Love isn't what you say...

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 15:45:02 GMT

cracking the back of the darkness
to spill out the anger, spill out the secrets, leech out the poison of a life lived across boundaries borders blood lines, languages, of a life lived in war zones, in waste lands

giving my self space to speak and the silence to think, finding ways to restructure and rebuild

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 19:37:13 GMT

I really dont want to talk about the weekend yet so i wont

i had a really nice time wednesday night tho, I went to a birthday thing for one of my feminist friends and it really reinvigorated and rebalanced me,

So anyway I've been thinking about this for a while and wanted to hash it out here before I wrote about it on my political blog.

So i started reading theology and decided that for this year I would only read theology by women because I've had theology by men forced on me my whole life and its much easier to access and is really the default position, because men are still seen as the default position

So i was thinking about that and I think I will expand that to all areas of my life, all my books that I read this year will be written by women, there is still to much of a divide in the number of women that get published compared to the number of men, especially in the things that I love to read (geeky lit crit theory, political analysis and poetry) and people do still assume that male writers are both more knowledgeable and more objective than women writers.

Also all the music I listen to and the gigs I go to will be by women performers, all the films I watch will be directed by women.

I wish i could take that further and have all the sources of news I access to be owned and controlled by women. But there are so few sources for this that if i want to know what is going on in the world then I need to keep an eye on mainstream news media

doing this is a a way of supporting women, the more people that listen to and read womens words the more space women will have to say their words. and also for myself it is a way of affirming my own worth as a women, that if other womens voices are worth listening to then so is mine,

I don't even know how easy I will find this,some of my favorite poetry is written by men, some of my favorite singer/songwriters are male, but if i just say that and leave it there there seems to be an assumption that women can't be as good as my favorite male poets or my favorite male singer/songwriters.

eljay break

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 12:22:26 GMT

I'm taking a week of lj (except for the comms I mod) to reset and sort my brain some, Ill be checking my emails though so if anyone needs to talk to me leave me a comment and your email address

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 22:16:24 GMT

I dont know if this is relevant for anyone on my flist but i made a new comm grew_up_strong for women who are healing from prostitution (membership is moderated)

meme

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 10:49:28 GMT

What's your theological worldview?
created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Emergent/Postmodern

You are Emergent/Postmodern in your theology. You feel alienated from older forms of church, you don't think they connect to modern culture very well. No one knows the whole truth about God, and we have much to learn from each other, and so learning takes place in dialogue. Evangelism should take place in relationships rather than through crusades and altar-calls. People are interested in spirituality and want to ask questions, so the church should help them to do this.

Emergent/Postmodern

75%

Neo orthodox

61%

Classical Liberal

57%

Modern Liberal

57%

Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan

54%

Roman Catholic

36%

Reformed Evangelical

Charismatic/Pentecostal

Fundamentalist

why yes, I am very well read!

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 18:48:03 GMT

~~1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien~~
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
~~12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë~~
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
~~27. Middlemarch, George Eliot~~
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
~~29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck~~
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
~~32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez~~
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
~~35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl~~
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
~~39. Dune, Frank Herbert~~
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
~~46. Animal Farm, George Orwell~~
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
~~49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian~~
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
~~52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck~~
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
~~56. The BFG, Roald Dahl~~
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
~~58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell~~
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
~~61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman~~
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
~~81. The Twits, Roald Dahl~~
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
~~85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy~~
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie

meme

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 18:37:13 GMT

Yo guys. I stole this idea from interfaceleader Basically, I don't track IP's, you post anonymous comments. Say anything you want, tell me things you think I should know but don't want to tell me publicly. Or just ramble in an anon. context, worries, petty grievances, all the stuff you don't normally let out.

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 14:51:39 GMT

Somehow I volunteered to chair a mind the gap meeting on feminist theology. Which means I have to actually go read some more. But its in November so I have time I guess

writing journal

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 17:52:53 GMT

So I have a new writing journal cariad_me_home. This will be for thoughts on writing, thoughts on other people writing, and my own writing (which will be almost exclusively poetry) This is an invitation for those of you who know about writing and feel able to critique work to add me because I think I work better if I get constructive criticism.

Myths about feminists that really irritate me

Sat, 05 Jan 2008 13:23:14 GMT

1)We hate men
2)we think all men are rapists
3)we think women are worth more than men
4)we sit around whining and not trying to make things better for ourselves or other women
5)focusing on women and wanting women only spaces makes us sexist
6)if we talk about oppression we have been on the receiving end of as women we are "tarring all men with the same brush" or "bashing men" or "reveling in our victim status"
7)were anti sex

for me feminism is about ending opresion, all opression, it is about giving women a voice, education, saftey,political power, equal pay,reproductive choice, bodily autonomy,it is about learning and teaching that women matter, it is working for the right of women everywhere to have independance and self determination.

It is about giving us a space to talk about rape, abuse and violence and put it in a political and social context not just a personal one.

It is about supporting other women and bulding strong powerfull relationships that matter.

Film thoughts: Million Dollar Baby

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 05:00:28 GMT

I liked this film, it was good and solid and I like Hillary swank, but it wasn't really a great film, I would watch it again but it didn't really excite me. It did contain rather too many cliches, such as the "white trash"/working class person who beats the odds and succeeds through sheer grit and holding to a dream, the woman who wants to succeed in a mans world and the only person who can possibly help her do that is a cynical embittered taciturn old man, and the wise black man character.

the relationship between the two characters was kind of a cliche as well, being a substitute/surrogate father daughter relationship, but maybe it was more an archetype than a cliche and I personaly got quite a lot out of it.

It did make me think anyway. I don't really understand boxing, I don't understand why people want to do it, to deliberately hurt other people and lay themselves open to being hurt, and I'm not all "well women should be able to box too!" because I don't really think anyone should be boxing. My feminism is wrapped up with pacifism and for the same reason I don't think the feminist movement should be fighting for a woman's right to fight on the front line but should be fighting for a world where nobody has to be on the front line

anyway the end of the film really made me think a lot

In her last fight after it has ended her opponent punches her when she is not looking and she goes down and breaks her neck so badly that she is totally paralysed and cant even breathe for herself. And basically the last quarter of the film is about how the two main protagonists deal with that. I was watching it with Paul and I said "If that happened to me would you read to me" and he said probably but I think I'd persuade you to end it" and we were talking about that, we have an agreement with each other that if anything does happen where we end up comatose then the other one will end it, because I cant think of anything worse than being trapped in a body and not being able to communicate or interact with the world, that thought terrifies me. But If I broke my neck and was still conscious, I'm not sure. I think maybe if I broke it as badly as she did where I couldn't move anything I might, but lots of people who break their necks are not that badly impaired, often they can move their heads and their arms slightly, If I could operate a wheel chair and a computer I think I would be okay, you can get things that go on your head or your arms that mean you can type and stuff, so If I could do that I could still, listen to the radio, read, interact on line, write and stuff.

She asked him to kill her and he refused, but she bit her tongue twice in an effort to die and I think if someone I loved wanted to go that badly I would help them. She ended up sedated all the time so she couldn't do it again which is definitely no life, In the end he gave her an injection that killed her

Women's Creed By Robin Morgan

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 04:53:07 GMT

from http://www.abuseofpower.info/WomansCreed.htm

We are female human beings poised on the edge of the new millennium. We are the majority of our species, yet we have dwelt in the shadows. We are the invisible, the illiterate, the laborers, the refugees, the poor.

And we vow: No more.

We are the women who hunger—for rice, home, freedom, each other, ourselves.

We are the women who thirst—for clean water and laughter, literacy, love.

We have existed at all times, in every society. We have survived femicide. We have rebelled—and left clues.

We are continuity, weaving future from past, logic with lyric.

We are the women who stand in our sense, and shout Yes.

We are the women who wear broken bones, voices, minds, hearts—but we are the women who dare whisper No.

We are the women whose souls no fundamentalist cage can contain.

We are the women who refuse to permit the sowing of death in our gardens, air, rivers, seas.

We are each precious, unique, necessary. We are strengthened and blessed and relieved at not having to be all the same. We are the daughters of longing. We are the mothers in labor to birth the politics of the 21st century.

We are the women men warned us about.

We are the women who know that all issues are ours, who will reclaim our wisdom, reinvent our tomorrow, question and redefine everything, including power.

We have worked now for decades to name the details of our need, rage, hope, vision. We have broken our silence, exhausted our patience. We are weary of listing refrains on our suffering—to entertain or be simply ignored. We are done with vague words and real waiting; famishing for action, dignity, joy. We intend to do more than merely endure and survive.

They have tried to deny us, define us, defuse us, denounce us; to jail, enslave, exile, gas, rape, beat, burn, bury—and bore us. Yet nothing, not even the offer to save their failed system, can grasp us.

For thousands of years, women have had responsibility without power—while men have had power without responsibility. We offer those men who risk being brothers a balance, a future, a hand. But with or without them, we will go on.

For we are the Old Ones, the New Breed, the Natives who came first but lasted, indigenous to an utterly different dimension. We are the girlchild in Zambia, the grandmother in Burma, the woman in El Salvador and Afghanistan, Finland and Fiji. We are whale-song and rainforest; the depth-wave rising huge to shatter glass power on the shore; the lost and despised who, weeping, stagger into the light.

All this we are. We are intensity, energy, the people speaking—who no longer will wait and who cannot be stopped.

We are poised on the edge of the millennium—ruin behind us, no map before us, the taste of fear sharp on our tongues.

Yet we will leap.

The exercise of imagining is an act of creation.

The act of creation is an exercise of will.

All this is political. And possible.

Bread. A clean sky. Active peace. A woman's voice singing somewhere, melody drifting like smoke from the cookfires. The army disbanded, the harvest abundant. The wound healed, the child wanted, the prisoner freed, the body's integrity honored, the lover returned. The magical skill that reads marks into meaning. The labor equal, fair, and valued. Delight in the challenge for consensus to solve problems. No hand raised in any gesture but greeting. Secure interiors—of heart, home, land—so firm as to make secure borders irrelevant at last. And everywhere laughter, care, celebration, dancing, contentment. A humble, early paradise, in the now.

We will make it real, make it our own, make policy, history, peace, make it available, make mischief, a difference, love, the connection, the miracle, ready.

Believe it.

We are the women who will transform the world.

watership down

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 21:17:44 GMT

so I tend to be over ernest, and everything i do/read/watch/listen to has to be important, has to matter has to teach me something or help someone else and I was thinking about this and I was thinking what book i wanted to read and i just thought

fuck it. What I really want to read in these dark days is watership down,

I come back to that book over and over again, such a complex mixture of invented myth and with the air of early twentieth century anthropological study along with the great hero archetype. And i know that landscape, i know it to my bones, geographically the setting is both very similar and very close in in distance, in the general scheme of things, to the place I grew up, so I know that, chalk and flint, steep low slung hills and farmland, winding lanes, copses and spinneys, the river Test. The landscape we grow up in shapes our psyche, is part of who we are and that landscape is a part of me.

So anyway my copy of Watership down, is so old the pages are falling out, so i bought a new copy with the gift token interfaceleader sent me for christmas and I'm really looking forward to it being delivered

The only thing that ever matters....

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 14:16:35 GMT

is to love and be loved

so I was listening to Displaced and November by azure ray by azure ray because they are beautiful and the lyrics really calm me when I'm stressed about my depression

So I'm waiting for this test to end
So these lighter days can soon begin

And now my sorrow seems so far away
Until I'm taken by these bolts of pain
But I turn them off and tuck them away
'till these rainy days that make them stay
And then I'll cry so hard to these sad songs
And the words still ring, once here now gone
And they echo through my head everyday
And I dont think they'll ever go away

But I'm about to give this one more shot
And find it in myself

It's just a simple line
I can still hear it all of the time
If i can just hold on tonight
I know that nothing
Nothing survives
Nothing survives
I think i'm turned around
I'm looking up
Not looking down

Am i making something worthwhile out of this place
Am i making something worthwhile out of this chase
I am displaced
I am displaced

It's just a simple line
I can still hear it all of the time
If i can just hold on tonight
I know that no one
No one survives
No one survives.

and they remind me of the second year of uni, when I was so sick with depression that stringing a sentence together was a mammoth effort and walking across a room was like climbing a mountain, and it was a horrible awfull time, but what those songs bring back to me was how much I was loved how much love and support and care was given to me by six beautiful people who, not incidentally are the only six people from uni that i still have regular contact with and consider an important part of my life. so I was thinking how lucky I am to have awesome people in my life even though I am difficult and sometimes really hard work, and then I was reading my friends list and I saw one of those people who supported me when I was that sick had writen this and I thought it was just awesome it totally reminds me of how I feel when things are good, an that I can build my life around myself, It reminds me of the feeling I get when the depression clears and I feel strong and focused and in love with the world

Remember you can stand-up and walk out

i forget this, I forget this too often, it isn't that I want to walk out, but the flip side of knowing you can walk out but you don't is that you choose to be there, and I choose to be here, and I need to be more proactive in choosing how my life works and what I want to happen in it.

This is your life, remember, remember what you warned yourself against.

this is something I have forgotten to do of late. I will not bow to the gods of mediocrity or worship at the alter of the status quo or as Runrig say trade all that fire of living,
For the fickle and the bland

I need to remember or relearn how to live honestly, vibrantly and passionately

yo Suzie, love you

meme

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 19:58:50 GMT

I know very little about some of the people on my friends list. Some people I know relatively well. I read your journals, or we have something else in common, and we chat occasionally. Some of you I hardly know at all. Perhaps you lurk, for whatever reason. But you friended me, and I thank you for your interest in my words.

But here's a thought: why not take this opportunity to tell me a little something about yourself. Any old thing at all. Just so the next time I see your name I can say: "Ah, there's so and so...they enjoy the savory aroma of monkey brains a la mode."

I'd love it if every single person who friended me would do this. Yes, even you people who I know really well. Then post this in your own journal and see what gems of knowledge appear.

hmm interesting

Sat, 15 Dec 2007 18:33:37 GMT

Your Score: The Raven

You scored 46% domestic, 48% gregarious, 39% trickster, and 52% intellect!

Wild, Solitary, Serious and Intellectual: you are the Raven!

Raven is a strong symbol of both creation and destruction. Wisdom through intelligence, observation, and challenge. Raven is strongly tied to the spiritual world, living in a constant state of otherworldly awareness. Raven people tend to be very introspective and savor time spent ‘alone’.

This test categorized you based on four different axes of personality, which were then associated with a different animal. The four axes, as well as all possible results are explained below.

Wild/Domestic: This first axis categorizes you based on how much you are drawn to the outdoors, versus how much you are drawn to civilized situations. Domesticity has many shapes and forms, and varies from the joy of dolphins leaping next to a ship to the steadfast loyalty of a family dog.

Gregarious/Solitary: This axis measures how solitary you are. If you scored high, it means that you enjoy the company of other people, while a low score indicates that you prefer a more solitary lifestyle.

Trickster/Serious: This axis measures how well you line up with conventional trickster archetypes. People who fall into this archetype have a sense of humor and an excitable, highly chaotic streak. Scoring low doesn't mean that you don't have a sense of humor; it just means that you probably don't think dynamite is very funny.

Intellectual/Emotional: This last axis determines whether you are more emotional -- acting based on feelings and instinct, or rational and intelectual -- acting more on thought than on your gut feelings.

Wild	Gregarious	Trickster	Intellectual	The Hyena
Wild	Gregarious	Trickster	Emotional	The Otter
Wild	Gregarious	Serious	Intellectual	The Antelope
Wild	Gregarious	Serious	Emotional	The Wolf
Wild	Solitary	Trickster	Intellectual	The Weasel
Wild	Solitary	Trickster	Emotional	The Coyote
Wild	Solitary	Serious	Intellectual	The Raven
Wild	Solitary	Serious	Emotional	The Frog
Domestic	Gregarious	Trickster	Intellectual	The Fox
Domestic	Gregarious	Trickster	Emotional	The Dolphin
Domestic	Gregarious	Serious	Intellectual	The Horse
Domestic	Gregarious	Serious	Emotional	The Dog
Domestic	Solitary	Trickster	Intellectual	The Rat
Domestic	Solitary	Trickster	Emotional	The Ferret
Domestic	Solitary	Serious	Intellectual	The Cat
Domestic	Solitary	Serious	Emotional	The Squirrel

Link: The Animal Archetype Test written by crumpetsfortea on OkCupid, home of the The Dating Persona Test

radical engagement

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 14:02:29 GMT

I dont live my life half as well as i should, i procrastinate, i flit, i try and do four things at once, I spend far too much time on line, i dont read as much as I should or as much as I used to, i dont make myself concentrate properly. I dont engage with my friends as much as I should

and I'm thinking this is a dumb way to live my life, with just a little more efort, concentration and streamlining I could get so much more from my life.

I'm going to start really engaing with everything that I do, really be in the experience and try not to have my head somewhere else, just do one thing at a time, not say, flick between the tv and the internet, or even not flick between browser windows, obviously doing more than one thing at once is a good thing such as listening to the radio while tidying or reading in the bath but generaly I want to retrain my brain to concentrate in the moment for significant periods of time. Partly this means if i'm going to do something I should try to do it well, thouroughly and for at least an hour,

I'm going to try and spend less time on line because I actualy think this will mean I get more out of my internet experience. I seem to have collected an awesome eljay friends list and I really want to interact with them rather than flicking through pointess internet stuff. Obvioulsy spending more time doing stuff means I will blog more often as well because I will have more to talk about.

Every day I am going to turn my net conection of at five, this means I wont be distracted when I am writing, bloging or writing emails, all which I will then send/post up the next day. It also means I will read more.I guess sometimes i might have it on so I can listen to radio playback but i wont use it to accses the net otherwise.

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 14:41:58 GMT

View Poll: #1101505

Sigh.

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 05:51:02 GMT

Adoption Sucks!

That will be all

blurg.

Sat, 01 Dec 2007 02:02:15 GMT

I think sleep is not going to happen as I feel really lousy, all stuffed up and snotty. Did nothing today except drift in and out of sleep, play WOW and watch lots of the Simpsons.

In other news though I'm blogging twice a month as a representative of Mind The Gap over at The Fem Soc blog I wrote that post last night when I was woozy and really tired so not sure how coherent it is,

Public service anouncement

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 00:33:12 GMT

As of RIGHT NOW I am changing my name (both on line and IRL) to Jake, So please try to call me that. Unless online you want to call me nectarine which has been my internet nickname forever.

Thanks

in which interfaceleader points and laughs and tells me it will never work !

Fri, 23 Nov 2007 18:23:28 GMT

go over angel530 s asignment and emial her back (sorry i'm late hun)
Email evie_tess back (might take a while)
Blog every day
Phone sinead
Email sophie
sort out transport and acomodation for FAF
email petra
research venues for depression groups and phone depression alliance back
phone Tony
send other paul a proper email (if we dont see him which prob we wont)
read lost icons.
read some of postcolonial feminism
set up depression support forum
contact more people re mental health zine
go to drs
go to MTG meeting
blog for FEM SOC blog if thats up and running
go to work depending on joint pain
See Ginnie (yay!yay!yay!)
tidy room
tidy lounge
do laundry

UK abortion rights

Fri, 23 Nov 2007 18:00:19 GMT

---- Original Message -----
ABORTION RIGHTS
Sent: Thursday, November 22, 2007 1:26 PM
Subject: Abortion Rights' update on proposals to change the abortion law going through parliament

Dear Members and Supporters,

Following the Queen's speech on 6th November the government's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill has had its First and Second Readings in the House of Lords on 7th and 19th November respectively.

Although the Bill itself does not address abortion, it is expected that anti-abortion Peers and/or MPs may table a number of damaging amendments to restrict women's rights to abortion. In the Lords Second reading debate a stream of anti-abortion Peers took part in the debate and attacked current rights with pro-choice Peers speaking in defence of the 1967 Abortion Act. Pro-choice MPs are planning to table amendments to improve the law during the course of the Bill in the Commons.

Amendments in the Lords

Anti-abortion amendments that are anticipated are likely to include:

· Reducing the abortion time limit from 24 weeks to 22, 20 or even 13 weeks. Any such measures would have appalling consequences for the women who need later abortion. Particularly over 20 weeks this is a small number of women but each faces difficult and individual circumstances. Women would be forced against their will to carry on with a pregnancy. Or, if they can afford to, women will travel abroad. Some may try more desperate measures.

· Imposing a 'cooling off' period and compulsory counselling for all women seeking abortion. Both measures assume women are not capable of making their own careful decision, creating further distressing delays and adding pressure at what can be a difficult time. We believe women should be trusted with this personal decision.

Amendments in the Lords can be tabled at the Committee stage, which can begin as soon as the second week in December, and also at the Report stage and Third Reading which is expected to take place in January 2008.

Pro-choice Amendments in the Commons

After the House of Lords, the Bill will go the House of Commons around February 2008 where amendments to restrict rights are expected again as well as a number of positive amendments to reform the law and improve abortion access for women These are likely to include:

· Abortion to be available at the request of the pregnant woman within existing legal time limits by removing the need of two doctors' signatures.

· Abortion services to be subject to the same statutory regulations as other medical services (i.e. ending the need for detailed notification to the Department of Health and certification by doctors of all abortions; and removing the need for premises to be specially licensed by the DOH to carry out abortions).

· Suitably trained nurse practitioners to be allowed to carry out early medical and surgical abortions, in both the NHS and non-NHS sector.

· Ensuring accurate information and non-directive support be available for all women facing an unintended pregnancy.

· The law in Northern Ireland to allow access to abortion commensurate with rights in the rest of the UK.

More detailed information on timetabling and amendments will be known as we go along. Campaigning

The anti-choice lobby has called upon its supporters to lobby Peers and MPs. They are arranging for a briefing of Peers where Professor Stuart Campbell will show his emotive '4D' scan images. Many Peers and MPs have not yet decided how to vote. They need to hear from pro-choice supporters URGENTLY.

Abortion Rights is lobbying Peers and MPs directly and in alliance with other pro-choice organisations. We will be organising a public initiative for pro-choice supporters to make their voices heard during the course of the Bill's passage in the Lords. Details to follow.
We are also planning a series of public initiatives during the Bill's passage in the Commons, including a lobby of Parliament and public meeting. You can help by writing directly to your MP TODAY.A model letter to help with this is below and attached.

The Bill is expected to take only six months to pass through Parliament. This provides a relatively short window of opportunity to mobilise the pro-choice majority and ensure we are successful in opposing any restrictions to the 1967 Abortion Act and extending women's reproductive rights.

Please speak to your trade union branch, student group, colleagues and friends to ask them to get involved, pass a resolution or organise a discussion or event. Everyone can sign up for updates and action alerts on the Abortion Rights website www.abortionrights.org.uk or by joining the Facebook group Abortion Rights UK.

Add your voice to the pro-choice majority: www.prochoicemajority.org.uk

Louise Hutchins

Campaigns Coordinator, Abortion Rights

WRITE TO YOUR MP!

The time has come for a concerted effort to lobby MPs throughout the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill. The anti-choice lobby is already very active - MPs are receiving dozens of letters, cards and e-mails. We cannot allow this vociferous minority to dominate the abortion debate.

The most effective and successful way to lobby MPs is to write them a personal letter, ideally in your own words. Handwritten letters have a strong impact on MPs - below is a model letter showing an example of what you could write and some of the points you should raise. Encourage your friends / family / colleagues to write too!

To find out who your MP is and their address go to www.upmystreet.com/commons or call the House of Commons on 020 7219 3000.

Write to them either at their constituency address, if you know it, or at:

House of Commons

London

SW1A 0AA

You can also contact them directly at www.writetothem.com which is a really useful campaigning website.

To make a lasting impact, meet your MP face-to-face during their weekly surgery. Let them know your concerns about the anti-choice campaign and the importance to defend the time limit and existing law. We can provide evidence based briefings and advice to help prepare your visit.

For more information on the issues to send to your MP download our briefing paper or other resources from the website. You could also point them in the direction of the recent Science and Technology Committee report, or contact Abortion Rights for further information.

Please forward any replies you receive to Abortion Rights to help us build up a picture of parliamentary opinion. You can email us at choice@abortionrights.org.uk or post copies of replies to 18 Ashwin Street, London E8 3DL.

MODEL LETTER:

To .........MP

House of Commons

London

SW1A 0AA

Date:

Dear . . . . . . . . . . . .MP,

I am writing to you about the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill which is expected to receive amendments on abortion.

Improving abortion law for women
Forty years since abortion was legalised in Britain, the majority of public opinion supports the right to choose but women continue to face unnecessary and sometimes distressing barriers to access. These could be easily remedied by reforming the 1967 Abortion Act. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill will provide a unique opportunity for MPs to support pro-choice amendments, which are in line with the recommendations of the Commons Science and Technology Committee report further to their enquiry into the scientific advances relating to the 1967 Abortion Act. These will include:

· Abortion to be available at the request of the pregnant woman within existing legal time limits by removing the need of two doctors' signatures. · Abortion services to be subject to the same statutory regulations as other medical services (i.e. ending the need for detailed notification to the Department of Health and certification by doctors of all abortions; and removing the need for premises to be specially licensed by the DOH to carry out abortions). · Suitably trained nurse practitioners to be allowed to carry out early medical and surgical abortions, in both the NHS and non-NHS sector. · Ensuring accurate information and non-directive support be available for all women facing an unintended pregnancy. · The law in Northern Ireland to allow access to abortion commensurate with rights in the rest of the UK.

Defending current rights
I also wish to voice my concerns that anti-choice MPs will attempt to restrict women's abortion rights, including reducing the legal time limit for abortion from 24 weeks to 22, 20 or even 13 weeks. Any such measures would have appalling consequences for the small number of women who need later abortion - each facing very difficult and individual circumstances. Women would be forced against their will to carry on the pregnancy. Or, if they can afford to, women will travel abroad. Some may try more desperate measures. Other anti-abortion amendments expected would impose a 'cooling off' period and compulsory counselling for all women seeking abortion causing further delays and distress. I urge you to vote against such damaging amendments for women.

As a constituent, I would be grateful if you could let me know your views on these matters. Please do not hesitate to contact me should you require further information.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours sincerely,

(Sender's signature)

Name

Address

Postcode

Abortion Rights

18 Ashwin street
London
E8 3DL

T & F: 020 7923 9792

www.abortionrights.org.uk

Abortion Rights is the UK's grassroots organisation leading the campaign to defend and extend women's rights to abortion. We are building a pro-choice movement to oppose any restrictions in women's current rights and access to abortion, to liberalise the current UK abortion law, and to improve women's access to and experience of abortion.

To add your support please visit our website www.abortionrights.org.uk or add your voice to www.prochoicemajority.org.uk

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 21:07:06 GMT

I forgot to say.

Someone sent me an anonymous virtual gift of milk and cookies!

Thankyou!

Feminism and activism

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 17:05:05 GMT

So in I'm chairing the next feminist discussion meeting and the title is "feminist activism" Partly because there is a real issue in the group that while people turn up to the discussion meetings very few are actually involved in the activism we do and we think its a real issue.

I personally think that as society has become more consumerist and more individual people pick labels for themselves and don't work out what that actually means or what that actually entails. To me "feminist" is not an identity label, it is a principled political position that entails working for change, that entails working with others and actually doing stuff. Talking about it is not the end point its the beginning point. The discussion groups are good and important but if that is all people do I'm not sure they can call themselves feminists.

I'm not really sure how to structure it but I'm going to put forward these questions as discussion points and see what that kick starts

What is feminist activism?
What is the relationship between feminist friendships and activism?
What can we learn about activism from older feminists?
Difference between group activism and individual activism?
How do we radicalise ourselves and others into activism?
What is the place of activism within feminism?

I know that feminist activism isn't just what happens in feminist spaces, I know that. I consider the fact that I'm setting up a women only depression support group as feminist activism and raising strong female children and non sexist/misogynistic male children is feminist activism. And empowering female students. And supporting women, emotionally, practically, financially, politically all this is activism I think, so I think that all feminists do do some sort of activism but I think what we are more concerned about is practical activism that the group can do together.

I also think that if you do activism together, if you know you have a group of women supporting you with the big things then it makes the piecemeal individual activism easier to do I think. I know certainly I am more focused on feminism in my personal life if I have a group of women I can talk about feminism with and who I know are actively trying to change things.

I'm going to use
The womans timeline to illustrate that things change when activism happens.

and

this

and

this,
to start discussions

if anyone can suggest some more links on the relationship between feminism and activism that would be cool.