Statement by NOW President Toni Van Pelt and Vice President Christian F. Nunes:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The 19th Amendment’s promise of suffrage for women unfortunately did not provide actual safe access to the ballot box for women of color, nor did it include nationwide suffrage for American Indian women. It took the Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965 to finally outlaw discriminatory voting practices that were hijacking our democracy from people of color and other marginalized groups. These rights have been and continue to be under siege since constitutional authority was instituted. As we near the 100th anniversary of the final ratification of women’s right to vote being enshrined in the constitution, we must remember the legitimacy of our democracy depends on everyone’s full participation. 

The VRA has been essential to preventing voter suppression in communities of color for decades. But in 2013, five Supreme Court justices gutted the pre-clearance provision of this vital law in the Shelby County v. Holder decision, thereby making it easier for certain states to resume racist practices that restrict the voting rights of African American, Latino, Native American and Asian American people.  It is far past time to right this grievous wrong and restore equal access to the voting booths for all Americans, especially women of color.  

That is why NOW is proudly standing with our coalition partners across the country for Shelby Week, being held June 24-June 30, to demand that Congress reinstate protections against racial discrimination in voting by passing the Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would restore the VRA to its full authority. This bill would help to stem the rolling tide of voter disenfranchisement efforts nationwide, which include strict voter ID laws, limited access to the polling places, restricting ballot pickups and the elimination of early voting.  

Every voice must be heard in the voting booth to make progress on important racial justice and women’s issues such as pay discrimination, educational equity, immigrants’ rights, domestic violence and much more. Americans want a system that works for every voter, and Congress must deliver by passing the Voting Rights Advancement Act to ensure that we have the tools we need to address racial discrimination in voting.  

Contact

Kimberly Hayes, Press Secretary, press@now.org, 202-570-4745

Statement from NOW President Toni Van Pelt:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) rejected the license application of the only abortion provider in the state. Judge Michael F. Stelzer of the Missouri Circuit Court in St. Louis then ruled that his preliminary injunction to allow the clinic to continue to provide abortions remains in place until he issues a written order outlining next steps. The judge’s decision prevents Missouri from becoming the first state in America without access to a clinic providing abortion care since the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, at least for the moment.  

Gov. Mike Parson (R) and the DHSS are using the regulatory process as a weapon to prevent access to abortion care. Missouri would have its residents return to the days when abortion was outlawed, when women seeking abortions had to risk a loss of fertility or their life when trying to end an unwanted pregnancy. These dangers are especially prevalent for people in vulnerable populations, such as women living in poverty and women of color, who may not have the resources necessary to travel out-of-state to access abortion care. Gov. Parson and the DHSS did not do this to protect women’s health — they did this to take control of women’s bodies and deny them their constitutional rights. 

The National Organization for Women (NOW) is unequivocal in its assertion that women have the right to safe, legal, affordable and accessible abortion care, and we condemn, in the strongest terms Missouri’s attempt to deny its residents that right. 

Contact

Kimberly Hayes, Press Secretary, 202-570-4745

Statement by NOW President Toni Van Pelt and Rhode Island NOW President Hilary Levey Friedman:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Rhode Island legislature’s passage of a bill to codify Roe v. Wade, and Gov. Gina Raimondo’s swift signing of the measure, puts Rhode Island in the vanguard of states that are confronting the real threat to reproductive rights and the health and safety of women and girls. 

We commend lawmakers for recognizing that abortion care is health care, and that women’s fundamental right to access reproductive health care must never be taken away.  With a Supreme Court that could at any time reverse or subvert Roe to make abortion inaccessible and unaffordable, Rhode Island women need to know that their constitutional rights will be protected.   

Gov. Raimondo and the legislators who passed this law know that if women don’t have access to a complete range of affordable health care services, then maternal and infant death rates will rise. We must never turn back the clock on women’s health.  This action from Rhode Island protects women, upholds health care rights and saves lives, and NOW recommends that other states take notice.

Contact

Kimberly Hayes, Press Secretary, press@now.org, 202-570-4745