Young moms rise up: our fight for reproductive freedom

Submitted by rebex on May 12, 2007 - 3:58pm.
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This session will be on: June 28, 2007 - 3:30pm

It will be held at: Lenox room at the Renaissance Atlanta Hotel Downtown

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Organization Description

GirlMom.com is designed and moderated BY and FOR young mothers. GirlMom.com is a politically progressive, left-aligned, pro-choice, feminist website. Girlmom.com intends to support young mothers, of all backgrounds, in their struggles for reproductive freedom and social support. We believe that all teenagers are sexual beings the ability to love, procreate and nurture. We believe that teenagers have the innate ability to parent well, but are socially conditioned to believe that they are irresponsible and reckless. We believe that such social conditioning often creates a self-fulfilling prophecy, in which teenage parents believe that they cannot parent well and move on to not parent well. We believe that in order to solve the "problems" associated with the "epidemic" of teen pregnancy, we must reassess and change our collective social attitudes towards teenage childbearing. We believe that in order for teen parents to succeed, they must be encouraged to do so and assured that they are capable. Degrading, vilifying, marginalizing, and rejecting teen mothers (as is customary in our society) is counterproductive and illogical. Teen mothers will succeed if allowed the opportunity. When a teenage girl finds herself pregnant it is one of the few times during her life course where she will not only be expected to fail, but socially encouraged to fail. We believe that encouragement and support beget success.

Session Description

We encourage all young mothers to speak loudly and boldly of their experiences and choices, in the hope that young women of future generations will feel more secure in doing the same.

We support any reproductive choice a young woman may make, including aborting a pregnancy, placing a child for adoption or becoming a mother.

We encourage fierce, radical parenting. We support political action and encourage our visitors to involve themselves in their communities and to work towards social change.

We reject all ageism, racism, sexism, classism, and other prejudices and stereotypes.

We are actively working towards creating an equal society, in which the right to bear or to delay bearing children is secured for all and all children are allowed to right to excel and thrive.

We support women receiving public assistance, and feel that no woman should have to justify exercising her legal right to do so.

We support lesbian, queer, bi, trans, and poly mamas and feel that no one should ever have to justify or explain their sexual identity and practices.

We support the right of others to choose to not bear children and expect similar support and respect for our choice to become parents.

We believe in the idea of youth liberation, and feel that teen parents should be freed from social restraints which restrict their ability to parent effectively and independently.

We support and encourage natural parenting (i.e., breastfeeding, cloth diapering...) but respect the right of mothers to choose for themselves how to raise their children.

We encourage debate when it is employed in an effort to open our minds and broaden our horizons. We discourage debate when it silences or tramples over the voices of mothers trying to garner support and advice.

We encourage mothers to continue their educations and earn higher degrees. At the same time, we encourage mothers to make choices for themselves and reject the system that exploits them.

We allow mothers the opportunity to express their opinions, experiences, stories and advice in a safe environment.

We encourage mothers to seek independent employment when possible, to purchase independently produced items, and maintain a DIY philosophy, in order to reject the patriarchal system which oppresses us.


First Name

Rebecca

Last Name

Trotzky Sirr

Contact E-mail

revolution.is.medicine@gmail.com

Proposing Organization

Girlmom

Organization Website

girlmom.com

Event Day

Thursday, June 28th (Consciousness + Awareness Raising / Current Struggles)

Format

Rowdy banter, kids welcome, art

Keywords

Families
Human Rights, Economic, Social, and Cultural
Movement building
Youth

Audience Number

25-50 people

Person Reviewing

Cobb