Citizen Lobbyist: Day One of Elissa Cottle's Experiences in D.C.

Editor's Note: Elissa Cottle is a Southwest Minneapolis resident travelling to Washington D.C. as a citizen lobbyist for the group Population Connection, which lobbies on issues of overpopulation, the environment and reproductive rights. While her comments aren't an endorsement by Patch of her specific views on the issues, it's an interesting opportunity to hear about the experiences of a local citizen as they seek to impact government policy. She'll send Patch updates of her lobbying experiences for the next few days.

By Elissa Cottle

Flying to D.C. Friday, I practiced lobbying with the lovely woman I met on the plane. We have this in common: both in our 50s, proud mothers of two, well educated and have interesting careers. She’s a senior scientist for a large American corporation that makes food I love. Besides being a lucky mom, I am a clinic assistant, teacher and organizing consultant. We both love to tell funny stories. We both gave up full-time work to be home at least part time while raising our children.

Susan also has intimate knowledge about which I have no personal experience—one of her daughters attends a Naval academy, the other is a Christian missionary. Susan lives in a northern Minneapolis suburb; I live in the city.

I told her was going to be a citizen lobbyist, guided by Population Connection. She was quite interested. She asked why. I hope to convince my congressional representatives the U.S. should contribute funds for contraceptives in Africa to prevent women from dying in childbirth, leaving their large families motherless. I am not going to advocate for abortion. In our conversation, party affiliation never came up. We showed each other our kids’ photos. We laughed about the challenges of motherhood and careers outside the home. We parted with respect, each other’s business cards, and happy to have met.

I was greeted Friday at the Churchill Hotel, host site of Population Connection’s Capitol Hill Days 2011, by a host of informative speakers and events.

We watched the brilliant film The Edge of Joy. Dawn Sinclair Shapiro’s film is tragic but hopeful. It beautifully illustrates motherhood facts of Nigeria: It is dangerous to be pregnant there because your odds of dying in childbirth are 1-in-18, usually by bleeding to death. Shapiro, of Chicago, said she witnessed many women dying as she made the film. Her film focused on the story of one young mother of many children, who was saved because her husband rode his bicycle all over the village and finally found a very expensive bag of blood to buy for her. Luckily she went home with one live baby. The baby’s twin died shortly after birth.

I learned Saturday from Kristy Kade, a leader of Pathfinder International, that every minute worldwide, a woman dies in childbirth. Half a million a year die. John Seager, leader of Population Connection, said it costs $22 a year for contraceptives for a woman in a developing country.

I enjoyed the motherhood story of Gloria Feldt, from Texas, who was a teen wife and mother at age 16, and had two more kids before age 20. She said it was “miraculous” to get the birth control pill, that it opened the door for her to go to college and help support her family financially. “I have a low-tech definition of a leader. A leader is someone who gets something done,” said Feldt, author of No Excuses: 9 Ways Women Can Change How We Think about Power. 

Feldt enouraged us to speak from personal experience on the Hill Monday. “Your story is your power and your truth—that is what makes you most credible of all,” she said.

Brian Dixon, a Population Connection vice president, encouraged us to follow up our three 20-minute meetings in the Senate and House by meeting our representatives when they are back home. These meetings are more personal, and help elected officials learn who their potential voters really are. Beside motherhood and my career, I will add that to my list of priorities.