What to Know About the Mexico City Policy

In just over two weeks, President Donald Trump has passed a total of nineteen executive orders, varying from immigration reform to an anti-refugee bill.  One of the first orders, passed a day after the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, was the Mexico City policy, also known as the global gag rule.  Understanding this bill, as well as the others that have been passed, is imperative to resistance.

In simple terms, the Mexico City policy prohibits any U.S. funding be given to global, nongovernmental organizations that provide abortion services.  That means that even organizations like Planned Parenthood International, whose abortion services make up only eight percent of total services, will not longer receive U.S. dollars.

While of course this still be an issue if pertaining to domestic organizations, the fact that the defunding affects international groups is a huge problem.  The organizations that have low percentages of abortion services deal mostly with preventing unplanned pregnancies.  They provide contraceptives, birth control and family planning.

In developing countries, this is necessary for the country to grow and improve their standard of living.  The status of women is the number one determinant of whether or not a country will be able to develop: if women are uneducated and have high birth rates, the country will remain in low phases of development.  Of course, with funding put into organizations like Planned Parenthood, this problem can be remediated with family planning.

These organizations also provide STI testing and mammograms at little to no cost, which is LITERALLY saving lives by spotting life-threatening diseases in enough time to begin treatment plans.

Taking U.S. dollars out of these organizations is a selfish move on America’s part.  As a country with a high standard of life and a fairy decent GDP, we should utilize our privilege to help countries that are struggling to develop.  Trump’s executive order is a threat to global peace and the “American Way,” and therefore will NOT be accepted.  Call your state senator, write emails, protest, or donate money to these organizations.  We must do all we can to resist.

birkenstock, yellow kitchens, and feminism

At the 62, our current favorite flick is Mike Mills’ 20th Century Women. This beautifully crafted film encompasses doubts and lost confidence in life, especially for women, during the late 70s in California.

The film’s plot revolves around Birkenstock-clad matriarch Dorothea Fields, who struggles to raise her son by herself, leading her to enlist the help of two younger women, 20-something Abbie and teenage Julie. These three women end up exploring ideas of love and freedom in their own lives as they try to help lead young Jamie into manhood.

20th Century Women brings to the screen incredibly thoughtful, and eccentric, human relationships that are just really well acted. Yet, what makes this film a favorite is its several feminist nods. Abbie, Julie, and Dorothea want Jamie to become a ‘good man’ who understands and can respect women, leading them to real aloud passages from feminism texts to Jamie in their cheery yellow kitchen and start an empowering conversation during a dinner party. These three women are shown to embody different types of feminism during the course of the movie, but this diversity actually proves beneficial to Jamie, a message that shines throughout the film.

Planned Parenthood also plays a role in the film for Julie and Abbie, highlighting its significance for women amidst current plans to defund it in. In fact, 20th Century Women‘s studio, A24, has donated to the organization from some of the film’s proceeds.

Right now in the world, feminism may seem fractured or frazzled, but 20th Century Women brings us a sunbeam of hope.

image from ellefanningplace.tumblr.com

 

welcome

To all who are reading this- hi!

This blog has been created by Centennial High School’s 62 Club, a club which stands for gender equality. We are named for the 62 million girls in the world currently without an education. We plan on using this site to bring awareness to current happenings, historical events, and our personal favorites in the realm of gender equality. We want this site to empower women, because women’s rights are human rights.

For information on in-school meetings see the blurb to the right. Also, tweet with us on Twitter, just follow @titansareequal.