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June 8, 2006
Mapping our Rights
“Mapping Our Rights: Navigating Discrimination Against Women, Men and Families” can help everyone learn about how their states respect or restrict their rights.

“Mapping Our Rights: Navigating Discrimination Against Women, Men and Families,” the new online collaboration between Ipas and partners, is making headlines throughout the United States. The Web site, which monitors state laws concerning sexual and reproductive rights and health, has been featured on CNN and in more than 150 newspaper articles and 35 blogs across the nation.

Just three days after its release, “Mapping Our Rights” attracted almost 9,000 visitors. The Web site was launched at a May 31 press conference (listen here to the audio press conference) at the Center for American Progress in Washington, D.C.

Complete with state-by-state rankings, “Mapping Our Rights” is an ideal tool for monitoring state policies. A resource that will help activists, journalists and researchers, it’s also for individuals who want to know how their states — or a state they may relocate to — govern their bodies and relationships.

The site is a unique collaboration between Ipas, an international reproductive health and rights organization; the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force; and the SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective.

Leila Hessini, Ipas senior policy advisor, said: “South Dakota’s abortion law has more in common with Afghanistan than with Oregon. Public school students in Mexico are more likely to receive medically accurate sex education than in Pennsylvania.”

The clickable, online map uses 25 indicators to rank the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Those indicators include, among others:

Using these measures, New York and New Mexico tied for the No. 1 spot. Those states earned top honors because each had many laws that promote, not restrict, reproductive and sexual rights.

South Dakota (the only state to pass an abortion ban) and Ohio tied for last. Both states received penalty points for, among other indicators, having mandatory counseling and parental involvement before abortion, as well as for not having anti-discrimination legislation that specifically protects the lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgendered community.

Jason Cianciotto, research director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute said: “With the launch of ‘Mapping Our Rights,’ the relationship between reproductive health and rights, and the concerns of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people is clear. From the right to control our own bodies, to access to fertility technology, to the application of scientifically based approaches to HIV/AIDS, people of every sexual orientation and gender identity share the most basic human concerns and goals.”

Through “Mapping Our Rights,” Ipas, the Task Force and SisterSong strive to promote awareness of discriminatory legislation and spur action.

Loretta Ross, SisterSong national coordinator, said the map demonstrates how the issues of reproductive rights and economic and social justice are intrinsically linked. “To conceive or not to conceive is not the only question a woman asks when she wants to start a family. When a woman becomes pregnant, she’s also thinking about her financial situation, her access to health-care services, and whether there is room in her house for this child.”

NOTE: “Mapping Our Rights” uses the Adobe Flash 8 player, which should download automatically if it is not already installed.  If you have trouble viewing the site (missing text, graphics, etc.), go to this link on Adobe.com's site, where you can manually download and install the latest Flash player...

For more information, contact:
Kirsten Sherk
Senior Associate, Media Relations
e-mail: sherkk@ipas.org
phone: 919.960.5612
fax: 919.929.0258