Why opposing publicly funded abortions is a dangerous beginning.

I'm not going to debate about the ethics of abortion.  I am going to talk about why opposing the funding of abortions is a dangerous practice.

Abortions are legal in Canada.  They are recognized as something that should be medically covered for all Canadians, as we have public health care in Canada.

Public Health Care means that all Canadians have access to comprehensive and universal coverage of hospital and physician services.

All Canadians have access to all services.

I've heard some opposition to taxpayers dollars funding abortions because some people have moral objections to abortion.    The problem is, when we live in a society that has public health care, we can't start picking and choosing who gets access to what health services, and what health services should and should not be covered.   Comprehensive and universal coverage means that all services should be accessible and covered.

If people are allowed to start picking and choosing where their tax dollars go, we start a slippery slide into people not receiving the medical care they need.   Maybe you don't believe in abortion, maybe someone else doesn't believe that their tax dollars should go to helping you after your heart attack because you like having a donut with your coffee every morning.  Maybe people don't want to cover dialysis for anyone who has ever had a drink of alcohol, or a diabetes treatment, or cancer treatment for people who have been exposed to chemicals in their workplace, or who have ever smoked.  Maybe people don't want to cover other people's fertility treatment.  We can't allow judgement and personal ideas of morals to influence the health and wellbeing of other people, because if we allow that to happen, we'll end up in a society devoid of health care all together.

Public health care means everyone has the right to access health care, whether or not you think they should.

What you should know about taking distance education courses while at UPEI

Hi there!

I've decided to compile all the information I've received over the past year into one area.  This information is correct as of today, and subject to change, because sometimes Universities like to change things.  Regardless, it's a good place to start.

Attending a smaller university can be wonderful- you have all the wonderful perks of a more hands on, caring environment where you have Professors who know you by name and are (usually) willing to help you.  You also don't get lost in the crowd.

There can be challenges though.  Courses don't necessarily run as frequently in some departments, or perhaps a course that you're interested in isn't offered, or heck, maybe you just want to spend your summers fast tracking through courses to get your degree over with, or just need one more class to graduate.

Whatever your reason, taking a couple of courses via Distance Education might be right for you.

The best place to start is: Canadian Virtual University  This website does its best to compile all the courses available via Distance Education at Canadian Universities.   I've linked you directly to the courses by subject page, which is my favourite, but feel free to browse around.

A few things to keep in mind when going through this.

• Distance education courses are usually more expensive.
• If you are not a resident of the province the university is in, you may pay an extra fee (example:  If you're an Alberta resident who is attending UPEI, Athabasca will charge you less than a PEI or Ontario resident who wants to take a course through Athabasca)
• UPEI degree requirements still are in effect (I'll go over these later)
• Some courses are only offered occasionally, some you can start any time, and some have specific times they start/finish. 
• Some universities are really easy to register for courses, and some are really hard!

You've found a course you like.  Now what?   

Go onto the website of the University (usually by clicking the course of interest) that's offering it and see what you need to take the course- Are there prerequisites?  What do you need to do to register?  

Some schools- like Athabasca, Thompson Rivers and Laurentian make it really easy to take a course.   You fill out some information, your school sends them something (sometimes) and you're ready to go! Others, like MUN make it very difficult, and require you to be accepted as a student before registering for online courses.  This is a much longer process. 

Also look at how long you have to complete the course, but if they give you 6 months, don't leave it until the last minute.  Set your own guidelines for when you'll have things finished, and stick to them!

See how the course is graded.  Are there exams?  Do you have to be present for the exams (this is fairly rare but a few Universities require it or make you find a proctor at an additional fee)? Are they online?  Some courses will require you to have an approved proctor that you find, at no additional fee, even for online exams. Student Affairs can help you with this!  (They are located above the bookstore).  Some Universities don't require exams (they base mark on projects and online quizzes) or allow you to take the exam from the comfort of your own home... or library... or wherever.

Alright, so you've found a course, you know how to register for it... so how do you get credit for it?

BEFORE REGISTERING for the course, you need to get UPEI's approval that they'll give you credit for this course.

This is fairly easy.

Step One:   E-mail the chair of the department associated with the course.  Tell them you are interested in taking a Distance Education course and would like to know if you can receive credit for the course.  Send them the course description (you can usually copy and paste this off of the website, or link it to them).  Let them know what University is offering the course.   Tell them your major/minor.  It may take a few days for them to get back to you.

Here's an example:

Dear Dr. *insert last name*, 

My name is Elyse *last name*, I'm a 3rd year student doing a BSc with a double major in Psychology and Diversity and Social Justice Studies and a minor in Biology.  I am interested in taking a Distance Education course through Thompson Rivers University and was wondering if I would be able to receive credit for it.  The course is BIOL 3431:  Plants and People.  The course description and outline can be found: http://www.tru.ca/distance/courses/biol3431.html

Thank you for your time, 

Sincerely, 

Elyse *last name* 

They may ask you for additional information.

Step Two: Once you've received their approval, you will need their signature on the Letter of Permission form.  Fill out all the information before dropping it off to the Administrative Assistant for the department affiliated with the course you're taking.  They may ask you if you'd like them to forward it to the Registrar once they're done or if you'd like to pick it up.  It's up to you which is better.

Once it's made it's way to the Registrar it may take a couple of days for approval.  Make sure your e-mail address is on the form because they will e-mail you a copy of the approved permission form once they've completed it.

Now you're ready to register for your course through the University you've chosen!

Every University is a bit different for what they require. Feel free to e-mail or call the university if you need assistance registering for a course.

Want funding for the course?

You may qualify for funding.  This varies depending on which province you're from.  I can only offer you information as an Ontario resident.   For me, once the Registrar approved the course, I was able to include the cost of the course in my application for funding before registering in the course.  You need to talk to the Registrar's office, give them information on the Distance Education course (Who it's through, how much it costs).  For OSAP (Ontario Loans) they included this information on my application, and OSAP covered the cost of it.

I think this should be the same for every province (since you're getting the credit through UPEI) but it may not be the same.  Talk to the registrar's office about your specific situation, they'll be able to find out!

Last Step!
Once you've received a passing grade in your course, you'll have to arrange for your grades to be sent to UPEI.  Sometimes you can do this through the University you've taken the course from (by asking them to send it to UPEI), sometimes UPEI has to make the request.  Find out from the University.

Despite this seeming like a very long post, it's actually pretty easy to do.

There are a few degree requirements( Regulation 1) that apply to online course:

• 30 of your 42 semester hours for your Major still need to have a grade of 60 or higher. (So do well on the Distance Education courses!) 
• No more than forty-eight (48) semester hours of credit may be taken at the introductory level in any degree or diploma program, except in a Bachelor of Music program. (Watch out for the 100 level courses) 
• A candidate for a degree must complete at least one-half of the required course work at UPEI; normally, these will be the final 60 semester-hours of the degree.
• In the last 60 semester-hours of work toward a UPEI degree, students will receive credit for no more than 12 semester-hours of study completed at another university.  (This is a big one!  If you're in your last year, you can only do a maximum of 3 courses worth 3 credits each unless you have permission from the Dean.  Which is rare)

Feel free to comment if you have any questions, I'm happy to try and answer them :) 

Good luck and happy studying!

Elyse

I'm Pro-Life

I'm Pro-Life.

I am pro-life for the 45,000 orphaned children in CANADA.
I am pro-life for the thousands of children living in the streets in Canada, who have left abusive family situations.
I am pro-life for the over 200 million orphans world wide.
I am pro-life for the millions of children sold into slavery and trafficked for prostitution because they have no one to protect them.
I'm pro-life for the 11 million children that die annually due to poverty.
I'm pro-life for the almost 1 billion people in the world who do not have enough food to eat.
I'm pro-life for the 1.7 billion people who lack access to clean drinking water.

I am pro-life for the women who accidentally got pregnant and do not want their lives destroyed by a child that they cannot or do not want to have, and who not want to add to the millions of unwanted children in the world.

I am not pro-life for something that I do not consider, based on my science background, to be a living human being yet (for something that has more characteristics of a parasite).

I am respectful of those who believe that life begins at conception, but that respect does not mean that I have to have the same views, in the same way that I wouldn't force them to have mine.

I believe that our society, as advanced as we like to think we are, is obsessed with babies.  There are people who will fight tooth and nail to have a baby brought into existence, against the health, wants or needs of anyone else... and then leave them to fend for themselves.

People argue that abortion shouldn't exist because there are families who really want to have children and they could adopt.

That's a lie.

Most people do not want children.  They want babies.  If people actually cared about the children in this world, we wouldn't have 45,000 orphans in Canada,  123,000 children available for adoption in the US (and almost half a million in foster care) and millions of orphans world wide.

We need to stop focusing on trying to bring more unwanted children into the world, trying to FORCE people to bring more children into the world, when we obviously can't take care of the ones that are already here.

I am pro-life for the women, the men, people, the children that are already here.



edit:  I know how difficult adoption procedures currently are.  I think we as a society need to start focusing more on getting children into loving homes that can provide for them.  There's currently too much red tape.  If someone can prove they can provide a loving home, and can provide for a child financially, it should be a much shorter process to adopt a child. 


Thank you to the following for statistics:
Orphan Coalition
Orphan Hope International
SOS Children's Villages
UNICEF
The Hunger Project

Thankful

I'm thankful that I have MS.

It's not cancer.

It's not a seizure disorder.

I don't think I could handle either of those.  There are people that are so strong, that can stay positive throughout cancer.  There are people that are strong and learn to adapt to having a seizure disorder.   I honestly don't think I'm strong in the same way.  I'm strong enough to live with MS.  When I got diagnosed it was a relief because I was absolutely terrified I had cancer.

I know people who have cancer.   They are some of the strongest people I have ever met.  Their positivity radiates, and I know, even when they're absolutely terrified, they're still strong.

Two people I know have been diagnosed with cancer in the past year.  Both in their 20s, both with rare cancers.  One was diagnosed late, and unfortunately isn't going to make it, but he fought hard and was positive throughout, he didn't let fear destroy him.  The other one has a hard battle ahead of them, but it's early stage, with a decently good prognosis, and I know they can fight it.  They're one of the strongest, take no bullshit people I've ever met, and I know they won't take any shit from cancer.

We all have moments of insecurity and fear, which is why support systems are important.  Those people remind you how strong you are, how fucking badass you are.

We all have our own battles to fight... some people just have to fight harder at times.

The Day I Forgot to Remember

I often have trouble remembering dates.  One that I once considered very important went by a month ago, and it didn't even register to me until today when I read a meme with a quote by Michael J Fox.


“ACCEPTANCE DOESN'T MEAN RESIGNATION; IT MEANS UNDERSTANDING THAT SOMETHING IS WHAT IT IS AND THAT THERE'S GOT TO BE A WAY THROUGH IT.” MICHAEL J. FOX

This quote spoke to me.  One of my best days was finding out, after two years, what was wrong with me.  I didn't experience the denial stage, or at least not right away and not as a full stage.  I had convinced myself I had cancer, a brain tumor, something incurable and that I was going to die right away, without really experiencing life.   When I got the diagnosis of MS, it was a relief.  I knew MS came with its own bought of problems and troubles, but it was what it was, and it wasn't cancer. I still had a change at a long life. I accepted that, and knew that I would be able to deal with it, be able to get through the tough parts, be able to live a happy life because I had it, it did not have me. 

Sure, I've had moments of panic, of fear, of worry about the future.  I've had days where I feel defeated.  I'm always able to pick myself back up though because I know there has to be a way through those tough times.   

I remember celebrating my 6 month anniversary, because I had had so many relapses the year before (7 in 12 months), then my 1 year anniversary.  Between year 1 and 2 I had periods of anxiety, two years was such a long time, I was due wasn't I?  At year 3 I felt triumphant. I had made it to 3 years without a major relapse.   My 4th anniversary, I thankfully forgot.   I forgot to remember I was healthy. I forgot that being healthy was abnormal. I forgot to remember how sick I have been.  I forgot to put an emphasis on the disease that I have... but I remembered to live life. 

Happy Body Happy Self

I'm actually impressed with my body, with the understanding that I know if it was the dead of winter, I wouldn't be feeling this well.

I've been doing a lot of manual labour (7.5hr shifts) the past 2 days, and while I'm sore and tired, I feel okay.  Usually over exertion causes my body to wage an all out war on me (It's better in the summer because everything with my body is better in the summer).  It's not summer, it's not even warm, heck it has been snowing the past two days (It's April... right?  Did I miss something?  Make the snow stop already!)

I haven't even gotten dizzy!  (Which is my brain's go-to way of telling me it's done with whatever I'm doing)

I know I couldn't do this all summer, but I also know that I wouldn't have been able to do one day, let alone 3 days of this 5 years ago, and that makes me really happy, that I'm able to do it now :)

Slowly getting healthier...

Why It Matters

Women aren't special.

I'm sorry but they aren't.

Women are human, we are all human.  They have different struggles, but everyone has struggles.  It is important to recognize them, acknowledge them, and the try to alleviate them, but it's important to do that for everyone... not just women.

Recently my University changed the "Women's Studies" program to "Diversity and Social Justice Studies", a change I was enthusiastically in favour of.

Some people thought this was a ridiculous move, that it didn't matter.  Some thought that it didn't make sense because it was still "women's studies" but by a fancier name.

The reason it changed it's name is because it's not all about studying women. It's about looking at... well, Diversity and Social Justice.

Women have struggled historically, but so have people with disabilities, various ethnicities and races, homosexual, asexual, bisexual people, transgendered people, men who do not fit into the societal norm of "masculine", men for various other reasons, people who don't conform to gender, sexuality or sex normatives.... they have all struggled, they have all faced discrimination and hatred directed towards them, they are all human and they all have the right to be acknowledged as such and offered the same human rights as other humans.

They are all important.

My "Sex and Culture" course, my "Theories of the Body" course, "Aboriginal People & The State in Canada" course, my "Masculinity Studies" course, my "People and Animals" course... none of them have anything specifically to do with women.

They have to do with people, and the way people treat others.

So it matters that Women's Studies changed it's name, because it's important that we acknowledge everyone and treat everyone fairly.

Equality shouldn't have boundaries.


(side note, you should all watch this: Laci Green- Why I'm a Feminist )