Florida NOW

Statement by NOW President Toni Van Pelt:

WASHINGTON – For years, the Catholic Church hierarchy has proven it has no moral authority on issues concerning women. This week, Pope Francis publicly acknowledged for the first time a chronic history of sexual abuse by priests and bishops of nuns, who had been forced to have abortions or give birth to children of these men. In his response, he claimed that the Church has a will to “do something more.”

So do more. Actions speak louder than words.  Stop objectifying children and women, treating them as second class parishioners, concubines, or indentured acolytes who are available to service predatory men in your church.

Abuse in the Church has been a well-known issue for decades. Some believe sexual abuse of nuns dates back centuries, and in the 1990s, members of religious orders prepared private reports about this abuse for top Vatican officials that went nowhere.

Stop protecting abusive priests,  open the gates of secrecy and adopt real reforms – starting with independent oversight that includes laypersons and leaders of the various orders of Catholic Sisters as part of the process.

Pope Francis needs to do more than improvising an answer about sexual abuse of nuns while standing aboard an airplane.  He must punish offenders, support the families and survivors of this heinous abuse, and protect them from retribution for coming forward.

The Catholic Church must make these changes swiftly and immediately – they are hundreds of years overdue.

Contact

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

Statement by NOW President Toni Van Pelt:

WASHINGTON – The National Organization for Women (NOW) calls on Justin Fairfax to remove himself from the line of succession by resigning his office.  

Dr. Vanessa Tyson has made the brave decision to come forward and reveal in her own words what happened between her and Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax during the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston. Her story is horrifying, compelling and clear as day – and we believe her.

We believe and support survivors. We always believe and support survivors.  

This is more important than who is going to be the next governor of Virginia. This isn’t about politics. It’s about a woman who has experienced sexual assault – a serious crime – at the hands of a powerful man, who is now attacking her character. In order to tear down the systemic and toxic sexism in this country, we must speak out against it.

Enough is enough.

Contact

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

Statement by NOW President Toni Van Pelt:

WASHINGTON – As Donald Trump delivered his State of the Union speech, he faced the most diverse Congress in history.  Most notably, this included a room filled with women members dressed in white, as Rep. Lois Frankel (D-FL) explained, in a show of solidarity against “Republican attempts to roll back women’s progress.”

He repeated his lies to an audience that knows better than to believe a word he says. But if we have learned one lesson, it’s that we must take Donald Trump seriously.

Despite his many lies, there is one truth: Donald Trump will do everything in his power to erode women’s autonomy over their own health decisions and reverse Roe v. Wade. He’ll continue to do the bidding of the anti-choice committees and donors who are stepping up their state-by-state attack on abortion rights.  If he can’t appoint enough Supreme Court Justices to reverse Roe fast enough,  he’ll continue to appoint judges who will rubber-stamp the worst of his administration’s offenses.

As Stacey Abrams stated in her response, “America achieved a measure of reproductive justice in Roe v. Wade, but we must never forget, it is immoral to allow politicians to harm women and families, to advance a political agenda.” Donald Trump will continue to target programs that benefit women, people of color, low-income families and all the marginalized communities who can’t afford lobbyists and don’t make large campaign contributions.  

The State of our Union is obvious: Donald Trump will continue hurting our country by running a government remade in his own image.  It’s up to us to make sure this never happens.

Contact

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