North Dakota Planned Parenthood Advocate

Become a Planned Parenthood Intern!

It’s a rare person who finds the time to give their time. Some people call them interns or volunteers. We call them amazing.  If you feel the pull, don’t wait! With a commitment of just a few hours each month, you can improve the lives of thousands in your community.

We are currently seeking an intern on the campus of North Dakota State University. The NDSU Campus Outreach Intern is responsible for working with the North Dakota Public Affairs Manager in extending outreach to the North Dakota State University campus community. The intern will educate the campus community (particularly students but also faculty/staff) about Planned Parenthood and reproductive health at campus events, fairs, student organizations, in small-group settings and through marketing activities such as distributing flyers and pamphlets on campus.

Are you the perfect match we are looking for? For more information contact Amy Jacobson at ajacobson@ppmns.org or 701-526-0726.

Feminist Holiday Gifts

By Carmen, Planned Parenthood Advocate

As a proud feminist with 7 little girls in my extended family, I feel a tremendous responsibility to expose them to some serious “girl power” to coexist with the many, many princesses covering walls, bedspreads and binders. I hit the jackpot last year with President Obama’s, “Of Thee I Sing, A Letter to My Daughters”. In this beautiful book, President Obama looks at 13 famous Americans and tells the girls what traits of theirs he sees in them. My cousin says that her daughters particularly enjoy the part about Martin Luther King.

My best gift for 2011 is The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch. This delightful children’s book has the princess rescuing the prince! And she does it without princess-appropriate attire. There’s a great twist on the “happily ever after” too. Check out other children’s books with a feminist agenda.

While I love a good “book” theme, I adore these “Girl Power” shoelaces. They are definitely on deck for the years to come. Finally, I have spent way too much time searching the interwebs for a set of posters I fell in love with last year. One featured a girl on a horse and it said, “I can rescues myself.” Seriously, they were fantastic- if I manage to find them again, I’ll post them on the blog.

Happy Holidays!

'Every Mother Counts' advocating for Women Around the Globe

 

Recently a screening of the documentary ‘No Woman, No Cry’ was held in Fargo. The film shared moving and powerful stories of at-risk pregnant women in four parts of the world, including a remote Maasai tribe in Tanzania, a slum of Bangladesh, a post-abortion care ward in Guatemala, and a prenatal clinic in the United States.The film is now available for purchase directly from the Every Mother Counts organization. 

Every day, more than 900 women die from pregnancy- or childbirth-related complications. In 2008, there were an estimated 342,900 maternal deaths worldwide, nearly all in developing countries. The four major killers are severe bleeding (mostly bleeding postpartum), infections (also mostly soon after delivery), hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (eclampsia), and obstructed labor. In developed countries, these problems are largely averted because of high quality pre-natal care, assisted births and readily available emergency medical treatment.

Planned Parenthood Statement on Decision by Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals To Rehear South Dakota Biased Counseling Law

Today the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals announced they will hold an en banc hearing on South Dakota’s “informed consent” law that requires a doctor to tell a woman who is seeking an abortion that she faces an “increased risk of suicide ideation and suicide.” This comes after a three judge panel of the court struck down this requirement in September, finding there is no reliable medical evidence for a link between abortion and an increase in mental health problems.

“The scientific research is on our side,” said Sarah Stoesz, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota (PPMNS). “We are confident that the en banc court, after reviewing the merits of this issue, will uphold two prior decisions which held that the weight of reliable evidence says abortion does not subject women to an increased risk of suicide.”

'World AIDS Day' Everyday

By Jon, Volunteer Blogger

While the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is spent celebrating the blessings of the year and the importance of family and friends in our lives, we can also take time to remember those who are living with AIDS and those who have died from this disease. December 1^st was set aside as World Aids Day. But, this disease needs to be remembered for the entire year as we think of ways to help those who have the disease.

The Impact of AIDS in North Dakota

While there are places in the world, such as African, where AIDS is of epidemic proportions, there are people closer to homewho have to live with the disease.

 It may not seem like a lot in to other areas, but North Dakota is a state with a very small population at well under a million.