Funding for FEMALE ERASURE ANTHOLOGY!

I am very excited to announce my contribution to the upcoming anthology FEMALE ERASURE: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GENDER POLITICS' WAR ON WOMEN, THE FEMALE SEX AND HUMAN RIGHTS! I just donated to the IndieGoGo campaign and I hope you will, too!

ANOTHER SECOND-WAVE FEMINIST REFUSES TO BE SILENCED BY TRANSGENDER CRITICS

By Carol Downer

          I applaud Germaine Greer speaking the truth. She says it’s fine if men choose to use drugs and surgery to alter their bodies to feel more comfortable by having a female appearance, and she accords them the courtesy of using female speechforms, but it doesn’t mean that they now belong to the class of women.  So, trans women, and their supporters, go ahead and call me scurrilous names and mount your campaigns to deny me any means to publicly express my opinion.   This is the time for all women that want to preserve the gains of our women’s liberation movement to follow Greer’s example and speak out.  As ACT UP! said, “Silence is Death”.

 You ask, why can’t everyone accept them as being women, if they so identify?  Trans women have not had the experience of being a girl or woman their whole life, so they do not have that deep bond that women have which is based on our capacity to reproduce the species; they have not been, are not presently and never will be, targets of those ruling class males who either favor or oppose population growth.   Therefore, the male-dominated society will not accept them as women; in fact, many trans women are being beaten up and killed by sexist males for making their outer appearance congruent with their self-definition.   Their assailants are saying, in essence, “we men have the power to decide who is or is not a woman”.  And, though some liberal left men are probably getting a kick out seeing feminists being de-platformed and taking their turn at being called bigots, ruling class men knows that the chief definition of women in patriarchal society is that they are inferior, and they will use their power to keep treating us that way.  Since the patriarchy’s main goal is to control women’s power to reproduce, the activities of gender non-conforming people do not bother them since only a minority of them sire, gestate and rear children.

The debate about how to define “woman” is a sideshow, because it is based on the assumption that we ordinary people define “woman” through our daily actions.   Paradoxically, the trans gender community preach that gender is a social construct, but they do not analyze who is responsible for this social construct and how it is enforced, and by whom.  Instead, they attack a woman who criticizes the male power structure responsible for the gender stereotypes that oppress women and trans women.

In today’s world, the media, the internet and the public pronouncements of the major political parties reflect back to us a picture of a society in which we collectively create the social construct of gender, therefore, since we collectively create it, it is presumed that we can change it by changing public opinion.  Actually, this social construct is a result of what’s taught in our educational institutions, what’s preached from religious pulpits, what’s enforced by laws and regulations in every phase of our lives.  Our country is ruled by the 1% who own the corporations using control of the media, philanthropy, lobbying, and institutions.  They can’t change the underlying physiological difference between males and females.   The population is dimorphic; everyone fits, more or less, into either male or female plus an increasing population of people that are intersex.  However, they can decide whether our society is binary, meaning everyone if forced to be either a man or a woman. If we want to challenge the tyranny of these rigid binary gender roles, and feminists do, we women have to unite as a class, to collectively rebel.  Trans gendered people and men can be allies and support our struggle.

So, I will never deny Caitlyn Jenner the right to identify as a trans woman (although she is not my favorite trans woman, because she is anti-abortion and anti-poor people), but I will disagree with her defining herself as a woman, thus pulling the rug out of the definition that a woman is an adult female human, and thus destroying my ability to establish common ground with other adult female humans.

Of course, trans women and we women have some common male enemies, violent men who enforce the patriarchal definition of women by assaulting or killing any man who dares to undermine male superiority by behaving like a woman and the members of the White, Male Supremacist ruling class.  Instead of fighting feminists, trans women would be wise to become allies of politically active adult female humans who are working for social justice for all.

         

          I say thank you, Germaine Greer, for these candid, articulate statements.   Her courageous decision to speak out on this “third-rail” issue may prove to bring more inspiration to the ranks of feminist women like me, than what she would have said in her address. 

Carol Downer introduced the concept of vaginal self-examination in 1971 and co-founded the Feminist Women’s Health Center in 1972.  She is the editor and/or co-author of several books, including a “New View of a Woman’s Body.”

June Newsletter: Feminist Abortion Counseling and Abortion Doulas

Women's Health in Women's Hands

June Newsletter

http://eepurl.com/zjtZT

Women’s Health in Women’s Hands is a website by Carol Downer.  It features DIY Gynecology, with lots of woman-to-woman information about our reproductive and sexual anatomy, safe and effective birth control, abortion, menstruation, menopause, and menstrual extraction—told frankly from an independent woman’s point of view.

View the latest email

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Newsletter Features: Feminist Abortion Counseling and Abortion Doulas

The Beautiful Cervix Project www.beautifulcervix.com; Radical Doula radicaldoula.com; Janna Blair Slack goo.gl/LGTGo; AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITIES FOR REPRODUCTIVE & ABORTION SUPPORT (ACRAS) acras.weebly.com; Human Rights in Childbirth www.humanrightsinchildbirth.com; and articles by Carol Downer

To subscribe - email whwh@womenshealthinwomenshands.org

Women's History Month: Feminist Website, Women's Retreat, and ALOUD Audio

http://eepurl.com/whwhX

Women's Health in Women's Hands
March Newsletter
http://eepurl.com/whwhX

Women’s Health in Women’s Hands is a website by Carol Downer.  It features DIY Gynecology, with lots of woman-to-woman information about our reproductive and sexual anatomy, safe and effective birth control, abortion, menstruation, menopause, and menstrual extraction—told frankly from an independent woman’s point of view.

View the latest email - http://eepurl.com/whwhX

To subscribe - email whwh@womenshealthinwomenshands.org

Woman-Centered Pregnancy and Birth - Chapter 2

Excerpt from Chapter 2 of Woman-Centered Pregnancy and Birth by Ginny Cassidy-Brinn, R.N., Francie Hornstein, and Carol Downer
Federation of Feminist Women's Health Centers
Illustrations by Suzann Gage

 Full Book AVAILABLE online for FREE

PDF of Chapter 2: Available ONLINE for FREE

Chapter 2: First, You Have To Get Pregnant

 SIGNS OF PREGNANCY

 Subjective Signs

Many women experience

• Breast tenderness
• Nausea
• Fatigue or sleepiness

Some women experience

• Breast enlargement 
• More frequent urination
• Weight gain
• Sensitivity to certain tastes or odors
• Cravings for or ability to eat only certain foods
• Changes in the appetite

Uterine Signs

•  Missed menstrual period (for most women)
•  Softer uterus 
• Enlargement of the uterus

7 weeks of pregnancy - the size of a lemon

9 weeks of pregnancy - the size of an orange

12 weeks of pregnancy - the size of a grapefruit

Cervical Signs

• Change of color to a deeper red or bluish-purplish 
• Softer cervix
• The os is more open than usual

Cervical Examination

    Looking at the cervix provides valuable information in pregnancy detection and is usually included as part of an examination by a physician or health worker.  It is even more useful for a woman to look at her own cervix if she has done self-examination before and is familiar with the appearance of her cervix when she is not pregnant.  Many women notice changes in their cervices by comparing what they see to the way it usually looks.  A darkening in color to a deeper red or bluish-purplish color is characteristic of pregnancy.  This is caused by the increased blood supply to the cervix and uterus.  This color change can occur within days after conception or, in some women, it doesn't become apparent until she is several months pregnant.  When a woman is several weeks pregnant, the cervix is softer and the os is more open than usual. 

Uterine Size Check

    Feeling an increase in the size of the uterus can be another indicator of pregnancy.  Since it is very difficult for a woman to feel her own uterus, this examination is usually done by a friend in a Self-Help group, a health worker or a physician.  A uterine size check or pelvic examination provides more specific information about the length of a pregnancy than looking at the cervix or a chemical pregnancy test does.  And experienced examiner will be able to tell with reasonable accuracy (within one to two weeks), how many weeks pregnant a woman is by the size of her uterus.  For example, the uterus is about the size of a large, unshelled walnut or a plum if a woman is not pregnant.  The uterus of a woman who is about seven weeks pregnant is about the size of a lemon; nine weeks, the size of an orange; and 12 weeks about the size of a grapefruit. Making the comparison of uterine size to fruit sizes is helpful for training women in Self-Help Clinics, health workers and physicians.  It is also valuable for graphically explaining to women about the increase in uterine size in early pregnancy. 

    If a woman has participated in a Self-Help group together to feel the size of her uterus and report if it feels softer or larger than it previously did.

    The length of time since the union of sperm and egg is usually measured from the first day of a woman's last menstrual period.  This is done for uniformity since many women do not know exactly when they became pregnant.  In fact, even when women know the exact date that they became pregnant, physicians still measure Gestation from the first day of the last normal menstrual period (LNPM).  The actual size of a woman's uterus is used less often by physicians.

    Any one subjective sign or observable characteristic of a woman's cervix and uterus is usually not enough for her to conclude that she is pregnant.  More often, it is a combination of these factors together with the knowledge that she was exposed to sperm at a time in her cycle when it was likely that she had ovulated.  However, some women have such regular menstrual periods that a matter of a few days of delay of their periods signals a sure sign of pregnancy to them.

    There are situations in which women find it difficult to determine whether or not they are pregnant.  Women who have irregular periods, who are under great stress, women who are nearing menopause, women who have recently stopped taking the Pill, or women who have signs of pregnancy often have difficulty in determining pregnancy without the help of a chemical test.  Occasionally, a woman has some bleeding around the time of her expected period when she is actually in the early part of her pregnancy.  Many a woman mistakes this for her regular period, especially if she has no other indication that she is pregnant.  Usually, this bleeding is different from a normal period; sometimes there is a lighter flow or the flow does not last as long as a regular period.  Also, having these episodes of bleeding can cause women or their physicians to think they have not been pregnant as long as they have been.  In these instances, having a uterine size check is particularly important. 

ABORTION DINNER by Shodhini Institute - DONATE!

Shodhini Institute is honored to HOST
THE 1st ANNUAL
ABORTION DINNER
Friday, December 7, 2012

Will you SPONSOR a seat for this HISTORIC ABORTION DINNER?

THIS ABORTION DINNER will HONOR 30 plus WOMYN who have experienced ABORTION.  It will be a space for WOMYN to share their stories and FREE OURSELVES from the encounter of shame and stigma; and allowing each other and ourselves to FULLY EXPRESS our own complex and unique experiences in order to facilitate healing.

As it stands now, women seeking abortion care must walk through crowds of protestors; abortion providers fear for their safety; states are passing laws to make women seeking abortions go through waiting periods, obtain parental or judicial permission, or view photos of aborted fetuses; politicians vote against women's reproductive rights.

We can turn this situation around if we talk to each other, privately and publicly about our experience with abortion.

At THIS ABORTION DINNER we are gathering to share OUR ABORTION STORIES over a lovely meal.  It's about time we get together, speak our truths and support each other.  We are reclaiming our bodies and our right to be free of shame and guilt!...And replacing it with sisterhood and collective action.  Shodhini Institute wants this ABORTION DINNER to be the beginning of a national campaign.

WILL YOU SPONSOR A SEAT FOR THIS HISTORIC ABORTION DINNER?

Our estimates are $30* per attendee.  But, whatever amount you contribute will make YOU a part of this HISTORIC ABORTION DINNER.

Donate* HERE or HERE

* THANK YOU gifts for $30 donation: A HEATHER AULT (print) greeting card and an "Abortion Speak Out Kit"

If you are unable to contribute, here are some quick actions to take online

• Post on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and any other social-networking site(s).
• Post on your BLOG: Tumblr, WordPress, Blogger, Weebly, etc.
• Post on your Website 

"When hundreds of thousands of us start sharing our stories with friends and relatives, the cumulative effect of our honesty will be like the sun coming out from the clouds."

-Carol Downer

www.womenshealthinwomenshands.org

We are The Shodhini Institute that empowers and educates feminist women, Masculine of Center womyn, transmen, and gender non-conforming individuals about radical health and sex education with a holistic self-help foundation. shodhiniinstitute.tumblr.com