VOX Proposal

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

" 40 Days for Life." 40 Days for Life. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2012. <http://www.40daysforlife.com>.

"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.

Lewis,  Jone Johnson. "Abortion - History of Abortion in the United States." Women's History - Comprehensive Women's History Research Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <http://womenshistory.about.com/od/abortionuslegal/a/abortion.htm>.

"VOX UCF." Facebook. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2012. <http://www.facebook.com/groups/2200915873/>.