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LAW STUDENTS FOR REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE NEWSLETTER

  December '11/January '12                                                                Volume 9, Issue 1


In This Issue
Virtual March
Writing Prize
PI Career Fairs
Regional Conferences
Board Apps Available
RJ Fellows in D.C.
LSRJ's Blog
New LSRJ Faces
Alumna Highlight
Featured Chapter
        Quick Links          

   

 
 Our Mission
  

LSRJ trains and mobilizes law students and new lawyers across the country to foster legal expertise and support for the realization of reproductive justice.  

 

Board of Directors

 

 Rebecca Reingold 

President 

Lillian Hewko

Vice President 

Erika Willis

Secretary 

Brigitte Amiri

Treasurer 

Erin Armstrong

President Emerita

Jill Adams 

Aimee Arrambide

Janine Shissler

Lara Shkordoff

Cynthia Soohoo

Aimee Thorne-Thomsen 

 

Advisory Board

 

Maggie Crosby

Walter Dellinger

Kim Gandy

Marcia Greenberger

Angela Hooton

Priscilla Huang

Nancy Keenan

Louise Melling

Debra Ness

Nancy Northrup

Kim Parker

Loretta Ross

Vicki Saporta

Reva Siegel

Louise Slaughter

Eleanor Smeal

Jody Steinhauer

Ann Stone

Melissa Upreti

Carlton Veazey

 

Academic Advisory Council

 

Jack Balkin

Caitlin Borgmann

Kim Buchanan

Cary Franklin

Nancy Ehrenreich

Jesse Hill

Lisa Ikemoto

Dawn Johnsen

Pam Karlan

Kristin Luker

Alice Miller

Kim Mutcherson

Nina Pillard

Dorothy Roberts

Mindy Roseman

Neil Siegel

Reva Siegel 

 


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*Foster the Future*  

  *Realize Rights*

*Support Students*  

*Maintain their Might*      

 

* L-O-V-E  LSRJ *

  *With a Generous Gift Today*

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National Online Virtual March for Trust Women Week 

LSRJ is proud to join forces with other reproductive health, rights, and justice organizations for Trust Women Week (TWW). TWW is coordinating an online virtual march, wherein supporters can "march" and send messages to their state and local policymakers, demanding that they, too, trust women.

You can choose from the following powerful messages:

Reproductive rights are human rights

Stand up and be counted for reproductive justice

We are the 99%. Fix the economy, and stop the attacks on women's health

Contraception is prevention

Keep abortion safe and legal, and make it affordable and accessible

I trust women and I vote

March today!

 
Writing Prize Submissions Now Accepted
Win Cash & Get Published
 
Theme: 
"Legislating Stereotypes: Reproductive Rights Rollback in the States."

Deadline March 5, 2012.

 

For more info visit: 
Intern for LSRJ this Summer!

Learn the "lay of the land" in the RJ movement.

Research cutting edge RJ issues for allied orgs.

Attend and present at the Leadership Institute.

Spend your summer at the national office in Oakland, CA!

Apply Today!

For info, check out the LSRJ entry in the Internship & Fellowship Guide or email [email protected]

2012 Public Interest Career Fairs

Drop by and see LSRJ!

Seattle & Portland: 
February 3, Seattle Univ.
February 4, Lewis & Clark

San Francisco: 
February 4, UC Hastings
 
New York: 
February 9-10, 
 
Have you Graduated? 

Join our listserv to learn of new job and fellowship opportunities, relevant trainings in your area, and enriching pro bono and volunteer opportunities!

Email [email protected] to join.


 

*Foster the Future*  

  *Realize Rights*

*Support Students*  

*Maintain their Might*      

 

* L-O-V-E  LSRJ *

  *With a Generous Gift Today*

Donate Now through

 

Make payments with PayPal - it's fast, free and secure!

Dear LSRJ activists, alumni, allies, and amici:

 

Happy New Year! Bold action, innovation, leadership, and creativity are marks of the Year of the Dragon. They are also common characteristics of LSRJ members and alumni.  

Year of the Dragon

For example, our chapter at the University of Washington exemplifies bold action in its unrelenting efforts to secure high-caliber learning opportunities. Chapter members campaigned successfully for a reproductive rights law course and then for an additional reproductive justice course with a stronger focus on intersectionality. Concerned about the long-term stability of a course taught by a practitioner, they are now aiding the law school's efforts to hire tenure-track faculty with relevant expertise. When it comes to innovation, LSRJ Board Vice President, Lillian Hewko, comes to mind. As an Equal Justice Works Fellow at Legal Voice, Lillian is founding the Incarcerated Mother's Advocacy Project to empower women in Washington prisons and reduce family separation. Several LSRJ members have graduated and gone on to become leaders in the reproductive health, rights, and justice movement. Andrea Friedman, who was recently named Director of Reproductive Health Programs at the National Partnership for Women and Families, is one magnificent example of many. Our Fordham chapter, featured in the last newsletter, took a creative approach to its school's contraceptive insurance policy by founding an off-campus birth control clinic.  

 

Examples of these admirable qualities abound. In the new year, let us resolve to capitalize on these natural strengths and harness the power of the dragon to propel our movement forward with legendary momentum.  

 

In solidarity,

  

Jill E. Adams

Executive Director    

 
....
2012 Regional Conferences Around the Corner 
 
LSRJ members are gearing up for the 2012 Regional Conferences, held around the country in Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Washington, D.C., and California. They will take buses, trains, cars, and planes to gather with their fellow members to learn about cutting-edge reproductive rights and justice issues, network with dynamic advocates in the field, and share their successes with one another. They can't wait...and neither can we!
 
University of Texas chapter leaders at the 2011 South Regional Conference at University of 
Houston Law Center
 
Our members will be hearing from engaging and exciting speakers like Dr. Willie Parker (Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health) on the legislation and criminalization of reproductive health decisions, Assistant Professor Geneva Brown (Valparaiso University) on the structural inequalities of reproductive oppression, Maya Rupert (National Center for Lesbian Rights) on education about sexuality and reproduction, and LSRJ Board member Brigitte Amiri (ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project) on the current state of reproductive rights, among others.
 
All LSRJ members and alumni are welcome! Email Sabrina to register.
 
Midwest
University of Michigan Law School
Saturday, January 28th
 
Northeast
New York Law School
Saturday, February 11th
 
South
University of North Carolina School of Law 
 Saturday, February 18th
 
Mid-Atlantic
American University Washington College of Law 
Saturday, February 25th
 
West
UC Hastings School of Law
Saturday, March 3rd
 
....
 LSRJ Board of Directors Now Accepting Applications for Student Directors 

 

Attention law students! Want to learn the ins and outs of leading a national organization alongside other bright and passionate law students and lawyers? Looking to add nonprofit management and administration to your advocacy toolkit and resume? Take your LSRJ involvement to the next level!
 
LSRJ is now accepting applications from law students interested in serving on the organization's Board of Directors during the 2012-2013 term. 

 

Law students are the backbone of LSRJ. LSRJ's Board of Directors maintains a student majority. Student Directors serve an initial one-year term, followed by a possible one-year renewal term. Rising 2Ls are encouraged to apply. Students who serve during their 3L year and subsequently take a fellowship relating reproductive rights or justice will be eligible for a second term.

 

"My experience on the LSRJ Board has provided me with an invaluable experience fostering my passion for reproductive justice while providing me with the tools and knowledge needed to be most effective in the movement. I have had the opportunity to work with leading individuals in this field, both talented law students and professionals, and have benefited greatly from their experience." 

Aimee Arrambide

Chair, LSRJ Board of Directors Membership & Orientation Committee

 

Applications can be found here and on LSRJ's website, www.lsrj.org. They are due at 11:59 p.m. EST, March 16, 2012 to Aimee Arrambide. LSRJ will conduct phone interviews with finalists the last week in March and the first week in April. Selected applicants must be able to attend the in-person orientation scheduled for June 22-24, 2012, at LSRJ's national office in Oakland, CA.

 

We strongly encourage all interested law students to apply and welcome a variety of backgrounds and lived experiences. We look forward to your application! Please do not hesitate to contact Aimee with any questions.
....
RJ Fellows Powering Forward in D.C.

The Reproductive Justice Fellows have been busy moving and shaking around Washington, D.C.!

 

In December, the Fellows attended the National Health Law Program (NHeLP) Health Advocates Conference, where Fellow Erin Armstrong presented on a panel along with former RJ Fellow Davida SilvermanThe Fellows also attended the Congressional hearing  on "Prenatal Non-Discrimination Act," the sex and race selective abortion ban, and cheered on National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF) Executive Director Miriam Yeung, the only witness put up by the Democrats to argue against this bill. Fellow Shivana Jorawar was instrumental in helping prep Ms. Yeung, and former RJ Fellow Jaspreet Chowdhary also assisted. And serendipitously, the Fellows were able to participate in the Center for American Progress' Women's Health Leadership Network conference, which Fellow Lucy Panza helped organize.  

 

The Fellows have exciting opportunities coming up in January: They will participate in workshops with Jim Ferg-Cadima at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF), where Lorena Marez is a Fellow, as well as hear a talk on the "Limits of Reproductive Rights Lawyering" by Lynn Paltrow from National Advocates for Pregnant Women.  

 

To find out more about the current and past RJ Fellows, visit RJFP.

....
Blogging for RJ

Check out the most recent offerings from our resident bloggers, coming at you from Utah, Missouri, Oklahoma, Massachusetts, Washington, D.C., and California. Don't forget to add us to your reader!

A Reflection on Sports Scandals - Burke Bindbeutel ('13, University of Missouri School of Law) discusses the importance of speaking up about sexual assault and the culture that surrounds it. 

Fetal Personhood, Round 2 - Mallory Carlberg ('13, University of Oklahoma College of Law) provides her take on the anti-choice advocates on the ground in Oklahoma.

Claiming Space- Candace Gibson ('12, University of Utah College of Law) talks about her chapter's first event, and how it was the first time the words "abortion" and "family planning" were publicly spoken outside of Constitutional Law in a respectful and engaging manner.

And check out our bloggers' contributions to Trust Women Week!

....
New Faces in the LSRJ Office 

 

Obiamaka Ude, LSRJ's new Program Assistant, joined the office in January, and we are thrilled to welcome her! In just a few weeks, Obiamaka has already infused the office with her smile, light, and intelligence. Obiamaka graduated in 2011 from UC Berkeley with a BA in African American Studies. She has a tremendous passion for student activism and social justice. As a former student leader, she has dedicated herself to organizing, co-founding UC Berkeley's Black Student Leadership Training, a conference focused on refining and developing student leadership. She presently serves as an organizer for the annual UC Berkeley Empowering Women of Color Conference.

 

Enza Barbato is a volunteer Legal Researcher for LSRJ and will be with us throughout the spring. She will be drafting and updating several key fact sheets and other supplemental educational materials for our members. Prior to joining LSRJ, Enza was a Fellow at the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office. While in law school at Boston University, she participated in an Employment Rights Clinic and performed critical research in criminal law, federal regulations, and communications law. Enza graduated from BU in 2010 and holds a BA in Philosophy from UC Riverside. Welcome, Enza!

....
Featured Alumna

Sheila Bapat ('07, University of Pennsylvania Law School) has brought her passion for reproductive rights and justice that was honed during law school as the 2006-2007 President of the LSRJ Board of Directors into her life as an LSRJ alum. She writes about reproductive law and policy, and has focused this year on the Affordable Care Act. Over the summer her piece about the ACA's contraceptive coverage provision was published in Slate magazine. And Sheila's paper "Details and Devils: Contraceptive Coverage, the Promise of Federal Health Reform, and the Enduring Importance of the States" will be published in the Center for Women Policy Studies' Reproductive Laws of the 21st Century. Her paper discusses the importance of Medicaid in ensuring robust federal support for contraceptive access, as well as the threats the ACA's Medicaid expansion could face if block grant proposals and state lawsuits succeed. Sheila also sits on the Board of Directors of ACCESS Women's Health Justice, an Oakland-based nonprofit that removes barriers and builds the power of women to achieve reproductive justice.
 
Sheila's day job is in the civic engagement space, as Donor Relations Manager at Code for America, a start-up nonprofit that connects talent from the tech sector to city governments to cultivate civic engagement. 
 
Reflecting back upon her involvement with LSRJ as a law student, Sheila says, "LSRJ was a way for me to remain deeply connected to the reproductive justice world. I loved serving as President of our board for a year and leading at an exciting time when we were experiencing great programmatic growth. Now, even though my 'day job' isn't directly related to reproductive justice, I am committed to remaining connected to RJ generally and LSRJ specifically - as board member emeritus I organized an outreach event for LSRJ to celebrate the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade and I served on a mentoring committee to help connect law students to RJ advocates. And while my day job does not directly encompass RJ work, I remain devoted and active in the cause - and am grateful for LSRJ's sustaining work and relationship with me."
....
Featured Chapter

 

Rachelle Yeung and Gina Weinberger from the University of Colorado have brought renewed energy and passion to the LSRJ chapter they lead. Thanks to their hard work, their relatively new chapter is one of the most active on campus!

Rachelle & Gina at the 
2011 Leadership Institute

 

What better way to kick off the 2011-2012 school year than by hosting CU's Thursday Afternoon Club, a casual get together at the law school wherein organizations can introduce themselves to the student body? Under Rachelle and Gina's leadership, over 150 students attended the event, and walked away with a greater understanding of the reproductive justice framework. They followed it up with an engaging panel on sex trafficking, and co-sponsored several other events with allied student organizations on campus to build meaningful coalition among progressive students. 

 

Taking over a small student organization on campus while also juggling clinics, courses, exams, and internships can be overwhelming. But Rachelle and Gina were up to the task! They tell us, "before assuming leadership positions, the national organization sent us to the Leadership Institute and this helped alleviate some of the anxieties associated with taking on a leadership position, particularly when our chapter is so young. The national office's continued support - materials, ideas, connections, and funding - makes leading our chapter much more enjoyable. Through our time with LSRJ, we've been able to meet wonderful professionals in the community while also making a positive contribution to the law school."

 

Congratulations on a stellar semester, University of Colorado!

....
With sincerity and in solidarity, 

 

Law Students for Reproductive Justice 

 

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