The Silver Ribbon Campaign to Trust Women is a very low budget but high impact organization. They bring people together and are not proprietary about their work. The Silver Ribbon is very popular with every day people as something to take action and increase visibility. The Campaign has brought together groups that have NEVER done work together before e.g. MoveOn with PFAW, FMF, and other groups that don't usually work together.
It’s great to see this collaborative work in action among so many reproductive rights organizations who have signed on as partners of this wonderful effort. The Trust Women Silver Ribbon Campaign exemplifies the strength that women have when we stand in solidarity with each other. I’ve seen ordinary women as well as elected officials wear their silver ribbon – it’s a simple, symbolic gesture that communicates a powerful message. Those who wear it are proud to say that they: trust women, support reproductive rights, free access to birth control and want to keep abortion legal and accessible.
When I received an email from one of the Silver Ribbon Campaign's partners in early 2011, I was immediately drawn to the organization.
A long-time supporter of women's reproductive rights and respect for women, I deeply felt this organization was filling a void that desperately needed to be filled- bring people/organizations together who support women's rights and amplify their voices and work to bring greater public awareness/action/progress.
Their list of partners is growing steadily, signaling organizations are ready to move forward together in support of women's reproductive rights.
The Silver Ribbon Campaign to Trust Women stands for women's reproductive rights and invites everyone supporting these rights to stand with them and for women - together.
The Silver Ribbon Campaign is the brainchild of Sophia Yen, MD who is an adolescent pediatrician and graduate of MIT and UCSF Medical School as well as a board member for The Center for Reproductive Rights. She treats low socio-economic teenagers daily and understands the need to provide low cost birth control and the importance of a women's right to chose.
If women did not have this right, the affects on our society would be extremely detrimental. Low income women who could not afford to travel to another country or state, would have back room abortions like before Roe vs Wade. This would lead to death and/or permanent scaring. In addition, many unwanted children would be born and it would be the responsibility of our country to support these children in the form of welfare and other entitlements. With a deficit of a 14 trillion dollars, we do not need this added burden.
This right to chose is one that we take for granted however with the current balance in the Supreme Court and the increasing influence of the Far Right, we cannot take this right as a given.
The Silver Ribbon Campaign reminds society on a regular basis that we need to continue to fight for a women's right to chose what she does with her body and to TRUST WOMEN as President Obama has also encouraged us to do!