Women need to take back the contraception debate
Women need to take back the contraception debate. The fact that there is a “debate” at all shows you how firmly the Religious Right has grabbed the reins and steered this conversation. Even supposedly objective reporters seem to be covering the story using the basic terms of the debate as put forth by the Right. (See for example, Newsweek’s cover story, “The Politics of Sex” by Andrew Sullivan.)
I utterly reject the way the health insurance/contraception issue is being discussed. Of course last week many women saw just how biased the discussion was when Congress convened a panel of religious men to discuss women’s reproductive rights. The panel was called “Lines Crossed: Separation of Church and State. Has the Obama Administration Trampled on Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Conscience?”
Among the witnesses invited by [Congressman Darrell] Issa to attend the hearing was a representative of the Catholic bishops, who oppose the Obama administration “accommodation” on birth-control coverage. Joining them are many other men of other religions. Not invited, complained Democrats, were representatives from the Catholic Health Association, which is run by a woman and actually runs the Catholic hospitals, nor Catholic Charities, both of which said Friday they supported the president’s plan.
Ranking committee member Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., wanted to invite third-year Georgetown Law Center student Sandra Fluke to testify, telling Issa it was important to have at least one woman at the witness table because the issue involved health repercussions for women. Read Fluke’s full testimony here.
Issa’s staff sent a letter to the Democrats, saying, “As the hearing is not about reproductive rights but instead about the administration’s actions as they relate to freedom of religion and conscience, he believes that Ms. Fluke is not an appropriate witness.”
“It was just crushing to hear the chairman’s reason to not allow my testimony,” Fluke told ABC News. “I can understand that [the issue] is connected to religion, but I don’t understand how you can have an open conversation without hearing from the women who have been personally affected by this.”
Cummings, the ranking Democrat, and Maloney asked Issa to reconsider and let Fluke testify, noting she was in the audience, when the hearing got underway Thursday.
“It was staggering to sit there and feel like this panel of men was going to talk about my health and women like me,” Fluke said. “It felt so very wrong.”
Of course this discussion was about women’s reproductive rights and that is the frame we need to take back. Reproductive health care IS women’s health care and if you are in the business of providing health insurance, you need to cover it fully. America decided long ago that contraception is utterly mainstream as demonstrated by the fact that almost every woman uses it, for any number of reasons–none of which are anyone’s business except between a woman, her doctor, and her family if she chooses to discuss her health with them.
Megan Wood on Salon.com has an excellent interview with historian Nancy L. Cohen, author of the new book Delirium: How the Sexual Counterrevolution is Polarizing America. Cohen came up with the term counterrevolution because “I think what’s been missing from the debate about why American politics are so polarized and really, frankly, so insane these days is this recognition that there has been a concerted, organized movement to turn back the changes brought about by the sexual revolution: feminism and gay rights. And it seemed to be logical to coin a term to talk about this broad shadow movement that’s been effecting our politics for 40 years.” She also encourages Democratic politicians to take a principled stand on women’s issues, and stop being afraid of talking about these issues politically. The numbers are in our favor with “sexual fundamentalists” being outnumbered 2 or 3 to 1 in the electorate.
So let’s keep talking, raising our voices, and refusing to be silenced or excluded from these debates. The more people like Darrell Issa try to shut us out, the more the intolerant right exposes just how extreme, controlling and misogynistic their agenda really is.
You can take action and sign on to a letter to Congress from MomsRising.org by following this link.
“Join us in demanding that the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hold a new hearing—and this time have a meaningful representation of women and mothers!”
Why I can’t afford to have another baby as a member of the sandwich generation
This week I am truly seething just thinking about the efforts to restrict women’s access to contraception. Wasn’t this a battle we fought and won almost 50 years ago? Who are old white men to dictate a woman’s reproductive choices? The talking heads, pundits, policymakers and Bishops sure don’t appear to have many women among them.
As for policy I would say emphatically that if you are in a position of providing health care or health insurance, you must provide all of the safe and legal reproductive health care that a woman or man would need. For women in particular, reproductive health care is often our main need for health care and the issue that gets us into the doctor’s office on a regular basis. The truth is that women have all sorts of reasons for their reproductive choices, and I believe firmly that none of these decisions should be anyone else’s business besides a woman and her doctor and any family and friends she chooses to involve.
You would think that at age 43 and married for 15 years, this might be a hypothetical issue for me, or one that I would only be worried about for my daughter’s generation, but it’s not. In my case, it has been incredibly clear to me lately that I cannot afford to have another child. Not for financial reasons, but because of where I am in my life and the incredible pressures I have been under. For the past two years, I have been not a “stay-at-home Mom” but rather practically a “stay-at-home-adult-caregiving daughter.” Starting in March 2010, my life as I knew it started to fall apart. My father fell ill suddenly and needed intense attention (especially since my parents were divorced and I am an only child), then immediately after I had gotten him moved and settled, my mother got critically ill and lived only seven weeks before passing away. I took care of my mother for those intense seven weeks, which was both an honor and a sad, immense life milestone. Some days, I feel like I will always divide my life into Before and After losing my mother, who was my confidante, support system and my best friend. And, in addition to the emotional transitions, a year and a half later, I am still finishing up my work as the executor of her estate. And now, my husband is learning what it means to be a sandwich-generation son averting a crisis by finding care for his mother and helping her relocate nearby.
All the caregiving energy I have is going into my family members including my father and mother-in-law, as well as my daughter. I cannot afford the stress, physical demands, or sleep loss of mothering another child. I am 43 and I am moving on to another stage of my life, and I am thrilled to be the mother of an almost-teenager. I can’t imagine starting all over with another baby until I am ready to be a grandma, a decade or more from now. And ironically, my husband and I would have welcomed a second child with open arms up until I turned 40, but we were apparently suffering from “secondary infertility,” which means that we had no trouble getting pregnant the first time (3 months of trying), but were never able to get pregnant a second time (5 years of trying). I say ironically, because the medical consensus is that even if we were probably infertile and could not count on having more children, there was always a chance that I could become pregnant, so if we decided that our family was complete, we would need to use birth control. Because of additional medical benefits, I chose a contraceptive that was both expensive and would be outlawed by “personhood” laws that have been backed by conservatives including two Presidential contenders, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich. Santorum has very specifically, directly opposed contraception even for married couples. All of which makes me ask, what country am I living in? What year? What planet? Of course if people don’t want to use birth control that is their personal decision but where do they get off telling other people what to do? I feel like we have lost all sense of what responsibility and accountability means when employers talk about offering birth control as part of an insurance plan as an infringement of their own religious beliefs. No one has to use birth control and offering heath insurance does not mean that you endorse the personal choices that people make under that health care plan–again, important health care decisions of all kinds are not anybody’s business except a patient and her/his doctor.
Why am I telling you these personal details? Because life is complicated, and women are smart and thoughtful people who deserve to be trusted. Because I am angry and outraged that anyone would try to come between me and my health care in such a personal, imperative part of my life. Because it is absolutely essential that women to keep speaking up–the Susan Komen-Planned Parenthood funding backlash shows that a spark is there, that women will speak up against the War on Women [see also NY Times] which has really gotten out of control. Because the media coverage of the latest controversies about birth control has lacked the personal, grassroots voices that bubbled up so effectively and suddenly in response to the Komen controversy. Real women with real-life concerns need to reclaim our stories and stand up for what we need, every day. What do you have to say?
Girl’s Escape from Kidnapper Shows the Power of “One Strong Move” to Stop Assault
The media are abuzz with news of second-grader Brittney Baxter successfully fighting off her would-be kidnapper by kicking and screaming until he let her go. What are the ongoing lessons of this incident? Irene van der Zande and I share our thoughts as seen through the lens of Kidpower teaching:
Girl’s Escape from Kidnapper Shows the Power of “One Strong Move” to Stop Assault
Self-defense organization Kidpower teaches real-world safety skills for kids
Feb 10, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) — When seven-year old Brittney Baxter was grabbed in the toy aisle at Wal-Mart by a stranger who attempted to carry her away, she kicked and screamed until he let her go and fled the scene. This petite second-grader saved herself from the grip of a convicted killer, Thomas Woods, who was later caught and arrested. The security-camera video of Brittney’s escape has captivated and worried parents across the nation. It is of course terrible news that someone would try to abduct a child, but a powerful example to see that even a small child can put up a powerful physical resistance to an attack.
What can parents and families learn from this experience? Self-defense organization Kidpower teaches children many ways to protect themselves from safety problems that range from stranger abduction to the more common occurrence of being bothered by people we know. In a case such as Brittney’s, Kidpower teaches that “one strong move” can create an opening that will allow a child to run to safety and get help, escaping even high-stakes situations such as this attempted abduction.”
Kidpower founder and executive director Irene van der Zande says, “Brittney’s courage, instant reaction, and fighting spirit show that a kid doesn’t have to be able to beat up an adult in a street fight or spend years studying kung fu in order to fight back effectively. Her escape shows the importance of preparing young people to take charge of their safety so that they know what to do if someone tries to harm them.
Van der Zande shares three lessons from the attempted kidnapping incident:
– Physical self-defense can be powerful and effective, but must be taught in a safe and structured setting. Kidpower offers workshops that teach physical self-defense by guiding children through targeted skills and teaching them to use these skills only in case of emergency, when they do not have the choice to leave a dangerous situation. If they can leave or escape, they should do that without getting into a physical fight.
– There is a powerful tool that you carry with you at all times–your voice. Parents can practice strong voices with their kids. Practice saying a short, sharp “No” that comes from the belly rather than up in the throat. You can make this a fun practice with kids, going back and forth taking turns saying “No,” starting out softly then getting louder. Kids can be surprised to see how powerful their voices really are. In an emergency situation, kids can yell, “No! I need help! This is not my father!” as they also put up physical resistance. Attackers are looking for situations where they can operate without drawing attention to themselves, so in many cases, a strong vocal resistance will be enough to get an attacker to flee.
– Brittney’s mother was not very far away from her in the store, but when kids are out of sight of their adult in charge, they are “on their own” for that moment. They should be taught to “check first” with their grownups before talking to a stranger or taking anything from a stranger, in addition to the emergency skills of physical and verbal resistance.
Irene van der Zande has been through this experience herself. She founded Kidpower in 1989 after she protected a group of children, including her own, from a man threatening to kidnap them. She was able to stop the attack by shouting at the man and enlisting bystanders to help her. Through her work at Kidpower, more than two million people worldwide have learned self-defense skills.
Amy Tiemann, Ph. D. is a Senior Program Leader for Kidpower and van der Zande’s writing partner for their new collaboration, Doing Right By Our Kids: Protecting Child Safety at All Levels of Society. Tiemann says, “Every child deserves to grow up feeling safe and valued. Talking to kids about safety doesn’t have to be scary. If done right, it’s both fun and empowering for kids.”
Kidpower offers workshops in many locations across the country, and extensive free resources available online. To learn more, visit www.Kidpower.org .
About Kidpower
Kidpower Teenpower Fullpower International is an educational nonprofit organization founded in Santa Cruz, California in 1989. Kidpower’s mission is to teach people of all ages and abilities, especially children in need, to use their power to stay safe, act wisely, and believe in themselves. Experts highly recommend the Kidpower method for being positive, practical, and relevant for children, teenagers, and adults from many different cultures.
Around the world to get back home again
I had a vivid dream last night that has stuck with me. I was at a school event, a picnic for all the kids from ages 2 to 12, with parents attending in a watching and helping role. Despite my desire to be helpful and enjoy the event, I was feeling very frazzled, and I sat down at a picnic table to collect myself. Another mother asked me to take a muffin to her son, and I said I would, but then I ate the muffin without even being aware what I had done. I felt incredibly guilty over this transgression, eating a kid’s lunch! Then the woman who had given me the muffin asked me kindly what was going on with me, and I became at once the frazzled mom and the teacher who had something wise to share. I told her that we needed to make a small shift in the direction of our lives, but the difficult thing was that in order to make a small shift, like five feet to the left, we would actually have to go all the way around the world and come to rest five feet to the the left of where we started.
The dream felt profound, a little bit like Dorothy going to Oz and coming home again. Our experiences change us and the way we see home, even if we end up almost right back where we started. I can definitely relate that to the growing up life events that I have encountered in my early forties, as I have experienced the shift of taking care of my parents as well as my daughter and husband.
I woke up wondering what Karen Maezen Miller would think of this dream. I’ll see if I can get her to comment!
Parents: here’s a positive step you can take today to prevent child abuse
This week I feel completely overwhelmed by all the bad news about child abuse that is happening all at once. Between the Miramonte School abuse case and Josh Powell murdering of his sons, not to mention the continuing discussions about the Penn State abuse scandal and others, it can feel like too much to take in and process. But we as parents can’t afford to shut down, either. Tonight there is a positive and productive step you can take, a training that I highly recommend: Kidpower and the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) have teamed up to create webinar training on Fighting Child Abuse in Sports. tonight’s webinar is taking place at 9 pm ET/6 pm PT and is aimed directly at parents.
Register now for this free, important training.
Information on Fighting Sex Abuse in Youth Sports
PCA believes the safety of all youth must be a primary focus of all individuals associated with youth sports. Late 2011 allegations of child sex abuse against prominent coaches and youth sports leaders have heightened concerns about the safety of youth sports.
We all, as leaders in the youth sports community, have the opportunity and obligation to make a difference – to do all we can to protect the kids in our programs by intentionally and deliberately creating organizational prevention measures, reporting policies and procedures for dealing with reports of abuse.
Please join PCA Founder and CEO, Jim Thompson, as he moderates a discussion with two experts in the field of child abuse prevention: Mike Town and Irene van der Zande. Mike is a former trial judge involved in many child advocacy cases, a youth sports coach, PCA workshop leader, and current law professor. Irene is the Founder and Executive Director of Kidpower, a global leader in personal safety and violence prevention, which trains youth leaders, parents, educators, and other caring adults in how to protect children from harm and empower them with skills.
Come learn answers to questions such as:
1. What do I need to watch out for?
2. How can I protect my kids?
3. What can I teach them about protecting themselves?
This live, interactive webinar is geared towards parents, and would also provide useful information to other adults such as coaches or teachers.
NOTE: This webinar is NOT for Children
Doing Right by Our Kids–empowering parents to be child safety and abuse prevention advocates
It has taken me a few weeks to get my feet on the ground in the New Year, but I am excited about 2012. I an writing a new book with Kidpower co-founder Irene van der Zande, Doing Right by Our Kids: Protecting Child Safety at All Levels of Society. I have been doing much of my blogging over at www.DoingRightByOurKids.com and I encourage you to follow my evolving work there, as Irene and I craft a new book and involve readers in the process. We just can’t wait to start sharing key skills and information with you, so online outreach will pave the way for the book.
Irene and I have been committed to the core idea of “Protecting Child Safety at All Levels of Society” from the inception of this project, but it was a bit hard to explain until the Penn State abuse scandal broke last fall. Now people understand why parents need to know what to do to prevent abuse AND that schools, faith communities, sports teams, and all child-serving organizations need to be actively involved as well. Secrecy and silence is so much a part of the cultural umbrella that allows abuse to happen that I have truly come to believe that if you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. Doing Right by Our Kids will give you many tools to be part of the solution and to gather allies to create grassroots pressure “up” the ladder of command when you need organizations to be more aware and involved. We empower kids as well, drawing on the skills that Kidpower has already taught to over two million people worldwide, and beyond that, the new book will emphasize the organizational change and cultural change that is needed to allow children to truly move with safety and confidence through society.
One thing I really love about Kidpower is that it is so positive. I don’t think I could spend years of my life just fighting against a negative. Working as a Kidpower instructor allows me to fight against abuse while teaching kids safety skills in a positive, effective, realistic way that operates through success rather than fear. I highly recommend Kidpower workshops for EVERYONE. However, this year I am stepping back from my own role of teaching workshops in order to write the news book and create other resources that can reach hundreds and thousands of people at once, rather than 10-20 people at a time. Our book project is evolving at a good time, as Kidpower has launched the One Million Safer Kids Campaign, which DoingRightByOurKids.com is participating in as an official partner.
Since last July, the campaign has already reached over 155,000 children!
So keep your eyes on MojoMom.com for news and updates related to all of my work–I will be doing a renovation to the website for 2012 to bring all my writing and teaching interests into one site. And in the meantime, I hope you will check out what we are offering through DoingRightByOurKids.com and all the resources offered by Kidpower’s One Million Safer Kids campaign.
No Forced Kisses for Your Kids: A Holiday Safety Tip for Families
Cross posted from the blog at DoingRightByOurKids.com, my new site co-created with Kidpower Executive Director Irene van der Zande.
As parents well know, the holiday season is both incredibly exciting and potentially overwhelming for kids, sometimes all rolled together into one. At gatherings with families and friends, expectations about affection, attention, and teasing can create unnecessary stress and discomfort. By accepting our children’s different personalities and thinking through our boundaries ahead of time, we can teach our kids important life skills and make holiday parties and reunions more fun.
Most of us can remember being pressured to just “suffer through it” from our own childhoods. Who doesn’t recall being forced to kiss “Great Aunt Edna” as a kid, or getting scratched by Uncle Bob’s beard as he leaned in for a squeeze? Or, being told to just ignore the teasing and roughhousing of our cousins?
As a mother, I can relate to the embarrassment that a parent might feel when a child doesn’t want to give a big hug to Grandma when she walks in the door—especially if Grandma has been eagerly anticipating the visit for weeks and months. But through my work teaching personal safety as a Kidpower instructor, I have learned that supporting our children when they set boundaries is a very important practice.
Backing up a child who doesn’t want to be kissed or hugged does not mean that Grandma, or Great Aunt Edna, or Uncle Bob or Cousin Sara are doing anything wrong, but it does demonstrate that touch and play for affection or fun is your child’s choice in all situations. The holidays are a perfect time to work on “boundary setting” with our kids, so they feel confident and empowered as they move through different ages and stages of life.
When possible, try to bring relatives into this conversation ahead of time, letting them know that you are practicing with the kids to help them learn to set boundaries—and who better to practice with than people who know and care about the kids. That way, when a child sets a boundary with Grandma, she can feel that she’s part of a positive practice rather than left out. Some parents report that this is a difficult conversation to have, but I maintain that is an important one, and an opportunity for meaningful dialogue and exploration. Many parents feel that their culture has expectations the children show adults respect through affection. At Kidpower, we have found that this is truly a cross-cultural phenemonea across a wide variety of backgrounds, and an issue that is worth addressing: how can we come up with ways for children to show respect to ther elders in ways that feel nurturing and respectful to the child as well? One point I like to emphasize about child safety is to ask “How can we expect our children to set clear boundaries about touch when they are on their own, if we do not support them in doing so when we are together with our families, standing right there in a position to advocate for our kids and back them up?” In practice, this may be as simple (yet powerful) as saying, “Do you want to give Grandma a hug, a high-five, a kiss, or a wave? ….Not right now? Okay… Maybe you’ll want to blow a kiss or do a high-five later.”
Some kids are social butterflies and will thrive on the opportunities to be the center of attention. Be prepared to help them to notice the boundaries of others and to remember to follow your safety rules about Checking First before changing the plan, even in a family gathering. Other children are more reserved and are best off being allowed to warm up at their own pace. They might need your involved advocacy to redirect unwanted attention away from them and your help in setting boundaries when well-meaning adults try to pressure them.
Even if a relative is offended when a child does not want to kiss or hug them, this is an important time to keep in mind the bottom line—kids need to learn from an early age that touch or play for affection and fun should be the choice of BOTH people, safe, allowed by the adults in charge, and not a secret. These core safety rule should be respected in all situations.
Touch or play for affection and fun should be the choice of BOTH people, safe, allowed by the adults in charge, and not a secret.
It’s confusing for kids to try to set aside their feelings of discomfort for certain kinds of affection or teasing in the name of good manners, since it gives young people a contradictory message about their boundaries. Keep in mind Kidpower’s founding principle: A child’s safety and healthy self-esteem are more important than ANYONE’s embarrassment, inconvenience, or offense. Or, more simply stated: Put Safety First.
Here are additional Kidpower resources about how to use boundaries to make our holiday gatherings truly joyful:
Holiday Boundaries: Protecting Children’s Boundaries and Helping Others Do the Same
Why Affection and Teasing Should be a Child’s Choice [link to: http://www.kidpower.org/resources/articles/childs-choice.html]
Holiday Power – Take Charge of Emotional Safety During the Holidays
Amazon.com needs to add parental controls to the new Kindle Fire
I just set up the new Kindle Fire from Amazon.com and one of the first things I noticed while trying it out is that the new “free streaming video” feature for Amazon Prime customers does not have parental controls. R-rated movies and are available for unlimited free instant download. On the television offerings, you have Sesame Street and Arthur available alongside Lost, 24 and HBO shows like The Tudors. This programming is available without any login or password as long as the Kindle Fire is registered to an Amazon.com Prime customer. With this device, Amazon has gone beyond making an e-reader to take on the tablet computer market by offering and attractive $199 competitor to the iPad.
Amazon needs to make customizable parental controls available to sort this all out in a common-sense way. Lost is my favorite series of all time but it doesn’t mean I think my kid is ready to watch it. I am all for free streaming video but make it possible for to me organize content in a way that makes sense for my family! This is not rocket science and am I disappointed that Amazon is so behind the curve on this one, possibly in the rush to get the Kindle Fire to market for the early waves of holiday shopping. Here is the email I just sent to Amazon.com customer service:
Dear Amazon, I have owned every generation of Kindle device and I rely on it for many purposes, including family reading at home and while traveling. My daughter owns dozens of young adult books for Kindle. After buying the Kindle Fire and playing with it, one of the first things I noticed is that the free streaming video for Amazon Prime customers includes many R-rated movies, available for immediate download. You need to add customizable parental controls to the Kindle Fire. I can’t give it to my daughter with confidence if she’s going to have access to this content when she is reading on her own. There are likely other similar issues with the device that you need to work through as soon as possible. I would suggest a software solution that allows owners to create individual profiles for each user, with password protection and different levels of privileges, including books, video, and internet access (on or off), as well as the ability to purchase products or not.
I am disappointed that you did not think of this before the initial product release, but I will not give the Kindle Fire an instant negative customer review because of it, because I have confidence that you can and will address this problem with a software update.
You deserve a lot of credit for creating, in Kindle, a device that has become an integral part of our family’s life in the last few years. Please take seriously your opportunity and responsibility to keep it that way. I would give my daughter a book to read in private; I would not allow her to have a computer or TV with private access in her bedroom. You need to allow customers to have control of the device, to partition its many functions for family use.
I look forward to your reply, and future action.
Sincerely,
Amy Tiemann, Ph. D.
Prolific Amazon.com customer since 1996, Vine Voice, author, and creator of MojoMom.com and DoingRightByOurKids.com
Cross posted from the DoingRightByOurKids.com blog.
Stay Aware: The Halloween “Trick” that will “Treat” you and your family to safety all year long
As part of its One Million Safer Kids project, Kidpower is reminding parents that the trick to having a fun, safe Halloween is to Stay Aware and to teach your children to do the same. As adults, we need to Stay Aware that:
• Safety does not take a holiday. Don’t let the relaxed atmosphere and distractions of holiday activities fool you into getting trapped by the “Illusion of Safety.” Stay aware of where your children are, whom they are with, and what they are doing.
• Kids need to be reminded of their safety rules. Last Halloween was a year ago, and that’s a long time in the life of a child. Review the rules about trick or treating with your children – and have them repeat the rules back to you. Remind kids to Stay Aware, Stay Together, Check First before they change their plan, and Think First if you are not available. Give kids a plan for how to get help if they get lost.
• People are safer crossing the street when they can see well. Avoid costumes that make it hard to Stay Aware of cars and other hazards.
• Kids need adult supervision to stay safe. Even if your kids really want to, don’t let them go out without adult protection until they have the knowledge and skills they need to take charge of their emotional and physical safety.
• Giving the right answer is not the same as being prepared to make the safest choice. Just knowing what to do is not enough – you also have to be able to do it even if you feel embarrassed, confused, or uncomfortable. Give children and teens opportunities to practice personal safety skills successfully, and show you that they can use them consistently before deciding to let them go anywhere on their own.
For more information, read the full article, Halloween Safety ~ The Kidpower Way: A Grab Bag of Safety Treats and Tricks for Your Family!
And, learn how you can make a difference by joining Kidpower’s new One Million Safer Kids campaign.
I am proud to announce that www.DoingRightByOurKids.com, my online collaboration with Kidpower co-founder Irene van der Zande, is an official partner of the One Million Safer Kids campaign. I hope MojoMom.com readers will also join in the effort!
What you need to know about Fracking in 400 words or less
My previous Mojo Mom blog post was the long version of just about everything I have learned about fracking and why you should care. Here is the nutshell version in 400 words and four illustrations.
This brief description of fracking is adapted from a job description posted by the Citizens Campaign for the Environment in New York State. (Photos and links were added by me):
What is Hydro-Fracking?
To recover natural gas deposits in shale formations…the industry uses a process termed high volume hydraulic fracturing, which uses millions of gallons of water, laced with a cocktail of chemicals, to fracture shale and release gas.
Inherent Risks of Hydro-Fracking
Hydro-fracking activities operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week during production. Volumes of toxic, radioactive, and caustic liquid waste by-products pose storage, treatment, and disposal problems. Regular operations, as well as accidents can adversely impact the environment and public health. Especially problematic is the lack of federal protection for drinking water, air quality, water treatment infrastructure, and landowner liability.
A shale-gas drilling and fracking site in Dimock, Pennsylvania. Photo by Jacques del Conte
Communities from Texas to Pennsylvania have already been impacted from industrial hydro-fracking operations. A peer reviewed study published in the National Academy of Science found water wells near gas wells had 17 times higher methane levels. Families in Dimock, PA live with drinking water contaminated with methane and heavy metals. Blowouts from gas wells have spewed liquid fracking waste into the air and into local streams.
Primary concerns include human and environmental exposure to:
• Radioactivity that is a physical characteristic of Marcellus shale.
• The hazardous cocktail of hydro-fracking chemicals injected into the ground.
• Air pollution from diesel engines, compressor stations, and flaring.
• Brine that is 5x saltier than seawater that can damage freshwater streams and lakes, as well as corrode infrastructure.
• Hazardous liquid and solid waste that is stored on-site, transported on public roads, and disposed of at municipal landfills or sewage treatment plants.
Susan Wallace-Babb, wearing the oxygen mask she has to wear almost every day outside, walks with her dog at home in Winnsboro, Texas, on Sept. 12, 2011. (Erin Trieb for ProPublica)
***
Anti-fracking action seems to be taking place on the state or local level, so consult your local environmental and clean-water organizations to learn more about fracking where you live.
Top 10 Courage Boosters and
Mojo Mom Party Kit, free!
 |
 |
 |
| Find me on Facebook | Follow me on Twitter | RSS Feed |
