Updates to ACLU-RFP (click on a link below)

April 2007 RFP Update SB2922's Resurrection  SB 2922's Defeat Back up Your Birth Control Day! 

SB2922 Organizing  General RFP information  Queen Team/RFP Update

 

Materials: (download .zip here)                                                   

• Plan B Postcard & "Business Card"

• Plan B Bookmark

• MS-RFP Brochure

Interested in receiving materials?

Email us!

 

 

Background and Present Status: (April 2007)

Reorganized in 2004 during the March for Women’s Lives, the Mississippi Reproductive Freedom Coalition emerged to address the assault on women’s reproductive rights in Mississippi.  The main goal of the Coalition is to educate Mississippians on reproductive health care using truthful and accurate information.  Since, its development, the coalition has met regularly, organized workshops, recruited members, implemented and participated in rallies and marches and fought legislative initiatives to limit access to reproductive healthcare.  The coalition works to educate Mississippians on the current status of reproductive health care in Mississippi and to advocate for system reform in order to broaden access to information and reproductive health services. Currently, the project is the only full-time, locally based staff program dedicated to protecting and advocating for reproductive rights in the state of Mississippi.

 

The Mississippi Reproductive Freedom Project has 5 main goals: to educate Mississippians about reproductive health care; build the MS Reproductive freedom Coalition; educate & train healthcare professionals and young women on emergency contraception; Implement the Take Issue, Take Charge Teen Chat Program in Holmes County; and develop & implement legislative agenda/strategies.

 

 

Public Education and Organizing: 

• Produced Plan B public education materials (bookmarks, postcards, and business cards) to provide much needed information about Plan B to communities of color, women, organizers, legislators, college students, youth , pharmacists, social workers, and other healthcare providers 

• The coalition meets on an as needed basis to discuss and address specific issues related to reproductive health, currently we are implementing a planning group and restructuring the coalition

• Published a reproductive freedom project brochure to explain what the project is about to members and potential members

• Formed two my space pages to educate youth ages 14-24 on Plan B and to draw new members to the  coalition

• We hosted a workshop on Plan B at Millsap’s college, a very conservative private college, for March 20 Back up your birth control day

• We are working with a pharmacy professor and activist to build relationships with the pharmacy association and the only School of Pharmacy in the state

• Participated in Jackson State University’s Health Fairs, provided information on Plan B

• Conducted after school workshop, question and answer session about plan b  for thirty students at a local high school in Jackson, Mississippi for the high school’s civil liberty and civil rights club (the only club of its kind we are aware of in the state) March 22, 2007

• Provided legislative updates to a local National Organization for Women-Campus Action Network at Millsap’s college through email and by attending their meetings to give updates

• An article on the current trigger ban on abortion that was passed this legislative session was included in the spring newsletter that goes out 2,600 Mississippians

• We passed out condoms and information on Plan B during the American Sexual Health Associations National Condom Week at Jackson State University a publicly state funded local Historically Black University with the help of a local sorority

• Supported small local organization youth retreat for girls by providing training in reproductive health, information, condoms, brochures and buttons.

• Met with campus health center physician at Jackson State University in an effort to persuade him to provide plan b to young women on campus.

• Held focus groups with youth organizers and other students at our partner organization, Citizens for Quality Education, office in Lexington, Mississippi to determine what students in the area would respond to positively

• We created specialized invitations for youth and other interested families to invite them to a lunch and parent orientation

• We created Holmes County specific “Teen Chat” brochures to create awareness about the program with youth, parents, pastors, principals, nurses, and teachers.

• Hosted a parent orientation lunch for families interested in the Teen Chat program all ten families invited attended.  We showed a power point presentation using statistics on sexually transmitted diseases and teen pregnancy for the state and Holmes County.  One parent noted that he had not planned to sign up his ten year old daughter but after seeing our presentation which showed the number of girls 10-14 who gave birth in his county the year before, he decided it was the best thing for his daughter.  All parents in attendance signed permission slips for 13 students to be a part of the Teen Chat program,

• Later, we were able to get three more permission slips signed for students interested in “Teen Chat”

• Hosted and trained 15 youth in 8 sessions on reproductive health and advocacy for comprehensive reproductive health education

• The Reproductive Freedom Project coordinator  was able to spend more time in the Lexington area working with the youth after school, during spring break, and sometimes twice a week

• Held additional Teen Chat Reproductive Health Education Workshops (1-5) during Holmes County School District spring break at Southside M.B Church

• Held a graduation ceremony for students who participated in the program and those who completed the program.  Certificates of Achievement were given to each participant

• Provided planning sessions and rehearsals for peer educators leading break-out workshops in the Teen Summit

• Hosted the first Teen Summit at an extremely religious and conservative high school in a rural and impoverished community with high teen pregnancy and std rates.  All break-out workshops were youth led by “Teen Chat” Peer Educators between the ages of 10-17.  The workshops included:  The 411 on Pregnancy:  a discussion of the reproductive systems, pregnancy, contraception, Plan B, and the cost of pregnancy and caring for newborns; STD’s and HIV: discussion  of the risks associated with having sex, how STD’s and HIV are transmitted, what prevention methods can lower risk including not having sex and using condoms; Condom World:  discussion and demonstration of how to use a male and female condom, steps in putting on a condom, do’s and don’ts of condom usage, allowed students to demonstrate as well; Cakin’:  discussion of sexual harassment, sexual abuse, sexual assault, negotiation skills, equipped students with messages or “comeback lines” for pressure situations, helped students practice saying they did not want to have sex yet or that they must use a condom; “Role Playin’ for the Real World”:  youth skit around teen pregnancy and std prevention, shows what an Emergency Pregnancy Test is and how to use it, promoted getting tested for stds, allowed other students ( audience volunteers) to act out a role play as well.

• Hosted an awards ceremony to honor the peer educators who lead workshops at the Teen Summit (each youth leader received a certificate and carnation)

• Conducted video interview with youth leaders/peer educators and students who attended the Teen Summit to be used for further organizing

 

Legislation:

• A strategic planning conference call was held to discuss ways to defeat 3 pieces of anti-choice legislation that made it out of committee

• The coalition, through strategic messaging, persuaded the legislators, specifically the head of the House Public Health and Welfare committee, that an outright ban  on abortion would be quite costly to the state of Mississippi and extremely detrimental and deadly to women’s lives

• Met with social workers to provide information and talking points on anti-abortion legislation for their meetings with legislators

• We held a legislative dinner for the representatives and senators who voted for reproductive health this year despite a conflicting event being held by the chairmen of the appropriations committee, eleven people were in attendance.  We gave a power point presentation to help connect the dots between the need for abortion and the need for access to contraception and comprehensive sex education.  The legislator interrupted the presentation to invite the reproductive freedom project coordinator to the Mississippi Delta Task force meeting, a group of community leaders, businessmen, and legislators concerned about the revitalization of the Mississippi Delta including the teen pregnancy rate. 

• Gave a successful presentation to the Mississippi Delta Task force and received many questions and inquiries from with legislators, businesses, universities, and school districts.  Many were also interested in duplicating the “Teen Chat” program in their businesses, churches, and school districts.

 

Next Steps:

 

Access to Reproductive Healthcare

·        Increase organizing in underserved populations of women including women and girls in detention facilities, shelters, group homes, low income communities, and communities of color

·        Create Healthcare Professionals steering committee to address  access to Plan B and other reproductive health services

Legislation

·        Host strategic planning retreat in preparation of upcoming session

·        Meet with key legislators to find ways to increase access to reproductive health care

Coalition Building:

·        Form Planning Group- identify barriers to reproductive freedom implement strategies

·        Host quarterly updates and organizing and media trainings

Access to Reproductive Health Education

·        Host Celebrating Our Queendom House parties to educate women of color on reproductive health and reproductive rights

·        Expand Teen Chat program in the Mississippi Delta and Jackson to organize youth for comprehensive reproductive health education

·    Continue culturally-competent public education campaign for Plan B

 

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Good Morning Activist,

 

 

 

Today is a day of Jubilee and Celebration for all who believe in FREEDOM in Mississippi.  You did it!  You raised your voices, you called your legislators, you sent e-mails, you called the attorney generals office, you brought it up in conversation and made people aware, you walked the capitol, you spent tireless hours dealing with offensive comments, disorganization, and hostility, but you persevered and it paid off.  Thank you to everyone who participated small or great we could not have accomplished this feat without you.

 

Yesterday, as a last minute attempt the conferee’s sat down one last time at 7:45, 15 minutes before the 8pm deadline.  The house presented its proposed version of the ban.  It did not restore informed consent and the effective date was changed to reflect a time that would largely depend on the Supreme Courts overturning of Roe v. Wade and the Attorney Generals office would be the initiator.  Both sides could not agree on either one of the proposed versions, each member signed his or her own house’s proposed version, the senate signing the senate version, the house signing the house version.

 

Here’s a little History

Senate Bill 2922 was written by the chair of the Senate public health committee as a sonogram and fetal auscultation bill.  After leaving the committee it was sent to the House Floor to be voted on, the House struck all of the language written by Nunlee and amended by committee members, and replaced it with a full ban on abortion with limited exceptions for the life of the mother, rape, and incest.  The amended version left the House and went to the Senate floor to be voted on the Senate voted no to “concur” or agree and decided to “invite conference” to discuss the bill.  Three committee members from both the House and the Senate were chosen to make a six member conference committee on Senate Bill 2922.  The full membership of the committee met only twice before the deadline.  The conferee’s could not come to an agreement on the bill.

 

Throughout this whole process each of you were involved in some way that affected this conferences ability to agree to the language.  I have been told that the confusion of the issue worked in our favor.  Know that this confusion or greater awareness was caused and added to by every action you took each step of the way.  Often time when we think about participating in government we only think about voting.  We MUST vote.  But we must also find other way to impact our legislature and other institutions of government by effectively organizing and initiating a strategic plan which is what you helped us do.  THANK YOU.

 

Congratulations Mississippi!  Keep making your voice heard!  Freedom can’t protect itself!

 

Shawna Davie, Reproductive Freedom Coordinator

ACLU of Mississippi

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Today March 21, 2006 is Back Up Your Birth Control Day. On March 3, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. announced that all of its pharmacies will begin carrying Plan B, effective March 20, 2006.  Back Up Your Birth Control is a campaign to help raise awareness about emergency contraception (EC) and increase its accessibility to the women who need it.  The campaign believes that for EC to be effective, women need to know about it and be able to get it in time.  With EC, time is a crucial component to its effectiveness as it can only prevent a pregnancy up to 120 hours after unprotected sex. 

 

In Mississippi, we are recording data of all pharmacies and whether or not they stock EC.  You can help us by sending us information about your local Walmart or another local pharmacy.  We need the name of the pharmacy, address, phone number and an answer to this question: 

 

“Do you stock and dispense emergency contraception, like Plan B, at this pharmacy?” 

If the answer is yes, thank them, and record the information, or better yet go back with a prescription.

If the answer is no, ask “Where can women get emergency contraception in this area?”

 

Some pharmacies may cooperate with other pharmacies; in this case we need to know which pharmacy is dispensing EC in each area.  Please tell us the information regardless of the answer you get.  If one area has NO access to EC we NEED to know.

 

Here is what we need activist and women in Mississippi to do at Walmart:

 

1. Verify that Wal-Mart has followed through on its policy to stock EC at all of its pharmacies across the nation     and ensure that its pharmacists plan to dispense Plan B to all patients.

2.       Thank your Wal-Mart Pharmacist for taking action on this important women's health issue.

3.       Record the pharmacy’s name, address, phone number, and the person you spoke with.

 

Join campaign participants and visit Wal-Mart and Sam's Clubs to make sure there's always Plan B!  Visit www.backupyourbirthcontrol.org/takeaction/walmart.htm to download a Wal-Mart Action Packet and Thank You Letter.

 

 

If you don’t live near a Walmart or Sam’s Club:

 

1. Go to your local Pharmacist.  Where do you usually go for prescriptions?

2. And say:  “I’d like to find out whether or not you stock and/or dispense emergency contraception like, Plan B.”

3.   Record the pharmacy’s name, address, phone number, and the person you spoke with.

 

If you or your pharmacists need more information on emergency contraception download this fact sheet. http://www.backupyourbirthcontrol.org/documents/toolkit/FactSheet_EC-PlanB.pdf

 

We tried to make this as easy as possible for one person or a group to do.  Many of us will be in Starkville at Mississippi State with Gloria Steinem, some in Oxford at Ole Miss for Women’s Month, others are on the coast or in Hattiesburg.  Wherever you are today, find a Walmart or any pharmacy and ask the question.  “Do you stock and dispense emergency contraception?”  This is your chance to take action right where you are!

 

The Action doesn’t have to end today.  We will continue to collect this information until we know whether or not every pharmacy in Mississippi stocks and dispenses EC.  Everyone can do this!  Even if you can’t go today, you have to go grocery shopping or to get milk or deodorant, so take action then too!

 

Pat your self on the back for taking action!