Florida NOW

Statement by NOW President Toni Van Pelt Welcoming the March For Our Lives:

The National Organization for Women welcomes the students from Parkland, Florida–and around the country–who are coming to Washington, DC for the March For Our Lives.

NOW applauds your focus on grassroots activism, voter registration and getting out the vote to elect lawmakers who will support common-sense policies to end gun violence. We know that mass actions can move public policy, and lead to new laws that address old wrongs.

About 4.5 million living American women have been threatened with a gun by an intimate partner. Further 55 percent of the nearly 1,700 women killed in 2015, single victim, single offender incidents were killed with a gun.It has long been noted that numerous instances of mass shooting involve a perpetrator’s history of domestic violence. NOW is working to elect candidates who support stricter gun controls and will stand up to the NRA.

NOW joins you in “calling BS” on the gun culture, and its enablers. Welcome to Washington. You are marching into history.

Contact

Emily Imhoff, press@now.org, 951-547-1241

Statement by NOW President Toni Van Pelt:

The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments today in the case of National Institute of Family Life Advocates v. Becerra, a challenge to the California FACT Act, a commonsense law that provides women and their families with access to full and accurate information about their reproductive healthcare options. NOW has signed an amicus brief supporting the state of California in its quest to stop what should be an unlawful practice of undermining a woman’s decision as to whether or not to terminate a pregnancy with false information and harmful manipulation.

The law requires state health centers to give their clients notice that the state has public programs that provide free or low-cost access to reproductive health care services, including abortion.

NIFLA is part of a scourge of so-called “crisis pregnancy centers,” or fake clinics run by anti-abortion activists that trick people into coming in for comprehensive medical care, and then convince them to carry a pregnancy to term they may not actually want. These centers are even manipulating Google Maps so they rank high in searches for terms like “abortion clinics near me.”

The California law is about freedom of information, but the radical right is afraid of truth. The Supreme Court must tell fake women’s health centers to comply with the law and disclose information women need to protect their reproductive rights.

California NOW grassroots and the National Action Center stand with the state of California and thank them for the foresight and courage to finally take on these harmful tools of the radical right.

Contact

Emily Imhoff, press@now.org, (951) 547-1241

Statement of NOW President Toni Van Pelt on the Death of Rep. Louise Slaughter:

NOW deeply mourns the passing of Rep. Louise Slaughter. Louise Slaughter made her mark on history, and women everywhere are living better, safer lives because of her vision and leadership.

As one of the longest-serving women in the House of Representatives, Louise Slaughter was a dynamo when it came to women’s rights. She was the first female chair of the all-powerful House Rules Committee, where she facilitated the passage of dozens of bills, including the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

Louise Slaughter was the co-chair and founding member of the Congressional Pro-Choice caucus, and an original author of the landmark Violence Against Women Act, which has reduced cases of domestic violence by 67 percent since 1994.

Congresswoman Slaughter dedicated the first $500 million in federal funds to breast cancer research at the National Institute of Health (NIH). Prior to 1993, all clinical trials at the NIH were being conducted only on white men.

And when the Supreme Court ruled that employers could deny coverage for certain types of contraceptive methods, Louise Slaughter introduced the Not My Boss’s Business Bill, which would ensure that no corporation can choose to deny federally mandated health services.

Louise Slaughter’s wise counsel, sharp intellect and effective lawmaking will be sorely missed. Women have lost a leader, and a dear, dear friend.

Contact

Emily Imhoff, press@now.org, 951-547-1241