Received: from localhost (gimenez@localhost) by csf.Colorado.EDU (8.8.4/8.8.4/CNS-4.1p-nh) with SMTP id LAA11270 for ; Wed, 12 Nov 1997 11:05:11 -0700 (MST) Date: Wed, 12 Nov 1997 11:05:10 -0700 (MST) From: Martha Gimenez To: ppn@csf.Colorado.EDU Subject: Birth control Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Dear PPNers, I need your help in locating references about birth control policies in the U.S. , Europe and the developing countries; I also need references about birth control, the workers movements and the women's movement. I have been away from teaching population for several years and lost touch with the literature. I am also PPN's organizer and I would like to bring it back to life! :) Despite the silence there are 168 members of this list waiting silently for something to happen. I assume most of you see yourselves as holding "progressive" views on population issues, meaning you agree with the views expressed in the Welcome message when you joined. We could start exchanging views about your perspectives on population and how they inform your teaching and research. Alternatively, we could start getting to know each other by responding to scholarly SOS messages like this one and by sending brief commentaries on current news about population issues. I intend to do that from now on and hope others will join me. For example, I was reading today in the local paper an editorial by Molly Ivins about an ammendment to the Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill that would "cut off all funding for family planning services all over the world if the organizations that provide family planning also provide abortion services or do any kind of advocacy concerning abortion, even when the money for such activities comes from other sources entirely. This includes multilateral family planning groups and private organizations." This is really appalling, for if this ammendment succeeds, it would have the effect of curtailing contraception programs if they also give information about abortion or if they fund abortions with funds from different sources. This would strengthen the reproductive oppression of women through more unwanted pregnancies and more poorly performed, illegal abortions and more abortion caused deaths. It could also result in higher fertility and even more hardships for the poor for these policies affect only those who lack the means to purchase contraception and obtain safe, albeit illegal abortions. Theoretically, how would we analize the significance of these policies? Looking forward to your views and, hopefully, some references! Cordially, Martha *************************** Martha E. Gimenez Department of Sociology Campus Box 327 University of Colorado at Boulder Boulder, Colorado 80309 Voice: 303-492-7080 Fax: 303-492-5105