July 10, 2006

Mapping Our Rights

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A new interactive map created by a consortium of advocacy groups (Ipas, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, and the SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective) colors the 50 states according to their level of sexual and reproductive freedom. Visually, the result is familiar: the darkest blues — signifying the states with the least restrictive laws — are clustered at the coasts. Moving inwards, states turn purple, crimson and finally, in an island chain stretching from North Dakota to Oklahoma, fire-engine red. Interestingly, though, Ohio, with its dearth of hate-crime laws and its myriad restrictions on abortions, ranks as the least free of any state (Oklahoma, by contrast, was merely #46). New Mexico, meanwhile, came in number one.

map.jpg.
Click on the image to go to the interactive map. (Requires Flash)

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WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

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