Report Back on the Life Chain

October 15, 2008

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!)

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

Some signs on my living-room floor.

Some signs on my living-room floor

No Comments » | Activism, Anti-Choice, Reproductive Rights | Permalink
Posted by Derek

Release for Stand Up Against the Pro-Life Chain

October 2, 2008

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

No Comments » | Activism, Anti-Choice, Call-out, Event Promotion, Reproductive Rights | Permalink
Posted by Derek

Stand Against the Life Chain This Sunday

October 1, 2008

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.

I hope to see some of you this week!

Note: There is also a Facebook event.

No Comments » | Activism, Anti-Choice, Event Promotion, Reproductive Rights | Permalink
Posted by Derek

A lot can happen in a week…

August 31, 2008

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 Tories dropped Bill C-484, Kyle Payne was sentenced to six months in jail, and McCain selected his running mate, Sarah Palin. 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 his stance on 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!

2 Comments | Activism, Anti-Choice, Politics, Reproductive Rights | Permalink
Posted by Derek

Contending with the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, Bill C-484, and Violence Against Pregnant Women

April 14, 2008

This past Friday, I attended a lecture by Dr. Rebecca Stringer, a professor from the University of Otago in New Zealand, who presented, “Fact, Fiction, and the Foetus: Violence Against Pregnant Women and the Politics of Abortion.” It was, primarily, an academic approach to the Unborn Victims of Violence Act (UVVA) in America.

America previously used the “born alive” rule when dealing with harm inflicted on the foetus, which held that matters such as homicide or assault only applied to children outside the womb, so that a foetus in utero, if harmed, would result in no charge against the person who had harmed it. UVVA overturned this.

Smash Patriarchy!

7 Comments | Activism, Anti-Choice, Politics, Reproductive Rights, Sexism, Violence Against Women, feminism | Permalink
Posted by Derek

Are you an MRA? Introducing an Exciting New Guide to Help you Answer the All-Important Question!

April 11, 2008

Oh, Men’s Rights Activists: Where would we be without you? Well, on numerous occasions, my blog stats would have been a lot lower (and they’ll probably be much higher after I post this). I’m afraid the benefits - for me, at least - don’t extend beyond that. MRAs are, ultimately, harmful to many goals for equality, and, perhaps worse, are harmful to their own cause: No one wants to grant more “freedoms” (I hear that’s what they call them) to assholes. Of course, I don’t want to discount the good intentions of many men who are combating injustices committed against them, such as violence against men, or, at times the unfair treatment they receive in court systems, especially regarding custody battles - these are, I feel, legitimate concerns when dealt with properly (i.e. by not distorting statistics). To avoid confusion, these men may be referred to as feminists, or pro-feminists, or, to ensure maximum comfort, feminist-friendly men. These men are not assholes. MRAs are assholes. So, to avoid being a terribly misguided, misogynist, MRA douchebag, here’s an easy guide to help you find out if you already are one:

Smash Patriarchy!

30 Comments | Anti-Choice, Sexism, Violence Against Women, feminism | Permalink
Posted by Derek

Those Helpful Pro-Lifers!

February 21, 2008

During my search for abortion clinics in Alberta, I came across this. Isn’t it simply fantastic that someone looking for help can get it, no questions asked? I mean, it might not be exactly the help she was looking for, but look at that thoughtful first reply! That commenter compiled several links for the inquirer. Gosh, sometimes I wish I could be that helpful to people dealing with life-altering circumstances.

No Comments » | Anti-Choice | Permalink
Posted by Derek

Attack of the Anti-Choicers!

February 9, 2008

I am terribly sorry for my more-than-brief hiatus. I have no excuse, and I’ll be damned if I don’t miss bogging and hearing your feedback! Thanks for all the kind comments, and thank you, Holly, for pushing me out of my non-blogging state. To start it off again, I’m writing a bit of a fun post. I hope you like it!

So, there have been Anti-Choicers set up in the Student Union Building (SUB) on campus all this year, every Friday. Last year I spent a little over an hour speaking with them, but it really had no effect other than reaffirm my suspicions that they were not only anti-choice, but anti-sex, pro-misogyny, and hell, I’m still not convinced they’re actually pro-life.

Anyway, that was last semester. This semester, I’m back with fucking attitude, assholes!

So, a few weeks ago, I was about to leave SUB when, lo and behold! The Anti-Choice table was set up (complete with plastic fetuses)! I was about to walk past when the devious part of my self urged me to turn around. So, I did, and I promptly got a sheet of paper and a felt pen. In big, black letters, I wrote “SEXIST”, put an arrow pointing to the top of the page, and place tape on the four corners. I marched over to the table, squatted down, and placed the sheet a few feet from their display. I then stood up and nonchalantly walked off. That was week one.

Week two was quite a bit more exciting. I was expecting them this week, and I printed off this image. I then repeated my ritual of placing tape on the corners and headed toward the table. This time, it was a young woman womanning the table and she was busy talking to another student (my hope was that the student was arguing and would therefore not direct the woman to my attention). So, I made my way past a table with some frat boys playing Guitar Hero and snuck between their table and the Anti-Choicers’. From there, I quickly reached as high as I could and placed the image on the wall, above the hideous display. I slowly and silently creeped out from behind their table with complete success! Oh, the feelings I felt as I lingered in the hall a few moments longer: passersby were gawking and laughing at what I had done, unbeknownst to the woman at the table. (I left after only a few moments, though, so I’m assuming the image didn’t last much longer, what with the attention it was getting). I tried to get a picture, but it was gone before I had returned.

Week number three. This was just this past Friday. The Anti-Choicers were set up in a unique place: They were directly in front of huge windows, with Edmonton’s harsh winter on the other side. So, I decided to employ this to my advantage. I made up a quick little poster that said, in stylized print: “Women’s uteri belong to no one but themselves. (They don’t get it.)” (By the way, “they” were the two old men who are usually at the table.) So, as you might guess, I threw my jacket on, and went to do my business. I actually hid around a corner for some time, pretending to do whatever o my cell phone for a while, as one of them was standing up and could see the window. However, once the coast was clear, I quickly snuck to the cold outdoors and hopped through a few feet of undisturbed snow once I veered off the path. I went up to the window and proudly displayed what I had written. I then hopped back through my tracks and went inside. One of the old men was standing up, obviously reading it. I didn’t bother to see what other students’ reactions were; his was good enough for me!

And so, this is me being an annoyance to the Anti-Choicers on my campus. I’ve jammed some of their posters, too (as has a friend of mine. Way to go, Mik!) This won’t be the last they hear of me, and I have checked the Code of Student Behaviour and I’m not doing anything wrong. I do realize many people would think what I’m doing is trivial, but I think I’m creating the opportunity for dialogue. In fact, after my first act, a young man approached me and questioned why I thought it was sexist. As a result, we had a great discussion as we walked across campus to our destinations about why I felt it was sexist. It was fantastic!

Anyway, that’s my story. I probably could have told it better. I want to start experimenting with creative non-fiction, too, so who knows what you may end up seeing in the near future. Please feel free to share your stories, too!

2 Comments | Activism, Anti-Choice | Permalink
Posted by Derek

A Piece on the “Unborn Victims of Crime” Bill

January 15, 2008

My first article for my university’s paper, the Gateway, was published today. Have a look, if you so please.

5 Comments | Anti-Choice, Gateway Article | Permalink
Posted by Derek

Oh, Right! Uterus = Box. Duh!

November 19, 2007

I love anti-choicers. No, I really do! Especially when they come up with stuff like this. It just reaffirms my nagging thoughts that they simply don’t view women as people. It’s no wonder they believe a woman should keep a baby no matter the circumstances, because she’s not really a person, just a baby container! Puke.

This via Trailer Park Feminist 

No Comments » | Anti-Choice, Objectification | Permalink
Posted by Derek