Tag Archives: prochoice

Can You Be Pro-Choice and Catholic?

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Have you ever heard or have you been told

  • “You can’t be pro-choice and Catholic.”
  • “Life begins at conception.”
  • “You have excommunicated yourselves.”

The truth is, you can be pro-choice and Catholic – and indeed, most Catholics are. Catholics can, in good conscience, support access to abortion and affirm that abortion can be a moral choice.

Join us for an interactive workshop with staff from Catholics for Choice to learn the truth about Catholics, Catholic teaching, and abortion. Pro-Choice Catholicism 101: Listening to Your Conscience will outline how it is possible to be both pro-choice and Catholic – and how the vast majority of Catholics support comprehensive reproductive healthcare services.  Continue reading →

PPAA Endorses Penny Kotterman for Superintendent of Public Instruction

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Planned Parenthood Advocates for Arizona has endorsed Penny Kotterman for Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Kotterman began her career as a high school teacher in Illinois, before moving to Arizona to teach Special Education. She has also taught journalism and English, and taught students at all grade levels. She was president of the Arizona Education Association for six years, during which time she worked with governors Janet Napolitano and Jane Hull. She has long been a supporter of teacher accountability, and has helped shape policies that require teacher compensation to reflect performance. Kotterman was a member of the National Education Association’s Professional Standards and Practices committee, which develops NEA teacher performance policies, for six years.

Kotterman does not believe in what she calls “quick fixes” to education issues. Because of her close involvement with all levels of education, both as a leader and a teacher, Kotterman knows Arizona’s system from every angle. She has been involved in education for over twenty years, and knows how to use that experience to Arizona’s benefit. She plans to focus on improving teacher quality, student standardized test scores, and graduation rates. She believes music and art programs are extremely important in public schools, and opposes state budget cuts to education.

At a time when Arizona’s teen pregnancy rate is higher than ever, and politicians continue to oppose comprehensive sexual education, it is very important to elect a pro-choice superintendant to office. Arizona does not legally require sexuality education in public schools. If a district does decide to teach it, they must fulfill certain state requirements. Abstinence must be pushed as the socially acceptable form of behavior. Educators are not allowed to inform students of safe sex practices for gay and lesbian couples.  Continue reading →

Women for Goddard Say Goddard Is For Women

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Editor’s note: For an in-depth interview with Terry Goddard, 2014 candidate for secretary of state, please click here.

Did you know that women are the majority of voters in the United States? In fact, there were 10 million more women voters than men in the 2008 election. Why is it, then, that women only make up 17 percent of Congress? And why is it that issues such as women’s health continue to be relegated to the back burner?

Arizona is an interesting state, because we actually have a long history of women serving in political office here, in particular in the governor’s seat. Who can forget Rose Mofford and her sassy beehives? The irony, however, is that having a woman in office does not always mean that women are being fairly represented. Jan Brewer is the perfect example. During her time in office, Jan Brewer has systematically set back women’s rights, especially when it comes to women’s access to reproductive health care services.

A group of community organizers called Women for Goddard is hoping to change the political climate. They are mobilizing 5,000 female voters in support of Terry Goddard’s bid for governor, and they are reaching out to voters who are registered, but who haven’t voted in recent elections. Women for Goddard recently held a phone bank in which 500 volunteers each committed to call 10 women. Each of those volunteers will remain in contact with their voters until the election to make sure that the women get to the polls. The goal is to tip the balance of the scales in favor of Terry Goddard. And they are doing it one phone call at a time. Continue reading →

Cheryl Cage: The Pro-Choice Choice in LD 26

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If you live in Arizona’s Legislative District 26, you have a very important vote to cast for State Senator this November. Candidate Cheryl Cage is running against the incumbent Al Melvin. With your vote for Cage you can have a hand in helping ensure the women of Arizona, in conjunction with their families and doctors, will retain the right to make their own health care decisions, rather than having our state legislature make decisions for them.

Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona has endorsed Cheryl Cage because of her respect for women and her stand on the issues. As a volunteer with Planned Parenthood and a resident in LD 26, I’m very interested in knowing a candidate’s positions on women’s health and reproductive issues, so I asked Cheryl Cage questions about her positions.

Education is at the top of Cheryl Cage’s list of important issues, so I asked if this includes age-appropriate, medically-accurate sex education for the children of this state. Cage understands that “this information is vital for the physical and emotional health of a child.” Arizona has the second highest teen pregnancy rate in the country, yet no legislation supporting “real sex ed” has made it out of committee. With Cheryl Cage in our state senate, I believe comprehensive sex-ed classes stand a chance of being put in place and our state’s teens could be 50% less likely to become pregnant. Continue reading →