It’s 9.5”x3”, drawn on a piece of 8.5”x11” 24-lb laser printer paper with Micron and Faber-Castell Pitt artist pens, which are stated to be archival and light-fast inks. A small portion of it is corrected with Liquid Paper.

The cartoon went viral last week, linked from Salon.com, appearing on BoingBoing.com, other web sites and many blogs.

The Abortion Ban:

Seizing on the new opportunity following the appointments of “justices” Roberts and Alito by Bush to the Supreme Court, South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds signed House Bill 1215 on March 6, banning abortion in that state, with no exceptions even for rape or incest (the only exception would be if the woman’s life is in danger). The ban will not go into effect unless/until the Supreme Court upholds it, which is a process that will likely take years. But if the Supreme Court does uphold it, that means that any state could ban abortion. At this point, ten other states have similar bills pending. If we don’t oppose the South Dakota ban with every means at our disposal, then we can kiss our freedom from enforced reproduction pretty much goodbye.

The Point of This Auction:

Since this cartoon has been receiving some attention lately, I want to use it to raise money to help keep abortion safe and legal in South Dakota.

I will donate 100% of the winning bid, after I receive it, to two places, half of the amount going to each:

1) Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and

2) The Oglala Sioux Tribe at Pine Ridge, South Dakota. Their President, Cecilia Fire Thunder, has spoken of an intention to build a women’s reproductive health clinic on tribal land.

If either refuses the donation, then the full amount will go to the other.

The Intended Recipients:

Planned Parenthood:

There is only one operating women’s reproductive health clinic that provides abortions in the entire state of South Dakota, the Planned Parenthood clinic in Sioux Falls. Women often have to drive hundreds of miles to visit the clinic. There are no physicians in South Dakota who will even perform abortions, so Planned Parenthood has to fly doctors in from Minnesota about eight times a month.

As reported in Salon.com, the response of Sarah Stoesz, head of the Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota affiliate of Planned Parenthood has been firm. She reassures the women of South Dakota that "we will never abandon them. In particular here where care is so hard to access, we want all women to know that we will never close our clinic and we will never abandon them."

Stoesz also insists that the law will never be enacted, "because we will challenge it legally and we will win." They are preparing for a struggle, “because this is never over. As long as men continue to be threatened by women's sexuality and as long as there are those who want to insert themselves into private healthcare and religious decision making in this country, this will never be over."

Oglala Sioux Tribe:

As reported on Indianz.com, the president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, Cecilia Fire Thunder, responded to news of the South Dakota abortion ban by declaring, "To me, it is now a question of sovereignty. I will personally establish a Planned Parenthood clinic on my own land which is within the boundaries of the Pine Ridge Reservation where the State of South Dakota has absolutely no jurisdiction."

Planned Parenthood later stated that though they appreciated Ms. Fire Thuder’s statement, they had no plans to close their Sioux Falls clinic and didn’t have plans to open a second clinic in South Dakota.

However, I really admire her spirit and in case she can build a women’s reproductive health care clinic, whether or not it’s a Planned Parenthood one, I want to support her. She’s apparently done a lot of good for the tribe, which suffers from extreme unemployment, a crushing level of poverty and low life expectancy, after having had their land stolen and traditional way of life all but destroyed by the United States.

Here’s a description of her from Indian Country Today:

“Fire Thunder has dedicated much of her adult life to the defense of the Indian family and the struggle against abuse of Indian women and children. She is an advocate of the rescue and use of the Lakota language by the younger generation. …A practical nurse, Fire Thunder established an organization, Sacred Circle, to address domestic violence. Her career stands as testimony of the effort to help rebuild the self-esteem of women in her community and nationally.”

So while I would be honored to support any efforts of hers to build a clinic, I think it would also be good to contribute to any of the many ways she’s assisting people at Pine Ridge, and I‘m not going to try to direct how my contribution should be best used -- I’ll simply write the check to the Oglala Sioux Tribe.

Who is this Bill Napoli character?

One of the sponsors of the abortion ban bill is the Republican state Senator Bill Napoli. As a guest on "The NewsHour With Jim Lehrer," he was asked if he could think of a situation in which an exception to the ban might apply.

He responded, “A real-life description to me would be a rape victim, brutally raped, savaged. The girl was a virgin. She was religious. She planned on saving her virginity until she was married. She was brutalized and raped, sodomized as bad as you can possibly make it, and is impregnated. I mean, that girl could be so messed up, physically and psychologically, that carrying that child could very well threaten her life."

In other words, if you’re just raped but not “savaged,” if you’re not a religious virgin, if you didn’t get sodomized “as bad as you can make it” along with being raped, then you’re out of luck. This is the way Bill Napoli thinks about women. This is a man attempting to control the lives of countless women. This is the kind of misogynist thinking we need to defend ourselves from.

Are those his real phone numbers?

Yes indeed. They’re listed on the South Dakota legislature’s official web site. One is listed as his home number (that‘s 605-341-2370), and the other is the number to the antique car business he owns and manages, Motion Unlimited (605-348-7373).

Reports indicate that many, many people have been inspired to call him since the cartoon was posted.

How will I know the money gets where it’s supposed to?

I’ll provide proof. The winner is welcome to see my bank statement after the checks are cashed, and I’ll provide copies of the checks too. You can verify it with the recipients as well.

Do you have any prior connection to either of these organizations?

No, and I don’t know anyone personally who works at either of them.

Can I donate without bidding?

Sure!

Send checks to:

Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota
1965 Ford Parkway
St. Paul, MN 55116

and:

Oglala Sioux Tribe
Attn: President Fire Thunder
P. O. Box 2070
Pine Ridge, SD 57770

Thank you !