Note: During the 40 Days of protests at our Augusta health center, our blog posts will focus on abortion care services. We are also giving away a 4000 Years for Choice poster each week. Everyone who posts a comment on our blog during these six weeks will be entered into the weekly poster drawings.

When I think about the impact of the protesters at our gates, I usually focus on patients and staff.  It never occurred to me that other community members might be affected… until I received the following comments in an email message.

I was attending a workshop in Augusta a few weeks ago and took a walk up the road during one of the breaks. As it turned out, your offices are on that same road.  As I approached your building, I noticed the protest signs on the grass in front, and the van parked across the road.

I have to say how horrified I felt — both by the signs (to say that they were intentionally inflammatory is understating their tone) and by the two women sitting in the van; who I could only assume were responsible for the picket signs.

As a woman I found the situation insulting (they do not speak for most women) and highly toxic. I do not deny that they have a right to their opinions, but to hold your agency and your clients hostage, and conduct what felt like a terrorist activity, is at the very least an injustice if not an actual criminal act. In my opinion, they were the criminals and they were guilty of a hate crime.

It is my hope that these women did not frighten off any women needing your services. I only wish I had had the presence of mind on that day to walk over to those two women and voice my point of view out loud.

I believe in what you do and admire you all for continuing to support women’s right to choose. I applaud your courage and your commitment!

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

P.S. Feel free to use my message to support your good work, but please do not use any of my personal or identifying information. I work in the area, and do not want to jeopardize my position.

How does knowing about or actually experiencing the protestors at our Augusta health center make you feel?

Share your comments and you’ll be entered in our weekly poster drawings.

~ Nancy

It’s been a whole year since we launched the FPA blog On the Front Lines to coincide with the annual 40 Days protest being held outside our front gate.

In the past year, readership of the blog has grown and that’s really nice.  But I had hoped for more of a conversation with and between our readers — yet our comment section is still pretty quiet. To help jump-start the conversations — and celebrate our blog anniversary — we’re giving away prizes to readers who comment during the coming weeks.

On February 22, the 40 Days protesters will again be gathering in front of our Augusta health center for their daily assault on our clients, staff, and visitors.  Like last year, we want to use On the Front Lines to share the truth about abortion care and the women who make the decision to terminate a pregnancy. But this year, we’re sincerely hoping you’ll join in the conversation.

As an incentive, during each of the six weeks of the 40 Days protest, we’re giving away a beautiful poster celebrating 4000 years for choice, created by Heather Ault. Each week’s poster winner will be drawn from among the people who comment on the blog post during the 40 Days protest.

This is your chance to win a lovely, high-quality piece of art to grace the walls of your home or office. Please read our commenting policy and start sharing your story and your thoughts.  I look forward to the conversation with you!

2011 was a dismal year for reproductive rights in the United States, with many states passing abortion restriction laws. And 2012 isn’t shaping up to be much better, with conservatives fighting against birth control coverage. Because of this, the theme for On the Front Lines during this year’s 40 Days protests is ACCESS — access to the full range of reproductive health care services — what it means, why it matters, how a lack of it affects women and their families, and what each of us can do about it.

Next week, we’ll also kick off our 2012 Pledge-a-Picketer campaign.  Keep an eye out for our super heroine as she Defends the Truth against the lies of the 40 Days protesters and helps the FPA raise much-needed funds.

~ Nancy

It’s Valentine’s Day — an occasion to celebrate love and lovers.  Bring out the flowers, the chocolates and the condoms.

Why condoms?

Because Valentine’s Day also happens to be the start of National Condom Week, an annual awareness campaign to encourage safer sex in order to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned  pregnancies.

Originally begun in the 1970′s as an educational program at the University of California – Berkeley, National Condom Week has grown into a nation-wide education campaign involving high schools, colleges and universities, HIV/AIDS organizations and family planning programs.

At family planning health centers in Maine, every week is condom week. Our staff provide clients of all ages with the information and supplies they need to reduce their risk of unplanned pregnancy and STDs.  Thanks to the work of family planning, in the past 30 years Maine’s teen pregnancy rate has gone from one of the highest in the nation to one of the lowest.

But there’s still plenty of work to be done. The latest trend data from the Maine Youth Risk Behavior Survey shows that approximately 60% of middle and high school students report using condoms the last time they had sex. And, nationally, 6 out of 10 pregnancies among women age 20 to 24 are unplanned. That’s why family planning services are still such an important part of overall health care picture. We continue to improve our education and clinical services, using evidence-based practices that we know are effective.

Wondering what you can do for National Condom Week?

Take Care of Yourself — If you need information or supplies (like condoms) to protect yourself from STDs and avoid an unplanned pregnancy, contact the family planning clinic nearest you. We’re here for you!

Take Care of the Teens in Your Life — If you’re a parent, guardian or someone with teens in your life, you may want to explore the FPA’s resources for parents.

Support Family Planning — Join our Action Network for the latest news affecting family planning services in Maine.

Best wishes for a happy (and safe) Valentine’s Day!

~ Nancy

The change has been a long time coming. The Women’s Law Project has been working with women’s rights groups around the country for 10 years to get the definition of rape changed.

Why is this change such an important development?

It’s important because the new definition will result in a more accurate assessment of the extent of sexual assault in the U.S.

The old definition of rape was gender specific and excluded many instances of sexual assault with its narrow definition. Using this definition, sexual assault of a male was not considered rape, even though nearly three million men in the U.S. have survived sexual assault. The old definition also disregarded the assault of someone who was passed out from using alcohol or drugs. As a result of the narrow definition, the national incidence of rape has been grossly underreported by the FBI.

The FBI has been using a definition from 1929 in which rape is defined as the “carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will.” The U.S Department of Justice now defines rape as “the penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.” You can see what a big change this new definition of rape represents.

As Gina Simmons writes in this Forbes article, “The new wording covers victims and perpetrators of any gender and includes instances in which the victim is unconscious, disabled, under the influence of drugs, or too young to give consent.”

Locally, the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault applauds the new definition of rape. In this piece, Cara Courchesne, Communications and Outreach Coordinator for MECASA, notes that the revised definition more accurately reflects the criminal code and “provides a better understanding of the scope of rape in our society.”

Thanks to the hard work of MECASA and its member organizations, Maine is one of many states with very comprehensive laws regarding sexual violence. The new FBI definition of rape will bring federal record keeping methods up to date so they conform to the way most states are already reporting these crimes.

Like MECASA, the FPA is hopeful that the new definition of rape will increase awareness of the extent of sexual assault and intimate partner violence in our communities.

While the U.S. Department of Justice action will have positive impact on a national, large-scale level, there is much that each of us can do when it comes to the issue of rape. In her Forbes article, Gina Simmons offers a list of the things an individual can do, including:

• Get educated about sexual violence
• Volunteer or advocate for survivors
• Challenge your stereotypes and try to empathize with the survivor
• Support legislation to prevent sexual violence
• Let survivors know you care and you’re ready to listen

I like this list for its variety and range of actions. Simmons brings the issue down to a personal level and points out that there’s something each of us can do.

~ Nancy

This November, voters in Maine will be asked to make a choice for almost all of our elected officials  — President, U.S. Senators & Representatives and State Senators & Representatives. That’s right, our ballot will include all of those folks. That’s the first reason to get out and vote for choice this fall.

Here’s the second reason.The 2012 election could very well determine whether abortion will continue to be legal and accessible in the U.S.

How is this possible? To answer that question, let’s break it down by each race.

Those of who care about a woman’s right to choose should be watching the presidential race closely for one main reason — the next president will likely nominate at least one new Supreme Court Justice.

This is a crucial issue. Over several decades, anti-choicers have managed to move the Supreme Court to the right.  At this point, the court is generally divided 5-4 on cases involving abortion rights. This means that if our next president nominates even one justice,  we could be facing a Supreme Court poised to overturn Roe v. Wade. Three members of the court, Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Anthony Kennedy and Antonin Scalia are age 75 or older. The retirement of any one of them in the next four years is highly likely. For a more detailed explanation, check out this NARAL report.

Lest you think this is just alarmist propaganda from pro-choice advocates, let me say that the anti-choice movement is totally focused on this election and they absolutely understand that the outcome of the presidential race will determine the future of legal abortion in the U.S. Check out this recent article at lifenews.com to see what I mean.

Okay, now let’s talk about the races for the U.S. House and Senate. The highly polarized 112th Congress has only 154 fully pro-choice House members out of 435, and 40 of 100 senators. In 2011, the House and Senate debated bills targeting the elimination of federal funding for family planning, abortion training restrictions, attacks on medical abortion and attacks on insurance coverage for abortion. Until they can turn back Roe v. Wade, anti-choice advocates will keep increasing restrictions on abortion and family planning services.

And last, but certainly not least, we have the Maine House and Senate races.  The 2010 elections ushered in many anti-choice lawmakers. Although they ran on the issues of jobs and the economy, these social conservatives wasted no time promoting their anti-choice agenda. Five anti-choice bills were submitted during the last session. Although we were able to defeat all of them, we fully expect the same sorts of bills to be submitted in the coming year. Especially if social conservatives continue to increase their numbers in the Maine House and Senate.

Many people don’t realize how pivotal the state-level races are — and how much happens in Augusta that directly affects our lives. We need to know where our local candidates stand on issues of family planning and abortion access.

There you have it. For Mainers the November 2012 election matters in a big, big way.  And that’s why I’m taking part in NARAL’s Blog for Choice 2012.

The Blog for Choice 2012 question is:

What will you do to elect pro-choice candidates in 2012?

Here’s what the FPA pledges to do in order to protect reproductive health access and rights this year:

• We will provide you with information and resources on the issue of reproductive health and abortion rights. Things like this Ms. Blog post about what to ask candidates to determine where they stand on the issue.
• We will continue to spread the word about how this election will determine the future of women’s access to reproductive health care services and abortion rights.
• We will continue to monitor and report on developments in D.C. and in Augusta that affect a woman’s right to decide what happens with her own pregnancy.

If you’re wondering what you can do to protect abortion access and rights in 2012, here are some ideas:

• Learn about the issues — subscribe to this blog,  join the FPA Action Network and sign up for NARAL’s email list so you can stay informed of new developments as the election season progresses.
• Share this information. Talk with your friends and family members. Help them understand why the outcome of the 2012 election is crucial to reproductive rights for women in the U.S. and in Maine.
• Vote and encourage others who care about abortion access to vote as well.

As I’ve mentioned in past blog posts, abortion has been legal in U.S. since I was 13 years old – for the last 39 years. Neither I nor my adult daughters know what it’s like to live in a country where women do not have the right to make decisions about their own pregnancies. I’ve heard the stories of illegal abortions before Roe v. Wade and I hope my daughters and all the young women of their generation never have to consider such risky procedures. That’s why I’m doing my part to elect pro-choice candidates in 2012.

What about you? What’s your reason for supporting abortion rights and what will you do to help elect pro-choice candidates in 2012?

~ Nancy

P.S. Not convinced yet? Check out these powerful comments from Kate Brogan, our VP of Public Affairs.

Every single one our senators and representatives in D.C. and in Augusta has been faced with unprecedented decisions in the past year. And that will continue. Even if you never paid attention to elections before — because you didn’t think you had to — you’ve got to pay attention now.

Each year, election fatigue seems to set in earlier and earlier and the temptation to ignore it all grows stronger.  But this year, more than ever, tuning out is something we cannot afford to do. The 2012 election is a crucial one for pro-choice advocates and supporters.

2011 was a terrible year for reproductive health and rights. According to this Guttmacher Institute report, states enacted 80 new laws that seek to restrict access to abortion services. In addition, many states debated funding cuts for family planning services.

Although Maine held firm against anti-family planning legislation and budget cuts last year, many other states did not fare so well.  And, we are still fighting budget battles in Augusta this session.

As the election season reaches fever pitch and the airways and internet are flooded with election news, an important question comes to mind.  How do we hang in there? How do we stay focused, following the electoral process so that we remain well-informed on issues of reproductive health and rights?

I’d like to think that following On the Front Lines will help you stay engaged and focused on issues that impact access to reproductive health services. I also invite you to take part in Blog for Choice Day 2012, held on January 22, the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

This online event is sponsored by NARAL (National Abortion Rights Action League), whose website describes Blog for Choice Day this way:

Blog for Choice Day gets more people reading and talking about reproductive rights online on one of the most important days surrounding a woman’s right to choose: the Roe anniversary. Plus, it lets your readers and the mainstream media know that a woman’s right to choose is a core progressive value that must be protected.

The question for Blog for Choice Day 2012 is: What will you do to help elect pro-choice candidates in 2012?

Even if you’re not a blogger, you can still participate in Blog for Choice Day using your Facebook and/or Twitter accounts. I encourage you to check out the Blog for Choice sign up page and take part in this terrific online event. Read through the list of participating bloggers and you’ll see that you’re in good company.

I plan to participate and hope you’ll check back here next week to see how I answer the Blog for Choice Day 2012 question.  And I hope you’ll share your own answers with me in the comments section.

~ Nancy

In years past, I’ve tended to establish new year’s resolutions with three basic themes:

• Eat Healthier
• Exercise More
• Be Nicer

Like many people I know, my inner struggles don’t seem to change that much from year to year. Unless we’ve had a major, life-changing experience we tend to keep battling our well-known demons.

This year, I’ve decided to try something new — something that boils down to “find the positive” and “be part of the solution.”

What does this have to do with family planning and reproductive rights? Funny you should ask.

I originally started the new year with a rant about politicians who are discussing birth control as though it were some new evil in the world. I wanted to say, “Dudes, get over it. Birth control is not rocket science. And it’s not controversial as some folks would like us to think. Bah!” I’m sure you get the idea.

There’s definitely a purpose for this type of writing. It satisfies the need to let off steam, to express justifiable rage, and to point out what others may not know about or what they may wish to ignore.

But I don’t want to get stuck there. I need to say, “Okay, I get it. That’s really rotten. Now, what shall we do about it?” And that kind of thinking takes me down a totally new path.

2011 was a bad year for reproductive rights in the U.S. and 2012 may not be much better. The governor of Virginia just signed new politically-motivated regulations that will limit safe, legal abortion access in that state.

But there’s lots of good stuff happening too.

I plan to highlight the positive, innovative, uplifting things happening to promote access to abortion care and family planning in Maine and around the country. Starting right now.

In honor of Cervical Health Awareness Month I’d like to highlight the Maine Breast & Cervical Health Program. MBCHP provides free health screenings for women age 40 and over who meet the program’s generous income guidelines. All Maine family planning health centers participate in the program. Contact your local family planning health center for more info.

There, that feels like a really nice way to start a brand new year!

In epic battles of Good vs. Evil, good always wins. Right?

Right!  And I have to believe that we will too.

I invite you to use the comments section of this blog to share stories you know of people doing good to ensure access to reproductive health and rights. You’ll be glad you did!

~ Nancy

Writing a weekly blog takes commitment and guts in equal parts. You have to spend two or three times as much time reading and researching as you do writing. And you’ve got to believe you have something worth writing about, something people  want to read.

Writing On the Front Lines for the FPA is a piece of cake in terms of having plenty of interesting material. The work of providing reproductive health care and protecting reproductive rights in Maine is multi-layered and varied. Basically, it’s fabulous material for a writer.

Staying on top of the necessary reading and research — now, that’s another story. I’ll be the first to admit that some weeks it’s quite the challenge.

Luckily, there are some amazing people writing about reproductive rights and reproductive health care. I depend on my fellow bloggers for ideas and inspiration.

As my holiday gift to you, I’m sharing a sampling of my favorite blogs.  Enjoy!

I love, love, love reading posts from abortion gang.  The blog is written by a group of about 20 writers, from 16 years old to 50. Here’s how they describe their blog, “This is our space to talk about what drives, inspires, and challenges us, what renews our passion for reproductive justice, what outrages us, and our ideas to keep the movement going forward.” Check them out.

To stay up-to-date on efforts to reduce teen pregnancy in the US, there’s nothing like Pregnant Pause, the blog of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. When I want to read reflections on the latest data or pop culture in relation to teen pregnancy, there’s nothing better than Pregnant Pause.

Another favorite is Rabble. The author of this Tumblr page describes herself as radically pro-choice and says her aim is to make her blog as communal as possible. I love the very real conversations that happen on this site.

The Abortioneers is another blog on my must-read list. This blog’s tagline is, “The ins and outs and ups and downs of direct service in the field of abortion care.”  The blog is exactly what it says it is — and it is amazing and inspiring.

And for something entirely different and closer to home, one of my favorite reads is Black Girl in Maine.

Shay Stewart-Bouley describes her blog as, “Musings of a black woman living in the nation’s whitest state.”  I love Shay’s blog for its honesty and for her willingness to tackle complex issues through the lens of her lived experience. Here’s how Shay describes herself in her blog.

Her roles as mother, daughter, sister, wife, columnist and straddler (middle class but with a blue-collar upbringing) drive her to comment on many things and color her opinions on a multitude of issues, but in the end, she notes, “The truth is I am a big mouth with an opinion on any and everything.”

What’s not to love about that?

So, those are my favorite online reads. I hope you’ll share yours.

Happy Holidays!

~ Nancy

I mean, in terms of your reproductive life span? Don’t know what I’m talking about? That’s okay, I’ll explain later.

First I want to share some great news. 

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported that teen birth rates have dropped a dramatic 9% from 2009 to 2010 — to the lowest level ever recorded in the United States.

This is the third year in a row that teen birth rates in the U.S. have decreased. And here’s more good news.  The rates of abortions and teen pregnancies are also dropping, so it seems that the decrease in the teen birth rate corresponds to a drop in the teen pregnancy rate.

You might think this means that teens have become less sexually active, but that’s not the case.  According to researchers, there has been no significant change in the overall proportion of teens aged 15-19 engaging in sexual activity.

So what’s behind the drop in teen birth rates?

Researchers say the decrease can be linked almost exclusively to improvements in young women’s contraceptive use. They say that teens and young adults in their 20′s are using more reliable hormonal methods of birth control and using them more effectively.  That’s really good news!

Why is access to reliable birth control and the effective use of contraception so important?  Because most women in the U.S. spend a huge chunk of our lives — 30 years on average — trying to avoid pregnancy.  For many of us, that’s more than one-third of our lives!

Women who have sex with men learn to assume much of the responsibility for preventing unplanned pregnancies. When we have a birth control method failure, we sweat it out — waiting for the period we hope will come. As teens and young adults, it can take us a while to find the method that works for us, one we can use consistently and successfully. As we get older, our circumstances and our bodies may change in ways that mean we need to switch methods.

Using contraception may become more routine as we get older, but pregnancy prevention is still very much a constant backdrop to most women’s lives — for an average of 30 years.

Contraception is such an important part of our lives for so many years!  It needs to be reliable, easy to use, appropriate for our lifestyles, affordable and accessible.

Want to find out how you compare to the national average?

Here’s a little formula I put together for you:

Start with the age you stopped having periods altogether ____ (if you are still having periods, use the average age for US women — it’s 51).

Subtract the age  you started having sex ____.

Then subtract the number of years you spent pregnant ____ (if you haven’t had children, calculate this number based on how many pregnancies you hope to have in your lifetime).

Now subtract the number of years you were abstinent _____.

If you are a fertile woman who has sex with men, the answer you get is roughly the number of years in your lifetime you will have to do something to keep from getting pregnant.

Using this formula, my own number comes is 28 — a little below the US average.

During my 51 years on the planet, I’ve spent 28 years making sure I didn’t get pregnant. That’s a lot of years for something to go wrong and to end up with an unplanned pregnancy.

I’m so glad that increasing numbers of young women and teens, who are just starting out on their reproductive life paths, have access to a variety of safe, effective, reliable birth control methods.  And the information they need to avoid getting pregnant until they are really and truly ready.

What’s your number?  How has your life been affected by the availability, or not, of effective contraception?

~ Nancy

This year’s World AIDS Day theme is Getting to Zero – Zero New HIV Infections. Zero Discrimination and Zero AIDS Related Deaths.

World AIDS Day gives people the opportunity to commemorate the accomplishments and achievements that have been reached so far in the fight against HIV/AIDS. It also is a reminder of the work that remains to be done.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that as of 2009 the number of people living with HIV reached 33.3 million globally.

Maine is not immune to the epidemic. According to the Maine CDC, as the end of 2010, there were 1,563 people living with diagnosed HIV in Maine, with 59 cases diagnosed in 2010 alone.

Want to know what’s happening in your part of Maine to commemorate World AIDS Day? Check out the following:

In western Maine, WMCA Health Services is hosting a Free HIV testing event at their family planning health centers.  This event includes free HIV, Chlamydia and Gonorrhea testing, as well as incentives of gift cards and delicious snacks for all participants.

If you’re in the Augusta area you can join the Horizon Program World AIDS Day event to celebrate and remember those who have passed on and people who continue to live with HIV/AIDS.

DownEast AIDS Network in Ellsworth is celebrating the whole month of December with a series of events. Read about it at, DEAN AIDS Awareness Month.

In Aroostook County, ACAP Health Services is offering no-cost HIV testing at both their Houlton and Presque Isle health centers.

In Brunswick, All About Prevention is hosting an event at the Curtis Memorial Library to remember those who have died of AIDS and support those living with HIV.  The event will include music and food and fellowship.

Frannie Peabody Center in Portland is hosting an event at Victoria Mansion. John-Manual Andriote, author of the award-winning book Victory Deferred: How AIDS Changed Gay Life in America.

This may not be a complete list and I apologize in advance for any community events I have missed.  If you know of an event that’s not listed here, please post a comment and share it with our readers.

~ Nancy