Register for Women 4 Women Day

Click here to register!

(or click here to download a printable registration form)

What: Women 4 Women Day is a chance for women and men from South Dakota to come together to impact legislation. We want our voices to be heard on important women's issue such as

• Reproductive Rights
• Violence Against Women
• Equal Opportunity
• Education

The day will include free bus transportation to Pierre from Sioux Falls, Brookings and Rapid City. Each participant will receive a packet which includes talking points on the issues and tips on how to speak with your legislator. We will observe the Senate and House chambers in action and end the day with a legislative reception at View 34. Lunch will be provided.

When: January 31, 2011

Where: Pierre, SD

Why: We want to show the South Dakota Legislature that we care about lawmaking in our state: laws which affect our lives, our bodies and our families.

Who: You! Your friends, family and neighbors.

Other: There is a $10 registration fee to cover lunch and other expenses for the day. Scholarships are available. Contact Mary Kraljic at kraljicwelch@brookings.net for scholarship information.

Click here to register!

(or click here to download a printable registration form)

Schedule

Monday, January 31, 2011


 11:00 AM Buses Arrive – Check-In @ the Capitol Visitors’ Center

11:45-1:00 PM Lunch @ Visitors’ Center featuring Celinda Lake nationally known pollster, political strategist, women’s advocate and author!
 
1:00 PM Democratic Caucuses 

1:30-4:00 PM W4W Recognition & Observe House and Senate Floors

3:00-3:45 PM Optional training and networking at workshop at Visitors’ Center presented by luncheon speaker, Celinda Lake.

4:00 PM Group photos on the steps of the Capitol Building

4:15 PM Load busses

4:30–6:30 PM Legislative Reception @ View 34 – 4251 E. Highway 34

Transportation Info

We are excited to continue to offer free bus transportation to Pierre on Monday, January 31, from Sioux Falls, Brookings, and Rapid City.

Sioux Falls-Brookings Bus
Board at 6:45 am, depart at 7:00 am
Ramkota on Russell
(at the back of the hotel, near the convention center)

Board in Brookings 8:00 am, Days Inn Parking Lot
Depart Brookings 8:15 am

Leave Pierre 6:30 pm
Arrive Brookings 9:45 pm
Arrive Sioux Falls 10:30 pm.

Rapid City Bus
Board at 6:45 am, depart at 7:00 am
Rushmore Mall

Leave Pierre 6:30 pm
Arrive Rapid City 8:45 MT


Register today!

Women 4 Women Mentor Program 2011

GOAL:

To pair younger women interested in networking, career direction or running for office with a more experienced woman.

MISSION:

• To foster more interest in Women 4 Women Day among all age groups.
• Grow informal relationships between generations and support skills and talent in South Dakota.

EXPECTATIONS:

• Both mentor and mentee will be present at W4W Day 2011
• Mentor will make contact with mentee a minimum of 4 times during 2011
• Both mentor and mentee recommend friends and colleagues for the 2012 mentor program.

>DOWNLOAD THE MENTOR APPLICATION
>DOWNLOAD THE MENTEE APPLICATION

Planned Parenthood Internship Opportunity

South Dakota Public Affairs Intern

Get a taste of the political aspect of Planned Parenthood’s work as a Public Affairs intern in Sioux Falls! You will provide legislative research, administrative support, assist with grassroots organizing/advocacy activities, provide outreach and visibility in the community, and assist with other projects as needed based on your interests and the needs of the department. The goal of Planned Parenthood’s Public Affairs department is to educate constituents and elected officials about reproductive health care and rights. Interested applicants should have an interest in the political aspect of reproductive rights. Flexible schedule. Unpaid.

 

Apply:  Please send a brief description of why you are interested in being a PPMNS intern to South Dakota Public Affairs Manager Carmen Toft at ctoft@ppmns.org.  No phone calls please.  

Women 4 Women Day Video

Wondering what Women 4 Women Day is like? Check out this video from W4W Day 2008!

Live Action Camp Update

This past Saturday I attended a Live Action Camp in North Dakota about health care reform. It was a great experience and I learned a lot about health care reform. The speakers were very informative and the group had some good discussions regarding the issue. It is something that is on a lot of our minds and is definitely a concern to many of us. If the current system is going to be overhauled, it is important to be informed about the possible changes. And events, like a Live Action Camp, are perfect for updating your knowledge.

Specifically, we learned about the types of reform, like the public option and single payer plan, and even about the Medicaid Waiver and the important part it can and does play in health care. We also learned about Planned Parenthood’s priorities when it comes to health care reform since they have always been a strong voice for women’s rights. Prevention, affordable, high-quality health care for all, and choice of health care provider should be guarantees when it comes to our health care.

The second half of the camp was about getting your own voice out there, whether through personal letters to the editor or by contacting your legislators. Letters to the editor are often short, but precise in what you want to convey to the public, and a great way to voice your thoughts and opinions. Contacting your legislators is much easier and more effective than many people often think. If we all come together and utilize our individual voices, I think we can make a major impact on the outcome of health care reform.

So overall, I was very glad I make the trip up north. Everyone I met was very nice and friendly and had legitimate concerns about health care reform. I would also encourage anyone to attend a Live Action Camp, if given the chance, because of the great experience I had.

My First Live Action Camp

This Saturday, I have the opportunity to attend my very first Live Action Camp in Fargo, North Dakota. I have been looking forward to this experience for weeks now, ever since I was invited to attend it. This should be a great addition to my internship experience and I look forward to attending and helping out the North Dakota division of Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota.

This particular Live Action Camp is going to have a health care reform focus. There will be speakers to explain the background, the public-option proposal, and how Planned Parenthood’s priorities are affected or could be affected by health care reform. Then to top off the day, North Dakotans in attendance will be making calls to their congressman, documenting their own personal health care stories, and drafting potential letters to the editor.

I am looking forward to the speakers because even though I hear and receive a lot of information on health care reform, it still can be very confusing and overwhelming. I hope the knowledge and insight I gain will help me to make more sense of everything, and therefore I can be a better-informed intern.

The action portion in the afternoon should be fun also. Actually taking your own knowledge and opinions and publicizing them can be a very powerful thing. We all tend to want to be heard and calls to your Legislators and letters to the editor are great ways to get your voice out there. The more people who speak up, the louder the voice and I think that is exactly what needs to be done when it comes to health care reform.

Please stay tuned for an update next week about my trek up north and my experience from my first, and probably not last, Live Action Camp.

The Simple Truth about Family Planning

When it comes to the reproductive lives of women, family planning plays a central role to the health and well-being of all women and access to preventative care is crucial. About half of all pregnancies in the United States are unintended, yet women can avoid unintended pregnancies and plan for pregnancies they do want with the help of publicly funded family planning services.

To further stress the importance of family planning, the Centers for Disease Control had cited it as one of the ten greatest public health achievements of the 20th century.

Read the entire article here.

Promising News for the Fight against Cervical Cancer

A second cervical cancer vaccine, Cervarix, is available in 97 other countries and thanks to a World Health Organization approval statement, global access to Cervarix should greatly increase. This is great news for women’s health around the world and for the fight against cervical cancer.

The FDA is expected to decide whether or not to approve the vaccine for use in the US in the next few months and if approved, the availability of two cervical cancer vaccines, Cervarix and Gardasil, would greatly benefit women in the US and worldwide.

For the complete article, click here.

South Dakota Political Update

South Dakota Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin has announced plans to run for re-election to the House in 2010. Stephanie is a pro-choice Democrat and a supporter of Planned Parenthood. She has served as South Dakota’s lone representative in the House since 2004.

In a statement from her office, Rep. Herseth Sandlin said, "I strongly believe I can best serve the state by building on the work I've undertaken over the last five years in Congress."

If Stephanie had decided to run for the Governor’s office, she probably would have been up against one of the four Republican Party hopefuls. They are Lt. Gov. Dennis Daugaard, state Sen. Dave Knudson of Sioux Falls, rancher Ken Knuppe of New Underwood and Scott Munsterman of Brookings.

Her decision opens the door for other Democratic contenders to run for the South Dakota Governor’s race and to run against Senator John Thune for his seat also. As of right now, State Senator Scott Heidepriem, D-Sioux Falls, is thought to have an interest in the governor's race. No other candidates have stepped forward to challenge Senator Thune yet.

Anti-Abortion Activists Push New, More Radical Egg-As-Person Measures

From RH Reality Check:

DENVER - A resurgent movement to place "personhood" measures on state ballots across the nation to ban abortion and comprehensive reproductive care could have far more sweeping implications than the trial balloon Colorado voters soundly defeated last year.

Far from being dissuaded by the 3-to-1 loss from their 2008 campaign to confer zygotes with legal rights, abortion opponents are regrouping with a broader initiative that purports to address life span issues, from conception to death.

Click here for more

VIDEO South Dakota Election Night 2008

By Karina
Web Editor
Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota Action Fund

A year ago this summer, the South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families began the fight against South Dakota's second abortion ban. It definitely seemed like an uphill battle, but the ban was defeated by a huge margin, sending a clear message to those that wish interfere in extremely emotional and personal, family decisions.

It couldn't have been done without volunteers on the ground making phone calls, knocking on doors, and talking to friends and family about how misleading and intrusive this ban was. As a thank you to all those who worked against this ban, please take a moment to reflect on your amazing success, and relive the excitement of November 4th, 2008 by checking out the video below.

Thank you!!

South Dakotans and other readers; you know there is still a tremendous amount of work to be done on behalf of women's health in South Dakota and across the country. Please stay connected and continue to stand up for reproductive rights!!

National Men's Health Week

June 15th through the 21st is National Men’s Health Week. Men's Health Week is celebrated each year as the week leading up to and including Father's Day. Sometimes on this blog it seems like men’s health can be put on the back burner compared to our discussion women’s reproductive health. But, obviously affordable reproductive health care for both women AND men is imperative to our overall health.

And now for some interesting tidbits on men’s reproductive health: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s study ‘Fertility, Contraception, and Fatherhood: Data on Men and Women From Cycle 6 (2002) of the National Survey of Family Growth’, adolescent men (15–19 years old) were more likely to report receiving a health service (72 percent) than adult men (51–53 percent). They were also more likely to report a testicular exam (57 percent) than older men (35–37 percent). Services like checkups for reproductive or sexual health problems, routine physical exams, testicular and prostate cancer screenings, to name a few, are very important to the overall health of men of all ages.

Additionally, the life-expectancy gap between men and women has decreased; still it is clear that there is much room for improvement. Men tend to smoke and drink more than women. They do not seek medical help as often as women. For more info, check out this cool test from the CDC to test your knowledge about men’s health here.

Many of the major health risks that men face can be prevented and treated with early diagnosis. Screening tests can catch diseases early, often when treatments are more successful. This is a good reason that shows the importance for all men to have regular checkups and screenings.

Men and women both deserve health services and to have affordable access to testing and education options readily available to them. Planned Parenthood offers a wide array of health services for men.

For more information and event ideas for National Men’s Health Week, click here.

Opposition Rants!

ARGUS LEADER
Letters: Abstinence works every time

In the News

YANKTON PRESS & DAKOTAN
Abortion: Neb. Doctor plans to offer services in Kansas

Dear Dr. Tiller

From Tiffany:

Dear Dr. Tiller,
Thank you for risking your own safety so women would have someone to turn to in their time of need. You cared deeply about your patients. I have undergone a procedure similar to a late term abortion and it was the most horrifying experience of my life, the only glimmer of hope was that I had an entire team of physicians wanting to care for me. I can't imagine what it would be like if I had to experience it alone. Your devotion to women's health will never be forgotten and I will continue to fight for women's reproductive rights as long as I'm on this earth. May you rest in peace.

Dr. Tiller

From Susan:

This was an act of terroism, and my heart goes out to his family. Dr. Tiller was a real hero.

What Now?

From CT:

Why?

What now?

What will happen next?

Who will take over?

Are we all alone now?

Tough...

From Shannon:

Putting my thoughts into words on this tragedy has been next to impossible for me. First sad, then mad. But, most of all, inspired by courage.

Despite attack after attack, this man was brave and returned to work time and time again to serve the women he knew needed him. I don't know that I would do the same. He was not intimidated.

This is an unnecessary tragedy. There is a better way.