Statement of NOW President Toni Van Pelt

The white supremacists who launched a brutal protest against the city of Charlottesville, Virginia’s plan to remove a statue of Confederate general Robert E. Lee must be held to account for their violence and hate speech, says Toni Van Pelt, president of the National Organization for Women (NOW).

“Robert E. Lee was on the wrong side of history and so are the Charlottesville racists,” says Toni Van Pelt. “The majority of Virginia voters—like the majority of voters across the U.S., voted for the presidential candidate who defended inclusion over intolerance, healing over division and fairness over bigotry. NOW stands with our courageous sisters and brothers in Charlottesville, who are standing strong against hate and violence.”

NOW has always been committed to eradicating racism. In NOW’s original Statement of Purpose, the group’s founders wrote, “We realize that women’s problems are linked to many broader questions of social justice; their solution will require concerted action by many groups. Therefore, convinced that human rights for all are indivisible, we expect to give active support to the common cause of equal rights for all those who suffer discrimination and deprivation.”

Today’s violent march follows an evening “Unite the Right” rally at the University of Virginia where hate-filled rhetoric from Ku Klux Klan members and other alt-right activists was directed at African Americans, immigrants, and Jewish people.

Charlotte Gibson, president of Charlottesville NOW, said, “The white nationalists, neo-Nazis, armed militias and alt-right extremists who came to Charlottesville and tried to hijack democracy today will not succeed. Their rhetoric is never acceptable in a civilized society, and their embrace of violence must never be tolerated.”

“Donald Trump’s personal reliance on the language of confrontation, combat and intolerance has alarmed us all in recent days,” says Toni Van Pelt. “Trump may be sending signals and cues to those who would harm peaceful protesters, but the people of Charlottesville are standing up to Trump-inspired bullying and inspiring us all.”

Contact
M.E. Ficarra, press@now.org, 951-547-1241

Statement of NOW President Toni Van Pelt

Google has once again turned heads this week, because of its sexist and misogynistic treatment of employees. But let’s not forget that Google’s mistreatment of women extends far beyond its Mountain View, Calif. headquarters. Their lobbyists are working hard to protect laws that encourage online sex trafficking–and the exploitation of girls and women.

Backpage.com is a key player in online sex trafficking–providing a hub where traffickers can advertise children for sex. That’s despicable. Yet third-party facilitators of sex trafficking like Backpage.com remain protected under the law, specifically Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA).

Backpage.com has been dodging legal challenges to their illicit conduct, and Google has swooped to their defense. Areport by Consumer Watchdog indicates that Google has contributed millions of dollars to the defense of Backpage. All of this legal work hinges on the protection of Section 230 of the CDA–which supports Google’s corporate interests. Now Google is sending their lobbyists to Capitol Hill, to persuade lawmakers to stay away from this precious piece of the law.

Shame on Google: it’s clear they’ve chosen again and again to put corporate priorities before the safety of girls and women. Their endorsement of Section 230 of the CDA says that they are more than happy to condone child sex trafficking if it furthers their goals. If they’re not resisting injustice, they’re committing it.

Well, NOW’s grassroots activists are ready to resist. Congress needs to amend this dangerous law that allows online sexual exploitation to go unchecked. So we’ll be marching into our representatives’ offices with a simple demand: don’t listen to Google. Change Section 230 of the CDA to make sure that it protects women–not corporations.

Statement of NOW President Toni Van Pelt

The Democratic party, determined to win back the majority in the House of Representatives at any cost, is throwing its support behind anti-choice candidates. That’s a huge mistake. Reproductive justice is at the heart of women’s health, welfare, safety, and economic security.

This week Rep. Ben Ray Luján, chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said in an interview that, in order to pick up 24 more seats in the House, Democrats would fund candidates who oppose abortion rights.This marks a painful pivot from the 2016 party platform, which spelled out “that every woman should have access to quality reproductive health care services, including safe and legal abortion—regardless of where she lives, how much money she makes, or how she is insured.”

That platform was driven by smart policy, and smart politics–because it recognizes that progressive abortion policy is central to achieving economic justice. That’s why women, and all progressives, should decry this new posturing–which has Democratic leaders trying to appeal to a mythical group of moderates, by shrugging off reproductive rights as a fringe issue. The truth is this: they’ll never achieve any of their progressive goals, economic or otherwise, if abortion rights get pushed out of the picture.

Most important of all: Democrats can’t risk women’s lives to play this political game. This is even more urgent for marginalized individuals. Women of color, young people, and LGBTQIA+ individuals are hit hardest when abortion access is gutted–and that would almost certainly be the case if the Democrats throw their support behind anti-choice candidates.

I’m calling on grassroots activists across the country to march into their Congressional Democratic offices and make their voices heard, and to to work at the local Democratic party level–as individuals, or with their NOW chapters. NOW has been a proud fighter for abortion rights and reproductive justice for over 50 years. The Democratic party cannot and should not take us for granted. Party leaders must think again, and get it right this time.