Odds and ends

Abortion Rights is collecting stories of some of the one in three women who will have an abortion over their lifetime.

The stories may be different from the ones you’re used to hearing in the media. They are not sensational, misleading or shocking. They are the experiences of real women who have made responsible decisions about whether or not to continue with unwanted pregnancies.

And even though it’s a bit tacky, I think it’s pretty cool that this organisation is offering e-cards for friends and family to express their feelings after a woman has an abortion. (via Feministe)

cover of Lost Girls issue oneNerve has a great interview with maverick comic writer and all-round genius Alan Moore and artist Melinda Gebbie, about their “porn” comic book based on children’s literature characters like Alice in Wonderland, Wendy from Peter Pan and Dorothy of the red sparkly shoes. Lost Girls is still not out in the UK thanks to an idiotic copyright battle.

I assume you looked at many different kinds of porn in order to write this.

When I say I looked at different sorts of porn, I’m not sure that’s accurate, because the majority of pornography is visual and photographic, or cinematic. And I’m simply not interested in that form of pornography, because the fact that these are real people means there’s a lot of possible human unhappiness that is connected with all of those images, which to me is not really very sexual.

One of the reasons we chose the term “pornography” is because it’s very specific. It is writings or drawings of wantons. It’s keeping purely in the realm of the imagination. I found that a lot of the Victorian and Edwardian pornography was very good, surprisingly good, surprisingly liberal and surprisingly progressive. It was a kind of pornotopia.

And over at Women’s eNews, Susan Feiner and Drucilla Barker argue that microcredit is not the boon to women it is cracked up to be.

Microcredit is not an open door to broader and broadening opportunities. It encourages women and children to work at home sewing and weaving, assembling toys and electronic components, or raising chickens and goats.