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Issue 47
June 2019
Kinky Boots Theater Party Aug. 23 -
Wild Shoes, Fun, and Helping Women

Get your tickets today for the Aug. 23 party and performance of Kinky Boots at Playhouse on the Square to benefit the Memphis Area Women’s Council.

Tickets are just $50 and include your seat for the Tony Award-winning musical, luscious food and wacky contests including Kinkiest Boots, Prettiest Pumps and Dizziest Stilettos. Watch our for a special award for "Best Bling" - make this your night to shine!

Season ticket holders - come to this party for Kinky Boots and hold your subscription seats for other great POTS performances.

Can't attend yourself? Buy a ticket for a survivor of gender violence and send her/him/them or let us find a guest for you.

Click here to reserve your tickets today.
Women, Whiskey and Chocolate POSTPONED
Due to unavoidable circumstances, the Women, Whiskey and Chocolate event set for June 27 has been postponed and will not take place at ANF Architects this week.

Please mark your calendars now for the new date: Jan. 30, 2020 at ANF Architects, 1500 Union.
Emeritus Board Member Dr. Owen Phillips Testifies Before Congressional Subcommittee
Dr. Owen Phillips, obstetrician-gynecologist, geneticist and MAWC board member emeritus, testified in a hearing held by the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary on June 4.

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Memphis) chaired the hearing held by the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties that explored the question of threats to reproductive rights in America.

Owen spoke on barriers to care faced by women due to new restrictive legislation. In questioning, she shared difficulties that arise as physicians weigh decisions about care of the “patient in front of them” – the pregnant woman - and impact on the pregnancy and how time spent on those decisions can impact maternal health and morbidity.

We encourage you to watch the entire hearing .

In her closing comment, Owen said, “Most of my patients may have medical indications for pregnancy termination, but in my experience every woman who makes this decision has a reason. Abortion is a part of healthcare and should remain safe, accessible and legal and without political interference. I agree with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommendation that existing restrictive abortion laws “should be immediately repealed.” These laws do not seek to make abortion safer. They instead seek to punish the health care systems and doctors who provide abortion care and above all to punish the women who seek abortion services. The decision to have an abortion should be the woman’s decision in consultation with
her doctor. Period.”
Other (Good) News
From Around the Web
One we want to see more and more and more: The National Institutes of Health director said he would no longer appear on all-male panels at public scientific meetings. Francis S. Collins
said that it is time to end “manels” and that more effort must be made to include women and other underrepresented people in speaking engagements.

One all of us can support: In continuing to drive awareness, fight for “menstruation equality”, and bust the taboo of menstruation beyond their Academy Award-winning 26-minute documentary Period. End of Sentence., the filmmakers have created The Pad Project, a California non-profit corporation. They note, “Our biggest hope is to get as many people as involved as possible, so that no girl will ever have to miss school because of her period again (which happens in low-income areas in the United States as well, which we also raise money for).” The film tells the story of women who joined together in a village in India to create menstrual pads. As is said in the film: When a girl gets her period in the United States, she may miss a class. When a girl gets her period in a developing country, she may never go to school again. A period should end a sentence, not a girl’s education. But, unfortunately, that’s exactly what’s happening all over the world.” 

One to get us ready: Elizabeth Warren has written 11 books, and Kirsten Gillibrand speaks fluent Mandarin. Still, we hear much more about how Beto O’Rourke likes to read, and how Pete Buttigieg speaks Norwegian. So says Dr. Lori Sokol, executive director of Women’s eNews, who promises that a new series called The Ovary Office will “counterbalance the patriarchal slant that currently exists in much of the mainstream media. While there are six Democratic women vying to become the party’s presidential nominee, their male counterparts have attained about 80% of the media’s coverage, thus drowning out women’s platforms and their viability as presidential candidates.” Watch The Ovary Office for a different narrative.

We also recommend: From the Barbara Lee Family Foundation, Gender on the Ballot, an online resource to “provide the public with real-time, expert analysis of gender dynamics and their effects on key races up and down the ballot. We’ll respond to breaking news and go beyond the headlines, diving deep into the complicated role gender plays in politics and how we reward, punish, and police it.” Find it at https://www.genderontheballot.org/


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