Dear Colleagues,

I am writing about an exciting opportunity to donate to the photovoice project I am conducting in the favela of Maré in Rio de Janeiro. The National Sexuality Resource Center has been so gracious to partner with me and we are raffling off two tickets to the fourth annual Champions of Sexual Literacy Awards honoring President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Cecile Richards!!!

I don't know if you have ever been to this inspiring event, but I have had the honor for the past three years! I have seen and met such amazing people as Dr. Jocelyn Elders, former Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher and Dr. Ruth. Of course, I am terribly sad to be missing this year's event honoring Cecile Richards, for whom I have much admiration and respect. But the good news is that you could win the opportunity to go in my place and bring a friend with you! Raffle tickets are $5 or 5 raffle tickets for $20!

Please visit our blog by clicking here to find out more information and to enter the raffle. I would like to thank you for considering a donation to this photovoice project. A project like this has turned out to be very expensive and I have already exhausted all of my fulbright grant resources. Your donation will help us buy...

From South Dakota, USA to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

“I was 16 when it happened. Not planned at all, and then I was angry afterward because I thought it was his fault like ugh, you didn’t even ask or anything like that, so… it wasn’t a good first experience. And um, I think I was kind of in shock because, of course, I did not want that to happen, and some of my other friends had that happen, and, um, I don’t know, I felt dirty, and not – that wasn’t me I guess. Like I didn’t have time to think about whether I wanted it to happen or not, especially since we’d never talked about it also, it just happened.”

~Missy 21, South Dakota

The quote above came from research I did for my MA thesis, which looked at the contradictions that exist between the political and religious ideologies and actual sexual practices and lives of young South Dakota women. What did I find? In a nutshell, sex “just happens” and in most cases, it happens unsafely accompanied by fear and shame.

So What Am I Doing in Brazil, You Ask?

As we all know, unsafe and unhealthy sexual...

I am alive and well in Rio de Janeiro (after a few setbacks) and haven't forgot to continue my previous conversation about the case of the 9 year old girl that was raped, impregnated with twins and was able to obtain an abortion in lieu of the Catholic Church, principally the Archbishop of Recife/Olinda, trying to stop the process.

Whew, my friends, that is a mouthful and the case continues to be seen that way in Brazil, and I imagine, the world around.

I hate even saying this, but if there is one thing that has come from this tragedy it is that this one hit home for a lot of Brazilians...including my "brazilian mom" who is against abortion in most circumstances, and the very nice Frei, a Catholic priest at her church. For those against abortion...they...just...can't...grapple...with this one. How could a 9 year old girl, who barely weighs 80 pounds carry this pregnancy to term? Like my "brazilian dad," who has been an OB/GYN doctor for more than 20 years in Brazil, said, it just wouldn't have been possible.

So when I asked the Frei about abortion he told me that he is in the position to always favor life. In this case, the 9 year old girl could have very well died and so he agreed that in this case an abortion was necessary. "But what about the other lives at stake?" I asked, thinking about what "life" in the abortion debate in America means. To the Frei (and my "brazilian mom" sitting beside him shaking her head in agreement), the health and...

Yesterday my "brazilian mom" called me into the living room and told me watch the news with her. "You know what's happening?" she asked, her eyes heavily focused on me. "No what?" I mumbled to her in portuguese. "A nine year-old girl in [the state of] Pernambuco was raped by her step-father and impregnated with twins. She was granted an abortion yesterday and now the archbishop of Recife Olinda has called for the ex-communication of her, her family and the doctors that performed the abortion."

I am currently in Rio de Janeiro on a Fulbright scholarship studying development and it's relationship to reproductive and sexual health and rights in Brazil. I was an exchange student here 10 years ago and had no idea I'd be back hanging out with my host family for awhile before I begin my project. I must say that I really hate the fact that this is my first blog post on this journey.  This is the kind of story that makes you feel like you have a big black hole where your heart used to be, which automatically gives you indigestion. I really wanted my first post to be about my struggle hating and loving the rigid gender roles here in Brazil. (Yes, I admit it. I love getting my nails done evey week and buying shoes like they just might be the last pair on earth. However, I'm not sure I can handle the braziian bikini (who knew I had all those stretch marks stripped across my ass?) or the brazilian bikini wax, and I can't believe I actually thought about getting botox...