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ACCESS News
The Quarterly E-Newsletter of ACCESS
Dear Friend,
Thank you for being part of ACCESS. We hope you
enjoy our fall newsletter!!
Click here
to make an on-line donation to ACCESS now!
Or send your donation to ACCESS, PO Box 3609,
Oakland CA 94609...
IN THIS ISSUE...
- You're Invited to the ACCESS Open House
- California Says NO to Parental Notification
- Sepi's Adventures as an ACCESS Intern
- Parker Joins The Women's Policy Institute
- Making Choice a Reality... Life on the Hotline
- Three Ways to Support ACCESS Today!
ACCESS Holiday Open House
Tuesday, December 13th
Please join us for the annual ACCESS Open House!
The
Open House is a great opportunity to see our office,
learn more about our programs, and meet our
fabulous
staff, interns and board members. As always, we'll
have food, drinks, music and fun prizes to give
away...
don't miss it!
Tuesday, December 13th
5:30-8:30pm
ACCESS Office
3948 Webster St (at 40th Street)
Oakland CA 94609
A donation of $5 is requested at the door and
includes entry in our drawing of fabulous prizes.
Please RSVP by Friday 12/9. Apologies to all our
friends who will be attending the re-scheduled
American Public Health Association conference in
Philadelphia... we'll see you next time!
California Rejects Proposition 73
Parental Notification Defeated... for Now
On Tuesday, November 8th, California voters rejected
Proposition 73, along with all seven of the other
initiatives on the special election ballot. Prop 73
would have amended the state constitution to require
parental notification and a 48-hour waiting period for
minors seeking abortions in California. It would have
also re-defined abortion as "causing the death of an
unborn child, a child conceived but not yet born" -
language that could have had serious and
far-reaching implications for reproductive rights, stem
cell research, fetal homicide laws, and more.
ACCESS has worked very hard over the past few
months to do our part in defeating this dangerous
initiative. We spoke at events and house parties,
wrote alerts and articles, hosted two phone banks,
appeared on Spanish radio, and participated in
election day voter mobilization. What many people do
not know is that ACCESS was also part of a covert
group of legal experts and providers planning the
details of "the unthinkable" - how we would help
teens understand the law and navigate the judicial
bypass system were Prop 73 to have passed...
As we continue to breathe a BIG sigh of relief, we
want to thank our interns, board members and staff,
our fabulous allied organizations, especially Planned
Parenthood, the ACLU and NARAL, and all of you for
your efforts to defeat Proposition 73! Together, we
helped people understand the real life consequences of
parental notification laws, and the real life struggles
that women of all ages already face when trying to
obtain abortions in California. Our efforts truly made
the difference in defeating this initiative!
Now we return to our everyday work and the
mountain of other access issues that still remain to
be addressed. Moving forward, there are several
lessons to be learned. Although we did mount a
successful campaign to defeat Proposition 73, the
margin (52.6% opposed, 47.4% in favor) was not as
large as one would hope in a state like California. In
fact, Prop 73 was defeated by the smallest margin of
any of the initiatives! Obviously, there is still much
work and education to be done - beginning with our
friends and allies.
Probably one of the greatest disappointments was
the lack of formal support from organized labor,
notably the Alliance for a Better California, who came
out in force against Props 74-78, but declined to take
a position on Proposition 73. (A look at their
campaign materials or
web page would make you think there wasn't
even a prop number 73 on the ballot!) It seems that
abortion and women's rights are still seen as
controversial issues that can be compromised when
the going gets rough. Clearly, we must continue to
work within the progressive community as well as
broader society to build support for women and our
human right to make our own reproductive decisions.
And despite our victory in November, we know this
fight is not over! The anti-abortion forces will be
back, continuing to use the issue of parental
notification as a tool to try and win further
restrictions on abortion. As winemaker Don
Sebastiani, a key supporter of Prop 73, told Santa
Rosa's The Press Democrat on November
14th, "there will be more steps taken in the issue of
protecting the unborn."
Meanwhile, ACCESS and our allies in the California
Coalition for Reproductive Freedom continue to
promote real solutions for protecting the health and
rights of young people, including comprehensive sex
education, access to confidential health care, and
concrete tools to help parents talk to their kids about
sensitive subjects like sex and pregnancy. For more
information about CCRF or our successful family
communication project, just visit the links below!
Adventures as an ACCESS Intern
by Sepi Aghdaee
Ive been a hotline intern at ACCESS for about 9
months now, and my time here has far surpassed my
initial expectations. I have had the fortunate
opportunity to help many women find information and
services, figure out what form of birth control is right
for them, or learn how to take public transportation
to their appointments. Beyond the daily interactions I
have with hotline callers, ACCESS has been generous
in providing me with various opportunities to attend
conferences and seminars related to reproductive
health and rights. In the relatively short time I've been
here, I have had the privilege to attend the
California Coalition for Reproductive Freedoms annual
advocacy day, the National Network of Abortion Funds
membership conference and this year's SisterSong
meeting, as well as Choice USAs Gloria Steinem
Leadership Institute.
These gatherings have helped me make connections
between the work we do everyday at ACCESS and
the big picture of the national and international
reproductive rights movement. At the National
Network of Abortion Funds (NNAF) conference, I met
various openhearted individuals whose hard work at
community-based funds throughout this country
make abortion a possibility for the women they work
with. I was moved greatly by a speech by Loretta
Ross, the National Coordinator and co-founder of
SisterSong, and it was then that I really grasped how
restrictions to curb access to abortion are inherently
discriminatory against young women (as we saw with
Prop 73 in CA), poor women, and women of color.
I attended workshops at the NNAF conference on a
range of issues, such as religious views and
reproductive freedom and the impact of the Hyde
Amendment on womens lives. My favorite workshop
was Cultural Competency and Reproductive Health:
Intersection of Race, Class, and Gender. This
workshop was reflective of what we attempt to
achieve at ACCESS, in that it dealt with various ways
that organizations could increase access to
reproductive health care for women that face
the most barriers. These barriers include language,
ability to navigate health care coverage, poverty,
and so on. In reality many organizations do not
possess adequate resources for women of color. The
workshop addressed this urgent need and provided
concrete techniques to help providers remove some
of these barriers and make their services more
inclusive for those most in need.
One of the most unique experiences I have had in my
life was at Choice USAs Gloria Steinem Leadership
Institute (GSLI). This intense five-day seminar is
geared towards newcomers to the reproductive
freedom movement such as myself. There is a great
emphasis on increasing the participants knowledge of
reproductive rights, what it means to be a leader in
the movement, and most important of all, providing
the means for meeting other diverse young men and
women who are passionate about choice. I could not
have imagined a safer space in which issues such as
female masturbation could be talked about over
lunch! For me the issue of sexuality and its link to the
way we each view reproductive health was opened
up like never before. Topics like sexuality education,
especially given the federal governments financial
support for abstinence-only programs, were
discussed at length. I was made to reflect upon how
my own biases about female sexuality affect the way
I think about reproductive rights.
Through all of these experiences, I have grasped the
notion that the leaders of the reproductive rights
movement are not somehow above and beyond the
women they help. I now know that the work ACCESS
does is truly part of a bigger movement that is not
only concerned with helping the women who call our
hotline, but with all womens rights and lives,
including mine.
The Women's Policy Institute
A Vehicle for Creating Change
ACCESS is proud to announce that our Executive
Director, J. Parker Dockray, has been selected to
participate in the Womens Policy Institute, a
year-long fellowship that provides public policy
advocacy training for women community leaders from
throughout California.
Launched by The Women's Foundation of California in
2003, the Women's Policy Institute is an innovative
training program that works to increase the number
of community-based women leaders who are actively
involved in shaping and implementing policies that
affect the health and well-being of women and girls in
California. Parker is one of 27 outstanding women
chosen to participate in the 20052006 class, which
includes grassroots leaders in the reproductive rights,
health, environmental health, and economic justice
movements.
The Womens Policy Institute allows Fellows to remain
active as leaders in their organizations while they
apply new advocacy skills and knowledge to a
state-level policy project. The twelve-month program
includes four Sacramento-based retreats, where
Fellows receive practical training in how to develop
and refine a policy idea, build a network of support
(and deal with opposition), and navigate the policy
process. Over the year, Fellows work with a team to
develop and implement a specific policy project,
usually legislation. Past WPI projects have included
bills to lift the restriction on CalWorks benefits for
women convicted of drug-related felonies, streamline
access to breast and cervical cancer detection for
low-income women, and restrict toxic chemicals used
in cosmetics.
Through participation in the Women's Policy Institute,
Parker will be working to build ACCESS' capacity to
conduct policy advocacy and expand access to
reproductive health care for low-income and
uninsured
women in California. In particular, she hopes to help
policy makers understand and address the gaps that
can arise between a policys intention and its real-life
implementation, by ensuring that the voices and
experiences of ACCESS clients are heard.
You will hear more about Parker's WPI Team and their
policy project in our future action alerts - including
ideas for how you can get involved in advocating for
positive policy change!
Making Choice A Reality...
Life on the ACCESS Hotline
Names and other identifying information have
been changed to protect each caller's
confidentiality.
Rosalinda wanted information on medical
abortion. She had just called a crisis pregnancy
center called Living Well by accident, and the woman
she spoke to started trying to convince her of other
options, but in the process the woman inadvertently
told her about the abortion pill. Rosalinda said that
she became angry and told the woman to mind her
own business, but once she heard about the option
of medical abortion she looked in the phone book
again and found our number. She really liked the idea
of medical abortion but was disappointed there
wasnt a clinic in Nevada County. I gave her referrals
to the closest places in Sacramento. She was very
grateful for my time.
Tina called asking for resources for pregnant
women (i.e., housing, insurance, etc). She had just
left San Jose and moved to the Central Valley
because her family is not supporting her and she had
no where to go. She is 17 years old. I gave her info
about Medi-Cal, some prenatal care referrals and the
one housing referral we have for young mothers in
her area. I let her know that the housing is a
Christian-based program - she was okay with that. I
suggested she call us back in case it didnt work out
for her. She said Thank you twice and God bless
you.
Kim found out she was 8 weeks pregnant
after being admitted to the ER last night. Shes been
seriously ill every day and shes taken pills to get rid
of the nausea. She wants an abortion and has the
emotional support of her mom. She tried to get Medi-
Cal at the local DSS office, but she said the county
employee was rude and tried to tell her she shouldnt
get an abortion. She said she doesnt have much
money but is prepared to pay by credit card if
necessary. I told her about the presumptive
eligibility Medi-Cal program and called a clinic on her
behalf to see if they could see her next week. They
said they could see her tomorrow and that she
neednt worry about her Medi-Cal not being approved
yet because they could do presumptive eligibility. Kim
was very relieved.
Sophia called from Modesto asking about late
term abortion. She had an ultrasound a few days ago
that said she was 24-25 weeks. She has Medi-Cal, so
I gave her the number to Planned Parenthood in Los
Angeles but told her the cutoff is 24 weeks. I asked if
she knew about out-of-state late term abortion
providers and she already had the numbers. She said
she couldnt afford it. I told her if she thought she
wanted to try to raise the funds she could call
ACCESS back and we could talk about it. I also
suggested that she could call back if she is unable to
get an abortion, and we could talk about adoption
and/or prenatal care. She didnt know she could still
get prenatal care this late, and I told her she may
have to travel some, but there are prenatal care
providers who do not have a gestational cutoff. She
is going to call PPLA first to see if they can help her.
Margaret was calling on behalf of her
15-year-old niece. She needed information on how to
get confidential services for her and where to get an
abortion past 18 weeks. She called SFGH, but said
they had a 2-week wait. I told her she could call
back and stress that she is worried her niece is
nearing the gestational cutoff, but that either way
she should make her appointment immediately
because in 2 weeks her niece should still be able to
be seen. I then told her about Medi-Cal sensitive
services and how to apply. The only problem is her
niece has no ID and the only identifying paperwork
she has is with her mother (who the services are
being kept confidential from). I told Margaret to
explain the situation to Medi-Cal and see what else
they will take as forms of ID.
Dianne just found out she is pregnant and
needs to start prenatal care ASAP. She went to a
clinic and applied for Medi-Cal but didnt qualify
because she makes too much money. Then she tried
to contact private insurance but says she was denied
because of her pregnancy. I explained that if she told
them she was already pregnant, it would be
considered a pre-existing condition, but that if she
decided to apply again, it wouldnt be unusual for a
woman not to know when she is only 5 weeks
pregnant... I also gave her the number for AIM
(Access for Infants and Mothers, a prenatal
insurance program for women who make too much
money for Medi-Cal). She appreciated the info and
said "you're the only people that have really helped
me."
Tasha called saying she was seen at a clinic
in Sacramento but is too late to get an abortion
there using her Medi-Cal (shes 20 weeks). She
already has 4 children and says she really needs this
abortion. She said she had already been calling SFGH
but couldn't get through. I called and made the
appointment for her, but they said she would need to
get a referral from her primary care doctor because
she has a Medi-Cal Managed-Care Plan. Tasha called
back with her PCP on the other line. She said they
were giving her a hard time, telling her she was too
far along for them to cover an abortion. I talked to
the woman from her HMO and told her the law (that if
an HMO contracts with Medi-Cal they have to cover
abortion to 24 weeks just like Medi-Cal does, no
matter what they do or don't cover for their private
insurance patients). The woman said she would
process the referral. I told Tasha to call back if she
had any more problems.
ACCESS Needs Your Support!
How You Can Help...
ACCESS relies on people like you to make our work
possible. Especially in these tough times, your
support is truly what keeps our hotlines, practical
support network, abortion fund and advocacy
projects alive. Please consider supporting ACCESS in
one of the following ways:
Become a member with a financial
contribution
- annual membership is just $25 (or whatever you
can
afford)! Your money will go directly to keeping our
hotlines open and helping women get the
reproductive
health care they need. Your membership will also
make
our advocacy efforts stronger by adding your voice
to
hundreds of other supporters. Please make a
donation today!
Show your commitment to reproductive
freedom with a new ACCESS t-shirt, magnet,
thong, or baseball cap! Or share your love for
ACCESS
by giving one of our coffee mugs or tote bags as a
holiday gift. All products can be special ordered with
our English or Spanish logo - if you don't see what
you
want, let us know and we can get it for you! Visit
our shop at Cafepress!
Donate something from our office wish list
and
help us conserve funds for our programs! We
currently
need a new vacuum cleaner, a combo VCR/DVD
player
(or one of each), new Filemaker Pro and Adobe
software, a securely encripted cordless telephone
headset, and several ergonomic office chairs.
Contact Parker with ideas or questions -
510-923-0739 or jparker@whrc-access.org!
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phone:
510-923-0739
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Mission
ACCESS is dedicated to making reproductive health
and freedom a concrete reality - not just a
theoretical right - for all women. No other California
organization provides the same range of free and
unbiased information, advocacy and direct support to
women considering or seeking abortions and other
reproductive health care.
Board of Directors
Raquel Donoso, Zo�Harte, Reichi Lee, Deborah
McSmith, Jerrie Meadows, Shailushi Baxi Ritchie, Ellen
Schwerin, Andy Wong
Staff
Alma Avila-Pilchman, J. Parker Dockray
Interns
Sepi Aghdaee, Elena Foshay, Laura Elena Mendoza,
Janet O'Connor, Becca Palmer, Elise Roselle, Sophia
Song
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