People have begun to question how breast cancer went from a personal battle to its own industry. Are we any closer to finding a cure? And where are all those donations going? The film Pink Ribbons Inc. deconstructs and documents how breast cancer fundraising has been co-opted to promote a frightening corporate agenda, with devastating consequences not only for women’s health, but also for environmental justice and workers’ rights. Based largely on the book of the same name, both the film and the book explore the history of the commercialization of breast cancer, how the pink ribbon became the ultimate symbol for corporate philanthropy, and how we can start to take the pink ribbon back.
The screening of Pink Ribbons Inc. will be followed by a presentation from Samantha King, the author of "Pink Ribbons Inc: Breast Cancer and the Politics of Philanthropy". Samantha King is an associate professor of physical and health education and women’s studies at Queen’s University, in Kingston, Ontario.
* Wheelchair accessible venue*
* Childcare available*
* $5-$10 Admission or pay what you can*
* No one turned away for lack of funds*
All proceeds raised from this event will go to the Access fund at the Choice in Health Clinic, which provides free surgical abortions and contraceptives to women, including those without health coverage. This includes women without immigration status; homeless women who do not have an OHIP card and young women whose parents hold their OHIP card.
The Access Fund is as crucial today as it has ever been. Government claw backs against reproductive rights and the Conservative majority’s efforts to reduce refugee health care increasingly jeopardize access. Choice anticipates an increase in the number of women needing the funds due to the recent cuts to the Interim Federal Health program. Without the Access Fund, uninsured women in Ontario will have even less access to a time-sensitive procedure.
More information on the Choice in Health clinic at www.choiceinhealth.ca.
See the trailer for Pink Ribbons Inc. here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2xY2cxto1M
Presented by Choice in Health and OPIRG-Toronto.
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