There’s a great project that’s come out of the University of Alberta Women’s Centre, at the hands of a great person (I won’t name her out of respect for anonymity), called (Mis)Conceptions: Expressing Reproductive Rights.
It’s a lot like PostSecret, in that she’s asking people to send in postcards with pro-choice messages on them. Here are a couple of them:
If you’d like to submit your own postcards, it’s definitely encouraged, and they’ll be posted here. Just send them to:
Box 37
Students’ Union Building
University of Alberta
Edmonton, AB
T6G 2J7
Please pass along the word, and check out the other postcards as they get posted here.
As many of you know, I helped organise an action against the Life Chain. I’m sorry I haven’t reported back on it yet, but I’m juggling a huge number of tasks right now.
Anyway, the action went extremely well. We put it together in about half a week, and there were between 15-20 people who showed up. (Another group showed up five minutes late and unfortunately we didn’t meet up with them.) A few of us made signs Saturday, the day before, and some people brought their own on Sunday.
We weren’t met with much hostility, as we kept to ourselves. (My advice is, if you want to do something like this, it might be best to keep to yourselves, too.) It was interesting to me that, while there were many women as well as men, the men were the only ones who acted aggressively. There was a man about my age who put an anti-choice sign in the window of his car and kept driving by, honking at us. Another, older man kept taking photos of us and engaged us, but was quickly pulled away by one of the other women. (If you’re reading this, please email the photos to me!)
All in all, it was an important action, but it was also the most fun I’d had in a while. Not much compares to the feeling I got when people drove past, honking their horns in approval, cheering out their windows, or giving a simple thumbs-up.
Before I finish this with some photos, I’d like to thank Denise, who was a huge help in helping to get this action going.
With that said, here are a couple of photos! (The only ones I have - sorry!)
If you’re free from 2:00 to 6:00 in Edmonton today, why not stop by and make some signs for the demonstration tomorrow? I bought twenty poster boards and a lot of paint, but that might not be enough, so you’re encouraged to bring your own materials, but it’s not necessary. I also made a large batch of roasted red pepper hummus last night, so stop by for some of that, too! Bring your own food if you like as well.
I’m in the university area, but please email me for the exact address.
Hey everyone, if you could distribute this widely, that would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
Stand Up Against the Pro-Life Chain
This Sunday, October 5th, Edmonton Pro-Life is displaying the annual Life Chain, where Pro-Life citizens will spread themselves across several city blocks with signs. The Life Chain will run from 2:30 until 3:30, beginning at the intersection of 104th Ave and 109th St. (near Grant MacEwan college) and will run west along 109th St. to 124th St. and then north to the Morgentaler Clinic at 109 A Ave.
It’s very important that a pro-choice voice be present at this demonstration. If you’d like to participate, we’ll be meeting at north of Churchill Square, by the woman-made pond (102 A Ave and 99 St.) at 2:00 and we’ll walk to where the Life Chain starts.
You’re encouraged to bring your own signs, (there probably won’t be enough for everyone) but please keep in mind this is to be a respectful demonstration. We will not be engaging with the Pro-Lifers in any way, verbally or otherwise. Please bring a positive attitude and positive pro-choice messages. Those who are disrespectful will be asked to leave. Remember, we’re representing the pro-choice movement with this action. Hope to see you there!
What: A demonstration against the Life Chain
Where: Meet by the entrance to Churchill Station (102 A Ave and 99 St.)
When: Sunday, October 5th, at 2:00
Why: To maintain a pro-choice voice in the Edmonton community
For more information, contact Derek Warwick at warwick.derek@gmail.com
This Sunday, Oct. 5, Edmonton Prolife (I’m not linking them; you can Google their name if you like) is putting on a Life Chain. According to their website, the Life Chain
will run from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm beginning at the intersection of 104th Ave and 109th St. (near the downtown campus of Grant MacEwan College) and will run west along 109th St. to 124th Street and then north on 124th St. to the Morgentaler Clinic at 109A Ave.
If you’re in the Edmonton area, or willing to commute here, it would be great if you could show up. It will just take an hour of your time. One person described what we should do quite well:
“As we know, anti-choice arguments are purely emotional and emotional arguments do not make sense and cannot be argued with in any constructive way. I think the most effective and responsible thing for us to do as a large pro-choice group is to form our own “life line” with lots of pro-choice messages that simply reflect our belief in a woman’s right to choice. Period. No shouting, no profanity, and no engagement with anti-choice emotional fanatacism.
Remember, we are winning the battle–even Steven Harper isn’t willing to reopen the debate!”
If you’re interested in attending or helping out, please email me at warwick[dot]derek[at]gmail[dot]com.
There will be a sign-making party of some sort this week (probably Friday or Saturday). The sign-making party venue is undecided, and if it’s a residence (like maybe my apartment!), it won’t be announced publicly. So, it’s really important that if you want to help make signs, you email me. (Or contact me through Facebook. Whatever works.) Also, please bring any supplies you can. I can’t afford all the stuff on my own, so bring paint, markers, poster board, etc., keeping in mind we can’t make a mess.
Of all the weeks I could have been isolated from (most of) the world, of course it had to be last week. The week where the ToriesdroppedBillC-484, Kyle Paynewassentenced to sixmonths in jail, and McCainselectedhisrunningmate, SarahPalin. To do all of these issues the minimal coverage they deserve, I’d be sitting at my computer for the rest of the day. So, I’d like to focus on the positive and local story, the fact that the Tories have dropped the Unborn Victims of Crime Act (for now).
When I got the text message telling me the bill was being dropped, I felt a sense of relief and excitement. Not only were women’s reproductive rights a little more safe in Canada for the time being, but I could stop stressing about planning a rally for September 28th against the bill and focus on other pressing concerns. After the initial elatedness settled, naturally I started thinking about the decision.
It should be no surprise that this announcement came once one considers the recent events that have transpired. Prime Minister Stephen Harper is threatening the other parties with an election, and it was just over a week ago that Liberal leader Stephane Dion urged Harper to clarify hisstanceon abortion.
Personally, I don’t think the bill had any chance of being adopted in the first place, but it was still dangerous in that it gave anti-choicers another platform to bring up their views. Nevertheless, the bill is far from dead. (In case you missed it amongst the abundance of links above, BigCityLib has a list of the MPs who continue to support it.) If Harper gets a majority, don’t be surprised if the bill comes back, despite announcements that the Tories are moving to introduce a bill that resembles Bill C-543 and would give tougher sentences to perpetrators of violence against pregnant women.
Wrapping this up, I feel this is a victory for feminists, pro-choice activists, and, most importantly, women. A small victory, perhaps, but a victory nevertheless. Let’s kill this bill off for good, though. Feminists across Canada need to demonstrate to the general public that Harper is bad for women and we absolutely cannot let him win this election. Feminists in Edmonton and Sherwood Park need to organise a campaign against Edmonton-Sherwood Park MP Ken Epp, as well, effectively demonstrating that women don’t want him or his bill. It’s crucial to keep in mind that the fight isn’t over, but I also feel it’s important to celebrate this small victory. So, feminists and allies, let’s get Harper out of Sussex Drive, but have some fun while we’re at it!
I’m attracting quite a bit of traffic from people searching “garneau rapist” or something similar, so I’m experimenting with something. This is an open thread for discussion about the rapes in Edmonton and a place where we can (perhaps) provide information about the rapist. This is only going to work if people comment, so please, do comment if you come across this.
The police aren’t helping women, so it’s time we take action. I’m not comfortable sitting around while the police continue to use women as bait until they catch the Garneau Rapist. Use this thread however you wish, but keep the discussion limited to the situation. Comments I feel are unhelpful - such as those that contribute to victim blaming - will be deleted. There are other posts where you can debate.
With an organised and cohesive community, we can prevent any future rapes. Now, please discuss.
This Is What Women Want is your chance to cut through the spin and tell the media, the candidates and the world exactly what you want this election season. Let’s demonstrate how diverse we are in thought, action, and experience. Let’s uncover what we have in common. Let’s amplify our own and each others’ voices until they cannot be ignored.
This site will (I hope) prove to be an effective tool for getting women’s voices heard. So what are you waiting for? Go check it out and tell everyone what YOU want!
Synopsis: There have been a number of rapes in the Garneau area (where I live) and I thought this was a good time to tell people about victim blaming and the importance of not falling into that trap. Men are the perpetrators and, as such, they should be held responsible. Men need to be active in stopping rape; it’s not enough to merely refrain from the act.
I haven’t yet gotten around to writing about Saturday’s rally against Ken Epp’s Unborn Victims of Crime Bill (C-484), so I suppose now is about time. I’ve been sick (possibly due to exhaustion), but feel better today. Anyway, there is much to tell.
The rally went considerably well, I’d say. There were a few minor setbacks, but all-in-all, it was a pretty good day. Hell, I’m impressed that we put it together in such a short time. (Myself and the other organisers began planning Monday night, less than five days before the rally.)
We ended up having visiting professor Dr. RebeccaStringer, a woman on behalf of Medical Students for Choice, and NDP candidate Linda Duncan speak, and they were all fantastic. We had issues with the PA system, but they were quickly fixed.
While the MCs from Adamant Eve were wrapping up, we experienced some backlash. For those of you unfamiliar with the bill and its background, it was inspired after the murder of Olivia Talbot, who was six months pregnant. Now, at the rally, Mary Talbot, Olivia’s mother and an avid supporter of the bill, showed up, and she was not happy.
Mary began telling us to get our facts straight: That pregnant women were not being arrested in America for drug addictions; that organisations such as the ARCC had retracted previous statements criticising the bill. I sympathise with Mary, of course. She’s obviously still grieving after a terrible loss. Nevertheless, that does not mean it is acceptable to lie. It would be interesting to see where she pulled that information, if anywhere.
I can understand why Mary would support the bill. She feels she lost her grandson, that the fetus in her daughter’s uterus was a child. No one can change how she feels. It’s important to note, though, that laws should not be constructed around how a person feels. The Unborn Victims of Crime Act is a dangerous law that should not be enacted. Furthermore, claiming the proposed law “has nothing to do with abortion” is a statement that could only possibly be believed through a very thick cloud of ignorance. Giving a fetus legal rights does have implications for abortion. It doesn’t matter that the bill has that section seven which states lawful and elective abortion would be exempt; giving a fetus rights is the first dangerous step towards the recriminalisation of abortion.
Nevertheless, I digress. After a bit of a spat between the vocal members of the rally and Mary, she left. After that, the rally was basically over, with many people lingering to discuss and socialise, and interviews took place as well.
Overall, it was a great experience. I had never even attended a rally before, never mind organise one. I’m thinking about putting together a guide of some sort for people interested in putting one together, because I had no idea what to do before this. Of course, a guide is never as good as getting advice from someone directly, as another organiser and I discussed, but it helps.
Posted by Derek
Posted by Derek
Posted by Derek
