October 18 marks the tenth anniversary of the National Organization for Women Foundation’s Annual Love Your Body Day (LYBD). For the past ten years, the Love Your Body Campaign has promoted healthy body images for women and girls through creative actions and consumer education. The campaign calls for women and girls to be in control of what makes them feel healthy and comfortable with their bodies, on their own terms and not based on unrealistic images promoted by advertisers and the mass media.

“Sex, Stereotypes and Beauty: The ABCs and Ds of Commercial Images of Women” is a new slide show presentation created by the NOW Foundation and available beginning today through the Love Your Body website for viewing and download. This presentation illustrates ways that advertisers and the media enforce unrealistic beauty standards, sexual ideals and gender stereotypes that girls and women are expected to follow.

“‘Sex, Stereotypes and Beauty’ is a fast-paced and compelling way for women and girls to identify and think about the impact that these images have on their health and well-being, and what can they do about it,” NOW Foundation President Kim Gandy says. “Using examples from current advertisements, we brought these images together to present them in a way that will spark discussion. We hope that our chapters, or anyone visiting our website, will present the slide show, forward it to their friends, and use it to strategize ways to combat the daily barrage of messages that say to women and girls ‘You’re not good enough.’”

Hollywood and the fashion, cosmetics and diet industries work hard to make women believe that our bodies are unacceptable and need constant improvement. Print ads and television commercials reduce women to body parts — lips, legs, breasts — airbrushed and touched up to meet impossible standards. TV shows tell women and teenage girls that cosmetic surgery is a necessary step toward positive self-esteem.

“Is it any wonder that 80% of U.S. women are dissatisfied with their appearance?” asks Gandy. “The NOW Foundation is committed to empowering women to say, ‘Enough is enough!’ We want all women and girls to be positive about their bodies and not feel pressured by the media’s negative portrayals and pressure to conform — to look or feel a particular way.”

June 20, 2007

After a bipartisan effort that led to the passage of the stem cell research bill in both the House and Senate, George W. Bush vetoed this legislation that would have eased restraints on federally funded embryonic stem cell research, utilizing donated human embryos that would otherwise be destroyed. This is the second time George Bush has used his veto power to override a measure that could have led to treatment of debilitating illnesses and life-threatening diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, heart disease, spinal cord injury, and diabetes.

“With this veto, George Bush has proved once again that his allegiance is to his extremist base and not to the millions of caregivers and families who need this research,” says NOW President Kim Gandy. “Women are the majority of caregivers in our society, and this veto is an outright slap in the face for women who take on the every day burden of caring for family members who are ill or dying,” said Gandy.

There is enormous public support for stem cell research, and that is why Congress passed the measure. George Bush’s veto demonstrates that he has become even more out of touch with the country. Even the National Institutes of Health acknowledge that human embryos are the most promising of all the stem cells to offer renewable source of replacement cells and tissues to treat diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

We were on the cusp of extending medical research, and with a stroke of the pen, George Bush took it away,” says Gandy. “This is even more reason to change the face of politics. We need a government and a leader who considers the health and safety of women, girls and families.”

June 07, 2007

In a 247-176 bipartisan vote, the House today passed a bill that would allow federal funding of stem cell research utilizing donated human embryos. If signed into law, this bill would offer people with serious illnesses and life-threatening conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and spinal cord injuries the chance for a better life. The Senate passed a similar bill in April, reflecting the fact that an overwhelming majority of the public supports this research.

According to a recent poll, 62 percent of people in the U.S. approve of medical research using embryonic stem cells, and nearly 60 percent want more taxpayer money to be used for this promising line of research. President Bush’s 2005 veto of similar legislation and his current threat to veto this bi-partisan measure exposes his willingness to pander to his ultra-conservative supporters, regardless of the price the public will pay.

“Women are the majority of family caregivers, and the heartbreak of having a loved one with a debilitating illness and the related burden of their care could both be lifted with this bill,” said NOW President Kim Gandy. “Although George W. Bush seems stubbornly bent on pleasing his right-wing base, we urge him not to choose religious and political extremism over medical progress.”

NOW thanks members of the House and Senate for their bipartisan support. “We must continue to change the face of politics so that our leaders will put our health, our families and our well-being at the top of the nation’s priorities,” said Gandy.

*TONIGHT* presentation at Brown University

RI NOW’s Vice President of Action, Beth Sundstrom, will speak about Female Genital Cutting at Brown University on Thursday, October 26th at 5:00 p.m.

The talk is open to the public. Directions are below.

From the north and south: If traveling on I-95 South, move into the second lane from the far left as soon as you see the State Capitol building. From I-95 North, move into the right lane and stay there. Follow signs for I-195 East. Once on the ramp for I-195 East, move over all the way to the right as soon as possible. Take exit 1, Downtown Providence. Follow the exit ramp to the first light. Turn right onto Dyer Street. At the third light turn right onto College Street. At the next light, go straight up the hill. Continue straight at the stop sign halfway up the hill. At the top of the hill, where College Street intersects with Prospect Street, you will see Brown’s Van Wickle Gates. Turn left onto Prospect Street. At the light, turn right onto Waterman Street. Take the first left onto Brown Street. The address for HIllel is 80 Brown Street- on the corner of Angell St. and Brown St.

From the east: Follow I-195 West until exit 2, South Main Street. Travel down South Main Street to the first light. Turn right onto College Street. At the next stop sign, go straight up the hill. At the top of the hill, you will see Brown’s Van Wickle Gates. Turn left onto Prospect Street. At the light, turn right onto Waterman Street. Take the first left onto Brown Street. The address for HIllel is 80 Brown Street- on the corner of Angell St. and Brown St.

RI NOW Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 29, 2005

Rhode Island NOW (RI NOW) joins activists across the country today in a nationwide day of action, demanding that emergency contraception (EC) be made available to all women, without a prescription.

“It is disappointing, to say the least, that after promising a decision on this matter by September 1, the FDA has yet again delayed its decision on broadening access to EC,” said Meaghan Lamarre, President of RI NOW, “and it is disturbing that any forthcoming decision to make EC available over-the-counter will exclude women under the age of 17. EC is a proven safe and effective method of preventing unplanned pregnancy, and should be available to all women without restrictions.”

“Given the recent incident of a pharmacist at a CVS in Coventry refusing to fill a prescription for Plan B,” continued Lamarre, “Rhode Islanders are especially concerned about women’s unrestricted access to emergency contraception. As we wait for a clarification of CVS’s policy on this issue, we are reminded of how important it is that the FDA allow EC to be sold over-the-counter.”

NOW’s actions on August 30 are part of the organization’s long term commitment to accessible, affordable and comprehensive women’s health care. Emergency contraception is safe and legal birth control. If taken within 24-72 hours after rape, unwanted sexual activity or birth control failure, women can dramatically reduce their odds of facing an abortion or unwanted pregnancy. NOW demands that the FDA promote and protect our health and safety, not the political whims of the White House, the pharmaceutical industry, or anti-women politicians.

Take Action:

• Call the FDA, general comment line: 1-888-463-6332
• Call the office of FDA Commissioner Lester Crawford 301-827-2410
• Call the Office of Women’s Health 301-827-0350

Call or Email the New England Regional Office of the FDA

• Joseph Raulinaitis (508) 793-0422, Joseph.Raulinaitis@fda.hhs.gov
• Susan Small (781) 596-7779, Susan.Small@fda.hhs.gov
• Mary B. Yebba (781) 596-7779, Mary.Yebba@fda.hhs.gov

Read more in the following statement from Kim Gandy:

Statement of National Organization for Women President Kim Gandy

The National Organization for Women calls on women’s health advocates to join in a National Day of Action on Tuesday, August 30, protesting the decision by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding emergency contraception (EC).

Today’s announcement by the FDA, on Women’s Equality Day no less, is insulting on so many levels that I hardly know where to begin.

First, FDA commissioner Lester Crawford lied to the United States Senate to achieve his confirmation to this post. Senators Patty Murray and Hillary Clinton had put a hold on his nomination, and released their hold (thus enabling his confirmation) after his absolute assurance that the FDA would finally make a decision on non-prescription availability of emergency contraception by September 1.

Second, despite years of study, despite strong support from the FDA’s professional staff, despite extensive public hearings and commentary, and despite the near-unanimous recommendations of not one but two FDA advisory panels, this newly appointed Commissioner has again delayed women’s access to emergency contraception (EC) — and with the lame excuse that they need more time for “public comment.”

Third, the one thing that was made clear in today’s announcement is that women under 17 will be left out altogether, and this time the excuse is even more ridiculous: that the “target” users will not be able to understand the directions. Since Plan B consists only of two small white pills, and the directions are to take one pill after unprotected intercourse (within 5 days) and to take the second pill 12 hours after the first one, it is apparent that any teenager with 6th grade reading ability could follow these directions. My 12-year-old daughter could follow those directions easily. And even if the directions weren’t followed properly, EC is extremely safe — so there would be no adverse health consequences to justify extreme measures to keep it out of the hands of young women.

So the FDA’s “reason” is merely an excuse to deny young women access to the means to prevent pregnancy, and at a time in their lives when an unwanted pregnancy would wreak havoc on their young lives and limit their future. And if a young woman can’t understand such a simple label, do we honestly think that the alternative should be motherhood?

Finally, the FDA says it is not making EC available without prescription to women 17 and over because they can’t figure out how to prevent access to those under 17. C’mon — as if they haven’t seen drugstores deal with alcohol, cigarettes, and the nicotine patch for years. This is just another in a long line of decisions that make women’s health secondary to right-wing politics. This administration is determined to turn the FDA into an arm of the Republican Party - carrying out the fondest desires of Bush allies who oppose women’s use of contraception.

Over-the-Counter Emergency Contraception

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) promises a decision on over the counter Emergency Contraception by September 1.

After more than two years of foot dragging during negotiations with the makers of the “morning after pill,” the FDA once again is promising to issue a decision about emergency contraception (EC). NOW activists and others who support the health and safety of girls and women, have been demanding that the FDA allow the sale of EC without a prescription. We must remind them one more time that their job is to promote and protect our health and safety, not the political whims of their patrons, be they the pharmaceutical industry or the politicians controlling the White House and Congress.

Read more.

NOW Calls for FDA Probe, Questions Integrity of Panel’s Recommendation on Breast Implants

Today we call on the United States Congress to step in and fully investigate the entire circumstances surrounding the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decision to send an approvable letter regarding dangerous silicone gel breast implants — from the allegations of fraud and deception made under oath by managers of the company that makes these implants, to the role of a senior manager at the FDA who acted more like a representative of the manufacturer than a person carrying out a public trust.

Read more.

[from NOW website]

Last week the National Organization for Women, along with five other groups advocating for women’s health, sent a letter to Congress calling for an investigation into the Food and Drug Administration’s review of silicone gel breast implants. We noted a number of concerns, including: inadequate data, a possible conflict of interest on the advisory panel, the exclusion of independent scientific experts and troubling documents indicating the panel’s recommendation may have been a foregone conclusion.

On April 13, an FDA advisory panel approved Mentor Corp.’s silicone gel breast implants with nine unusual and unenforceable post-market conditions. The nine conditions placed on the sale of these devices demonstrate the panel’s serious misgivings about the safety of this product. Just one day earlier, the panel voted to reject rival manufacturer Inamed Corp.’s application. (The FDA’s final decision is pending — the agency is not obligated to follow the panel’s recommendation but usually does.)

Last year the FDA decided not to lift restrictions placed on the sale of silicone gel implants in 1992, asking manufacturers to present data on the incidence of breast implant rupture, cause of rupture, and the long-term health effects of silicone gel leaked into the human body.

When manufacturers submitted additional information on their products, the agency’s staff scientists stated that the applications had serious weaknesses, calling the industry’s data “of limited value”i in the medical reviews prepared prior to the panel meeting.

Not only did manufacturers fail to deliver the information requested by the FDA, the data presented by manufacturers raised enormous red flags and displayed a disturbing manipulation of data and disregard for the public health.

The manufacturer’s studies were incomplete. Two of the six implant styles presented by Mentor lacked the studies on implant rupture requested by the FDA in 2004. Of even greater concern is the fact that Mentor’s core study was designed to eliminate the data from women whose implants were removed and not replaced. Patients who have their implants removed without replacement are among the most likely to have experienced rupture, complications or negative symptoms, but Mentor systematically excluded the data on those problems.

Manufacturers also ignored important toxicity issues. In January 2004, the FDA requested platinum and other toxicology analysis on tissue samples. Neither company provided this, nor was an expert on platinum appointed to the advisory panel. However, a study unveiled at the American Chemical Society’s August meeting found high concentrations of platinum not only in women with silicone breast implants, but also in the children they bore and breast-fed.ii

Manufacturers have never submitted more than 4 years of safety data to the FDA. However, the few longer-term government-funded studies that looked at women with leaking implants showed higher rates of fibromyalgia and certain cancers.iii These government researchers, however, were not invited to present at the last panel meeting, nor was their work mentioned by the manufacturer. Other voices, however, were heard from. The lead FDA panel advisor advocating for the re-marketing of silicone breast implants, Dr. Michael Miller, was the recipient of a $25,000 grant by an implant manufacturer.iv

At the advisory panel meeting, women gave heartbreaking testimony of failed silicone breast implants ravaging their bodies in the same room where male plastic surgeons said that breast implants were good for women’s self-esteem. The question remains: How could a medical device that has never have been proven safe be implanted into millions of women?

The pro-implant camp may claim that rigorous federal regulation protects the public, but that clearly isn’t the case for the millions of women who have been implanted with unapproved breast implants. Due to a 1976 grandfather clause, regulatory loopholes allow thousands of products to be marketed every year without clinical trials. With the popularity of breast implants skyrocketing, who can say what awaits the hundreds of thousands of women who opt for breast implants every year?

If manufacturers studied the long-term health effects of silicone on the human body like the FDA asked them to, they wouldn’t have to employ pricey PR firms, well-connected lobby shops or ethically-challenged panelists. But in this era of big money buying politicians and corrupting public policy, we know that dangerous drugs and devices are foisted off on an unwary public. For women who are fooled by the deceptive information of manufacturers and cosmetic surgeons, the cost is very high.

* Read the letter NOW and other groups sent to Congress.
* Learn more about NOW’s work on silicone breast implants.
—————————————————————————-
i Heavey, S. “FDA Staff Questions Value of Breast Implant Data.” Reuters, 7 April 2005.

ii “Platinum Found in Women with Implants.” The Associated Press, 26 August, 2004.

iii Brown SL. Silicone gel breast implant rupture, extracapsular silicone, and health status in a population of women. Journal of Rheumatology, 2001;28: 996-1003; Brinton, LA. Cancer risk at sites other than the breast following augmentation mammoplasty. Annals of Epidemiology, 2001;11: 248-256.

iv Kaufman, M, “Implant Panelist Received Grant from Maker.” The Washington Post, 18 November 2004.

Are you concerned about the rising cost of health care?
Health care costs are spiraling out of control in the Ocean State and more and more people are losing their health coverage everyday.
Rhode Island is in a health care crisis.
Join us to talk about some local solutions.
The coalitions of Rhode Island for Health Care, Ocean State Action, RI Jobs with Justice, and the Senior Agenda Consortium will be speaking about ways you can get involved in the local grassroots campaign for quality, affordable health care for all.
Meetings
Tue. March 29th, 6:30pm:
Warren Town Hall, 514 Main St., 245-7340
Wed. April 6th, 6:30pm:
West Warwick Public Library, 1043 Main St., West Warwick, RI 02893, 401-828-3750
Wed. April 20th, 6:00pm:
Middletown Public Library, 700 West Main Road, Middletown
Tue. April 26th, 6:30pm:
Woonsocket Harris Public Library, 303 Clinton Street, Woonsocket, RI 02895-3214, 401-769-9044
*Refreshments and dinner will be provided.
Please join us to talk about ways we can work together to win common-sense solutions that increase access to reliable, affordable health care coverage for ALL.
If you’d like more information or need directions please call 274-2003 or email ann@imahealthcarevoter.org.

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is holding a rally at the RI State House on Wednesday, March 30th from 3-4 p.m. to support Minimum Staffing Levels for Nursing Facilities bills H 5566 and S 0558. There are 2 speakers planned for the rally and attendees are asked to know their Representative or Senator beforehand. RI NOW members will be attending the rally and testifying at the House hearing following the rally. If you have any questions, please contact Jessica Buhler at the Senior Agenda Consortium at 401-263-7855.

Click here read the text of bill H 5566.

Senator Chafee needs to hear from supportive Rhode Islanders and asked to co-sponsor the Baucus Amendment.

Call or e-mail Senator Chafee and ask him to support the Baucus Flexibility Amendment on Welfare’s Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage programs.

Please phone the Senator at 202-224-2921 or send him a message by going to chafee.senate.gov/webform.htm

• The United States Senate is currently considering the nation’s welfare law. Part of that law sets aside $50 million per year to states for the purposes of doing abstinence-only-until-marriage programs that must adhere to a strict eight point definition of what abstinence means.
• This definition hamstrings states in that they may not use the money for anything beyond abstinence-only-until-marriage. There is an opportunity to create flexibility with these funds and an amendment will be offered by Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) that will allow states to continue funding programs that adhere to the 8-point definition, or they can fund more comprehensive efforts that best meet the needs of their states. In other words, the amendment would empower states in funding efforts to prevent teen pregnancy,HIV/AIDS and STDs that best meet their needs.
• Senator Lincoln Chafee is currently considering supporting this amendment and being a lead Republican in this effort. Senator Chafee needs to hear from supportive Rhode Islanders and asked to co-sponsor this amendment.
• This is an enormous opportunity for us to change the destructive course that abstinence-only programs have been having across the country.

Please call or e-mail Senator Chafee and ask him to support the Baucus Flexibility Amendment on Welfare’s Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage programs. Please phone the Senator at 202-224-2921 or send him a message by going to chafee.senate.gov/webform.htm