Your Message Media

Human Rights

Catholics for Choice

During her tenure at Public Media Center, YMM's Katie Kleinsasser acted as creative director on many campaigns for Catholics for Choice. These included "Condoms 4 Life," a public education effort to raise awareness about the devastating effects of the bishops' ban on condoms, and "Prevention not Prohibition," a campaign urging support for policies that prevent, rather than criminalize, abortion.

Op-Ed: Hungry — even in San Francisco

Tuesday, June 5, 2007
by Paul Ash, John Hardin, Tom Nolan
 
Every day, the San Francisco Food Bank distributes enough food for more than 55,000 meals up from 53,000 last year. The St. Anthony Foundation Dining Room serves more than 2,500 plates of food to poor, disabled, elderly and working poor patrons an increase of more than 25 percent in the last five years. And every day, Project Open Hand prepares more than 2,600 meals to people living with HIV/AIDS, homebound with a critical illness and senior citizens, and also distributes around 500 bags of groceries to people living with HIV/AIDS.

Today, June 5, the nation will observe Hunger Awareness Day, a day devoted to ensuring that people pay attention to the existence of the year-round problem of hunger in our communities. After a recent tour of the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, "American Idol" co-host Simon Cowell commented, "I actually didn't know these types of places existed, or there were these types of problems. I believe that the only way you can eradicate this problem [hunger] is through awareness."

Op-Ed: The Death Penalty: A 1% Nonsolution to Crime

January 1, 2004
by Jeff Gillenkirk

We are a people of ritual. We string up Christmas lights against the darkness, trim the wicks on menorahs, break the fasts of Ramadan, gather our clans for sumptuous feasts.

In the midst of this season of ritual, another evocative pageantry has been added — the execution of a prisoner. One week before Christmas, San Diego Superior Court Judge William Kennedy set a date for the killing of Kevin Cooper by the state of California, in what would be the 11th execution since 1978 and the first since January 2002.

Now another familiar ritual begins — the ritual of society gearing up to execute a man. First, a menacing mug shot of the convicted murderer appears. Then comes the litany of gory details of the crime: the defendant's frustrated claims of innocence; the anger of the victim's family; the hopes of the defense lawyers; the certainty of the prosecutors.

Op-Ed: Single fathers are finding joy in nurturing their children

Sunday, June 17, 2001 (Father’s Day)
by Jeff Gillenkirk

The first American Father’s Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, at the instigation of Mrs. John. B. Dodd to honor her father, who single-handedly raised six children on a farm in eastern  Washington after his wife died in childbirth.  In choosing to celebrate a single dad, Mrs. Dodd proved to be far more prescient than anyone possibly could have thought at the time. 

Quietly, a revolution is taking place in the U.S. family.  Census figures for 2000 show that the number of single-father households soared by 62 percent over the past decade — 10 times faster than traditional homes and 2 1/2; times faster than single-mother households.

Op-Ed: Medical Neglect, Abuse Lie in Wait for State’s Women Prisoners

Wednesday, October 27, 1999
By Ellen Barry

The spotlight now on widespread sexual abuse of women by guards and staff in California’s women’s prisons is long overdue.  The Department of Corrections has managed to contain exposure of sexual exploitation for years, despite repeated attempts to bring it to light. 

Still hidden from the headlines, however, is the life-threatening and widespread medicalneglect and abuse in those same prisons.  More than 11,000 women prisoners are subjected to seriously deficient medical care every day. A few examples illustrate the depth of the problem.