Erika Saeb
Meredith Tweed
WST 3015-002
16 February 2012
Proposal
for VOX
Contact
information:
Title
of proposal: VOX service learning community partners, spring
2012.
Name
of community partner: VOX
Group
members: Erika S, Lydia H, Scott V, Kelsey G
Community
partner profile:
Name:
VOX, Voices of Planned Parenthood
Contact:
Alexa Nelen
Community
partner mission statement:
“Vox:
Voices for Planned Parenthood-UCF chapter exists to educate the
University community about reproductive health and rights, to
translate increased awareness into pro-choice activism on campus, and
to serve as a coalition partner to state, national, and international
reproductive rights efforts” (VOX UCF).
Political/and
or social basis for organization:
VOX
strives to obtain equal reproductive justice for women. VOX works
with Planned Parenthood to help achieve this goal. Equal reproductive
rights for women are being threatened by a number of political
initiatives in which Planned Parenthood is opposed to. Some current
concerns that will be addressed this semester are: birth control
refusal under the affordable health care act, pro-life protests at
the Planned Parenthood clinics, general access to sex education and
contraception.
Community
partner needs:
Many
of Vox’s activities are reactions to things that are going on
politically therefore, the organizations needs may not be known that
far in advance. Some of the organizations immediate requests include:
People
to solicit donations for the “Lets Talk About Sex” event. This
is a benefit event that has a lot of raffle prizes, games, and
music. We have been asked to go to businesses and ask for donations
for the event.
Clinic
escorting-We will be helping patients safely enter Planned
Parenthood when protestors are present. Training is necessary for
this and VOX will provide this later on in the semester.
Tabling
outside of the student union- A table is set up in which members of
VOX inform students who approach the table about safe sex, current
reproductive issues, any questions they may have. VOX also has
condoms readily available for students.
Plan
Proposal:
VOX,
as Voices for Planned Parenthood (VOX), are primarily concerned with
helping college-aged students know about their reproductive health
and rights. One way they are planning to raise awareness for their
cause is to do tabling outside the student union. Here volunteers
would inform other students about issues concern reproductive health
and issues that are threatening it. They will also promote safe sex
and hand out condoms to students who feel they need it.
Another
events for this semester include “clinic escorting,” where
volunteers from VOX help patients safely enter into Planned
Parenthood Facilities when protestors are present. This event not
only helps patients receive their needs but it also raise awareness
or pro-choice activism. And then, their largest event of the year,
“Let's Talk about Sex, Baby!” is high energy fundraiser that is
an effort to promote a woman’s right to her body. People donate
money and participate in wild events, such as, the Wheel
of Fornication and Vibrator-Racing challenge
(VOX).
As
part of my service learning, my fellow group members and I will
devoted time to each of these events throughout the remainder of the
semester. People should have the right to decide what to do with
their own bodies and not let ignorance cloud their judgment. Groups
like VOX help promote only pro-choice activism but also woman’s
health and safe sex. Even if we do not see it every day, these issues
are highly important in today's society and the more educated we are
about sex, the better decisions we will make.
Rationale
for Women’s Studies:
By
trying to promote reproductive health and rights, VOX relates to
Women's studies in a number of fields, but in particular women's
rights to their bodies. Reproductive health is a very sensitive topic
to people from all walks of life: feminists, religious organizations,
government parties, and interest groups. In the past, women of the
United States were treated as if they were the property of their
husbands and had no rights to decide what they were allowed to do
with their own bodies. Abortion, for example, became illegal in the
1820's after four months of pregnancy. Many feminists, such as Susan
B. Anthony, wrote against women having abortion. She believed that if
women were achieve freedom, there would be no need for it (Lewis).
However by the 1900 the Comstock Law made abortion illegal unless if
it was to save the life of the mother (Kirk-Okazawa-Rey 213). Later
feminists defended safe and effective birth control as another way to
prevent abortion (Lewis). And by 1965, all fifty states had banned
abortion, only to allow it for extreme situations. Women who become
desperate turned to illegal and unsafe options, such back alley
abortion, which many women died from. And then in 1973, Roe
vs. Wade
made abortion legal under certain guidelines.( Kirk-Okazawa-Rey
213).
The
history of reproductive health is long, complex and full of mixed
emotions. Abortion in particular is a very difficult to go through. A
woman's decision to choose to end the life of her child is not an
easy one to make. But, in the end it is her
decision
to make. If the unthinkable were to happen, people have the right to
know
there are options out there. But for the past thirty-five years,
well-funded anti-abortion groups have worked to undermine and
overturn the right to abortion (Kirk-Okazawa-Rey 214). They tried to
advocate non-effective programs such as abstinence and never relaying
information about safe sex. Unfortunately, they have become a huge
political force in recent years and might subjugate a new generation
of women from not understanding their rights and the realities of
safe sex. If this happens there might be a reactionary effect and
women will be forced to go into unsafe and exterme options, like the
back alley abortions. So, with a groups like VOX and Planned
Parenthood, it gives women access to information they might not
receive in their own environment. They have to know that even if they
do not want to get an abortion, there are safe sex options, birth
control pills and even adoption should a women choose not to keep her
child. It is unfair for women to even have to question their
decisions about what they do with their bodies and it should remain a
private affair within the family.
Action:
We
have met with Alexa Nelen, the president of VOX at UCF. She is aware
that we are available for service learning and has made some requests
in regards to getting donations for “Lets Talk About Sex.” We
will continue to attend meetings throughout the semester and respond
to needs as they become apparent.
Timeline:
Again,
new needs will arise as the semester progresses, so a full timeline
is not possible at this time. Some presently known events include:
“40
Days of Life,” a 40-day sustained nationwide protest targeting
Planned Parenthood clinics, will last from February 22nd through
April 1st. There will be a recurring need for clinic escorting
throughout this event.
A
training session for clinic escorting will occur “in the coming
weeks,” according to meeting notes from VOX’s Facebook group.
“Let’s
Talk About Sex, Baby,” which will happen “sometime in March”
according to VOX’s website.
Tabling
will occur throughout the semester.
Works Cited
"Events
- VOX: Voices for Planned Parenthood at UCF." VOX:
Voices for Planned Parenthood at UCF - About.
N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <http://www.VOXUCF.org/events.html>.
Kirk,
Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. Women's
lives: multicultural perspectives.
3rd ed. Boston, Mass.: McGraw-Hill, 2004. Print.
