March, 2012

  1. Wish I Had Thought of This

    March 8, 2012 by Dina Wilcox

    When I read that Ohio State Senator Nina Turner introduced a bill to give men equal protection under the law, I just had to share this with you!

    Turner’s bill is designed to help men make informed decisions about using erectile dysfunction drugs like Viagra and Cialis.  It would require that doctors get a second opinion from a  psychologist or psychiatrist to verify that their patient has a true medical malady before the medication can be prescribed.

    Turner explained, “When a man makes a crucial decision about his health and his body, he should be fully aware of the alternative options and the lifetime repercussions of that decision.”  She noted the serious potential side-effects of these drugs and urged her colleagues in the Ohio legislature to “advocate for the traditional family, protect the sanctity of procreation, and ensure that all men using these drugs are healthy, stable, and educated about their options–including celibacy as a viable life choice.”

    Over the last few weeks, as more state legislators have sought evermore creative ways to seize control of women’s reproductive freedom and privacy, many women have asked me about whether insurance covers these male impotence remedies and how come there’s no equal protection under the law.  Now, thanks to Senator Nina Turner, I have a reply:  Go to ninaturner.org and share her great idea with your state legislator, too!


     

     

    Category Uncategorized | Tags: ,, | No Comments

  2. When Rihanna went back to Chris

    March 1, 2012 by Dina Wilcox

    I read Toure’s article about Rihanna collaborating with Chris Brown on two new songs—three years after he beat her—after she made a public statement about how her responsibility to her fans meant she could never go back.  Toure was brave and tried to give it a good face, but it made me so sad. Just another woman, he said, who returned to her abuser.  I once read that women return as many as five times, on the average, before they finally have the strength to leave and stay away—if they do.  I don’t know Rihanna, but my heart broke for her nonetheless.

    Last night, I saw Anita Hill at the Barnard Center for Research on Women.  She has a new book, about re-imagining equality.  Someone asked her how she can re-imagine equality in a world so filled with bias and fear.

    She said it was because we—the 200 or so people who had come to hear her lecture—believed her, all those years ago when she testified that Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas had sexually harassed her.  And, she said, because we believed her, we took action.  We wrote letters.  We worked to elect women to Congress.  We registered women to vote.  And we talked about her courage in truth-telling.  We did not look away because we understood that, when one woman is in trouble by the words—or the hands—of one man, all women are at risk.  All women are harmed.

    Where are the people around Rihanna?  What action will they take to keep her out of harm’s way?  Toure wrote that two women inhabit Rihanna’s body:  one who is just another abused woman going back to her abuser, and the other a shrewd business woman who knows that collaborating with her enemy will enhance her own brand.  Am I crazy to think that someone will look past the dollars and make some sense of it all?

    Category Blog | Tags: | 1 Comment