User Profile

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This is a work-in-progress. Updates will come as soon as I can get around to it, or through trial-and-error. I'm new to this whole mod thing, after all.

- THIS JOURNAL IS FRIENDS-ONLY. Due to the Elle-Jay Strikethroughs and Boldthroughs, and the topic I'll be posting about, I'm keeping this journal f-locked to keep away trolls that attract unnecessary and unwelcome attention. If you want to read the posts, you'll have to friend this journal.

- I made this as a personal journal and not a community one because 1) taking into account my current reader base, and 2) *I* have control over what gets posted/etc. If you happen to find extra newsbits besides anything I post that concern the subject at hand, by all means feel free to point me in their direction and I'll gladly give you credit for finding them. Most of the news I post will come from a local source, which has been instrumental in covering the subject.

- FLAMES WON'T BE TOLERATED. This is a HIGHLY personal subject and everybody will have differing opinions as to morality (or lack thereof). I'm cool with that; I may even agree with you on some points. What I'm NOT cool with is wank. I should think that wank will hopefully be nonexistent given that you're here and want to read this journal, but these days, sadly, you just don't know what pisses people off. I BAN FLAMES. If you think that the contents of this journal are going to upset you, please don't friend it. That's why I made it, so that I could post about this topic and not have to worry about offending people who aren't interested in or don't support it. Also, if you think that a comment you're about to make in response to a comment here someone else makes could upset them, please think twice before posting it. This is something that I think affects ALL of us to some degree or another; there's no point in attacking each other for pissant differences when a much more important issue is at stake.

- I BAN TROLLS. If you're not somebody I know (either personally or from a community I know), but instead a random surfer who found their way onto this page and just want to make trouble, don't bother. I'll just laugh at you and ignore you because you aren't worth my time.

That said, here's why I made this journal -

- THIS JOURNAL IS ABOUT A LOCAL ONGOING SAGA. Planned Parenthood Illinois has opened a new womens' healthcare clinic as of October 2007 (the city, after a long battle with anti-choice extremists, has finally approved the center's legitimacy but continues to suffer repeated attempts from said extremists to try and shut down the place). Because I live fairly close to and am somewhat familiar with the area in question, and because I have a vested interest in it (BC use to regulate health issues), I'm keeping tabs on how things progress.

Why would you care? Well, this clinic offers the full range of services PP has available, including, yes Virginia, the dreaded A-word. I'm not so much concerned with that part of it as I am the fact that an anti-choice group with KNOWN ties to extremist groups with documented violent histories is attempting to close down this clinic, and, by extension, trying to deny the many low-income women it will serve the affordable resources (which include gynecological exams, prenatal care, birth control, outpatient treatments for gyno-related issues like cancer, and educational resources for both adults and teenagers (as well as their parents)) which account for the vast majority of PP's services.

Given that many women also use BC for other health reasons (polycystic ovarian syndrome, aka PCOS) besides just that of preventing unwanted pregnancy, the anti-choice efforts should disturb you because they are NOT just limiting themselves to abortion - they want to eliminate ALL contraception access *in addition to* banning abortion, a goal which has been *openly stated* by the lead anti-choice group's founder. (links provided in a post touching on this)

I WARN YOU RIGHT NOW: I FIRMLY BELIEVE IN A PERSON'S RIGHT TO CHOOSE. THIS INCLUDES THE FULL RANGE OF CHOICES - ABSTINENCE, CONTRACEPTION USE, STERILIZATION, KEEPING AN UNEXPECTED PREGNANCY, ADOPTION, AND ABORTION. To that end, yes - I support PP and everything I post here will reflect that. This is NOT up for debate, discussion, or any other challenge. Period. I don't care what you do in your personal life and I don't care what you believe as far as religion or lack thereof goes. Whether you're fine with certain things, disagree with them, or are somewhere in the middle is up to you and I'm not going to tell you your feelings aren't valid regarding any particular point. I expect the same courtesy in return. I'm concerned with two things: 1) that extremists are hijacking religion and morality for their own dangerous purposes, and 2) the availability of affordable, comprehensive healthcare for females. Sooner or later, all women - like myself or maybe even you - WILL be affected by the availability - or lack thereof - affordable healthcare and contraception, and that's what worries me the most.

If you made it through all of that and have decided you still want to stick around, you deserve a cookie! What the hey, you can have a cookie anyway just for reading. Take two cookies. They're small, and they taste good. Cookies are love.

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