Statement by NOW President Toni Van Pelt:

WASHINGTON — Justice has failed Cyntoia Brown so many times. At the age of two, Brown was put up for adoption, and when she was 16 she was sold as a sex slave to a 43-year old Nashville man. This perpetrator held a gun on her and hit, choked and dragged her during her captivity. Fearing for her life, she shot the man when she thought he was reaching for a gun.

Although she was still 16, Brown was tried as an adult, and a jury convicted her of first-degree murder, with a sentence of life in prison. Under the then-Tennessee law, she would only be eligible for release after serving 51 years of her sentence.

The law in Tennessee has since changed—in part because Cyntoia Brown’s case so horrified the public and lawmakers. Now, anyone 18 or younger cannot even be charged with prostitution.  But Cyntoia Brown is imprisoned with no hope of release for the next half-century.

It’s time for justice for Cyntoia Brown. NOW supports her appeal and also the lawsuit challenging her sentence as unconstitutional under the U.S. Supreme Court’s challenge to mandatory life sentences without the chance of parole for juvenile offenders.

NOW further supports Cyntoia Brown’s bid for clemency from Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam.  It shames us as a society if we are to consign a life that has known nothing but abuse to a life sentence in prison—all before she was even old enough to vote.

We must end the criminalization of trauma.  Cyntoia Brown inspires us to push even harder for justice, fairness and healing—but first, Cyntoia Brown must be heard.

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

Statement by NOW President Toni Van Pelt:

WASHINGTON – As we wind down the month-long observation of November’s Native American Heritage Month, the National Organization for Women celebrates the history and legacy of the first American feminists. Native American women were more than just mothers of the tribes’ children—they were builders, warriors, farmers, and craftswomen. Many Native American tribes believed that women had more healing power and a deeper connection to the spirit world. And in many tribes, the families were matrilineal—instead of women leaving their families to join their husbands, it was the opposite. Men joined the families of the women they married and their sons left to join their wives’ families.

It’s only fitting that the first two Native American women were elected to Congress during this year’s Native American Heritage Month. NOW honors the rich culture, traditions, and accomplishments of indigenous people, and we recommit ourselves to working with Native people to meet the challenges and overcome the obstacles faced by this vibrant, diverse community. We are all enriched by Native American heritage—this month, and every month.

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

Statement by NOW President Toni Van Pelt:

WASHINGTON — The National Organization for Women regrets the unfortunate ruling of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan in the first case of female genital mutilation brought under the federal law banning this horrific practice. We believe this ruling to be erroneous for a number of reasons. The cutting of the genitals of girls in Michigan is not just “a local criminal activity,” as the judge described it. Rather it involves interstate commerce in that girls are brought to Michigan from other states by parents who tell them they are going on vacation. This brutal attack on girls has become a matter of cutting tourism and certainly falls under the right of Congress to ban it under the interstate commerce clause.

We at NOW hope the U.S. Attorney from Michigan, who brought this case, will appeal this erroneous ruling.

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