Georgia Van Cuylenburg

Actress, Comedian, Producer, Activist

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How I Coped With Losing All Of My Hair -- At 21

Posted: 10/27/11 08:19 AM ET

Most little girls have a very special connection to their hair. When I was growing up in Australia, I was always trying to make it the best hair it could be, and sometimes I got it a little wrong. The day before the first grade photo I decided I didn't want bangs, so I took the scissors to them. In fifth grade I shaved my eyebrows off and told my Mother they fell out. And in 6th grade I decided an under-cut was a good idea ... wrong!!

By the time I was 16, my hair was down to the small of my back, and my natural golden highlights were the envy of all the girls in my class. Body image issues plagued me in high school, but the one thing I loved about my appearance was my hair. When I was 18 I got asked to be a hair model by a famous hair salon, and my hair became even more the thing that I identified as ME. I was now officially "the girl with the great hair."

Three years later, my "great hair" and I were working in L.A. I told jokes, did TV and film, often on shows for children, helping them believe in their own 'magic.' I loved my new life.

Then one typical Wednesday, as I stood in the shower, I watched as hundreds of my 'great hairs' washed down my body. As I rubbed the shampoo through my hair, clumps fell out in my hands. I was too scared to get out of the shower because I didn't know what I would see in the mirror. When I finally did look at myself I could see spots of bare scalp peering through my hair. As I brushed and brushed I watched my clear white sink fill up with hair. I remember seeing myself in the mirror and holding back the tears. That day my life changed forever.

I told myself that there must be a reason why this was happening. I shouldn't waste my time feeling sorry for myself, I should just find out why. Over the next year I put myself through dose after dose of steroid and cortisone injections. I had the most horrific form of acupuncture imaginable. I ate every food, supplement and vitamin that you find when you Google 'hair loss.' But all the doctors I had visited were right: I had Alopecia Areata, an autoimmune disease where the body rejects its hair. There is no cure.

That first year I hid my Alopecia Areata. The few people who knew insisted that I should keep it a secret because no one would hire me. I wore a terrible wig that looked and felt like straw. It was so bad that I always wore a hat. (Believe me, a Californian summer spent in a wig and hat, on top of an ointment that creates constant 'sunburn' on your head, is a very painful and sweaty affair.) I couldn't work in front of the camera because I couldn't take my hat off. I wouldn't let men get too near because I couldn't work out how to explain why, no matter how many items of clothing came off, the hat had to stay on. That was probably the toughest year of my life.

I knew something had to change. I had lost so much of myself. I was no longer the girl with the great hair, and lying all the time was exhausting. I have never been one to avoid the truth. My work involved encouraging children to love themselves ... just as they were. Yet here I was hiding who I really was.

It was that realization that changed everything for me. I decided to stop seeing my Alopecia Areata as a burden, but rather as an amazing gift. I had always wanted children to feel that I really understood when they spoke about being different or alone. And now I had a big 'signpost' on my head that said "I GET IT!!!"

I started sharing my story with children, and I could feel an amazing change in the way they responded to me. When I started working on a documentary about the experience, kids and adults from all around the world emailed me and shared their stories. It wasn't just Alopecians; people with all sorts of 'secrets' started confiding in me. Almost everyone I met had a secret to share with me. Because I was standing before them saying, "this is me," they felt they could do the same. And very slowly, I learned to trust I was good enough as I was, that it was the essential me that people -responded to -- with or without hair.

Not every moment of honesty has been joyful. Dating in particular has been rough. I now tell every guy on the first date. I don't want to go a second date with someone who sees me only as 'the girl with no hair.' I'd rather wait for a man who can see the strong person I have become because I have no hair. Alopecia Areata has become my Man Meter.

Over the last three years my hair has come and gone. Sometimes I have it and sometimes I don't. I now have a cabinet full of wigs, but most days I prefer just to wear the hair I have. I am very excited about the progress being made towards a cure for Alopecia Areata, and I hope one day it is found. But I can't say that I wish I never had it because of what it has brought to my life. Without my Alopecia Areata, I never would have seen the difference that being honest about yourself can make in the lives of others. I never would have met so many truly beautiful people and through them learned that I am beautiful, too. I never would have really believed that something I thought was a tragedy could fill my life with purpose.

Today I have about three quarters of my hair. I don't have any bangs because half an inch is missing at the front. I also don't have any eyebrows. All the hair is missing at the back too, so I once again have a fierce 'under-cut' ... and this time I'm okay with it.

Are American Women's Human Rights under Attack?

Interesting read from the Huffington Post.


Do U.S. Abortion Restrictions Violate Human Rights?
by Anu Kumar, Executive Vice President of Ipas


In a hospital in Nicaragua, after a total ban on abortion was passed, a woman with an ectopic pregnancy was allowed to languish, waiting for her fallopian tube to rupture before a doctor agreed to perform the procedure necessary to save her life and future fertility. Even though there was no doubt to the outcome of her pregnancy, the doctor refused to operate until the fetus was certifiably dead, and with no ultrasound available in that rural hospital, there was only one way to make sure.

This is the world that Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA) would like to bring to America with the passage of H.R. 358, the so-called "Protect Life Act," a bill that would deny pregnant women access to emergency treatment, insurance coverage for abortion services and even information about how she could pay for an abortion. It's bad enough that one member of Congress would be willing to put women's lives at risk this way; that a majority of the House of Representatives voted for it is appalling.

While in the United States we may treat abortion restrictions as a political issue, elsewhere around the world, advocates and experts understand such restrictions to be public health and human rights issues. And in the United States this year, we have seen law after law passed that clearly violates international human rights standards.

Contrast Pitts' legislation with the report on legal restrictions on aspects of sexual and reproductive health presented to the United Nations on Monday by Anand Grover, the United Nations' Special Rapporteur on Health. The report states,

"Realization of the right to health requires the removal of barriers that interfere with individual decision-making on health-related issues and with access to health services, education and information, in particular on health conditions that only affect women and girls."

Indeed, the report highlights the growing global trend towards decriminalizing abortion. Everywhere, that is, except in the United States. In my home state of North Carolina this year, we have passed a number of barriers that "interfere with individual decision-making" on reproductive health: a mandatory waiting period, mandatory and biased counseling, and a forced ultrasound, all solely intended to place barriers and shame women who seek abortions, even if she has been raped or her life is in danger.

Just in the first half of this year, states enacted some 80 measures to restrict access to abortion (more than double the previous record set in 2005 of 34), all of which seem to violate the human rights standards set in international agreements. They include extreme restrictions, such as the one in Ohio that would ban abortion once a fetal heartbeat can be detected (six to 10 weeks' gestation). Several states, including Kansas, Tennessee and North Dakota have banned the use of telemedicine (key to delivering health services to underserved rural areas) for dispensing medical abortion. In Mississippi, a state ballot initiative, if passed, would mandate personhood from the moment of fertilization, possibly outlawing the most popular forms of contraception. Bearing in mind that 99 percent of American women have used contraception during in their lifetimes, this law would result in the violation of the rights of millions of American women.

Grover's report was developed following a thorough review of health research, national laws, international agreements and opinions and rulings issued by human rights bodies -- although it reads as if it were written about the United States:

"These laws make safe abortions and post-abortion care unavailable, especially to poor, displaced and young women. Such restrictive regimes, which are not replicated in other areas of sexual and reproductive health care, serve to reinforce the stigma that abortion is an objectionable practice."

In the United States, there have been laws on the books for decades that specifically deny young and low-income women access to abortion. Parental consent laws force young women to seek their parents' permission to have an abortion, regardless of their home situation. (Studies have shown that most teens will consult with a parent before deciding to terminate a pregnancy, but even those who risk violence or homelessness are still forced to produce at least one parents' consent.) And the Hyde Amendment bans the use of federal Medicaid funds for abortion, explicitly isolating one health care procedure for purely political reasons.

Amnesty International has created an international campaign to raise awareness about the toll the total ban on abortion is taking on women in Nicaragua. Is it time to create one for women in the United States?

"Should I worry?": Latinas and Breast Cancer

In honnor of breast cancer awarness month, I thought this article was an interesting read.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/margaret-moran/should-i-worry-latinas-an_b_1019838.html?ir=Women

"Should I worry?": Latinas and Breast Cancer

"I wonder if this is anything I should worry about." This thought has crossed the minds of many women I know and love. Regardless of your socio-economic background or ethnicity, breast cancer is a frightening word loaded with "what ifs." For many of us with access to medical and adequate health coverage, our worries are rested after a doctor visit or screening shows we are cancer free. However, for women who lack the luxury of health coverage, early detection becomes a luxury they cannot afford.

More than 14,000 of the estimated 200,000 cases of breast cancer expected in the U.S. this year will occur among the Latina population; more than 2,200 women of Latin origin will die. In order to stem breast cancer deaths in women in the nation's fastest-growing population group, screening, education and support programs are critical. The latest statistics show that with early detection, breast cancer can be beaten in 99 percent of all cases.

Yet, according to recent studies, the majority of Latinas are diagnosed in Stage 4. Hispanic women show lower breast cancer screening rates than non-Hispanic/Latina White women and tend to seek and attain health care services less frequently than other ethnic groups. However, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Hispanic/Latina women. Recent data indicates a hard truth that is too often ignored. Although, Hispanic women are less likely to have mammogram screenings and more likely to be diagnosed at later stages of breast cancer, they in fact have lower breast cancer rates (83.5 per 100,000) but are more likely to die from the disease. Studies consistently show that low income, low educational attainment, lack of health insurance, inability to speak English, lack of awareness of breast cancer risks and screening methods, acculturation level and lack of physician referral play important roles in the lower rates of screening utilization by Hispanic/Latina women. Organizations like Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, the world's leading breast cancer organization, are initiating major new outreach to dramatically improve cancer screening, education and outreach in the Latina community. In the last two years alone, Susan G. Komen has awarded more than $76 million in grants benefitting Latinas across the country. In this effort, LULAC can be instrumental because of our commitment to offer support in this outreach.

When I was a young girl, we didn't talk about breast cancer. Now, we must not only talk about it, but be sure that all women have access to proper screenings and treatments. We need to ensure that Hispanic women have the knowledge and medical care to put an end to this disease. Breast cancer affects everyone, not just the person diagnosed. Likewise, everyone needs to do their part to minimize the risks within our community.

Whether it's labelled "feminist" or not, this looks like a good read.

Women's voices expand early in American history

http://www.lohud.com/article/20111024/NEWS01/110240320/Women-s-voices-expand-early-American-history

BEDFORD — The image of women in early American history is often that of Betsy Ross sewing a flag or Molly Pitcher carrying water to parched Continental artillerymen.But early American women had much more to say and do, according to three local historians. To prove the point, they compiled detailed, often first-person accounts of the lives of a cross-section of figures who, in part due to their gender, have graced the pages of few history books.With "In the Words of Women—The Revolutionary War and the Birth of the Nation, 1765-1799," Janet Wedge of Ossining, Louise North of Yorktown and Landa Freeman of Guilford, Conn., mined original letters and other papers to assemble a chronological and thematic account of the country's formative years.

"This is not women's history," says Wedge, who taught history for two decades at Yorktown High School. "It's American history through women's eyes and voices, if you will. We didn't want the book to be termed feminist."It isn't an academic tome, either, the authors say, though they expect it will be a popular campus resource. They envision it on nightstands and coffee tables, in the hands of ordinary readers gripped by the ideas of ordinary women living in extraordinary times.Women like Mrs. Nathaniel Adams, a loyalist who testified in the court martial of a Continental soldier accused of destroying her Village Street home during the retreat from the Battle of White Plains."They terrorize this woman, whose husband is not home, and her children," says North, a docent at the Neuberger Museum at Purchase College, SUNY, "and they have to leave the house only with what they have on their backs. The soldiers take what they want, and they set the house on fire.

"The story underscores how inhospitable Westchester's neutral ground was.Another woman, Mary Totten of Cortlandt, petitioned George Washington in 1777 for compensation for damage done by his troops bivouacking on her property. It's unclear whether an army that could barely pay its soldiers ever settled with her.And letters from Cornelia Van Cortlandt to her father, Pierre, detail how some of the family's slaves tried to escape and join the British cause. The letters reveal that the plot failed when one of the slaves turned on the others, and the rest were watched closely thereafter."Each of them begins to have a personality distinct from the others," said Wedge. "You can get that from what they're writing and what they're thinking about and how they're behaving. It's interesting to see that they were individuals. Usually they're thought of in more collective terms in history, I think."The authors, who discussed their book at the John C. Hart Memorial Library on Thursday, first worked together as volunteers at the John Jay Homestead in Katonah.Their first collaboration is a book based on the letters of Jay and his wife, Sarah Livingston Jay. That experience sparked their interest in women of the period, and they found an abundance of material, much of it digitized and published online, on woman of all social ranks, loyalties and ages.

The book took six years to write. They traveled to libraries and historical societies from Boston to Philadelphia and to Columbia University's Rare Book and Transcript Library. Original documents were key to the process, as was their treatment of those documents."What I think has been done in the past, when there have been letters by women, bits are always taken from them to integrate into the book that's being written about the man," said Wedge, a former adjunct professor of creative writing at Manhattanville College. "And it's always how the woman fit with the man, and how it elucidates his actions. It's never from the woman's point of view."The book represents 124 women. Some are well known, some less so. Benjamin Franklin's sister, Jane Mecom, wrote her brother often and outlived 11 of her 12 children."It's very sad," Wedge said.

"Sometimes it's so wrenching to us when it seems to us that it wasn't quite so wrenching to them because the death of children was such a common occurrence then."Mary Silliman, meanwhile, expressed an intimate longing for her husband, Connecticut militia leader Gold Silliman. When he was captured by the British, a Long Island judge was kidnapped and exchanged for him."She describes that in really wonderful language," North said.The book opens with snapshots of detail about each woman so that readers can refer back without the narrative getting bogged down.The women who populate these pages are strong, often opinionated and fully revealed as individuals.Some were atrocious spellers, like Debra Franklin.Some rely on the voices of others, including Mumbet, a former slave from Massachusetts who successfully sued for her freedom.At a time when great men went off to war and did great things, these women were notable in their own right. Many stepped up in the absence of the men, just as later generations of women would do in wartime. And similarly, they resumed their traditional roles at war's end."What do we love about them?" says Freeman, a former Bedford resident. "That they're intelligent, humane, that they want the best for their families. They love their husbands, and they're willing to work really hard when their husbands are gone."

I LOVED THE Love Your Body 5K!

The 3rd Annual Love Your Body 5K Was A Smash!

We did it. We pulled it off...successfully I might add. Okay, I'm not going to make it sound like it was easy because I assure you it wasn't. Needless to say though, with all of the Board's hard work & all of the lovely time our dedicated volunteers provided, CT NOW was able to pull off our best 5k yet! We can only hope that this will only be the beginning of many more amazing LYB 5ks!

Besides all the cheering & applauding I was able to do (which was actually emotional for me - corny, I know), I actually learned a few things. Not only was I significantly surprised to learn that I was able to have that much fun at THAT early of an hour in the morning, but I also realized that these types of events allow me to hang out with some amazing people.

Check out my personal stash of pics from the race

below of my friends, family, & volunteers!

Thanks again so much for your immense support!

LOVE YOUR BODY 5K is 24 hours away!

If you have not registered yet, never fear, registration opens tomorrow morning at 8:30 am and continues up until the start of the 5k at 10:00 am. Please join us at the West Hartford MDC for a morning of celebrating healthy body image with friends and family! Click here for more details http://www.now-ct.org.

Do You Feel Like a Fraud?

When Women Feel Like Frauds They Fuel Their Own Failures--Jenna Goudreau

Tina Fey once confessed that she sometimes screams inside her head, “I’m a fraud! They’re on to me!” Sheryl Sandberg attended a Harvard University speech called “Feeling Like a Fraud” and decided they were speaking directly to her—she’d fooled them all. Sonia Sotomayor was “too embarrassed” to ask questions while at Princeton University, and said, “I am always looking over my shoulder wondering if I measure up.” Meryl Streep gets “cold feet” before every new project and told a reporter in 2002, “I don’t know how to act anyway, so why am I doing this?”

Despite being plagued by self-doubt, these women barreled through it to the highest peaks of success. Many more, however, are crippled.

The “impostor syndrome” was discovered by psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes in 1978, and according to a longtime lecturer on the phenomenon, Valerie Young, Ed.D., little has changed in the last three decades—except that more women than ever are susceptible.


Young, the author of new book The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women, describes it as “always waiting for the other shoe to drop. You feel as if you’ve flown under the radar, been lucky or that they just like you. If you dismiss your accomplishments and abilities, you’re left with one conclusion: That you’ve fooled them.”

While both men and women experience the impostor syndrome, studies show that women are more often affected and more likely to suffer the consequences. According to Young, boys are raised to bluff and exaggerate. Girls, on the other hand, learn early to distrust their opinions and stifle their voices. They discover they are judged by the highest physical, behavioral and intellectual standards. Perfection becomes the goal, and every flaw, mistake or criticism is internalized—slowly hollowing out self-confidence.

Even those women who escaped childhood with a relatively strong sense of themselves will face more than just a psychological barrier. “A real bias against female competence persists,” says Young. “Being female means you and your work automatically stand a greater chance of being ignored, discounted, trivialized, devalued or otherwise taken less seriously than a man’s.” That means even a slight fear of inferiority may be further compounded by stereotypes and subtle digs at women’s perceived abilities. So is it any great surprise that women would question their competence? Everyone else does.

Moreover, Young says women in male-dominated fields are especially vulnerable to feeling like frauds. Being an “other” breeds isolation and additional pressure to perform. In one study of engineering students, when women watched a video featuring a large gender imbalance, their heart rates shot up. “It’s stressful for women to walk into a room full of men,” says Young.

A 25-year-old computer software engineer in New York earned a degree from an elite university, worked hard in several college internships and was recruited immediately to a good-paying job, where she was promoted, awarded and praised. How did she do it? “I fooled them,” she says, as if she had scammed every hiring manager, colleague and boss she’d ever had. “Someone will realize it eventually.” When superiors compliment her work, deep down she doesn’t believe them. The insecurity, she admits, may stem from the fact that she didn’t begin coding at age 12 like some of her coworkers and doesn’t code after hours just for fun, all of which may be amplified by the fact that she is the only woman on her team.

The inherent danger of believing you’re not good enough is that it will become self-fulfilling. Christine Jahnke, speech coach and author of The Well-Spoken Woman, says women approach every meeting and project as if they are being tested rather than trusting that if they are in the room, they belong there. The fear leads them to sit in the back, hide behind furniture, qualify ideas with “I think,” “maybe” and “but,” or take criticism too personally.

Over a career, the cumulative effect of constant anxiety is usually failure. According to Young, feeling like a fraud manifests as overworking, holding back, hiding out, giving up, procrastinating or stress-induced self-sabotage, like substance abuse and sleep deprivation.

In the former, the “impostor” women may feel they need to work two or three times as hard, so over-prepare, tinker and obsess over details, says Young. This can lead to burn-out, missing the big picture or being typecast as an operator rather than a leader. On the other side of the spectrum, the women may procrastinate or not put in enough effort on an assignment. “If people don’t like it, you know you whipped it together and have a built-in excuse. But if it succeeds, you feel even more like an impostor,” she says.

Recognition is the first step in breaking the cycle. “I’ve realized that almost everyone is a fraud, so I try not to feel too bad about it,” said Tina Fey. At the same time, Young suggests allowing yourself the lenience to make mistakes and learn from them, defining competence as the ability to figure something out rather than having all the answers, and accepting that you really do belong.

“Women keep waiting for permission to take a seat at the table,” Young says. “Let’s stop waiting for permission.”

CT NOW's Activist of the Month October 2011

CT NOW's Activist of the Month - October 2011

CT NOW recognizes the work of individuals and community activists across Connecticut who are leaders for women’s rights. Each month CT NOW will highlight a local CT resident who has displayed extraordinary dedication to advancing women’s rights.  This month in spirit of October being breast cancer awareness month we decided to nominate someone who has been working to increase awareness and raise funds for education and research for breast cancer in Connecticut.  Theresa Conroy was chosen because of the amazing work she is doing with Seymour Pink, a local organization whose mission is to unite a community in the fight against breast cancer. Through fundraising efforts, their goal is to fund breast cancer research, provide education and to empower and assist breast cancer victims and their families.

Theresa handles public relations for the organization and has been successful in organizing events throughout the year and especially in October.  These events have galvanized the community and surrounding communities of Seymour, including a 5K run, a concert, and a wine tasting.  They were even able to convince local businesses to dress in pink and offer specials for one day in October.

As I think about my aunt who died from breast cancer and just this week learned of a co-worker's wife who was recently diagnosed with it and then hear in the media of Giuliana Rancic's recent diagnosis, it makes me glad to know that in Connecticut we have people like Theresa who are so dedicated to making a difference. To read more about Theresa check out CT NOW's website.  Congrats Theresa, keep up the good work!

L*O*V*E

♥“This was my first ever race, and I loved it! Wouldn’t have been able to do it if it wasn’t for NOW and the Love Your Body concept!”♥

 

♥“Thank you for fostering such a great atmosphere. It was very inspiring and we look forward to returning again next year!”♥

♥”Yesterday, two of my sisters, myself, and a friend of ours ran the 5K. For my sisters and me it was our first organized race. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience and it’s made us want to sign up for more races. Personally, I thought it was a beautiful course and a very well-organized event.”♥

♥”What a beautiful and well run event today. I know it is very hard to host an event and keep everyone happy! You guys were fantastic and I appreciate all of the kindness of your course volunteers. I ended up going to the race alone b/c a friend canceled…but I had so much fun..met such nice people and enjoyed a fantastic race. Thank you one and all for your hospitality and sending such a positive message to women!”♥

Curious what event these women are raving about?!?!? 

The CT NOW Foundation’s

3rd Annual Love Your Body 5K

Run & Walk

October 22, 2011

10 AM

West Hartford Reservoir – Rte 4

 Race day registration is available! For more information please visit our website: http://now-ct.org/love-your-body-5k/

New attack on abortion

See this sobering article, from TIME's web site, below:

The Next Abortion Battleground: Fetal Heartbeats

Anti-abortion groups begin a brazen campaign to make women listen to a heartbeat before they end a pregnancy

By Adam Cohen
October 17, 2011


Abortion opponents have a new weapon of choice: the “heartbeat bill.” A coalition of anti-abortion groups told the Associated Press last week last week that it was pushing to enact laws in all 50 states that would make women listen to a fetus’s heart beat before they could abort. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) has introduced a similar federal bill, The Heartbeat Informed Consent Act, in Congress.


When the Supreme Court decided Roe, critics of abortion vowed to get it overturned. They have not succeeded in that. But they have managed to pass a wide array of laws — some upheld by the courts, others struck down — making access to abortion more difficult. The Supreme Court has ruled that states can impose some restrictions, such as 24-hour waiting periods and parental consent requirements, but has struck down others, such as laws forcing women to notify their spouses. The heartbeat laws are the latest effort in a decades-long campaign that — as conservatives gain strength at the state level—appears to be gaining ground.


Recently, abortion opponents have been pushing some tough new restrictions — and prompting lawsuits over whether they go too far. Five states — Indiana, Kansas, Alabama, Idaho, and Oklahoma — have adopted laws that ban almost all abortions after the five-month mark. Meanwhile, Ohio is considering enacting the most extreme anti-abortion law in the nation. Its House of Representatives has voted for a bill that would ban all abortions once a heartbeat can be detected, which can occur as early as six weeks. That is a frontal assault on Roe, which recognized a right to abortion until “viability,” the point — around the 22nd week — when a fetus can survive outside the womb.


The new heartbeat bills don’t go quite as far — they would simply require abortion providers to make the fetus’s heartbeat audible to a woman seeking an abortion. Supporters argue that making the woman listen to the heartbeat — or look at an ultrasound image of the fetus, as Bachmann’s bill also requires — is important for true “informed consent.” They also believe that women who are provided with this kind of information are less likely to end their pregnancies. According to Bachmann, a poll by Focus on the Family, a group opposed to abortion, found that when women who were undecided about whether to end a pregnancy were shown an ultrasound of the fetus, 78% did not have the abortion.


Abortion rights advocates, however, insist that the heartbeat bills are an attempt to interfere with women’s right to make private medical decisions. They argue that the state has no business trying to lobby patients about medical procedures, or to turn doctors into government mouthpieces. At the moment, popular opinion is sharply divided on whether the state should require women to confront evidence of a fetus’s development. A Gallup poll in July found that 50% of those surveyed supported laws requiring women to be shown ultrasound images of their fetuses, while 46% were opposed.


But critics of these bills scored an important win in August, when a federal judge struck down parts of a new Texas law requiring women seeking an abortion in most cases to view a sonogram and listen to the fetal heart beat. Judge Sam Sparks ruled that the Texas law — which Gov. Rick Perry helped to push through the legislature — violated the First Amendment. “The act compels physicians to advance an ideological agenda with which they may not agree,” he said. The issue could end up in the Supreme Court.


While challenges to heartbeat laws make their way through the courts, anti-abortion forces are working on new — and in some cases more radical — measures. Next month, Mississippi will vote on whether to add a “personhood amendment” to its state constitution that would declare that personhood begins at conception. If it passes — and a court does not block it — the amendment could ban all abortions in the state and even some kinds of contraception, such as IUDs.


The Mississippi amendment may sound outrageous — and critics are pointing out how sweeping its implications could be. (One Mississippi law professor has suggested that if life begins at conception, state residents might be eligible to vote at the age of 17 and 3 months) It is unlikely that the Supreme Court would allow Mississippi to ban all abortions, but one thing seems inevitable: more fights over how far the states can go to rein in the constitutional right to abortion.


Cohen, the author of Nothing to Fear, teaches at Yale Law School



Read more: http://ideas.time.com/2011/10/17/the-next-abortion-battleground-fetal-heartbeats/#ixzz1b3ulcivQ

Be a Strong, Resilient Woman!

If you're anything like me at all, you feel like the woman above this text does when the smallest obstacle presents itself.

Okay, I get it. It's life. Believe me..people assure me on a daily basis that "life could always be worse" when I am a midst one of my selfish, life-ending panic attacks. Really, though, no one wants to hear that it could be worse when they feel like they are at rock bottom. Speaking as one of those people who nearly cries when I am cut off on the highway or freaks out when my dog doesn't go #1 & 2 quick enough, I know that it genuinely feels like you are facing the approaching apocalypse during those moments of stress and anxiety.

I came across this article on Huffington Post, highlighting 10 ways that the American Psychological Association has contributed to an individual becoming more resilient. Webster defines resilient as "the ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change" - definitely a quality one needs in order to be mentally sane & sound in today's world. In an effort to decrease my stress and increase my success, I am moving forward in life by following these simple, but life-changing, guidelines.

Remember - truly love yourself first; then you will be able to love others.

Senator Gillibrand's Call to Action

Below is an excellent article featured in the Huffington Post asking women to move "Off the Sidelines" to the center of decision making power in the United States.

Posted: 10/11/11 04:58 PM ET

Senator Gillibrand (left) with fashion designer Donna Karan at an Off the Sidelines event

Of all the ideas to jumpstart the economy or solve other serious problems facing the world, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York is convinced that an obvious strategy has simply never been realized: the equal participation of women. She cites some startling statistics: "We only have 17 percent women in Congress, we only have six women governors. In terms of economic empowerment, less than three percent of women are CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, and 16 percent are on Fortune 500 corporate boards." To her, it's about gender equality but also the multiple benefits in both the political and corporate arenas of having more women at the table when decisions are made. "A lot of studies show that when women are on corporate boards that companies do better. My own experience in Congress is when women are on committees and at hearings, the nature of the discussion is different, and the outcomes are better -- better decisions are made," Gillibrand said.

Although wary of generalizations, Gillibrand thinks that as more than half the global population, women bring a necessary and different world view: "A woman's perspective often will complement a man's," she says. By bringing both perspectives to the table, "you will have a more holistic approach, one that is 360 degrees." She finds, for example, that "women are often very good listeners, often consensus-builders, often able to compromise and reach across party lines in Congress, able to forge deals and reach better solutions."

These types of observations led Senator Gillibrand to create Off the Sidelines, a new initiative and website intended to be "a nationwide call to action to get more women engaged, both in solving this economic crisis and entering political life and being heard on political issues." Her goal is to "create a one-stop-shop for empowerment," showing "once you understand the issues and what the challenges are, [you know] where you can go to make a difference."

Gillibrand likens Off the Sidelines to the iconic Rosie the Riveter campaign during World War II when record numbers of women -- including her grandmother, great aunt and great grandmother -- entered the workforce while men were off fighting the war. "I feel like we need [the] Rosie the Riveter of our generation. That campaign alone produced two million women into the work force within 14 months, and by the end of the war, six million," she said. Today's call to action, according to Gillibrand, would be as follows: "women, we need you to be advocates, to be heard on the issues you care about, to be voting, to be running for office, to be part of decision making."

On the economic front, she believes women are poised to make strides to boost our economy. "If we are going to out-innovate, out-compete, out-educate our competitors," she says, "we are only going to succeed if women are leading the way." She points out, "Women are now graduating with more than 50 percent of advanced degrees, more than 50 percent of college degrees -- and women-owned and minority-owned businesses are the fastest growing sector within small businesses." However, to reap the full benefits we must confront longstanding road blocks, by addressing issues like pay equity: "Women are earning 78 cents on the dollar -- if we had equal pay in this country, you could raise the GDP [Gross National Product] by up to nine percent." Gillibrand adds, "Women start businesses with eight times less capital than men." If they had the same access to capital, we would see substantial growth, she says, "because women owned businesses are so fast-growing."

The other challenge facing many women these days -- the struggle to balance work and family -- has always been an issue of interest for the senator, and something she can personally relate to as the mother of two children. "We've had these women's economic empowerment roundtables all across the state, and we got feedback about the lack of affordable day care, good, quality early childhood education," she said. Employers should know, she said, that "when they provide child care services, or when they make it easier for parents to work, they are increasing access to very good workers. That it's a very pro-economic [growth] issue." Advantages to businesses are backed up by studies that "show that if you provide day care on-site or make it accessible, that actually a lot of parents are more productive workers as a result." Senator Gillibrand is already trying to tackle this through presenting "a number of pieces of legislation to double the tax credit for early childhood education" and offer "incentives for employers to create opportunities for on-site day care, or easily accessible day care."

One of the strengths of the Off the Sidelines website is personal narratives from women about what inspired them. For Gillibrand, it was her grandmother:

She was a woman who came from very modest means -- [she] never went to college and was a secretary in Albany state legislature. She wanted to have a say in the priorities of the people who represented her. And so she organized other women to work on campaigns with candidates that they valued. She made a huge impact on the political landscape [by] fighting for issues she cared about, and using the grassroots as a tool to amplify her voice.

Sharing "stories from regular women about what got them off the sidelines, why they care about an issue and what they're going to do about it" in an interactive way is critical to the site, Gillibrand says. "Oftentimes women need to see other women doing things as a guide."

Gillibrand frames Off the Sidelines as a call to action because, she says, studies have found "that women really need to be asked to participate, that they respond very well when they're asked to run for office." She is quick to add that "the studies also show that when women do run, they win -- that they do have the ability, they do have the tenacity, they do have the drive, they can raise the funds." Women need to hear that "this is something that they can do. That you can find a way to balance a career and family -- that there is a way that you can be part of the decision-making fabric of this country and still be a good mother." She says women ask themselves, "Is it the right time in my family's life to take on these challenges? And my call to action is very comprehensive -- do whatever you can do: Are you voting? Are you being heard? Are there issues that you care about that you could advocate for? Would you ever consider running for office?" Her call to action is for women's participation across the board.

"Getting off the sidelines is a state of mind," says Gillibrand, a matter of "understanding that women's voices matter." The timing is "urgent," she says: "This is one of the toughest economic crises we have been in, certainly in my lifetime, and if we are going to grow our economy and really create a competitive environment against other nations, we need women as part of that effort. We need women leading the way. Until women are able to achieve their potential, America will not achieve hers."

For more information, visit http://www.offthesidelines.org.

To read the full interview with Kirsten Gillibrand, click here.

This article originally appeared at The Women's Media Center.