Toni Weschler to give workshop at Omega Institute, 10/3/08-10/5/08

Toni Weschler, author of Taking Charge of Your Fertility, will be giving a workshop at Omega Institute, in Rhinebeck, New York. The workshop, entitled "Breaking Fertile Ground," is for women seeking pregnancy. You can get all the details here.

 

Troubling Aspects of Assisted Reproductive Technology, Part 1

When you start to really look into the burgeoning field of assisted reproductive technology (ART), there are so many things to get upset about that it's hard to know where to begin. There are nightmare scenarios everywhere. Lately there have been a few stories about the situation in India, where women from more affluent countries go to take advantage of a state of virtual lawlessness surrounding assisted reproductive technology. Whether you're coming from the perspective of women's health care or that of social justice, these stories have it all. Economically oppressed people selling their bodies? Check. Women on both ends making decisions without being fully informed? Check. Doctors making decisions designed to maximize their profits in the absence of legislation meant to safeguard all participants? Check. The inevitable outcome of a grossly unbalanced global economy in which health care and fertility are commodities, bought and sold and profited upon like crops? Check.

Guardian UK on Fertility Tourism in India

Judith Warner on Wombs for Rent in India

Getting Off The Pill

One of my current students is actually blogging about her experience of getting off the Pill and learning Fertility Awareness. Normally I only get to hear about how FA has affected my students' lives AFTER they've learned it. It is absolutely fascinating to read about what it's like in the present tense, with all the nervousness and trepidation, not to mention the complete lack of affirmation from doctors, friends, etc. We who take FAM for granted can forget how scary it can be to give up the familiar and easy pharmaceutical control and take matters into our own hands. Do check it out, and don't overlook the comments that have been posted. Consider posting one of your own. Give this woman some support!
http://gettingoffthepill.blogspot.com/

FAC in the Media

For some unknown reason, we’ve been getting a lot of media attention of late. I was interviewed twice for an article that will appear sometime later this year in a national magazine, and I also participated in a documentary on the topic of sex education in America. I’ve no idea when that film will be coming out, or if I’ll be included, but the filmmakers did film one of my classes, and they seemed pretty enthused. I’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, you can check out a couple of articles that have appeared in regional papers. This first piece was published in The Radish, a Midwestern magazine focusing on healthy living:
http://radishmagazine.com/stories/display.cgi?prcss=display&id=356095

And another piece ran in two Vermont papers, The Times Argus and the Rutland Herald. It’s the same piece, picked up from a news service, so no need to read both:
http://tinyurlw.com/2xvydw
http://tinyurl.com/ytvofb

FAC Participates in Dine & Learn Brooklyn

On November 9th, 2007, we participated in a massive
health fair for women, held at Brooklyn’s famous Tabernacle
Church. The fair was presented by SUNY Downstate Medical
Center, in conjunction with The Brooklyn Tabernacle, American
Cancer Society (Brooklyn), Diaspora Community Services,
and Center for Women’s Development at Medgar Evers College/
CUNY. Over 1200 women pre-registered for the event,
and I’d guess that at least 800 attended, despite a nightlong
downpour. Our information table was staffed by Shakti Ziller
(then a volunteer and now a board member) and me, and gave
us the opportunity to reach a very large, primarily African-
American audience. We also met lots of other like-minded
health care providers and representatives of community organizations
and advocacy groups. Most memorable visitors: the 3
teenage girls who kept circling back to our table, giggling, but
definitely interested.

Thank you, Barbara Seaman

The comparison to Ralph Nader is apt. Like Nader, she was a controversial muckraker. She opened our eyes at a time when people were used to blindly trusting their doctors, trusting their government, etc.

NY Times obituary

Washington Post obituary

Benefit is over, long live the benefit

THANK YOU to everyone who supported us before, during, and after the benefit. It was a lot of fun. And of course we have a zillion pictures, but (a) some of them are somewhat risque and (b) I think we need to put them up on a Flickr page or something to avoid clogging up this blog. In the meantime, here are a few to tide you over:



Suzanne & Autumn deciding the fate of the raffle participants.



Stage kitten Carter chatting with Liza.


The Baronass Von Harmer doing her gender-bendy thing.


Autumn and Ilene, happy that it's over.