North Dakota Planned Parenthood Advocate

Be a Part of Something Big!

How many times have you heard the phrase ‘two heads are better than one’ or ‘there's strength in numbers’ or ‘we're stronger together’? There are numerous combinations saying the same thing- when people come together the possibilities are endless.

That's the thought behind a new gathering happening across the state of North Dakota. Solidarity Saturdays is modeled after North Carolina's successful Moral Mondays where folks would meet up to talk about what's going on at the legislature and discuss how to take action.

The first Solidarity Saturday was wildly successful with folks meeting in Fargo, Grand Forks, and Bismarck. So, we will begin meeting the 3^rd Saturday of each month.

We'd like to invite you to the next Solidarity Saturday event coming up this Saturday February 21st at 1:00 pm- now in FOUR locations. We're excited to see this movement growing! 

• Bismarck: Unitarian Universalist Church: 818 East Divide Avenue 
• Minot: Broadway Bean and Bagel: 1701 South Broadway 
• Grand Forks: Archives Coffee House: 3012 University Ave.
• Fargo: Red Raven: 916 Main Ave

Please come out and meet with like-minded people to further your knowledge, network, and understanding of the great work is being done by so many organizations. We'll talk, too, about what's going on at the Capitol and learn how YOU can get involved. As the late Paul Wellstone famously said, ‘we all do better, when we call do better’. Join us!

Week 6 - Reproductive Health Report from the Legislature

This is an incredibly important Legislative Update. Please read, take action, and share!

Bills
It's happening again! Politicians are playing games with women’s health in North Dakota. This time victims of human trafficking are the target.  A gag amendment added to Senate Bill 2107 will deny victims of human trafficking information about their reproductive health care options including abortion.  

Stand with victims of Human Trafficking- Sign the petition today!

Events
Had enough of these attacks? Have your voice be heard! Attend WE Rise: Women Empowered a Women’s Lobby Day at the Capitol on Monday, March 9^th .  Click here to register or to learn more about this amazing and empowering day.

Thank you for taking action.

Until next week,

Amy Jacobson
North Dakota Public Affairs Manager
Planned Parenthood MN,ND,SD

Bills dealing with women’s health deserve support

As printed in the Jamestown Sun on Sunday, February 8, 2015

In November, when voters had the chance to consider an anti-women’s health ballot measure, Measure 1, they rejected it soundly. Voters also defeated the prime sponsor of Measure 1, state Sen. Margaret Sitte, as well as one of the most anti-choice state representatives, Bette Grande.

The voters have spoken, and it is time for North Dakota to turn away from attacks on reproductive health. Instead, let’s support the women and families of our state and protect our public health. Rep. Kylie Oversen, D-Grand Forks, and Rep. Gail Mooney, D-Cummings, are offering a solution. The women’s health package would protect women’s health and reduce unintended pregnancies, thereby reducing the need for abortion.

Week 5 - Reproductive Health Report from the Legislature

It is week five of our Planned Parenthood North Dakota Reproductive Health Reports and we have a lot of great work to share. While women's health is not under attack it is still important to make your voice heard on policies that support women's health.

Bills and Action Alerts
Anti- Discrimination:  SB2279 would amend the North Dakota Human Rights Act and the North Dakota Fair Housing Act to provide the same protections from discrimination for all North Dakotans. No North Dakotan should live in fear of being fired from a job or kicked out of an apartment based on their sexual orientation. TAKE ACTION! Expected vote in the Senate next week. Scroll down to see how to get involved.

Reproductive Health: The Women's Health package (HB1291 and HB1295) to provide family planning and pregnancy care for more low-income women has not come for a vote yet. Please shore up the efforts of the sponsors Rep. Oversen and Rep. Mooney- TAKE ACTION: tell the committee to support for pro-Women's Health bills.

Compassionate Care for Victims of Rape:  An important bill for victims of sexual assault is making its way through the North Dakota legislature. SB2284, Compassionate Care for Victims of Rape bill, sponsored by Senator Carolyn Nelson, would provide funding for Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) across the state. Stay tuned!

Events 

• Be My Valentine. Since Senate Bill 2279 is coming up for a vote during the week of Valentine’s Day, we thought it pretty fitting to encourage our senators to recognize Love is Love and support 2279! Can you join us for statewide efforts? We will be taking action from 3 locations on Monday February 9^th from 6 pm-8:30 pm
  Bismarck:  Unitarian Universalist Church: 818 East Divide Ave
  Grand Forks:  Christus Rex: 3012 University Ave (in the Library)
  Fargo:  Planned Parenthood Office:  624 Main Ave Suite 9  
   
• North Dakota Women's Network weekly Legislative Report. Tomorrow (and every Saturday) morning at 9:00 a.m. This week the focus is the effort to combat Human Trafficking in North Dakota. Our guest will be Christina Sambor from FUSE. Here is the video conference link.
   
• WE Rise: Women Empowered a Women’s Lobby Day at the Capitol is Monday, March 9^th ! Click here to register or to learn more about this amazing day.

Until next week,

Amy Jacobson
North Dakota Public Affairs Manager
Planned Parenthood MN,ND,SD

Stand up for Women's Health- Take Action today!

HB 1291- Family Planning for low income women

Take Action- Let the House Human Service Committee know you support pro-women's health policies. HB1295 and HB1291 are good for women and families- this email today!

Reproductive Health: HB1295 is a bill sponsored by Rep. Kylie Oversen. The bill would allow more low income women in North Dakota to receive access to family planning services. The benefits to women and to the public health of our state include...

Increased contraceptive access: Publicly supported contraceptive services help women prevent unintended pregnancies. Usage of contraception results in fewer unintended pregnancies and a reduction in the abortion rate. Statistically half of all unintended pregnancies end in abortion.

STI testing and treatment: Nearly half of female family planning clients receive chlamydia and gonorrhea tests. Treating clients who tested positive for chlamydia or gonorrhea helps avoid cases of PID and the ectopic pregnancies and infertility cases that might otherwise follow.

Cervical cancer prevention: Combined, the Pap tests, HPV tests and HPV vaccines provided during family planning visits help prevent cases of cervical cancer and cervical cancer deaths. 

Government savings: In addition to these numerous health benefits, publicly supported family planning care results in substantial government savings. The vast majority savings comes from helping women and couples avoid unplanned births.

Show your support for Women's Health!

HB 1295- Pregnancy care for low income women

 

Week 4 - Reproductive Health Report from the Legislature

It is week four of our Planned Parenthood North Dakota Reproductive Health Reports! Our goal is to keep you up-to-date on happenings around women’s health during the 64^th legislative assembly in North Dakota.  Here is a handy site that helps you locate your state senator and representatives.

Bills
Abortion: There is one abortion related bill. SB2275 would make it illegal to force a victim of human trafficking to terminate a pregnancy. We agree and support a woman's right to make personal medical decisions without outside threats, intimidation, or coercion. 

Reproductive Health: Committee hearings were held on HB1295 sponsored by Rep. Kylie Oversen and HB1291 sponsored by Rep. Gail Mooney. This package of bills would allow more low income women in North Dakota to receive access to family planning and pregnancy case. Take Action!

Compassionate Care for Victims of Rape:  An important bill for victims of sexual assault is making its way through the North Dakota legislature. SB2284, Compassionate Care for Victims of Rape bill, sponsored by Senator Carolyn Nelson would provide funding for Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) across the state. It will be heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, February 4th at 10:00 am.

A sexual assault nurse examiner is a registered nurse who has been specially trained in the care of the sexual assault victim. A SANE program primarily focuses on the care of the victim while striving to help those victims begin their healing process. SANE nurses may also provide expert testimony in a court of law, regarding the forensic examination they conducted. The Compassionate Care for Victims of Rape bill (SB2284) will ensure that any victim of sexual assault who needs/wants a forensic exam can obtain one. 

Action Alerts
Click here to send an email to the House Human Services Committee to urge a 'Do Pass Recommendation'. All women, no matter of income level, should have access to family planning and pre-natal care!

Events 

• Tomorrow (and every Saturday) morning at 9:00 a.m. is the North Dakota Women's Network weekly Legislative Report.  This week the focus will be  focus to SB 2279, the anti-discrimination bill to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the state Human Rights Act. Our guest will be Representative Joshua Boschee. Here is the video conference link.
• Solidarity Saturdays! Solidarity Saturdays are informal gatherings of multiple organizations and people to talk about our shared concerns in North Dakota and to keep tabs on bills during legislative session. We kick off tomorrow at 1:00 pm- Bismarck: Unitarian Universalist Church- 818 East Divide Avenue Grand Forks: Archives Coffee House- 3012 University Ave Fargo: Red Raven- 916 Main Ave
  Help us to grow the progressive movement in North Dakota! 
  Three cities, one time, one common purpose.

Information
WE Rise: Women Empowered a Women’s Lobby Day at the Capitol is Monday, March 9^th !Click here to register or to learn more about this amazing day.

Volunteer Opportunities
Thank you for supporting women’s health in North Dakota. We look forward to working with you this year. If you are interested in volunteering with Planned Parenthood in North Dakota please email Molly McLain, ND Grassroots Organizer, at mmclain@ppmns.org.

Until next week,

Amy Jacobson
North Dakota Public Affairs Manager
Planned Parenthood MN,ND,SD

 

What is Going on at the Capital? Find Out at Solidarity Saturday!

Solidarity Saturdays are informal gatherings of multiple organizations and people to talk about our shared concerns in North Dakota and to keep tabs on bills during legislative session.

These gatherings seek to foster a place for us to further our knowledge,conversation, and understanding of each of our affiliated organizations and underscore our shared values.

Join us to kick off this event on Jan. 31, 1 pm at the below locations:

Bismarck: Unitarian Universalist Church- 818 East Divide Avenue
Grand Forks: Archives Coffee House- 3012 University Ave
Fargo: Red Raven- 916 Main Ave

Help us to grow the progressive movement in North Dakota!
Three cities, one time, one common purpose.
January 31st 1 pm.

Week 2 - Reproductive Health Report from the Legislature

It is week two of our Planned Parenthood North Dakota Reproductive Health Reports! Our goal is to keep you up-to-date on happenings around women’s health during the 64^th legislative assembly in North Dakota.

The North Dakota legislature consists of 47 senators and 94 representatives- that's 1 senator and 2 representative from each legislative district. Do you know who your legislators are? Here is a handy site that helps you locate your state senator and representatives.

Bills
Abortion: As of today, January 16^th, no bills to ban or restrict abortion have been filed.

Reproductive Health: HB1295 is a bill sponsored by Rep. Kylie Oversen. The bill would allow more low income women in North Dakota to receive access to family planning services. The benefits to women and to the public health of our state include...

Obvious Child Movie Screening in Honor of Roe v. Wade!

Join us in celebrating the anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade!  If you’re in the F-M community next Thursday, January 22^nd we are screening the hit film “Obvious Child” starring Jenny Slate at North Dakota State University.

Thursday January 22^nd
NDSU VAN ES 101 Auditorium
6-8 pm  Discussion to follow the film.

Obvious Child  is a romantic comedy written and directed by Gillian Robespierre.  The film follows Donna (Jenny Slate), a stand-up comedian, who after a drunken one-night stand finds out she is pregnant and decides to have an abortion.

The film premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival where it won the Red Crown Producer’s Award . Planned Parenthood was proud to work with the directors and producers of this film to bring this subject to light.

“Tackling a sensitive subject with maturity, honesty, and wit, Obvious Child serves as a deeply promising debut for writer-director Gillian Robespierre.”- The Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus

“Uproariously and refreshingly honest.” -Variety

Watch the trailer!

            

January is Cervical Health Awareness Month!

How much do you know about HPV (human papillomavirus) and cervical cancer?   HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease- it’s also a major cause of cervical cancer.  Cervical cancer screenings can help detect abnormal (changed) cells early before they turn into cancer.  Cervical cancer is the second most common type of cancer for women worldwide, but because it develops over time, it is also one of the most preventable types of cancer.

The good news is HPV can be prevented by the HPV vaccine.

What causes cervical cancer?

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is found in about 99% of cervical cancers. There are over 100 different types of HPV. Of these types, some can cause genital warts (“low-risk” HPV) while others may cause abnormal cell changes, most commonly of the cervix (“high-risk” HPV). It can take weeks, months, or even years after exposure to HPV before symptoms develop or the virus is detected. This is why it is usually impossible to determine when or from whom HPV may have been contracted.

HPV is estimated to be the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. In fact, by age 50 approximately 80% of women have been infected with some type of HPV. The majority of women infected with the HPV virus do NOT develop cervical cancer. For most women the HPV infection does not last long; 90% of HPV infections resolve on their own within 2 years.