Blog Post 9 Civic Action Project 2020

Civic Action Assessment of Issue

I have volunteered my time to women’s reproductive rights by expanding my knowledge on the history of women’s rights by attending a zoom meeting with a member of the League of Women Voters. This zoom meeting focused on Women’s Suffrage and how far women have come today with their rights. The member of the League of Women Voters explained their mission is to empower voters and defend democracy. She also mentioned that the League of Women Voters is non-partisan. I learned about Maria Stewart who was the first woman to lecture in public in 1832. It’s still so shocking that women didn’t have a voice until 100 years ago. I also learned about the Abolitionist Movement because that is directly tied to the Women’s Movement. A few people that she mentioned who stood out to me were Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, and Alice Paul. Frederick Douglass helped the Women’s Movement by changing many people’s minds about their views and expectations for women. He was a major factor in helping women be able to vote. Harriet Tubman was known as a “conductor” and saved at least 70 African American lives. She also became a prominent speaker for the Women’s Suffrage Movement. Rosa Parks is known for refusing to give up her seat on the bus. Her bravery helped lead to the end of segregation. Alice Paul was a young women’s suffragist. I remember watching a movie about Alice Paul in my Threads class last year. She was a very determined woman and made huge accomplishments for women’s rights. One shocking fact I learned from this zoom meeting was that native women could not vote until 1920. But the most shocking of all was when I learned that it was illegal for women to wear pants. I knew that in the past women used to dress in mostly dresses and skirts but I did not know it was actually illegal to wear pants. Women still have a long battle ahead of them but it is essential to recognize how far we have come. 

Legislative and Executive Action

The Women’s Health Protection Act was introduced on May 23rd, 2019. It is in the first stage of the legislative process. It hasn’t passed in either the House of Representatives or the Senate. It is in progress being considered by the committee currently, then it goes to the Senate and House of Representatives. The Women’s Health Protection Act of 2019 serves to protect a women’s right to choose and have an abortion. It also serves to protect those health care providers’ ability to perform things like abortion. The bill is sponsored by Democrats. This means that in the House of Representatives it will most likely pass because the majority are Democrats. However, the Senate is unknown which way it will sway because it is not yet clear yet who has the majority in the Senate. The bill was assigned to the Judiciary Committee. I would definitely encourage my representatives to vote yes. I am shocked that an act like this hasn't already passed and passed a long time ago. Women and health providers should always be protected and this act does a great job of doing that. The Department of Health and Human Services manages responses to women’s reproductive rights. The mission of the department is to enhance the health of all Americans by providing effective health and social services. Alex Azar is the current secretary of the department. He was sworn in under Trump in 2018. This immediately is a little alarming to me because Trump has appointed many people who I have disagreed with or people who have been fired/quit early on. However, Alex Azar is not afraid to go against Trump and has prevented him from carrying out a lot of things. Azar is highly qualified for the job. This department has the opportunity to help or hurt the progress of women’s reproductive rights. HIPAA-and Your Health Rights would be suitable in responding to women’s reproductive rights. This program serves to protect Americans’ fundamental health rights.

California Proposition Assessment

California Proposition 4 Parental Notification for Minors Abortion in 2008 was not passed. This proposition would have prohibited abortion for unemancipated minors until 48 hours after a physician notifies the minors parent (or legal guardian). The fiscal impact of this proposition would have been several million dollars annually for social service programs, health programs, court administration, and state health agency administration. The election results of this proposition were very close. 52% of people said no, 48% said yes. This surprised me that 48% of people supported this proposition. In California, I would have assumed most people would agree it’s the person who is having the baby’s decision. The proposition supporters were the Alternative Family Notification Act, Child Protection Legislation, and Fellow American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Some of the major donors for the proposition were James E. Holman and Don Sebastiani. Both of these super-rich financial backers believe that family members should have the right to know if one of their children has an abortion. I think it is interesting to point out that they are both men. It is also interesting to point out that the opposing side has supporters like Planned Parenthood and the Democratic party. Planned Parenthood is known for having the best interest of women and their health care.

I do see the pros of this proposition. I understand that by informing an adult on the situation they could help support them and if there are medical complications after the procedure, they will be there to help. I also think that this proposition could help inform parents if there is sexual abuse occurring. However, I believe that the cons of this proposition are much stronger. Many women who want to get an abortion are not in a place where they can inform a parent or legal guardian of the situation. They should still be able to get an abortion because in the end is 100% their body and decision. If I could have voted in 2008, I would have voted no. In addition, I find it interesting that only $3,202,911 was contributed to voting yes on proposition 4, while $10,504,042 was donated for voting no.

Political Interest Groups and PACs Assessment

The Special Interest Group NARAL Pro-Choice America fights for reproductive freedom for everybody. They protect that freedom by fighting for access to abortion care, birth control, paid parental leave, and multiple protection against pregnancy discrimination. When I went onto this special interest group page, the first thing that caught my eye was “Another anti-choice extremist SCOTUS”. I thought this was very interesting because they are deliberately referring to Amy Coney Barrett, the new judge who Trump has appointed and is in the process of attempting to be passed right before the election. This issue is a controversy because of how close it is to the election and Barrett’s views on certain issues are questionable to certain parties. Barrett is pro-life and doesn’t believe in abortion; this is why this special interest group is against the new Supreme Court nominee. They have an option on the website which allows people to contact senators about why they should not consider approving the new supreme court nomination. On the front page, there is also a vote by mail link which will cast their vote by mail this year, instead of going to the polls which is a higher risk for getting COVID-19. At the top of the page, there is a tab that has a link to donate. There are many different ways you can donate from sending money to candidates, to donate in honor or memory. The website also has a “shop” button in the upper right-hand corner which is where they sell merchandise that says “freedom is for every body”. Lastly, there is a take action button. When this button is clicked, it allows you to become a member, volunteer, attend events, and make calls. They support the supreme court case Roe v. Wade and the right to choose. This special interest group is located in Washington, D.C. There are volunteer opportunities that you can sign up for to help make sure the pro-choice majority wins at the ballot box. I like how this website has a large social media platform including Facebook. The super PAC that I am choosing to look deeper into is the Planned Parenthood Votes. This super PAC is a branch of Planned Parenthood which believes in reproductive health for everyone. They have raised $23,090,807. They have spent $19,746,934. Overall, they have spent $4,822,259 total for Democrats. They have spent $4,212,554 total against Republicans. This is what I would expect because Planned Parenthood holds liberal views. Their largest donor was named Micheal Bloomberg. He was the mayor of New York City. He also served as a Democrat in the primaries in the 2020 election.

Election 2020 Presidential Candidates Assessment

I researched all six of the presidential candidates that are going to be on the 2020 ballot and their stance on abortion. I started with Howie Hawkins. His platform believes in defending abortion rights. Hawkins is a part of the green party which is more left-leaning so this is what I would expect from his platform. I agree with his stance; abortion should always be an option for women. Next I researched President Donald Trump’s platform. His platform is pro-life. He wants to ban abortions and is taking money away from organizations like Planned Parenthood. This is what I would expect from most republicans, but not necessarily all. I disagree with this stance because I believe women should always have a choice in the matter. Then I went onto Gloria La Riva’s political platform page. She believes in legal abortion on demand. Riva is a part of the Peace and Freedom platform which leans left so this is what I expected. I agree with their stance that Roe v. Wade is essential for women’s reproductive rights and that abortion should be on demand when needed. The following candidate I researched was Roque De La Fuente Guerra. He is a part of the American Independent party which takes no stance on abortion. Next, I went onto Jo Jorgensen’s platform page. He wants to keep the government out of it, no subsidies or regulations. This doesn’t surprise me because the Libertarian party goes back and forth between the left and the right on social issues. Jorgensen believes there should be a choice for women but the government won’t help fund it. I believe that the government should help fund organizations like Planned Parenthood. Lastly I looked at Joe Biden’s page. He believes in funding Planned Parenthood and preventing states from violating Roe v Wade. This is what I expected from the democratic party because they are pro-choice. I 100% agree with this stance because women’s reproductive health needs to be addressed for its level of importance.

Political Party Action

I looked at the stance of abortion of 5 different political party platforms. I started with Republicans. The Republican Party doesn’t believe in abortion. They believe in studies that have shown that abortion endangers the health and well being of Women. Republicans think American taxpayers should not be forced to fund abortions. Overall there was little information about it on their page, clear and concise that they firmly disagree with it. In my opinion, I think that no one has the right to tell a woman what they can and can’t do with their body. I believe every woman should have a choice. The next party I researched was the Democrats. They believe every woman should have access to reproductive health care, including safe and legal abortion. Democrats also want to restore funding for planned parenthood. They believe that these precautions have significantly reduced teen and unintended pregnancy by making it their choice for when and where they want to have a child. I agree with the Democratic standpoint on abortion. Women will continue to have abortions whether it is legal or not so there needs to be good health care for women so it can be safe. On the Libertarian page, they believe the government should be left out of the matter. I agree with this because it should only be the choice of the women who are pregnant, not the government. That is all the Libertarian party really said. The next political platform I researched was the Green Party. The Green Party supports a woman's right to reproductive choice, no matter her marital status or age, and that legal abortion procedures be available to everyone and included in all health insurance coverage. As I have said before, I agree with this standpoint. All women should have easy access that is covered by their insurance. The last platform I researched was the Peace and Freedom Party. They believe there should be free abortion on demand. They were very straight to the point and I agree with their point of view. Overall, I agree most strongly with the Democrats because I think there needs to be funding for companies like Planned Parenthood. I also believed that these precautions have significantly lowered teen pregnancy rates by giving them a choice in the matter.

Blog Post 2- Media Assessment of Issue

I wanted to get a sense of the #Metoo Movement from 3 different perspectives. I first started with The Atlantic. The Atlantic is classified as a subtle bias and left-leaning news agency. This article consists of telling the story of how the #Metoo Movement gained momentum and what the overall goal of this movement is. The overall goal of this movement is to show the severity of the problem of sexual assault and how many people it affects. Not only women but men as well were sharing their stories from all over the world and giving the world an awareness of how important this problem is. The author of this article was named Sophie Gilbert. She is a staff member of The Atlantic and she covers culture. She has also written for the New York Times, The Washington Post, New Republic, and Slate. These are all left-leaning news agencies. Overall she used tweets to back up her evidence and took the side of the sexual assault victims. Then I looked at The Washington Times. This news agency is also classified as subtle bias but right-leaning. When I looked up the #Metoo Movement, articles immediately popped up that had negative connotations with this movement. The articles that popped up weren’t informational regarding the movement, more criticizing it. The article I chose to look more closely at was about the #Metoo Movement going too far when it came to an actor named Aziz Ansari. This article pertained to a lot of aggressive language. It explained that the woman’s accusation shouldn’t count against him because it wasn’t in the threshold of rape. In my personal opinion, they are invalidating a woman’s sexual assault accusation. This article says things that put the blame on the victim and makes claims that she is exaggerating because it doesn’t fall in the rape threshold. The third news agency’s perspective I looked at was ABC News. ABC News is known for being neutral and has an equal amount of bias for both sides. When I looked up the #Metoo Movement a bunch of different videos came up. I chose to watch a video on a podcast called “In Our Words”. It was a podcast about survivors and their personal experiences. She gave people a voice about their experiences from both sides, from the victims to the falsely accused. I think this podcast did a great job of showing both sides and educating people about the movement. Overall, as I have said before, I am on the victim’s side when it comes to sexual assault. Out of the three news agencies, I identify the most with The Atlantic News. I think that the #Metoo Movement is a super powerful movement that brings light to many injustices in our society today.

BLOG POST #1: CONCEPTUALIZING THE ISSUE AND ASSESSING TYPES OF ACTION

I chose to do my Civic Action issue on Violence Against Women and the #metoo movement. This issue stood out to me because looking back at our history, women have made huge strides for equality. There is more work to be done, however, I think this is a very important issue to talk about in order to obtain gender equality. This movement focuses on the survivors of sexual violence. The purpose is to give resources to survivors to heal and advocate for change in our laws and policies. In addressing this issue, women still face violence and discrimination; change needs to happen in our system to fix this problem. This movement continues to spread awareness of the injustices that are happening to women and fight for change.