Heart

That is the problem, isn’t it? That prostitution is considered “acceptable” in the first place, and it shouldn’t.

Isn’t the use of unconditional love amazing? I think that’s precisely what’s missing of every single program aimed at helping people.

Dear Friend:

We are writing to thank you for your concern and support, and to update youon Norma’s health. As a result of the generous donations to date, she has been able to initiate a special treatment for her condition (inoperable pancreatic cancer). It used to be that a diagnosis of inoperable cancer indicated a brick wall, but today, there are new medical treatments that are designed to shrink cancers and/or to keep them from growing. In addition, there are numerous new clinical trials and alternative treatments for such cancers.

Your contributions have already made an enormous difference for Norma, who has pursued several treatment options that she could not have even considered without the resources you have provided. When she learned we had raised some funds, she was able to see a Bay Area healer, who convinced her to undergo chemotherapy and to pursue a course of experimental medicine. The medicine is not covered by health insurance, and she was able to commit to this course of action only because she knew she had the resources for at least two months of treatment.

Beyond whatever physical benefits the treatments will provide, the ability to take action to regain her health has made a world of difference emotionally, as she is able regain some control over her care and a sense of optimism about her health.

We hope that those of you who have not yet contributed will think of helping now, and that those who have will continue to stay in touch and help as Norma fights for her life. Your words of encouragement and your messages of concern are as important as your donations. Please stay in touch and help Norma. The battle has only begun!

Michael Shively, Ph.D.
Senior Associate Center on Crime, Drugs, and Justice
Abt Associates, Inc.
55 Wheeler St.
Cambridge, MA 02138
michael_shively@abtassoc.com

“What kind of character trait is required before one can eliminate all educational opportunites for a group, and then turn around and laugh at that group because they have no education?
What kind of character trait is required before one can eliminate all job opportunities for a group, and then turn around and laugh at them because they have no alternative but to use the only thing they do have - their body - as a bargaining tool?
Really, what kind of character trait is required before one can be that much of an asshole?  Because whatever kind it is, men sure do have an abundance. ”

Bless Hotaling, what an amazing and wonderful woman.  Who the hell says women are not as strong as men?  If men were in our shoes for one damned day they wouldn’t last!

I tell my staff, “If you want to confront, if you want to shame, if you want to be mean to the women and girls, then this is not the place for you. If you want to provide unconditional love and support and an environment where people can heal very deeply, this is the job for you.”

So beautiful.

I’ve been wanting to blog about teenage prostitutes in the Pacific Northwest, an article I read last week, but it is so devastating to think about and write about that I keep not doing it.  Norma Hotaling has been thinking and writing about it and working to change things 24/7 for all of these many years, it’s hard for me to even imagine.

Well, thanks women.  Rebecca, everything you said, so true as always.  Here in the U.S., in general, women who have been arrested for having been prostituted are labeled “sexual offenders”!  It’s despicable and so wrong.

Thanks Heart.

Thank you for making me aware of this amazing woman’s life and work.

We are blest to be here with her.