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NAPW Law Student Writing Competition 2008-2009 Academic School Year. $1,000 first prize

Issues of concern to pregnant and birthing women have often been missing from discussion in law school courses and among reproductive rights activists. Thanks in large part to public education efforts by writers, filmmakers, and community activists, there is an unprecedented amount of attention and momentum surrounding the rights of pregnant and birthing women. To advance these efforts further, NAPW has developed two writing contests. NAPW and numerous Co-Sponsors and Supporters (to be announced) hope that these contests will leverage the enthusiasm and creativity of a new generation of feminist legal scholars and spark critical thinking about the need to address childbirth and birthing rights as constitutional and human rights issues.

The first contest asks for a critical analysis of the absence of birthing rights issues from gender discrimination and feminist jurisprudence textbooks and curricula (in fact, none of the top three casebooks used in law school courses dedicated to gender and the law address the issue of childbirth or midwifery). The second contest asks students to develop legal theories that can be used to challenge policies banning pregnant women from having a vaginal birth after a prior caesarean section (VBAC). This topic will encourage students to address a growing problem that has received very little attention from the feminist legal community both in academia and within the leading women's rights legal advocacy organizations.

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NAPW in New York Times, Honored at Ms. Foundation Event

On Wednesday night, NAPW was recognized by the Ms. Foundation for Women, along with Sisterhood Mobilized for AIDS Research and Treatment (SMART) and FIERCE, the only membership-based organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth of color in the country. The event, co-hosted by Gloria Steinem, Caroline's comedy-club owner Caroline Hirsch and Ms. Foundation President and CEO, Sara K. Gould, was an evening of sisterly fun and celebration as prominent comedians, such as Suzanne Whang, host of HGTV's House Hunters, serving as event Emcee, Kristen Schaal, well-known "Senior" Women's Correspondent for the Daily Show, and Marina Franklin, of Chapelle's Show fame, to name a few, engaged the audience with sharp comedy smartly presented in a feminist context. "The need for humor and hope to spur us on," according to Ms. Foundation President Sara K. Gould, "has never been greater." more »

Honored by The National Women's Health Network: Continuing the Legacy of Activist, Barbara Seaman

Last night I had the privilege of receiving a National Women’s Health Network’s Barbara Seaman Award for Activism in Women's Health. The National Women’s Health Network created this award to honor one of their founders, Barbara Seaman. Barbara died this year after a lifetime of research, activism, courage and love. The room was filled with Barbara’s family, friends, and allies. I never had the privilege of meeting Barbara, but knew about some of her work, including her book, The Doctor’s Case Against the Pill. This book and her activism exposed the serious health dangers posed especially by the first generation of the birth control pill. Indeed, Barbara Seaman’s work probably saved my own mother’s life. more »

NAPW -- Open Letter to Governor Palin

Colorado's Proposed Ballot Measure Bad for ALL Pregnant Women

An Invitation -- Not a Blog!

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