Essential Estrogen

Teen library patrons in Ames will continue to have the opportunity to access accurate sex education materials thanks to a vote Thursday night by the local library's board of trustees.

Members of the board voted 6-to-1 to continue to make copies of the Sex, Etc. magazine available, both on display and for free distribution. The magazine, published by Rutgers University through the Answer program, provides honest sexual health information written by teens for teens and backed up by professionals.

The formal complaint, which was filed in July by John and Joyce Bannantine, did not object to the library's subscription to the magazine, but to it being prominently displayed and to the ability of patrons to freely remove extra copies from the facility without having to go through a check-out procedure. The complaint included a petition signed by about 100 people.

Art Weeks, library director, issued a statement thanking and praising the Bannantine family for following the recommended path all patrons should take when there are concerns about policies within the library.

During earlier discussion regarding the complaint, the Ames youth librarian indicated that the library consulted the work of a national expert on connecting teens with the library when it designed the area in question. The expert, Patrick Jones, advocates placing items in places where teens can find them accessible and offering private reading spaces, because many teens aren't apt to ask for assistance in finding materials.

Those who spoke against said they did not want children they deemed as too young to have such free access to the information provided by the magazine, and advocated its removal from the teen section and of free distribution of additional copies.

Carole Kazmierski, president of DAWN's List, announced today that the organization has endorsed Kirsten Running-Marquardt in the race to elect a new state representative in Iowa House District 33. The special election to replace Dick Taylor, the district's retiring representative, will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 24.

"Kirsten Running-Marquardt is a dedicated worker, a proven leader and knows how to take on hard issues," Kazmierski said. "She will provide the representation that Cedar Rapids needs during these hard economic times."

Kirsten Running-Marquardt was born and raised in Cedar Rapids. She worked as Director of Iowans for Health Care and later became District Representative for U.S. Representative Dave Loebsack's in his Linn county office. Running-Marquardt has set "smart flood recovery" as a priority in her campaign. She supports buyouts for homeowners in her district and favors hiring Iowans to perform flood recovery work. She is a supporter of the prevailing wage in labor contracts. Running-Marquardt is pro-choice and supports the interests of working Iowans. This is her first run for public office.

Kazmierski and DAWN want supporters to know that the best way to volunteer for the campaign is to visit Running-Marquardt's campaign Web site.

A 30-year-old Urbandale woman who served three tours in Iraq as member of the Iowa Air National Guard is dead this week, believed to have been gunned down by her estranged husband in his Des Moines apartment.

Tereseann Lynch, according to police reports, was believed to have been abducted Wednesday from a mall nearby and than transported to the apartment where she was shot. The man, Randall Moore, has been charged with first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping and attempted murder (for also non-fatally shooting a police officer who responded to the scene).

Lynch and Moore have an eight-month-old son, who was not in the apartment at the time of the murder.

Court records show that Moore had a history of domestic assault, and that Lynch had obtained a temporary restraining order against him.

Gov. Chet Culver honored Lynch today by dedicating the Sullivan Brothers Award of Valor ceremony to her:

After the tragic death of TereseAnn Lynch yesterday in Des Moines, Governor Chet Culver today dedicated the Sullivan Brothers Award of Valor Ceremony in her honor.

Technical Sergeant TereseAnn Lynch was a member of Iowa Air National Guard for a decade, and served in Iraq. She was also an employee of the Iowa Department of Human Services in the Child Support Recovery Unit.

Below is the Governor's statement made today at the Sullivan Brothers Award of Valor ceremony on the passing of TereseAnn Lynch.

"I want to take a moment to recognize an Iowan who symbolized the spirit of service we are honoring today. Yesterday, the state of Iowa lost one of our family with the tragic death of TereseAnn Lynch.

"She was a dedicated state employee at the Department of Human Services, an Iraq War veteran, and a member of the Iowa Air National Guard. She was also the mother of an 8-month-old son. I would like to extend my condolences to her family, loved ones, and friends. To all who knew her, I want to say this: Although no words can take away your grief, I simply want you to know that we are mourning with you, and we care for you.

"I would like to dedicate today's ceremony to the life of TereseAnn Lynch and to her undying spirit of service to our fellow Iowans.

"TereseAnn Lynch was a victim of domestic violence. My wife, Mari, has made stopping domestic violence a focus of her work. She tragically lost her cousin, who was murdered by her husband in 2004. I stand with the First Lady - and all victims of domestic violence. So, if you or a loved one need help, please call the 24-hour domestic violence hotline at 1-800-942-0333. People are ready and waiting to help."

To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.

Some Iowa households received an automated phone call this week that featured the familiar voice of former Lt. Gov. Joy Corning:

In the call, which is paid for by One Iowa, Corning reminds Iowans of the state's history of being open-minded and fair, and requests that other residents join her in ensuring that the civil rights of all are protected, and that the state "continues to move forward as a leader in fairness and equality." 

Corning, an Iowa native, has a long political history in this state and has been a role model for many women. She served as a senator in the state legislature, the first woman ever elected to serve in that chamber, representing a district in Black Hawk County. She was the president of the Cedar Falls School Board. She was also the director of the Iowa Housing Finance Authority during the early 1980s.

She's probably best known, however, for her service as lieutenant governor alongside former Gov. Terry Branstad during the of the 1990s. At the end of Branstad's tenure, in 1998, she became the first Republican woman to ever make a bid for governor, but was not successful in garnering her party's nomination.

Despite being elected as a Republican woman and serving as a Republican woman, Corning's views on two key social conservative issues -- abortion and marriage equality -- often put her at odds with a state party that has been drifting (if not speeding) toward a more and more social conservative stance. Not only has she served on the board of directors for Planned Parenthood in Iowa, but has co-authored open letters with Sally Pederson, another former lieutenant governor of the Democratic variety, stating her support for same-sex marriage and rebuffing the claims of radio entertainer Rush Limbaugh that reproductive health care is abortion.

"Women's reproductive health is primary health care," the women wrote, and went on to explain that such health care includes gynecological exams, Pap tests, mammograms, prenatal care, birth control and screening and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases.

"Providing safe and legal medical services for terminating a pregnancy is only one small part of a comprehensive health care system. Defining the discussion of women's reproductive health as this issue alone is a great injustice to all women and to the professionals that serve them."

The letters, of course, have drawn the ire of those within the Republican Party of Iowa who disagree. Those disagreements have, however, paled in comparison to the reactions to the One Iowa automated call. 

The action arm of the Iowa Family Policy Center used the call as a warning to Republicans as they prepare to select a 2010 gubernatorial candidate:

...The current recorded phone messages are consistent with Corning's long-standing anti-family ideology and leftist political social agenda.

According to IFPC Action President Chuck Hurley, "She would never have become Lt. Governor without the electoral support of tens of thousands of Christians and conservatives, and we have no one to blame for this but ourselves." He went on to say, "Joy Corning has given us another clear example of just exactly why as Christians and conservatives we should no longer sacrifice our convictions for perceived political victories. When we elect people like Joy Corning, we elevate and advance the destruction of the family."

With the 2010 campaign now in full swing, many Iowans are beginning to pay more attention to where candidates stand on key issues. Hurley said, "We need reminders from time to time as to why personal convictions and party platforms are so important, and Joy Corning has given us a gift that punctuates the need for a new paradigm in Iowa politics."

Bob Vander Plaats, a self-proclaimed social conservative Republican who is seeking the office of governor for the third time, derided Corning for being "out of touch" with mainstream Iowans and, of course, used the connection between Corning and Branstad to attack his primary competition:

"Terry Branstad enters the governor's race on Saturday night without stating where he truly stands on the issue and on Tuesday night his lieutenant governor does an automated call urging Iowans to support same-sex marriages. All of that takes place not too long after his former chief of staff wrote an opinion piece saying the Republican Party needs to nominate a candidate with 'centrist' views on social issues," Vander Plaats said. "Urging Iowans to support same-sex marriage is not only out of touch with Republican values but it is overwhelmingly out of touch with Main Street Iowa."

He added, "If you listened closely to his speech on Saturday night, Terry Branstad did not say he supports one-man, one-woman marriage. He said he would break the legislative logjam that is preventing a referendum by Iowans. That's not the same thing. If he wants to break the road block, he should join me by committing to sign an executive order banning additional same-sex marriages on day one in office until Iowans have a right to vote on the issue."

Both political parties are making a lot of noise these days about their "big tents," meaning their ability to overlook the platforms that have been created by their membership and accept people into their fold who hold opposing viewpoints on some issues. What has become clear over the past two decades, however, is that there are certain members of each party that would like to hold leaders and members to specific purity tests.

Due to current events within the state, this divide is primarily apparent in Iowa within the Republican Party as predominantly fiscal conservatives (like Corning) butt heads with predominantly social conservatives (like Vander Plaats). 

So, why do Iowa women owe Joy Corning a big round of applause? Because it takes a lot of backbone to stand firmly where you feel you need to be politically -- in her case, within the Republican Party -- and still voice your own deeply-held beliefs about what is right and what is wrong.

I have watched as friends have left one party or the other to join ranks with third parties, which simply do not have much political clout in America. Instead of standing up within their political party and demanding that an opposing viewpoint be heard and acknowledged, these individuals have found it easier and less stressful to bow out and leave the parties to find their own way -- even when "their own way" was not in the best interests of this county, state or nation.

I began this post by telling you that Corning has been a role model for many women. I want to end by telling you why she will continue to be a role model for young Iowa women: She speaks her mind, regardless of the political cost. She not only stands up for what she believes, but crawls up on a table to be heard above the din around her.  While her former titles alone garner her an audience, she understand the value of partnering with others to amplify her voice and her beliefs.

Women who begin to use the Internet -- especially women of older generations -- are often shocked to find how much sexism truly exists on what everyone says is a great equalizer or the last true egalitarian culture. Once the connection is made, it is easy to point out "the biggies" as far as sexism on the Internet goes. But perhaps the most day-to-day frustrating part of being a woman in this word of blogs and bytes are the little itches of sexism that seem to fester.

Samantha Miller, writing for The Daily Iowan, points specifically to one such nuisance:

A very handy tool on everyone's favorite search engine, Google, will fill in subsequent words in your inquiry you may be intending to search for. For instance, if you begin to type "Brad," it will anticipate you are searching for "Brad Pitt." Google does this because Brad Pitt is the most searched Brad. Voilà. Time saved.

As handy as it is, it can also highlight the most popular beliefs and interests of those who use the search engine. Let me elaborate: Google "women should" and just see what it recommends based on previous searches.

No, it doesn't suggest "run for president" or "have equal pay." Instead, the top three searches will tell you women should "wear white like all other domestic appliances," "not wear pants," and "not speak in church" (oh, and if for the latter you were hoping to alternatively search for "be silent in church," fret not, that's Google's following recommendation.) As you read further down the list, you get other helpful search ideas such as "stay at home," "not be in combat," and "not preach."

Thank God for Google. It reads my mind ... or someone's mind, at least...

Miller uses this "helpful" Google phenomenon to point to the ways humor, even those little off-hand one-liners we all use occasionally, can be rebuilding and reinforcing stereotypes that many want to believe are behind us.

I can't disagree with her opinion on the pitfalls of such comedic attempts, so I'm letting that stand without question.

I do, however, have a theory about the Google searches. I think many who want to hold and continue to enforce sexist beliefs are being confronted more and more often about the true necessity and reasoning behind such beliefs. That is, I don't think that some in today's society are willing to hear a minister say that women should not speak out in church and take that statement at face value. People want to know why this is and what purpose it serves. Once the reasoning is out in the open, it is up to those involved to decide if this is still an edict of value.

Google, and really all Internet search engines, offer individuals access to a wide assortment of opinions. What better place to go if a person wanted to challenge something based on long-standing tradition or to defend the same.

One of the most difficult things about writing this blog is the fact that I'm not just providing news, but co-opting news with opinion. As a long-term reporter who has had "just the facts" forever pushed into my brain function, it's difficult to come to the keyboard with the dual purpose of providing factual information and to issue a call to action based on that information.

But, as I told the women gathered in Sioux City this weekend, there are times we have to step outside of our comfort zones in order to stand up for things that we believe in or to right a wrong.

While I drove across Iowa on Saturday, members of the U.S. House of Representatives voted on an unprecedented health care reform bill. The good and bad news is all rolled up in one sentence: It passed. This is good news because it is a first step on a path the country should have taken years and years ago. It is bad news because once again special interest groups have had their way and a segment of the population was marginalized.

A group of 64 Democrats joined with every single Republican member of the House to vote in favor of an amendment offered by Bart Stupak, a Democratic representative of Michigan. The amendment, which wasn't completely unexpected, blocks anyone using government subsidies to buy insurance from purchasing a plan that covers abortion, even if the abortion coverage is paid for completely with private premiums.

Back up and read that again. Even if a woman has her own money and is willing to use that money to purchase abortion coverage, she cannot do so.

This is an extreme and unprecedented departure from how the bill previously curtailed the use of government/taxpayer funds for abortion. Prior to the Stupak-Pitts amendment, or language, being added into the House bill, government-provided "affordability credits" were required to be segregated from individually paid premiums so that they it could be ensured that federal funds were not used to provide abortion coverage. In essence, only women or families that were spending enough of their own funds to pay for the increased premiums associated with abortion coverage could purchase that type of insurance.

So, prior to the Stupak-Pitts Amendment, the status quo regarding abortion was maintained. With this new language, accessibility to reproductive health care has been further negated and regulated beyond the scope of what was previously believed to be a "workable compromise."

Because the language only currently appears in the House version of the bill, it is important to keep similar language out of the U.S. Senate version. To that end, phone your senator and let him/her know that you don't approve of any language that disrupts the status quo in relation to insurance coverage for abortion services.

If the Senate bill maintains its current language, which is based on the existing status quo which is built on the Hyde Amendment, then the conference committee that merges the two bills will have the option to either include the Stupak-Pitts language or remove it.

If it is removed, then let all of your representatives know that you support the bill and want them to vote in favor.

If it is NOT removed, you are going to have a decision to make on whether or not you believe health care reform is worth the further erosion of access to abortion.

After debating this back and forth in my head for more than 48 hours, my decision is that a bill that does not include all necessary access for women and families isn't really reform. To that end, I have contact my U.S. House Representative's office to encourage him to join the growing list of members who have signed on to a letter that is being sent to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. It reads, at least in part, as follows:

As Members of Congress we believe that women should have access to a full range of reproductive health care. Health Care reform must not be misused as an opportunity to restrict women's access to reproductive health services.

The Stupak-Pitts amendment to H.R. 3932, The Affordable Healthcare for America Act, represents an unprecedented and unacceptable restriction on women's ability to access the full range of reproductive health services to which they are entitled. We will not vote for a conference report that contains language that restricts women's right to choose any further than the current law.

If, when all of this is said and done, there is no health care reform bill, don't blame women. Don't credit those who disrupted numerous town hall meetings throughout the month of August. Don't allow Republicans to gloat on how they killed reform. The credit and/or blame lies solely with the 64 Democrats in the U.S. House, and whatever members of the U.S. Senate, that view reform as an opportunity to restrict access.

(Hat Tip: The Plum Line)