Sisters Column

Advice From A Teen Mom

The dream I had at sixteen was marvelous and filled with what I thought success looked like. To me, success meant having the college dorm experience and then moving to a large metropolitan area to work for a fortune 500 company. I envisioned my adult life would consist of working hard and eating strawberries and drinking champagne at swanky business parties. I was a typical starry-eyed teen before ..... I became a pregnant and a mother. My dream shattered, but like the fabled phoenix, new life sprang forth from its demise. From the ashes of my former life, I rebuilt my dream into the one I actually live today. Contrary to what my sixteen year-old-self believed, one can still enjoy strawberries and champagne even if there’s no corner office, or even home office for that matter. One may even enjoy them more if partaking in a stolen moment of indulgence after a long day of parenting.

Sexual Equality? Is It necessary?

Sexual Equality? Is it necessary?
By A.Ponto

I read this article on CNN and it caused me to stop and think. http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/22/opinion/bachiochi-abortion-roe-v-wade/. What if abortion doesn’t really provide equality to women as it was originally thought to do?

The Supreme Court decided Roe v. Wade 42 years ago. One of the things that this ruling was supposed to accomplish was taking the undo burden of sex off women. In other words, if men can just walk away after sex, women should be able to too and not have the “burden” of motherhood placed on them.

So You’re Pregnant… Now What?

standupgirl kierra Tips from a Teen Mom By Keiara

I was 16 years old in 2012 when I found out I was pregnant. I had just moved across the country to live with my mother and had been feeling under the weather for a few weeks – hot, dizzy and nauseous. My mom took me to the doctor’s office, and I figured they would give a prescription and send me on my way. When the doctor told me that I was 20 weeks pregnant, I was in complete shock.

Read more: So You’re Pregnant… Now...

Pregnancy Leave

StandUpGirl tape measure around pregnant belly

You might have heard about the recent story in the news wherein a woman is suing UPS for being forced into unpaid leave because she was pregnant. UPS apparently did not make accommodations for her in the workplace, but just put her on leave until after she had given birth.

You can read more about the story here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/wp/2014/07/03/up-next-for-the-supreme-court-pregnant-workers-rights/

Is Abortion Really Murder?

StandUpGirl ultrasound pictures over pregnant belly

Recently Jessa Duggar has been in the news for comparing abortion to the Holocaust. On Instagram she said, “Millions of innocents denied the most basic and fundamental of all rights—their right to life.”But are those who are aborted really denied the right to life? Are those who are aborted really human beings?And if so, is it wrong to kill another human being?

You might have heard of the term biogenesis in school. Biogenesis is a scientific law that says things reproduce after their own kind, or life does not arise from non-living material. That is, a flower cannot make a bee, and a tree cannot make a person. Only a cats can reproduce cats, only dogs can reproduce dogs, and only human beings can reproduce human beings. It is a common misconception that when a woman is pregnant there is not a baby inside of her; rather, there is a blob of tissue—something not human. But simple science tells us that this is impossible. Human beings cannot reproduce anything other than another human being.

Britney Maynard - A life Choice

Recently Facebook has been on fire with the story of Britney Maynard. She is a 29-year-old woman with terminal brain cancer. She has set November 1st of this year as the day she will take her life though physician-assisted suicide. She has decided to use the remaining weeks of her life to travel, spend time with her family, and to promote physician-assisted suicide. Her choice to end her own life and escape suffering from cancer has been very controversial.

On one hand, suffering is painful and no one wants to suffer, so it seems that the most compassionate thing is to let a person choose how they want to die and to let them pass in a way that is free from suffering. But is suffering bad and should it be avoided?

Body And Soul Are Connected

In August, Nicki Minaj premiered her video, Anaconda. When it debuted it broke the record for the most views in 24 hours. Some people praised the video saying that it empowered women; others criticized it because they said it is sexist. This is not the first time the line between empowerment and sexism has become blurred, but how ought we to think about women, culture, sexism, and empowerment?

What is of great importance in this conversation is that the body and soul are connected. In other words, what we do with our body affects our soul and what we do with our soul affects our body. For example, the other day I was upset by some bad news I had received. I was worried and my chest felt really tight. It felt like someone had placed a weight on it. In this instance I had a physical reaction in my body to the stress I was feeling internally.

Domestic Violence It Is Too Common!

StandUpGirl ray rice domestic abuse football

Recently the news has exploded with the Ray Rice case. Here is an article in case you haven’t heard about it yet:

Ray Rice is a football player who was caught on tape hitting his fiance in an elevator. The sad thing about this story is that domestic violence of this type happens a lot and not just to people who are rich and famous. Domestic violence is common and often not spoken about.

A Thank You Letter To The Guy That Made Me A Single Mom

A Thank You Letter To The Guy That Made Me A Single Mom At 19
by Madi Baker

I know I could have sent this to you by email or a text but I also know how you are and realize the chances of you actually taking the time to read anything I have to say is slim to none. However, regardless of if you take a moment to sit down and read this or not I would just like to say thank you. Thank you for everything you have done, and for everything you have provided me with.

No One Can Legally Make You!

StandUpGirl distressed girl with hands on head

Recently a woman in Florida gave birth in her bathroom and hid her baby under the sink. This was her second pregnancy; during her first, she was forced to have an abortion. Unfortunately it is a myth that women aren’t forced or coerced into having an abortion, and it happens all too often.
The truth is, no matter what your age, even if you are a minor, no one can legally make you have an abortion. People may, however, coerce you to have one, but what does coerce mean? Coercion means when someone makes you do something you don’t want to do by force or compulsion.