Nevada County Citizens For Choice

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You are here: Home / Articles

Rape Culture in the U.S. – Causes and Solutions for an Epidemic Problem

June 11, 2015 By Freddy Zylstra Leave a Comment

‘Put molly all in her champagne, she ain’t even know it. Took her home and I enjoyed that, she aint’ even know it’.

~ Rapper Rick Ross, in ‘You Ain’t Even Know It’
(‘molly’ refers to MDMA, or Ecstasy)

 

Rape culture is alive and well in the United States. It asserts that men have a right to women’s bodies, with or without consent.                             

Nearly 1 in 3 male college students admitted they would rape a woman if they could be certain no one would find out and there would be no consequences, according to a University of North Dakota survey.

respect for personal boundaries is critical
Respect for others boundaries is essential to stopping rape culture

The survey, released in December 2014, contained sobering insight into the students’ definition of rape, depending on the wording of the question rather than an understanding of the behavior. When the question was posed as ‘would you act on intentions to force a woman to have sex’, 31.7% responded ‘yes’.

The researchers changed the wording of the question to ‘would you act on intentions to rape a woman’ and found that only 13.6% said ‘yes’.

Why did the respondents think there was a difference?

The paper, “Denying Rape but Endorsing Forceful Intercourse: Exploring Differences Among Responders,” was released recently in the journal ‘Violence and Gender’.

What the researchers discovered is that those respondents who said they might force a woman to have sex but ‘not rape her’ seemed to have high levels of indifferent sexual attitudes – in other words, they weren’t overtly hostile (as were the group who admitted to thinking that rape was acceptable), but they also didn’t perceive women as individuals who have the right to control their own bodies. It appeared that the respondents felt that acting aggressively was ‘expected’ and ‘manly’.

What cultural and peer behaviors encourage this belief?

  • In 2013, two Steubenville, Ohio high school football players were convicted and sentenced for the rape of a 16 year old girl. The media was flooded with comments about the young men, who had ‘such promising futures’ and how ‘sad it was their lives were ruined’

 

In reality, the girl was brutally assaulted by her peers, who transported, undressed, photographed and sexually assaulted her. The boys jokingly shared their crime on social media, posting photos of the rape, saying she was ‘like a dead body’ because she was incapacitated by alcohol. Hundreds of shared photos and text messages making light of the crime were presented as evidence during the trial.

 

  • At Kenilworth Junior High School in Petaluma, California, a school administrator informed all the female students that they ‘couldn’t wear tight pants because it caused the boys to be distracted’.

 

Why did the school feel it was incumbent upon the girls to change their dress and behavior? Purportedly because they feel the boys aren’t able to control themselves.  Why not teach mutual respect and boundaries instead?  This action inferred that the boys somehow weren’t to blame for their own behavior.

 

  • The treatment of women as ‘objects’, and violent behavior exhibited toward them by prominent sports figures such as NFL star Ray Rice sets a terrible example for teen boys who idolize these athletes. Had Mr. Rice’s vicious attack on his then fiancée not been videotaped and widely distributed in the media, it’s entirely possible the NFL would have looked the other way.

 

Who is responsible for perpetuating the belief that boys don’t need to respect boundaries with girls?

It seems everyone is to blame. Video games, Rap music, sports culture, internet porn, television, lack of action on the part of schools, and peer pressure are all factors. Adolescent and teen boys are getting the message that encourages them to ignore their emotions, objectify and degrade women, and resolve conflict through aggression. The media creates a minefield of gender identity and false expectations of what it means to become a ‘real’ man at a time in boy’s lives when they are struggling with overwhelming feelings of sexuality.

objectifying women in video games
Violent video games often portray women as ‘objects’

Is progress being made?

Arguably not fast enough, though there are programs to mentor young men and promote healthier, non-violent identities based on a set of values which embrace respect for women.

One such program is the Men of Strength Club. This school-based curriculum spans 22 weeks and teaches male teens ages 11-18 appropriate dating and relationship skills.  They are encouraged to show their ‘strength’ and masculinity in positive and empathetic ways among their peers.

Winning the 2007 United States Changemakers competition to identify the world’s most innovative domestic violence prevention programs, the Men of Strength Club is now in schools across 10 states, including California.

Obviously, we have a long way to go.  Providing fact-based sex education in our schools is one way to open dialog between parents and adolescents – the perfect opportunity to discuss the meaning of healthy relationships. The ‘Know it & Own it’ program developed by Citizens for Choice is a powerful tool in creating a sense of responsibility and respect in teens of both sexes.

Further Reading and Study:

The results of a 2013 National Study on teens and sexual violence: http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/10/08/2748631/national-study-adolescents-sexual-violence/

http://dayofthegirl.org/rape-culture/  This website addresses the neglect and devaluation of girls around the world

http://therepresentationproject.org/films/the-mask-you-live-in/about-the-film/synopsis/
Documentary directed by Jennifer Newsome (Miss Representation) which explores the role of boys as they grow up with stereotypes and expectations of a society that condones aggression.

Filed Under: Current Societal Issues Tagged With: causes of rape culture, indifference to personal boundaries, prevention of rape, rape culture, sexual identity and rape culture, violence and rape culture

What is Reproductive Freedom?

March 16, 2015 By Aimee Murray Leave a Comment

By Kimberly D’Urso, President

Many organizations exist for the sole purpose of maintaining a society which respects everyone’s right to intimate relationships, and to decide whether or not they choose to have children. Education, access to affordable contraception, and a ‘Life Plan’ all play a crucial role in an individual’s ability to make choices which reflect their personal beliefs.

Abstinence only programs which avoid scientific-based facts, perpetuate the idea that by providing sex education, teens will make poor decisions. In conveying this message of distrust, it makes it much harder to empower our youth in a dialogue about sexuality—including abstinence, consent, contraception, identity and healthy relationships—giving them the tools to prosper as emotionally stable adults.

Let’s begin with Defining Reproductive Freedom. There are five main contributors in understanding an individual’s reproductive freedom:What is Reproductive Freedom_Graphic

Self-Awareness. When a person has conscious knowledge of their character, feelings and personal beliefs they are self-aware. Gender identity, the ability to define consent, and establishing a ‘Life Plan’ are all acts of self-awareness– which may include starting a family early, waiting until after college or later in life, or not having a child.

Emotional Stability. When an individual is self-aware, they are better equipped to withstand peer pressure, recognize healthy relationship behaviors and avoid domestic violence or dangerous emotional instability patterns.

Choice. Without the opportunity to choose, there are no reproductive freedoms. Affordable access, patient rights, and confidential unbiased care are the basis to one’s reproductive choices.

Support. There are many ways support maintains reproductive freedom. Voting for a candidate who supports your right to choose, activism, or by donating your time/money, all support the many diverse organizations whose objective is to ensure reproductive justice for all.

Foundation. Reproductive freedom is founded on your constitutional right to choose what is best for YOU. Fully understanding your reproductive rights–and the organizations who support them–ensures that they are available for you, and generations to follow.

By providing women, men and teens access to confidential, unbiased resources to maintain their reproductive health, our community benefits from an increase in individuals who lead healthy, proactive lives–resulting directly in a decrease in unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

Kimberly D’Urso is a certified Health Worker and President of Citizens for Choice. She is working with the Countywide Health Coordinator, Curriculum Coordinator-Safe Schools/Healthy Students to bring a comprehensive sex-education program to middle and high school students in Nevada County, as well as an independent program, Know it & Own it, offered directly through Citizens for Choice. If you are interested in learning more about these programs, Kimberly can be reached at kimberly.c4c@gmail.com

Filed Under: Reproductive Rights

Why our Community Needs The Clinic! and Women’s Health Specialists

December 28, 2014 By Freddy Zylstra Leave a Comment

An unsuspecting woman suddenly in need of assistance with an unplanned pregnancy, birth control, or facts about her reproductive health may look to a local clinic for help.  It is likely to be the first time she has consulted with anyone for these needs. How can she know the information she’ll receive is factual and comprehensive?

She does an online search.  A nice-looking clinic is advertising that they help women with these issues, and from the looks of it, the staff is compassionate and well-informed. But what this woman doesn’t realize is that she has reached a Crisis Pregnancy Center with a definite agenda that doesn’t include her best interests.

Crisis Pregnancy Center staff, in their mission to protect the unborn at all cost, feel its okay to lie to pregnant mothers and young women seeking advice about their reproductive health as long as their agenda is successful.

dreamstimefree_224435
Am I pregnant?

The goal is to coerce pregnant women into carrying the fetus full-term or as a last resort consider adoption. Any woman who asks about terminating a pregnancy is given a laundry list of lies designed to scare her into quickly dispensing with the idea.  These clinics also often counsel women against birth control methods and shame them for wanting to have sex if they aren’t married.

Yet these centers advertise that they’ll help pregnant women with their choices and offer ‘educational’ services for women.

The documentary ‘Misconception’ chronicles the experiences of three women who went undercover to centers that advertised they would help women make ‘choices’.  Their investigation was secretly filmed and revealed shocking deceit and lies on the part of the centers’ workers.

Many of these ‘centers’ receive government funding. They are careful not to appear anti-abortion in their advertising – because this will bring women into the clinics who are seeking abortions, which they hope to stop. While not all ‘pregnancy crisis centers’ employ these methods, here are some of the lies told to women who venture in either looking for factual counseling, contraception, education or termination:

  • One of the women in the documentary was asked “Why do you have sex?” and was then informed that there has to be meaning behind intercourse. “You don’t have sex to make yourself feel good.”
  • Condoms are “naturally porous” and do not protect against STDs (This is, of course, untrue)
  • “Abortion causes extremely high, increased risk of breast cancer” that “can be as much as an 80% increase depending upon how the risk factors fall into place.” (The National Institute of Health finds no connection whatsoever between abortion and any kind of cancer.)
  • 30 percent of women who get abortions die within the first year due to complications. (In fact, the risk of death from childbirth in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy is 11 times greater than that of abortion – after 20 weeks, the risk is the same).
  • At one CPC technicians were caught tapping out “messages” from unborn babies (“hi mommy and daddy”) as they perform ultrasounds, making the inference that the first trimester fetus can recognize and even speak to its parents.
  • A Jewish woman who posed as a pregnant woman as part of an investigation was told at five centers that she wouldn’t go to heaven unless she converted to Christianity.
  • 91% of “services” at Planned Parenthood in 2010 were abortions. (The actual number is about 3%)
  • “Birth control and the ‘morning-after pill’ are abortifacients. (meaning they cause abortion)” In fact, they prevent conception from occurring at all.
  • One of the women who went undercover for the documentary was given a sonogram, shown a plastic ‘replica’ of a supposedly 12 week old fetus and sternly lectured about morality and religion. The ‘replica’, by the way, was a very small but completely developed doll made to look like a 6 month old baby.

As long as centers reveal they don’t offer counseling which includes the choice of abortion, are clear that they follow an anti-abortion position and religious beliefs, that would be fine. They could also be honest that they don’t condone birth control or sex outside marriage so women can make their own decision about whether or not to visit. Few centers are so straightforward, since they desire to ‘convert’ those who don’t share their opinions.

To use deception and lies to promote a clinic that receives taxpayer funding is reprehensible. Our local ‘Crisis Pregnancy Center’ offers lovely language on their services page, offering to ‘help you make an informed choice’ and offers a ‘friendly, safe, non-judgmental environment for you to talk about your options and ask questions about parenting, adoption and abortion’. Sounds very helpful and open, doesn’t it? The only counseling you’ll receive about abortion is that it is not an option.

http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-images-doctor-teenage-patient-image28561064
Unbiased information about all options.

Contrary to the erroneous opinion of the well-meaning staff at crisis pregnancy centers, The Clinic!, run by Citizens for Choice and Women’s Health Specialists, does not advocate abortion for every pregnant woman.  Abortion is not performed at The Clinic! – instead, women who choose to terminate a pregnancy are referred to the Chico or Sacramento Clinic. Abortion accounts for only about 4% of the total services offered. The Clinic! Offers truly unbiased options based on scientific fact. Women are encouraged to explore all options so they may come to a decision which is right for them. It’s a personal decision- one which is respected by the staff.  In fact, education is the primary mission of Citizens for Choice, with a new program launched just this year called ‘Know it and Own it’. According to The Guttmacher Institute, nearly 50% of teens don’t learn about their reproductive health from their parents, and instead, rely on often incorrect information from friends. This program aims to create a generation of teens who are well-informed about their reproductive health and have a sense of empowerment based on knowledge, confidence and acceptance.

Why do we need The Clinic! in our community? It’s the only place where men and women of any age and sexual orientation can truly get unbiased, science-based, medically accurate and comprehensive information and counseling  from staff whose only agenda is to help them be empowered and informed.

Filed Under: Reproductive Rights Tagged With: abortion, choice, clinics, crisis pregnancy centers, medically accurate facts

The History of Citizens for Choice in our Community

October 18, 2014 By Freddy Zylstra Leave a Comment

We’ve reached a milestone.

The small group of women who envisioned greater access to reproductive health care and unbiased, informative planning in 1989 knew something had to be done in our community. We were too small and rural to warrant a Planned Parenthood clinic – and many of those residents truly in need of services didn’t have the ability to travel to gain access to those services.

Education was an immediate need.  At Silver Springs High School (the county school with programs for young mothers), the school nurse reported that the overwhelming consensus among students was that getting pregnant was desirable, because they would receive more welfare money.  These young mothers didn’t envision a choice for themselves – either in their reproductive health or their lives.

Nevada County was overwhelmingly conservative in 1989.  The LivingWell clinic, an anti-abortion advocate, had opened its doors in 1986, its intention to influence and coerce young pregnant women to consider only full-term pregnancy as an option. No organization existed to provide medically accurate, truthful, complete education and options to those in need.

Women from The American Association of University Women (ww.aauwnevadacounty.org), Business & Professional Women of Nevada County (bpwnevadacounty.org), and the League of Women Voters (www.lwvwnc.org) formed an alliance to provide education about reproductive choice.  They decided their first priority was to begin encouraging public dialogue.120 Richardson St_sm

Armed with pamphlets and medically accurate information from pro-choice organizations outside Nevada County, these women held their first public information seminar. They were thrilled when a deluge of attendees arrived. The excitement was short-lived, however, when they discovered the attendees were present only to prevent the presentation from taking place and to remove the entire supply of educational pamphlets. They decided to reorganize and become better prepared for future presentations.

These early founders were astounded that there was an organized effort to suppress facts about pregnancy and abortion.  They were accused of being pro-abortion. In fact, just like today, no one was advocating that young women rush to have abortions the moment they discovered they were pregnant. What they did advocate for was education and empowerment – based on unbiased, informative family planning and access to reproductive health care.  This alliance of women strongly felt that choice – the choice to have children or not – and when – is an absolute right for all people.

The ensuing years brought change – but it was slow and often discouraging. Citizens for Choice became an independent organization in 1992.  Its founders dreamed of providing a clinic for Nevada County, but felt it might never come to fruition.

Were it not for the dedication, courage and hard work of the women who met 25 years ago with a shared vision of supporting reproductive choice, we would not now be celebrating this milestone anniversary.

Today, Citizens for Choice is a member organization of the California Coalition for Reproductive Freedom (CCRF), a statewide reproductive and sexual health, rights, and justice coalition of more than 30 independent organizations. We are partners with Women’s Health Specialists for The Clinic!, our reproductive health care clinic in Grass Valley, which was opened in 2006. We provide education through our ‘Know it and Own it’ program.  Our advocate partner, C.H.O.I.C.E.S., promotes reproductive justice and education at Sierra College.

Join us in celebrating our 25th Anniversary! A ‘Decadent Desserts’ fundraiser is planned for Thursday, November 20th, 2014 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at the Historic Powell House in Nevada City.  Have you been craving the luscious taste of Chocolate Grand Marnier cake? Give in to your desires! Your senses will be soothed by voluptuous desserts baked lovingly by Upper Crust Bakery in Chico; your ears caressed by the soulful music of Aedryan Gantt. You will be supporting a great organization with your modest donation (suggested $25 in honor of 25 years of service).

RSVP via e-mail at info@citizensforchoice.org and honor the commitment and vision of Citizens for Choice and the difference we make in our community.

Filed Under: Reproductive History Tagged With: advocating for choice, reproductive education, reproductive rights

Honoring Courage

October 17, 2014 By Crystal Cook Leave a Comment

This short, 10-minute film is powerful. ‘Honoring Courage: A Short History of Reproductive Health Services in California’ details the fight in the 1960s and 1970s to legalize abortion and curtail forced sterilization and takes viewers to current efforts to secure reproductive rights and justice.

This story has never before been documented on film.

Produced by CCRWF and Storefront Political Media, we were honored to work with our Advisory Committee: Black Women for Wellness, California Latinas for Reproductive Justice, NARAL Pro-Choice California, and Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, as well as the many leaders who agreed to be interviewed and filmed.

Filed Under: Reproductive History, Reproductive Rights Tagged With: reproductive health, reproductive history, reproductive rights, video

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