Free Will Power

NARAL Pro-Choice America has a cool new campaign out called Free.Will.Power. Here's their declaration:














It's all about approaching education, awareness, and activism in a creative way, and they've gotten a bunch of talented spoken word artists to put together videos for the "free", "will", and "power" elements of the campaign. Below is "Free", written by Shira Erlichman with music from DJ Spooky. (Check out the Free.Will.Power site to see the other two videos and learn more about the campaign.) Erlichman says she chose to participate in the campaign because "It is through education that I have become more informed regarding reproductive rights. But often that education has not been "text-book"; it has come in the form of stories, paintings, and extraordinary ordinary folks who pulled out a seat and made time for my questions and thoughts. I hope to spark others in the ways I have been sparked".




I like the fact that this campaign focuses on the positivity of being pro-choice. We all spend so much of the time on the defensive and dealing with the negatives - the anti-choice laws, the abortion myths, the misleading campaigns from "pro-family" groups. We're constantly faced with the outrageous and the offensive from the anti-choice side, or we're feeling insecure, uncomfortable, and silenced in the face of stigmas and stereotypes about women who dare to have sex or speak out about reproductive rights. It can be exhausting, and campaigns like this are a nice balance and a reminder of what we're really fighting for.

Being pro-choice isn't just about whether we can have abortions or not. It's about feeling secure in ourselves, being free of self-doubt and shame, and really recognizing that we deserve to have full access to the accurate information and resources and health care services that we need to make the best decisions about our health and our lives. It's about what we can accomplish when we're not worried about fighting for control of our own bodies. It's about refusing to be ignorant and refusing to accept ignorance from others. It's about remembering: "Nobody gives you power. You just take it." It's about having a voice and using it. It's freedom. It's life. And it's our right.