Prolife and Prochoice: A Chance to Work Together (Part Two)

Part One of this post series tells the story of Alicja Tysiac. She is a disabled single mother in Poland who struggles to take care of herself and her three children on a state disability pension of 140 Euros/~190 US Dollars per month. Yes, there are people in the world living on much less, but that is a fraction of what the average Pole has to live on, this is still deep poverty, and no person in any country deserves this (let alone less than this).

Whether you are prolife, prochoice, or something else, you can take these concrete, practical steps to help Alicja and her children--as well as other human beings in similarly difficult situations.

1. Send Alicja and her children a financial gift.

--You can do this from many countries through Western Union.
--At the Western Union website, name your recipient as "Alicja Tysiac, Warsaw, Poland" and send your donation in zlotys or PLN.
--Immediately send an email to Elwira Chrusciel, info@astra.org.pl. On behalf of the nongovernmental organization ASTRA, Ms. Chrusciel will notify Alicja of your wired gift. She is also glad to answer any questions you may have about Alicja and her situation.

Note: ASTRA is a prochoice feminist organization; Nonviolent Choice is prolife feminist. But we are glad to cooperate with them on these substantial areas of shared concern.

2. Speak up and act for ALL families in Poland who deal with poverty, disability, and/or single motherhood.

--Write a letter to Roman Giertych, Poland's Deputy Minister and Minister of Education:

Roman Giertych, Ministerstwo Edukacji Narodowej, Al. Szucha 25, 00-918 Warszawa, Poland

(Sorry; couldn't find a fax number or email address. If you have one, by all means, do tell!)

--The proper salutation is "Dear Minister."

--Please make the following points in your letter, politely but firmly.

• Minister Giertych, even though you disagree with Alicja Tysiac's lawsuit against the Polish government, surely you can understand that she and her children, like any other human beings, deserve far more than the tiny pension they struggle to live on. No one deserves such poverty.
• All families in Poland who face poverty because of disability, single motherhood, and/or unemployment deserve at the very least a public commitment (in deed, not merely word)to giving them with the Polish equivalent of a "living wage."
• Minister Giertych, you profess to be prolife. However, does prolife begin at conception and end at birth? Adequate pensions for people like Alicja Tysiac and her family are prolife in at least two ways. They actively express respect for the lives of vulnerable Polish citizens, and in many, many situations, they can relieve the very problems that cause women to consider having abortions.

Note: A future action alert here will take on Giertych's homophobia and hostility to contraception for those whose beliefs permit it. These are also stances that in our opinion equally sabotage his professed commitment to prolife. However, for the time being, a short letter focused on the single issues of adequate pensions is most likely to have an impact.

3. If you are from another country besides Poland: speak up and act for ALL families in your country who deal with poverty, disability, and/or single motherhood.

--Families in these situations everywhere tend to have unnecessary, preventable difficulties, although their precise nature and the amounts and kinds of available social supports can vary from country to country. Try looking through the Nonviolent Choice Directory (direct URL http://www.nonviolentchoice.info)for ideas on how you personally can take other global and local actions.

4. Email this action alert to at least two other people you know!

With thanks for all you can do!