Statement by NOW President Toni Van Pelt:

Bernice Sandler, who passed away January 5 at her home in Washington, D.C., was widely known as the “Godmother of Title IX.”  After earning a doctorate at the University of Maryland in 1969, she applied for one of seven teaching positions in her department but was told that she wouldn’t be considered for any of them.

“Let’s face it,” a male colleague told her.  “You come on too strong for a woman.” When she applied for another position, the researcher in charge of hiring said he didn’t hire women because they stayed home too often to care for sick children. Later, an employment agency dismissed her as “just a housewife who went back to school.”

Bernice Sandler then embarked on a lifelong mission to change the culture of sex discrimination on college campuses. She spent decades documenting, investigating and working to change the arbitrary limits and sexist standards that held women back academically and professionally. Her work led to the passage in 1972 of Title IX, the landmark legislation that banned sex discrimination in federally funded educational institutions.

Bernice Sandler was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2013 when she was lauded for her efforts that led to the first federal investigation of sex discrimination on campuses.

Bernice Sandler was an inspiration to countless women who were inspired by her example and empowered by her accomplishments.  She will be missed but never forgotten.

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NOW Press, press@now.org, 202-628-8669

Statement by NOW President Toni Van Pelt:

WASHINGTON – Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam’s decision to grant full clemency to Cyntoia Brown was the right thing to do, but it doesn’t erase the injustice she endured.  The criminalization of the trauma she suffered as a victim of sex trafficking and abuse is reprehensible and unacceptable.

Cyntoia Brown was 16 when she was trafficked to a man who hit her, choked her, and dragged her across the floor.  When she thought he was reaching for a gun, the teenager shot her abuser. For this action, she was tried as an adult, then convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison – with the possibility of parole only after serving 51 years behind bars.

Tennessee’s parole board gave the governor a split recommendation, with some on the panel recommending early release and others suggesting she stay in prison until she was 69 years old.  Questions need to be asked about the state of justice in Tennessee, and how the legal system fails victims of abuse and trafficking like Cyntoia Brown.

Because of a PBS documentary and vocal support from high-profile celebrities who rallied to her cause, Cyntoia Brown’s case received plenty of attention in the public spotlight. However, countless other young women languish in prisons for similar reasons, without the benefit of superstar endorsement.  

Cyntoia Brown completed her GED and got a college degree while in prison, and she has said she hopes to start a nonprofit to pursue social justice issues.  Her dedication to this cause is inspiring, and her voice and experience will have a tremendous impact.

NOW applauds Gov. Haslam for listening to our demands – along with the demands of thousands of other advocates – to award Cyntoia Brown a full commutation. However, this story of injustice does not end in August when Cyntoia walks out of prison. The National Organization for Women, the people of Tennessee, and concerned citizens everywhere need to demand an end to the criminalization of trauma, especially towards women and girls of color. Only when we see an end to sex trafficking and violence against women and girls will justice be served.

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NOW Press, press@now.org, 202-628-8669

Statement by NOW President Toni Van Pelt:

WASHINGTON – An alarming rise in “personhood” laws – including a new focus on beyond-the-pale criminal prosecution of pregnant women- is opening up a dangerous new front in the far-right’s attack on reproductive rights.  As an editorial series in the New York Times described:

“These criminal statutes are results of a tried-and-true playbook, part of a strategic campaign to establish fetal rights, reverse Roe v. Wade and recriminalize abortion. The sequence begins with anti-abortion groups seizing upon a tragic case in which a woman loses her pregnancy because of someone else’s actions. Public outcry then helps to strengthen a state feticide law that recognizes such lost pregnancies as murder or manslaughter. It’s a backdoor way of legally defining when life begins.”

Some activists behind fetal protection laws see them as a vehicle for overturning Roe v. Wade.  With Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court, rulings that strike down Roe and prop up “personhood” laws could be just around the corner.

It is beyond irony that Donald Trump and his allies in the states fiercely oppose an Equal Rights Amendment for women, and now want to shred our Constitution to grant personhood status to the fetus.

The National Organization for Women has always been on the front lines of defending women’s rights, including abortion rights, and in empowering women to protect themselves from institutions and powerful elites that seek to oppress and discriminate against us. NOW will continue to oppose laws and policies that elevate a constitutionally indefensible notion of fetal personhood and threaten the health and dignity of women.

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NOW Press, press@now.org, 202-628-8669