning of the apartment. Shouldn't be hard, considering that Nick and I are fairly neat. But, I am having a guest this weekend, even if it's just a six-year old who probably doesn't care. For some fun information about my life right now:

1. I have purple and pink nail polish on - Kaylin did it last Friday and they're quite sparkly and fun.
2. Nick and I are looking at brochures for cruises. We're quite interested in a few: Alaska, there's one that's a Mediterranean one, Greece, Turkey and the Greek Isles, and one that goes to Scandinavia and Russia.
3. My best friend Sara had baby Nora on Friday! That's technically not about MY life, but I'm excited and didn't mention it in my last post so I'm mentioning it now. Congratulations Sara and Brad!!!!
4. I've been working out, and I know that my arms are getting stronger because they hurt! Apparently I have weak, girly arms.
5. Sophie is still cute! And Leo is driving me crazy! And Casper is still sweet.

Okay, nothing too exciting. But I think it's fun news.

Monday, January 22, 2007

Anniversary of Roe v. Wade - Why I am Pro-Choice

In honor of the anniversary of the landmark case, Roe v. Wade, which gave women the right to decide whether or not to continue with an unwanted/surprise pregnancy, I decided to follow thousands upon thousands of people and explain WHY I am pro-choice. Notice, I am merely explaining my views, and hoping that, if you are pro-life you'll 1) Read them, cause that's a major challenge. And 2) Read them. Like I said, it's a challenge, especially with long posts. Oh, and to add a quote that I'm just really liking right now: "If you can't trust me with a choice, how can you trust me with a child?"

I am pro-choice because I believe women’s lives matter.

I am pro-choice because I think women themselves are the best people to decide when and if they get pregnant, give birth, and raise children.

I am pro-choice because I believe that the right to control your own reproduction is a fundamental right, and is protected both under our Constitution and basic human rights ideals — and I believe that fundamental right includes the right to prevent pregnancy, the right to get pregnant, the right to carry a pregnancy to term, and the right to terminate a pregnancy.
I am pro-choice because I believe that if we outlaw a woman’s right to terminate a pregnancy, there is no legal argument against forcing a woman to terminate a pregnancy, or disallowing certain people from reproducing.

I am pro-choice because I do not believe that anyone should be subject totalitarian laws which impose unwanted occupations on certain classes of people.

I am pro-choice because I don’t believe that women should be legally compelled to maintain another life at the expense of her own wishes, her body, her health, or even her life.
I am pro-choice because I don’t believe that women’s bodies should be used against our will.
I am pro-choice because I believe that compulsory pregnancy and childbirth is immoral, cruel, and flies in the face of basic notions of freedom, liberty, and human rights.
I am pro-choice because I believe that forcing women to carry pregnancies against their will is involuntary servitude.
I am pro-choice because I believe that children should be wanted, their entrances into the world joyous occasions — that they should never be considered punishment.

I am pro-choice because I want women to be physically and emotionally healthy.

I am pro-choice because I don’t believe that pregnancy should be a punishment (or, as anti-choicers say, a “consequence”) of sex.

I am pro-choice because I realize that my rights to birth control, to have children, to make my own decisions, to be a fully autonomous human being all hinge on my very basic ability to decide when and if I reproduce.

I am pro-choice because I trust women!

I am pro-choice because reproductive rights are FAR MORE than abortion, and because I want to see us live in a true culture of life — one where men, women and children are truly valued, and where pregnancy doesn’t turn a woman into a second-class citizen.

I am pro-choice because those who attack abortion rights don’t plan on stopping there — they’re also going after contraception, science and even sex itself. And they’ve got a whole lot of political capital.

I am pro-choice because I see what places look like when “pro-life” policies are the rule of law. I see it again and again and again.

I am pro-choice because I see what places look like when abortion is safe, legal and available, contraception is accessible, and sex is considered natural, normal, and something we should take responsibility for, not be ashamed of.

I am pro-choice because “pro-life” policies kill and maim women. I am pro-choice because abortion rates are no higher in countries where abortion is legal than in countries where it is outlawed — but countries where abortion is legal see lower maternal mortality rates, lower infant mortality rates, greater economic prosperity, and greater gender equality.

I am pro-choice because women who live in the developing world account for 95 percent of the world’s illegal abortions, and I believe that access to safe health care should not be contingent on where you happened to be born.

I am pro-choice because the countries with the LOWEST abortion rates — Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland — have liberal abortion laws, good health care, comprehensive sex education, and accessible and affordable contraception.

I am pro-choice because many countries where abortion is illegal or highly restricted have significantly higher abortion rates than we have in the United States, and astronomically higher rates than we see in Western Europe. Some of those countries include Brazil, Chile, Bangladesh, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, and the Philippines.

I am pro-choice because of the number of women hospitalized after unsafe illegal abortions in these countries:
Bangladesh: 71,800
Brazil: 288,700
Chile: 31,900
Colombia: 57,700
Dominican Republic: 16,500
Egypt: 216,000
Mexico: 106,500
Nigeria: 142,200
Peru: 54,200
The Philippines: 80,100

I am pro-choice because 80,000 women die every year from complications from illegal abortion, and hundreds of thousands more are injured.

I am pro-choice because the risk of dying from abortion is far higher in countries where abortion is illegal than where it’s legal.

I am pro-choice because illegal abortion is the cause of 25% of all maternal deaths in Latin America, 12% in Asia, and 13% in sub-Saharan Africa.

I am pro-choice because I will not go back.

I am pro-choice because if Roe is overturned, abortion will be illegal in many states. Even with Roe in place, states like Georgia are considering legislation which would impose life in prison or the death penalty as punishment for women who have abortions and doctors who perform the procedures.

I am pro-choice because I don’t believe we should criminalize women and doctors for exercising reproductive freedom.

I am pro-choice because seeing the impact of abortion rights on a country’s prosperity, gender equality and overall well-being is apparent simply by looking at a map.

I am pro-choice because it’s the pro-choice movement that has advocated for policies which actually decrease the need for abortion, and which make it easier for women to have children: comprehensive sexual health education, affordable and accessible contraception (including emergency contraception), pre-natal and well-baby care, social support for pregnant women and women with children, affordable child care, fair pay for working women, supporting pregnant girls, and gender equality. Comparatively, the “pro-life” movement* has no interest in actually lowering the abortion rate; their ultimate goal is sexual control of women, evidenced by their opposition to contraception and their belief that there is only one singular way to live: abstain from sex until heterosexual marriage, and then have as many children as God gives you.

I am pro-choice because I see the positive impact that the pro-choice movement has had in the United States. Women go to college at the same rates as men. We can define ourselves as something other than mothers, or as mothers and something else. Or as mothers primarily. Poverty has been cut in half since Roe gave women the right to control their own reproduction. Men can be nurturing too, and are expected to take part in raising their children. Families can be planned. Men have greater choices in their occupations since they aren’t required to be the sole bread-winner. More people have access to education. Women have more power to escape abusive relationships or bad jobs. Parents of both sexes spend more time with their kids than ever before.

I am pro-choice because I care about children- I LOVE children and can't wait to have some (but those some are a number I decide and that I can support and provide for with everything — and according to the Children’s Defense Fund, 100% of the worst legislators for children in this country are pro-life.

I am pro-choice because I believe that my body is mine. I want women, girls, men, and children to be healthy, valued, and cared for. I want families to be healthy.

I want to live in a country that values the lives and well-being of all of its citizens.

I am pro-choice because it is life-affirming. I am pro-choice because it is fundamentally just. I am pro-choice because to be anything else is to devalue and harm women, children, families, and my country.

I am pro-choice because my life is worth something.

Happy Roe day.

*By which I mean the fanatical leaders of anti-choice organizations, not the individual people who identify as “pro-life” to mean that they dislike abortion and want to see the abortion rate decreased, but also support common-sense policies like sex education and contraception.

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Reading, Writing, and Working Out

I got new workout DVDs today so I am well on my way to having no excuse to not work out. No more it's too cold outside to run whines - I can now do Tae-Bo or Self cardio, or toning exercises in my living room. So yay, for come bikini and shorts season, and vacations with Nick, I will look all fit and toned and in shape and sexy! Plus, I'll be so much healthier! I've been doing a lot of reading and writing as well. Application stuff for the summer session, reading biographies, histories, current events, and of course, romances and novels. I was also excited because I got my brochures to Royal Caribbean cruise lines. Nick and I want to go to Alaska and they have a program where you do the cruise and take a train ride into the interior of Alaska to see Denali and other sites. Of course, the way things are looking we may have to wait awhile. But I'm excited. And of course, the job hunt continues. Keep wishing me luck! That's really all my news. I just wanted to share my excitement of getting those DVDs. And tonight is sad movie night: I'm watching the Bridges of Madison County for the first time. Luckily, Nick opened a new box of tissues today!

Friday, January 12, 2007

New Year Post

Well, it's been awhle since I've posted anything new. Not much has happened. I'm anxiously awaiting my surrogate niece - Sara and Brad's baby. I've been hoping to find a better paying job as well. Exciting news: my niece Kaylin turned six! Happy Birthday! And I get to have her stay with me for a weekend in a few weeks so I'm excited. I'm working on a book database so I can keep track of the books I have, and basically for later, when I have a house that has a room devoted only to books. A library of course - if that ever happens. And I'm reading a book on the history of abortion and the differences in opinion between pro-choice and anti-choice people. It's bery non-judgemental and unbiased so far, since I'm about halfway through I think it will remain that way. To put it in basic language, the author is writing about why each group has the viewpoint that it has. Very interesting, and I may write more about it later. It's a break from reading mainly one viewpoint or another - I usually try to read both so I can be fully informed. Sometimes it's difficult. Anyway, I plan on seeing one of my best friends in April and Nick and I are planning on a trip to Chicago to see the art museum, the aquarium, and then tour, hopefully - if the weather is nice and all - the Frank Lloyd Wright stuff there. I guess that's all for now. Not very interesting, but I'm hoping my life will get more exciting.

New Year Post

Well, it's been awhle since I've posted anything new. Not much has happened. I'm anxiously awaiting my surrogate niece - Sara and Brad's baby. I've been hoping to find a better paying job as well. Exciting news: my niece Kaylin turned six! Happy Birthday! And I get to have her stay with me for a weekend in a few weeks so I'm excited. I'm working on a book database so I can keep track of the books I have, and basically for later, when I have a house that has a room devoted only to books. A library of course - if that ever happens. And I'm reading a book on the history of abortion and the differences in opinion between pro-choice and anti-choice people. It's bery non-judgemental and unbiased so far, since I'm about halfway through I think it will remain that way. To put it in basic language, the author is writing about why each group has the viewpoint that it has. Very interesting, and I may write more about it later. It's a break from reading mainly one viewpoint or another - I usually try to read both so I can be fully informed. Sometimes it's difficult. Anyway, I plan on seeing one of my best friends in April and Nick and I are planning on a trip to Chicago to see the art museum, the aquarium, and then tour, hopefully - if the weather is nice and all - the Frank Lloyd Wright stuff there. I guess that's all for now. Not very interesting, but I'm hoping my life will get more exciting.