The Pro-Cancer Clearinghouse

"HotMama247" (seriously!!) over at the Abstinence Clearinghouse blog is trying to scare people about the HPV vaccine and even seems to be implying that it's mandated nationwide (which, of course, it's not).

I know I sound like a broken record, but I'm pretty sure Leslee Unruh loves cancer. Here's the crazy thing about HPV, friends: even abstinent people can get it. Maybe Leslee should change the name of the organization to Living-Inside-an-Airtight-Bubble-Like-John-Travolta-in-That-Movie-Because-
That's-the-Only-Way-to-Be-Totally-Safe-From-Disease Clearinghouse.

Cancer lovers.

A year after I first said it, we have further proof that Leslee Unruh and her Abstinence Clearinghouse cohorts must love the cancer. Guard Your Kids from Gardasil? Seriously??

Blogger Reagan says:

But how does someone obtain any kind of STD in the first place? In a monogamous relationship, where sex is saved for marriage?

Probably not.

STD’s are usually obtained by those who live sexually promiscuous lives.

There are so many things wrong with this statement, I'm not sure where to start. People can get STDs in a monogamous relationship if their partner has been sexually active in the past or is not faithful to them. And since HPV can be transmitted without intercourse, whether you or your partner has saved sex for marriage is irrelevant. It doesn't take living a 'sexually promiscuous' life to get HPV. That's why about half of all people will have it at some point in their lives. Do Reagan and Leslee actually believe that those who are unable to find a partner in the tiny percentage of people who have never possibly been exposed to HPV ("You shared a swimsuit when you were 15? You're out!") deserve to get cervical cancer?

That's b.s. It's totally okay to want to protect your kids from cancer, parents. In fact, I'd be a little worried if you didn't.

August 30, 2007 in the News

Women Fought Hard for the Right to Vote: Letter to the Editor in the Bismarck Tribune marking the 87th anniversary of the day that the U.S. Constitution was amended to grant women the right to vote.

Pro-babies politics: Grand Forks Herald column discussing declining fertility rates worldwide.

Emergency Birth Control Backed: Letter to the Editor in the Bismarck Tribune marking the one year anniversary of the availability of over the counter emergency contraception. Also, a letter to the editor in South Dakota on the same issue.

Shared Parenting Debate: Update on the petition drive in North Dakota as well as a letter to the editor in South Dakota that appears to be hinting at similar legislation there.

SD HPV vaccination goal falling short: About two-thirds of state-purchased doses of a vaccine for a virus that causes cervical cancer have been administered according to a Sioux Falls Argus Leader story.

County discusses maternity leave for fathers: Lincoln County Commissioners in South Dakota are being asked to clarify the policy on maternity leave for fathers.

Major religions have silenced and dismissed women: Letter to the Editor in the Rapid City Journal (scroll down to letter).

Anti-Choice Letters in South Dakota: See here and here and here.

May 23, 2007 in the News

My work has been crazy so haven't been able to do much blogging. Here's an update as to some recent press of interest:
Cars are not people; knowledge is the key/Applying the Brakes of Abstinence: Letter to the Editor in the Fargo Forum disputing the information put forth from a previous letter which likened teenagers and sex to overcharged cars in need of the brakes of abstinence.

HPV shots smart move move for women: Editorial in today's Aberdeen News regarding the popularity of the South Dakota HPV program for young women/girls. The editorial also notes:

Getting the shot doesn't mean a woman in necessarily sexually active. What it means is that she - and in some cases, her parents - is concerned about her future health.

That was a great closing paragraph to dispute the craziness out there. This is about health, period. This is a disease which can be cured and we should be promoting the hell out of it to get everyone vaccinated.

Optimism among genders, races in U.S. at low levels: The Jamestown Sun and the Aberdeen News both published an AP story about a recent poll breaking out by gender and race how the state of the country is viewed. I wasn't surprised by the results, it's what I hear when I talk amongst my friends. Some snips I found very interesting:

The percentage of white people who say Bush made the right decision to go to war in Iraq has exceeded that for minorities by 9 points to 25 points in AP-Ipsos polls over the past four years. The spread has been 5 points to 16 points when comparing men versus women who said it was the right choice.

For women, their pessimism extends across party lines. While 52 percent of Republican men said the country is heading the right way, only 33 percent of GOP women agreed.

Those who think the U.S. is heading in the right direction tend to be white male Republicans in strong financial situations who say they sense a solid economy and are satisfied with the country’s leadership.

May 14, 2007 in the News

Habits of the Heart class scheduled: From last week's Fargo Forum:

The fifth annual Habits of the Heart class for girls going into eighth and ninth grades in Cass or Clay counties is scheduled from 1 to 4 p.m. June 4-8 at the University of Mary, Fargo.

The young women will study local groups and agencies that work with women and girls and their families. They will do service projects and decide how to distribute a $2,000 grant from the Fargo Moorhead Area Foundation.

HPV vaccines offered during clinics in Aberdeen: Additional details in the Aberdeen News:

Free Human Papilloma Virus vaccines, which can protect against cervical cancer and genital warts, are being offered to girls ages 11 to 18 on May 30, July 30 and Nov. 30 in Aberdeen.

Abortion Protester Arrested at SD School of Mines & Technology: Rapid City Journal has the story. Lots of comments at the end of this story.

Been battling a cold so this is short...

May 3, 2007 in the News

High Heels Bring Heightened Awareness: Great event sponsored by the Three Rivers Crisis Center and the ND State College of Science Campus Violence Prevention Office involving several men slipping on some high heels and doing 60 yard runs as a way to bring awareness to sexual assault. Dubbed "Walk a Mile in her Shoes." I had read on Feministing about similar events but did not realize one was being held right here in North Dakota. Applause for the groups involved, and special applause for the guys participating. Check out the story for more info and a photo!

Grand Forks Oral Surgeon Accused of Sexual Harassment: An Oral Surgeon accused of touching female patients in an inappropriate and sexual manner had his hearing today on the allegations made by four separate female patients. A decision by the Administrative Law Judge may take up to 30 days.

NDSU Students Collecting House Wares: The NDSU Volunteer Network will hold a spring cleaning house drive through May 10. Any donations will be provided to the YWCA Emergency Shelter and Transitional Housing Program. More info from the Fargo Forum.

Women, Men Deserve Equal Pay: Add the Aberdeen News as another South Dakota editorial staff speaking out regarding the recent AAUW study on the wage gap between men and women in South Dakota.

HPV Vaccine Now Available in Huron: Vaccines available at the office of Dr. Mike Becker who enrolled his office in the immunization program. For more information, visit the Huron Plainsman.

May 1, 2007 in the News

Mix of topics today in North and South Dakota papers:
Child Abuse Becomes an Epidemic: According to Grand Forks Herald story:

More than 1,500 North Dakota children suffer from some form of abuse every year. Here again, these are only the verified abuse cases and very likely reflect a mere fraction of the actual occurrences. If Gallup's estimates apply to North Dakota, we may well have 10,000 cases of child abuse.

Agencies collecting swimsuits for poor: The Sioux Falls Argus Leader notes that local agencies are collecting swimsuits for low income families in Sioux Falls who have received pool passes but do not have appropriate clothes to wear. Collection spots all around town. More info in the story.

Report urges lawyers for abused, neglected children: North and South Dakota receive failing grades. According to Grand Forks Herald/AP story:

Fifteen states, including North Dakota, get failing grades on a first-of-its-kind report card assessing the legal representation provided to abused and neglected children as courts make potentially fateful decisions about whether to separate them from their families.

The 15 states receiving an F were Alaska, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Washington.

A North Dakota Human Services Department Deputy Director also responded to the story claiming that the grade is not deserved.

Playing it Safe: A story in the Grand Forks Herald notes that North Dakota has one of the highest rates of child deaths by accidental injury in the US.

Judge Allows Hunt Case to Continue: Judge Katherine Caldwell has issued a written opinion that the case against Roger Hunt and the $750,000 anonymous donor to the South Dakota abortion ban can continue. There's been a number of previous blogs on this site on this issue.

HPV Program Embraced in South Dakota: According to the Yankton Press & Dakotan, the HPV program in South Dakota is a success:

South Dakota's free human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination program has been met with a tremendous response, according to a state health official. A total of 17,000 doses had been shipped by the beginning of April, according to Doneen Hollingsworth, the secretary of South Dakota's Department of Health.

Great job, South Dakota, in your effort to eliminate a curable disease. All the North Dakota Legislature did this session was approve $50,000 for education on the vaccine.

April 24, 2007 in the News

Lots today; mix of North and South Dakota...
North Dakota Passes Abortion Trigger Ban: News articles from the Bismarck Tribune and Grand Forks Herald.

Abstinence Scam Can't Fool Teens: According to a Grand Forks Herald column, it's the same song, different chorus. States that the Administration is pushing another $191 million into the program. Favorite line:

As in many matters, mere efficacy has no standing in Bush World. Sanctified sex is good, or at least OK; secular sex is bad and approaching evil. Abstinence-only education serves the good, whether it “works” or not. Sex education that even imagines premarital sex offends righteousness. Sometimes, you have to wonder: Do we have a president or an undergraduate divinity student?

The Wage Gap: Sexism alleged in South Dakota pay gap, inequity in wages for women. See today's Sioux Falls Argus Leader story. Report was released by the American Association of University Women. Also ran in Aberdeen News. According to the SF story:

There are remnants in South Dakota of a long-standing corporate culture that does not value women as much as men, said Chet Jones, a former South Dakota state senator. "Believe me, if men were trailing women, there would be an uproar," he said.

Update on Court Case on Anti-Abortion Campaign Donation: Hearing was held on Monday on whether Roger Hunt is required to disclose who the $750,000 donor to the SD campaign was. Judge Caldwell stated she'll issue a written decision within two weeks.

HPV Vaccine Offered Free in Sioux Falls, SD: Planned Parenthood will offer the vaccines free to all girls and young women 11-18 years at their clinic. Click here for more information.

Take Back the Night Event in Aberdeen, SD: Event to raise community awareness of sexual assault to be held on Thursday in Aberdeen. Click here for more information.

Group Marks Sexual Assualt Awareness Week in Rapid City, SD: Open House held yesterday in Rapid City by Working Against Violence, Inc.

Girls' Restroom to be Updated at Juvenile Detention Center: Minnehaha County Juvenile Detention Center girl's bathroom will be modernized and made accessible for those with disabilities. Next year, renovations will occur to the boy's bathroom. The article also notes concerns about Pennington County's as well.

More on Abstinence Education: Comments posted by Sioux Falls residents regarding the report released on abstinence education and what, if any, changes should be made in South Dakota. Lots of comments of various ages, so go take a look.

South Dakota Law Brings Healing to Families of Stillborns: New law is retroactive, going back to 1950 and provides issuance of a birth certificate in case of a stillborn. Article states there were 38 stillborns last year in South Dakota.

HPV Vaccine...ND vs. SD

Got to give props to South Dakota on this. In comparing our two fine states, South Dakota is far out ahead in helping in the fight against cervical cancer.

In South Dakota, the Legislature passed HB 1061 which provides free, and voluntary, vaccines for those girls aged 11-18 in South Dakota. The bill had an emergency clause so vaccines are already being handed out at a cost to the state of an estimated $9.2 million.

In North Dakota, all the Legislature was willing to do was pass HB 1471 which provides $50,000 to the ND Dept of Health to educate the public about the presence of the HPV vaccine. (See Fargo Forum, March 21, 2007.) That's it. I listened to the House floor debate on this bill and even with a $50,000 appropriation to just educate people on the availability of the vaccine, the abstinence only argument was brought up by Rep. Bette Grande (R-Fargo) (one of 12 reps to vote against the bill) as a better suggestion than the use of the minuscule $50,000 in funds for education. Sigh.

By the way...great letter to the editor in the Bismarck Tribune, March 11, 2007 by a state physician about the HPV vaccine where he takes on the whole "we should just promote abstinence" argument. Here's a quote from it:

We know condoms do not prevent transmission of the virus. Birth control pills do not prevent it. Diaphragms do not prevent it. Even if a girl is sexually abstinent until her wedding night, that may not prevent her from contracting an HPV infection. Who knows how many women her new husband has slept with? It is said that if a woman has had six partners, she has been exposed to a minimum of 63 other people.

Good for you South Dakota in putting money toward fighting a curable cancer.

HPV vaccine

The bill to apporpriate funds for HPV vaccine for girls in South Dakota passed the state House of Representatives 61-9. (The 'no' votes, by the way, are Brunner, Davis, DeVries, Hunt, Jerke, Koistenen, Noem, Betty Olson, and Steele, just in case you ever wondered who the true wacky extremists in the Legislature are.)

This article in the Pierre Capital Journal illustrates the fake concern Our Virgin Senator Brock Greenfield has about the potential side effects of the HPV vaccine - "such as possible seizures and dizziness."

As though any medicine or medical treatment on the planet doesn't have potential side effects. As though Brock Greenfield is a medical expert of any sort. Thanks so much for your concern, Senator, but I think I'll go to my doctor with any medical issues I may have in the near future. In the meantime, you can go do...whatever it is you do. (Hint: before becoming a professional anti-abortion crusader, Greenfield worked at his family's gas station in Clark. Not that there is any shame in being a gas station attendant - there certainly isn't - but I usually don't solicit them for medical advice.)

He goes on to show his true colors, saying "It's one more message sent to them (note: who, girls?) that a person can engage in risky behavior and there are no consequences to that behavior."

What an outrageous, ridiculous, hateful statement. Clearly, women deserve to die from cancer as a punishment for having sex. Totally reasonable.

I do not understand how people like this continue to be re-elected.