Proposition 4 is Dangerous and Deceptive

by Lisa Alvarado, ACT intern, FLA graduate

Proposition 4 is a dangerous initiative requiring minors to seek parental notification 48 hours prior to having an abortion. The thing is, as a teenager, I want my parents to be involved and I'm pretty sure they want to be involved in my life. I luckily have approachable parents, but I do know others who don't. As a matter of fact studies show that 90% of teens include their parents from the beginning. The unfortunate part is that not all teens have a safe home and supportive parents. The government can't mandate family communication. It just doesn't work. 

Prop 4 is similar to past ballot initiatives in both 2005 and 2006, propositions 73 and 85, which were both defeated. Prop 4 puts our most vulnerable teens at risk.It causes them to seek dangerous alternatives such as self-induced abortions.  Proposition 4 seems to try to accommodate teens with ridiculous loopholes.

Teens do have the opportunity to go to a trusted family member BUT, under Prop 4 it requires them to report their parents to authorities for abuse.  It also states that a teen can get a judge's approval instead of seeking family support. When a teen is scared she's not going to go through a crowded courtroom. Most teens can't even go to court for a ticket let alone seek approval from a stranger and reveal her personal situation.

Prop 4 is a very deceptive, desperate teens take desperate measures. We want our teens to be safe. So please join me in voting NO on Prop 4 to protect my peers and sisters.

Contact: Erin Garner-Ford                                                   FOR IMMEDIATE RELAESE 

ACT for Women and Girls                                        

Email: eringarnerford@sbcglobal.net

www.actulareco.org

Valley Rally: Coming Out For Justice

            On Saturday, April 19, 2008 from 1pm-6pm the Female Leadership Academy, a project of ACT for Women and Girls, will be hosting an event, Valley Rally: Coming Out For Justice, on the College of the Sequoias campus in Visalia to educate the community about women’s rights and social justice issues.

The event will feature dynamic speakers expressing educational information in the areas of reproductive justice, environmental justice, equal access to education, economic justice, Lesbian, Gay, Bi Sexual and Transgender issues, cultural awareness and immigrant rights. The speakers include Graciela Martinez from American Friends Service Committee, Nora Benavides from Planned Parenthood, Chelsey Ramirez from Gay Straight Alliance, Susana DeAnda from The Community Water Center, Mai Der Vang addressing South East Asian issues and a group of youth from Californians for Justice.  Four local bands will be featured at the event, Grupo Aji, Pa’Chango, The Green Machine and Hop Scotch Heroes. A fashion show will demonstrate healthy body image and display local seamstress’s clothing. Artists from around the Central Valley will display their art for show. Local Social Justice Organizations will hand out information to further educate individuals about their existence and areas of advocacy.

Organizations such as Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, American Friends Service Committee, Peace Fresno, Community Water Center, El Quinto Sol de America, CSUF Women’s Studies Department, etc have confirmed their attendance for the event.

For more information regarding this event and future activities, please contact Erin Garner-Ford at (559) 679-2114 or Robyn Flores at (559) 799-6716. Feel free to view our website at www.actulareco.org for information about our projects and organization.

The Advocacy Coalition of Tulare County (ACT) for Women and Girls is a volunteer based group of women who are committed to eradicating the oppression that lies deep in the roots of Visalia and the surrounding rural communities in Tulare County. ACT for Women and Girls has made strides in connecting local women to broader movements as well as grass roots advocacy work on reproductive rights and social justice issues in the past four years of work.  Through the creation of the Female Leadership Academy in 2005, we have made positive changes in the Central Valley by empowering women to be leaders of their communities and hold policymakers accountable to ensure our rights are being upheld.

The primary objectives of this Leadership Academy are:

·        To increase knowledge of women’s issues and feminist movements;

·        To develop leadership skills among local women and girl, especially young and marginalized women;

·        To provide opportunities that connect local women and girls to statewide and national initiatives and movements; and

·        To provide guidance and mentoring for the creation and implementation of a local leadership project that addresses social justice issues in their communities, with a specific emphasis on reproductive health and rights.

·        To outreach to immigrant farm worker women and educate them about social justice issues including reproductive rights and resources to improve their access to medically safe services

The Female Leadership Academy is an intense 8 month program where the participants meet three to four times a month (evenings and weekends) and learn about the history of feminism and its meaning today, locally and globally. Additional learning occurs through didactic lectures with guest speakers, interactive sessions and skill building activities to develop their leadership qualities. The primary strategies for community change are advocacy, grass roots organizing and policy making. Focus area themes are: feminism, equality, women’s health, reproductive justice (including comprehensive sex education), violence against women including rape and domestic violence, racism, economic justice, environmental justice, Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual and Transgender issues, immigrant issue and rights, and leadership.

Additionally, an important learning strategy that encompasses all of these items is a community project. The participants work in small groups to research, create and implement a community project that includes collecting and analyzing local data and presenting that information to leaders and decision makers with very concrete recommendations to take that will improve the issue of focus.