The world’s platform for change

On February 17, 2022, WNBA superstar Brittney Griner was detained upon her arrival in Moscow. As of April 29, 2022, Griner was officially classified as a Wrongful Detention by the U.S. State Department, which signals that the U.S. government will seek to negotiate her release.  Griner is a beloved global citizen who has used her platform since her entry into the WNBA to help others. She was detained while working in Russia, where she has starred for Russian EuroLeague Club UMMC Ekaterinburg since 2016 – helping the team win four EuroLeague Women’s championships and seven Russian League championships.  Like many athletes competing in the WNBA, Griner – a two-time Olympic gold medalist – plays abroad during the WNBA offseason for the love of the sport, but also in exchange for substantially bigger contracts, which are not available to women’s basketball players in the U.S. Professional athletes never know when their careers will come to an end. They must compete today with tomorrow's financial security in mind. For more than half of the athletes in the WNBA, that means moving abroad for several months of the year.  [PAY INEQUALITY LED BRITTNEY GRINER TO RUSSIA. WE MUST FIX IT] [WHY BRITTNEY GRINER AND OTHER WNBA PLAYERS COMPETE OVERSEAS] [BRITTNEY GRINER’S DETENTION IN RUSSIA AND THE ENDURING LEGACY OF SPORTS ACTIVISM]  [AS THE WNBA SEASON BEGINS, BRITTNEY GRINER’S ABSENCE SHOULD RATTLE THE COUNTRY] Pay inequity has led to Brittney Griner’s wrongful detention in Russia. Furthermore, as a decorated Olympian and member of an elite global sport community, Brittney’s detention must be resolved out of respect for the safety of all athletes traveling to compete internationally and the sanctity of sport. It is imperative that the U.S. government immediately address this human rights issue and do whatever is necessary to return Brittney home quickly and safely. The WNBPA and its members proudly join Tamryn Spruill, who launched this petition on March 5, in demanding that lawmakers prioritize Griner’s return.  White House and Biden Administration, we ask that you take action today – doing whatever is necessary – to bring Brittney Griner home swiftly and safely. Sign the petition below and call or email the White House today! White House Email: https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ White House Phone: (202) 456-1111 

Most people are shocked to learn that it is common for medical students to learn how to do pelvic exams by "practicing" on anesthetized patients who have come in for surgical procedures, often without any prior consent. This practice has a long history and happens all over the U.S. and around the world in many medical institutions. The patients rarely know it has happened because they were unconscious. Pelvic exams can happen to anesthetized patients in other scenarios as well. This can happen to anyone with a vagina. Both students and patients are traumatized by this long-standing practice. It is very hard for medical students to say "no" when they are asked to do something, and the psychological impact on them is yet undocumented. It was found in a 2003 peer-reviewed research study that 90% of students were learning in this manner. No new research has shown this number to have changed. Institutions often defend and protect this practice, despite public outcry. We need to outlaw this practice in order to make it clear that this kind of betrayal of patient bodies is not okay. If medical institutions were going to change this themselves, they would have done it by now. It's time that we send a clear message that informed consent is critical for pelvic exams while under anesthesia.  There are currently only 20 states that outlaw this practice. Yes, that means it's legal everywhere else, including New Mexico. Our goal is to get laws passed in all 50 states. We are asking you to show our state legislators that we will not accept non-consensual exams on anesthetized patients in New Mexico. We, the undersigned, ask our New Mexico representatives to protect patient autonomy and informed consent by passing legislation banning this practice.    RESOURCES: >> Here are a few places where this practice has been documented and a recent article on best legislative practices as we take action:  The 90% statistic is in this article, and it was found that students felt informed consent was less important after their OB/GYN clerkships (very problematic): Ubel, P. A., Jepson, C., & Silver-Isenstadt, A. (2003). Don't ask, don't tell: A change in medical student attitudes after obstetrics/gynecology clerkships toward seeking consent for pelvic examinations on an anesthetized patient. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 188(2), 575–579. https://doi.org/10.1067/mob.2003.85  Robin Fretwell-Wilson is the attorney who has worked on many of the state laws already in place. Let's make New Mexico next! Wilson, R. F. (2005). Autonomy suspended: Using female patients to teach intimate exams without their knowledge or consent. Journal of Health Care Law & Policy, 8(2), 240-263. http://digitalcommons.law.umaryland.edu/jhclp/vol8/iss2/5 Shawn Barnes wrote this after performing over 100 exams as a medical student:Barnes, S. S. (2012). Practicing pelvic examinations by medical students on women under anesthesia. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 120(4), 941–943. https://doi.org/10.1097/aog.0b013e3182677a28  A Bioethics perspective and more recent research: Friesen, P. (2018). Educational pelvic exams on anesthetized women: Why consent matters. Bioethics, 32(5), 298–307. https://doi.org/10.1111/bioe.12441  Legislative Direction here: Friesen, P., Wilson, R. F., Kim, S., & Goedken, J. (2022). Consent for Intimate Exams on Unconscious Patients: Sharpening Legislative Efforts. Hastings Center Report, 52(1), 28–31. https://doi.org/10.1002/hast.1337

When will we stop mass shooters? BAN THIS GUN NOW!! Hunters, gun lovers: we aren’t asking to take away your guns. We are asking to ban the AR-15 assault rifle. AR-15 is NOT NECESSARY to hunt for animals nor protect yourself!! AR-15s inflict much more damage to human tissue than the typical handgun. That's largely because of the speed at which projectiles leave the weapons; they are much faster out of the muzzle of an AR-15, and deliver a more devastating blow to bones and organs. Those projectiles are also more likely to break apart as they pass through the body, inflicting more damage. When the higher muzzle-velocity projectiles strike an organ, you’re more likely to have severe injury and bleeding. Dying is more likely with this style weapon, than with lower muzzle-velocity munitions. This is why so many mass shooters are using this weapon - they can murder more innocent victims at once.  BAN THESE WEAPONS NOW!! Sign and tell congress: we do not want these weapons available to the public for any reason.

UPDATE 6/24/2022: This morning, the Supreme Court officially overturned Roe v. Wade, despite the fact that 61% of Americans support the right to safe abortion. A majority of our Senators and Representatives – even some moderate Republicans – say they believe in keeping abortion legal and safe. It’s time for them to live up to their word. Congress must act NOW and agree on legislation that offers federal protection for access to abortion – regardless of where a pregnant person lives. Click here to email your elected officials and demand they pass legislation that protects our right to choose. My name is Kate and I was once faced with one of the toughest decisions a woman could ever make. During my first trimester, I found out my pregnancy was no longer progressing. Overwhelmed with grief and anxiety, my doctor recommended D&C, a procedure that allowed me to choose the best route for my physical health. This procedure further permitted me to skip pain I would have otherwise had to endure, mentally and physically. D&C is a form of abortion and such a procedure allowed me to choose what was best for me and my family.  Back then, I had options. Those options will be wiped away for other women in my home state of Indiana and all across the country when Roe v. Wade is overturned by the Supreme Court next month – as indicated by the leaked draft of Justice Samuel Alito. Other women deserve to have the same choice I had. My experience does not include those who are sexually abused and, as a result, become pregnant. The standard which the Supreme Court is setting would hinder a victim’s right to abortion after rape or incest as well. No girl or woman should be forced to give birth – especially after becoming pregnant under despicable circumstances. I refuse to allow our generation to be the first in U.S. history where daughters have fewer rights and less freedom than their mothers. As a mother myself, such a regression of protections and rights is frankly appalling.  Further, a right to necessary healthcare based on geographic location is abhorrent and against common decency. I refuse to live in an America where a woman's ability to live out her destiny is limited by her zip code. Forced births are un-American and the time to end this assault on the dignity of pregnant people is now. National legislation is vital in this moment. The majority of our Senators and Representatives – even some moderate Republicans – say they believe in access to safe abortion. Congress must draft and agree on legislation that offers federal protection for access to abortion – regardless of where a pregnant person lives.  Our elected officials represent the people of this country. The majority of us want access to safe and legal abortions. It is their duty to act in our best interest. Lives are on the line. Sign this petition, then call your Senator and representatives and demand they pass legislation that protects our right to choose.

This petition seeks to end shark-killing tournaments in the state of Florida. OneProtest has partnered with @Jim_Abernethy of Wildlife VOICE and we are starting a campaign to change state laws regarding shark-killing tournaments. More information will be available soon. Please continue sharing our petition. Our petitions are used to raise awareness. We now have access to over 100,000 shark defenders to which we can send important calls to action via a petition update. Thank you for taking action for sharks!!! __________________________________________________________ Previous Petition Content Urgent action is needed to stop a shark fishing tournament scheduled for July 9, 2022, in Jupiter, Florida. WarBird Tournaments LLC, owned and operated by Jason Barquin, is hosting a shark-killing tournament in Jupiter, Florida. He is charging a $100 entry fee per boat. Upon learning about this event, our organization reached out to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). We sent documentation of shark fishers in a private Facebook group stating they would shoot as many sharks in the head as possible and only take the most significant shark carcasses back to weigh-in stations to win a prize for the largest fish caught. State law allows the legal "harvest" of one shark per person and two sharks per boat. The FWC responded, stating they were aware of an advertised shark-fishing tournament and that fishing tournaments do not require approval by the FWC; however, they must comply with state and federal fishing regulations. It is appalling that the FWC and NOAA, two agencies charged with protecting sharks, allow fishing tournaments that promote an absolute disregard for life. This tournament is not about sustenance. It is about the thrill of the kill and fosters a lack of respect for sharks and their essential role in keeping our underwater ecosystems healthy and balanced. This lack of respect breeds poaching and other egregious acts. It also sends a message that it is okay to kill for "fun." Killing is not conservation. Over 100 million sharks are killed yearly; shark populations have declined by 70% over the past 50 years and continue to decline worldwide. They face numerous threats such as overfishing, being caught as bycatch, finning, habitat loss, and more. Sharks reproduce slowly, and tournaments such as this one often target the biggest sharks, which happen to be the females, and it is not uncommon for pregnant sharks to be killed.  As apex predators, sharks shift their prey’s spatial habitat, which alters the feeding behavior and diets of other species, impacting predatory fish and herbivorous fish, which in turn affects coral reefs and sea grass beds. In the absence of sharks, underwater ecosystems collapse. You can help stop this tournament and save sharks by contacting those listed below and telling them that you DO NOT support shark fishing tournaments or killing for amusement. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commissionhttps://myfwc.com/contact/fwc-office/senior-staff/commissioners/ Janet Coit of NOAA FisheriesPhone: (301) 427-8000 x8000Email: janet.coit@noaa.gov We, the undersigned, request that you indefinitely cancel the shark fishing tournament conducted by WarBird Tournaments LLC that is scheduled for July 9, 2022, and any shark fishing tournament after that.   @oneprotest

The Supreme Court has made the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Roe was the only protection women had to control their own bodies in the USA- and now it's gone.  Losing Roe means 3 things will happen:  1. Women will not have access to healthcare and will die and be permanently harmed from "back street" abortions.  Restricting or making abortion illegal doesn't stop them - it just stops safe ones. 2. Miscarriages will be investigated. When abortion is illegal that means that every pregnancy loss must be investigated to ensure the "crime" of abortion didn't happen. 3. The rich will still have access to abortion.