45 Years of Roe v Wade!

45th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

#45thAnniversary of Roe v. Wade   Today is the 45th Anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade, giving women across the country the right to access safe, legal abortion. This year, leading up to our annual Roe v. Wade Reception, Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood will be hosting a series of FREE film screenings on access to abortion and reproductive health care across the country.  Our first screening will be of Birthright: A War Story. Birthright is a feature length documentary that examines how women are being jailed, physically violated and even put at risk of dying as a radical movement tightens its grip across America. The film tells the story of women who have become collateral damage in the aggressive campaign to take control of reproductive health care and to allow states, courts and religious doctrine to govern whether, when and how women will bear children. This is the real-life “Handmaid’s Tale.” Our FREE SCREENING of Birthright will be held TONIGHT on the 45th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Monday, January 22nd at Albany Law College.   GET YOUR FREE TICKETS NOW!  The Dean Alexander Moot Court Room 4th floor at Albany Law 80 New Scotland Ave, Albany Film starts at 6:15pm, panel discussion to follow #CelebrationForChoice   For more than forty years, the U.S. Supreme Court has affirmed that under Roe v. Wade, the constitution protects every woman’s right to make her own personal medical decisions about abortion. The landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court case was decided on January 22nd and each year we hold our Celebration For Choice event around this time in commemoration. This event honors leaders in our community who work to promote reproductive justice and protect access to health care. Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood supporters, including local and state legislative leaders, clergy, health care and women’s health advocates will attend this annual celebration to commemorate the 45th anniversary.   We hope you will join us and our supporters at this remarkable occasion on Thursday, February 22nd 2018 from 6:00pm - 8:00pm GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY!    The Renaissance Albany Hotel 144 State Street Albany, NY 12207 #RegisterToday   Join Reproductive Health Advocates from Across New York State! Our reproductive health care and rights are under constant attack, but YOU can make a difference. Mark your calendar now to save the date for New York State’s Day of Action for reproductive health on Tuesday, March 13, 2018, at our state capital, Albany, NY. There is no charge for our state’s Day of Action which includes: Educating lawmakers on reproductive health care issues  Lunch  Planned Parenthood rally  Pre-event educational webinar  Don’t miss this – plan now to use YOUR VOICE in Albany on  Tuesday, March 13, 2018.  REGISTER HERE TODAY!

Photos from the 2018 Women's March in Albany

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Poor Body Image May Result in Infrequent Breast Self-Exams

US News Reports:

"Our findings suggest that greater breast size dissatisfaction is significantly associated with less frequent breast self-examination, lower confidence in detecting breast change and greater delay in seeing a doctor following breast change," Prof Viren Swami said. 

"Promoting greater breast size satisfaction may be a means of empowering women to incorporate breast self-examinations and breast awareness into their health practice. And promoting greater breast awareness may be a useful means of helping women view their breasts in more functional terms, rather than purely aesthetic terms," he said.

While these reports may be discouraging, they're not terribly surprising.  We already know that people who are overweight may have difficulties and fears about getting a checkup, and the visits can leave patients feeling even more unhappy with themselves if they've been told things they don't want to hear by their doctor.

However, it's particularly sad to me that one can be so disappointed by their own physical appearance that they don't even want to touch themselves to ensure their own health and safety. It's easy to preach that we need to take care of ourselves; that we only get one body and we need to cherish it, but I know that it's easier said than done. 

Be kind to yourself. Remember, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime; that's more than 266,000 new cases expected in 2018 alone.  Early detection is of vital importance. Here is some more information on breast self-exams from the National Breast Cancer Foundation.  Women need to perform them regularly not only for detection, but so that we can get to know the topography of our breasts so it's more apparent if something unusual appears. Personally, I have a card hanging in my shower to remind me, and I try to check at least once a week.  Don't forget!

Surviving the Holidays Workshop and Potluck -- THIS WEDNESDAY!

#SurvivingTheHolidays Practice self-care this holiday season!  Don't forget to join us in our Albany Conference Room for a Surviving the Holidays : Workshop and Potluck THIS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20th! Learn how you can be your own personal holiday hero and practice self-care at the table. We will share some of our favorite holiday treats so, sign up for the potluck here, we will host a workshop on diffusing difficult conversations and close out our evening with an all level self-care yoga and guided meditation session (bring your own yoga mat!) hosted by Delaney Rives!   Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood Conference Room 855 Central Avenue, 3rd Floor Thursday, December 20th 6-8pm

Slate: It’s Remarkable How Wrong This Newsweek Cover of a Woman Deflating a Balloon Penis Is

Good grief Newsweek...what were you thinking?!

From Slate: 

Something weird must be wafting through the HVAC system over at Newsweek, where the storied weekly has chosen to illustrate a story about sexual harassment and assault with a larger-than-life set of male genitalia, rendered as a bright orange balloon animal, being popped by a needle in a white lady’s hand.

In no imaginable universe is “woman poking a fake penis with a sharp object” the appropriate visual shorthand for “women bravely sharing their experiences with sexual harassment.”

Making a penis (or its inflatable equivalent) the central image for a story about women seizing power over their assailants is actually a pretty good example of how rape culture distorts discussions of sexual violence. The problem with sexual harassers isn’t their boners! Boners in a vacuum are neither good nor evil! If the teenage boy–cum–carnival worker in charge of Newsweek covers these days really wanted to go with the woman stabbing body parts idea, it would have made more sense for her to be slicing up a male brain, where decisions to abuse and exploit women are made.

Read more at Slate.com 

This week with Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood

This week with Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood #YourVoteYourVoice   Don't Forget to VOTE Tomorrow!   Tomorrow is Election Day in New York State and it's a great opportunity to get out and support the issues that matter to you. Not sure what seats are up for election in your area? Visit Vote411.org to learn where candidates running for office in your community stand on the issues. You can even print or email the information to use as a reference when you actually vote.    #New York 2017 Ballot Measures This year, three statewide ballot measures were certified to appear on the back of the ballot on November 7, 2017.   New York Proposal 1, the Constitutional Convention Question, is on the ballot in New York as an automatic ballot referral on November 7, 2017. A 'no' vote opposes holding a constitutional convention to develop and propose changes to the state constitution that voters would vote on at the election on November 5, 2019. A 'yes' vote supports holding a constitutional convention to develop and propose changes to the state constitution that voters would vote on at the election on November 5, 2019. You can find out more about the Constitutional Convention, including opponents and supporters here. New York Proposal 2, the Pension Forfeiture for Convicted Officials Amendment, is on the ballot in New York as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 7, 2017. A "yes" vote supports this amendment to authorize judges to reduce or revoke the public pension of a public officer convicted of a felony related to his or her official duties. A "no" vote opposed this amendment to authorize judges to reduce or revoke the public pension of a public officer convicted of a felony related to his or her official duties.  You can find out more about the Pension Forfeiture for Convicted Officials Amendment, including supporters and opponents here. New York Proposal 3, the Forest Preserve Land Bank Amendment, is on the ballot in New York as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 7, 2017. A "yes" vote supports this amendment to create a 250-acre land bank, which would allow local governments to request state Forest Preserve land for qualifying projects in exchange for the state adding 250 new acres to the preserve; and allow bike paths, sewer lines within the width of highways on preserve land. A "no" vote opposes this amendment to create a 250-acre state Forest Preserve land bank; and allow bike paths, sewer lines, and utility lines within the width of highways on preserve land.  You can find out more about the Forest Preserve Land Bank Amendment, including supporters and opponents here. #FasoFriday   Join Upper Hudson Planed Parenthood Advocates of NY, Indivisible Chatham NY, Indivisible Rensselaer (Official), Indivisible NY19, Green River Indivisible, and other coalition partners as we rally outside Representative John Faso's office in the Village of Kinderhook every Friday from noon-1pm. Bring a sign to tell Faso what you care about, or use one of the extra signs that are usually available. It's also a perfect time to stop by his office to pick up and fill out a comment form. Every Friday, 12:00pm Representative John Faso's Kinderhook Office 2 Hudson Street, Kinderhook, NY

Chelly Hegan and Michele Goodwin on Spectrum News

From Spectrum News:

The Trump administration is rolling back Obama-era mandates by expanding the rights of employers to deny women insurance coverage for contraception. It is just one area where the federal government is questions women's reproductive rights. And it was a topic of discussion this week at Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood's annual Women's Leadership event. Joining us to talk more about this is the group's president and CEO, Chelly Hegan, and Michele Goodwin, founder of the Center for Biotechnology and Global Health and professor at the University of California.

Visit the Spectrum News site here.