Cafeteria Plans Project Launches -

Visit the new website for the first project - workplace equality.

Now here is where you come in - what do you think about cafateria plans? Is equality of benefits something the childfree should be working for? Does your company offer them - are you even 'out' as a childfree person at work? Comment on this post to weigh in.

As always, the offer below stands - you are welcome to participate in the equal pay project as much as you like in whatever form you see fit. We are also looking for contributors to this blog as it concerns this and future projects of Childfree Issues.

Thank you!
Laura Ciaccio

Technorati Tag: childfree

Action Alert: Anti-Birth Control Advocate Appointed Head of Government Family Planning Programs

For those of us who care about choice...

The New York Times calls it a "family planning farce." Syndicated columnist Cynthia Tucker says it's proof that President Bush is continuing "his dogged resistance to reality."

As unbelievable as it sounds, the president has chosen someone who doesn't believe in birth control to be in charge of all the federal government's family planning programs. The New York Times describes Eric Keroack best, saying he's "a doctor affiliated with a group vehemently opposed to birth control and someone nationally known for his wacky theory about reproductive health."

They don't know Planned Parenthood if they think we'll just shake our heads, issue a mild protest, and let it go. We have to take a stand.

We've got to make sure every person in America knows what a ridiculous and dangerous step the Bush administration has taken.

Act right now to sign Planned Parenthood's "This Man Doesn't Believe in Birth Control" protest petition. Go to: http://www.ppaction.org/campaign/keroackpetition2/7duu339qtexkx3?

Starting today, Planned Parenthood is going to plaster the country with" This man doesn't believe in birth control" messages. We're going to reach out far and wide, from coast to coast.

We're going to ask Secretary Leavitt how he can possibly ask for family planning advice from a man who long served as the medical director of A Woman's Concern, a chain of so-called "crisis pregnancy centers" that believes the provision of contraceptive drugs and devices is "demeaning to women."

And by the time we're done, people all across the nation will know what an outrageous step the Bush administration has taken by placing hundreds of millions of federal dollars - meant to provide access to birth control and reproductive health information - in the hands of the leader of an extreme anti-birth control organization.

____________
Jerry Steinberg
Founding Non-Father of NO KIDDING!
The international social club for childless and childfree couples and singles
www.nokidding.net; info@nokidding.net

Technorati Tag: childfree

Request for Contributions -

If you're reading this, it is probably because I or someone else asked you for your contribution to this project. I welcome any and all views and perspectives - no matter which side of the issue you are on. Post your thoughts here - I would be happy to add you to the list of posters if you want to do more than comment. Better yet - e-mail me your creation - be it an essay, article, podcast, YouTube video, graphic or whatever!

The deadline for the project is December 9, so please try to get submissions in by the 7th. If you can't make it by then - no worries! I'll happily include it, as I plan to continue this project specifically, and ChildFree Isses generally, as a personal project.

So here is the description of the project as posted on my course blog:

My project is beginning to take shape. I am sending out a plea to various leaders in the childfree community and asking them to contribute. Although I still have a ways to go, the prototype for the website is here.

The plan is to make the website a collection of information and opinions on cafeteria plans - including sample letters to employers and letters to the editor, arguments on both sides (and responses), the podcast series posted below, and hopefully a discussion via its companion blog.

The blog, Childfree Issues, will hopefully have a mandate to carry on after it serves as the launching place and forum for this one. The idea is to collect discussion on advocacy issues in a single area. While there are great social organizations such as No Kidding already out there, and much discussion on these issues on various childfree discussion board, hopefully this can create a centralized launching pad for more advocacy.

In this vein, I have asked various leaders of No Kidding to participate - including those in Canada who might add an international perspective to what is now a domestic project. Hopefully we will be able to craft this separately, so as not to create a conflict of interest with the group's purely social mandate.

I have also sought, and received assistance from the creators of what I see as the best childfree-related internet projects. This includes Adult Spaces - a podcast that addresses all sorts of childfree issues, UnScripted - the Childfree Life, a high-quality zine with articles about all sorts of topics of interest to the childfree, Purple Women - a team blog with contributions from a range of childfree women and their friends, and the Childless By Choice Project - a massive research project leading to a documentary and a book.

I lost a week due to a death in the family, and was forced to tighten up - I had originally planned to 'play' with different media and create a compilation of different media for the final project. The fact that collaboration is encouraged makes this much easier, and more fun.

Thank you!
Laura Ciaccio

Episode 5

Technorati Tag: childfree

Episode 4 - class project

Technorati Tag: childfree

Episode 3

Technorati Tag: childfree

Episode 2

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The first project for Childfree Issues will be employee benefits. Find out why and how in our new podcast series:

Episode 1

Introduction

Welcome to Childfree Issues - the companion blog to Childfree News. While the idea behind Childree News is simply to post, comment on, and discuss news items, the aim of this space will be to discuss the issues that we face as a community with an eye toward advocacy.

Those wishing to contribute should email laura@childfreenews.com to be given posting access. As always, comments on each week's post are welcome.

This will be a multimedia project, combining posts, podcasts, and video. Submissions of those materials are also welcome.