Well you’re in luck! Our Planned Parenthood of NYC Action Fund is holding a great cocktail hour at Slainte (304 Bowery, btw Houston and Bleecker) on Wednesday September 1. Come on by, not just for drinks but to learn how YOU can help us support pro-choice candidates this fall.

There will be a 2 for 1 drink special, lots of other political activists, and chances to sign up for phone banking and door knocking in the upcoming elections! So bring your friends and your calendars, and make sure to RSVP ahead of time by emailing actionfund@ppnyc.org or through the facebook event.

• The PPNYC Action Fund endorsedMike DiSanto for NY State Sentate.
• Which the NY State Dems blog picked up.
• And the Queens Gazette covered our Action Fund’s endorsement of Tony Avella.
• And our Action Fund’s prioritization of the Avella race was mentioned in The Capitol.
• And the publication The Capitol covered our statewide endorsement of DiNapoli.
• And our Action Fund is having a cocktail hour Sept 1!
• Gay City News has an interesting piece on NYC’s sex education policy and how it could be better.
• The NY Times writes about how talks to open St Vincent’s emergency care center are being delayed because of the requirement for following Catholic church directives.
• As does the NY Daily News.
• As does NY1.
• And DNAInfo.
• The NY Times had a big feature on how birth control can mean more than just the pill, and on how to chose the best birth control for you.
• The Takeaway has an interesting segment on paternal rights in adoption cases.
• More stories about the new emergency contraception, Ella, in Reuters and MSN Health & Fitness.
• And here’s an Associated Press article about battling a Nebraska law requiring health screenings for women seeking abortions.

That’s all we’ve got. What have you been reading?

• Parenting blog Bronx Mama wrote about our We’re Going to the Principal’s Office campaign.
• The New York Observer covered the PPNYC Action Fund’s event last week. Photos from the event can be found here.
• The NY Times has a big piece up about those anti-abortion subway ads.
• As most of you know, health care reform has passed.
• Although it restores some funding for abstinence-only sex education.
• And Obama had to sign an executive order confirming the Hyde amendment.
• Guttmacher has a great run-down of the pros and cons of the bill.
• As does Raising Women’s Voices.
• And RH Reality Check.
• NYTimes has a run down of who is and isn’t affected by health care reform.
• And also a list of how Democrats voted.
• And here’s a compilation of all the Health Reform Victory newspaper front pages.
• The NY Times Well Blog has a piece on why being a woman is a pre-existing condition.
• And Denise Grady has a longer piece about how women’s health is affected by the legislation.
• The Daily Beast had a big piece on Planned Parenthood’s involvement in health care reform.
• And Cecile Richards has a Huffington Post blog post on women getting the job done in health care reform.
• In case you missed it, NPR is no longer using the terms “Pro-life” and “Pro-Choice”
• Scott Roeder, who murdered Dr. George Tiller, was sentenced to prison for 50 years without parole.
• Cecile Richards talked to CNN about the sentencing.
• Planned Parenthood’s Vanessa Cullins has a video blog on AOL Black Voices.

That’s all we’ve got. What have you been reading?

If you’re anything like us, you’ve probably made a bunch of resolutions that err slightly on the side of unrealistic (if you weren’t going to the gym 4 times a week before Jan 1 you probably won’t start now). But sometimes, especially if they’re attainable, new year’s resolutions can be a great way to remind you of what’s worth spending your time on.

In that spirit, we here at PPNYC thought we’d share a couple of our resolutions, in the hopes that they might inspire some of you:

• Finally find a form of birth control that works for you. Do you keep forgetting to take your pill? Unhappy with the Nuvaring? Maybe this is the year you finally sit down with your provider and figure out a method of birth control that will actually work for you. Because if it’s not fitting in with your lifestyle, then it’s not doing its job. And you can start with this easy (and fun!) quiz from Planned Parenthood!
• Take care of yourself. How long has it been since your last pap smear? Is there something that’s been bugging you, but you keep putting off getting it checked out? Maybe it’s time to stop procrastinating and make an appointment. Call your provider, or make an appointment at the Planned Parenthood nearest to you.
• Make sure Sex Ed is taught in schools. Did you know that New York City public schools don’t require sex ed to be taught, and as a result, a number of students never receive any kind of curriculum? Planned Parenthood of NYC is organizing parents and concerned New Yorkers to make sure this changes, and that every kid gets the tools they need to make healthy and safe decisions. Join us!
• Start talking to your kids about the facts of life. For those parents out there, we know it can be difficult to talk to your kids about sex and sexuality. What you may not realize, is that your kids are already learning about sex from a plethora of other sources (tv, the radio, music, movies, friends) and not talking to your kids can send as big of a message as talking to them can. Kids really do listen to their parents when it comes to sex, more than most other sources. And you don’t need to have one big talk, in fact lots of little talks are the most effective. PPNYC has some great resources to help you get started and deal with any tough questions that might come up. So what are you waiting for?
• Make sure health care reform doesn’t sell women short. If you’ve been following the health care reform, you know that both the House and Senate bills contain language that severely restricts access to, and coverage of, abortion. All is not lost — we at Planned Parenthood are fighting hard to get this language removed once the bill goes to conference. And you can help. Tell your friends, contact your representatives, and get involved. Every voice makes a difference.
• Learn more about your representatives and what they stand for. Do you know who your local elected officials are? And do you know if they’re pro-choice? Our Action Fund website will help you find out so you can be sure that the people you’re voting into office represent everything you stand for.
• Get involved! Do you always mean to get more involved, and then promise to do it “someday”? Well now is your chance! Sign up for our email list, or join our Activist Council — the group of dedicated supporters who help make so much of our work possible. Signing up is easy!

Wouldn’t it be neat to see them all in the same room together, talking about feminism?

Well you can! Next Wednesday!

The Planned Parenthood of New York City Activist Council will be partnering with Living Liberally to host a panel discussion: Voices on Feminism. Each of these fantastic women will discuss what feminism means to her: what she’s learned and how her outlook has changed over the years. Plus, you’ll get to see yours truly moderating the discussion!

The event (just $15!) will also include a happy hour and the PPNYC Action Fund‘s political team giving a run-down of what NYC’s most recent election results mean for pro-choice politics. The whole shebang is a fundraiser for the PPNYC Action Fund.

So get your tickets before they sell out! It should be a great evening.

• The PPNYC Action Fund’s Voter Guide was plugged by feministing and Feministe.
• El Diario ran a column by Haydee Morales on sex education.
• On Friday, PPNYC’s Action Fund endorsed Mike Bloomberg for mayor. The endorsement was picked up by a number of outlets, including:
• NBC
• NY1
• WNYC
• Crain’s New York
• Politicker NY
• Ben Smith’s blog at the Politico
• Liz Benjamin’s NY Daily News blog, Daily Politics
• The New York Post
• And the Manhattan Society has photos of the event up on their site
• Garrison Keillor celebrates Margaret Sanger’s birthday on his radio show.
• Planned Parenthood Federation of America President Cecile Richards and Lillian Tamayo, CEO of Planned Parenthood of South Florid and the Treasure Coast, have an OpEd on health care reform in Spanish language El Nuevo Herald.
• Cecile Richards has an in-depth interview on Jezebel, with a photo shout-out to PPNYC.
• Rep. Louis Capps writes about the Truth about the Capps Amendment in Huffington Post.
• The New York Times looks at the “truce” on abortion in health care reform.
• The AP reports that Operation Rescue is facing a “major financial crisis.”

That’s all we’ve got. What did you read?

That’s why we’re excited that next Tuesday, the Planned Parenthood of New York City’s Action Fund (basically the political wing of Planned Parenthood of New York City) will be holding their Laughing Liberally event. It features an all-star lineup of five female comedians, as well as Action Fund staff filling you in on who’s who in the upcoming local NYC elections.

So check it out! The full lineup is below, and if you want to find out more about what the Action Fund is (or who they are) you can check out their web site.

Body Politic 09: Laughing Liberally!

6-7pm: Happy Hour

7-9pm: Comedy Sets & A Talk with the PPNYC Action Fund’s Political Team

Find out who your local pro-choice candidates are in this year’s election and get your laugh on with

• Becky Donogue – Comedy Central’s Premium Blend, Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, and Shorties Watchin’ Shorties
• Mindy Raf – VH1, College Humor, WABC
• Katie Halper – Stand Up NY, Netroots Nation, The Nation Cruise
• Heather Gold – SF Sketchfest, NPR, Curve’s National Lesbian Theatre Award
• Naomi Ekperigin – Stand Up NY, Upright Citizens Brigade, Sydney’s Mardi Gras Festival

Limited seats available.

Tickets are $15